The Sharp Axe

Or another way of saying this... TO ALL THOSE “HATERS” OF MEGA-MINISTRY LEADERSHIP ;) We always need to constantly and consistently be receiving first-hand revelation from God. We all should also be developing a first-hand relationship with the LORD Himself. Both should first come by through reading and studying His Word. However, I’m also extremely thankful and grateful to God for the second hand revelation and ministry associations of 3 other ministers of the gospel. It was through them that I received a proper scriptural and spiritual foundational in my life and ministry. It was like attending Bible School. Those 3 people are: DR. CREFLO A. DOLLAR, JOYCE MEYER, and especially, DR. CHARLES STANLEY. When I first rededicated my life to Him and He baptized me in the Holy Ghost, His Spirit led me into a deeper understanding and relationship with Him. Then God did something that would be beneficial for me. God knew that I needed to be under some strong Biblical ministry leadership. He co...

HERE’S WHAT I CALL A SPIRITUAL FORTUNE COOKIE: IT’S A PROVERB WRAPPED INSIDE A POETIC MESSAGE SIN BINDS BODIES AND BLINDS TRUTH, BEGUILES BELIEF, AND BETRAYS TRUST. SIN A SLITHERING SERPENT THAT SLIDES THROUGH YOUR SOUL AND ENTANGLES YOUR EMOTIONS. SIN IS A STRANGLING SPIRIT, A DEMONIC DECEPTION THAT CRUSHES YOUR CONSCIOUS CONTROL. SIN SEEMS COMFORTING LIKE BEING WRAPPED IN A WARM BLANKET, BUT IS REALLY A CONTROLLING CLOAK THAT CAPTURES YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS. SIN IS A DEMONIC DECEPTION THAT MASTERS YOUR MIND AND MOTIVATES YOUR MOODS. RIGHTEOUSNESS DELIVERS FROM DEATH AND DESTROYS THE DECEIVER. RIGHTEOUSNESS LIBERATES FROM THE CAPTIVITY AND CONTROL OF THE POWERS OF PERDITION. RIGHTEOUSNESS VALIDATES VICTORY AND TEACHES TRUTHFULNESS AND TRUST. RIGHTEOUSNESS REDEEMS FROM THE CURSE AND REMOVES THE CANCEROUS CAUSE. RIGHTEOUSNESS REVEALS TRUTH AND TRIUMPHS OVER TORMENT. RIGHTEOUSNESS ILLUMINATES THE DARKNESSAND ENLIGHTENS THE DESPERATION. RIGHTEOUSNESS IS GOD CONSCIOUSNESS, IS MINDF...

I WANT TO THANK GOD FOR THOSE WHO’VE SOWN GOOD THINGS IN MY LIFE SO I CAN CONTINUE TO BE ENCOURAGED. I WANT TO THANK GOD FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SOWN EVIL OR BAD THINGS, BECAUSE I’VE LEARNED HOW TO ENCOURAGE MYSELF IN HIM. I WANT TO THANK GOD FOR THE GODLY AND CHRISTIAN INFLUENCES IN MY LIFE WHICH HELPED ME DEVELOP GODLY CHARACTER. I WANT TO THANK GOD FOR THE UNGODLY AND WORLDLY INFLUENCES IN MY LIFE WHICH HELPED ME DEVELOP GODLY CHARACTER. I WANT TO THANK GOD FOR THOSE GOOD EXPERIENCES I’VE HAD BECAUSE THEY STRENGTHENED MY FAITH. I WANT TO THANK GOD FOR THOSE BAD EXPERIENCES I’VE HAD BECAUSE THEY STRENGTHENED MY FAITH. I WANTED TO THANK GOD BECAUSE I’VE LEARNED HOW TO PRAISE HIM IN THE MIDST OF GOOD TIMES. I WANTED TO THANK GOD BECAUSE I’VE LEARNED HOW TO PRAISE HIM IN THE MIDST OF BAD TIMES. I WANT TO THANK GOD BECAUSE EVERY TIME I’VE BEEN HAPPY AND JOYFUL, IT’S TAUGHT ME THAT HAVING AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM IS THE MOST VALUABLE RELATIONSHIP ANYONE CAN HAVE. I WANT TO THANK GOD BE...

“WHEN YOU’RE VISITING CHURCHES, YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR...”, PART 2, HOW TO SHOP FOR A NEW CHURCH “HMN, LET’S SEE…” I LOOKED UP AND DOWN THE AISLES WHILE FEVERISHLY GLANCING AT MY LIST, “I GOT THE EGGS, BUTTER, CHEESE, MILK, WATER, BREAD, WHAT ELSE AM I MISSING?” I KNEW THAT I WOULD CATCH UP FROM MY WIFE IF I FORGOT ANYTHING SHE WROTE DOWN FOR ME. QUICKLY I DROVE MY SHOPPING CART FULL OF ITEMS BETWEEN THE OTHER SHOPPERS, MEANDERING UP AND DOWN THE AISLES. “NOW WHERE WOULD I FIND THE YOGURT ANYWAY?” “I   ALWAYS FELT LOST AND TOTALLY CONFUSED EVERY TIME I SHOPPED IN A UNFAMILIAR STORE. I’D BECOME DISORIENTED WITH THE DIFFERENT SIGHTS, SOUNDS, AND ALL OF THE PEOPLE SCRAMBLING AROUND LIKE RATS ON A KITCHEN FLOOR, LOOKING FOR A PIECE OF FOOD. I’D FEEL SO RELIEVED WHEN THE ENTIRE ORDEAL WITH COMPLETED AND STARTED DRIVING AWAY. BUT ONE NAGGING THOUGHT ALWAYS HAUNTED ME. “I HOPE I HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN SOMETHING IMPORTANT.” ISN’T THAT HOW IT FEELS WHERE YOU VISIT A CHURCH FOR THE FI...

This week’s hot topic posting will be… “When you’re visiting churches, you should be looking for...” MANY PEOPLE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH SPEND THEIR LIVES GOING FROM PLACE TO PLACE, LOOKING TO FIND ANSWERS TOWARDS HAVING A MORE SATISFYING SPIRITUAL LIFE. SOME ARE LOOKING FOR ANYBODY THAT CAN HELP THEM FIND SOLUTIONS FROM THEIR PROBLEMS. OTHERS ARE UNSATISFIED WITH THE WAY A FORMER CHURCH, DENOMINATION OR RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY TREATED THEM. MANY DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY’RE SEARCHING FOR. WHATEVER THE REASON, WHEN IT’S TIME TO FIND A CHURCH HOME, THEY’RE THINGS YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR… MORE THAN JUST THE SIZE OF THE BUILDING OR THE AGE OF THE STRUCTURE OR EVEN THE RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION, IF YOU’RE TRYING TO JOIN A LOCAL CHURCH, THE 1 ST THING YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF IS THIS:   IF THE CONGREGATION YOU ARE VISITING TODAY IS A HEALTHY CHURCH OR IS IT A PLACE TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS … ON TUESDAY, SEPT 27, I’LL TELL YOU THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HEALTHY CHURC...

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV) " My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge". The worst kind of deception is self-deception . We believe we are doing right, when we are actually living in error. Because we are human, we will always make mistakes. That’s just our human nature. It’s when we continue in error especially when we know it’s wrong, that’s what the Lord despises. God’s people should be walking in the truth. What is the truth and where can it be found? God’s Word is truth. Jesus is the author of truth, In John 14:6 He says,“ I am the Way and the Truth and the Life ;” He gives us the Holy Ghost to help discern the truth. He says in John 15:26, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth …” I know for myself, I’ve spent several years walking in self-deception with what I’ve believed. See if any of these areas sound familiar: Religious teaching, relationships, even certain scriptures of the Bible that have been taken out of...

YOU KNOW, I SOMETIMES WONDER WHAT GOES ON WITH ME. ONE MINUTE, I GET UP IN THE EARLY MORNING AND IMMEDIATELY GO TO MY QUIET PLACE TO TALK WITH GOD. THE NEXT MINUTE, I’M LOOSING MY TEMPER AND YELLING. ONE MOMENT, I’M READING MY BIBLE AND JOURNALING THE THINGS THE LORD IS SAYING TO ME. THE NEXT MOMENT, I’M GOSSIPING TO SOMEONE ABOUT MY CO-WORKER. ONE MINUTE, I’M TEACHING MY KIDS IN SUNDAY SCHOOL ABOUT JESUS. THE NEXT, I’M HONKING IMPATIENTLY AT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME FOR DRIVING TOO SLOW. IT’S LIKE I’M LIVING WITH A PSYCHO, ACTING LIKE A CHRISTIAN ONE MOMENT, THEN ACTING LIKE THE DEVIL THE NEXT! THE APOSTLE PAUL OBVIOUSLY UNDERSTOOD THIS. HE WROTE IN ROMANS 7:15… 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. BECAUSE WE’RE STILL DEALING WITH THE SIN NATURE IN US, WE SOMETIMES STRUGGLE WITH OBEYING GOD AND HIS WORD. WE HAVE TO CONSTANTLY MAKE THE CHOICE WHICH NATURE WILL WE FOLLOW. WE’LL ALWAYS MAKE MISTAKES. SOMETIM...

I’m thankful and grateful for all those who’ve sacrificed their lives for us to live in the land of the free and home of the brave. I thank our grandfathers, fathers, uncles and older brothers who have served in the past. I thank those women who held their families together while their husbands did their patriotic duty. I salute our current military forces that are actively protecting our interests, here and abroad. I thank God for all of our veterans!

How you can tell when you’ve been poisoned . Your actions and attitudes are toxic ! Toxic thoughts lead to toxic actions. Toxic thinking poisons others around us. Eventually toxic thinking leads to death (dreams). Watch out that the toxics around you don’t get inside you . How do you counteract toxicity? Speaking, thinking and acting positive activates life in you, around you, and gives life (energy) to others.

My Spring Break Family Vacation was very rewarding. We bonded as a family. We shared great experiences. We created memorable moments. We experienced God’s blessings and rejoiced in His faithfulness for keeping us safe. I believe that everyone benefits when we spend time away from everyday busyness. In return, we exchange them for restful and fun times. We come back energized and refocused. We reconnected with each other when we did things together. We enjoyed meals together. We enjoyed walking together. We enjoyed talking together. We saw and experienced new things. We saw and reflected on the things we did in the past. We saw many exhibits that my dad was a part of. We saw sights that he could have told us more about. My mother enjoyed spending time with her son, daughter-in-law, and her grandson. We felt our family grow together in a way it never had before. We experienced life together in a new and refreshing way. Hopefully, we’ll continue to spend vacations together. We thank God t...

Today, it was finally nice enough to go for a bike ride. So forgoing my normal workout routine, I jumped onto my bike and started riding around the neighborhood. First thing that happened was my legs started getting tired. But since they’re my most developed muscles, I felt I could push myself and ride even further than usual. So I shifted gears and pedaled forward. It was exciting. I rode farther than I ever had. I gained a greater perspective of my neighborhood than I had previously. When I got home I was totally spent. But it was a good starting ride and I felt great about my progress. These are some things I’ve learned about my experience. One , it felt good when I broke through my old barriers, even though it meant me expending a greater effort and it wasn’t always comfortable. Two , I’ve learned I can always excel if I’m determined to do more than I’ve ever have. Three , it can be very enjoyable and I’m also learning more about myself. I know this first ride was just the starting...

Being at the PODD felt like being at home, but I’m all grown up now . Don’t get me wrong. I loved the praise and worship music team. They really brought us into the presence of God. I loved rejoining with my brothers in Christ. It was good greeting my former pastor and friend. It’s felt good remembering all of the good times, and the not so good times we had there. But I’m not supposed to remain there. Now I belong to a new church, and a new body of believers. Eventually, I had to leave for my new home , and be with my new family .

I find the more I talk to people, the more they tell me the number one thing that is frustrating them in marriage, they don’t understand their spouse . Men don’t understand women, women don’t understand men. Being around women most of the time has given me some insight on how they think, how they feel, and how they react to situations. Guess what guys? God made them different from us. But thank God, He gives us the blueprint to help us, the Bible. My suggestion is this: Whenever you feel really frustrated or anxious about your wife’s behavior and her attitude, take your Bible and go into your prayer closet. Pray this prayer, “Father God, please change ME to deal with my wife in a way that honors you”. Right now, I probably lost 99% of you with that prayer. I know you would rather be like James and John and ask the Lord to rain down fire on your wife’s head. Maybe then she would submit herself to your leadership. But trust me on this. If you are truly seeking God’s will for your life, y...

“Let your yes, be yes, and your no be no.” Why is it so difficult for committed Christians to keep their commitments? It used to be when someone gave their word and shook on it, it meant they were honor bound to keep their commitment. That’s where that phrase ‘Word is bond’ came from. Nowadays, when someone promises me that they will do something for me, I automatically assume that they won’t. I think about all the broken promises I have made to my own son, and I know that I should do better. He does remember everything I promise him. I know I shouldn’t make any rash vows, but I do so much want to please and give me son things. Even worse is when I promise my wife to do something, and I forget to do it. And of course, the ultimate sin is pledging something to God, and not following through. Thank God my son understands if I cannot give him everything I say I would. My wife might be upset with me, but eventually she speaks to me again! LOL! Only kidding (sort of)! And God is a God of 2...