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The Lord recently took me through a sobering experience some weeks ago. I realized that if I'd left this world before He taught me a crucial lesson, my next port of call would not have been heaven. You might wonder what could be in my life and character that would have kept me out of heaven. God revealed aspects of my personality that I hadn't fully yielded to Him. As such, my flesh was derailing my journey to heaven. And it was all my fault because I hadn't allowed the Lord to rid me of the aspects that needed to go. This was a tough pill to swallow. God pulled back layers - almost like an onion's skin - to reveal the parts of me He wanted gone. As reality dawned, I cried out for mercy and repented. Indeed, as Hebrews 10:31 states, it is a terrible thing to be in the hands of the Lord. When He reveals the truth about your flesh and what it is doing to you, it can be painful. Nevertheless, I knew His goal in revealing these things wasn't to condemn but to save. Years ago, I learned from King Asa's experience that when God reveals flaws it is better to repent as David did when Prophet Nathan confronted him after he killed Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. Nobody, least of all me, wants to deal with the alternative.​ I prayed for a new spirit and a new heart, leaning on His word in Ezekiel 36:26 - I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And can I tell you something? He was faithful enough to deliver! Overnight I felt different. I had a new understanding of 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. He restored the joy of His salvation in me. And by His grace, I'm walking with Him like a newborn lamb. My legs are a bit wobbly as He trains me afresh but I know He's right there to guide and keep me safe. Realizing that my life was lacking the complete submission needed to enter heaven made me realize I couldn't be the only one in that position. Many of us are living better than unbelievers and while that is good it is not enough because our flesh is not fully submitted to God. And where the flesh has dominance, there is sin. The Bible alerts us that where there is sin, there is death. Allow God to have His way with you today. There may be aspects of your character that still need finetuning. Let Him handle that. Consider the things you do or say then regret. Place each of these things at His feet and allow Him to remove them from you. All they do is satisfy the desires of your flesh. You've got to hate the desires of the flesh if not God will leave you with them. God bless you. Join us for today's fellowship when we'll spend the last 10 minutes praying to kill the desires of the flesh so they don't kill us and derail our journey to heaven. To learn more, please click the hyperlinks included in the message and read:​ 1. The Box of Fear​ 2. Don't Turn From God​ 3. The Sin of Disbelief​ 4. Are You Bitter?

Cain and Abel were brothers who gave offerings to the Lord (Genesis 4). Cain's offering of fruits did not please God as much as his brother's offering of the fat from the firstborn of his flock. One gave the best he had, the firstborn of his animals, while the other didn't seem to put as much thought and intentionality behind his offering. Many of us are like Cain in this way. We are casual in how we approach God when making our offerings. These offerings may be of praise or thanksgiving, prayers, intercession, fasting, the payment of tithes and offerings, or our Bible study. As a result, our sacrifices may not produce the effect we expect. Remember Cornelius? The angel who visited him said, "your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God" (Acts 10:4). Notice it wasn't the sacrifice of animals that garnered God's attention here. Instead, one man's righteous lifestyle triggered the Lord to reach out. He believed in Jesus and lived as such, obeying His instructions to take care of those in need. He clearly took his walk seriously and that brought him a great reward. His experience is a lesson for us - modern Christians - to do the same. ​Apostle Paul teaches us how we can achieve this in Romans 12:1-2 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. God wants us to make our very lives a sweet-smelling offering to Him. We should develop a lifestyle of righteousness and change how lax we are about the things of God. For instance, do we take our prayer time seriously? Do we set aside quiet time for Bible study or can anything and anyone distract us? Is living by God's word a serious thing for us? Or are we abusing His grace and the salvation it brings? Are we listening to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to change us so we become more like Jesus Christ our paradigm? When we fail to do these things, we fail to give God an unblemished offering. And when that happens, we may fail to see the blessings we expect to see. God is concerned that His people take things seriously when it comes to Him. We must be cautious not to be like those whom He said are destroyed for their lack of wisdom in Hosea 4:6. And He said in Malachi 1:14 - “But cursed be the deceiver Who has in his flock a male, And takes a vow, But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished— For I am a great King,” Says the LORD of hosts, “And My name is to be feared among the nations. May the good Lord, in His grace and mercy, help us to bring Him an unblemished offering. May we take the things of God seriously so we approach His throne of grace with the boldness that reverence brings, IJMN, Amen. To learn more, please click the hyperlinks included in the message.

Have you ever seen the videos of couples where the wife reveals that her husband took too long to marry her? Have you ever noticed the bitter undertone in her voice? Some Christians, male and female, have that same bitterness toward the Lord. King Asa's story is a cautionary tale. That and Job 22:21 - Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you (ESV). There are many reasons why this attitude may arise. One is because you've walked with God for years and have long waited for something you feel you prayed for or were promised by Him. You might be a faithful church goer who even fellowships with the brethren outside of Sunday services. From all appearances, you may seem to be a serious Christian. However, at your core, you're bitter toward God and feel let down. You've decided to 'stay' but you've become spiteful toward Him. The things of the Lord no longer bring you joy and have become routine. The other blessings He provides don't quite matter because He is yet to do what you value the most. This message is not for everyone but if you suspect you are bitter or becoming bitter, the solution is to desire a change of heart and attitude toward God (Psalm 51:10). Why is the onus on you to make a change and not on Him? Simple. He is God and thus perfect in all His ways (Psalm 18:30). He loves all those He created but that doesn't change the reality that everything about Him is higher than you (Isaiah 55:8-9). Ergo, the one who needs changing is you.​ Put bluntly, please humble yourself before Him (Micah 6:8). While the Bible tells God's children to approach His throne boldly, it doesn't tell anyone to come to Him in pride (Hebrews 4:16). Indeed, pride is a precursor to shame and is not appreciated by the Almighty (Proverbs 11:2). The devil whispers lies that plant bitter seeds in people's hearts so don't give in. Where you have, it is best to repent for succumbing to such attitudes and fast and pray for grace to change. Ask Him to remove from you what does not resemble Him (Psalm 139:23). Pray for a new heart and spirit. Plead that things be the way they were when you first fell in love with Him (Psalm 51:12). Identify then fight every thought and attitude that fosters bitterness and heed the warning in Isaiah 45:9 - “Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker..." Remember, He uses waiting to deepen the relationship with His children and strengthen their faith. Although He is patient, nothing good can come from fighting the Lord. May we always know our place and seek to be in right standing with Him. May every root of bitterness be uprooted that we may know peace, IJMN Amen. Please, brother and sister, do not be bitter toward the Lord. Let our God finish what He is doing in and for you, that you may become a well-fashioned tool for His glory. Fellowship starts at Noon EST and I pray you will join us today. God bless you. To learn more, please click the hyperlinks included in the message and read: 1. Wait on God 2. Patience: A Fruit of The Spirit 3. Patience 4. Hold On 5. But, can you wait? 6. What are you waiting for? 7. Waiting on the Lord's Solution 8. The Intercessor Will Wait 9. God Is Waiting On You