BIG, Fat, Logs in the Eyes!

BIG, fat, logs: If you haven't an idea what 'big, fat, logs' are, then, kindly have a second glance at these! Christ Jesus had a somewhat interesting thing to say about logs in the eyes:

"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?" | Matthew 7:3-4.

Have you ever tried to drive your car on a cold, frozen wintry morning without first putting on the demister and the inner circulating heater? Not observing these safe driving routines would be absolutely ludicrous. Why? Because the temperature on the outside is at a huge variance with the temperature within the cabin; thus, a thin misty fog appears on your windscreen/shield from the inside, greatly impeding sight!

Issues of life that could jeopardize our destinies' journies emanate from the inside; from the within of us all! Matters of the inside of the heart were - and are - what the Master was teaching the multitudes upon. Jesus had great compassion upon the multitudes that had tenaciously continued with Him in His teachings for days on end. He envisioned them "scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd!" | Matthew 9:36. He had taught first, on the Beautiful Attitudes (the Beatitudes). Then prayer. And on to Almsgiving. Responsible citizenship. False prophets. Marriage, separation, divorce, and re-marriage. He had on faith. On the Golden Rule. On discipleship. On stewardship with money, treasures, and talents. But He never forgot to hold it all down onto the hypocrisies in the deep recesses of the human heart. Halfway through the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus hit the nail on the head, h-a-r-d!

"And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Then His disciples came and said to Him, 'Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?' "

We read of His response to Peter's inquisitive question:

"Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

These are the things which defile a man ..."

| Matthew 15:10-13; 16-19.

The Savior rendered unto us the access key to defilement. He says, "It is the stuff that comes out of your heart that causes the issues." He started with "evil thoughts." And we all know, ALL proceeds from there, onwards!

Ralph Waldo Emerson said in his famous quote:

"Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny!"

In other words, the heart is the incubator of destiny! The wisest man that ever lived apart from the Master Jesus Christ encouraged all mortals to: "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." | Proverbs 4:23.

What, therefore, do you incubate in the womb of your heart? Jesus says it's much more than the judgmental attitude that you display towards your neighbor/friend, complaining about the tiny speck in their eye when you have refused to remove the blinding big, fat log in your eye that is certain to jeopardize and impeded your journey into fulfilling your destiny!

Wouldn't we be wise to heed the advice of the Master, then?

This blog was written by Sammy Joseph. Log onto https://www.harvestways.org/shop for an introduction to the Gospel-literature crusade of the author!

Photo credit:

Sammy Joseph Ministries, U.K. This is a copyrighted photo that must not be reproduced, stored, or altered without the written permission of the owner!

Intact. Compact. Still in FULL CONTROL!

"GOD is our Refuge and Strength, a very present help in trouble" | Psalms 46:1.

The One true God Who created the Heavens and the earth - and all the planets - is still the same God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow! He says in His Word: "I am God, there is none else; there is no GOD besides Me!" | Isaiah 45:5. In other words, He is still in control. Intact. Compact. And still on His Throne! Nothing troubles Him. And certainly, nothing catches Him unawares!

I might not be aware of your current circumstance, but I pray that this piece of writing encourages you to know that all hopes are not lost on your case. You may be battling with an economic downturn with no hopes in sight for a quick turnaround. Bills are tumbling upon each other with no help/giving hand(s). You fight and struggle with prolonged unemployment or lack of productivity. Or you're struggling with ill-health and no diagnosis or prognosis. Let me remind you, that God is Intact! Compact. Still in full control. He knew you would undergo this, victorious, for He says: "I am Jehovah Rapha, the One that healeth thee" | Exodus 15:26.

Your issue may be the battle with loneliness. Be encouraged. GOD says in His Word: "I will never leave you nor forsake you" | Hebrews 13:5. You are not alone; the intact-compact, still-in-control GOD will keep you together! Loneliness is one of the most insidious, silent killers of modern history. Its morbidity rate is higher than that of cancer. Or even Covid.

Mother Theresa said: "The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.”

But there is a God in Heaven Who extends His mighty arms towards you today, saying: "I love you. And I care about you!" You do not need to be driven into the arms of a foreign lover. "I am Your Husband" | Isaiah 54:5. This is the GOD our Creator! Be patient with Him. His ways are past finding out, the Scripture says.

I have stories of God's faithfulness that I can tell you from now until eternity. Space and time would not permit me. This GOD has not run out of ideas. He hasn't suffered muscle atrophy. He always is Intact. Compact. And still in control.

Be steadfast and patient. Never let the pressure of your current situation get to your mind! May the ever-steadfast, loving God keep you strong until the perfect day. Amen.

"GOD is our Refuge and Strength, a very present help in trouble" | Psalms 46:1. HE is the Reason why we neither fret nor are dismayed!

Photo credit:

Tammy Schroeder, Manitoba, Canada. Tammy is a Swish Model, an actress, and a Voice Coach. She is also a freelance photographer when not busy at the office. Copyrighted photo used by permission and must not be reproduced, stored, or altered without the written permission of the owner!

HOLD ON Tight, Until the Dayspring!

Welcome back to our weekly blog after a week of a whirlwind of successful activities - particularly, the premiere WorshipFEST '21 Conference, here in Northfield, Birmingham, England at the weekend! What a treat by the Holy Spirit! Without reminiscing too much on the past glories, let us reach out for more transformation by the Spirit of Christ Jesus; as the Scripture says: "from glory to glory" | 2 Corinthians 3:18.

Today's blog is quite straightforward. Its title is taken from Apostle Peter's admonition to the saints of God worldwide in his time. I can assuredly say it applies to us saints, in this current end-time too with all the uncertainties that our world is encumbered with. The aged Apostle had penned: "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" | 2 Peter 1:19.

Today, I am encouraged of the LORD's Spirit to ask you to HOLD ON TIGHT!

"Hold on tight to what, exactly, Dr. Joseph?" you ask! Hold on tight to:

a.) The sweet, still, small voice of the Holy Spirit that you had heard in the secret place as you communed with the father, which voice in times past had never failed to materialize, but in this present time seemingly is prolonged or delayed! Has God promised you a word of assurance and you've held on for a long while now; but it seems like failing to materialize? Don't be fooled. Neither be a fool in spiritual matters. HOLD TIGHT!

b.) The prophecies that were spoken over your life by pure vessels of grace. It is certainly a thing of concern that there are lying vessels of prophecies all about us. Empty jars making the loudest noises; laying hands upon God's heritage, prophesying garbage and sheer lie in the name of the Lord, falsely raising the hopes of inexperienced flocks.

The other day I heard about a so-called prophet that had prophesied to a sister, that a married man was going to leave his wife, and then marry her! She came to me rejoicing. Had she been a pet, her owner would have noticed her excitement as she had wagged her imaginary tail! I'd sat her down, and expounded the true Word of God unto her:

"God can't be the author of confusion" I said. "Such a prophecy is not divine; it could not have been from the Spirit of God! That is a soothsaying spirit from hell through the mouth of a soothsayer!"

Praise God; the sister was delivered from the fangs and the clutches of hell! Soothsayers utter false words aimed at soothing your broken, wounded, needy, desperate spirit. You must be careful to not receive just any word from any prophet. The best approach is that you personally "covet the best gifts" - the gift of prophecy being one of them! These will point you in the most excellent way | 1 Corinthians 12:31. In other words, thirst for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to also be able to prophesy - that is expound and interpret the mind of the Spirit upon any issue in your life!

c.) Taking heed! What does that mean? The Amplified version translates this as: "Paying close attention to" something/someone. In this case, the object worthy of the fixated gaze of our attention span is the Word. Just like you would pay close attention to a lamp shining in a dismal, squalid, and dark place. Then the Apostle qualified the time expectancy that you ought to hold on, onto this for! He said UNTIL THE DAY BREAKS THROUGH THE GLOOM | 2 Peter 1:19, Amp. Version.

Are you undergoing a gloomy, squalid, dark, slippery place in your life in this season of life? HOLD ON TIGHT!

Is your career, undergoing a tumultuous uncertainty with your supervisor or boss? Seems like they hold the reins of your future? NO THEY DON'T. God owns the reins of your promotion, welfare, wellbeing, and career! Be not afraid, just HOLD ON TIGHT!

Is it your children doing drugs, and have become addicts, their lives almost slipping away from them? HOLD ON TIGHT!

Is it an affliction, sickness, sorrow, or grief that has defied medical prescriptions and diagnosis? HOLD ON TIGHT onto the dream and vision of health your Father-GOD promises you in His Word!

An octogenarian named Simeon and another sister well above eighty years old met daily in the Temple to pray for the successful 'landing' of Baby Jesus on the Jewish scenery. God's Holy Spirit had intimated them both of the Messiah's delicate mission. They prayed their tongues out, almost! They weren't going to cave in or quit believing God's promise. God told them that neither of them will die until they had seen the Savior of the world face to face. They were a prophet-prophetess team. Jesus was born. GOD honored His Word. They held Jesus in their frail arms in the Temple at HIS christening | See Luke 2:21-38.

Prophet Zecharias and his wife Elizabeth had suffered a crushing delay in childbirth due to 'barrenness'. But God had remembered His Word. At John's baby naming ceremony, the father had prophesied about the future of their son, John. He had been prompted by God to mention that DAYSPRING HATH VISITED US FROM ON HIGH!

That phrase 'Dayspring has sprung' had stuck with me since I was twelve years old. Read with me, Priest Zechariah's words:

"And thou child shall be called the prophet of the Highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways ... Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us. To give light to them that dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace" | Read Luke 1:67-79.

Whatever it is that is gloomy in your life, decree with your mouth thus: "IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, YOU BILLOW AWAY. LET THE DAY SPRING UPON MY LIFE! I WILL HOLD ON ONTO THE WORD THAT GOD HAS SPOKEN TO ME UNTIL THERE BE LIGHT! AMEN!"

Photo credit:

Sammy Joseph Ministries, U.K. This is a copyrighted photo that must not be reproduced, stored, or altered without the written permission of the owner!