Tag: humility

How do you get Clarity Of Vision?

What is clarity of vision? How does one know they are seeing clearly? I had cataract surgery on my right eye one week ago but then the coming week the left eye. As I think about the difference in my right eye to my left, I realize cataracts slowly diminished my vision. It is so gradual that you do not realize it till its significant.

I don’t know why we get cataracts, but I do realize my clarity of sight was diminished. Which makes me think about life! How we will go along living with loss of vision and do not even realize it until something major happens?

I had the opportunity on Sunday evening to preach, I spoke about “It’s a matter of heart.” You can go to Facebooks ‘Central Church of God’ page in Portage Indiana to hear the message dated 10-3-21 While I sit here and type this, I also know that our hearts effect our vison. We can be so sure that something is one way and find out it is not because our heart was not in the right place. So today is the day to do a heart check.

The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? 10) I the LORD search the heart. I test the mind, even to give every man according to the fruit of his doings.” Therefore, we cannot fully know what is in our hearts unless God reveals it.

Our hearts can deceive us to believe our motives are ok, our reasoning is right, and our opinions matter.

Your heart is the center of being, it consists of feeling, thoughts, beliefs, and personality. The Revell Bible Dictionary states, “Here is what a person is really like, in contrast to an external demeanor intended to impress others.” Which means it is where we see and hear through. How we see and hear is a matter of heart.

God wants to restore and revive hearts today. So that you can see and hear with clarity. He wants to heal wounded hearts. He wants to heal what you cannot see but what is affecting how you see.

The word restore in The Bible Dictionary means, “to renew, heal; make alive.” Some are going through the motions but have lost their first love, due to hurts that are unresolved. I believe God wants to show you what is in your heart to bring healing into your life. I heard the Holy Spirit say, “outside wounds are visible, inside wounds are not, they will manifest in many unhealthy ways, but the original wound needs My healing, My peace and restoration.” Today is the day to call on the Lord and receive healing and restoration in your heart. So that you can have clarity of vision.

Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13) And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to Whom we must give accounts.” 

God’s word searches our hearts and separates the thoughts and intents/ motives. We must be willing to let the word of God and the Holy Spirit search our hearts. Through humility we learn our motives, through repentance we receive the change that is need. Today is your day for clarity of vision. Allow God to search your heart and heal what is needed and restore what was lost.

Blessings,

Dr. Annette

Do you need clarity? Blurred Vision…

How to Abound in Life and Godliness

What does abound in life and godliness mean to you? How do we live in abundance of life? To be plentiful in life and godliness comes through God’s grace and peace. Being plentiful is not always about money, fame or status. Money is a good thing we need money to buy food and shelter. To me being plentiful in life is walking, living and abiding in the grace and peace of God. I know when I live in this manner I am led by the Spirit of God and He supplies what I need for all my life situations and the grace and peace to wait, lean and surrender in them. This is a daily provision not a one-time occurrence. Jesus gave us abundant life.

How do we walk in His grace and peace? Through surrendering our control of situations. Through God’s grace which is His empowerment to enable you to do what you need to do. His grace and peace are supplied as you surrender to him and abide in Him plus, He increases it as you ask for it.

God’s word tells us In 2 Peter 1:2-4 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3)as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4)by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Through these promises we are given everything needed to live in and by his divine nature, that lives in us through Christ Jesus. We are joint heirs with him. This abundant life is not about prospering financially but does not seclude it either. It is spiritually, soul (mind, will, and emotions) and physically. God has supplied grace for us and will give us more grace as we need it to do what he has called us to do.

Recently, I taught on how to apply 2 Peter 1:5-8, our pastor ends his message weekly with ‘let’s do the Bible’ and this was the passage, 2 Peter 1: 5-8 says, “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, to brotherly kindness love, For if these are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We need His grace and help. We are overcomers in Christ Jesus, but you must be willing to walk and live it out! Walking out the Word of God produces growth.

We need to be willing and must want to grow and see our need for it. So, with all diligence we are to add to our faith…

First, we are to add to our faith virtue. Virtue means “behavior showing high moral standards” it also means moral excellence, strength and courage. How do we apply add moral excellence in our lives? We can apply this through surrender to the Spirits chastisement, leading, reproving. Being thankful when corrected by Him because you are growing and learning His ways.

Moral excellence is a daily walk of listening to the Holy Spirit’s leading so that if you were to go in a direction that is not holy, He will warn you. It is when we don’t listen to the Spirits leading that we usually get ourselves into compromising situations.

Moral excellence starts in the heart and its fruit shows up as you walk it out. Outward appearance is not moral excellence although modesty will be seen in our appearance when we live in moral excellence according to God’s word.

Second, add to our virtue knowledge. Knowledge means “an understating of facts, information and skills acquired by a person through experience or education, the theoretical or practical understand of a subject.”  I believe we apply adding knowledge by being teachable. We can always keep learning. As we learn the word of God through reading and studying it ask The Holy Spirit to open your understanding. Ask Him to teach you if you seek knowledge, you will find it. Learning something new is good for our brains.

Third, add to knowledge self-control. What does self-control mean? It means “The ability to control oneself, one’s emotions and desires or the expression of them in one’s behavior, especially in difficult situations.” (self-discipline)

It is interesting that self-control is the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, if you are a child of God, you have self-control. We apply this in our lives by yielding to God the Holy Spirit. Giving Him the right of way to lead you instead of allowing your emotions to run wild. I choose to speak God’s word out loud when I’m facing situations I don’t like or understand. Speaking God’s word out loud helps us to hear it, believe it, and receive His help.

Fourth, add to self-control perseverance. What does perseverance mean?  Perseverance means “persistence in doing something, despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.” “Continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failures or opposition: steadfastness.”

Tell yourself you can finish, encourage yourself you can do it. By the grace of God, we can finish what we started. Do not allow yourself permission to quit. Speak God’s word to your spirit soul and body. Anyone who has carried out any challenging task understands the struggle you are facing but they did not give up and neither will you! You are becoming an overcomer!

Fifth, add to perseverance godliness. Godliness means, “The quality or practice conforming to the laws and wishes of God.” Is this in outward behavior only? No, it is inward and then comes outward in our behavior. God deals with the heart motives, and He shows us where we are at, which is conviction so that we can repent and change.

Therefore, verse three is so important it says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” It is wisdom to live in godliness, which is reflecting the nature of the Kingdom of God during everyday life. When we live in godliness Christ Jesus nature is reflected in our actions and decisions.

How do we apply this? By being willing to let God search your heart. Then be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Being sensitive to God means listening to God the Holy Spirit He will quicken His word in you and then follow His peace. This affects how you live and interact with others in the world around you, with your families and in the body of Christ.

Sixth add to your godliness brotherly kindness. What is brotherly kindness and who is your brother? Brotherly kindness means the love of brothers “kind affection for one another.” “Kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate.” All humans are our neighbors…

We apply this by humbling ourselves to the leading of God putting others first. Who is our brother? I believe it is our families, church families and neighbor. Jesus put it best as to who our neighbor is. Read Luke 10: 25-37 the parable of the Good Samaritan. Following the Master’s example is best.

And finally add to brotherly kindness love. I Corinthians 13: 4-8 says, “love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices I the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

How do we apply this to our lives? By asking God to show us where we are at in our love walk and asking for the grace to love with His love for one another, for family, and neighbors.

I love that God supplies us with the ability to add to our faith as we surrender to His will and ways.

Three Tools To Fight The Good Fight Of Faith…

How do we fight the good fight of faith? What is the good fight of faith? What does the Apostle Paul mean when he tells Timothy to fight the good fight of faith? Obviously, it is not a physical fight but a moral, spiritual and emotional fight. Our scripture reference is 1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

The reader needs to review 1 Timothy chapter six because the context is important to understanding the good fight of faith that the apostle Paul is writing to Timothy about. He tells him in verse six “godliness with contentment is great gain.” What ever place we are in God supplies our need. Being content with what you have is essential to peace. When we are focused on what we do not have we become frustrated and fretful with life.

Fighting the good fight is a moral, emotional and spiritual fight. When we get to focused on getting things or having what we do not have, we become focused on ourselves. This can open the door to greed, lust, self-pity, and bitterness. The Apostle Paul understood this and said in Philippians 3:12 “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  He understood the harm of letting our situations consume our mind, will and emotions. He understood that Christ strength empowers us to endure and wait, and to press on and persevere. Which is part of “the fighting the good fight of faith.”

First tool for fighting the good fight of faith is God’s Word. Speaking God’s Word to overcome in any area is the best tool to fight with. His word is effective and powerful.

One way in using God’s Word is to knock down the thoughts and imaginations that are contrary to God’s word and His peace. Be mindful of your thoughts they generate consequences on your emotions, health and wellness and eventually will cause spiritual issues. It is good training to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help recognize what kind of thinking you are doing. Recognizing your positive and negative thoughts clarifies what type of self-talk you are thinking about. Both men and women talk to them selves and how we talk to ourselves has an influence on us.

This scripture tells us how to pull down our thoughts that exult against the knowledge God. Anything contrary to God’s word, will and ways should be taken down in our thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10: 3-6 states, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5) casting down arguments and every high thing that exalt itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to obedience of Christ, 6) and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

How by verbally saying I tear down the thought…be specific and speak the thought out loud and loose it off your mind in the Name of Jesus. If it comes back loose it from your mind again.

The second tool to “fight the good fight of faith” is prayer and fasting. This tool keeps your flesh in submission to your spirit. We fast and pray because God’s word is telling us too. It’s a good tool to discipline your self and a training tool to focus your mind, heart and spirit on God Almighty. Some of us have health issues so don’t get caught up in the word fasting. If you have health issue and cannot go with out eating you can always give up something for example, Facebook, tv, treats etc. My husband just did a 10-week challenge for fight club and gave up Facebook. It was a way to sacrifice and focus on scripture and prayer.

In 1 Timothy 6:11 it says, “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” Fleeing what is harmful to you and your walk with God and pursuing the character traits of Jesus.  

The third tool to fight the good fight of faith is humility. When we walk in humility God gives us grace. Humility produces a teachableness and dependence on God. When your humble you are not relying on your own instincts and modes you depend on God’s word, will and ways. God provides us with wisdom and knowledge. Fighting the good fight of faith is daily living focused and dependent on the word, will and ways of God.

The Three C’s of Marriage

Good marriages don’t just happen the individuals work together to make the relationship good. A good marriage is a growing and changing entity. Marriages thrive when we surrender to walking in love, forgiveness and submission to one another. We do this by surrendering our pride, selfishness, and control.

The word submission alone makes individuals nervous due to the extremes people have used with this word. An abusive person will use this word to control and manipulate their spouse. But that’s not how God intended these passages to work.

I look at this word as a mutual surrendering of individuals abilities, strengths and weaknesses. My husband and I have different strengths and weaknesses and we willingly lean on each other in our strengths and weaknesses. Marriage is not a competition it is a mutual covenant of commitment, care and correction. Let’s look at the three C’s of marriage.

The first C of marriage is commitment. Because marriage is covenant relationship it must be entered into with a wholehearted commitment. A covenant is an agreement between two parties. But marriage is also a spiritual covenant between the man, woman and God. God created marriage, it’s a living entity. When a couple puts their marriage in God’s hand and Christ is the center of that marriage their union will be blessed. In premarital counseling I like to teach couples that marriage is a priority. You cannot sustain a marriage and live just for yourself.

The second C of marriage is care/caring. When we care we think of what the other person needs. We express care in many ways with understanding, compassion, and interest. Kindness goes along way in a relationship. Putting someone else’s need instead of your own needs is essential in a healthy vibrant relationship. There is a give and take in a good marriage. Showing thankfulness is also a way of caring. Good manners are a better way to talk to your spouse, please and thank you go a long way. It is a form of respect toward each other.   

The third C of marriage is correction. Yes, correction. When we walk in humility, we can see we are not always right. Correction for me means I’m willing to change or correct the imperfections, weaknesses or faults that I need changing. Jesus said, “get the plank out of your own eye first.” Unfortunately, when we get focused on our spouses’ faults, we lose sight of our own and then we start to compare their faults to our righteousness. But ‘our own righteousness is as fifthly rags’ according to the bible so don’t compare your works to your spouses.

Remember marriage is not a competition nor is it a race. It’s a lifelong journey so enjoy the journey with your spouse.

What constitutes a good woman?

The culture of today may think how a person looks or what their net worth is makes a good woman. But I can assure you it does not. No one is good except God but each one of us has the potential to have good character.

I believe a woman of quality character is more valuable than wealth. One who is honest, loyal, has integrity, humility, hardworking and puts God first is more valuable than a priceless gem. I asked my husband what he thought a good woman was he said a Proverbs 31 woman like you. Thank you, Roger.

You can have good character and not love God but when God is first there is a grace of inner beauty that cannot be compared to. The bible talks about such a woman in Proverbs 31:10-31. King Lemuel’s words came from what his mother taught him. She spoke with words of wisdom and words for finding a virtuous wife. We all can look at this passage of scripture and glean from her wisdom. But whether your single or married you can be a virtuous woman. A woman of excellent character.

In verse 30 it says, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” So often we put pressure on ourselves about appearance and God looks more at our hearts. God chose David based on his heart and not his appearance it is the same for us.

There is nothing wrong in taking care of yourself it is healthy to do so. Plus, there is nothing wrong in wearing makeup, jewelry, getting your nails done etc. I think the point I’m making is all those things are good although not what is it that makes your character have value.

Your value is derived from God and your character shows in your actions, that is based in your heart, beliefs and thoughts. Out of our heart flows the issues of life the bible says. In Matthew 15:18-19 Jesus said “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”

Good character could be developed through conscious genuine effort in, one allowing God to change our character deficits and two by allowing humility, work ethics, relationships to work out our rough edges. Sometimes we want others to change but we forget to let God change us first.

As a woman I know that we try not to let the world around us affect us but as a woman I know the battle to keep peace of mind is real. I choose to speak the Word of God to the things that try to rob my peace and keep my mind on God. In a world of comparisons, it may be difficult to not do a comparison to others. Comparing yourself to somebody else is a trick of the enemy because God created you unique, and one of kind. You do not need to be like anyone else. Compare your character to Jesus He will work on making you Christlike.  

As a woman I know it does help not to wear my emotions on my sleeve and to look at situations with faith and not fear. Yes, it’s easier said than done but when you mediate on Gods word it flows out of your inner man and comes forth out of your mouth. He fights our battles. I have learned to trust God over my emotions, thoughts and body. Every day brings new challenges for women and men but through Christ we are overcomers.

Whether you know that or not you have an unseen enemy and God’s Son who is the living Word won the battle for you. So, allow Him to help you as you go along your day. It’s time to enjoy being the woman God created you to be.