How absurd is it to jimmy a lock when you have the key in your hand? Here’s another absurdity, Christians who struggle with worries and fears when they have the Holy Spirit residing in them. There’s no rationale for Christians to be burnt-out when they have the third person of the Holy Trinity dwelling inside of them. Jesus told His disciples that it was good that He go away because the Father will send them the Holy Spirit.

. . . But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you (John 14:26, AMP).

Sometimes we might act like we have it “altogether” not wanting or needing God’s help. Many times, that’s not the case at all, it’s more about us not fully understanding the revelation of the awesome power within us. In 1 Peter 5:7, we are told to cast our cares. In John 14:27, Jesus said that He left His peace with us, and we shouldn’t be troubled neither afraid. Our job, however, is to purposefully fight the good fight of faith and receive the peace we have been given through Christ. (Also, see: Matthews 11:28-30; Psalms 23:4; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.)

An unopened bottle of faith

Consequently, as soon as your spirit becomes agitated, it’s an indication to put your faith into action. Don’t wait until you have exhausted all your friends and self-help techniques before you call on the Holy Spirit’s help. Because when you do that, you have subconsciously relegated your relationship with Him to an after-thought—your plan Z. To prevent this from happening, get into the habit of calling on the Spirit throughout the day. Include Him in what you might consider “mundane” tasks. Go ahead ask Him; you know you wanna’ know: “Which watermelon is the sweetest?”

The more we practice involving the Holy Spirit in our everyday routines, the more faith we’ll have to avoid burnouts when trouble strikes. If we think grabbing an unopened bottle of faith off the shelf is going to move mountains—well, think again.

God’s Word is not plan Z; nor is His Spirit to be ignored. Joseph M. Scriven, author of the beloved hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” summed it up when he wrote:

O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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Imagine what would happen if the hate that is spewed out into the world today made an immediate U-turn back to its sender. Even though we reap what we sow (see Galatians 6:7), it’s hard for some to believe this goes for them, too. However, they might have a change of mind after a few immediate U-turns with life’s most persuasive teacher: Retribution! Sooner or later they’ll learn, “hate don’t love nobody—not even them.”

Instant backatcha´ is a blessing of mercy.

Of course, there are some whose very nature is to hate; I’m not talking about them; that’s a state of being that is beyond my understanding. I’m talking about those who are oblivious to the suffering they subject on others until it ricochets into their personal space. “What goes around—comes around” is painful when it’s a mirrored image of one’s own heartless acts. Nevertheless, it’s a blessing of mercy; a chance to change course.

Hate can be misleading!

Before any of us start thinking hate isn’t our problem, we should be cognizant of the fact hatred has many misleading disguises. The devil knows how to mask animosity, unforgiveness, revenge, greed, selfishness, and other forms of strife to be palatable enough for a “good” person to think they can swallow it and not choke. As a matter of fact, if we fall for it, the kingdom of darkness will have us think we’re doing the Lord a service.

Weigh the cost!

If we allow ourselves to be used to spread hate, eventually we’ll lose. But if we have the faith to do what Scriptures like the ones below command, not only will U-turns bring blessings instead of curses, but hell will be disarmed because it has no retaliatory comeback for love.

• Luke 6:31: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 7:12, NIV).

• Mark 12:30-31: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these (Mark 12:30-31, NIV).

• Luke 6:35-36:  . . . love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:35, NIV).

An added precaution:

We can’t be trusted to do a thorough unbiased search for hidden fragments of hate in our own hearts. We should follow David’s lead; he asked the only One who could see deep within the chambers of a man’s soul; he asked God to search his heart.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24).

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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In our “pushed into a corner—all is lost—what do I do, now” stories, we should somehow (not saying it’s going to be easy) find the faith to think beyond the hurt; see how God can be glorified in the mess. By transferring our attention to Him, it momentarily interrupts the ambush that’s trying to take over our emotions. Even though these pauses will probably last only a few minutes at a time, at least a different viewpoint would have been introduced.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

God’s glory is the passport out of the gory!

My son, Harry, came to me the other day with a situation; I told him to find the glory in the story. His initial response: What? I went on to explain that he should look for the blessings in the rubble. After careful inspection, we found three hidden in the heap. We then started talking more about the glory than the gory.

The way I see it, we have two options when we find ourselves in a fix. 1. We can go down the dead-end road the devil laid out, or 2. Think about the message the Holy Spirit wants to relay to us and through us as our stories unfold. We pretty much know the end results of the first option; however, the second option should be examined a little closer.

The movie vs. the book

People are more prone to watching the movie vs. reading the book. This is especially true when it comes to reading the Bible. Nonbelievers will be more intrigued when they observe believers who actually live their lives based on the Word, as oppose to believers reading the Word to them without any real-life, real-time testimonies to back up their claim. For instance, nonbelievers are checking to see how Christians react to everyday issues like adversity. Do they respond in line with their convictions, or are they overtaken by the gory like everybody else?

In a world where there’s so much skepticism concerning God’s existence, skeptics want to be convinced—before they sign on the dotted line.

But—it doesn’t stop there!

These sideliners aren’t the only ones paying attention to the movie; God is watching His people:

• appreciating His glory, and
• praising Him for His glory in the midst of their gory.

Can you spot God’s glory in your story?

I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears (Psalm 34:1-4).

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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You have probably experienced times, I know I have, when you felt alone and needed God’s comfort; one word from Him would have carried you a long way. But you couldn’t sense His presence, so you began to wonder—Where are You, Lord? To the best of your knowledge and awareness, you tried to live obedient to His Word; you followed the guidelines of faith, but with all your good efforts you still thought—Where are You, Lord? You knew God said that He would never leave you; you knew the Holy spirit lives on the inside of you; nonetheless—like a child reaching out to its parent, you needed the assurance that your heavenly Father was there—but heaven was silent.

Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
(Psalm 10:1, NIV)

Lord—where are You?

Matthew 28:20 says God will never leave us—that’s good to know during hard times. The fact that hell can’t make a move without heaven knowing about it should ease our minds, also. But as troubling as “trouble” can be, believe it or not, the trouble isn’t the main issue, because heaven is monitoring that crisis (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). God is more interested in how we perceive what’s going on; the substitutes we use to take His place when we can’t trace Him in the darkest of dark times.

Quiet—testing!

If you are a teacher, parent, coach or hold any position of instructing or training, you must at some point—test the students to see if they can apply what was taught. The same is true on a spiritual level. You won’t know the strength, or lack, of your faith if it’s never put through fiery tests. Without these tests, you might think you’re trusting God, only to find out you don’t have enough faith to blow out a candle.

I’m sure Peter was sincere when he told Jesus he would never deny Him, however, when he was faced with the possible consequences of that stance, Peter denied Jesus three times in one night (see Matthew 26:69-75). From Peter’s experience, we can see how easily it is to get caught up in the moment; we might think we’re functioning on a level in Christ that we’re not. The only way to put an end to this deceit is for our faith to be tested.

The test: The effectiveness of our faith to believe and apply Scriptures to our everyday challenges.

Test prep questions:

How intimate is my relationship with God? What should I do to become even closer to Him? How can I develop more trust and confidence in my own prayers? What must I do to exchange my fears, doubts, and worries for faith? How can I effectively use Scriptures in my everyday situations? Which Scripture(s) can help me with what I’m going through right now? How can I use these Scriptures as a sword against the enemy? What should I do to remain hopeful in the promises of God when I can’t sense His presence?

Helpful study tip:

Don’t wait until the day of the test to prepare.

We don’t necessarily have to pass the test with flying colors. Because each wobbly-rickety step of faith, is an accomplishment that will be credited towards our next trial as we go from faith to faith.

So, the next time you find yourself wondering: Where are You, Lord? Use your faith to hear Him say:

I’m Right Here!

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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There are no obstructions or legions pitched out of hell that can block the supremacy of God. Who dares to stand in defiance before the One who stretched out the heavens; laid the foundations of earth; lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; and, makes the clouds His chariot? (Psalm 104:3-5) If your faith is speckled with doubts and marred by fear, check to see if you’re connected to limited man, or to the Unlimited God, the One who walks upon the wings of the wind.

If God is for us, what can the limitations of man do against us?

If God so sees fit, He’ll open doors that man has determined to keep shut, and He’ll shut doors that man, in all his strength and influence, can’t open. If hell hounds are clenching your heels, God will hide you in the safety of His pavilion. If there’s a “red sea” blocking you, He’ll command the winds to whoosh the water aside; My LORD!

For in time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock (Psalm 27:5).

Unlimited faith is not restricted to limited means!

Unlike man, God has no limitations; therefore, if our faith is linked to His unlimited power—the sky is NOT the limit. The miraculous might supersede man’s logical thinking; but that doesn’t mean it’s unachievable when God can create a way out of nothing. We can’t depend on our own intellect or the abilities of others to come up with the right answers, but we can rely completely on God’s wisdom. His unlimited resources will never diminish. Humans can only go so far in whatever there are trying to achieve, but with God…

However, if we try to put God’s means and methods in a conventional box, we might miss out. Instead, of Him entering in through the front door, He might seep in through the vents. We must put our trust in Him no matter how His blessings come; or whom He chooses to deliver them by. Sometimes it’s too much for our brains to imagine what the unlimited God can do.

“… I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19)

I think we should spend more time praying for God to reveal His Majesty, and less time concentrating on what man can do against us. As we grow spiritually in our understanding of who God is, the clearer we’ll see people as lumps of animated clay—performing (for a short minute) on earth’s stage. Our faith should be in the One who made the clay.

Limited man vs. Unlimited God—No contest!

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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Breaking News!!! Evil-fiery darts headed in our direction; take cover in the secret place (see Psalm 91). And, fear not; God has given us everything we’ll need. However, even though we have angels guarding us, the Word equipping us, and the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us, we still have to exert our faith in order to get maximum results.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy (1Peter 4:12-13).

Who’s the target?

When a fiery dart comes to interrupt our lives, we shouldn’t take it matter-of-factly with an attitude of: Oh well, that’s life. Darts hit for a reason. It’s important to identify the target, then if we can, find out what caused it in the first place. This will help us to strategize our counterattack. Think about it, we wouldn’t use the same type of brush to paint a house as we would to brush our teeth.

Darts aimed at us!

At the moment, I can think of two reasons (there are probably more) why darts would aim for us: 1. The consequences of our own making. 2. The enemy trying to kill, steal, and destroy us.

If the dart is because of our wrongdoings, and we’re not willing to repent, we can wield all the faith we have and stand in all the prayer lines in the world, but it won’t redirect that dart—

Bullseye!

But, if we have done wrong and we’re truly remorseful, God will forgive us. Subsequently, we might still have to bear the chastisement of our erroneous actions, but the good news is we have the power, love, and mercy of God to walk us through.

Quoting Scriptures not enough—DO the Scriptures!

Then there are those random darts of fear that will attack our minds; no fault of our own. When those strikes happen, we can’t just read or quote Scriptures; we have to do the Scriptures. For example, 1Timothy 6:12 tells us to fight the good fight of faith (action word: fight); Ephesians 6:13 tells us to put on the full armor of God (action: put on); verse 14 instructs us to put on the breastplate of righteousness and stand firm (action: put on and stand firm); verse 16 charges us to take up the shield of faith, and the sword of salvation (action: take up), and finally verse 18 directs us to pray always (action: pray).
We fight illegal suggestions (lies) that will attack our minds by exercising our faith. The devil hopes we’ll get tired of putting on the armor (suggestion: never take it off), but if we concede—he’ll take over our thoughts and control our lives.

Darts aimed at God!

A perfect example of innocent people who underwent fiery darts for our Savior is found in the second chapter of Matthew. In Bethlehem, King Herod ordered his soldiers to slaughter all male children under two years old in order to kill baby Jesus.

Today there are martyrs who are being persecuted; sparing not their own lives in order to spread the gospel to those living in restricted countries. There are people in our part of the world taking darts every day because of their love for God. You might be one of them who are ridiculed and hated because of your stance with Christ.

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you (John15:18-19).

As life unfolds, there’s no way to avoid all the fiery darts; even if you live a life of compromises and negotiations; buddying up to the enemy—trying not to tick-him-off. The devil will still throw evil darts as if to say, “You knew I was a snake.”

Darts won’t stop coming; stay in the secret place; “Do” the Word of God!

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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If we think a few gestures, gimmicks, and fancy religious words will fool satan into thinking we’re somebody that we’re not, then we’re sadly mistaken. We might be able to deceive one another, even ourselves, but the devil, the master deceiver, can spot a pretender. The kingdom of darkness only respects the Word when it’s spoken in faith by someone who has the backing of the Holy Spirit. Someone who has a close personal relationship with God. The devil will test us to make sure we are—who we say we are. And, to do that, all he has to do is wink; then check to see who’s still standing on the Word of God.

[God] He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved
(Psalm 62:2).

The seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-16 tried to cast out an evil spirit in a man when they said, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.” The enemy knew they didn’t have the authority to use the name of Jesus; therefore, the spirit looked at them and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” As a result, the evil spirit overcame them; they fled naked and wounded.

Our authenticity in Christ is our greatest weapon!

I don’t care how “smart” we think we are, as long as we’re in these human bodies we are subjected to deception. The Holy Spirit is the only One who can give us the wisdom to outsmart the deceiver. However, those of us who know God must be fully committed to His Word; then the enemy will recognize who we are in Christ.

Furthermore, we want him to know—that we know who we are in Christ. Also, we want him to know—that we know—we have been validated with the authorization to use the Lord’s name against the principalities of darkness.

Therefore: Through Christ—we can discern the evil devices and tactics in our lives. Through Christ—our steps are unimpeded, and when we run, we will not stumble (see Proverbs 4:12). Through Christ—we are able to walk by faith and not by sight (see 2 Corinthians 5:7).

We must stay prayed up, alert, and ready by faith to use our spiritual weapons; not as simulated mock-ups, but as genuine, undisputable children of God.

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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When it’s time to make decisions, we can read all the books; consult all the experts, re-research all the research, but it’s still incomplete, inadequate, piecemealed information without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is the only One who knows where the icebergs of our best laid plans are hidden.

Do we trust God’s insight?

We’ll never know everything about anything. That’s where are faith in God comes in. If we put our trust in the Lord, we don’t have to know everything—just Him. We run into problems when we want to take matters into our own hands and bypass the conditions that are required to walk by faith. It says in Proverbs 3:5-7 not to put our trust in ourselves.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Ponder this:

• Do I have faith in God’s insight to lead me down the right paths?
• How can I develop that level of trust in God?
• Can I let go of my wants and desires for His will?

Divine illumination

How wise is it to ignore God’s divine illuminating light shining on underlying factors? Our superficial understanding: will include people into our lives who we should exclude; will take the wrong job; marry the wrong person; buy the wrong house, only to leave us scratching our heads thinking—if the walls had only said something.

We know what we know, but is that enough? 

I’ve run into enough icebergs head-on to know not to make any choices on what I, or anybody else perceives to be true without the input of the Holy Spirit. My faith works best when I pray first; then wait to get clearance from God. Sometimes, however, I can’t discern His leading, but I’ve learned His silence is one of His techniques to develop my spiritual ear. Can I sense His Spirit by faith?

That’s when I slowly move in my desired direction knowing everything is going to be alright because I acknowledged and honored God before I ventured out. He will pull me back if I’m headed in the wrong direction if I’m paying attention; wanting nothing, but to please Him.

Would you rather hit an iceberg with or without God?

We won’t be able to circumvent every iceberg in our lives (see John 16:33; Psalm 34:19). Nonetheless, icebergs don’t have to take us down. God knows beforehand what’s ahead; nothing catches Him off guard. Therefore, when we depend on the Holy Spirit to walk us through; those hard-pressed encounters won’t destroy us, but will grow us.

God knows where the icebergs are—do you?

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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We routinely take the same route; red light stop—green light go; change lanes; turn right, turn left; go straight; more lights, and before we know it,

Tadaaahhh—we’re there!

When it’s time to leave, we robotically return home; stopping at the same lights and making the same turns. The brain automatically placed that boring commute into a human databank ready to perform on demand—great!

However, not so great when the brain automatically turns our praise and worship into a thoughtless religious-ritual. Even though we love the Lord, if we aren’t mindful of the enemy’s tactics, we could find ourselves worshipping from an archive of dead religious clichés.

It’s good to outsmart the brain, every now and then, so it won’t unexpectedly place our praise and worship into a powerless spiritual-database of routines. Our Lord deserves more than prefabricated praises.

Words without power equals no faith.

How can we tell if our praise has slipped into a mindless practice? We can tell because robotic spirituality lacks the power of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit is a part of our worship, He brings healing, comfort, and other aspects of His love. Also, we can tell we’re not linked to the Source when our faith yields too easily to doubt and unbelief.

The idea of worshipping turning into a ritual came to my mind the other day when I deviated slightly from my usual morning routine with God. Instead of praying before sunrise, the sun had already risen, and I changed from praying first to reading Scriptures. That’s when the devil told me my prayer wasn’t effective because I didn’t follow my regular format.

Red flag moment!

What the enemy said was so ridiculous that it made me stop and think: Am I so dependent on a mindless rigid routine (churches can be guilty of this, too) that the Holy Spirit’s freedom of expression is smothered? Are my praises coming forth out of habit or from my heart?

Worshipping God is more than a ritual.

We must honor God’s spontaneity. If He wants us to sit in silence and listen with our spiritual ear, or sing a song, or read His Word, whatever He wants us to do, we should be willing to relinquish our routine, and allow His Spirit to direct our praise.

Almighty God deserves more than a routine praise.

Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comey (Psalm 147:1).

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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We are witnessing what happens when global warming is ignored; glaciers melting causing water levels to rise; arctic wildlife threatened with extinction; weather patterns gone haywire, and air pollution worsening are a few problems that have been emerging. But there’s another type of global warming that should get even more of our attention:

Hell fires!

These demonic fires are melting away (among other things) our decency; the moral values of this world. What used to be wrong is now acceptable; what used to be right is now outdated and old-fashioned. The Word of God warns us not to compromise (see Galatians 1:6-7; Matthew 6:24; James 4:4).

So, how can we slow this inferno down? Notice, I said slow down; I’m not naive enough to think we can stop it altogether; these roaring flames began simmering sometime in the beginning. . . However, just because it started once upon a time, doesn’t leave us blameless without anything to do.

Don’t get pulled into this molten world!

Pointing fingers is not what I call doing something; if the truth be told, we are all playing a part in this meltdown, either by passively surrendering our self-respect to a perverted world, or by being a direct or indirect contributor. To delete moral decency and think everything will be fine, is like trying to hold water in our bare hands—won’t work! We must not give way to this demolition of values.

Fight fire with the FIRE!

God is the all-consuming fire (see Hebrew12: 25-29). Jesus came to earth and modeled how we should hold our stance against this meltdown. His armor (see Ephesians 6:10-18) when put under the most extreme conditions—won’t melt.

Fight indecency with decency!

Our love for Christ will give us the passion and the faith to stand on the side of right. The world might be slowly melting, but God’s people are standing firmly on the solid Rock.

• Treat people the way you want to be treated (see Luke 6:31).
• Give mercy the way you want mercy given to you (see Matthew 5:7; James 2:13).
• Leave vengeance to the Lord (see Romans 12:19).
• Overcome evil with good (see Romans 12:21).

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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