Revelation-The truth of God’s Love cannot be hid

Dissimulation- To conceal, deceit, deception, or concealment of the truth…

As a believer our goal should be to spread the truth of God’s love to those who have not experienced the greatness, or the depth of his love. To be a Christian means that your life should reflect the character of God the Father, and Christ his son, who was offered as a living sacrifice for the forgiveness of the sins of mankind. Some of the truth’s of God’s Love is that his love reveals rather than conceals. God’s love is revealed to us through his continuos forgiveness of our sins, also his faithfulness those who love and obey him, and his consistency in answering our prayers. These are all ways in which God reveals(displays) his Love. True Love cannot be hid. The Bible states “Open rebuke is better than secret Love(prov.27:5), which denote’s that even when God loves us through discipline it has to be done in the open. Often the fear of being exposed or going through a period of shame will deter us from committing offenses(sins) that separate us from God. Our aim as followers of Christ should be to draw closer to God and to fellowship with him. The Bibles says “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth (1John 1:6). True Love does seek to hide or conceal, but seeks ways to reveal itself and to do that which is good…

Love- Separation vs Connection

Abhor-to despise, hate, detest

True love should cause you to separate from evil, and connect, or be drawn to things that are good. A hate for evil things is produced through your development of Love for God, and a will to do the things that please him. God’s love tells the truth, has no respect of persons, does not fluctuate or change. His love is not selfish, nor hateful. These are just a few of the attributes of Godly love, which every believer should seek to display unto God, as well as to those who we surround ourselves with on a daily basis. Reading and studying God’s word gives a clear understanding of who God is. His character is revealed through the scriptures and his word can be utilized as a tool to help us gain a deeper knowledge of God. Through his word you can discover what God likes and what he dislikes. You can never Love what God Loves and hate what he hates if you do not have a working knowledge of what those things consist of. Backbiting, being hateful, sinning against God, lies, deceit, are all things that you should abhor. Loving God teaches us how to love ourselves as well as other’s.

Alex Mahon

Revelation- If you are governed by Love, you meet the requirement(God’s Standard).

Fulfill-to satisfy(requirement, obligation), bring to realization…

This scripture comes to let us know that everything we have searched for in life, and every attempt to achieve satisfaction is wrapped up in your ability to display, walk in, and distribute Love. The Bibles describes God as LOVE, and states that God is Love. So we must become what God is (Love) in order to become what he called us to be. When you are governed-(to exercise a directing or restraining influence) by Love it is easier to Love someone else, because you are directed by Love. Christ led by example by extending his love for humanity through the sacrificing of his son. An unselfish act that had everlasting benefits. “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. Would you give yourself a second chance for something you did wrong? You probably would if you were in control of what judgement you received for your sin. You would give yourself another chance because you love yourself and you are concerned about what happens to you. That is the same premise in which God commands us to love our neighbor: friend, Mother, Father, stranger, children, Enemies. Every time you extend love towards someone other than yourself. You are abiding by the Law of Christ. While you are constantly searching for satisfaction it important to consider whether God is satisfied with you. God’s standards are met when you walk in forgiveness, Love, compassion for others when they make mistakes, unselfishness, and peace. As a follower of Christ you should be seeking to love God more, and to Love other’s just as Christ loves you.

by:Alex Mahon

Joshua 1:8-This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

God is simply saying, this time it’s on you! God is calling the body of Christ to take responsibility for our role in our own prosperity. God has already provisioned, prepared, and proclaimed manifestation of prosperity, but now it’s in our hands. God said he has given us the word of God (the law), and the instructions (thou shalt meditate) to apply in order for us to have good success. The responsibility is not only in actions but in speech. This word has already been feed to us by our leaders and those who had been placed in positions of authority to speak the word of God in our lives. This is the only thing that should be in your mouth and this is the only thing that you should be coming out of your mouth! (not depart out of thy mouth) God said what he speaks is always reproducing, so even if it’s a word, that word will keep producing itself. So, even if you are speaking his word, its not depleting, it’s regenerating. He is commanding his word to remain in position and commanding you to keep it there! God is saying his word should be so full in our mouths that there is no room for other words of opinion, doubt, or fear to formulate. When we continuously speak what God has placed in our mouths (day and night) we will have the power and ability to discern (that thou mayest observe) the opportunity and the doorway in which our prosperity will come when it presents itself. What is spoken will then have to follow the natural order that God has put in place, as he honors his word above his name. God has made you in his image and given you this ability, that as you speak the word it will cause an outward manifestation in your capability to follow through (to do) with the laws and principles of God. In our speaking that will result in our doing, we must remember to speak all that God has said. Only prophecy is in part, but the law of God’s word is already foundational and completely established. Because God has given a complete law he is requiring complete action (according to all) on our part. Only then will prosperity come for us. Only then will we have favor in what we desire. This is the only way to get your actions and words to line up so that they are one in the same. God said in order to get his blessing, you will have to make a CHOICE to follow his order and process. He has given us his way now it’s on you. What will you choose?

Proverbs 18:21 (KJV) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

We do not realize that our speech connects us with the extent of our prosperity. It is not that we cannot prosper it is more that we have not spoken words of life to bring about this prosperity. What are words of life? It is speaking the
scriptures, continuing to speak God’s Word over our situations and His promises concerning our life. It seems so elementary to say that our words carry weight. We have heard it so many times that we haven’t taken the time to truly examine our word choice in any given situation or circumstance and in our everyday vernacular. We have not quite fully gasped that this is what influences whether we prosper or not and even how we prosper.

Our words dictate the state of our living and control the outcome of our situations; our words are directional. The power of the tongue is referring to how much control and how we manage the expressions that come from our manner and style of speaking. Those words that we utter and even what we articulate dictates the course of our prosperity. We have to begin to engage in specialized language. We cannot just say anything but monitor what we say instead of speaking how we feel or think in the moment. We will later reap what we have spoken so it is critical that we do “think before we speak”. Prospering deals with advancing, progressing, thriving, and flourishing. We want to achieve so much and advance and prosper in so many areas in our life but we have to remember that we produce some of those results based on our speech. We bring about the results and conclusions of a matter based on what we say because whatever we say, we cause to happen. God has this awesome power and He has also given a level of this to us. He spoke the world into existence, what it would be and it became that. Jesus demonstrated the power of His words by healing those who were sick and had diseases, performing miracles, and even commanding to live those who were already dead and they were brought back to life through life spoken in His words. He spoke words that caused things to happen; that changed the situation and circumstance of so many people’s lives. Jesus even cursed a fig tree speaking against it to live and caused it to wither and die. But He spoke to make these things happen. His words created a manifestation. Our words carry that same weight. Our words cause a manifestation in our life as well. When we speak, we are either speaking life, which is speaking words that are positive (optimism), hope, refreshing, enlightenment, liveliness, excitement, energy, and strength. Anything spoken outside of these words is considered death speaking. When we are speaking against the situation instead of for it we are speaking death to it. When we speak death, we are showing the exact opposite: speaking negativity, being pessimistic, speaking no strength but saying the situation is worthless and speaking against hope. Words are just that strong and carry that much influence. We have to watch and monitor what we say. Someone can continue to say that they can’t do something and eventually they won’t be able to do that thing. But another person can continue to rehearse that they can do something and then they eventually do it. That’s why people can sing our praises and applaud us causing us to feel good about ourselves or they can say unpleasant, detrimental, and harmful words that may lead us to a state of pain, hurt, offense, and feeling insecure and self-conscious. This shows that there is power in our words. Our words have the ability to cause something to happen, to ignite something in our situations whether it is going to prosper us or bring destruction to us. It is our decision. We alter our lives with our words.

We accept the consequences of our words whether we want to or not. A wise man by the name of Lincoln Nelson, my pastor, once said, “Two things you can’t take back; your words and your time.” One reason this is so is because what we say has to be revealed, demonstrated, and evident in time. Time becomes acquainted with what we say because they both work simultaneously to bring something about that we cannot retrieve. Our words become permanent. We gain whether it’s a good or bad, from what we say in a manner of time that cannot be hindered or reset. We have to deal with what we speak; therefore, we have to make sure that what we speak is something that we can later be glad in.

We can acknowledge what our situation is but we must speak positive and hopeful words to guide the outcome of it. We have to always speak the best of hope, good and uplifting words about our situations so that we can have that in the end. We change the direction of our words by focusing and meditating on the Word of God and speaking those words that are positive.

- by Minister Latasha Johnson

Isaiah 1:19 says, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good [Sufficiently large or providing more than enough of something] of the land:”

As you can see, God’s offer is conditional. Conditional describes something that will be done or will happen only if and when another thing is done or happens. God has offered us prosperity, but it is dependent on our actions. To offer is to provide something, or make something available for those who want it. You show you want what is offered by providing the conditions that are presented to you.

God wants us to be successful, prosperous and happy. But can God trust you to do the right thing when the opportunity for blessings come knocking? Jeremiah 29: 11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” When you expect something, you demand or anticipate receiving it because of a perceived right to it or because you perceive it is due to you or appropriate for you.

You see, God is thinking about you. He’s not mad at you. He loves you, and He wants to give you your heart’s desire, but not at the expense (cost) of your soul. It’s the most important thing you possess. If keeping you broke or with just enough money to survive (pay check to pay check) is what it takes for God to keep you out of hell, then get used to your current status. He did die for your soul, not a healthy bank account, fine cars, a big house, or whatever else you have made a priority before him. However, God wants you to make Him your priority so He can give you the good things of life. If you listen to Him and obey Him, He will hold no good thing from you.

I came from a single parent home with four siblings. I was a below average student, I barely made it out of high school with a diploma, and I don’t have a college diploma to my credit. Now, all of that is good to have, and I strongly promote getting a great education. God wants His people to be well informed, and it does give Him more to work with. However, I need for you to understand how God can use you, even when you don’t think you have much to offer. In 1982, upon my graduating from high school, it was the first time I heard and understood that the voice speaking to me was that of My God and creator. He told me that if I would give my life to Him, he would make the difference in my life. At the time I did not fully understand what was happening, but I obeyed the voice of the Lord. I joined my little neighborhood church, I became active on the usher board and the choir, and I became one of the youngest trustees the church had. Little did I realize that God was setting me up, to bring me up. I mean, you can’t come out, until you come up. I was willing and obedient to the voice of the Lord.

Time will not permit me to tell you all of the things that God has done for me these last 30 years. However, in summary, I’m a manager in one of the largest companies in the southeast, I have two children that have graduated from college, I have a beautiful wife that has her doctorate, and I live in a home, valued at almost $300,000. Besides all of this, God is not done blessing me. He knows He can trust me to give Him my tithes, my time and my talents. Because of my obedience, I can expect even more. I will end with this. In St. Matthew 19:16-22, you will found a conversation between Jesus and the young rich ruler. The ruler thought he wanted Jesus and eternal life, but when Jesus made the conditional offer, the Bible says the young man “went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”

Remember, God is for you. He wants you to be blessed in the city and in the field. He wants the blessings to overtake you. So, get in line with God’s word, and see if He will not “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it,” but it’s all conditional! Will you meet the requirement? Your blessings await you!

Biography:

Elder Trent Hall was born in Charlotte, NC in 1964 and graduated from Harding High School in 1982. He attended Wilson Technical Institute where he received his certification in Heavy Equipment Operation. He has worked for the City of Charlotte for 24 years and is currently working as the Zone Manager of Zone 2.

Elder Hall confessed the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior in August 1983 and received the Holy Ghost in 1988. He was ordained a Deacon in July 1995 and faithfully served in this capacity until the Lord called him into the ministry in 1998. After demonstrating commitment and dedication to his ministerial duties for three years, he was recommended by his pastor, Bishop Pettice, to be ordained an Elder. He was ordained in July 2001 at the Bible Way National Convocation and served as the Sunday School Superintendent and the Pastoral Assistant to Pastor Stanley Pettice. Elder Hall is a husband of one wife, Kathy, and they have three children, Breece, Nathan (Wife, Crystal), and Whitney. He and his wife are very committed to working together in the Kingdom Harvest Bible Way Church of Charlotte. Elder Hall and his wife were blessed to have been tutored, mentored and challenged to go deeper in the things of God, by Apostle Clavon Leonard and the entire Church of Philadelphia family. They were encouraged to establish Servants of the Most High Ministries, which is now an evangelistical/outreach ministry that emphasizes serving God by serving others.

Elder Hall is committed to the cause of Christ, which he demonstrates in his daily walk with Christ. His favorite verse of the Bible is:” Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts” (Zechariah 4:6b).

1 Timothy 6:6 (KJV) “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

God wants to deal with the controversy in our minds as it relates to His ways. The ways of God are our path to prosperity, so it is imperative that we are aware of this and accept it. There is a redirection that must take place in our attitude because we are at times contrary to God’s ways and to His will. God presents His Word to us because He wants us to see what things are linked to our prosperity. In this case, He is addressing our attitude and devotion to Him. The scripture is merely making reference to our allegiance to God and how we devote ourselves to Him and His ways. This is talking about out motives and attitude concerning how we live an acceptable life to God.

We look for ways to thrive and flourish in our walk with God but sometimes it is simply in our approach and acceptance to God’s desires and commands. Unless we have godliness coupled with contentment, we will not have this great gain. This is a spiritual equation God gives us as the answer to our questions about how to prosper in Him. Godliness and contentment are aspects in the equations that could possibly fluctuate. We may not always be in the state of performing God’s ways and taking pleasure in doing so. God does not want us to be digressing in our satisfaction in Him. He wants the change to be that there is increase in godliness and increase in contentment in Him. The reason there is digression in godliness is because we start to lack this contentment, this satisfaction, this pleasure in God. Outside of everything else, we must have both godliness and contentment.

Contentment in this scripture is not referring to being satisfied in complacency. Contentment is dealing with a joy and pleasure about achieving and progressing in the ways of God. This is why there is great gain. The attitude dictates the flow of prosperity in our life. We progress and advance spiritually because our attitude and desire is to be successful in what God wants us to do and who He wants us to be.

We can be godly but not content with it. This means that we are mediocre about our spiritual lifestyle. We are uninspired by God’s way so we do not push or encourage ourselves to do more or excel better. We do nothing more to refine ourselves. We are tolerable of God’s ways but do not make more attempts to advance further in our attitude about this life we live unto God. But when there is contentment about our devotion to God, we enjoy being godly. Many people are devoted to do a lot of things but not necessarily enjoy it or take it upon themselves to find pleasure and enthusiasm about it. Someone can have a job and be devoted to it but not necessarily enjoy it. They can come to work on time and perform within their job description but not look for ways to advance where they are. Their attitude could simply be that they are there for a pay check and/or for the benefits offered. But when there is true enjoyment about the job, not only is the devotion present but there is enthusiasm, energy, ambition, drive, passion, and eagerness. There is demonstration through attitude, work ethics, and how efficient and dedicated things are done. This increases the likelihood for promotions, rankings, and salary increase in the company and for proposals and requests that may have to be granted. It increases favor on the job with superiors and causes acquiring of some other things. This is the same way with God. When we display the enjoyment and pleasant attitude about fulfilling His commands and requests, He causes such promotions in different areas for us.

Great gain means that we profit continuously in so many facets in life; we continue to grow and advance in God and His kingdom; we become more groomed in other areas. We begin to take note of 2 Corinthians 1:20 and see God responding to His agreement with us concerning His promises. It will be like a domino effect. As we continue to have this godliness with contentment, the great gain will be like a domino effect. There will be a flow of promises and blessings. This is
our prosperity.

This great gain is met when we strive to be the way that God wants us to be. Our attitude about it dictates the way we conform to godliness. No Olympic athlete says they want to win the gold medals without striving and doing it what it takes to get it. They also understand the rules and boundaries concerning participating in such event and adjust themselves accordingly. The issue is we have not clearly understood what this great gain is that we will have as a result of the attitude about our godliness. But God reveals so much of it in the Word about how He wants to bless us and the promises He makes to us as a result of conforming to His ways. These promises are links of our prosperity. We do not often see it that way because we are too focused on having to do things God’s way instead of looking at how close we can be to Him. This closeness allows us access to what He has and even what He wants to give us. God’s ways are the way in which He directs us.

Again, this scripture is making reference to a redirection, another way of looking at our lifestyle in God. We must put God as the one who we are aiming to please because with this is the heart and desire to please God. This will turn in to the acts of pleasing, performing, and displaying those things that pleases God because we have begun to comply with His ways and those things that He loves. This will take us to the place of being in His Will and He makes promises about such things as well as far as what He wants to do and give as a result of this

- Minister Latasha Johnson

Psalm 1:3 KJV “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his
fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

The preceding scripture, Psalm 1:2, states the delight and meditation of the law of the Lord. It continues in this verse (Psalm 1:3) to reflect what that will lead to, which is prosperity. At the root of God’s perspective of prosperity is the ability to take delight in the order He sets for us and to meditate on such order, which is His Word. Meditating on the law of the Lord does not just entail pondering over it, but it includes murmuring the law of the Lord in a pleasurable way. We usually associate murmuring with complaining but actually that word takes on a twofold meaning. It can go either way: murmuring is considered complaining when we continue to utter about the things of dissatisfaction. That is what we usually relate murmuring to but it is also to utter about things of satisfaction, pleasure, and affection in such a soft and low voice. We do not have to be loud and speaking even in our normal tone but simply softly and lowly so that it is one-on-one with God. Now that is not what we are quite so familiar with in murmuring. That may take some major adjustments but it is certainly doable because it is stated in His Word “For
it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13 KJV). It is done in pleasure because there is a love and a joy to fulfill what God wants us to do.

To prosper first begins with a delight and meditation of the law of the Lord. This meditation just is not about just a few minutes. We can take a scripture and take a few minutes to dwell on it long enough for God to speak to us about it and even for us to learn it. But sometimes walk away from the principle behind that very exercise. God does not want merely a few minutes, although He appreciates our attempts and efforts. He wants His law to be so embedded in us that it will take the meditation of it night and day. That means throughout the day there should be some indication of the Word of God in our mouth. Now we enjoy putting other things in our mouth and making discussions about what we enjoyed consuming. God wants us to shift that to the how we view His Word. We can go about our day and take moments where we stop what we are doing to meditate on the scriptures because we are so delighted we have this privilege to God’s Word and that He affords us the opportunity to know Him. God knows about the course of our day with all our personal agendas. But even within the time frame of our day, we take periodic breaks for certain things. We do so when we are hungry because we do not often neglect our hunger or our thirst. Not only that, but we take pleasure in what we choose to consume. We enjoy it! We may not stop immediately to satisfy that craving or that thirst but we do stop to be sure that that is taken care of. We can make those breaks throughout the say just to meditate on the law of God because we take pleasure in consuming it. God wants us to view of the origin of our prosperity in such a way. It begins with a delight for the law. If we do not yet have a delight for it, we cannot meet the initial criteria for prospering. Delight comes with the knowledge that God wants the best for us and with this we learn to accept what He says through His law.

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water…”-Psalm 1:3 is the reflection of what a prosperous person looks like. It is in the description of nature. God demonstrates the abundant flourishing of a tree to give us a vivid picture of what delight and meditation of God’s law will lead. It first deals with relating us to a tree and the position of the tree. The tree is planted by the rivers of waters. We have to position ourselves in a specific place, particularly in our mind. This is the fixing, the readjustment of our mind to not only reflect but to begin to murmur the Word of God. It is an adjustment because this does indeed take work. To plant something means that we have to dig it in the soil of the earth. We have to dig our way into the Word of God bypassing the thoughts and nature of carnality and self-will and adjust ourselves to begin to change what we have been speaking because of the other things that we have already had our minds fixed on. However, this adjustment allots us the way to begin to flourish. As we are adjusting what we are saying, we will find that we are redirected in our way of thinking because it has conformed to the Word of God. There is a stand, a stature that we will have in the God’s Word. As we delight and meditate on God’s Word, we allow the Word to flow in our life which keeps us moving in the way of God. What we know about rivers is that they are a constant flow of water, always moving. That means that there is no room for us to be complacent or stagnant. That also means that we continue to move advancing from faith to faith and from glory to glory. We may too often hear that but not truly understand what we receive as we transition and advance from one dimension of faith and glory to the next. God desires to prosper us but this begins with the delight and meditation of His Word.

This scripture takes another look at this “tree” God refers us to as one that “bringeth forth his fruit in his season”. This shows the ongoing growth of the tree. God develops us as we set out to take delight in His laws and meditate on them. He develops our mindset and with this transforming, developing, and renewing of our mind, comes another presentation of who we are created and designed to be. We must begin to understand that who we are is connected to our prosperity. This prosperity is about us pushing forward and advancing. When we are not prospering, we are not fully developed in certain stages in our life. God staggers how He wants to develop us in stages and that is why there are fruit brought forth in seasons. We do not fully see the “fruit” of a person as a child and consider them fully developed as an individual. But we do see certain fruit (development) in the stages of their life through early childhood, elementary age, adolescence, young adult, and then to adulthood. Each stage represents a season of life. There is presented a “fruit”, that is, a development of who they are yet they are still flourishing and growing. God grooms us as we take delight in His law and in meditating because this sets the stage, the foundation for where we are going.

As we continue on this path to prospering, we will find that our leaf does not wither. It is amazing how God continues to show us through His Word how to have sustained life in Him. A leaf withers when it does not have the adequate amount of nutrients it needs to sustain it. We too often dry up because of our weariness, frustrations, doubts, worries, sin, and faithlessness. This is what causes us to be stale, weak, stagnant, complacent, and fall short in upholding the standard of God’s Word. When this happens, we forfeit our own prosperity in God. We find that we are not moving forward, there is no advancement in our walk with God, and we have not received all that God desires to bless us with. We have to change our perspective about the law of God. He provides so many nutrients for us in His Word that sometimes we get caught up in how good it is for us but do not want to consume it because we do not like it. We know that certain medicines and certain types of food are good for us but we may not want to partake of them simply because we do not like them. In those medicines and certain types of food are the nutrients we need to sustain us and help us. Sometimes we fail at the law of God, not because we did not know what it said, but because we did not take to heart the nature of God’s love and intention underlying the law. That is another way that we forfeit our own prosperity. There was no production of that and with no production, we wither, we dry up because of the lack of activity of the law of God operating in our life.

This latter part says that whatever this person does, they will prosper. This is because what they began to initially do was favorable in the sight of God because their affection was set on Him and His Word. With this favor is advancement, a life of walking and living in prosperity. God desires that our attitude and reaction towards His law is to delight and meditate in them. As we delight in them, we will begin to act according to what He says and our affection and lovewill be that to please Him.

I Tim 4:14 says, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery,” and II Tim 1:6-7 says, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

You have talents and special abilities that are needed to further the ministry. As long as you have permission from those elders in authority, your gift should not be neglected. You have been endowed with something that has the power to save lives and change lives for the better. Stir it up!

A gift is a notable talent that was voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation; the act, right or power of giving. God voluntarily gave you this special ability. All gifts come from God, so it’s like He gave you a part of himself, so you can use it for His glory. So why are you sitting on it? Why are you neglecting it? Why won’t you stir it up?

Paul recognized that fear could be keeping Timothy and others from using their gifts. Many of you have been stagnant and have not used the gifts that God has given you because of the following fears:

(1) Fear of failure – There is a hesitation or shrinking from using your gift because there is fear that you will not be accepted and will be hurt. For some, there is such a reverence toward God that there is fear you might not do the gift justice.

(2) Fear of the Past – There was a time when something yielded an unpleasant result, and there is a fear the past will be repeated, or there is fear that something yielded a pleasant result but may not happen again.

(3) Fear of other people – There is a constant fear of what others have said or may say such as those that are naysayers or who say things to indicate you may not be the one to do the job.

(4) Fear that there will not be enough time. There are so many distractions – things that draw away the attention. There are the daily things of life that take up time like jobs, family, errands, and other things that keep us busy and often in a state of confusion.

(5) Fear of submission – There is pride. There are titles, positions, statuses. There is a fear of being controlled so you are not willing to submit to church authority or the will of God.

Why do you think that after Paul told Timothy “that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands,” he goes on to say, “ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”? It is because Paul knew he needed to remind Timothy that fear does not come from God, but power, love, and a sound mind, do come from God. If you use your gift, you will have the power to gain wealth (just like the two servants who profited by using their gifts), you will have love and a mind that does not waiver, which all come from God.

Matthew 25 tells the story of a man who was to travel to a far country and called his servants to give them talents. To one he gave five talents, to one he gave two talents, and to another he gave one talent. While the servants who had five and two talents used them and doubled their talents, the servant who had one went and buried his in the earth. When the master returned, he rewarded the servants who had used their talents to gain twice as much. He told them, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord.” When the master found that the servant with one talent had buried it (neglected it and refused to stir it up), he was angry. This servant accused his master of being a “hard man,” and said he was “afraid” which is why he hid his talent. The master took this servant’s one talent and gave it to the servant who had five, stating, “and cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Notice that the master called the neglectful, fearful servant, unprofitable! If you want to prosper, you must use your talent. Don’t worry about not having what someone else has or what anyone else is doing or saying. Don’t bury or neglect your talent. Don’t make excuses and don’t be afraid to use it. Stir it up and make it worth double the amount it was when it was given to you…And guess what? God will give you even more.

There is a technique for fortifying “concrete and greatly increasing the load bearing strength of concrete beams. The reinforcing steel in the bottom part of the beam, which will be subjected to tensile (stretchable) forces when in service, is placed in tension prior to the concrete being poured around it. Once the concrete has hardened, the tension on the reinforcing steel is released, placing a built-in compressive force on the concrete. When loads are applied, the reinforcing steel takes on more stress and the compressive force in the concrete is reduced, but does not become a tensile force. Since the concrete is always under compression, it is less subject to cracking and failure” (Wiki).

So the steel is heated and stretched and tension is placed on it, so it will make the concrete that is poured around it stronger and more resistant to cracking and failure. So when you use your gift, you will be heated (because you know the devil won’t like it, and he will do his part to turn the heat up), you will be stretched (you know your faith and trust in God will be stretched), and tension will be place on you (because a certain amount of tension and stress can come from expectations). Yes, but when all is said and done, you will be stronger. The tension and pressure will actually fortify you. When the heavy loads and storms of life come, you will not crack or fail. You will have power, you will have more love, and you will have a much sounder mind because you are doing God’s will by using the gift he gave you. You will have prosperity and make such an impact for the kingdom of God. God has given you a gift and some of you more than one. If the elders have confirmed it, then you need to use it. Don’t neglect the gift God was gracious enough to give you. Don’t be afraid and don’t end up unprofitable. Use your gift. Share it! Double it! Stir it up! Even though you will be stretched, you will profit and you will come forth stronger and more prosperous than ever before.

Biography:

Doctor Kathy is a former teacher and principal with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina. Upon retiring, she founded Hall’s Consulting and Publishing Enterprises, focusing on writing, publishing and motivational speaking. She has an MAED in English and Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a doctorate in the Ministry of Christian Education and Leadership with Logos Christian College and Graduate School in Jacksonville, Florida.

Doctor Kathy was saved in 1977, and she has served in many capacities in Kingdom Harvest Bibleway Church from Choir Director and Youth President to Women’s’ Ministry President, first under her father, Bishop G. W. Pettice, and then under her brother, Pastor Stanley Pettice. Doctor Kathy and her husband, Elder Trent founded Servants of the Most High Ministries which is an evangelistical/outreach ministry that emphasizes serving God by serving others.

Doctor Kathy’s philosophy of life comes from Micah 6:8 of the Bible as she often states, “God only requires three things of us, which are to be just, love mercy and walk humbly with God.”

Part 1: Let the Teacher Teach

The first step is determining who is the most effective at communication. I say to that one “Let the teacher teach!” It’s not always in what you say, but how you communicate it. It’s important if you are the one that better understands the laws that govern effective communication that you teach (which is NOT the same as being the communication police). If he better understands the laws that govern effective communication, be teachable. In either case, always pay attention to how you utilize communication to stay balanced, remain open, keep your mind and conscious clear, and to keep the relationship intact.

It is a known fact the women use twice as many words as men do in the course of a day. Know how to make your words count- and stick! Doing so will leave him yearning to hear what you have to say as opposed to reluctantly listening. It is possible, even to express dissatisfaction in a way which leaves him hinging off of every, single syllable. I know many woman are asking “How?” The answer is- by utilizing wisdom in your conversation. It is important that even in a place of correction, that she strips, but leaves his manhood in tact. There are ways to correct a man without stripping him of his dignity. Don’t use words that demean him in order to prove your point. It is not necessary to yell as if he has a hearing impairment. Being the woman not only he desires, but needs means understanding the power of her words versus the level of her volume. You must understand the difference between him comprehending and him applying, be able to communicate to him where application is missing, and communicate that disconnect in ways that are not redundant. You can utilize your time and words on what’s next on your agenda and bringing issues to a place of resolve instead of rehearsing the same issue with no resolution.

Let him that is taught in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

Part II: Doing Good First

In being the woman he not only desires, but needs, you must not be afraid to communicate first. The Bible says “Communicate and forget not; with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Don’t be afraid to be the first one; find out what is needed to have healthy communication. Understanding that is not your role, but it’s your life! Not allowing role definition or gender responsibility to hinder you from having what you need or want. A wise woman asks “What is required before I bring this subject up for communication?” First, is it the right timing!? Stating all of the facts, giving every detail, keeping your volume at a minimum will still not yield a resolution if it’s still the wrong timing. There is no set rule on how and when. It depends on the couple, their temperament, the setting, etc. But what’s for sure is that extreme tension is always the wrong time. In front of peers, yours or his (wrong time), when already angry, you or him about something else (wrong time). It is essential that you communicate and be ready to utilize everything you know about him to get your issues solved by discussing them. In being the woman he not only desires, but needs, you must ask “What am I willing to give up to have victorious communication?”

It is most challenging to go first when you have to lead in uncomfortable conversations. Most men will avoid talks, debates, or arguments he feels he can’t win or be given a fair chance. In being a woman he not only desires, but needs, don’t allow him to avoid talking about issues that need to be discussed because of fear of retaliation, anger, silence, no response, or a mouth full of excuses. A man wants to be right, but sometimes does not comprehend what you mean, know how to answer your question, resolve the issue, or humble himself and ask for help, so he will avoid the issue. Don’t let him off the hook. And what does lack of communication about difficult things do to the relationship? Lack of communication first brings about suspicion in both parties trying to imagine what you think the other person will say or how they are feeling. The second thing is it breeds selfishness you begin to justify your actions and become tunnel visioned avoiding your responsibility in the communications. Third is time allows pride and stubbornness to set in and avoid all communication. Fourth, it makes you numb to the other persons feelings or point of view. Finally. it allows space for bitterness and resentment.

Be a woman who knows how to put her emotions to the side, lay her attitude on the line, and roll up her sleeves and use this teachable moment to demonstrate love, humility, character, compassion, and support. In being the woman he not only desires, but needs, state the facts, tell the whole truth, accept your portion of responsibility, if any; tell him how it makes you feel. Ask him can he give you what you need to begin to be healed, reassured, redirected, or for it to be solved. Then take what he says and verbally communicate it back to him so he hears what he just said to you and verbally agree that is what he said and means.

Then ask him how he feels about your communication. Were you fair? Were you over emotional? Is the resolution balanced? Were his needs met while meeting yours? Do you feel like this was the right timing to discuss, if not, when would have been the right timing? How was my vocabulary? What I learned is that whether you are in the seat of right or wrong, these things can’t be avoided: 1) The situation still must be discussed, 2) Both parties must take a level of responsibility, after examining the situation from both sides, 3) Both must always remain open and respectful, and 4) It must be resolved so both parties may benefit and grow!

Part III: Patience with the Process

The last stage is deciding to communicate effectively beyond my anger, hurt, or frustration in getting to the root of misunderstanding. Sometimes it takes hours of talking, crying, and affirmation on both parties’. First, you have to decide to accept the truth no matter how hard it is for both. Secondly, you must decide to do it because it’s the right thing to do; meaning, taking the time to talk and process what is spoken, taking time to assess needs and explore feelings, withdraw any negative words or attitudes, and simply state these feelings or needs. Last, determine what is going to satisfy both parties involved. In being what he not only desires, but needs won’t leave you empty, angry, or bitter, but will leave you balanced, healthy, clear in the direction of the communication, and satisfied with the results.

2 Chronicles 26:5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.

King Uzziah was anointed king over Israel at 16 years old. His name means “my strength is Jehovah.” He is the son of the late king Amaziah, whose name means “Jehovah is mighty,” and his wife Jecoliah, whose name means “Jehovah is able.” He is the grandson of King Joash whose name means “given by the Lord.” It’s obvious Uzziah has a rich heritage. His bloodline suggest that he has strength, might, ability and a gift. In all of his legacy, all of his resources, all of his servants, all of the people at his beck and call, you would think that if anybody could pull of a vision it would be him. He had so much going for him and one major thing against him. Time. He is 16. He hasn’t been around long enough to make sound decisions about the vision of this great country. Though he is undoubtedly surrounded by counselor and has access to the wisest of the elders, he understands that the inherited mistakes of his lineage must not be repeated. Enter Zechariah.

“And he sought God in the days of Zechariah,…” We understand that the days to seek God are limited. We must also understand that we are currently living in a time that was once a vision.. Uzziah knew that the kingdom he now had to rule was in it’s current state of affairs because of the vision someone once had concerning it whether good or bad. Armed with only that realization, the Bible says he sought Zechariah. The name Zechariah means “Jehovah remembers.” When you are talking about vision in any capacity, it requires that someone have a good memory. Zechariah’s memory allowed him to have excellent hindsight, critical insight and promoted the necessary foresight into what God willed for his people. Uzziah had to assess where the kingdom stood and determine which direction to take it. Uzziah knew it was also just as critical to know where the kingdom had been in times past. Listen, just because you’re at the helm now, doesn’t mean the vision started with you. Where we are is because there was groundwork laid to get us here. It’s called a testimony.

“…who had understanding in the visions of God:…” Zechariah was called in to offer his testimony to the intents of God. Zechariah has the ability to say it hasn’t always been this way. This is the way it should be now for it to end up the way God wants it to. See, Zechariah was the grandson of Iddo, another prophet to the kings, so he was skilled and well versed in kingdom history. Isn’t that like Daniel? Didn’t Daniel see visions but consulted the book of Jeremiah to get understanding of them? The only difference is that Zechariah was a living resource. What is God saying? He’s saying he’s provided a living resource, a living well of wisdom for you to draw from to understand where he is going with your life. God had a vision for your life. He had a vision for the world. He had a vision for everything you’re involved in. It doesn’t need updating and God doesn’t need glasses. His vision is perfect, always has been, always will be. We must be able to connect what God has willed to what we have before us now. What was God’s purpose for your organization? For your family? Why are you in your profession? Zechariah knows. God places Zechariah’s in the earth to keep us from repeating past mistakes. Zechariah may have many forms in your life. It may be your Pastor. It may be your mother. Your father can be your Zechariah. It may be your favorite aunt or uncle. He can be your mentor, he can be your ally. Zechariah can be your boss. He can be your elderly neighbor. What he cannot be is your peer. Gotcha with that one, I know. Zechariah must be concerned only with what he understands to be the will of God. His submission to you is with great humility as he is older than you. Remember, Uzziah is an inheritor of the vision. He cannot forget that he’s a runner too. Zechariah has been around the block a time a time or two. He knows what lies around every corner. His memory is critical because there is no new thing under the sun. God uses Zechariah to help Uzziah save critical time. Remember, Zechariah means Jehovah remembers, and he is sought because of his understanding of the visions of God. That means that what God saw, he only relayed once; After that, you have to get it from someone who was there. Over and over God mentions the father’s of the kings. Each king is tied to an inherited legacy. The only one getting fresh insight is the prophet. That’s why each king kept one around. Zechariah is valuable to the king, which leads to the conclusion of the matter.

“…and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper.” Zechariah brings with him a wealth of knowledge, hindsight, insight, foresight, and support at critical times of change and transition in the kingdom. Uzziah understood that Zechariah wouldn’t be around forever and he sought him in Zechariah’s days, not the king’s own days. While you have access to great men and women of God, or before your loved one passes from life to death, while your boss still has a heart to help you with your start-up, get all you can from them. Remember, God has vision too and we are all living inside of it. Zechariah is too. When we get what Zechariah has, we’ll turn a profit like never before.

Hang On Ministry desires to be a Zechariah to you. We sincerely hope that we are playing our part in God’s vision for your life to help you prosper.