Honoring In Our Giving

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” Matthew 10:40-42

Many of us may think that this scripture is about rank when actually it is about honor and love. Many people have given up on tithing or giving because of the obvious abuses in the church but what we don't realize is that we are getting ripped off. God rewards honor and love. If you notice Jesus said, "Anyone who welcomes you, welcomes me." We need to see that honoring people, honors the Lord. He doesn't even overlook anything as small as a glass of water. He wants us to recognize those who He has sent into our lives even if they aren't your big name preachers. We so often honor people who are "well known" in church but ignore the usher and look down upon those less "gifted." I have been in ministry many years and have found this type of partiality grieving to God. We will pile on the money on the name brand preacher but won't give a thought to a single parent or someone who is struggling in the body of Christ. Let's face it, ministry has become a business instead of a place of equipping, imparting and loving people into the maturity of Christ.

If you notice in the book of Acts  "All the believers were of one  heart and of one mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need." Acts 4:32-32-34

It's time that the body of Christ moves past selfish motives, agendas and business models. We want God's powerful grace but if you read the above scripture you will see that they were of one heart and one mind. It was a place of unity, love and giving. We need to stop treating people that come to bless our ministries with so much disdain. That's Jesus playing your music, straightening your chairs, taking up your offerings, feeding the hungry and sacrificing their time to do the will of our Father. There are people that go to our churches everyday that are hungry, sick and facing homelessness. We think that because we give our left over change in the offering that we are fulfilling our duty. That's not love my friend. That's religion. We need to stop being so preoccupied with wanting to be blessed that we seek out to be the blessing. This is true Christianity and the heart of our Father. For God so loved that He gave...

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Reborn Identity

As I was laying in bed this morning I kept hearing the word "Identity."  Who are we?  Why are we here?  Can we have meaningful relationships?  Can I move on pass the divorce?  Am I lovable?  Am I worth the time?  Am I employable.  Identity is by far the most talked about topic right now as people struggle to find out who they are and overcome their personal struggles with their sexual orientation, unemployment and relationships.  The roles of men and women have changed over the years.  This has brought so much confusion to our society.  Especially in homes where single moms have to play the roles of mom and dad just raise up their children.  The breakdown of gender and parental roles have caused such fragmentation in our society that it has left us wandering around trying to find out who we are.  Have you ever heard someone say "I just need to find myself."  Well, most of us cringe when we hear that because it means that the person who just said that is going on a personal journey to find themselves and you are not invited.  The next thing you know they pack up their bags and they are gone.  Is it really that they can't find themselves or it is that they don't like their life and think they can have a better life without you?  What is sad about the statement I just made, is that they think their identity will change if they change scenery.  The truth is we define our world by and how we see ourselves in relation to it.


So what is identity?  I will define identity as the characteristics that define who we are, evidenced by what we do.  We are often defined by what we believe about ourselves and sometimes what others have said about us.  For instance, if your parents told you that you were good for nothing and nobody will love you; then most of time people live up to those expectations.  Let's say you were bullied in school and called names.  The most likely outcome will be that we take on the identity of our accusers.  A worse scenario would be to be molested, raped or abused and take on the identity of shame.  There are many divorced people out there who take on the identity of rejection.  Children whose parents leave and abandon them take on an identity of rejected orphans.  Everyday all over the world people allow events to define them instead of allowing God to tell them of their amazing value.

So who are we really?  Are we here just get by and live just another day?  Are we here to be abused by others?  Are we here to become successful, happy and raise a family?  What was our original design?  Some of us don't seem to know who we are!  If you don't know I will tell you... YOU WERE MADE TO BE LOVED!  You were meant to have an amazing life and have a relationship with your creator.  If you are reading this and you don't believe in God then I have only one thing to say...GOD BELIEVES IN YOU!  God decided to risk it all and give up his life to demonstrate your value and His love for you.  He didn't know if you would accept His proposal but He was willing to take the chance because YOU ARE WORTH IT!  Why am I capitalizing my words?  I want to give you the opportunity to start thinking about yourself in the way God thinks about you.  Before your mind starts to argue with you about your value and identity; I want you to know that you can become someone completely different.  Your heritage, past, crime record, mistakes, upbringing, divorce, abuse and etc. does not have to determine your future or define who you are.  God has already defined who you are and declared your value.  You are God's treasure!  All of God's Kingdom is destined to dwell in you along with God's son; Jesus Christ.  When He looks at us He sees Jesus.  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)

Many people are held to horrible images of themselves because they have believed a lie!  The devil is a liar!  He can only enter our lives though deception and lies.  Once you embrace the truth he can't keep you a prisoner of your past anymore.  He can't torment you with fear.  He can't cause you to be depressed, sad or suicidal.  He can't cause pain in your heart and he can't keep you defeated!  Why?  Because you have a new identity and it is Christ's!  Christ is victorious and already defeated him so don't give him a voice in your head!  Give no place or thought to the devil.  (Ephesians 4:27)  Realize that you win!  You are a new creation with God's DNA (destiny - now - activated)  You are now being conformed to the express image of the Son.  Circumstances don't define you; you define your circumstances.  You have nothing or no one to fear.  The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?  Psalm 27:1

Some quick points:  To find your Christ identity you must realize:

1.  Baptism was meant to leave our old identity in the grave and take up a new one by following Christ.  God came in the flesh so he can be an earthly man with struggles and adversity but still walk in victory!  Jesus came out of the wilderness in power not defeated.

 In those days there appeared John the Baptist, preaching in the Wilderness (Desert) of Judea² And saying, Repent (think differently; change your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. John 1:1-2 Amplified

¹⁴ Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. ¹⁵ And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  Luke 4:14

2.  We have already been given a new spirit and God's nature when we got born again.  I hear a lot of people say "Well, I was born that way."  When are born of God's spirit, we take on His nature and leave behind our parent's nature.  We have a new Father and we take after Him not our culture or upbringing.
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

3.  We can't allow events, people or external judgments define who we are but we need to get a new mind set by receiving God's truths and implementing them, causing us to know what pleases the father's heart!  Don't let people tell you who you are.  We were meant to define the world around us because of who we already are!

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Roman 12:2 Amplified

4.  We need to embrace our future and let go of our past!  You can't be the new you and still be holding onto past hurts and events.  We can't allow past hurts trump the cross.

I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  Philippians 3:13

5.  We have to embrace a mindset of humility and be stripped of our rights to possess the fullness of Christ's identity.

⁵ Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility: ⁶ Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, ⁷ But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. Philippians 2:5-7

6.  Our identity is love.  It's not we do, it is who we are!

By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves]. John 13:35

7.  Self must be crucified that Christ's identity can live!

Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].  Matthew 16:24

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  Galatians 2:20

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Jaziz Gutierrez
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Get Your Prayers Answered!

One of the biggest complaints I quite commonly hear among Christians is that their prayers are not answered. While there may be many reasons our prayers not being answered, there are times that we fail to recognize when God does. For example I had a friend who prayed to be married for years. He had gotten a girl pregnant and the girl truly loved him. He didn't find her attractive but she was a terrific mother and would have made a great wife. Before long she moved on and she got married. He was very upset! All he would do is complain about how someone else was raising his child. She waited quite a few years on him but he was caught up in indecision and being picky about her looks. She was actually a good looking gal. I ran into him years later, he was still alone, single and wishing he could be in his daughter's life full-time. Unfortunately, he failed to recognize the gift God had brought into his life and missed out on his blessings. His expectations were way out of the boundaries of being reasonable so he did not receive what he was believing for. I hate to say but this happens more than we think. We fail to seize the moment or enter into the doors God opens. We start to put unreasonable expectations on God.

A good example of a an unreasonable expectation is to believe for a young beautiful looking spouse when we are old and mediocre looking. The truth is many people believe for things in their flesh because they have been looking at far too many magazines. Most people do not look like Hollywood stars my friend. For instance, you might be entertaining mental fantasies that has created unreasonable expectations of your mate. You may be missing out on someone who is already in your life willing to love you but your are too hung up on an ideal that no one can live up to. Our selfish desires sometimes cause us to miss out on our answered prayers!
Another way you can miss your answered prayer is if you think you are too good for a job, a person or an opportunity. Pride will keep you from receiving from God. It isn't realistic to believe for something you can't afford. I knew a brother who refused to get a used car even though he was on a budget and instead wanted a new one off the lot. The most expensive one! Well the money came and went with no car. I knew another Christian who lost a job opportunity because they decided to make unreasonable demands for a salary. The employer never called back. You have to know when you are in a position to bargain and when you are not. Perhaps you are believing for a house when you don't have a job to make the payments. You may get what you prayed for but then not have the money to make the payments. We can't allow presumption to cloud our reasoning. God wants us to operate in wisdom. We must count the cost of every relationship, purchase, decision and hear God's voice in every matter. Faith may get us what we want but wisdom will help us keep what we received by faith.

Believe it or not unrealistic expectations caused the Jews to miss their Messiah. The Jews could not receive their king because they were stumbled at the fact that Jesus was looked upon a everyday blue collar worker. "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him." Mark 6:3 They couldn't get over the fact that they knew him and the town he was from. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:45-46 They were expecting a Moses or Elijah and expected to be delivered from the hands of the Romans. They expected Jesus to overthrown the Roman government by force like Joshua or David but Jesus came to establish a kingdom that could not be seen. When the time came and Jesus was crucified they thought all was lost. They rejected Jesus as their savior because He did not meet their expectations.

This can also happen in spiritual relationships when people create unreasonable expectations of people in leadership. The truth is they couldn't possibly live up to the expectations they place upon others themselves. They expect every call, e-mail, or glance to be acknowledged or they get offended and leave the church. The problem with that is that they are probably missing out on something God had for them but they were never were around to receive it because of offense. There are people that literally wander around for years without anyone to speak into their lives and mentor them because they continually find fault with those over them. They want God on their own terms and on their own time. It doesn't work that way. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

In fact not being able to make to make up our mind, being hesitant, fearful, or expecting way too much are all signs of being double minded. Which really means that we are of two mindsets. The bible exhorts us this way, 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6-7 Instability is caused by our lack of faith or double mindedness it causes us not to receive what we prayed for.


Not only can we miss God's answer to prayers because of our expectations are not reasonable but also because our expectations are too low. Perhaps we are asking God for a job with benefits and weekends off but then take a job that works us on the weekends with no insurance. Little did we know that the next call would have been our dream job but we failed to wait for it. Our unbelief can cause us to settle for less. Our desperation can cause us to be hasty.. We can't act out of desperation we need to move in revelation. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 Yet, it happens all the time we get so impatient with the process of waiting that we jump ahead of God. I wonder how many people got married to the wrong people because they jumped in the sack before really waiting on God for the answer? I had a friend who desperately wanted to get married. He didn't care to who; he just wanted to be married. Well finally a girl complied and she ended up abusing him. Before long they divorced and I never heard from him again. He was the sweetest guy you could ever meet but he settled for less. How is God going to answer your prayers if you aren't willing to wait? "What are you believing God for?" What do you want? It is ok to be specific within reason.

Here is a great example from my own life. I was looking for a car and was a place of desperation because the car we were driving was breaking. We went to a car lot, quickly began the contract and went to get the money. We never signed anything they were still getting the car ready. My husband could not get peace. We called for prayer and the Pastor encouraged us not to be hasty but wait on what we really wanted. We felt embarrassed but we decided to go up the street to another lot. There it was, a natural gas car that my husband always wanted. We knew right away that we wanted it. It was what we waited for. I am so glad that we listened to the lack of peace we were feeling it saved us hundreds of dollars in gasoline. If we take the time to listen to God and wisdom we too can have our prayers answered.
You might be thinking, shouldn't someone do what they said they would do? It is better to back out of your commitment than to make a longtime mistake. We can't allow pressure to cause us to make detrimental choices. We can't ignore the red flags and sirens going off just because we don't want to look bad. Never ignore the red flags. I don't care if you already planned the wedding and caterers. God will do what he can to warn us but we need to take the time to hear Him. We can't allow ourselves to be people pleasers. We also can't be indecisive or hesitant because like I mentioned before we will miss out on God's answer for our lives. You may be asking God for a promotion but because you are hesitant to ask your boss for it you miss out on the favor God has for you.

Also, many people pray but don't follow through with their part. You have to put feet to your prayers! You can't expect to become wealthy by sitting at home without a college education, without trying to look for work or at least allowing God to prosper you through witty inventions or creative ideas. For some reason many Christians believe that somehow if they mystically put their money in the basket every week that they will automatically prosper. God's word says he will bless the work of our hands but that means you have to work. It seems like everyone wants to live off the gospel now or days. However, more than ever Christians are needed in the marketplace like places of government, medicine, education, entertainment and etc. I always hear about this wealth transfer that will supposedly come from the world. That my friends will happen when Christians leave their pews and start cooperating with God's plan to take over areas of influence. God has called us to take dominion over the earth. If you read the bible you will see God always raised up leaders among his people. Daniel, David, Solomon, Esther, Joseph and Moses were in key government positions. They were the decision makers of their day. Deborah was a judge and the general did not go to war without her! Abraham was a wealthy real estate tycoon he just needed an heir. God loves to bless his people but his people need to rise up to action.

Just to recap on how to get your prayers answered:
1. Set reasonable expectations by setting attainable goals. People don't plan to fail; they fail to plan.

2. Don't lower your expectations; God can do great things! Don't be hesitant, fearful or allow self doubt. This is unbelief and double mindedness. You will never reach solid ground in your life if you allow your mind and emotions to rule you.

3. Don't wait around for God to do everything rise up to action! Don't expect others to do things that you can do for yourself. Be proactive in what God has shown you.

4. Don't be afraid to change your mind if you have made a mistake. Please God not men!

5. Remember to get wisdom and revelation from God he is the best consultant you can ever find. Also, find people who provide good counsel to be sure you are hearing from God.

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 11:14

6. Get involved and cooperate with God. Believe it or not you can miss out on God's will if you sit around and do nothing. All his promises are conditional upon obedience. "If" "You" then "I" "Will."

7. Always know that God has the best in mind for you so never get tricked into believing anything less.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life" Psalm 23:6

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

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