Living for Today

Philippians 3:12-14
New King James (NKJ) 

12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus

How many of us are pressing forward? Are we still holding on to yesterday living in the shoulda, coulda, woulda and the big question WHY? Are we still holding on to something someone said or did to us yesterday or even a year ago? So many of us can't progress in the Kingdom of God because we aren't pressing forward. The Bible says we need to "press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Sometime we take Gods word and we think this is what God is going to do for us and in some cases that is true but in this case we have to press. To continue to push past ourselves, the elements, the storms and everything else in our way to get to the prize.


There are things that God gives us everyday and tells us to do every day that we have not adhered to. We are more concerned with our own desires and fulfilling the plan that we have for our own lives. We forget what the word says.


1 Corinthians 15:31
New King James (NKJ)

I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.


The fact is we will be tried everyday, we will be tested everyday and things are not always going to go our way. We forget that we have told the Lord "not my will but thy will be done in my life." That simple phrase is declaring from your mouth that God is in control of your today and trusting Him is a daily task. the Lords prayer says, "Give us this day our daily bread." Feed us our portion today Father, feed us with the  bread of your word daily.


Now let's deal with the press, because through it all we have a hard time dealing with the press. We don't understand why things have to be so hard or why we have to go through so much. I have learned that what I have gone through is my ministry. I can't tell someone about being healed if I have never been sick, I can't encourage the poor if I have never been poor. The press or better yet the pressure in your life is developing you for your ministry. 


Exodus 27:20
New King James (NKJ)

 “And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.

Pure oil of pressed olives is what we use to anoint with today. The oil came from the olive when it was pressed. Can you imagine how hard an olive needs to be pressed before the oil comes out of it? The oil of your anointing is in the press. Stop worrying about how your past has beat you up, your past has prepared you for a greater anointing. The press, the pressure of your past has developed greater passion, greater purpose for your ministry. 

Know that what you are going through, what you have been through will not always be. It is producing something in you that will propel you to higher levels in Christ. It is increasing your faith, it is working out your salvation it is preparing you for the ministry work that God has for you to do.

1 Peter 1:6-9

New King James (NKJ)

⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, ⁸ whom having not seen^[a] you love. Though now you do not seeHim, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

I say to you, do not worry about the storm you are facing today. Do not concern yourself with yesterday's offence your suffering is just for a while. Wake up everyday and purpose in your heart that despite yesterday, despite any disappointments and hurts you are being tried but you will come out more precious than gold.

1 Peter 1:6-9

The Message (MSG)

^6-7 I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
^8-9 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.

Understood by God misunderstood by man.......

So many times I hear believers say "no one ever understands me." At times I can even say that I have felt that way. I can confess to feeling misunderstood and allowing those misunderstandings to cause me to shut people out.

I was up late last night and God spoke to my heart while I was reading and I heard " I didn't call you to be understood by man, I called you to understand Me." I had, had a eureka moment. I began to study about understanding myself and being understood by God. This is what was laid upon my heart.

1 Peter 2:9-10 (KJV)

⁹But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

¹⁰Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

After reading this I said to myself, wow God you called me peculiar and to me that means strange. To me it means that everyone is not going to understand me. They are not going to understand what I do or what I say. The fact that I am strange reassures me that I have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light. So now I embrace when I hear people say I have never met anyone like you.

www.thedictionary.com defines peculiar as:

1. Unusual or eccentric; odd.

2. Distinct from all others.

3. Belonging distinctively or primarily to one person, group, or kind; special or unique

The fact that I am a peculiar person means that I stand out, that I am different and that I may be misunderstood by those who don't understand my God. As we begin to understand God we begin to understand ourselves. We begin to know who we are, what we were created for and even our purpose in life. God tells us in His word in John 15:19: ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Those who have no understanding and no desire to know God will never be able to understand the peculiar person that He has made in you.

As we study God's word and we begin to understand Him, and the plans that he has for us, we become less concerned with what the world thinks or believes. Now don't get me wrong I am not saying that everyone you meet will not understand you because, God has given many eyes to see and an ear to hear. What I am saying is that as believer we should not seek understanding from this world but from God. We should not seek to understand one another but to understand God because in understanding Him, He will show us our Brothers and Sisters the way He wants us to see them.

When we seek out to know God for ourselves, we get a better understanding of His spirit and how it operates. Psalms 147:5 says ⁵ Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. The understanding we should seek should be His understanding and once we get understanding in Him the world will no longer mater. God's understanding is infintite, it is never ending. Even when we don't, won't and can't understand He does.

Today I leave you with this :

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there isany virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Peace in the storm

Matthew 8:23-27 (New Living Translation) Jesus Calms the Storm 23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. 27 The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” Have you ever taken a moment and looked at this passage not from the perspective of Jesus commanding the wind and the sea but truly looked at how He peacefully slept while the storm occur ed. What kind of faith is that? It's the kind of faith that I am trying to obtain. It is the peace of the Lord

The disciples thought they would surely die because they still had not realized who Jesus was. They didn't recognize the power that He has. The scripture says He told them "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith." That in itself was a powerful statement, He didn't say don't you know who I am am or what I can do but told them they had little faith. How many of us are focusing on who God is and what He can do but in reality have little to no faith.

How many of us can not only have peace in the storm but sleep right through it without a care or concern about how it's going to end? We always talk about peace in the midst of the storm, well how about having faith in the midst of the storm. Faith is what bring you the peace that you need. Without faith it is impossible not only to please God but to have peace. In pleasing God we find peace, peace is in our Father in heaven.

Hebrews 11:6-7 (New Living Translation) 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. 7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith. Again I say without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God and when God is pleased we receive righteousness and in that there is peace. I know first hand about finding peace in the storm. I have been through, am going through and I know will go through a ton of trials in my own personal life. Each time I go through my faith gets stronger and stronger and as I sit in this hospital room with my Mother waiting on life changing news, I have peace. Why? because i have faith. I trust in God with all that is within me and I know that what the devil meant for harm my God will turn around for His good.

If you are going through, if your life is going up and down and round and round and you feel like you are on a roller coaster ride it's time to step out on faith. Remember God is not trying to take you out He is trying to build you up and He does that by trying and testing your faith. God wants us to be just like Jesus and be able to sleep and find peace in the midst if every storm.

Are you worshipping God as a pillar of salt?

Main Entry: worship Part of Speech: verb Definition: honor, glorify

Synonyms: admire, adore, adulate, bow down to, canonize, celebrate, chant, deify, dote on, esteem, exalt, extol, idolize, laud, love, magnify, offer prayers to, pay homage to, praise, pray to, put on a pedestal, respect, revere, reverence, sanctify, sing, sing praises to, venerate

Antonyms: dishonor, disrespect, hate

Worshipping God is an act something we must do something we must will ourselves to do. Worship is something that we must do in spirit (the vital principal in man) and in truth (it denotes that which is opposed to falsehood). When I think about worship I think about the heart, because the heart must be in the right place to worship the Father as He has called us to. When our hearts are in the wrong place, when we set our affections on this world and the things in it, when we love others more than we love God when everything else takes precedence over God we end up a Pillar of Salt. That is my word for today and I want you to remember this, can a pillar of salt worship God? a pillar of Salt is useless in the kingdom of God. No worship can come from a pillar of salt

Genesis 19:23-26 23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Matthew 6:24 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.We must make a choice and desire in our hearts God who is eternal and lasting. The things of this world will fade away and perish but God will be with you always.

Jeremiah 17:5-6 5 Thus says the LORD: “ Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. What can live in a pillar of salt? Even a snail shrivels up and dies when it is enveloped by salt. So again I ask can a pillar of salt worship God?

Exodus 35:4-9 4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying: 5 ‘Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; 7 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 8 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 9 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. In these scriptures you see that they gave God they payed homage to Him they worshipped Him with their very best. Jesus came and because of Him we no longer have to honor God with things but we still must give Him our best and that best is our lives. Our lives must be an act of worship our hearts desire should be to worship the Father. Do you give God your best is your heart really set on Him and not the world? Are you trying to worship God as a pillar of Salt? Even if we were still in a day and time where we had to give God things what would a pillar of salt have to offer our Father in heaven?

This word is not something I am just giving to you this is for me as well I have to examine my heart, I have to look at myself and ask am I trying to worship God as a pillar of salt? It’s time for us to look within to think back and realize where God has brought us from and what He has brought you threw. There is not one person in this room who can’t think about something and I don’t mean just waking you up, I mean that situation or circumstance you were in where there was no way out. Where you thought you would surely lay down and die, when you knew you would loose your mind, when your family was slipping through the cracks of your fingers. When the sheriff was almost knocking on your door to throw you on the street and God showed up and brought you out and you knew that it was Him and Him alone. Those are the things we should have before us reminding us of what could have should have and would have if it wasn’t for Jesus.

Deuteronomy 4:9-10 (New King James Version) 9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, Deuteronomy 4:29-31 (New King James Version) 29 But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice 31 (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. We have all sinned and fallen short but that’s no reason to just stop to turn back to Sodom to desire the ways of the world. To want to live in and stay in Sin because now you know better. You know how to defeat sin you know how to prevent becoming a pillar of salt.

1 Samuel 12:20 (New King James Version) 20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above. When God slips from first place in our lives, everything else loses its meaning, Life seems to be no more than the tiresome process of making money to spend on food, clothing and shelter. We just get through the day so we can do the same thing tomorrow. We are not living but existing to me that’s a pillar of salt. But when God has first priority, life becomes an adventure. Even our everyday routine take on meaning and promise because they hold a greater purpose. To honor God to worship Him with our lives.

I’m leaving you today with some wisdom because without wisdom we are nothing more than fools and God has given us wisdom words to live by.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life For if you do you know your heart is still in Sodom and you become as Lot’s wife and turn into a pillar of salt. Again I ask can a pillar of salt worship God?

A different place, a different space

I have come to a place in my life where I realize that I want more. Not more material possesions or friends or anything like that but I want more from God and more out of life. I want a better understanding and a better relationship,I want to get to a place where I don't find any tight spots with God. I want serving God to be my reason for living so I know I have to do more and do better. I know that because of who I am and who's I am that I have to pay close attention to what I say and do and to what I even think. God is the reason I live He's the reason I breathe and He has on more than one occassion gotten me through some hard spots and rough times in my life. It's time for a new level it's time to handle God and the things of God differently. It's time for me to be honest with God and honest with myself and tell Him that I can't do this without Him. So God I Thank You for your grace and mercy I thank You for keeping me and seeing me through but I am getting out of your way so that you can do in me what I can not do in myself. I am asking that you lead me that you humble and that you keep your hand on me. I know there is a lot of work to do, but I know that it's Your job and not mine. So I amm asking for your help.

POWER....Who does it belong to?

pow·er (pour)
n.
1. The ability or capacity to perform or act effectively.
2. Strength or force exerted or capable of being exerted; might. See Synonyms at strength.
3. The ability or official capacity to exercise control; authority.
4. A person, group, or nation having great influence or control over others: the western powers.
5. Forcefulness; effectiveness: a novel of unusual power.

What is power, though I have provided a definition of the word in the sense that the "world" uses it, what is power to you? Even in this worldly definition of the word I still see God.

Who performs or acts more effectively then our Father in heaven?
Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, His work is perfect;For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

Who is stronger than my God who is a greater force then Him?
Ephesians 6:10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Who has the ability to exercise more control that Jehovah? Who has more authority the He who created the heavens and the earth and they that dwell in it?
Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

What Person or nation has more influence over others?
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He shall direct[a] your paths.

What man has walked this earth and had more unusual power the Jesus Christ?
Matthew 9:35
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Where you may just see every day words I see the light of God I see Jesus. In every way power is defined I see our Lord and savior. So why is it so easy to give what comes from God and ultimately belongs to Him to dead situations, obsolete people, unimportant places and irrelevant things? We get so angry sometimes to the point where we are ready to kill over something that has little to no importance in our walk with Christ. Proverbs tells us to trust the lord with ALL our heart. If we are trusting with All then we know that He has made us some promises.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (New King James Version)
6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Romans 8:37
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us

There are many more scriptures to support that if we are really trusting God we will not be easily moved. It should take someone to go way above and beyond for us to even give their action a second thought. Unfortunately that's not the case, in the world we live in today words have more power than actions. Someone can be a true example of pure love in your life, meet your every need, be there when you need them to be and in the heat of a disagreement they can say something that would turn that love into instant hate. Every act of love that they ever showed you has diminished and almost disappeared. What we forget is that in every act God did in the Bible He used people. He used people to populate the earth, he used Moses to give the 10 commandments, deliver Israel from the hand of Pharaoh. God used people all through the Bible to do just about everything but create the world. We fail to realize if God uses people what does Satan use? People

Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places

We must learn that we are spirit and we have to fight spirit with spirit. We also must learn no one is above being used b Satan. He will try and use anyone, he tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. We need to tap into the power that God has given us the God kind of power the kind of power that will allow us to d greater works then Jesus.
John 14:12
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Jesus knew where His power came from and He was not easily angered. The Bible never spoke about Jesus feelings being hurt, heart being broken, fighting, cursing people out or turning His back on anyone. We need the power of God in our every day lives. We need it every day, every hour and every minute. With the power of God we can do anything.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

I leave you with this God has told us who we are and the power we have but it is up to us to tap into our power through Him and not power in the world. The world will always try to take from you what God gave you but always remember what God has promised you and stand on it:

Deuteronomy 28:12-14 12 The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. 14 So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them

Does God Care About Our Opinions?

Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
Matthew 22:17-18 (King James Version)

On many occasions member of our church, and friends have asked me questions about scripture and more specifically, how to apply scripture it to real life.  Never wanting to be their conscious I try to guide them to scripture that may address their problem. In most cases this may be sound methodology, however we must understand that any advice (even something as simple as pointing to scripture) will be at least slightly skewed by our personal opinions and a past experiences.

Many times we become victims of our own teaching, and if our doctrine is not at least inclusive in as much relative scripture as possible it can come back and bite us on the cushiony part of our backside. One such occasion is the habit I have of telling people “Not your opinion, scripture! What does scripture say about this circumstance?” The intent of questioning this way is to remove the worldview[1] of a condition from the mind of the individual and install and avenue for them to began dealing with their problem though faith in scripture and Christ Jesus and a Christian weltanschauung. But unless we can give them complete sound scripture not just what support our personal views we are now in violation of  the very scripture we support our view on (Revelation 22:18-19).

Determining God’s Thought on Our Opinion

If anyone tells you they know what God’s thoughts are, run from them as fast as you can! Man has a very limited mind and cannot even begin to know what God thinks, (Isaiah 55:8, Psalm 92:4-6). What we have is scripture which reveals to us that small part of God that He wishes us to know.  Therefore we apply the doctrine of Sola Scriptura[2], the bible alone, and nothing of ourselves as a determining factor of the desire of God as they relate to our opinion.

With this said we come to Proverbs 18:2 (highlighted below) what may appear to be a very straight forward passages may lead the unregenerate mind astray.

Fools find no pleasure in understanding, but delight in airing their own opinions. Proverbs 18:2 (KJV)

The first thought that comes to mind after reading the above passage is that God does not care about our opinions. I know I used this as a starting point and have had this verse used against me as well. But in truth is this passage applicable to all situations? Let’s consider some other passages in the bible.

The first is Exodus 32:7-14 in this it appears that God was going to destroy all the people of Israel until Moses reasoned with God for their lives.  Did Moses change God’s mind?  It is obvious form the text that God did listen to Moses reason (opinion) and did not destroy Israel or there would be no Jews around today. So the question is if God took Moses opinion in such high regard how can Proverbs 18: 2 be correct?  (See filling our mouths with arguments in prayer)

The next passage I want to look at is in Genesis 18 which begins the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Now we know that Abraham did not come to God in prayer but God and His angels came to Abraham in Theophany.  But verse 17 will once and for all answer the question of whether or not God cares about our opinion. God questions within Himself “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”  Here we see that Abraham’s opinion meant some much to God, that God would not even think of destroying Sodom and Gomorrah without letting Abraham know first.

I’ve heard a pastor one day say God does not do anything without letting His prophet know first. So how can these example be true and Proverb 18:2 be true also? Let’s re-visit Proverbs 18:2

Fools find no pleasure in understanding, but delight in airing their own opinions. Proverbs 18:2 (KJV)

What is the delimiter in this argument” “Fools” God does care about the opinion of His prophet but not of fools (sinners).  Now this is going to get hard but work with me. Our God is a God of duality; over and over again God gives us cut and dry options. Consider the bible says; We either go to Heaven or hell, We are either saved or damned, The bible speaks about good and bad, Jesus says Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with Him scatters, and of course God requires us to be either hot or cold. 

So we can say;

Before God would even consider our opinion we must be right with him first.  Sadly those that have the greatest opinion are always those that are the least right with God. Now I’m not talking about someone that thinks because they go to church and read their bible that they will be heard by God, this just is not true. You can teach a Parrott the sinner’s prayer. But God wants your heart right.

Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Isaiah 59:1-2 (KJV)

Our opinion finds it origin in our will, and if we are so into our will we have failed to submit to His will and we are in transgression (Sinners) and God will not hear the opinion or the prayers of a sinner.

Your Brother in Christ

Troy C Pearsall

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[1](worldview /weltanschauung) the way that someone sees and understands world events, especially in relation to their religious or political beliefs and ideas; in this case from the view of a natural unregenerate man

[2]Sola Scriptura is  the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness. Consequently, sola scriptura demands that only those doctrines are to be admitted or confessed that are found directly within or indirectly by using valid logical deduction or valid deductive reasoning from scripture