BlessedAssurance

  Thank You DFA and Family   This serves as a “Thank You” to all of you who are reading this right now. Today is my last day at DFA. Although some of you were here when I came to DFA back in June of 2000, many have retired or moved on to various other assignments. Some have come after I started with DFA. I have had the opportunity over the last few weeks to execute a brief version of a succession plan. What usually takes years, I had to condense in a few weeks. However, I feel assured that the work of DFA will continue with excellence. I did not want any of you to worry about how you were getting paid, so I preferred to work until my last day and think of it as a “see you soon” rather than a "good bye". Good byes are not my forte, because they seem so final. So, I will see you soon. I will be rooting for you and know that DFA will succeed. The years and seasons have gone by so quickly. Time surely waits for no one. As a nation and state, we find ourselves still in the m...

We believe in many things. Some things we believe are conditional, based on something else happening. For example, we believe that some people are popular on Instagram because they have thousand or millions of followers. In essence, the World has taken a stance that popularity is good. Anyone who has a lot of followers sets the benchmark. People will mimic or try to duplicate postings based on the popularity of others to attract more followers, thus seeking and longing for acceptance.  What if we have millions of followers seeking the same acceptance by believing in Jesus Christ? We would have a whole new example or standard of acceptance and would undoubtedly lead to less confusion, turmoil, strife, disappointment and oppression. There are many accounts in the Bible where God employs our  attention to believe in Him - God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit . God wants us to take Him at face value, what you see is what you get. His word is our bond. It is wo...

All things are working today for your good. God wants the best for you and me. No matter what we go through, have gone through, or will go through, the end result is that  God will work it out for our good .  Everything that God created was good.  - Genesis 1:31 New International Version (NIV)   31   God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. When He created the earth, after each piece or day he made, he said it was "Good". So, that means that you are "Good" and He works everything out for your good.  All things are working for your good. - Romans 8:28 New International Version (NIV) 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose . So no matter the circumstance surrounding the day, we will  declare  that it is working for our good. ...

Have you ever been near or around water and felt a tranquility that compares to nothing else. The stillness and peace that water provides is so sweet. Whether beach side or looking over the pier at a reservoir, there is something that exudes a sense of peace that I feel when I am near water or hear running water. It can something as simple as walking past an aquarium filled with fish and water.  That same tranquility is what God wants us to have each day of our lives. I have come to a point in my life that I pursue peace and dismiss anything contrary. God does not want us to be in turmoil, distress, worried, or consumed with the cares of this World. I know it is not easy, but let us make a concentrated effort to pursue peace.  The word peace appears 429 times in the Bible.  J ohn 14:27,  27 " Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (New K...

Have you ever wrestled with surrendering? I know it seems simple to surrender or throw in the towel, but what if you surrendered to God's will and it was not so easy? We see from various accounts in the Bible where people surrendered, but it was a tough road ahead.  Moses:  According to Exodus 4:10, Moses said to the Lord, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue".  While Moses gave God all the excuses he could think of not to be the one to approach Pharaoh and tell him to let God's people free from Egyptian bondage. God insisted on using him and giving him speech through his brother Aaron. So no matter what shortcomings you may think you have, God will equip you to accomplish the mission at hand.  It can be distracting and frustrating to first of all not feel secure in your abilities to do what you are called to do. But also, being faced with a murmuring people yo...

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. So we exercise faith before we ever see it. Thus, we should be able to  see it in the spirit before it evens manifests in the natural. So what is bold faith ? Bold faith is the ability to stand tall, with confidence and let anyone know what we believe in without waiver or compromise. It also includes bypassing certain situations, activities, or partaking in those things that contradict our faith. Well, what does that look like in the natural? It translates to our actions every day. It doesn't matter that everyone in the room is watching TV shows that don't line up with the Spirit of God. If you and I are to stand boldly in our faith, that means we leave the room, the party, the house, the gathering that does not line up with our faith. No matter what the circumstance, if it doesn't line up with the Spirit of God, it contradicts what we believe in and stand for. It takes boldness to do this. ...

We all have a sense of needing to be affirmed. Whether it stems from neglect, whether by one's own will or the will of others, we like to be told that we are appreciated, blessed, needed, or wanted. Often times, we seek this affirmation from the World. Social media is inundated with all kinds of affirmations. Whatever you want, you can find it there; good, bad, or indifferent. Where should we be seeking acceptance and affirmation? It should be from the Word of God . The Word of God is the basis for genuine authentic affirmation .   Deuteronomy 28:13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Number...

As I reflect upon the last few months of studying the Word of God and thinking about certain turn of events, I decided to trust God to help me make the decisions that He wants me to make, the connections He orchestrates, the conversations He wants me to partake in, the missions He wants me to pursue. Sometimes people tend to look at the outer persona and cast opinions, speculations, and even misconceptions based on their own perspective. God told me to stay humble and trust Him to work things out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Sure, the flesh is wrestling with the spiritual persona everyday, and if I don't carefully watch it, the flesh may get an edge over the spiritual persona. Now, I'm understanding that I must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Truth is what God stood for, taught, and even sacrificed so that you and I are free from darkness and can walk in the light. It's available to us! Will we recognize the truth ...