Do You Love AND Trust Him?

It’s possible to be in a relationship with someone and love him, but not trust him.  Especially if that trust has been violated, such as in the case of adultery within a marriage or even a dating relationship where someone has not been totally honest in certain situations.

A lot of times, when it comes to people, trust has to be earned.  And in the case of an affair, trust has to be restored.  Why?  Because people are imperfect, and people make mistakes.
However, I know a man who IS Perfect, and never makes mistakes, and His name is Jesus.  This man is the author of love, the author and finisher of our faith, He’s all that and more,  however in knowing all this, how many of us can truly say that we both love AND trust this man?

 

God has not given you any reason to doubt His love or faithfulness towards you.  He is not a man that He should lie.  He can’t lie, because satan is the author of lies but God is the founder of truth.

His love is unconditional and unwavering, so why is it that many of us, singles, say we love God with our lives, and even our lifestyles, but when it comes to trusting God to send us the mate that He has for us we sometimes lose faith, lose hope, or doubt that it will ever happen for us?

One minute we’re up, praising God and getting our shout on about how good He is and how Boaz is right around the corner, and the next minute we’re down, wondering when and if it’ll ever really happen for us.

God said He will give you the desires of your heart, and a lot of time a desire to marry has been placed in your heart by God.  He said all His promises are yea and in him amen, and He promised that you and your seed will be blessed.  God has not left you out of the equation, and He sees your tears and knows your heart.  You just have to hold on, trust God and keep believing and don’t give up hope that there is a man out there for you.

So I want to encourage you today to not just love God, but also trust Him.  Why, because He’s God, He’s Perfect, and His Word is true.  Be consistent and steadfast in your faith, and stay built up by the Word of God so as to not give the enemy any room to cause doubt, and know that I love you with the love of the Lord as we run this race together.

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.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Other Scripture References:
2 Corinthians 1:20
Numbers 23:19
1 Corinthians 15:58
Psalm 37:4

Kim Brooks, author of bestselling novels, She That Findeth, He\'s Fine...But is He Saved? and more. www.kimontheweb.com

Sex Outside of Marriage is No Big Deal for Christians?

shocked

Yesterday I was honored to be a guest on Sharvette Mitchell’s online radio show and a man asked the question which went along these lines (question paraphrased), “Sex doesn’t mean much for men and God forgives anyway so I have sex on the regular and don’t feel guilty about it afterwards so what’s the big deal?”

To be honest, when I first heard that question I thought to myself, “O-kay.  Wow!” So you purposely plan and pursue the booty, which is definitely outside of God’s will if you’re an unmarried Christian no matter which Bible translation you read, and not only are you seemingly unrepentant (as the  word repent does not just mean saying “I’m sorry, Lord” with every intention of continuing along the same path, but true repentance means to apologize and turn away with the heart intention of not making the same mistake again), but you’re convinced it’s not only not a big deal to you but also not a big deal to God, right?  Besides, Jesus died for our sins, so if I have sex, God is just going to forgive so I can keep having sex as much as I want and God’ll still forgive me, right?

One thing I always say to believers (which I also said in response to this question) is that you don’t want to use God’s grace like it’s a credit card – sin now, repent later.

Sure, Jesus paid the price, but not so you can continue like a dog in heat returning to his own vomit over and over again (Proverbs 26:11) but so you can walk in newness of life while pursuing righteous and holiness in Christ (oh no, not the “h” word).

When we get to a place in our so-called Christianity where we’re ‘alright’ with sin, then it only proves that we are now at a place where we really have to examine our hearts and our relationship with God.

Our relationship with God should be based on God’s expectations, God’s Word, and living to please Him out of our sheer love and admiration for Him – no, not because we feel forced to, but because we’re willing vessels – willing to love God the way He should be loved, and deserves to be loved.

One of the ways we demonstrate our love for Him is by keeping His commandments (John 14:15) which are not grievous – meaning it’s not burdensome or heavy (1 John 5:3).  So it’s not hard – God would not set an expectation that’s impossible to accomplish.  We can do all things through Christ according to His power and His grace (meaning might and ability).  God gives us the power to be kept by Him, if we want to be kept (Jude 24).

It’s at that place where we have hardened our hearts and have become, in a sense, our own ‘gods’ – making our own rules and choosing our own path that we then need to be worried.

I believe God places inside every Christian a ‘God-consciousness.’

As we cultivate our relationship with Him, spend time in His Word daily, remain underneath His Word in our local church, serve Him and others, and continue to feed our spirit man and grow spiritually on a daily basis do we become more Christ-like with each passing day.

The more Word you get in you, the more you become like Him and you begin to have His Heart and you begin to think like He thinks.  No, we’re not perfect, but we’re striving for perfection in Him every single day.  ( Matthew 5:48)

Which is why I believe when a Christian has sex outside of marriage the reason it oftentimes accompanies feelings of guilt is because that trigger on the inside, that “God in you” or God-consciousness in you has let you know that something went down last night that wasn’t right in His sight.

It’s when we don’t feel bad about the sin, think it’s no big deal and go about our merry way, while planning the next roll in the hay with Sally, Sue, Shaniqua or Sheila that we should become worried, because, as the other panelist mentioned on yesterday’s call, it could mean that we have given over to a reprobate mind, a mind which has rejected God’s Word and now deem it worthless.

So let’s all strive to be more like Him every day.

It’s the goodness of God that draws man to repentance – it’s because of His goodness that we’re all alive to breath, love, and live another day.  Let’s return His goodness for our loyalty to Him in our worship, in our praise, and in our lives.

___

I talk more about God-consciousness and have a chapter called Sex!  It’s complicated inside my new book, How To Date and Stay Saved, which is now available in bookstores nationwide, or you can get an autographed copy or download the eBook now by ordering on my through this eStore 

I must admit, this book is NOT for everyone, but for single Christians or curious ones who want to learn how to glorify God in your relationships, and who have a heart  open and ready to receive life-changing instruction on How To Date AND Stay Saved…and live this thing out for real.

To listen to yesterday’s interview in its entirety as a replay, Click link below:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mitchell-productions/2010/04/20/how-to-date-and-stay-saved

Much love in Christ, and as always, be and STAY encouraged!

Kim Brooks, author of bestselling novels, She That Findeth, He\'s Fine...But is He Saved? and more. www.kimontheweb.com

How To Tell If He’s The One In 4 Dates Or Less

upsetcouple2You know you don’t like him.

You know you’re only going out with him because he’s cute and saved.

Aside from that, there’s really not much of a connection – yet you still go out with him week after week, thinking, maybe, just maybe – that ‘something,’ that ‘chemistry,’ that ‘connection’ would just appear, yet week after week it’s only confirmed more and more how you two AREN’T made for each other.

In my new book, How To Date and Stay Saved, there’s a section in which I talk about how you should know (or have a clue) about what you’re looking for in a mate before you start dating. Here’s a tip, the more you know yourself, the more you know what character traits you need in a man. For example, do you need a man who is protective, caring, and not argumentative because part of the vision for your life and future family is to grow up in a peaceful home? Do you love to talk and express yourself and feel you need a good, active listener in your life? Do you need emotional support?  What do you need? What are you looking for in a mate?

I’m not talking about a list of 100 things, or superficial things which don’t last such as one’s looks (not saying he has to look like a monster, he can be pleasing to your sight, just don’t let that be the ONLY thing you look at when selecting a mate) what character traits do you want him to have – name at least 10 things that are ‘must haves’ (i.e. he ‘must have’ a personal relationship with God), and 10 things that are ‘can’t stands’ i.e. character traits you can’t stand about a person.

For example, if you “can’t stand” someone who complains all the time and is a pessimist, list that. That way, if you come across someone like that, you’ll know right away that they’re not for you – especially if they keep complaining about everything over and over again – sometimes it does take 3 or 4 dates to see if the person’s complaining is just a result of a ‘bad day’ or if it’s really a part of his character. So observe that, and if they keep complaining, or keep doing that character trait that gets on your nerves as you consistently speak to them on the phone and also in person, then end the relationship! It’s O-kay!

It’s better to end it sooner than later, because later more feelings could get involved or someone could end up getting hurt. End it instead of making excuses for the person about how they’ll change one day and how God is working on ‘im…only God can change a person, and the person has to INVITE God in to have Him do the work. Not everyone is willing to change who they have already become.

It’s alright to just be friends with someone you know isn’t a match for you, because if he gets on your nerves now, just think how much more he’ll get on your nerves if you decide to marry him.

 

 

Kim Brooks, author of bestselling novels, She That Findeth, He\'s Fine...But is He Saved? and more. www.kimontheweb.com

Stay Prayed Up!

girlprayingAs single believers, we need to be prayed up so we don’t fall into temptation or a snare.

Honestly, when I think back on the times when my flesh was the weakest, and when my mind was telling me “no” but my body was telling me “yes,” were times when I wasn’t prayed up.

The battle is not with the devil (he’s already defeated) the battle is with the flesh and the spirit.

As I explain in the first chapter of my new book, , I talk about how our flesh is fed every single day – whether intentionally or unintentionally.

 

 

Our flesh is fed just by turning on the TV, listening to the radio (some of those songs are so raunchy now-a-days), or even stepping outside and seeing billboards with sensual advertisements, folks walking down the street half naked with their ‘pants on the ground,’ or encountering every day co-workers who refuse to adhere to dress codes.  So your flesh is fed regardless.  Just like your flesh is automatically fed everyday, it’s more important that you die to the flesh and feed your spirit man.

We feed our natural body 2,3, or even 4 times a day, so how much more should we feed our spirit, which is who we really are (for we are spirit beings who have a soul and live in a physical body).  For this reason, we must feed our spirit man.

We feed our spirit man when we read God’s Word daily (which is the keeping power) and pray every single day.  No, not just shotgun prayers but really communicate with God where you speak to Him, then you wait and listen for Him to speak back to you.

The way you know it’s God speaking to you is when what you hear in your spirit lines up with the Word of God.  Which means the more Word you have in you, the more He can speak back His Word to you and confirm it.

Also, you don’t just want to pray, you want to REALLY pray – the Word says the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, so if you want your prayers to avail, which means to be able, be good, be of strength and might then you want to pray effectually, and fervently in the Spirit – pray out the perfect will of God for your life and pray out those divine secrets and mysteries.

The more you stay prayed up, the more the enemy has to flee and the more your days will be led by you walking by the spirit, instead of being dominated and controlled by the flesh.

Scripture Reference:
1 Corinthians 15:31
Jude 24
James 5:16
1 Corinthians 14:15
1 Corinthians 14:2

Kim Brooks, author of bestselling novels, She That Findeth, He\'s Fine...But is He Saved? and more. www.kimontheweb.com

The Best Lover

Today I want talk about the best lover in the world.  This man is so good to you, I mean what man do you know would be faithful to you even when you’re not, would love you in spite of all your flaws, knows the “real you” more than anybody and still says, “I love you.”  Even before you were born, this man loved you.  Even when you weren’t even thinking about him and did him wrong, even before you received him into your life – he still loved you.  I mean, this man loves you so much, that he wasn’t just willing to take a bullet for you, he suffered, bled and died for you!  He willingly allowed his hands and feet to be nailed to a cross and suffered for three days, just because he had you on his mind.  You were the joy set before him.   You were his reason for living.  What person in their right mind would deny this man’s love?  Jesus is the Best Lover, period.

Because Jesus is the Best Lover to me, I choose to remain faithful to Him.  Sure, I’m not perfect, but I’m not about to purposely cheat on Him by having sex outside of marriage or do Him wrong on purpose.  He loved me enough to die for me, so the least I can do is give my life, my body, my soul and my spirit to Him as well.  Thank God for His grace and mercy when I make a mistake, but I’m not about to take His grace for granted.

How many of us take God’s grace for granted?

It kinda reminds me of a woman crying, “Where are all the good men?  There are no good men out here!” But then when she gets a good man who treats her like a queen, respects her body and loves her soul – she then dogs him out.  She cheats on him, disrespects him in public, and degrades him with every opportunity.  Yet he still sticks around and loves her unconditionally in spite of how she treats him.  How many men do you know would stick around?  Most men I know realize that there are a sea of women out here and won’t put up with any crap from one.  But yet still our Heavenly Father chooses to love us, even when we cheat on Him by continuing to have sex as unmarried believers, which is truly outside of His perfect will for our lives.

In my new book, How To Date and Stay Saved, I talk about how our main relationship should be our relationship with God, and that subsequent relationships with people should never hinder or harm our main relationship, but instead cause us to grow closer to Him.

If Jesus is the Best Lover to you, reward Him by giving Him your love, your time, and your life – for real.

Scriptures to Meditate:
Romans 5:8
Hebrews 12:2

Kim Brooks, author of bestselling novels, She That Findeth, He\'s Fine...But is He Saved? and more. www.kimontheweb.com