Circa August, 2012….

As I knocked on the door of Professor F, I readied myself for one last battle in the war for my Ph.D. I came armed with a weapon of  mass destruction (WMD) ready to destroy any shred of doubt about the technical merits of my Ph.D. research. My weapon was a 4 page mathematical proof of the modeling technique I employed to test my novel design methodology. The door opens and Professor F greets me with his trademark airy smirk and says in a heavy Russian accent, “Chris, come on in.” Professor F lays my elegant WMD on the table very carefully as if it might explode at any moment. Professor F mentally attempts to disarm the bomb of heat transfer and thermodynamics fused by mathematics. Confident and vigilant, I ready myself to defend unexpected points of contention as my previous battles were filled with landmines. I watch and wait for Professor F’s futile attempt to disarm a bomb that was only designed to detonate. Then, a silent explosion of logic flood Professor F’s mind. All of his doubts were defeated. At that very moment, he surrenders his attack of my Ph.D. dissertation entitled, “Thermodynamic Optimization of a Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell.” He pulls out his pen and signs the peace treaty that ended the Fight for my Dream. In one swoop of Professor F’s pen, he and 5 other men agreed that I had completed all of the work necessary to be called Dr. James Christopher Ford. My name is now forever changed. And just like Joseph in the subject passage, my name change carries a new responsibility and charge to serve God on a grander scale.

In this series, I want to highlight the significance of Joesph’s life that lead to his name change and how this is relevant to all who fight for their dream. I very recently experienced a name change and endeavor to share the revelations that God unveiled along this process of becoming Dr. James Christopher Ford.

In preparation for this series, ask yourself three questions:

1. How are you known? i.e. what is the significance of your name?

2. What calling are you presently working on and how is it connect to how God has fashioned you?

3. What are the trials in your life that you are facing which oppose your dreams and identity in Christ?

Reflect upon these questions as you read the passage below.

⁴¹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” ⁴² Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

⁴⁴ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” ⁴⁵ Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.  Genesis 41:41-44

Until the next time, keep fighting for your dreams!

Hey Fellow Dreamers,

I have not posted in quite some time and would not have enough time to write about the wonderful things God is doing. Given the frenetic pace of life right now, I find it most expedient to share a quick word about what God is doing.

Oftentimes, we hear the phrase, “God is moving.” This phrase has its roots from the children of Israel’s 40 plus years in the wilderness. The tribes of Israel moved as the God moved whether His pillar of fire or cloud of Glory. They had to follow God. Eventually, after the rebellious generation died off, He released them into the Promised Land. What is the modern application of the concept, “God is moving.”? The modern context is, “In Him we move and have our being. And we are His offspring” (Acts 17:28) God no longer is visible via the pillar of fire or cloud of Glory. But rather, God moves within us as we submit to the fiery passion of His love in our hearts. Everything in the kingdom of God moves by love expressed through faith. The power of God is activated through faith and executed via love.

Oftentimes, God is not moving in our lives or within us because our love walk has stalled. How do you know if your love walk has stalled? First, your peace is disturbed. Second, anger and/or frustration set it. Third, discontentment pervades your heart. Then, lastly complaining sets in. The downward spiral robs you of your joy. The absence of joy is the presence of weakness. Without His joy, you cannot exude love, nor walk in power.

So how do you walk in love? First, you have to understand what real love is. Love is eloquently described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, ” ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  ⁸ Love never fails.” While most Christians have heard that scripture ad nausea, there are at times challenges involved in its application. In learning to live by love, one must make a decision to walk in love no matter what. This step is crucial, because you will always be given an opportunity to not walk in love. The second step is to commit to slowly meditating on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Choose morsels of this passage, chew on each morsel until all the nutrients of that particular morsel is extracted, and apply each revelation God gives you to your life.

Here’s an example that God me recently shared with me about love. Oftentimes, husbands and wives have strained relationships. Christian relationships are experiencing divorce rates similar to non believers (some statistics suggest it is even greater).  God expressed to me in prayer as I was praying 1 Corinthians 13 that married couples get out of order in terms of expressing love. I.e., Love is first patient. Then, love is kind.  Married couples will get into disagreements. Conflict is healthy, if and only if, it is resolved in a healthy manner. During these disagreements, couples have a choice to be patient and listen to each other. If they chose agape love and be patient that have made a great first step. However, if the patience is limited to just listening long enough so that you can prepare your rebuttal and try to prove them wrong, then your love is devoid of Godly patience and is not functional to progress into kindness. Tolerating someone is totally different to being patient with them. To truly be patient, you must sacrifice your desire to be right and be in a position to seek and acknowledge truth. When was the last time you truly listened intently to your spouse’s heart during a disagreement before you rattled off why are you right and they are wrong? Oftentimes, disagreements occur because needs are not met. If you listen long enough, you will find the source of needs not being met. The long suffering aspect of love enables you to find the issue. Once the issue is exposed, then you have an opportunity to show kindness. Magically, in the midst of being prepped by God to show kindness, you realize that your mate is not your enemy, but your companion who is hurt or disappointment. Is the issue at hand really that important? Sometimes, we make idols out of issues and show more passion and devotion to issues than to God and His ways.

In the example of marital disagreement, I only shared the first part of the revelation God showed me about the order of Love. I challenge you to study 1 Corinthians 13. I am curious what the Holy Spirit will reveal to you. To whet your appetite, after love is patient and kind, love crucifies the flesh in humility. When offenses are brought up in disagreements, it is important to keep them in the perspective of the cross. Has what the other person not able to be nailed to the cross with the blood of Jesus? While there are very serious offenses such as abuse (emotional, verbal, physical, spiritual, etc) and infidelity that can sever covenant, there is not transgression that Jesus’ blood cannot pay for. Though tough decisions will be made, that does not preclude the inclusion of agape in the decision making process. You can still walk in love toward even the hideous offender.  At the moment when you can exact the highest revenge on an offender, if you allow the grace and mercy of love to flow through you, you give God the highest authority over that situation to have His way. That is way it is says after love is first patient and kind, it describes what love does not do. Love does not envy, behave rudely, seek its own way, is not easily angered, is not proud, and does not dishonor. All of those actions are sacrificial and truly exude the love that Christ exhibited during His suffering and crucifixion.

In closing, if want experience the exhilarating experience of God moving in your life, then you must seek to perfect love. In this day and age of name and claim doctrine citing the promises God has declared in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 and in other places throughout the Bible, loveless believers commit witchcraft in thinking they can obtain the fruit of the blessings of God through performance or obeying a set of rules. True prosperity first occurs in your heart when agape loves becomes the governing equations of your heart. Moses last set of instructions (Deuteronomy 29-30) to the children of Israel was about their love condition and not their legal condition.  Without their hearts being captured by love, God knew they could not sustain the social and economic prosperity that He was bringing them into. So, examine yourself dreamers. How’s your love walk? This key may the difference between you experiencing the breakthrough required for your dream to be realized.

Until next time, keep fighting for your dream! Love ya!!

Today, I want to go to a virgin area of discussion. A subject that I have NEVER wrote about here. Well Dreamers, I have decided to briefly open the vault on my romantic status. Well…. (drum roll please)…. (waiting….)…(thank you)…

I am single.

-El Fin-

My shortest blog ever! Just kidding… Finding love  has been quite an adventure while fighting for my dreams. I’ve fallin’ in love and have been high on love. I also have been tripped and beat down by love. I have broken hearts. I have had my heart broken. Love has been the most elusive of all my dreams. Yet, as my faith in Christ is undying, so is my hope for finding true love.  This hope has allowed me to meet some very interesting women. They are Braniacs, Ministers, Models, Dancers (ballroom), quiet, loud, strong, vulnerable, courageous, and loving. Woman are the most mysterious and enchanting creations of God. I love women. I need only take inventory of my wonderfully amazing sisters and quietly spectacular mother to realize the genesis of my appreciation of women. Yet, despite my deep appreciation of women, the woman of my dreams has been quite a challenge to find. I been set up on blind dates, faith dates, dabbled with online dating, and even tried to meet my Michele Obama at the Obama Inauguration. Despite its elusiveness and my busy schedule, I view love like this: Love is like Jell-O; there is always room for it.  Jell-O is a delicious and most intriguing snack.   Despite being wonderful, there are times when you are full or fasting and the thought of eating Jell-O would make you puke…which reminds me…

This year I had my taste of Jell-O. Apparently, I did not see the expiration date on the  label.  We ended on a positive, ‘let’s just be friends note’…I believe this is a first for me. Usually, my break ups are like a Jazmine Sullivan song. For my super Christian friends who never allow their virgin ears to hear “de-bil music”, check out this youtube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOzdfaEPaR0&ob=av2e. (Plead the blood of Jesus three times and you will be good.) Back to my cup of Jell-O cup… we are still “friends.” In truth, we are friends as long as someone is not in a relationship. Nonetheless, we wish each other the best. We Christianized the whole situation. We said, “I thank God for the whole experience. I pray that God truly blesses you.” Your flesh is saying, “You just crushed my heart…I hope a wolf gnaws your leg off. ” Or, “Being alone is better than being with you. I am much happier now.” Yes, I said Christianized. All Christians Christianize. We say Christian cliches to not say what we really feel.  At any rate, I digress. Back to romance. I learned valuable lessons in this serving of Jell-O. For instance, in relationships, God’s love shines light in dark places. The question that determines the health of the relationship is, do we trust God enough in the other person to allow His perfect love to cast out darkness?  Sometimes, we think a person falls out of love. In truth, they fall out of trust. Do you trust that person with your heart? Does your mate trust you with their emotions? Do you trust your mate with your fears? Satan will use any and everything (e.g. our fears) to destroy the trust in a relationship.  Sadly, deception descends the relationship into the perpetual rut of rebuilding trust. Trust is obeys the 2nd Law of the Thermodynamics (google it); it is degraded every time it has to be rebuilt.  Only Jesus can fully restore it, but that takes two people fully committed who will allow Jesus into the aforementioned darkness. It is easy to see the application of Amos 3:3, “How can two walk together unless they agree?” Obviously, I learned a great deal about the importance of trust in my most recent experience. I am convinced that we can only trust in a relationship as much as we trust God. Nonetheless, I appreciate the wonderful lessons my ex taught me and I pray that God truly blesses my her with happiness, joy, and romantic fulfillment (did I just Christianize?).

Well my fellow Dreamers, I have accepted God’s will my life. The good Lord (apparently) desires for me to finish some assignment(s) as a single man before I am blessed with a wife.  Dreams of all types require patience and complete to submission to God’s sovergnity. James 1 encourages us to allow patience to have her perfect work in us so that we can be complete and lacking nothing.  I will continue to exercise such divine patience. I pray you do the same. Until the next time, keep fighting for you dreams!

I know I have been in ministry mode for awhile on the series, “I am Redeemed!”. God willing, I will finish that series in two posts. However, I want to share about my progress in “fighting for my dream!” The past few years this blog has turned into a ministry outlet. I vented the pain of my soul, the revelations from the Holy Spirit, and observations from my spirit. During this wonderful time, I have seen God develop my dreams like a fetus in a mother’s womb. And boy am I pregnant!  I will start with my oldest fetus, my Ph.D.

Well dreamers, I am ABD aka All But Dissertation. I am surprised I am still in this program, given I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I entered the program (fuel cell/alternative energy research). I thought I would have finished at least 2 years ago, but God had other plans.  I will touch on the why in a moment. I had an tragic PhD proposal defense. It was like the Titanic meets Million Dollar Baby crossed with the  Rodney King beating.  June 25th, 2010 I confidently present my Ph.D. topic to my esteemed committee. Mind you, I had spent 3 years developing the idea and gathering data. I know that I know this idea is Ph.D. material as outlined by the department of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. I had done all the literature review, talked to industry experts,  and presented to academicians in the field whom all agreed this was a novel topic. Well, little did I know, I had built a Titanic of an idea, and my committee lay in wait as the proverbial iceberg.

My 1st PhD topic shared the same fate as the Titanic

On the infamous day of June 25th, 2010, I had the most beautiful time in prayer that morning. I wept from my soul. Yes, I wept pent up tears. It dawned on my how far I had come since the “Great Depression” some 2.5 years prior. God showed me how He rebuilt me. I had peace with the day knowing that I had already had achieved a great accomplishment–coming  back from a Hell experience. I walk into my room 109 of the Love building. My friends had already started to arrive to show support. It touched my heart to see them. God knew I would need their bright faces to weather the dark storm which was to come.

One by one my committee comes in to the theme music of Darth Vader. I pull out my light saber of a laser pointer and wage war to defend my topic.

My Ph.D. committee

Now usually, Luke Skywalker prevails in the Ph.D. proposal as the force of his Jedi masters aka Ph.D. advisors are supposed to thwart any attack of the dark side. Well, that did not happen. And, I was left to fight Darth Vader and his cohorts alone. I put up a galiant fight, but I could not save my Titantic of a PhD topic. 3 years of research destroyed in a matter of 90 minutes.

I felt ambushed much like Rodney King. Like Rodney, I felt betrayed by a system that was supposed to protect me and have my well being in mind.

My Ph.D. proposal experience

Only my relationship with Jesus held me together. God reminded me that Judas and Peter betrayed and denied Jesus when His accusers showed up. And God used that situation to glorify Jesus and Himself.  I went to be with my parents the following week in Mississippi. It was weird going “home” to Mississippi as my parents had moved there from Ohio 3 months prior. I still consider Ohio home no matter how long my parents live in Mississippi. I love Ohio and am proud to be from there. I still root for all their sports teams, follow the news, and pray for the conditions there. At any rate, while in Mississippi, God spoke to me the idea for a new Ph.D. topic. On my drive back to Atlanta, He outlined the equations and steps needed to finish the Ph.D.

Fast forward 9 months to April 1, 2011 and I marched in front of the firing squad again. I had communicated with my Ph.D. committee multiple times and had implemented their feedback into this new idea. They were on board and this defense was a mere formality. Well, I learned the lesson Clint Eastwood said to Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby, “Always keep your guard up in the ring.”

My 2nd Ph.D. proposal attempt

I presented my topic in championship form and on way back to my corner, I got sucker punched from behind. My idea was rejected, but could be accepted if I rewrote my Ph.D. proposal.  The news did not break my neck like million dollar baby, but instead broke my spirit. I literally snapped.  My grace to be nice, kind, and submitted had run out with my two co-advisors.  No more Christian Chris who is calm, lamb-like in the image of Jesus. I turned into Jesus in the temple meets Dirty Harry. I demanded my co-advisors fix it. I was so frustrated because I had did every feasible thing they had asked me to do. I made a decision to not hide my passion and feelings anymore. We finally got through it 7 weeks later. I was so pissed! My advancing to official Ph.D. candidacy aka ABD was so anti-climatic. My heart never truly had joy.

Though the 11 months it took me to get through my Ph.D. proposal was very difficult, it was worth it. Why was it worth it? It served as a tool to witness to others. I felt others gained more from watching me walk with Christ through that endeavor. People marveled at my faith and how I never doubted God once and remained faithful to Him and Christlike. Members of a men’s Bible study that I lead were so encouraged and encouraging. They knew how bad I wanted to move on from this Ph.D. and get to the next season of life. However, they reminded of the “fruit” I had bore in their lives. They expressed a gratitude in having fellowshipped with me during this time. Their words touched me with the essence of God’s presence. After accepting God’s will for my life, which was to not only finish my Ph.D., but minister to men, I began to realize the fullness of God’s dream for my life. Though I will obtain degrees, build businesses, write books, and change the world, I will never stop building His kingdom everywhere I go. I have a call to build the church as an apostle.

It's all about Jesus! He da man!

I desire to spread the message of Jesus Christ and create entities to accomplish that. At Georgia Tech, it is through Men’s Bible study called, C.O.D.E. (Christian Organization of Dynamic Engineers).  In truth, every door God opens for me whether in education, business, family, or personal life, it is an opportunity to glorify Jesus. In the end, that is the only thing that will matter.

Well dreamers, that is enough for now. Until the next time, keep fighting for your dream!

 ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

Sin is missing the mark set by God’s grace and mercy working in your life. Sin is the stumbling block Satan has put in your life to prevent, delay, and hinder you from prospering in God’s kingdom. That is, conforming to God’s image. God’s image is an reflection of Jesus Christ walking in love, power, and authority, and exercising dominion in the territories God has called you to.  Sin, when we are bound in it, limits our ability to realize our full potential in Christ. Sin, when used as a resistance to develop our faith in Jesus Christ, can be a tool to catapult us into a higher state of glory. This is why we are called more than conquerors.

Now that I have shared opening remarks, I want to get to the meat of this topic concerning, “Redeeming Faith.” Christians are unconsciously fought most in their faith and as a result do not know how to proactively grow their faith. In Part 4 of I am  Redeemed, I want to discuss three things concerning Faith: (1) What is Faith? (2) How does I acquire Faith? (3) How do I grow my Faith?

(1) What is Faith?

 Faith as defined by Hebrews 11:1 is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. Faith is activated, according to Romans 10:17, by hearing the word of God. Using logic, faith may be defined as, “Hearing the word of God is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.” The Greek transliteration of faith, “Being fully convinced of what God has said.”  In sum, faith is being convinced of what God has said. The substance of faith is God’s spoken word. When God created the Heavens and the Earth as described in Genesis 1, He first spoke, then He saw, and then He judged. God spoke, “Let there be light.” Next, He saw the light. Then, He judged the light as good. God cannot lie. So, when he speaks something, it is. He is the Creator. The Creator’s tool is His voice and the building material is His word. Hence, when God speaks something it immediately exists.  This leads me to the next topic of acquring faith.

(2) How do I acquire Faith?

Romans 10:17 declares that “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God.” I must take a brief aside to declare logically that Fear comes by hearing and hearing the words of Satan (i.e. lies…that is things contrary to the word of God.) When you don’t believe God’s word, you then create a foothold for Satan to create a stronghold of lies thereby crippling you with Fear. Lies are the building block of fear based strongholds. (FYI, a stronghold is a mental set of beliefs that frames someone’s thinking and behavior. You can have a positive stronghold based in faith in God.) If you are to overcome a fear based stronghold, you must have an enter with God’s word and have the Spirit of Truth (aka the Holy Spirit) guiding you into truth and understanding. Okay, enough with the aside.

Faith is acquired first by believing the good news of Jesus Christ i.e. the Gospel. The Gospel is that Jesus Christ was: (1) Born to a virgin named Mary who was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. (2)Lived a sinless life. (3) Was tortured for our transgressions against God (sin) and suffered so that we might obtain peace and healing. (3)Laid His life down on a cross thereby receiving the full penalty of all sin that has ever been committed and will be created. (4) He went to Hell in our place and took the power of death from Satan (5) Was resurrected on the third day by the Holy Spirit after His death thereby granting us the opportunity for eternal life with God. (6) Now, through faith in Him and His blood which atoned for our sins, we now are right with God. This, my friend, is the message which is the incoruptible seed and initial measure of our faith. All faith grows out of this seed. To fully experience the power of God and His love, we must realize what Jesus did for us and His good news to us. Knowing that I don’t have do works to obtain righteousness with God despite my indwelling sin is beautiful. Once you receive this revelation by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Jesus can then begin the wonderful process of destroying the works of Satan and molding into the new creature God intended you to be. In short, faith comes being hearing the good news about Jesus Christ and believing the message in your heart. Faith is activated when the truth of Jesus has conceived love for Jesus. 

(3) How do I grow my Faith?

How does one grow their Faith? Once you are convinced of who Jesus is and what He as done, you then can begin to grow your faith. I must emphasize the importance of knowing what Jesus has done because your development in faith is directly proportional to your understanding of Christ.  The events Jesus death on the cross and resurrection is the most important event in the history of mankind. Through these events, not to mention the very life of Jesus, created a portal for mankind to enter into God’s kingdom and destroy the works of Satan. In God’s Kingdom, Satan was thrown out of it. When you are living in God’s kingdom, which is based on faith and governed by love, the works of Satan are revoked, remitted, and destroyed. This is the heart of what grace and mercy is. Grace is the covering of the sin by the blood of Jesus. Mercy is the penalty Jesus paid through his suffering and death. We receive grace through the covering of our sins by Jesus’ blood. We receive mercy through Jesus paying the price of sin which is suffering and death. Now, through His resurrection He redeemed us from the works of Satan (sin). His resurrection allows for us to walk as new creatures in Christ. The DNA of this new creature in Christ is the word of God aka the commandments of Jesus. Jesus told us to love God and love each other as He has loved. Through love we fulfill the law. There are two types of word that God speaks. There is logos and rhema. Logos is the reasoning. Rhema is the revelation of the logos.  When you hear God’s word, it comes first as Logos(there is a possiblity of immediate Rhema). We have the mental to capacity to learn the reasoning of the word of God as led by the Holy Spirit. Faith is birthed when we hear the revelation of the word and how it applies to our lives directly. This is seen sometimes on Sunday’s when your pastor is preaching a sermon that is directly speaking revelation to your life. This is Logos transforming to Rhema.  To grow in faith, you need the Rhema word of God speaking revelation to your heart which equips you to live the word. 

The key to growing in Rhema is to consistently flood your ears, eyes, and heart with the word of God. This is done by reading the word, meditating on scripture, listening to sermons/bible teaching, worshipping God, and praying the scriptures. When you want to grow your faith in any area of your life, studying the word on the subject. Then, pray the word and over the subject. Next, listen to what the Holy Spirit speaks to you. Write what He says to your heart. Be obedient to any instructions. Continue to meditate on the word. Share your revelation with others in a small Bible study group or with your family.

I have experience phenomenal growth in my faith as a result these keys. I am a witness to God destroying many works of the devil in my life.  I have seen Him do the same for others. In closing, I pray you are activated to grow your faith and take your relationship with God to the next level. The greater you are in faith, the more effective you are can be in any area of your life. I pray you are a better blessing to others, especially your loved ones.

God has not spoken to me yet about the next part of this series. Until the next time, keep fighting for your dream! Love you!!

With that said, I want to flow with the Holy Spirit and take an excursion down the realm of your personal relationship with God. Last time, I touched on your natural relationships and indirectly showed how this redemption flows from your personal relationship with God.  In leading several Bible studies with Christians from diverse spiritual backgrounds, I have discovered a Goliath posing as a little fox which is destroying the harvest of untold Christians. This Goliath is law based relationship with God devoid of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. What has happened is that many Christians have been conditioned to a legalistic relationship with God where they base their “level of righteousness” by the number of times they attend church, pray, or read the Bible. And when, they “fall short” of this mark, they experience condemnation from the enemy. God is compartmentalized. He is a Sunday morning God. He is a 15 minutes in the morning God. He exists only in the local religious tradition. Overtime, a great chasm is formed between God and his child. At this point, they are spiritually blind. Before I continue, let me be clear, these people are saved and will go to heaven. However, they will not bring heaven to earth if they continue to live a spiritually listless lifestyle. In essence, you are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, yet blind to its very existence. Jesus addressed this issue directly in John 3:1-8

¹ There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

In this passage, note who is addressing Jesus. It is a Pharisee named Nicodemus who is a man of stature in the Jewish community. He is a religious authority, a scholar of Jewish law, and is respected in the Jewish community. Nicodemus, a teacher of Jewish law, came to a carpenter with  a “nontraditional” ministry style and ethos. Miracles followed the teaching of Jesus. Nicodemus came at night to have many questions answered. His mind probably raced with questions like: Who is this Jesus?… Could He be the Messiah?… How does such miracles accompany his teachings? Where is this kingdom of God that He’s been talking about?

Before Nicodemus could properly articulate a question, Jesus discerned the anxiousness in Nicodemus’ heart and addressed his central question of, “Where is the kingdom of God?” Nicodemus, a man well versed in the scriptures, knew the Messianic prophecies about the Messiah ruling the earth and establishing God’s kingdom (Psalm 2).  During the time of Jesus, Jewish scholars believed that the Messiah would return and overthrow the Roman government who were in power in Israel.  In truth, Jesus was overthrowing a religious governance dictated by works based upon obeying the law.  Now, listen to Jesus answer to the underlying question “Where is the kingdom of God?”

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Let those words echo in your spirit.

Read on and Jesus talks about being born of water and Spirit. The water birth is a baptism by water. Given that water baptism is a commandment, but not requirement for salvation, Jesus had a specific purpose for the baptism by water. I believe it is to model the heavenly experience of being immersed in God’s Holy Spirit. The water baptism is a imagery of a spiritual phenomenon. Like the cross is a imagery of the Jesus’ grace and mercy exhibited on the cross. The earthly realm is but a copy of heavenly realm. Therefore, being born of the Holy Spirit is a two step process.

Step 1: You must be have become impregnated with God’s incorruptible seed of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ.

Just as a child is created in the darkness of the womb through the fertilization of a egg in the uterus, there must be a impartation of Jesus in your human spirit. At that point you regenerated and are adopted into God’s family. However, you can only experience the kingdom of God, but not see it. Like a fetus in the womb can experience living in the womb, they cannot experience life until they are birthed out of the dark womb.

Step 2: You must be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Notice that after Jesus was baptized with water, the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove. At this very moment, Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit (Mark 3). Notice immediately after the baptism of water and Spirit that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. Prior to that, Jesus had lived 30 years without the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had a relationship with God without being led by the Holy Spirit. That last sentence is heavy. Jesus could get away with this because He was both God and man.  He is amazing. He is God!  I raise this points to illustrate how Christians can have a relationship with God, but not be lead by the Holy Spirit.

So, what is my point? We need a relationship with the Holy Spirit to experience the full redemption in all areas of our lives. Consider John 14-16 and its statements about the Holy Spirit and His work.

John 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

John 14:26  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 15:26 But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Consider carefully each of these truths. Go back and reread those statements concerning the Holy Spirit’s ministry. We have access to a powerful person in the Holy Spirit whose sole job is to help us. The Holy Spirit helps us in all ways. He leads us into all truth, He tells us of things to come, intercedes for us in prayer, comforts, testifies of Jesus, teaches us, and  brings the teachings of Jesus to your remembrance. Relating with God through the Holy Spirit greatly enriches our spiritual lives, fervor, and ministry.

I have laid this foundation to get to this key point. You can only consistently experience the full redemptive power of God through a consistent relationship with God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  God is a triune being. When God decided to create man in Genesis 1, He said, “Let Us create man in our image.” God is Elohim which is plural meaning God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  When Elohim created man, He desired to relate to him in all ways. God in His full nature is articulated each of these Persons. God the Father is the nature of loving protection, provision, heavenly authority, and order. God the Son is the nature of earthly dominion, redemption, righteousness, and restoration. God the Holy Spirit is the nature of guidance, dynamic divine interface, and power. Understanding the nature of God and His dynamic personality will dramatically change your relationship with God.

Let me share a personal example. Recently, my Ph.D. proposal defense was rejected for the second time by my committee. To my knowledge, no one in my department has ever experienced such a “debacle.”  Mind you, I prayed about every aspect of my Ph.D from the topic to the technology used to whom I put on the committee. God has led this Ph.D. I had complete confidence that God had given me the victory.  I was absolutely irate. My wonderful support system reached out to help me. But it was not until I turned to God did I find comfort. Look, I don’t care who you are, if you don’t find comfort in God alone, then you are building your life on shaky ground that will eventually fail you. God alone is the rock who will never fail you nor forsake you. It is a curse to put your trust in man. So, I turned God. I got alone with Him in my personal sanctuary. I cried and cried out to God the Father and communicated my pain to my Daddy. Why did I first turn to God the Father? My heart was vulnerable to the lies of the enemy and I needed the protection of my Father. Psalm 91 talks about abiding in the secret place. Isaiah 61 mentions how God is near the brokenhearted. I then called on the name of Jesus and His blood to wash me of all sin and unrighteousness. I called God the Son because this outcome, though apart of His will, did not result in prosperity nor peace. When results that you are believing God for do not turn out the way you expect them to, then it is paramount that you examine your heart for sin whether it is your own or the sin of others. This is not unto condemnation, but onto righteousness. You want a clean heart so that heaviness or deception does not enter your soul and mind. This will enable you to hear from God and take action with the Holy Spirit’s guidance. I found unforgiveness in my heart towards my committee. This unforgiveness caused me to retain the sins of others. I put confidence in manand not God without knowing it. My heart broke when God showed me that. I cried over that sin more than the outcome of the Ph.D. proposal defense. After repenting and releasing forgiveness, God the Holy Spirit first comforted me and peace was restored to my spirit. Then, the Holy Spirit spoke God’s word, “Love your enemies. Do not be overcome with evil. But overcome evil with good.” The Holy Spirit filled my heart with instructions on how I was to interact with my committee members especially my co-chairs. I obeyed and I resubmitted my Ph.D. proposal. Five of six committee members have endorsed the my Ph.D. proposal. I am patiently and confidently awaiting the signature of the last committee member.

Though my Ph.D. proposal trial is not over, I am happy to share its testimony in that it illustrates how to invoke the full power of God. This example shows the power of God the Father, His son, and Holy Spirit. All successes in my life have utilized the fullness of God. For that reason, I have full confidence that “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.” I know that “With God, all things are possible.” And, I know that “all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” In closing, I challenge to examine your relationship with God. Is God fully apart of your life? Is God the source of your strength? Is God guiding your life and decisions? Do you understand the triune God?  I pray you are provoked to a deeper, more meaningful, and enriched relationship with God. I love you. I pray you walk in a greater knowledge and understanding of God’s unique and specific love for you. He is greatly interested and concerned about every aspect of your life. He desires to bless you in ever way. He wants your life prosperous and thriving. And, so do I.

Until next time, keep fighting for your dream!

In observing the father and son in Piedmont Park, I reflected on God’s redemptive power in redeeming our relationship with Him. In God’s heavenly model for redemptions, there exist a replicate model on earth for all other relationships. In Part 2 of  this series, “I am Redeemed!”, I will discuss the A.C.T. process of redeeming our relationship with God, ourselves, and others. The A.C.T. process is a three step process consisting of Acceptance, Confession, and Trust.

Acceptance

In Genesis 4:2-6 God speaks to Cain about the  importance of acceptance.

²Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. ³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. ⁴ And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵ but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

⁶ Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Oftentimes, believers struggle in their relationship with God. There are feelings of being unworthy or not accepted by God. They “feel judged by God.” At times they will toil, like Cain, giving a fearful offering to God of their time, talent, and resources. They grow frustrated in their relationship with God. As a result, they wallow in sin that once crouched at their door. They have succumbed to temptation.  And their dedication to God then dwindles to religious periodic activities. There is no daily fellowship with God. There are untold number of church goers who don’t read the Bible daily. When I taught Sunday School, I would poll my teenage students on the frequency of their Bible study and prayer. Approximately, 2/10 would read the Bible everyday, and 9/10 would pray everyday.While I was glad to hear of their “thriving” prayer life, but I was troubled by their infrequent attention to the scriptures.  As a scientist, I recognize my sample size is too small to consider statistically meaningful.  I can, however, extrapolate these findings to get an indication of what’s going on in the lives of most Christians. People will pray everyday (counting grace as prayer), but will neglect reading the Bible. How can we know God’s voice without reading or hearing His word.  Many people don’t know that God loves them and how to be acceptable to Him because of lack of spiritual knowledge.  People are perishing in their relationship with God because of biblical ignorance (Hosea 4:6). Let’s be clear about one thing, God’s love for us is unconditional, but His acceptance of us is conditional. Hebrews 6:11 states that without faith, it is impossible to please God. We are acceptable to God through faith in Jesus. We invoke our acceptance when we present ourselves to Him through the blood of Jesus.

A key step to redeeming your other relationships is to be in right standing and understanding with God. We are in right standing when we have made Jesus our Lord and Savior. We have right understanding with God will realize that righteousness only comes through faith in Jesus and the redemptive work of His blood. If you are having a hard time forgiving yourself or others, then you need to check our faith. When the Holy  Spirit shows you or reminds you of the magnitude of what Jesus did and how unworthy you are of grace, then you will be convicted. You say, “How dare I hold ought against another?” How profane can we get in the deception of self-righteousness! There is such a lack of reverence for what Jesus did  on the cross. Sometimes, we need to watch the gruesome crucifixion scene in the movie, Passion of the Christ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFlBg6saEDc). Isaiah 53 and the gospels accounts of His cruxificion sometimes  don’t penetrate the soul. Jesus was tortured! He took every lash, every nail, every taunt for one simple reason. So that we might have a relationship with His Father. This thought alone causes me to fall on my knees in gratitude and worship.

Jesus accepted all of our sin without guarantee that we would accept Him or His Father. This model must be applied to our relationships. Do we accept the other person sin and all?  If love covers a multitude of sin, then where’s the love? The reason we are not seeing redemption in our relationships is because we are not accepting each other. You can accept someone and not tolerate their sin. You can love them unconditionally and live out your convictions. We are to judge fruit and not the person. We judge the fruit so we can intercede and love.   Telling someone that they are going to Hell is not an effective tactic to winning souls.  Overwhelming them with love like the Father does for us is most effective.  Allow the Holy Spirit to minister to them through your love.

In accepting a person, we give God freedom to move on your heart and allow redemption to begin in that relationship. Acceptance is a quality of love called long-suffering. Acceptance allows love to be inhaled into the relationship. Acceptance allows for God to renew your mind and relationship. In time, you can calmly smooth out issues or have a perspective change.

Confession

When there is breakdown in relationships, Satan uses the strife to graft layers of deception over top of the love foundation of the relationship. If left to linger, then the foundation of love is soon forgotten. We forgot why we love that person. Then, distance takes residence where love and connection once ruled. The Bible tells us to confess our sins to one another. We view this scripture to pertain to offenses against the 10 commandments. However, we don’t realize that Jesus gave us a new commandant of love. When we violate this commandment, we must confess it to those we have not love. We repent by going back to that person and apologizing for not showing them love. Then, you repent by showing them love,  in deed and truth. You confess love. Love covers a multitude of sin.  Love will cover the grafted layers of deception implanted by Satan. Love will conqueror that deception. Soon, that relationship is healed and stronger than it was originally. A redeemed relationship is powerful. Once the power of Jesus has destroyed the works of Satan in a relationship, that relationship cannot be defeated.

Trust

So many relationships are struggling because trust has been broken. We struggle in our relationship with God when we don’t trust Him. A lack of trust is a evidence of an abundance of fear in the relationship. Fear, like faith, is viral and evolutionary. It spreads quickly without the host realizing it. If unattended, will create negative mental strongholds that cause the person to evolve into a fear driven person in relationships. Fear is masked through anger, contentiousness, and emotional detachment. Trust cannot be established until fear is identified and conquered. Identifying fear is the toughest part because of emotions that fuel it’s fire. The only way for fear to be conquered is through loving that person and giving them room to grow. The room of growth is filled with patience, specific prayer, scripture meditation and declaration, and practicing new behavior in line with faith.

In closing, redeeming relationships takes time. It could take weeks to years before a relationship is redeemed. What does redemption look like? A relationship that is rooted and grounded in love where acceptance, honesty, and trust is able to thrive. Faith in Jesus and obedience to His commandment to love God and others facilitates the redemption process. I pray that God will guide you in redeeming your relationships according to His will.

Until the next time, keep fighting for your dream!

¹Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. ²Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda^[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.^{[b] 5}One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

⁸Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” ⁹At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

There are untold Christians who are like the lame Jewish man by the pool. They are sitting around waiting for redemption. They gravitate to and hang around other blind, lame, and paralyzed Christians. They attend churches where the anointing periodically (typically, every Sunday) appears hoping to get a splash of it thinking it will solve their problems. They have misplaced their faith by putting into an institution instead of the Creator of the institution. Some are blind to it. They see salvation and their lot in life as static. Fighting for your dream is a fantasy for them.  Others have been made lame by it. They have been hurt and as a result are not doing what God has told them to do. They are waiting for someone to help them, but when help comes they are afraid they will get hurt. They go from church to church, place to place as victims instead of victors. Then, we have the paralyzed by misplaced faith. They have compound spiritual injuries of being blind and lame.  Secretly, they barely believe in Jesus. Salvation has become selfish for them. They take comfort in their “fire insurance.” They are too afraid to change their life and impact the life of others. How sad. These precious sheep break the heart of our loving, merciful, and powerful God (Elohim). And tragically, these precious sheep are being slaughtered by the sheers of deception. Satan has deceived these Christians. These Christians are ineffective in their lives and in the kingdom of God. This is the sole purpose for redemption; Jesus has come so that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). When Jesus shows up in this passage, the lame man experiences the redemptive power of Jesus’ life force. The zoe life of Jesus cures him immediately. After the once lame man experiences life, he goes and shares it.

Redemption’s purpose is to virally spread the love, power, and wisdom of God through every aspect of our life. Jesus first redeemed our soul from eternal damnation. He then left us a spiritual inheritance that gives us the power to redeem our earthly lives while storing treasures for our heavenly lives. This power allows us to redeem our relationships, vocation, health, finances, and legacy. In the next post, I will expound on what the redeeming power of Jesus can do in our relationships. First, starting with the relationship we have with ourselves and God.

Until the next time, keep fighting for your dream!

I share all of this to introduce a series that I am beginning entitled, “I am Redeemed!” I will discuss the purpose, plan, and path of God’s redemption in the life a Christian.  Far to often churches teach on the resurrection of Jesus and how we have been  resurrected with Him and are now called saved. But the story stops there. Our souls are saved (aka resurrected), but not redeemed. And because people in pews are not experiencing redemption in their lives, there is a great falling away (i.e. turning from faith in Jesus Christ) as the Bible prophecies.  People are finding it hard to love God because of the bondage in their life. If love, faith, or hope is lacking, a Christian’s faith and effectiveness are at risk. 1 Corinthians 13 concludes by saying, that only three things will outlast time, “faith, hope, and love.” With love being the greatest of the three.  Satan first attacks hope. He discourages you and desires to destroy hope. If Satan can hurt hope, then he attempts to erode and disembody faith from hope (faith is the substance of hope). If faith is weakened, then love is the next target. When love grows cold, faith and hope die. And that my friend is how someone falls away from Christ. All this happens through a broken heart. A broken heart creates an atmosphere where either redemption or regression can take place. Isaiah 61 declares how God is near the brokenhearted. Yet Satan is also roaming to and fro looking for the brokenhearted to pollute and pervert. I have danced with Satan and been down the road of a backslider. It is so very difficult to come back i.e. be resurrected. I have written about this (To Hell and Back Series). My desire is to prevent disaster and promote deliverance. Hence, the study of redemption. I believe this series will unlock another door of the kingdom of God. Jesus has given us keys to the kingdom. One key opens the door to salvation. This key will open the door to redemption. We need all the keys to the kingdom of God to walk in the fullness of the Gospel.  So, let’s get ready to take an exciting journey through the door of redemption.

Until next time, keep fighting for your dream!

When I share such points with my brethren, I get an Amen, more questions, or excuses. Those who offer excuses either believe a woman’s role in a relationship is to be a slave to serve his needs, or has some emotional injury that has hindered their prayer life. Nonetheless, this selfish mindset repulses me. Such brothers wonder why God is taking so long to move on the woman’s heart. I believe the delay is to allow the man to complete the servant leadership course that Holy Spirit has him on. While I can empathize with those how have been hurt,  dwelling on hurt eventually transforms into selfishness. This selfishness blinds men of God to the truth about servant leadership.

So, to my brothers who have a dream about a heavenly marriage, Man up! To my married brothers who are thinking about divorcing the woman that they prayed for, Man up! To my single brothers who are murmuring about single Christian women, Man up! Men, let’s stop making excuses in our relationships with our sisters in Christ and Man up! How do you Man up? Here are 10 steps:

1. Pray earnestly for and about the women in your life.

2. Listen to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to take action when praying, reading the Word, and communicating with the women in your life.

3. Follow through on what God tells you to do. Serve!

4. Continue to listen to her heart. Her heart speaks more softly and clearly than her mouth.

5. Ask questions after listening to her heart.

6. Offer help. Don’t wait for her to ask you. Step up man of God!

7. Speak the truth in love. Say what needs to be said when it needs to be said. Stop holding back! Your words can unlock revelation and loose strongholds. Let your words be clothed with the Spirit of the scripture as God puts it on your heart. Your words must be uplifting. (The Spirit gives life…the law (condemnation) killeth).

8. Offer to pray with her. Listen to the Holy Spirit in prayer. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide the prayer. Don’t rely on your routine prayer. Open your heart for service. And speak scriptures into her spirit. (You must be in the habit of praying scripture for yourself and her related to challenges and goals).

9. Spiritually commune with her. Initiate Bible discussion and study. Start with a single verse or a topic.Even if she currently knows more than you. Find a subject or scripture, study it out, and initiate the discussion. (You can do this in 30 minutes or less). Allow her to share her insights. Encourage her to teach you as well. Bottom line is that you must initiate the discussion; don’t wait for her to bring it up. If she brings it up, then recognize the voice of God working through her.

10. Be love. No matter what you do, let it be bathed in genuine love. Give without pretense. Share without reservation. Serve with joy. Just be love. When the righteous rule, the people rejoice. The same applies in our relationship with the women in our lives.

Well, that is enough for today. I have had this topic burning on my heart for some months. I desire to have and see other men have a fulfilling marriage and relationships with the women in their lives. This is a key dream to fight for.

Until next time, keep fighting for your dream!