Unequally Yoked....Why Not???

"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?"

II Corinthians 6:14-15

"He or she seems nice."

"He treats me nice even though he isn’t saved."

It’s been forever since someone was interested in me...so what he doesn’t go to church?"

He said he believed there is a God....I guess that’s good enough!"

Do any of these statements sound familiar??

     I understand that there are times when we grow weary waiting on God's match for us. But I encourage you to hold on because your wait is for a reason. The last thing you should do is settle for someone just because they show some level of interest in you. An equal yoke refers to plowing fields during Bible times.

A Life Guide Knows the History of Every Landmark

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seats of the scornful; But his delight is in the law f the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

Psalms 1:1-3

     We have to know within our heart of heart where our help is coming from and who is guiding our steps. Psalm 119:105 says "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path." And Jeremiah 1:5 goes on to say "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." The world would have us to believe life is about luck, chance, or fate, but this is just not so. God has a will and a purpose for our lives that he is faithful to fulfill. We do not have to suck up to a manager for a promotion, obtain every degree and certification, or bend to the ways of the ungodly because God will prosper us through his grace and our faith.
     It is our responsibility to delight ourselves in the Word of God, and meditate on it day and night until it becomes apart of who we are. We should not walk with the ungodly, stand with the sinner, or sit with the deceitful for a so called blessing. This is a lesson that was made clear in my heart recently. I became so concerned with a promotion that I began to loose sight or whom promotion comes from. Psalms 75:6-7 says "For expectation comes neither from the east nor the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another." Instead of being persistent and standing on the Word of God I took measures to get ahead that were not the orchestration of God but of Kiva. In a sense my actions were saying God you are taking to long so let me go make some moves without you. I am transparent enough to admit my wrong, repent, and make it all about God's way. Why???

1.) My way got me no where close to a promotion, but unmasked the scornful nature of some people. People I was allowing myself to be guided by.
2.) Because blessings come by way of God no matter who you think you know, the brown nosing you think your doing, or the accolades you won! God is in control and our help comes from him and him only.
God's plan is precise because he predestined it long before we were in our mothers wombs.

     God makes no mistakes. He can see the detour that gets us around an obstacle. His plan is to prosper us and not to harm us. At times we can not see the potential drawbacks to our plans, but God can. So if we start by making God our first focus he can direct us into the path of prosperity. If we just delight in his Word we can internalize God's Word into obedience. Once we are able to do that we will be like the tree in Psalm 1:3. A tree planted by a river is lush and full of fruit because it receives the nutrients it needs from the river's minerals. This tree's leaves do not wither because it has a consistent water supply. This tree prospers beside the river. This is the same for our lives....
     Salvation is planted in us and watered through our delight in the reading and meditating on God's Word and also spending time in his presence. Though we grow weary due to the attacks of the enemy we are made strong by God's Word flowing in us like water. That Word keeps us from withering spiritually!! And because we have sought the counsel of God we are blessed and whatever we do prospers. Why does it prosper?? Very simple because our steps are being ordered by God who made plans for us long before we arrived. It is fantastic to know if we delight in God we have no choice but to be prosperous and blessed.

The glass is always completely full!! God bless you....

Kiva Thompkins

NEWS FLASH: Jesus didn't turn his nose up why are you??

Matthew 25:46  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

      When I ask people why they are not a member of a church or why they have not given their life to Christ I usually get a number of different answers but there is always one popular answer....Snobby Church Folk!!! When we accept Christ into our hearts and our lives we come to him with our issues and mess. A Christian walk is a growing relationship with Christ and is governed by the Word of God that is manifested in the Bible and through the Holy Spirit. As a Christian we are responsible for loving like Christ did when he walked the earth, reading our Bibles and allowing God's Words to absorb into our hearts, and DISCIPLESHIP. Our lives are not all about what God can bless us with, but because of God's grace and mercy we are blessed. We are not perfect, and nor will we ever be because as humans we are subject to error. With that said....
     When was the last time your life and actions planted the seed of salvation and brought someone to Christ??
     When have you given to someone until it hurt your pockets but through your Faith in God you were abundantly blessed as a result??
     When have you visited the sick or imprisoned, fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, smiled and said good day to a stranger??
     Its my attempt to contain myself, but the very people who are responsible for being a reflection of Christ are some of the very people who are running away those people who need to know the love of God. Those people who God is pulling near to him. Those people that are crying out for help. I was a mess when I accepted Christ, and I am only one decision away from being a mess again. I don't want to get so "SAVED" that I cant testify to the glory of God in order to bring salvation into the heart of a sinner. There are people who need to hear that God loves the woman with two kids and has never been married. There are people who need to know that I lost everything before Christ but through him I gained those things back. There are people who need to know that when everyone else I thought loved me left he was still there.
     But I come across these "holier then thou" Christians attitudes, Snobs for Christ. Last time I checked that wasn't written anywhere in his word?! A snob is defined as someone who believes that some people are inherently inferior to them for any one of a variety of reasons. The only thing that we are supposed to be inheriting is eternal life through Christ...not inferior people! Many of these Christians act as if God has never delivered them from anything, and that they were whole and complete when Christ found them not knowing that with a attitude of anything else other then love they are still not whole or complete. Whenever I get the opportunity to witness to someone I make sure I am sincere because it is my desire that people know the love of God that I know.
     Our walk with God is not about prosperity, new cars, nice jobs, fame but rather it is about LOVE. Christ's life was an example of how we should live. Jesus did not judge any of the unbelievers they knew him to be a savior more so then the doubtful Pharisees and Sadducee's. Jesus fed, healed, and clothed the sinner and drew them to him through his actions and love. Are we drawing souls?? Our biggest witnessing tool is our life. Does our life reflect Christ or that of a hypocrite??
     Our society has become run by selfish desires, money, and the desire to not be accountable to anyone but ourselves. Well that shouldn't be the same case when you are a Christian. Our lives should be devoted to telling people about the goodness of God, acts of love, and drawing souls to God as Christ does. We shouldn't run off a church visitor because she isn't Easter sharp. How do we expect God to pour into her if we are halting her salvation when she enters the door. We shouldn't turn our nose up to the gay man new to the congregation because he has never been exposed to the Word of God until then. We should love and welcome everyone into the household of faith because it took time to get us to the point we are in Christ. Christ makes clear in Matthew 25:46 that what you do not do for the least of them you do not do for him. If we do not treat everyone with love we are not treating God with love. We shouldn't expect a babe in Christ to know everything to do in a given circumstance, but we should expect God to perform a work on their life as he did in ours.
     My desire is that we have a believers mindset and not a Pharisees mindset. The Pharisees were a driving force in the crucifixion of Christ because rather then walking in Love they questioned the miracles of Christ, demanded a sign of him being the Messiah, and used law to condemn Christ and the sinners. We should have a believers mindset that genuinely wants to gain disciples of Christ through salvation. We should give to those in need, and not let pride dictate our walk. A Pharisees mindset judges those trying to come to Christ, pridefully uses the Bible as a tool to personally judge the unbeliever, and are unappreciative of the unmerited grace of God.
     Our testimony and our day to day walk are tools we can use to draw souls to Christ. Our testimonies show how God can take our messy lives and use them to glorify his kingdom. If we are walking around like we never been through anything with our noses turned up at others God wont be able to use us. Christ exemplified love and a desire to save everyone despite their social standing. Christ saved the beggar, the handicap, the prostitute, and if we walk as he did we can change hearts the same way. We can touch the stripper, the prostitute, the beggar, the atheist, the single mother and father, the players, etc.

So put your nose down and walk in love. Glorify Christ with your life, and add disciples to your belt of salvation.

Kiva Thompkins

Know Your Worth and Wait on it!!

     It bothers me to see beautiful woman settling for less then they are worth because they choose to not follow the guidance of God, lack the ability to see the beauty inside themselves, and have not developed the patience to wait on God. Psalm 27:14 declares Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" We have to clearly understand that God makes no mistakes, and can see the bigger picture concerning our lives. I am not so saved that I cant speak about my mistakes. I never thought I was very attractive, and let attention from guys dictate my feelings of attraction. I did not know myself, love myself, or value myself as a result of this I allowed myself to be in relationships with guys who treated me bad, broke me emotionally, and played me like Monopoly.
     When I gave God my life I was a mess. Not a little one but a super sized one!! I had issues of abandonment, no standards, and a lack of love for myself. God changed all of that and he did that by setting me apart from everything and everybody I was dependent on. He planted a seed in me when I was saved, and set me apart to cultivate that seed. He is still cultivating me. I made the choice to follow God's guidance in every area of my life. Ohhhh when I did that the guys that I used to be attracted to I wasn't anymore, things I used to take from those guys I refused to stand for anymore. God gave me value when he chose me and remained faithful in his love for me.
     I established values and worth, and I refused to compromise those values. Those values came from my allowing the Word of God to become rooted on the inside of me. If God loved me enough to accept me as the mess I was, and change my thoughts and perspective then why should I contradict God's love with unhealthy relationships. When you have the love of Christ on your side you wont settle for someone who doesn't walk in that same love. God will give you discernment that will allow you to see the heart and motives of people interested in a relationship with you.
     If you are waiting on God to bless you with a companion I cant promise you the wait will be easy, but waiting on God is so much more fulfilling then settling. During your season of being single God can speak to your heart, cultivate those areas that have been a issue for you in the past, and draw you closer to him through love. If your desire to be married, then the first thing you need to do is draw close to God because he is the only one who can lead you in the direction of that person.

So what am I asking:

1.) Create values for your life that are representative of The Bible and God.
2.) Focus on a relationship with Christ not a earthly relationship.
3.) Know that God has a plan for your life and knows what you need and want and is faithful to bless you with those things.
4.) Understand you are beautiful and should be loved as Christ loves.
5.) DON'T pursue a relationship with a man pursue a relationship with Christ and he will send you your husband. God doesn't need you to do his job!
6.) Carry yourself with respect and you will receive respect.
7.) Understand that waiting exercises your patience and keeps you in Gods will. Settling places you outside of Gods will and can put you smack dab in the middle of an unhappy relationship.
8.) Don't entertain temptation. Don't place yourself in a position to sin.
9.) Get to know God and what plans he has for you. There are things he wants "single" you to fulfill before he ushers you into "married" you.
10.) If a guy isn't talking commitment and pushes you away from Christ. Or if he is not saved with an intimate relationship with Christ----> God didn't sent him!!

     II Thessalonians 3:3 states, "But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one." God is faithful to his plan for you, he will establish you in his time, and he will always keep you from the attempts of the devil. Draw near to him, ask him for guidance, and know that he will keep you if you let him. Nothing is easy, there will be days when you have to ignore your feeling and depend on your faith. Walk in the Spirit, and the end result will be amazing!!

God Bless you and keep you!

Kiva

Pray Without Ceasing!

     Although we would like to make it seem like a complicated act, prayer is just communicating with God. We communicate with people daily so its not a foreign act only we make it that way because we cant see God. Prayer is a way of strengthening our relationship with God. If we have a spouse and never talk to them and they never talk to use how would we ever get to know them or understand them. The same thing goes for God. When we pray we develop a relationship with God where in we give him all our issues and mess, and he in turn delivers and blesses.
     There isn't a specific position we must be in for God to hear us....Remember God is everywhere. Matthew 6:7 says "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathens do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words." This means God isn't looking for fancy prayers inspired by our vain thoughts. God already knows that we need so humbly speak to him. God desires that we pray and talk to him continuously.
     Continuous prayers keep us focused on God and his promise, and not on our feelings or circumstances. Prayer is our way of staying spiritually connected with God. Its all about relationship building. In order to get to know the intimate desires a person has you must get to know them. Prayer gets you to that point were you can allow God to correct those areas your weak in. God is able to give us guidance, and practical solutions to issues in our life.
     As stated in John 15: 7 "If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in your, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." God wants to pour out his blessings on our life, but he needs to know we are rooted in him. He knows this from our prayers. Imagine a relationship where you were getting to know a person. Once you began talking to that person you were able to pour your heart out to them, and they began to know what you like and have need of. Lets take it a step further and say the relationship is a serious one and you have a bill that need to have paid and the person your in the relationship with makes a way for that bill to be paid. That person is there when you need them and is always looking out for you. Well you don't need a boo to have that relationship like you need God. When you pour your heart out to God, and sincerly look to build a relationship with him you are abiding in him. When you begin abiding in him he will abide in you thruogh his Holy Spirit, so whatever you have need of or desire it will come to pass. There is a blessing in your prayer. There is healing in your continuous prayer. There is guidance. There is patience. There is everything you need.
     Prayer is the portal from which you build a solid relationship with God. Embrace that relationship. Embrace God, who will never leave or forsake you. His ear is always listening. Through prayer he will guide you, and make his path for your life plan.

It's all about relationship building so get to know God.

Kiva Thompkins