This upcoming Sunday we will celebrate Easter Sunday or as I prefer to say, Resurrection Sunday.  Resurrection Sunday commemorates our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ being raised from the dead as King of the Spiritual Kingdom.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ further established Him as the only all-powerful Son of God who has authority over everything including death.  Because of the resurrection, followers of Christ become born again or spiritually resurrected with Him so that we no longer live life after the flesh or the systems of the world as slaves to sin.  Instead, we live our lives through faith according to His Spirit as we receive eternal salvation from our sins and we receive salvation from the penalty of sin which brings death to our spirits. 

In addition, Resurrection Sunday culminates the most sacred week of the year also known as Holy Week. Although Holy Week ends on Sunday, it actually began on last Sunday which was Palm Sunday. Christians throughout the world celebrated Palm Sunday to commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus riding a donkey's colt into Jerusalem as a King. This entry into the city was significant because the people gave praise and adoration to Jesus by waving palm trees and crying out Hosanna which simply means salvation has come. You see, the people were only praising and celebrating Jesus because they believed He came to save or deliver them from the laws of the Roman authorities.  They believed He was a King coming to lead them in a revolt against Rome to establish a kingdom of their own.  They had no idea He was coming as King to save them from sin. In Luke 19:42-44 Jesus weeps because He knew the crowd had no clue of the thing that would really bring them peace on earth despite adoration of Him. They didn't recognize that God himself was right there with them and because of their blindness they would suffer even more at the hands of their enemies. They were more concerned about the temporal things of their lives and not the eternal things. 

Truth be told, at times we behave just like the cheering crowds from back then over 2000 years ago.  We mainly want Jesus to simply deliver us from people or things that causes us problems, or you know those other temporal things we desire.  We want a miracle when we don't have any money to pay our bills, we want increase in our finances, we want the pain to stop when we are heartbroken, we want our bodies healed when we receive a bad report from the doctor, we want a new job, a new car, a new house, we want God to handle the person who antagonizes us, we want him to fix our relationships, we want the newest hairdos and clothes, we want to live the glamorous life, we want everyone to like us and be our friends, etc., etc., etc. All of these things will fade, go away or even end.  Yet, we rarely seek or ask Him to help us with the things that will last forever like the condition of our spirit and the understanding of applying His Word in our lives so we are adequately prepared for our eternal homes in Heaven.  

Heaven is a major part of the Spiritual Kingdom King Jesus came to establish. Colossians 3:1-2 explains what Jesus really wanted the cheering crowd to understand.  Regarding the condition of our spirits it states, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." They were so worried and concerned about their earthly desires that they never set their affection on the more important things such as the place where their spirits would spend eternity.  For further insight to this point, you can go and read the entire third chapter of Colossians so you can understand the specifics of "how" to set your affections on things above.  By doing this, you can receive your full spiritual inheritance when you transition from the earth into Heaven. 

Personally, I was one who mainly focused on my temporal problems and desires with little to no focus on my spiritual inheritence in Heaven. Like many of you, Heaven was a place that seemed light years away so I really had a lack of knowledge and understanding.  This lack of knowledge and understanding caused me to fall short in my spiritual walk with God.  But, taking the time to study about the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus has helped me prioritize my life.  I am now more cognizant of the importance of living a life pleasing to my King.  He is not merely a Deliverer of my temporal problems but He is the Savior of my eternal salvation, He is the Lord of my life and He is the King of my home on earth as well as the King of my home Heaven. 

This knowledge has helped me to better endure my temporary problems because they are nothing but a light thing compared to the things I shall have in eternity.  Romans 8:18 says, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Furthermore, Isaiah 53:5-6 clearly explains, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  Even though I go through many trials and tribulations I have an assurance that I shall overcome them because of Jesus' death on the cross.  I have a hope that all of the negativity in this world is not going to overtake me because Jesus died and He rose again to set us free from the bondage of sin and from the attacks of the enemy.  He also established a Kingdom where I shall live forever and there will be nothing but joy, peace, praise and love.  No more sickness, fears or worries but I shall rejoice forever.   

As we are in the midst of Holy Week, let's get a full understanding and appreciation for what God did for us by sending Jesus to die for our sins and to prepare a glorious place for us to dwell in eternity with Him.  Let's reflect on the things of God and His Kingdom and what we need to do to ensure we get there and receive our full inheritence.  Let's work on the areas in our lives that are blocking or hindering relationship with God.  Let's do a pulse check on our spiritual being by setting our affections on the eternal things and not the merely the temporal things. Let's not limit our appreciation and affections to just one week out of the year, but let's work on this thing 52 weeks a year on a daily basis.  Believe it or not, the authority Jesus possessed to overcome the world is the same authority He has given to us to overcome and to experience Heaven here on earth. We just have to keep our minds stayed on Him.  Go to church on Sunday and worship God like you never have before and give Him ALL the Praise, ALL the Glory, ALL the Honor and ALL the Adoration because He is Worthy of it ALL!!! 

If it had not been for the Lord on my side... Without Jesus I am nothing... He didn't have to do it BUT He did... I can do ALL things through Christ that strengthens me... I am more than a conqueror... My God shall supply all of my needs... My, my, my I have a praise rising in my spirit right now... Thank You Jesus!!!

Lady J

Ladies, this will be the last part of the series "Lack of Spiritual Discipline".   Please understand spiritual discipline is vital to us becoming whole.  Wholeness consists of being spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physcially healthy.  I previously wrote about the importance of reading and applying God's Word on a daily basis because this is where spiritual discipline begins.  I also discussed the importance of bringing our souls under the subjection to the Spirit of God which dwells within us. Both of these areas require discipline and in the prior postings I provided straightforward and uncomplicated ways to assist you.   

Now, in part 3 of this series I want to make it known that discipline is such an extensive topic that it cannot be limited to one or two areas.  In fact whatever area you can think of, discipline is required!!! No matter if it is loving, reading, praising, fasting, praying, worshipping, talking, spending, saving, exercising, working, resting, eating, drinking, teaching, learning, warring, etc.  You name it and it requires some form of discipline so writing a million blogs will never cover all aspects of this expansive topic.  The great news is you can find help in the Bible for any and every area of your life lacking discipline.  

The need for discipline in every area of my life really hit home for me on this past weekend.  My husband had to take me to the emergency room due to symptoms related to high blood pressure.  At one point my pressure read 204/115 and the other readings were not much lower than that.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), consistency in these type of readings is considered the most severe form of high blood pressure which could lead to death, heart attack, stroke, organ failure, etc. Let me pause for one moment... James 5:14-15 clearly states, "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up."

I definitely believe in the healing power of God!!!  However, I do not believe He is required to nor will He simply do everything for me.  There is some accountability on my part which is where discipline comes to light.  Yes, this applies to me the main one writing blog posts about discipline is what the Lord had to remind me.  I have to be more disciplined in taking my prescribed medication as well as eating and exercising appropriately.  Having Faith only is not enough!  Please read James 2:14-26, it speaks about Faith without works is dead!  Some of you may have undisciplined eating habits, lack of exercise, not getting enough rest, working too hard or too much, drinking too much, especially alcholic beverages and sodas, unhealthy eating or any other things that can cause sickness or diseases in your body.  Please listen to your body, read the scriptures for healing, activate your faith and prayers but by all means please go see a doctor and become more disciplined in your eating, drinking and exercising.  

Another area I feel led to discuss is the tongue.  Trust me, this was definitely another undisciplined area of struggle for me.  Although I have grown from how I used to be in my speech, my tongue is still a work in progress.  Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."  Our tongues can either bring healing to a situation or it can bring death to it.  Some of us speak so much negativity that we have talked ourselves into a depressed and desolate state.  Many of us have even resorted to gossip, lies and cursings not realizing that we bring it all back on us as we speak those things out of our mouths. 

I am not too naive to believe that everything is perfect and there are no areas of disappointment or discouragement in your life.  We all face trails and tribulations on a regular basis.  But, I believe we can overcome the negative with more positive speaking instead of negatively speaking.  Our God is bigger than any problems we face so we have to speak the Word instead of always talking about the problems.  If you are always saying negative things about your husband to everybody then your marriage will more than likely end or become loveless.  If you keep speaking negative things about your children then more than likely they will remain in their wayward state.  If you keep speaking negative things about your job then more than likely you will continue to hate going to work. If you keep speaking sickness and not healing then more than likely you will stay sick.  I don't know about you but I am more purposeful about the discipline of my tongue! I speak life for me and my family, I speak health and wellness, I speak truth, I speak wealth, I speak wholeness and despite what it looks like or even feels like, I speak the Word of God over every trial and situation I go through in the Name of Jesus... 

As I conclude, I must reiterate I have only covered a few areas where discipline is necessary.  There are a plethora of other areas that are just too many to discuss.  Thus, I encourage you to identify any and every area in your life lacking discipline.  Whether it be your eating habits, exercise routines, your tongue and speech, prayer, church attendance, finances, balanced living, etc., no matter what it may be, ask God to reveal your undisciplined areas and begin the process of working on these areas one step at a time using His Word as the guide to aid you.  If we do not become more disciplined in every area of our lives we risk the loss of blessings, opportunities and for some our very lives.  The truth of the matter, we all have something to work on.  Let's hold each other accountable and help one another become better so we can all win! 

Lady J

Ladies, last time I wrote I discussed the importance of spiritual discipline and how God had to remind me that everything spiritual begins with His Word.  We must demonstrate discipline in both the reading and the application of His Word if we want to sustain our spiritual growth.  Remember, just as we eat food at least 2-3 times a day we must spiritually eat the Word at least 2-3 times a day.  If you have not already done so, here are a few suggestions to help establish this process; you can set timers on your phone as reminders, you can read the bible while you are actually eating one of your meals, you can have an accountability partner remind you and read with you, etc.  Basically, whatever routine works best for you just incorporate it into your daily routines. 

 Although spiritual discipline begins with the Word of God, reading His Word is not the only thing that needs discipline. One area in particular that has caused me havoc and chaos is having an undisciplined soul.  As you recall, our mind/thoughts, our emotions/feelings and our will/desires are all housed within our soul.  At times in my life the thoughts in my mind have been contrary to God’s Word. Instead of casting those thoughts down I let them take root in my mind.  Most of these thoughts were lies told to me by the enemy that were like seeds planted in the ground of my mind taking root and growing. 

John 8:44 explains that the enemy was a murderer from the beginning not holding any truth and he speaks nothing but lies and he is the father of all lies. You must understand that the enemy has limited power compared to God.  He cannot read our minds or thoughts but he can and does speak lies and we have the free will to choose whether or not we will accept or reject those lies.  For example, as a woman I sometimes battled with the notion that I was not good enough or worthy of my blessings.  The enemy would plant seeds such as, you are not qualified for this, you do not have enough experience, you do not deserve this, you won't make it, you don't have what it takes, you don't have enough money, etc., etc., etc.  All of these thoughts were nothing but lies and many times throughout my life I found myself believing the lies instead of the truth. 

The Bible is the truth and it clearly explains in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 that God chooses the foolish over the wise, the weak over the strong and the lowly and despised because He doesn't want us to get it twisted by boasting that our strength or knowledge got us anything.  I now recognize that He chose to bless and empower me and all I have to do is be grateful and bless His name in return.  It doesn't matter what the enemy says nor does it matter what other people think because God chooses who he wants to bless and use.  In the book of Exodus, Moses did not think he was qualified to do the work of the Lord but he soon learned, just as I had to learn and just as many of you have to learn, God does not call the qualified but he qualifies the called.  Even Exodus 33:19 tells us that God told Moses He will have mercy on whomever He chooses and He will have compassion on whomever He chooses.  So, if God is blessing you enjoy it and walk in it with His authority and power no matter who does not like it.  Phillipians 4:13 says we can do ALL things through Christ Jesus that strengthens us.  Tell your haters to go have a seat and a talk with God if they have a problem with you being blessed. 

Another area within the soul that needs discipline is our emotional area.  I don't know about you but sometimes my emotions can be all over the place.  If I am not careful I will react out of my emotions and trouble will surely knock on my door.  No matter what trials or hardships we face, we must display self-control in relation to our emotions.  Proverbs 25:28 tells us that a person who lacks self-control is like a city whose walls are broken.  Meaning you have no protection and any and everything can get through to hurt or destroy you.  When you feel your emotions rising call on God, pray and ask Him to help you get your emotions under control.  We are not allowed to just go off and start cussing and hurting others because we are hurt or upset.  Neither are we allowed to just go on a pleasure binge and do whatever we want because it feels good at the time.  We must display self-control over our emotions at all times.  

Lastly, we must align our desires to the Will of the Lord.  Psalms 42:1-2 says, as the deer pants for the water so my soul pants for you my God, my soul thirsts for God. We have to desire God, His Will and His Presence. I pray that this scripture takes root in my spirit because I want to long for God so I can know Him better.  Also, I continually and I request that His Will be done in my life that my tastes and desires are in accordance with His Will.  There was a time when my tastes and desires aligned to my soul and my flesh.  Trust me after a while of living like this I felt like I was in hell on this earth.  Nothing worked and everything was failing not to mention I was miserable.  I had to cry out to Him and ask Him to help me get my life back in order.

Getting my life back in order required discipline within my soul by having my soul fall under the subjection of the spirit.  Here is another friendly reminder, the spirit is the area where God dwells within us as long as we are in His will.  For me, the moment I allowed my undisciplined soul to reign supreme over my spirit was the moment God left His dwelling place within me.  I had to run back to Him and as I cried out he revealed the imbalance in my life.  I had to invite Him back into my spirit and let him clean out the impurities so my spirit could lead my soul so my soul would guide my body to do what was right.  

Ladies, as I close I want to encourage you to not live your life under the authority of your undisciplined soul where you have no control over your thoughts, emotions or desires.  Living such a life will most definitely bring destruction.  If I am totally honest, I had to learn this lesson the hard way because I allowed my soul to lead me down the wrong path.  But, thanks be to God that I acknowledged and accepted the truth that I had to become more disciplined in my soulish area and I had to feed my spirit so it could be healthy enough to lead my soul and body.  I am still a work in progress but at least I am back on the right track because I am reading and applying His Word to help me keep my soul under subjection to the Will of God.  

Lady J