Spiritual Insights

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He r [more]

I remember when I was a child. We had a little saying we would repeat when anyone hurt our feelings with words. Especially when they called us a "name". You know - like fatso, stupid, string.bean, or cry baby. We would shout back:

STICKS AND STONES CAN BREAK MY BONES BUT WORDS CAN NEVER HARM ME.

Oh my! What a lie we told ourselves and others. The truth is actually:

STICKS AND STONES MAY BRUISE AND BREAK WITH PAIN THAT GOES AWAY.

BUT WORDS AND NAMES CAUSE PAIN AND SCARS THAT MAY FOREVER STAY.

We are no longer children but we sometime engage in some childish actions. We may not call another a specific name but rather speak unkind words to or about them. Those words can cause pain. Let us be aware of our speech and speak only kind words or nothing at all.

Now, I am reminded of another saying from childhood:

IF YOU CANT SAY ANYTHING NICE, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL!

Proverbs 15:4. The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

Ephesians 4:29. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Colossians 4:6. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you my know how to answer everyone.

Psalms 141:3. Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.

Proverbs 18:21. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 12:18. The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

I remember when I was a child. We had a little saying we would repeat when anyone hurt our feelings with words. Es [more]

If there are principles that open or close the flow of miracles, would you want to know what they are?

One spiritual principle governing the flow of miracles is found in the gospel of Matthew:

When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenters son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?? So they were offended at Him (Matt. 13:54-57).

Jesus performed many miracles in the towns He visited before coming to Nazareth. His powerful anointing flowed out of Him wherever He went. But when Jesus came to Nazareth, the hometown in which He grew up, something was different. The people knew Jesus and they were familiar with Him and His family. They probably said to themselves, Who does He think He is? He is no different from any of us. They could only see Jesus as common, and they refused to show respect and honor for Jesus as their Messiah.

Instead of honoring Him, they were offended at Him. They criticized Jesus and His ministry.

Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house (Matt. 13:57).

The dishonor and the unbelief of the people in Nazareth brought sad consequences.

He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matt. 13:58).

Because of their spirit of dishonor, the miraculous power within Jesus Christ was shut down.

These verses give understanding on a spiritual principle about the flow of miracles and deliverance. Dishonor shuts down the flow of Gods mighty works. I wonder what Jesus must have felt when he seen the people of Nazareth. Surely, He saw the need for miracles, and He had the power to heal and set them free. But the miracles were shut down because of their spirit of dishonor.

If we want to see mighty works of God flow in our lives, we need to make sure we are giving honor to whom honor is due.

To honor someone means to treat them with respect and reverence. When we criticize, speak disrespectfully of or are negative of those in authority or leadership, we allow a spirit of dishonor into our lives.

We all have to be careful to make sure we do not fall into an attitude of dishonor and disrespect.

How well do we show honor to our parents and our spouse? Do we treat them with respect, or do we take them for granted? Our family should be appreciated and treated with kindness and honor.

How well do we honor people in authority? What is our inner attitude toward government officials, law enforcement officers, and our supervisor at work? How well do we honor leaders in our churches? We may not always agree with them, but the office deserves our honor. People in all positions of authority over us should be respected and honored.

We do not have to agree with someone to honor them. We may not like everything someone says or does, but we can still treat them with respect. We can pray for them, love them, and honor them. To do otherwise blocks the flow of Gods power in our lives.

If we want to see the mighty works of God in our lives, we must be careful to give to everyone what you owe them. If respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Rom. 13:7).

If there are principles that open or close the flow of miracles, would you want to know what they are?

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1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 (AMPC)

4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (Gods love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

7 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to BELIEVE THE BEST of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

1 Peter 4:8 (AMPC)

8 Above ALL things have INTENSE and UNFAILING LOVE for one another, for LOVE covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others].

Psalms 119:165 (AMPC)

165 Great peace have they who LOVE Your law; nothing shall offend them or make them stumble.

Some of the best advice I have received from my spiritual mother in the faith is ALWAYS to believe the very BEST of every person. I am so thankful our heavenly Father believes the best in us, even when we are in our worst state. He does so, because God is LOVE. We should likewise emulate our heavenly Father and demonstrate love toward others just as He has toward us. It is difficult to believe the best of others when our perception of them is skewed through a lens of offense. With offense being so deadly to the believer, each of us all have to be careful to guard our heart. Often times, I have found myself returning to the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13. I call it my love test in which I can self-examine my own heart.

My prayer today: Dear Lord, help us to LOVE more as you would have us to love. Help us to see the best in every person. In Jesus name, amen.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 (AMPC)

4 Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils [more]

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. I wanted to give a brief update of Missions #6 from our recent trip and stay in Kitale Kenya. We left on 02/17/23 and I returned on 05/26/23. Pastor Steve will be returning soon. We first want to thank God for the great work that He is doing in Kitale Kenya. Much fruit has come forth to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. We also want to thank each of you that has prayed and sown financial support for the work of the Lord in Kenya. YOU are also a vital part of the work of the Lord, and we cannot do it without you. The next few months will be set aside for rest and preparation for our return trip to Kenya for Missions #7.

One of the purposes of our serving in Kenya is to strengthen the Kenya Good News network of Pastors. While they have over time faced many challenges as Pastors, we are now witnessing a new level of boldness and unity of faith rise up within these Pastors. The spirit of fear has been defeated and we thank God for the freedom and courage we see many Pastors walking in! To God be the Glory. This trip involved meeting and working with these Pastors to continue to keep them encouraged in the faith. The future plans are to encourage and train these Pastors to continue in the great work of the Lord.

Pastor Steve and I also assisted in purchasing supplies needed and provided administrative support for the teachers, staff and students at Premier Christian Academy located in Matisi and Kauka Valley Kenya. We visited the classrooms of teachers Sarah Kimoso, Jane Wafula, and Doris Lunali in the mountains of Kauka Valley as they taught students the English and Swahili language. We had meetings with Mr. Aggrey, head administrator, and all teachers and staff at PCA in Matisi, and inspired each to continue the great work of teaching the students.

We visited many churches during the duration of our stay all of which are too many to list. A few of these churches include Kiminini Church and Kachibora Church in Kitale (East) Kenya, Mlimani Church in the mountains of Kauka Valley Kenya, and Lukhana Church in Kitale (Central) Kenya. Most of these church gatherings consisted of several churches coming together in unison to hear the word of the Lord. The unity growing in the hearts of these Pastors are also growing in the hearts of their congregations. To God be the Glory! During the times we did not travel to neighboring churches, Pastor Steve and I ministered regularly to the church in Matisi on the compound grounds.

The youth conference was held on April 24th thru April 27th. We had the assistance of our fellow JLMI team members Pastor Stephen Rainwater and Adam Easterling to partner with us in ministering to the youth. Apostle Jeremy Laborde also helped with the preparations and purchasing of items needed for the conference. We had a total of 323 youth in attendance at the youth conference. The theme message of the conference was our identity in Christ. Many deliverances occurred during conference and youth were set free from suicidal thoughts. Many new mattresses were purchased for the youth to sleep on during their stay at the Matisi compound during conference. A total of 450 to 500 bibles were given away during the youth conference and the remainder of this trip. What better gift can one receive? Amen. We thank God for the fruit of this trip. And this is for the Glory of God!!

In March, 117 decisions to accept Jesus Christ

On April 24, 51 decisions to accept Jesus Christ

On April 25, 80 decisions to accept Jesus Christ

On April 26, 16 decisions to accept Jesus Christ.

TOTAL = 264 decisions to accept Jesus Christ

21 rededications to Jesus Christ

On March 19, 117 baptisms

On April 26, 56 baptisms

TOTAL = 173 baptisms

Thank you to Apostle Jeremy Laborde and all of our JLMI supporters, thank you Apostle Kenneth Fletcher, and thank you to all of our supporters at Lighthouse of Praise. To anyone else who has prayed and sown a seed of support, We thank God for your prayers and financial support! We look forward to continuing the work of the Lord again in Kenya in the near future. Amen!

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. I wanted to give a brief update of Missions #6 from our recent trip and [more]

God loves us and want his children to be successful in our spiritual life so that our natural life manifests his goodness. Think of it like this, our natural parents want us to have a successful life and be productive.

Isaiah 40:31

But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.

**God gives his children a second wind, his spiritual power daily to continue to run, soar, not of our own might but by his spirit says The Lord!

God loves us and want his children to be successful in our spiritual life so that our natural life manifests his goodnes [more]

Have you ever stopped to just really listen to all the sounds around you? People, animals, vehicles, machines, even those loop recordings that play in your head of negative comments someone made?

Some of these noises are unavoidable but some are a result of our own choices.

These noises block out the unseen world and keep us trapped in the physical world. They block out the voice of the One who wants our attention and fellowship. Yes, the One who wants to show us ?great and mighty things as we draw close to Him? (Jer 33:3).

In order to draw close we must find that quiet place and block the noises that capture our attention. As we sit in that quiet place we can began to hear and see those things that were unseen before. It might be an uncomfortable place at first because it is unfamiliar. But as we grow accustomed to the quiet we learn to enjoy it as we become aware of the unseen world and spend time with the One who loves us. He desires we enter that quiet place to be with Him.

Determine in your heart to find that place to meet with Him and learn those "great and mighty things" He has to share and to be strengthened in your spirit man.

Have you ever stopped to just really listen to all the sounds around you? People, animals, vehicles, machines, even th [more]

"God is Good" is easy to say. It has been a little phrase we repeat often. But what does it actually mean? Good is the opposite of evil.

Good exist because God is Good. Evil exists or appears only when God is not present. When we think about the presence of God we know He can be everywhere at all times through His Holy Spirit. But we must remember that He is also a Gentleman. He does not force His way into any place or situation. He waits to be invited - then He is always pleased to come when we call to Him.

In the beginning, the people of America called out to God to be here in this new Land with us. And He was pleased to be here. He blessed us above all the other nations. He made us strong and prosperous. He enabled America to develop a strong Military. He made us rich and enabled us to help those who needed help. He enabled many missionaries to be sent out to tell the world about Jesus. We were blessed.

Now we are seeing a different America. Our country has lost its Light. It is no longer a strength in the world. It no longer is able to send help to foreign lands. It is no longer able to protect our children even our unborn children. There is fighting and division among our own people.

What has happened? I am sad to say it is because we as a Nation have rescinded our invitation to God to be present in our Land.

We as God's chosen people must once again arise and cry out "God is Good!" We must invite him back into our homes, schools, churches, businesses and government. It is our duty as Christians. It is our privilege - our responsibility. Do not be mislead by those who wish to keep God out. It is our God given right to insist on Godly values in every area of our lives.

"God is Good" is easy to say. It has been a little phrase we repeat often. But what does it actually mean? Good [more]

Talk into it walking in the light of God who had lighthouse praise is what we're about in one family in the Lord.Be encourage to the reader blessings to you all.

Talk into it walking in the light of God who had lighthouse praise is what we're about in one family in the Lord.Be enco [more]