Jesus answered, “I am the way.” (John 14)
Acts 9 says, “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to “THE WAY,” whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Why would any believer and follower of Yehowshua practice what The LORD did not practice and the Apostles did not accept?
Life Hurts but God Heals
You cannot be made happy by someone telling you to be happy unless what they are telling is what makes you happy.
And in contradiction to those who are wiser than I am, happiness is not a state of mine nor is it a choice. We cannot simply think ourselves happy although we may trick or deceive our minds from time.
Happiness is not an absolute conclusion or event whereby it is the same for everyone. What makes one person happy may make another person miserable.
I believe that happiness is wrapped up in the nature or soul of a person’s spirit. I think that happiness may have its beginnings in the following scenarios which may reveal the character of a person spirit:
- A person is happy because they are in their ideal setting and have sufficiency in the things that their heart desires.
- Happiness maybe the voluntary surrender of one’s desires, hope and dreams for the cause and benefit of a person or cause that is valued above one’s self and one’s personally fulfillment.
- Happiness maybe rooted in one’s totally commitment to one’s self or one’s vocation and/or gifts.
- Happiness maybe rooted and grounded in one’s financial and material wealth and social status.
- Happiness could be the result of how others see you and how you see yourself relative to others.
- Happiness could be the result of wanting for yourself what God wants for you.
- Happiness maybe when one pleases YHVH.
Of course unhappiness would be the negative and opposite of the 7 things stated above.
This is just my take on things.
God is truth and He doesn’t change but happiness changes from person to person. Happiness is different things to different people for different reasons. Therefore, “happiness cannot be the truth” as one song writer erroneously states.
What does happiness mean to you?
Copyright © Othealor W. Prince 2016
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TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!
Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires that war against you. – 1 Peter 2:11
For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. – Hebrews 13:14
Copyright © Othealor W. Prince 2015
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TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!
“My brethren, if any of you should be overtaken by a fault, you who are in The Spirit should restore him in the spirit of humility, and be cautious lest you also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)
The Holy Scripture gives instructions to the *Saints of FATHER YHVH that we should not condemn or damn a fellow Saint who may have been caught and overtaken by immorality but gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.
The Scripture indicates that if we condemn them and cast them out from us, we are setting ourselves up to be the next person caught in a transgression.
This doesn’t mean that saints ought to overlook sexual immorality within their fellowship (1 Corinthians 5:1-5, Ephesians 5:3). But when the one who is caught in temptation truly repents, we who are mature in the HOLY SPIRIT should seek to restore a fallen and repentant soul in a caring and loving spirit.
Footnote:
* Saints – Those who have believed the Gospel of the Kingdom of God as preached and taught by Christ and His Apostles and have been buried with Christ by Baptism into water in His name as commanded by God and who have been gifted by Father YHVH with HIS RUACH HA KODESH – THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Copyright © Othealor W. Prince 2015
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TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12)
I have a confession to make. I am not as tough as I thought I was. My feelings do get hurt by rejection, ridicule and being ignored. I’d like to think that I have a pretty tough hide. However, when folks purposely go out of their way to inflict injury, persecution, and all manner of evil against me; when they intentionally denigrate my character with malice of forethought and severely impede my ability to support myself and my family, I cannot help but to feel their hatred.
As I pondered the experience and reflected back on when it all began, I was amazed to discover that it all started with the preaching and teaching of God’s Holy Truth!
When the Spirit of Holy Boldness came upon me and I no longer equivocated over what God’s Word commanded or required, when I no longer feared the opinions of others nor sought their positive feedback or approval, when I grew a backbone and spoke like a man of God who was not just familiar with the Word but was acquainted with The Author, all hell seemed to breakout against me.
The veil was removed, and the Truth uncovered the lie. Many of those who professed to be my friends were actually my enemies and the enemies of God. Many family members’ as well as church members’ alleged salvation became doubtful in the face of God’s unchanging Word and eternal plan of salvation. The demons who had found a comfortable seat in the House of Prayer became uncomfortable in the presence of the Holy Spirit of God and the proclamation of His ordained plan of Salvation.
Because I choose to stand with Christ, unapologetically, boldly and in the integrity of holiness, many have chosen to persecute me.
I have not personally attacked them, inhibited their career progress, slandered their name nor sullied their reputation. I have only addressed the broad issues of sin in the light of God commandments.
So why kill the messenger?
I have not stood in judgment of anyone to condemn them to hell. To the contrary. It is their sins which find them out and it is the Word of God that convicts and condemns the sinner for their sin.
But what I have discovered is that I am not alone. This is the path of many who have gone on before me. It is the heritage of the true prophets of God. It is a confirming sign of a godly calling and divine purpose. But more than that, it is a divine reason to rejoice.
In fact, Yehowshua (Jesus) instructs me to rejoice. I am to rejoice because I am persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
When I am hated because I preach and teach that God’s True Men of God never accepted praise or worship of any kind from anyone and that the WORD of God never sanctioned Pastor anniversaries or church anniversaries or any such idolatrous, self-serving, greedy, money raising practices that honor and celebrate the creature and not the creator…
When I am persecuted because I preach and teach God’s Word that says a woman shall not exercise authority over the man in the body of Christ for Christ is the head of man and man the head of woman…
When I am persecuted and ostracized because I preach and teach God’s Word that says homosexuality is an abomination and no homosexual shall inherit the kingdom of God…
When I am I targeted for attrition because I preach and teach God’s Word that says we must be born again; born of the water and of the Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ in order to see the kingdom of God…
When I am persecuted because I preach and teach God’s Word that says “No sexually immoral, impure, or greedy person, no idolater, no lesbian nor sodomite, no drunkard, liar, or thief, has any inheritance in the kingdom of God…
When I am shunned and ridiculed because I will not knowingly support a minister or pastor who preaches out of his own imagination to raise money or to entertain or to further his preaching career or for human accolades and applause…
Yehowshua tells me to “rejoice!”
I am told to Rejoice and be Glad because the Kingdom of Heaven is mine and my reward is in Heaven. And I am blessed to be in the company of God-called, God-chosen, divinely anointed, sent, and appointed prophets who have gone on before me.
I rejoice because Yehowshua instructs me to rejoice, and I love to obey my LORD!
I rejoice because God has honored me to suffer persecution for the sake of His Holy Word!
I rejoice because I have an eternal reward in THE KINGDOM OF YHVH and where my treasure is there my heart is also.
I rejoice because I have been initiated into an exclusive fraternity of divinely chosen men who were entrusted with divine REVELATION and TRUTH and the priceless treasure of SALVATION.
I rejoice because I am in Good Company!
Hallelujah and Praise God!
Copyright © Othealor W. Prince 2015
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TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!
Copyright © Othealor W. Prince 2014
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TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!
Sinners say that they are “Born That Way and Can’t Help It.” They are correct!
Many folks act surprised at the blatant assault against The ONE TRUE GOD and HIS Righteousness that is taking place in the world today. Many can’t believe that a nation founded upon Christian morals and principles and whose very first Civil Laws were plucked from the pages of Holy Scripture would even consider making any laws to protect sexual immorality, legalize same-sex marriage, dismantle the God ordained institution of family and de-define marriage, celebrate sexual perversions and crucify Christ afresh. (Hebrews 6:6)
But we must remember that they were “Born That Way and Can’t Help It.”
Copyright © Othealor W. Prince 04/01/14
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Some people want companionship – someone to satisfy their need for company, warmth, communication, security and sexual validation.
And then some people want a relationship – a lifetime commitment of caring, loving, nurturing, supporting, gratifying, satisfying, validating, inspiring, enabling, empowering and creating that Oneness that is uniquely husband and wife.
Some mates are selfish lovers while others are selfless friends.
LEARN THE DIFFERENCE AND CHOOSE WISELY.
This is the sole creative, intellectual, literary and digital property of
Othealor W. Prince, Jr.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ALL GLORY TO GOD
Mark 4:37-40 (KJV)
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
The disciples had personally witnessed Jesus demonstrate compassion, caring and love toward distressed and hurting people. They were with him when he performed lifesaving miracles of healing and deliverance – demonstrating divine power that had never been seen before or since. But when the disciples experienced a great storm and their ship began to fill with water, they feared for their lives and their safety and became doubtful although they had Jesus on board their ship.
The disciples had the Faith advantage of seeing with their own eyes the miracles of Jesus. Yet, when faced with the threat of death, they panicked, became afraid and asked the LORD if He even cared that they were perishing.
When we find ourselves in the middle of a violent, dangerous and life-threatening situation, it is human nature to be afraid. Even as born again Christians who are endowed with the power of the Holy Ghost, we can become frightened in the face of danger and begin to question whether or not God cares about us.
No one alive today has ever seen a real miracle performed personally by Jesus. But Jesus said to Thomas in John 20 that “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
In this life, we will have tribulations that will cause us to wonder if God cares. Most of us have had several occasions to doubt if God hears our cries for help or cares that we are drowning in trouble and threatened with destruction.
During the vicissitudes of life, every Christian experiences doubts, fears and feelings of abandonment at one point or the other. This is just human nature.
However, the challenge of every Christian is to remember that God is with us and that there is no storm too violent or threatening for him that he can’t bring us through safely. We are challenged to awaken our Faith in Christ Jesus and Trust the Christ in each of us to speak to our threatening circumstances – rebuking the cause of our doubts and fears and rewarding our Faith in Him with a peace and calm that surpasses understanding.
And although we may be in a world of trouble, we have someone on the inside working on the outside for our good.
The Word of God says that “Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.”
We who have never seen Christ Jesus personally perform any miracles are counted more blessed when we believe God for our deliverance than those disciple who witnessed the miracles of Christ yet questioned if he cared about them.
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. (Psalm 34:15-19)
“LIFE HURTS BUT GOD HEALS!”
Keep Looking Up!
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Othealor W. Prince, Jr.
All Rights Reserved
“Rediscovering YHVH'S Authentic Ekklesia" 