Small Minded People Sabotage Other People's Success

Not Today Devil, Not Today

If the enemy can divide your thoughts, he'll wear you out with thoughts of "give up", "it's not worth it", "no one cares" and "I just can't do this anymore".

Friend, shove those thoughts right back down the devil's throat! You will make it! You will succeed! You will see God's provision & promise come to pass in your life!

Sometimes before it's a JOY...it's a JOB!

You have to be more determined to MAKE IT than to QUIT!  Just like a marriage...you have to be more determined to STAY married than to NOT be married.

Years ago, Beverly and I made a decision to take the word DIVORCE out of our vocabulary. I'm not saying we haven't been frustrated in our marriage because in every marriage (or family relationships) you go through seasons.  You just have to make up your mind that YOU WILL NOT QUIT!

Right now, with the coronavirus situation, fear, anxiety, depression, uncertainty, financial hardships, etc., you can be certain that enemy is working OVERTIME to try to destroy you. But friend...YOU ARE AN OVERCOMER!  God has purposed to succeed...knowing you would have challenges to overcome!

I want to tell you today...DON'T QUIT!  DON'T STOP TRUSTING GOD! BE KIND TO YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS (and anyone for that matter) because everyone is going through something!  HELP one another!  

This is not a time to be SELFISH!  This is a time to be SELFLESS!

LOVE one another & punch the devil in the throat!  Tell him, "Not today devil...not today!"

The Way A Man Treats His Wife

The way a man treats his wife is a reflection of his strength or weakness.

I like this passage in Ephesians 5 - "Husbands have the obligation of loving and caring for their wives the same way they love and care for their own bodies, for to love your wife is to love your own self. No one abuses his own body, but pampers it—serving and satisfying its needs. That’s exactly what Christ does for his church! He serves and satisfies us as members of his body." (TPT)

Men, if we aren't winning at home, we're losing. Ministry starts first at home.

I know some men reading this will say...

• "I'd be a better husband, if she'd be a better wife"
• "I've tried & we just aren't compatible"
• "All she does is nag at me"

Guys listen up...before you complain about your wife LOOK in the mirror & ask yourself, "Is God pleased with the way I'm being a husband?"

Honestly, do you realize that all the faults you're finding in your wife are the very things that prevented her from finding a better husband?

Men, just as women have the power, in their words, to build you up or break you down...YOU TOO have the power to LOVE & CHERISH your wife...which brings peace & security to her heart.

Beverly & I have been married for 29 years...and we're still working on our marriage. Friends, it won't happen automatically...you have to WORK on it.

One of the FIRST THINGS you have to do is...both of you have to stop being SELFISH! Marriage isn't a divided contract of 50/50...no it's 100/100 - even when you feel your spouse isn't giving their share. YOU STILL HAVE TO GIVE 100%! Why? Because you aren't just married to your spouse...you are married to CHRIST!

And ladies, before you say, "That's right Pastor...tell him!" Let me just say, there's more to Ephesians 5 than just the husband loving his wife. You too bare an equal responsibility to HONOR him & SUBMIT to him as the head of your home. (Another post required for this one....😁)

My point today is...IF YOU LOVE your spouse you will DO things for them, that are often sacrificial, because you also have THE LOVE OF CHRIST in you.

You will want to.

If you don't, then you need to find a place to pray & ask The Lord to show you your own reflection in the mirror of His Word. (We all have a lot we can work on.)

Be blessed today! Do something nice for your spouse today. (Even if I told you to do it.) 🤣

Thoughts This Evening

THOUGHTS THIS EVENING...

(1) Never take for granted those you love. Call or hug someone today in your family or friendship circle & let them know how much you care.

(2) I learned first hand that you don't get a revelation about life, until you sniff death. Then, you don't take life for granted! Everyday is a gift.

(3) Let people know how valuable they are to you. Don't take for granted that they know. Everyone can't read between the lines. Say it & say it often.

(4) Set your heart to forgive others long before you have to. That way you'll minimize the struggle when someone's selfishness hurts you.

(5) I have learned to love people up close & from a distance. Access to your life is a privilege...not a right. Keep loving, but learn who to let in close & who to love with your eyes open.

(6) Joseph survived lies, betrayal, rejection & hurt, but he CHOSE to forgive without receiving an apology. Choose to forgive & love.

(7) God is preparing a table before you in the presence of those who mocked you, kicked you, wrote you off & believed a lie. Go ahead & eat without an apology.

(8) What JESUS did in the Garden of Gethsemane was extraordinary! He established His YES, survived betrayal & healed an enemy's ear. Who will be healed by your wounds?

(9) May you be HEALED, entirely, as you receive the Word of God into your spirit.

🙌🏽

#LetMeHearFromYou 👂🏽

Are You A Loving Leader?

Is He still your FIRST LOVE?

We can do A LOT of things RIGHT & still hear Jesus say, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy FIRST LOVE.” Revelation‬ ‭2:4‬

WOW! Could it be that we’ve consumed every pleasure & pursuit...some even in His name...but have missed it all together? Is He still your FIRST LOVE?

That's What Love Does!

Are You A Hard Case?

I wonder how many people on Jesus' team were considered "HARD CASES", disrespectful, lost causes or not worth fooling with anymore?

And yet, somehow, Jesus was able to LOVE them unconditionally, correct them, forgive them of their backslidings, shape them & position them for His Kingdom assignment in their life.

I know what you're thinking, "well, I'm not Jesus." That may be true.

Just for a moment, look at John Mark. When Paul said, "I'm done with him!" (Acts 15:38) Barnabas came from another approach & basically said, "Let me work with him. Perhaps there's something left in him we can salvage."

Someone believed in John Mark. Someone was willing to give him more than once chance to get himself together.

We all need someone to BELIEVE in us, when we are less than what we're supposed to be. When we FALL SHORT, we must remember that God allows us space to REPENT and DO RIGHT. Obviously, it's easier to REPENT & DO YOUR FIRST WORKS OVER, when you forgive yourself & realize that people haven't given up on you either...regardless of what you've done.

Before you GIVE UP on someone, ask yourself, "If that was me, what would I want someone to do for me?"

A lot of times, people are MANIFESTING symptoms from hidden ROOTS. The reason they behave the way they do, isn't really the reason you think. There's probably more going on inside than anyone can see...and some of those things may go all the way back to their childhood. Before you get too OFFENDED at them, bear this in mind. Their "cry for attention" by ACTING OUT is sometimes a cry for HELP from anyone that has enough LOVE in them to BEAR THEM UP.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

I pray for you today to have wisdom & discernment to know how to deal with the HARD CASES in your life. Remember, you were once a HARD CASE too.

Selah.

The Likelihood Of Being Misunderstood

I believe one of the toughest things a leader deals with is that of being MISUNDERSTOOD. It can be very painful.  We can pretty much handle what people say against us, as long as they are engaged in our life.  But what really hurts is when people, who aren't committed in our life, form judgments and misconceptions based on outdated, false and distorted information.

In my mind, I can see Jesus hanging on the cross asking God to "forgive them for they know not what they do."  

Can you imagine the pain He experienced 

inside His heart, knowing that the very people 

He was giving His life for...MISUNDERSTOOD Him?

It's not fair.
It doesn't add up.
It doesn't make sense.

After all, Jesus is the one who raised Lazarus up from the dead.  Now, He's hanging on a cross, completely MISUNDERSTOOD by the people He came to offer life.

Why didn't He stop the crucifixion?  Certainly, He controlled the wind and storms!  Surely, He could have escaped this painful process!  

If you could...wouldn't you?

His own team forsook Him and fled. (Matthew 26:56). NEVER ONCE did Jesus explain Himself.  He watches Mary Magdalene, sobbing with intense emotional pain, but He doesn't even EXPLAIN HIMSELF.  He could have at least told her, "It's going to be alright, this is part of the plan.  My blood will atone for the sins of the world." .... BUT HE SAID NOTHING.

He was MISUNDERSTOOD.

You too will be MISUNDERSTOOD.  You will find yourself in a position where you can't tell what you want to tell.  You can't explain it and you can't whisper, no matter how much you want to, because you're a LEADER.

Your desire to please The Lord 

will outweigh your desire to please men.

Your relationship with people must be secondary to your relationship with God.  No matter how close you are with people, you must be closer to God.  Here's the irony of that...the closer people are to God, the more they will LOVE and RESPECT EACH OTHER.

Without a doubt, I love my friends and family.  However, some of my friends in the ministry are the dearest and closest people in my life...probably because we share a KINDRED spirit in our shared CALLING.

I believe what keeps us so CLOSE is our love for God more than our love for each other.  I know, without a doubt, that if I stopped following after Jesus, these friends would warn me and lovingly rebuke me if I didn't come to my senses. (It works both ways.)

No friendship or relationship is worth it's salt if it doesn't have an INFLEXIBLE commitment to God's glory first and to one another second.

Even your friends will MISUNDERSTAND you, at times. It will happen.  What will you do?

Here's what you must do: You must overlook your sentimental attachments and memories. They aren't sufficient to keep a relationship intact if you're not equally committed to hearing God's voice.

You will be called upon to BEAR THE CROSS OF MISUNDERSTANDING.  The more you bear it, the more you are putting God's voice first and the more God's voice will speak in your ear. 

Leaders will be misunderstood.
Spiritual fathers/mothers will be misunderstood.
Pastors will be misunderstood.

However, good evidence that you can be trusted with God's ANOINTING is your ability to BEAR THE CROSS OF MISUNDERSTANDING in the face of adversity.

• You will be called upon to LAY YOUR LIFE DOWN for people who consider not your life.
• You will at times feel like you're being RUN OVER and used by people.
• You will be taken ADVANTAGE of and then discarded when no longer needed.
• You will be MISUNDERSTOOD on many occasions. 

But remember the words of Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:12,

"But I would ye should understand, 

brethren, that the things which happened 

unto me have fallen out rather unto the 

furtherance of the gospel."

What Paul went through, as a leader, couldn't be compared to the GLORY that God would get out of his life, not only in the raising up of spiritual sons but also ensuring that the GOSPEL message would continue onward to future generations.

This MANDATE will bring with it THE LIKELIHOOD OF BEING MISUNDERSTOOD.  

But through it all...

• Keep going.  
• Keep loving. 
• Keep serving. 
• Keep sharing.
• Keep leading.
• Keep training.
• Keep teaching.
• Keep fathering.
• Keep pastoring.
• Keep teaching.
• Keep prophesying.
• Keep connecting.
• Keep raising.

Secure In God's Love

First John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love…but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror!”

Getting a revelation of God’s unconditional love will help you understand that your worth and value are based on the fact that you're a child of God, not on what you do. This is so important because if we believe God loves us based on what we do or how well we perform, we will never be truly secure and stable in our relationship with Him.

No matter what you do for a living, whether you’re single or married, have children or not, you’re well educated, rich or poor, you are just as important to God as everyone else. We are all equally valuable to God.

God is love. And He really loves YOU! I pray that you will experience God’s love for yourself every day of your life. Then you can have the life of peace, joy and true security that He’s planned for you.

@RussellHylton (Twitter & Instagram)
@bevhylton 
Russell Beverly Hylton (Facebook)
www.russellhylton.com
@bfwcindy (Twitter & Instagram)
Bfwc Indianapolis (Facebook)
www.bfwc.net

He Loves Me In Spite Of Me!

God loves His children…NOT based on their PERFORMANCE but rather as their POSITION as His child.

And…if you belong to Jesus then God’s love for you is more powerful that the sin that seems to haunt you…

• God loves you even though you are wrestling through an addiction!
• God loves you despite the abortion.
• God loves you even though the divorce was finalized.
• God loves you even though you can’t get that particular season from your past out of your mind.
• God loves you even though you rejected His love and sought to be religious to gain His approval.
• God loves you even though you turned your back on Him and ran as hard as you could.

He loves you because YOU are HIS CHILD (Romans 8:38-39)...and that love He has for us is greater than anything we could imagine or fathom.

He gave His SON to pay for our sins…that’s UNBELIEVABLE love!  Because, honestly, if someone told me it would take the life of my daughter to pay for your sins, well, sorry, you just wouldn't make it! BUT God, IN HIS mercy sent Jesus to absorb His wrath in our place…NOT because we deserved it, but because of His unbelievable love.  (Romans 5:6-8)

His love causes me to be in awe of Him…how HE could love me not BECAUSE of who I am, but in spite of who I am…and love me more than my greatest sin!

I’m in awe of a God who loves like that!

From Worthless To Worth

No matter how much we talk about Jesus…I find myself wanting to talk about Him more.  In fact, I want to spend quality time with people who love to do the same.  

Are you hungry to speak about Jesus?
Do you talk about Jesus more than you comment on Facebook?

Isaiah said, "A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench." (Isaiah 42:3)

Can you think of anything more WORTHLESS than a bruised reed that people have trampled on?  Jesus will not walk by it, and He will not walk on it.  He'll stop and gently strengthen it in the broken places, and then He'll straighten it up so it can grow again.

Can you think of anything more USELESS than a smoldering wick that once burned brightly? But watch how Jesus works; He carefully POURS fresh oil into the empty lamp, and then gently BLOWS on the flax until it ignites again.

I don't know about you, but I've been a BRUISED REED and a SMOKING FLAX, and when I couldn't reach up, He reached down and lifted me from hopelessness and despair.  He made me strong in the broken places and fanned the smoldering flax into a flame of LOVE.  And He's done it for you, too, hasn't He?

Take a moment today to tell Jesus how much you love Him!

Love Like Jesus

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you…

Isn't that a tall order?

• Jesus was the perfect love of God, manifested towards us.
• He said, we're supposed to love others the way that He loves us.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.  2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

• If I speak with the tongues of men and angels but I'm not motivated by love…then I'm just making noise.
• Paul's words are STRONG.

• I wonder today how many Christians are living out this kind of love?
• What is our motivation for loving?  Is to get?  Is it to gain?  Or is it because we love God and people?
• Sadly, most Christians are trying to OBTAIN God's love by simply "DOING" the things that Paul mentions.

As a minister, I must continually examine which side of the cross I'm preaching from.  The "PULPIT" can either "pull you OUT of the pit…or pull you INTO the pit."

• If we preach from the aspect of LAW (Old Testament) where we try to "DO THINGS" to get God's love…then we undo what Jesus reveals in the NEW TESTAMENT (Grace) that God SENT His love.
• All we have to do now is ACCEPT His love and then live in it.

We cannot give away what we don't have.

• The first thing we have to do is RECEIVE GOD'S LOVE.

Check out this verse…

1 Corinthians 13:4 "Charity (God's kind of love) suffereth long, and is kind…"

• God is simply KIND to us.
• Do you think God is kind?
• Is it hard for you to accept kindness from others?
• I believe that there are people who are such givers that they have a hard time receiving anything from anyone else…including kindness. 

I love Isaiah 53…it talks so much about what Jesus did for us (I.e., He bore our infirmities, etc.)  But chapter 54 talks about the results of what He did for us. (I.e., if you were barren before, now you're going to be productive…etc.)

Isaiah 54:9 "For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee."

• When Isaiah say's "this is as the waters of Noah"…he's talking about a COVENANT He made with Noah.  After the flood was over, it grieved God and the Scriptures say that "He repented that He had destroyed all of the life (animal & human) except what was on the ark." (Genesis 9:13-17)
• God put a BOW in the clouds as a token of His promise never to destroy the earth again with a flood.
• Every time we see a rainbow in the sky it is a reminder of that promise.

There Are Different Kinds of Covenants

• Some covenants state "if you do this…then I will do that." This is called a CONDITIONAL COVENANT.
• But Noah's covenant, where God say's "I will never destroy the earth again with a flood" is called an UNCONDITIONAL COVENANT.
• There were no conditions given to this covenant. 
• No "if's"
• God simply SWORE BY HIMSELF that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood.

Look at Isaiah 54:9 again…

• God is saying He is going to make an UNCONDITIONAL COVENANT again…
• "I have sworn that I will never be WROTH (angry) with you nor rebuke you!"
• This is telling us about a NEW COVENANT.  
• We have to remember that in the OLD COVENANT God was angry.  
• He was angry with the wicked everyday. There was judgment and punishment.
• But in the New Testament….God placed all of His wrath and judgment against us, upon Jesus.
• The good news is that if we've made Jesus our LORD…GOD IS NOT MAD AT US!

I meet believers all the times who seem to feel that GOD IS MAD AT THEM OFTEN.

• I do believe we can GRIEVE the Spirit of the Lord…but not in the sense that He's mad or angry at us.
• He is grieved because He loves us.  He's trying to lead us in a certain direction so that we can experience His best and all of His blessings.
• If we're not cooperating with Him, and we disobey Him, it GRIEVES Him…not because He's mad or angry but because He just longs to do good in our life but we won't let Him.

Isaiah 54:10 "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee."

• What a statement!
• In Indiana we don't have mountains.  But in Kentucky we have the Appalachian Mountains.  In Tennessee we have the Smoky Mountains.  Those mountains are real.
• This verse says that the mountains will be removed and destroyed before God will ever change His mind concerning His kindness to us!
• "My kindness shall not depart from thee!"
• "Mercy shall be upon me!" (Not justice…mercy!)
• HIS KINDNESS SHALL NOT DEPART FROM US!

God not only LOVES me…He is KIND to me!

• God is quick to compliment us and not so quick to criticize us.
• I wonder why human nature is quick to believe the worst about someone…without even giving courtesy to the person who is in question?
• It's because we're very much UNLIKE God.
• God is SO KIND that He would rather COMPLIMENT you than CRITICIZE you.

If what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13 about "Charity suffereth long and is kind…" then this is the way God not only wants us to act towards other people…but this is the way He acts toward us.

• Here's where the rubber meets the road.
• We cannot give away what we don't have.
• If we don't allow God to love us this way…(being kind to us when we don't deserve it)…we won't be able to do this with others.

Don't Forget His Mercy!

• It's His mercy that we're experiencing every morning! (He makes a new batch for us every day!)
• It's His mercy…not His judgment.
• When we allow that mercy to be extended to us…we open our heart to His love.
• His love then transforms our heart and out of our heart we INSTANTLY start treating other people better.

We Must Be Shown Love!

• I remember meeting with a couple where they went back and forth on how the other person was getting on their nerves and how they were tired of putting up with one another's junk.
• As I listened, it was clear to me that the reason the wife felt her husband wasn't showing her love is because he had never been shown love.
• He had been hurt and abused all his life and everything handed to him was based on conditional love.  He had really never RECEIVED unconditional love from anyone.
• He couldn't even explain why he was like he was.
• He didn't know why he was doing the things he was doing.

Now, I've heard the statement before, "hurting people, hurt people."  

• In this situation, he didn't just need some kind of behavioral modification.  He needed to change his heart…then his actions would change.

There it is again…we have to RECEIVE God's love (let Him be kind to us) so that we can then reproduce it in our LIVING and start loving people the way God loves us.

• I've seen this firsthand.  I've seen the love of God be received by someone and it's like the lights come on and immediately they are changed.
• They didn't need any rules to tell them what to do.
• Their heart was changed and their actions followed.

Look at 1 Corinthians 13:4…it goes on to say… "Charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,…"

• In the King James, it's sometimes difficult to understand…but what this verse in essence is saying is "it's not all about self.  It's about loving the other person more than you love yourself."

WOW…think about this…GOD LOVED YOU MORE THAN HE LOVED HIMSELF!

• That shocks some people.
• But John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,…"
• He didn't just love Himself and say, "I've got to clean up this mess that these people have created.  For me to look good, I'm going to come and redeem them."
• NO…He loves us so much that He literally came and took all of our sickness and sin upon Himself.  He died and He suffered for us.
• And what I love about God is that He didn't just do this for those He knew would accept it…
• 1 John 2:2 "And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

Seriously?  He did this for the whole world?

• Did you know that Jesus paid for Hitlers sins?
• A man that murdered an estimated 6 million jews...and who knows how many others?
• Jesus paid for his sins, knowing that Hitler may never accept salvation.
• We are not the judge and jury.  But from what we know, Hitler never accepted Jesus.
• And yet, Jesus suffered the punishment of sin for Hitler and US!

Jesus didn't just come and love the people that would love Him in return.  He loved everybody!

John 13:34 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."

• If you back up into this chapter…this is where He took communion with His disciples.
• This is also where He took a towel and washed the feet of His disciples.
• The job of a servant (slave)
• Peter couldn't believe that Jesus was doing this.  He said, "you'll never wash my feet."  Jesus said, "if I do not wash your feet then you'll have no part of me."  Peter said, "if that's the case, then wash all of me."
• Jesus said, "you're clean…but not all of you are clean."

John 13:11 "For He knew who should betray Him;…"

• Judas was present when Jesus said this.
• Jesus washed the feet of the man He knew would betray Him with a kiss.
• It's one thing to betray Jesus…but to do it with a kiss…that's adding insult to injury.
• And yet, the Bible says that Jesus knew this and He STILL washed Judas' feet.

If we want to know what God's love is like…

• 1 Corinthians 13:4 "…charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,"

God's kind of love is not about what He can GET from you…but what He can GIVE to you!

• God has always been motivated by our need.
• He knew Judas would betray Him and yet He STILL loved him.

Do you know that Human Love is not like that?

• Basically, people say, "I'll love you as long as you love me."
• "I'll scratch your back, if you scratch mine."
• And as long as that person does things that continue to benefit you, we say, "I'm in love with them."
• But let them get into some situation where that person can no longer give to you…and most people will drop them like a hot potato.

Love doesn't throw someone to curb.

• Regardless of what a person is able to contribute…past, present or future, LOVE continues to give to them.
• God's not a user.
• He's not looking at us and seeing what He can get from us.
• He doesn't use us up and then when He's done…discard us.
• God loves us with an unconditional love…on our good days and our bad days.

Romans 11:29 says "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance."

• God's hand is upon our lives irregardless of circumstance.
• God's love is long-suffering.
• Even when people make mistakes, God's love is still far reaching to us.  
• He loves us and has a desire to use us to the degree that we can overcome our own condemnation.
• It's not about God using us up and then throwing us away.
• His love is unconditional love.
• Which goes back to what I said earlier, GOD LOVES YOU MORE THAN HE LOVES HIMSELF!

Disclaimer: All content provided on this site is for informational purposes only.  The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.  The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information.  The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.