"Don't Be No Fool!"

Blog - March 26, 2014

Don't Be No Fool!
A Lesson on Trust
Notes from Jump Start on March 23, 2014


"Trust God; Love men." ~ Mike Murdock

"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered." Proverbs 28:26

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

The above quote by Dr. Murdock is a great take on the focus as to where trust should be allocated. We should trust God with our lives, but the reality is "we trust men and love God." We believe everything folks say, many times without checking it out for ourselves.

The Psalms and Proverbs has many excellent passages that directs us to God and away from man regarding trust.  "It is better to trust in The Lord." "Put not your trust in princes." "Trust in The Lord with all thine heart." "He that trusted in his own heart is a fool."  ALL of these are in the scriptures.  What do we do though? We trust and rely on everyone else but God.

Before we go further into the lesson, let's define trust and explain how we get to trust an individual.

Trust means to rely on the integrity, ability, strength and surety of a person.  It simply means to have confidence in the one in whom you believe will act according to why you believed them initially.  It means to have confident expectancy with a "knowing" that what has been promised must happen accordingly.  In Hebrew, the word trust means to flee for refuge and protection towards confidence and to have hope.

The way that most of us get into "trusting" relationships is through getting to know the person in whom we are trusting.  Trust should not be easily entered into.  One becomes deserving of our trust when three things exists:

1. Relationship - getting to know someone intimately.
2. Character - demonstrated ability to have integrity, and to be consistent and just.
3. Track Record - noted times when a person has been consistently reliable.

We all know that these three items rarely co-exist in human affairs.  This is why the scripture is adamant about where we should place our trust, that is, where we go to for refuge, rest and confidence.  It's definitely not man! Psalm 118:8-9 says, "don't trust in princes" (government or politicians.) Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "don't lean to your own understanding" (yourself and your abilities). Psalm 146:3 says, "don't put your trust in man" (your friends, family and neighbors.). Wisdom calls us to put our complete reliance on God and brings us be be led solely by Him.

Yes, we do need people.  We can receive wise counsel from our friends, but to place the type of dependence on man that belongs to God is foolish.  We can count the times that man has let us down.  Sometimes they are too numerous to count, but we don't need to live life as skeptics. Many of us forget to or choose not to count the times that we haven't been true to ourselves.  These times are numerous as well.  You know those times, right?  Remember when you said, "I'm going to lose 10 pounds this year." Or, "I'm going to save money this year."  Just think of those times that you have not been trustworthy with yourself because your track record is consistently in the negative. This is not to bring you to depression, rather, it is to bring you to the end of yourself and your efforts.  The only ONE who is WORTHY of complete trust is God.  Our job is to become acquainted with His character and check His track record and discover how faithful He has been.

In closing, the way to walking wisely and to avoid "foolery" is summed up in Proverbs 3:6.  "In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."  It is His pleasure to lead you into paths of righteousness; it's for His names sake.


I pray that you take the rest of this week to discover how trustworthy your Heavenly Father is and learn to allocate trust to the right people, institutions and places.

His Image Manifested hosts a weekly prayer conference call entitled, "Jump Start" designed to give you a boost for your week. You may call in every Sunday at 6:00 PM EST at 530-881-1212, Pin#:545-495-056.  I hope to hear you on the call.

Check out my new website at www.hisimagemanifested.org. You can get to the blogs, and podcasts from this website. You can also see where we have been and what we are doing. If you want to go directly to the podcast, click on Joslyn's Podcast to hear the messages from the bible studies and the Jumpstart prayer conference calls.


In HIM,

Jos

P.S. Please tell your friends to tune in to this weekly blog and the podcast as it may be a blessing to them. Please comment and let us know how the blogs and podcasts are helping you.   Thanks friends!

Joslyn's Blog: Drunken Fatty Fatties, Blurred Lines and Being Mar...

Joslyn's Blog: Drunken Fatty Fatties, Blurred Lines and Being Mar...: Blog - March 5, 2014 Drunken Fatty Fatties, Blurred Lines and Being Mary Promiscuous By: Joslyn E. Blackburn Disclaimer: I am not sug...  #IAmInHIM because He made me a super power in this earth.  It's time for the people of God to take over and bring forth Kingdom purpose; showing the world what true success looks like.  Who are you? Why are you in HIM?

Drunken Fatty Fatties, Blurred Lines and Being Mary Promiscuous

Blog - March 5, 2014

Drunken Fatty Fatties, Blurred Lines and Being Mary Promiscuous

By: Joslyn E. Blackburn

Disclaimer: I am not suggesting that you refrain from listening to music, or watching your favorite show.  This is not to judge you or anyone in whom you may think I'm referencing. This is designed to awaken us to true success and the reality of serving our risen Christ.

What are you putting in front of you? Will it bring about your destiny?

One of the theme verses for the ministry of His Image Manifested is found in First Corinthians 13:12. It reads, "For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now we know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God]. (Amplified)

You are not only fully known, but God had foreknowledge of you and predestined you to be conformed into the image of His Son. (See Romans 8:29) Your Father knew you, He knows you and has made a specific set of purposeful plans for your life.  Since we are aware and know that we are known, the question that comes into play in which we must ask ourselves is; how much about ourselves do we really know?  The scripture states that we know in part and that we have blurred vision to the point that we won't know all things until we are face to face with Him, but the part that we should know has become crippled, inebriated, indistinct, and tainted.

Do we take the time to carefully analyze the messages that are SENT to us masked by a pretty face, a bumpin' beat or what we deem to look like success? Friends, as long as we believe and agree with what the world defines as success, we will stay blurry and foggy.  We blindly look up to women, who are fictional characters, whose job it is to sell infidelity, promiscuity, lying, cheating, stealing and anything else that will keep our eyes darkened to our true essence.  We listen to words that demean, defame and degrade us and we call it sexy or real life.  We sow our time and money into the very system that stereotypes us as unattractive if we don't look, weigh, speak or carry ourselves the way in which it dictates; that certain way.  We get messages on how to be the second women and learn to deal with it.  We get emboldened on how to "twist it", "twirl it"', and "twerk it" on some other woman's husband unapologetically.  In the meantime, our ears are deafened by the worlds loudness to the point that we are unsure and sometimes incapable of hearing God's voice and knowing right from wrong.

I'm not judging, laying out tradition or giving new rudiments for us to follow.  I'm just bringing to our attention that this world system and its antics are taking over our minds, and our thinking.  It is no longer seeping or trickling into households, marriages, children and churches, but the floodgate is open ready to sweep away everything that would keep our minds sound and stable.  Your adversary is BOLD and wants your mind, so he will make you fall for celebrities and "reality" stars before there is true revelation of what they are willing to do to keep your attention.  Some will lap dance, show their naked behind in a sex scene and write lyrics to make you want to go fornicate, steal, lie and cheat.  It's all designed purposefully to cause you to fall and stumble, then to make you feel ashamed and condemned which will lead you to believe that you are no longer in fellowship with God which will, over time, make you walk away because "It's too difficult" to live this Christian life.

First, let me explain that the difficulty of living for Christ comes from us attempting walk in our own efforts.  If your effort was good enough to live this life, you would not need Jesus' sacrifice nor would you need Grace, which is defined as unearned, Un-worked for favor.  You get what you don't deserve and He keeps The wrath that you did deserve from coming upon you.  You must know that He is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless. (See Jude 1:24) We are drawn away by our own lusts. (See James 1)  This is why we need to refrain from indulging in things that will tempt and distract us.  And if you do fall, know that there is no condemnation and nothing will separate you from your Fathers love. (See Romans 8).  If you mess up, you have Jesus, your Advocate. (See 1 John 2:1)

The lines NEVER have to be blurred.  Knowledge of who and whose you are is readily available to you. You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation.  You are daughters of Sarah, princesses of the most High. You have major authority and dominion that has been endued to you.  The keys of the kingdom have been transferred to you and you have access to all good and perfect gifts.  You sit high above dark powers and authorities that want to take your mind captive and if by chance a foul thought rushes your mind, you have the ability to cast it down.  YOU, my friend are more powerful than you know.  YOU, my friend have been changed into Christ's very own image.  YOU beloved look like, talk like, act like and think like your Dad who is God.  Daddy never purposed you to twerk your drunken fatty fatty all over the nation because the lines were so blurred that the essence of your goodness turned corrupt thus causing you to be unfaithful to Him and to yourself.

You may say, "Those messages don't affect me or my character." Maybe, they don't seem to make you want to be unfaithful or tempt you to be outside of your established character and personality. My marketing background tells me differently, however.  Marketers are taught psychology and sociology.  We (marketers) learn how to make you desire the things that you didn't think you wanted or needed.  You don't believe me? You are probably viewing this blog on a smart phone, something that we didn't think we needed 20 years ago.  Why do you have a smart phone or why do you eat popcorn at the movies and why do you rush out to buy that burger after viewing that commercial? Because subliminal messages are sent out to get you to believe its something that you need.  Pop-culture uses similar tactics and gets you to identify with what they're selling you.  And what about your children?  What messages are being planted inside of them that helps to shape their perception about themselves and God?  Are we drawing a line of demarcation for them explaining to them that the shows they're watching aren't reality, but living for Christ in the Spirit is the real reality?

Discover who you were created to be and be faithful to yourself.  Trust that God loves you and has cleansed and forgiven you.  Keep your mind on things that are lovely, true and pure.  Set your mind on things above.  Meditate on these things. Be an example of these things.  Promote the true success that you see in your everyday sisters. Make that trend on twitter and Facebook.

If you have Christ, you are successful and blessed because He is everything that you will ever need.  Believe it, receive it and walk in it.

I pray that you have found the royalty within and you walk therein. Tweet or hashtag on Facebook  "#IAmInHIM because...... (Tell how you know you're in Him)" The rest of this week to show the world who the real examples of Godly success are.  "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:5

His Image Manifested hosts a weekly prayer conference call entitled, "Jump Start" designed to give you a boost for your week. You may call in every Sunday at 6:00 PM EST at 530-881-1212, Pin#:545-495-056.  I hope to hear you on the call.

Check out my new website at www.hisimagemanifested.org. You can get to the blogs, and podcasts from this website. You can also see where we have been and what we are doing. If you want to go directly to the podcast, click on Joslyn's Podcast to hear the messages from the bible studies and the Jumpstart prayer conference calls.


In HIM,

Jos

P.S. Please tell your friends to tune in to this weekly blog and the podcast as it may be a blessing to them. Please comment and let us know how the blogs and podcasts are helping you.   Thanks friends!