Decisions (6/8/2015)

Hello everyone, hope yall had a great and blessed weekend. PRAYER REQUESTS: As always, pray for one another as the Spirit leads, and remember to thank God for the victory while refraining from claiming defeat from the enemy; ALWAYS pray for your desired result, NOT the unfavorable outcome (refer to the book The Tongue – A Creative Force, by Charles Capps). ANNOUNCEMENTS: Donations may be made year-round to assist FMBS Inc. with our day-to-day operations through the PayPal link located on our website (listed below under Join Our Cause). Don’t forget to check out my online jewelry boutique at http://TyeDreamsBig.kitsylane.com, and remember that I am here for your child care needs (Moreno Valley and local surrounding areas), as well as your notary and loan signing needs; feel free to contact me for mobile notary services as well. And, if you don’t mind sitting through a quick seminar, peak your interest in investing in a home away from home; get 4 days/3 nights for $99 by calling (888) 608-9570 or 3 days/2 nights for FREE by calling (800) 217-5231 Ref #2150873521; Westgate Resorts isn’t your typical timeshare, it’s a piece of property you hold the deed to, why not get a nice vacation while spending a short time finding out more information about what they have to offer? And if you’re a veteran, you’ll have even more to look forward to with Westgate Resorts. Your continued support is always appreciated. Feel free to spread the word.

 

HEALTHY LIVING TIPS:

Change begins within… If you want to eat better, look better, feel better and be a better person, as Nike's slogan says "JUST DO IT!" Eating better consists of letting go of junk food and sweets, preparing your own meals instead of eating out, and making sure to practice proper portion control. To look better is a combination of fitness, nutrition, and style... develop a consistent workout routine (30-45 mins daily or at least an intense workout 3 times a week), as previously stated, be mindful of your eating habits, and take pride in your appearance. You don't have to adopt a character of conceit to look nice; take some time to tend to your hair, iron your clothes, and actually consider your attire before donning it. Fitness only enhances an already polished look. Feeling better is merely a matter of understanding your control over every circumstance. Your mood and attitude may be influenced by outside things or other individuals, but it is YOU who has the control over HOW you will react or respond to a given situation; you can choose an appropriate response that will maintain your clarity, sustain your positivity, and maybe even diffuse a conflict. As far as being better overall, that requires growth, change, and in my opinion spiritual development; whatever you have been doing that hasn't worked, STOP and try something new, better yet, ASK GOD for guidance and WAIT until He leads, and then FOLLOW.

 

JOIN OUR CAUSE: Fostering Mind, Body, and Soul Incorporated (FMBS Inc.) is on a never-ending quest to locate deserving individuals to extend our services to. Therefore we are always in need of monetary donations and/or contributions of hygiene items, sealed snacks, bottled water, winter items (gloves, scarves, blankets), mini bibles, etc.; our YEAR-ROUND mission is to serve homeless and/or needy individuals and families in underprivileged communities throughout Southern California. We are successful because of YOUR continued support. Please continue to back us up through participation, and/or by encouraging others to join our cause!

 

For more information about our organization, visit our website at http://www.fmbs-inc-bytye.org and/or add our Facebook page, Fostering Mind, Body, and Soul Incorporated (and/or Fostering Mindbodyandsoul), and follow us on Twitter @FMBSInc. On behalf of my team of volunteers, I thank you in advance. ~Tylesha "Tye" Allen, CEO/Founder, FMBS Inc. Est. 2012~

 

BE ENCOURAGED: If you believe in God, you can be delivered, transformed, restored, and your mind can be renewed. The rest of this day isn’t promised, let alone tomorrow, so why not strengthen your faith TODAY? Feed your body healthy nutrition, be cautious of what things you allow your eyes, ears, and spirit to be exposed to (e.g. media, books, TV, music, etc.), and YOU can start anew and become a better you, NOW not later. NEVER lose sight of God in the midst of adversity… CHANGE BEGINS WITHIN. Ponder this, “Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes” (Peter Drucker). Have a blessed weekend.

 

Lord please clear our minds, and open our eyes, ears, and hearts so that we may see, hear, and receive your intended message from this fellowship. In the name of Jesus, Amen!

 

PASSAGE – JEREMIAH 17:5-9: 

“Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

 

***Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible***

 

REFLECTIONS:

Today's lesson will be based on a sermon given by Pastor Michael B. Kelley II at Mt. Rubidoux Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Riverside, this past Sabbath (Saturday). The sermon was entitled "Know Thyself," which is part 1 of the series Decisions. Pastor Kelley (personal communication, June 6, 2015) stated that the "decisions we make now, lay the foundation for where we'll be in the future." Overall, he touched base on why we tend to make consistently poor decisions in our lives; one of the main reasons is that we are dishonest with ourselves about why we choose to make a given decision. We tend to ask God "what should I do," yet we turn around and make brash decisions without having first asked Him for guidance, or we asked Him first yet failed to wait for His answer. Pastor Kelley (personal communication, June 6, 2015) suggests that before we make any decisions, big or small, we should ask ourselves this, "Why am I doing this really?" We have the tendency of "coming up with creative ways to make bad decisions"; "in order to move forward, we convince ourselves of why we're doing it." Pastor Kelley (personal communication, June 6, 2015) goes on to suggest that "our issue 98% of the time is with ourselves." We were brought up to believe that our battle is with the flesh, but in an instance of making decisions we're not giving into the flesh, rather, we have given into our own selfish desires. 

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that we have inherently wicked hearts and that they cannot be known; basically, instead of adhering to conventional advice of following your heart, consider that your heart is deceitful... We are being dishonest with ourselves about why we should or shouldn't make a certain decision and we are deceiving ourselves to get to that point. The difference between deceit and dishonesty, is that dishonesty is the act of lying or withholding information. On the other hand, according to Pastor Kelley (personal communication, June 6, 2015), deceit can be defined as "some truth mixed some error, to create a story." In order for us to move forward in making certain decisions it isn't the adversary deceiving us, it's the heart. For example, you have some bills due but your friends invite you on a trip to the casino... you reason that it's okay to splurge every now and then, plus you've worked hard and deserve to play just as hard. The problem is that your gas is already off so you have no hot water, your cable is also off, and you're one delinquent payment away from going into foreclosure. Yet, your heart's deception has persuaded you into moving forward in your casino trip, by convincing you that your hard work (truth) justifies your decision to spend your earnings gambling instead of getting caught-up on paying your bills (error). 

The devil isn't tricking us into making the wrong decisions, rather, he is tricking us into believing that we have enough sense to make our own decisions. Pastor Kelley (personal communication, June 6, 2015) points out that God gave us free will NOT for us to make a load of decisions, but for us to give them to Him to make all the right ones for us. We are dishonest with ourselves when we choose not to consider the real reason behind our decisions; for instance, the reason we choose to remain in a toxic relationship. In turn, our hearts are deceptive by reasoning partial truth mixed with error - "well she's a wonderful homemaker, she just stepped out on me because I'm never home" or "he keeps food on the table, it was my fault he hit me." These considerations in our heart are lies mixed with truth which lead to deception from our hearts, not Satan. When the serpent spoke to Eve, he convinced her why it was okay to eat the forbidden fruit; however, it was Eve who received the information from the serpent, and mixed truth with lies to move forward in her decision to partake of the forbidden fruit. Today, it is the same with us - we reason between truth and lies to formulate a conclusion that makes our bad decisions seem appropriate at the time we choose to make them. 

We tend not to realize the error in our ways, yet we are able to pin-point the unfavorable consequences of our choices. We reason with ourselves that we are good people, by making comparisons with individuals whom we assume are bad. Pastor Kelley (personal communication, June 6, 2015) suggests that fail to take into consideration that, "the smallest sin creates separation from God." We lie to ourselves by avoiding the truth behind our choice to keep making poor decisions. He goes on to say that "the worse thing we can do is lie to ourselves; lies are like mold, they grow and fester in the dark - lying to ourselves gives us the power to keep making bad decisions. We MUST be brutally honest with ourselves, because God already knows us. We must know our disorder before we can appreciate the remedy; God cannot help us until we get to the place where we can see... the one person God can't save/help is the person who doesn't believe they need it." 

According to Pastor Kelley (personal communication, June 6, 2015), "the Spirit doesn't leave us, we leave the Spirit; God doesn't stop talking to us, we just stop listening." This is why fellowship is so important. No, church and God's Word do not stop us from making the wrong choices, rather, they equip us with the tools to reach victory. While some may believe that giving your heart to God is a one-time event (baptism), the reality is that it is a daily task; Give your heart and everything else to God. Take every decision, be it small or large, to God, NOT once in a while but DAILY. In a nutshell, seek counsel from God in EVERYTHING; do NOT take a step or make a decisions without FIRST having taken it to Christ, and second, having WAITED for His will to be revealed. Every time we make a choice based on our heart's deceptive reasoning, we create delays in our victory. Matthew 6:33 says, "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." 

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

Father God we thank you for life, health, and strength. Thank you for providing the courage and strength we need to remove the guilt we've placed on self, and for removing every negative thought that has held us captive in our own minds. We thank you for transforming our image into one that mirrors Jesus, so that His goodness is reflected in all that we do. Thanks for blessing us with a double portion of your Spirit, and for closing every unnecessary door that is open in our lives. Thanks for opening supernatural doors to peace, prosperity, clarity, contentment, and happiness. We thank you for providing each of us with the clear and concise revelations we need in order to overcome the adversary. Please continue to help us see, hear, and feel your presence through every trial and tribulation, and for discernment to know the difference between your will vs. our own desires. We take back everything the enemy has stolen from us, and bind every evil and malicious plot, plan and scheme devised against us, in the matchless name of Jesus. We grant your angels permission to do our bidding on earth, and thank you for protecting us from its recourse. This is our affirmation of faith Father God, we submit our petition to you, and claim all these things in the name of Jesus, Amen!

 

Respectfully,
Tylesha "Tye" Allen

CEO/Founder

FMBS Inc. Est. 2012
Ministry Blog: http://sodbytye.blogspot.com/
Non-profit Website: http://fmbs-inc-bytye.org/

Follow FMBS Inc. on Twitter: @FMBSInc

Change begins within; work on becoming a better You
"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)