A Grateful Brother

To all my brothers who chose to serve this nation I honor you today. To my fellow veterans whose lives that has been graced, I commend all of you in your efforts to keep alive the memory of those who served with us, before us and after. To all of my family members who served before me (Uncle Nay, Uncle Philip, Hezekiah Crudup) To those after me (James ) my prayers are that you will be protected according to the word of God found in the 91st Psalm. To all of the other men and women whose lives were given on behalf of this nation I honor you for your sacrafice and love. To the families of those fallen my heartfelt condolences and gratitude. My prayer is that God will continue to confort and grace you in your times of rememberance. To this nation I pray that we will continue to honor and respect those veterans among us who still continue to battle with the tremendous loss presented through their service and sacrafice. To all of my brothers ( Drew , Stanley and Jerome) I thank you for your service as well. I close with this piece out of 1 John 3:16 that moves me to a greateful heart for those who have fallen. It reads:

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

Thanks again for your tremendous service and sacrafice for this brother. Amen

Our Father

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Malachi 4:6
The time is now for men to realize the truth of this word. It must be received into the hearts of men the promise of God concerning our position and order. When we begin to act accordingly then the spirit of God will enter in like a rushing wind. (Acts 2:2). Refusing to will leave our culture and humanity paralyzed... Once the spirit enters into the presence of men revival comes and the spirit of God delivers us from the curse. The deception that pervades this culture (pride of life, lust of the flesh) stands in the way of the truth written on our hearts from the father to his children. Once we accept the love of God concerning our children then and only then will we begin to live. Anything less is a lie.
Men allow the truth of this piece from Malachi to minister to your soul. Never allow this truth to pass without consulting the throne of God concerning our position. All authority under Christ rest in men (1 Timothy 2:12) for the script written from creation falls along that truth. Stand up and be the father in your homes. Become the prophet and priest you were destined to be. The anointing of God we seek is predicated upon this truth. The foundation of the revival were longing for is set upon our acceptance of our authority as the sons of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14. As we begin to live out this word of truth from the father then the stage is set to produce the magnificent production written by our most creative and awesome God. Again the transformation will begin when the heart of the fathers shall turn to the children and the children to their fathers. Amen.

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Romans 8:15, 16

Believing is all we can do. The hope that we live for to. The greatest of these is love. Lets talk about. Sing about it................

Lyrics from the Yellow Jackets release

"The Hope"

off the

Altered States Album

Fallen

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Genesis 3:7

The state to which all of the human race was condemed to came through an act of disobedience. In the act the heart of man was decieved and set apart from God. This deception separated man from God's original intentions concerning him ,which were to subdue and take dominion over the earth. Unable to hallow( set apart) and realize the awesomeness of God our eyes were opened and we began to realize the evil that God didn't intend for us to have knowledge of.

Unlesss we find death to this deception by the spirit of God through the Lord Jesus the Christ ,it is impossible for us to live out the creation mandate set forth by the creator concerning man. His intentions for man was to be free of the evil that separates us from God.

As we celebrate hallow(set apart)-ween lets use this time to separate our thoughts from the dead and evil spirits of this world and become encourage in the spirit of God which eminates life.

Amen

Glory Spot

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
Isaiah 6:1-3

As I sat down to reflect on my latest piece of artwork I can hear this word over and over again in my soul. That word is Glory. I find it not coincidental that during this time I have been reading a book by James Mac Donald titled “Gripped by the Greatness of God”. While exploring the contents of this manuscript I have come to identify with his labeling. Here is an example his first chapter which is labeled “Gripped by the Holiness of God”. Chapter two is “Gripped by the Awesomeness of God” and so on. All of the chapters use the adjective “gripped” as the action that takes place when encountering the different characteristics of God. He uses Isaiah chapter six as a reference point to God's awesome power. As the prophet Isaiah paints the scene King Uzziah’s death affords him the opportunity to see the pre-incarnate Christ on the throne in it's awesome power. Could you imagine the awesomeness of that event as God provides him with a glimpse of our Lord before he comes into his manifested glory? As Mr. Mac Donald points out in the book there are four words spoken by Isaiah that describe the witness that changed Isaiah’s life for eternity. “I saw the Lord” are the four words.
The point I’m trying to make is this. In order for us to present a gospel of peace and encounter a witness we have to see the cross of Jesus the Christ in the same manner Isaiah saw the throne. He saw the throne high and lifted up. Many of us will not be afforded the chance to see into the throne room of God. We are afforded the opportunity to witness however the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus the Christ. When we look toward the cross and position it where it belongs the power and manifested glory scripted there provides us with the impetus to overcome the challenges that occur in our lives. It empowers us into the living and removes us from the presence of the dead. As we encounter these experiences with the Holy Spirit our reliance is not with our eyes and ears, but with our hearts.(Isaiah 6:10)
Today I can bear witness that the power of the cross is absent in the message of the gospel. It is not readily apparent in the lives of present day Saints and believers. Yes we all fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23) but we are still afforded the opportunity to look toward the Cross of the Christ and use it as the standard of hope which allows us to envision and see the magnificent eternal throne of our Christ and King. My prayer today is for a renewed witness of Calvary and a refreshing look at our relationship with the King of glory. Lets stop pretending and start believing. Allow Jesus the Christ to be the head of our lives and not the tail.
It is an overwhelming and awesome thought that God loves us so much that all the power of the universe is presented at the cross of Christ. Each one of us by virtue of the Cross will receive nothing less than the opportunity to celebrate (Revelation 7:9) Jesus throughout eternity. Lift Jesus the Christ up today and allow Him to minister to every need concerning your present and future. It is the source of power that presents us with eternal life in the presence of a Holy God. Amen

"For you are our glory and joy." 1 Thessalonians 2:20

Preparation

See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.
Malachi 3:1

When you are expecting company how do you prepare for them? Do you make changes concerning the accommodations? How do you prepare for there arrival? Many of us care very much about those love ones and friends so we prepare for there arrival with love and care.
While making the preparations we look to visit every detail in order to please those who we are expecting. Our efforts concerning usually take us outside of our ordinary in order to present a great impression.
Are you prepared for the arrival of our Lord and King Jesus the Christ?

The prophet Malachi wrote, “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.” (Malachi 3:1) Now is the time to prepare for Him who has prepared a place for us in His kingdom. What is your message? How is it fashioned? Is it fashioned to the Lord of Glory?
Mark in his witness to our Lord writes this, “The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"(Mark 1:15)To all of us alive by the grace mercy and love of God this is the message. .In this message we set forth the preparation of the coming of our Lord Jesus the Christ. It isn’t fashioned by the ideals of this world through its dogmas concerning the worship of God nor is it matriculated in a manner that is found by the wisdom of this world. Is is not predicated upon our deeds or actions. It is written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit as He bears witness to our Lord and King Jesus the Christ. All of creation will line up with His coming. It is already apparent in the changes of our natural world as it groans for the coming of our Lord. It’s preparation in the Spiritual is contingent upon our receiving and believing the truth of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord through the Spirit of God. Nothing else.
Is Christ the Lord over every area of your life? Is your death to this world apparent in your message concerning the Lord of glory? Is it predicated solely upon Him? Have you gone into the wilderness areas of your life in order to proclaim the message of the cross? Is that message the witness of love hung on the tree for us?
In order for us to proclaim the good news of the cross we have to believe it. Allow the Holy Spirit to enter your dwelling in order for the power of God to lead you to salvation. Not only for us as believers but for those who encounter that witness through us. Remember that preparation begins with Christ living in us. Allow Him to be Lord of your life. The time has come! Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2) the sooner we prepare the temple the sooner He will return. Lets not get it twisted He will return if we are prepared or not It is in that preparation that the glory of God will be presented to us. Without Christ there is no eternal life for us.
Pray and ask the Lord to prepare His way in your heart today. Ask him for His power to remove the barriers present in your life that hinder the message of the coming of our Lord. Amen

Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
Revelation 3:12

Peacemaker

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Matthew 5:9

Congratulations are in order for our President and his award from the Noble Prize committee. Certainly there are a number of challenges available to President Obama but the root to solving them is founded in peace.
I believe that a heart that is genuine towards his ambitious goals concerning peace will prevail in a world in need of it. I do not believe in coincidences and that during this time and season President Barack Obama is the right leader to usher in an attitude of peace through this nation and the world. Many of the challenges present in this nation and world stem from an attitude of indifference and ignorance when confronting the diverse nature of cultures. There is a piece in scripture that the apostle Paul touches on concerning the choice and placement of leaders as it relates to the agenda of the Kingdom of God. He writes;

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

Romans 13:1-3

In a world in need of an attitude adjustment President Obama is that breath of fresh air and the vessel willing to work towards the good for mankind and not for evil. There are times when his decisions and choices are not perfect, none of us are, but to his credit his humility and perseverance speaks of a heart that seeking to please God and his fellow man. Applaud him for his efforts and express gratitude for his service so far to this nation and world.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace , longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Galations 5:22

Christ Crucified

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say its all nonsense
1Corinthians 1: 20-23

One of the most effective ways to reach people for Christ is presented in this piece of scripture. The Apostle Paul experienced first hand the power of Christ crucified with his experience on the Damascus road.
Christ crucified works not by what we can see or touch. Neither is it manifested in the process of mans theory or philosophy. It can not be comprehended through the dogmas of man and his way to worship.
To those whose philosophy is based on the concept of karma or deeds will come to find out that Christ crucified confounds that notion. Man and his ability to reason with the effects of sin and death is contrary to the power of God which is presented through Jesus Christ crucified. Christ crucifixion becomes offensive to those who hold on to the processes of this world and its application to sin. It becomes nonsense to those who look to the wisdom of men to deliver mankind from the challenges it faces in every facet of our lives.
It was love manifested by the Spirit of God that presented His son to the cross to save us. (John 3:16) Nothing else. When we preach Christ crucified we proclaim the love of God unconditionally in order for the Spirit of God to manifest the glory of God. It is available only when we proclaim the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and apply it in every area of our lives. Not only in the presence of His precious Saints and body but also to those who do not believe.
Delivering the message of the cross is one that can be challenging to this world. Armed with the Spirit of God and the power of the risen Christ can we accomplish the mandate (Matthew 28:19) set before us by our risen King. To the Jews it is an offense (the traditions and religion) and to the Gentiles it is nonsense (the non believers and those who put there faith in this world).
Today continue to allow Christ to be crucified in your life. Understand and know it is the power of God that leads to salvation.
Ask the Lord today to allow you to see the cross and its message. Thank Him for His power to give us life through the cross. Bless him for giving you the opportunity to embrace it in every area of your life. Amen.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men,
and the weakness of God is stronger than men
1 Corinthians 1: 25

The Footstool Of God : Print of the Week Worship VI

In the past whenever I encountered the phrase "Footstool of God" I engaged the perception of His footstool being all of His creation. King David writes in Psalm 99;5 this phrase;"Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy. As I continue to grow in faith I begin to realize that His footstool is greater than I can imagine. Everyday he encourages my attitude of worship as I relinquish all that am to Him. It is in this place that I exercise the choice to rest at the feet of the creator. The prophet Isaiah gives a wonderful insight as to the result of surrendering to this position before the Lord. In the 66 chapter and 23 verse it becomes tangible. It reads,"And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. .
There will be a time in all of our lives where we will engage the footstool of God. All of us will bow down before the King of Glory. My choice is to exercise that option now. Please do not hold out until His judgement comes upon you. The end result will have eternal consequences that none of us were made to bare. The heavens and the Earth are His footstool and in them His glory is revealed. Appreciate and worship Him in all that he has created.
Amen.

Worship VI is available for auction at the artist ArtByUs portfolio.

His Presence

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
1 Corinthians 2: 2-5

One of the most effective ways I found in communicating Christ is demonstrated when our hearts and thoughts take on the fear of Him. I can identify with the apostle Paul in this passage concerning the weakness and fear. The message then becomes one that is presented with the power of God and not our own. The wisdom of men is unable to deliver the power because it is birthed in the hearts of man and not the breath of life distributed by God the Father through our Lord Jesus the Christ and the Holy Spirit. Only in the presence of the trinity can the substance that is hoped for matriculate into the promise and glory of God concerning those who believe Him. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. (Hebrews 11:6) If we can see it and control it it no longer belongs to God. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9) We have not seen it yet or heard it or has it entered our hearts. This means that daily there is an opportunity to benefit from the presence of God. (Psalm 68:19)The power that rest with the fear of God is available to all of us. Let it be the resource we use to present the gospel of our Lord Jesus the Christ instead of the wisdom of men. Remember He is Lord and King. He will return to be seated on his throne for ever and ever. (Eternity) Love someone today. Spend time in the presence of the Lord so that you can effectively present a witness hinged on the power of God and not the wisdom of men.
Amen.

One Limited Edition Fine Art Print

One of the artist inspiring pieces it centers around the image of marriage as the artist see it out of the book of Genesis 2:24 It reads: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. I imagined the man with the women attached climbing through the stars on the wind of the glory of God as he breathes on them to keep them attached throughout eternity.. Wow!Print comes signed by the artist with a Certificate of Authenticity

Available for bidding at our ArtByUs portfolio

Windswept Limited Edition Fine Art Print Of The Week

This image was rendered in remembering those times when nothing else will do but a fresh wind from above. It presents us with the opportunity to rest and trust God through our challenges and circumstances.

"Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance."

Job 30:22

Allow God to deliver you from those substances that hinder your ability to live

Windswept is available at auction at our ArtByUs portfolio

Poster of the Day: Jehovah Shalom

This poster is a Limited Edition set at 24 prints. It will be available through September 5 at 5pm Eastern time. Please be encouraged to bid for 70% of the proceeds will go to the Salvation Army to assist homeless children and families in the Phoenix area.

Poster of the Day

Today's poster "First Fight" is available for bidding at our ArtByUs portfolio.
This poster is a Limited Edition set at 24 prints. It will be available through August 28 at 5pm Eastern time. Please be encouraged to bid for 70% of the proceeds will go to assisting homeless children and families in the Phoenix area.

Daily Auction of Posters and Images.

Starting Tuesday August 25 Mirhez Images will publish new images and posters at it's auction at our ArtByUs portfolio


Please be encouraged to participate. Seventy percent or more of the proceeds are donated to charities of the artist choosing or those selected by Artbyus.

The Power Of The Cross

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:17,18

As I attemempt to analyze these statements i begin to realize that the true witness of the cross is not the words we sometime speak or preach. Neither is it the symbolism that accompanies relegious dogmas or tradition. The witness of the cross is realized and proclaimed by the heart as it dies to the nature of the world and becomes alive in the power of the Holy Spirit. As a living testimony of God's resurrection power we begin to come alive by the three virtues of the cross which begin with death, then the burial, and of course the resurrection. These three powerful acts of the cross is foolish to the natural world because it is contrary to what the world believes. The apostle Paul presents a very valid point when he emphasized in his writing that it is foolishness (ill-considered; unwise)
to them that are perishing. ( 1 Corinthians 1: 18) Try to explain to someone that Jesus Christ is the son of God to someone who is bent on believing that He is not is like teaching an aligator to speak Latin. With words and actions it is impossible. To illustrate to them that the trinity exist is like pulling teeth from a great white shark. I believe the only way you can succesfully pull teeth from a great white is to kill it. Get my point. So in other words the words that we speak sometimes as believers do not effectively translate or present a witness to the unbelievers who are challenged by traditon, religion and wordly wisdom.
In order for an effective witness to live in the realm of these umbelivers we have to illustrate the Love of God not only with words but with our living example. For myself it is accomplished with a daily communication with God through prayer, meditation, faith , fellowship and by the word of God. as we grow in these area's our witness to the Lord Jesus the Christ becomes more powerful and effective. We have to go into those places where the spirit of God is dead and become a witness to the light of the world by shinning brightly in those areas. But remember in order for our light to shine we have to have oil(exodus 25:6) for the lamp. (Revelation)
As we move closer to the coming of our Lord Jesus the Christ lets realize that in some of those instances were we witness the Spirit Of God has already preceeded us. (Acts 18:9) It is by our witness weather the spirit of God that was presented either lives or dies. As Christians we are to be a living witness to the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus the Christ. This means that the ways of the world need to die in us, the nonsense and wisdom of the world needs to be burried with us, and the resurrection power of God should lives in us through our Lord Jesus the Christ. That resurrection power is demonstrated through Love. (John 3:16) There should be healings, deliverance,transformations and testimonies to the miraculous power demonstrated in each witness. As I close there is one scripture that presents a powerful promise of God as we bear witness in these truths .It says; Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.(Romans 10:11)
Take the Holy Spirit with you today and allow Him to live in every area of your life
Amen