The Close-Out Sale

May God’s grace and mercy be with you all of your days. God’s goodness is evident in the world around you so embrace each and every day that you are given. You are the blessing that someone needs. You are the message of hope that someone needs in order to know that everything is going to be alright. You are the sign that love still exists, and therefore someone with a broken heart can catch their second wind, and love again. You are the sunshine that someone needs because only dark sky’s and clouds seem to be in their atmosphere. You are all of these things because God shine’s through you. You are able to make a difference because God is working through you. You are blessed for the express purpose of being a blessing and that is what you do whether you know it or not, God’s will is being done through you. Go forth today knowing that the joy that you have been given is spreading to everyone around you.

Good day to you all! If there is love in you, let love come out in everything that you do. Take refuge in peace, and know that God’s timing is not our timing because God’s timing is perfect timing.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

Everyone enjoys a good sale. In these tough economic times, we often find ourselves looking for a good deal. Every now and then a store will have a close-out sale. That is when the store is not going to sell any more of a particular item because it is not selling, and they need to make room for new inventory. There is nothing like a good close-out sale. As a consumer we are getting a good deal, but on the business end, the retailer is able to get something new that will be more profitable. Definitely a win-win for all involved.

Dear Reader, as we close out this year, I want to encourage you to have a close-out sale of your own. There may be some things in your inventory that have kept you from being profitable. There may have been some things in your life that you were selling, but the world was not buying. No need to worry about the past, I would just tell you to make those things down. As a matter of fact, I would tell you to just go ahead and give them away. Put negativity on sale. Mark down depression. Low Self Esteem has got to go. Do whatever you have to do to get all of those things out of your store. They are destroying your bottom line. You need to make room for new and better inventory. Happiness is on the way. Unspeakable joy is on order. Love is always a hot item. When you make a change in your inventory, you will find that the world will have to take notice of what you have in stock. Dear Reader, you are on your way to a great new year. Make the decision to make a change to what you are carrying with you, and you will find that you have set yourself up for success. I am praying for the best for you! Be encouraged. Keep the faith. Don’t look back. I love you. God loves you. Let’s close out on hate, and stock up on love. Let’s close out violence and stock up on compassions. Stay beautiful. You are always loved. God has His hand on you so you are blessed. I want to wish a Happy New Year to each and everyone that is reading this message! You are indeed a blessing you me! See you in 2013!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

The Underdog is Here

God is moving in your favor today.  All things are working for your good, so do not worry and do not fear.  You are blessed beyond measure today.  Spend time counting your blessings and you will find that you will run out of numbers before you run out of blessings because we serve a God who is faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him.  Let us give Him praise today for His grace, His mercy, and the love of God that lasts forever.

Good day to you all! You are a blessing to someone and you don’t even know it.  There is someone who looks to you for inspiration and hope.  There is someone that can see something in you that you cannot even see.  Shine today because someone is in need of your light!

And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 15:20

I remember fondly a cartoon that I used to watch that was called Underdog.  The idea that an underdog could be a hero is what made this cartoon funny, and also ironic. The term underdog comes from the English blood-sport of bear-baiting where two dogs trained to attack a bear. One dog was a top dog and that particular dog was trained to attack a bear’s head and neck. The underdog was trained to attack the bear’s mid section and legs.  Because of the power that the bear possessed in his legs, the underdog was not expected to survive. There were two dogs in the fight, but only one was expected to make it out of the fight. 

Dear Reader I want you to embrace your role as the underdog.  Yes, we want to be the favorite, because when you are the favorite everyone expects you to be victorious.  However, if you are like me, you embrace the role of underdog.   Understand that every now and then this life will present a bear of a challenge.  The bear can seem intimidating when you are an underdog.  It can seem like you are the only dog in the fight, but Dear Reader there is a top dog that is in the fight with you.  All you have to do is switch the letters around. Don’t worry about it, I will do it for you.  See, when you serve a Top God, your odds of being victorious increase because you are under God. People will tell you that because of where you are from, and what you have got that you don’t stand a chance in the world.  Folks will look at what you have on the outside and try to predict you outcome. What they don’t know is that God works from the inside and is in control of everything so when you go through something you know you will come out.  Jesus would have been considered an underdog.  Here you have a man born in Nazareth, going up against the government of Rome. Jesus did the work on the bottom, but He knew that God was doing His work on top.  When it was all said and done he defeated death, hell, and the grave, and ascended into Heaven with all power in His hands.  Dear Reader you have that same bloodline in you.  Don’t give up on you.  Your enemy has a lot to fear, because the underdog is here.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Breakthrough

Take a look around and you will see that you are getting by. I want you to hold on. Change is coming. Hold on, don’t worry about a thing. Don’t worry about the stream, just know that every body of water has a source. Don’t worry about what this world may throw at you, the source of all of strength is God almighty. I tell you this because I know that sometimes it seems like your weeping has endured longer than a night, and that joy doesn’t seem like it is coming in the morning, but be encouraged because your sun is still rising. Morning is coming and joy will replace the pain. Hold on, change is coming!

Good day to you all! There is a blessing right around the corner, so don’t let anyone turn you around. Not now, not ever!

I remember my high school days. I had a short lived football career, but there are some things that I can remember the coaches saying to the defensive players. He would tell them that when they went to tackle someone, they should try to run through them. The thinking is that if you try to stop at the first impact, you could easily be thrown to the ground. The best way to bring down the person with the ball is to try to go through that person. I have been on the receiving end of one of those tackles. I will tell you that it stopped me in my tracks.

Dear Reader, I want to encourage you run through what is in front of you. No matter what it is that is in front of you. When David had Goliath in front of him, he ran right through him. When Daniel had a den full of lions in front of him, he ran right through it. The glory is not in the obstacle, the glory is in the breakthrough. God is with you always. The road is not easy, but I don’t believe that He brought you this far to leave you! Stay in prayer, and don’t you ever back down. There is a blessing for you when you break through. If it’s sickness, poverty, low self esteem, unemployment, it doesn’t matter. Bring it all to God, and get ready to run right through it. Your breakthrough is coming Dear Reader! God loves you and is moving in your favor today!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Washed Up!

When the praises go up the blessings come down. When the blessings come down we should spread them around. Understand that when you spread them around there is more chances that more praises will go up. You have now started the circle of a blessed life. Every day you should strive to be a blessing to someone else. Every day there should be someone who feels the warmth of the light that is inside of you. Continue to shine today and always!

Good day to you all! Let your worship show through your work. The things that you do on the outside should reflect what is on the inside!

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

 

You never know when God is going to speak to you. I was washing clothes last night I began to think about what it takes to get clothes clean. I watched my laundry spin around and around as it mixed in with the water and the detergent. The process of washing clothes has been around as clothes themselves, but our modern marvels make the process a lot less taxing. We simply put the clothes in the machine, add our detergent and softener, and press start. When the process is over we take the clothes out and the stains are gone. There is a lot that those clothes have gone through in that process in order for them to become clean. The water mixes with the detergent and the clothes tumble in order to agitate the stains. Then, once the agitation is over the water drains out and the clothes go through a tumble and they spin. The spin cycle removes the excess water from the clothes. Now the washing is over, so it is time to dry the clothes. The heat from the dryer dries the clothes out, and you are once again, so fresh and so clean. You never know when God is going to speak to you.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you to give God your dirty laundry. I want you to know that being washed in the blood of Jesus is a process similar to what I have described above. You have been in the world and you have acquired some stains in your life. The first thing that the Lord will do is agitate your situation. Understand, Dear Reader, if your situation just sat there, there is no way that the stains could come out. Once the you start the wash cycle the blood of Jesus gets in and cleans the stains out. However, the process is not over. Just when the stains come out all of a sudden there is a spin. Have you ever been going through life, when all of a sudden things begin to spin. You thought that you had it all planned out. You thought that you had it all together, when all of a sudden God put a spin cycle on your life. It’s not to harm you, it is only to get the excess water out of your life. It’s to get you where you need to be in order to serve His purpose. Now, Dear Reader, after all of that you would think that you have been through enough. You still have to go through the dryer. You have to go through another spin cycle, but this time it’s hot. Dear Reader, when you are in a hot situation, don’t give up on God, just know that God has washed you and now you need to be dried out. If the water stayed in your clothes they would begin to sour. Have you ever met someone without a sour disposition? More than likely, it is because they didn’t allow God to dry them out. Once the heat is over, you are once again so fresh and so clean. Dear Reader, God is washing away the stains and the dirt. It is a process that may seem uncomfortable at times, but at the end, you will be so fresh, so clean, so beautiful, so loved, and so blessed.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Capacity vs Capability

One more time, one more time. Lord I’m glad to be in your service, one more time. I could have been doing anything else with my talents and gifts, but Lord I humbly lay them at Your feet so that you can do with them whatever You see fit. Never taking any day for granted and especially thanking you for today, Dear Lord, I thank you for another opportunity to be in your service, one more time.

Good day to you all! Tomorrow is not promised to us, but Heaven is guaranteed. Live for what is eternal.

As I watched the Presidential debate, there was talk about our military, and whether or not it was at an acceptable capacity to defend the United States. The allegation was made that the US Navy was the smallest that it had been since 1917. The President quickly defended the size of the Navy by informing his opponent that it wasn’t about the number of ships that we have, it was about the capability of those ships. The United States is in no danger because the technology that we employ and the people that we have behind that technology is the best in the world. We are truly able to do more with less.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you to be look beyond capacity because God is capable. People may look at you and think that you are not working with too much. The same way that the giant Goliath looked at a young man, named David, and mocked him. David knew that he did not match up well with Goliath, but he knew that the God that He served was capable. People may look at you and not understand the God that is in you. Just like they looked at a man named Jesus, and said that He could not be the Son of God. They said that He has broken the law by healing the sick, and doing miracles. They accused Him of breaking Jewish law because He proclaimed to be the Son of God. Don’t you know that people will try to persecute you for being who you are. Nothing more, and nothing less. Well, this man names Jesus, who was the Son of God, was beaten and mock, and they hung him from a cross. They thought that they had seen the end of this man. Dear Reader they saw his capacity as a human being. Not knowing that Jesus had the capability of a Savior. Now you are covered in the blood. Dear Reader that makes you capable. That means that you may not have the capacity to hold a bunch of degree’s, but you are capable of making that business of yours a success. You may not have the capacity of knowledge that a doctor has, but you are capable of taking care of your sick children. Dear Reader, do not let anybody put a limit on what God can do for you. It’s not about the ships in your Navy, because we serve a God that is capable of doing great things.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

In Sickness and In Health

Rejoice today because we serve a God that is faithful to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse of all unrighteousness. Rejoice today because you are covered by the blood of Jesus and there is nothing that your enemies can do about that. You may hear people talk about your demise. You may hear predictions about your downfall. However, you are empowered by the blood of Jesus to overcome whatever the world puts in front of you. Rejoice today because you are victorious. Rejoice.

Good day to you all! You are a blessing to someone today! You are needed by someone today! Never underestimate your ability to change someone else’s situation.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

I love my mama! I am happy to report that my mother has safely returned from her mission trip to Africa. I was able to speak to her and she told me about all of the wonderful work that her group had done. She also informed me that she had sick while she was over there. Apparently she had suffered a bug bite that left her sick and swollen. There was no hospital where she was so they called the local doctor. He was a young doctor and he rode into the village on his bike with medicine in his pocket. Understand that this doctor was not highly regarded because he was so young. The people doubted his ability. I tell you that this doctor took care of my mother and restored her back to health. When word spread that this young man had healed “the American” his business began to pick up. He now has more business than he can handle. It is amazing how God works through what would seem like a bad situation in order to bless someone in need.

Dear Reader I want to encourage you during your trials. I want to let you know that what you are going through is not necessarily for your benefit. God can use your situation to turn around the life of someone else. What you are going through may not be comfortable. What you are going through may not seem like an ideal situation, but Dear Reader it is a part of God’s purpose for your life. Your trials and tribulations may be the catalyst for someone else’s victory. Sometimes it doesn’t feel good when God uses us, but the good news is that God is using us. My mother, who I love dearly, was not in a good place when she was sick in a strange country, but God knew what it would take to turn a young doctors practice around. God did not let anything happen to my mother, as a matter of fact they were successful in doing His work. When God uses you for His purpose the reward is great so be encouraged and know that you have not been forsaken. Dear Reader the victory is yours! Don’t let your situation get you down. Praise God for your situation whether it be bad or worse, in sickness and in health.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Just Give Me Jesus

Today you will face a new set of challenges.  Today you may find yourself faced with a new circumstance.  Today you may find that you don’t have all of the answers.  I want you to know that God is with you through it all.  The road may not be easy, but I don’t believe that God brought you this far just to leave you.  He is with you through all of your challenges today, and every day.  He is with you through every circumstance that you face.  Today you may not have all of the answers, but that is because God has already answered all of the questions before you even had the chance to ask.  Be of good cheer today because God is with you always.

Good day to you all! May there be peace in everything that you come across, and may joy abound throughout your day!

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Sometimes I hear a lot of things that sound sincerely religious.  I hear a lot of big words that sound really deep.  I hear a lot of big concepts that come from a lot of big people with a lot of big titles. I am not one to argue philosophies.  I am not one to have a religious debate with anyone.  I just listen.  Sometimes I even ponder what it is that I am being told, but I don’t dwell there very long.  I believe that Jesus came so that we would not have to go through the debates.  When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, she gave Him a set of religious rules that had been in place on how and where to worship. Jesus told her that those rules did not matter, the only thing that mattered was the water that He was offering.  Jesus told her that if you drink the water in the well you will eventually be thirsty, but if you drink of the water that I am offering you, you will never thirst again. Just give me Jesus.

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.  1John 5:11-12

Dear Reader I tell you today that you can have your religion, just give me Jesus.  When I am sick, there is nothing that I can do with your religion, just give me Jesus.  I cannot speak for anyone else, but for me, just give me Jesus.  When I am in between a rock and a hard place, just give me Jesus.  I don’t know about you, but the church can only do so much, the pastor can only do so much, but when it comes to what I need to get by, I need Jesus.  Dear Reader, when you have Jesus there is nothing that your enemy can do to you.  When you have Jesus you be healed.  When you have Jesus your enemies will become your foot stools.  I may not have a degree in theology, and I may not have any particular title.  In the world of religious affairs I may be a nobody, but I can tell you from experience that when I needed someone to be closer than a brother, I did not call upon a degree or a title.  I didn’t call upon a pastor, a bishop, a pope, or a rabbi.  I called upon the mighty name of Jesus. I know that you may be going through something today, and people will give you a lot of advice. Let me give you one more piece of advice: Jesus.  Just calling upon His name will move mountains.  You can keep your religion, just give me Jesus.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Where is the Love

You are more than a conqueror, you are more than what people expect you to be.  There is so much for you to do today.  There are so many people in need of your touch, your laugh, your smile.  Do not underestimate how important you are in the movement of this world today.  Yes the world turns, but when it comes to God and all His children there is no reason that you can’t be the bold and the beautiful.  Do not let anyone tell you that you are not gifted, and blessed.  Do not let anyone tell you that God’s grace and mercy are not covering you.  You are more than a conqueror today, so take hold of your blessings, and bless someone else. 

Good day to you all!  There will only ever be one you!  Don’t let someone else love you more than you love you.

For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?  James 2:2-4

I was at home the other day, and I had the television on.  I wasn’t really watching it, but as I was listening I

heard something that caught my ear.  I heard a commercial that said at the end, ‘Who you care about tells a lot about you.”  I couldn’t help but think about how true that is.  If you care only about those who have as much as you, that speaks to your compassion.  If you only care about those who have status, then that speaks to your own self esteem.  If you only care about family that speaks to your values.  Jesus came to save the world.  He did not come to condemn the world.  Jesus came and surrounded himself with people of different walks of life, and he loved them all.  Jesus let the world know that he cared about the world because he died for the world. There are people today who claim to walk in Jesus example, yet don’t care about people who are different than themselves. Aren’t you glad that we serve a God who does not discriminate?

Dear Reader I want to encourage you on this day to open up your heart.  I want to encourage you to love someone who has been deemed unlovable. I used to feel like I wasn’t good enough.  People have a tendency to make you feel that if you are not going their direction you are going the wrong way.  Then I read about a man named Jesus.   How easy would it have been to have the Son of God who owns everything, to only look out for the rich? Like I told you before the world made me feel that I wasn’t good enough, but Jesus saw the best in me, when everyone else around could only see the worst in me.  So when that happened I returned the favor so that I could see the best in people when everyone else could only see the worst.  Who you care about says a lot about you.  Dear Reader there is someone who is in need of your caring.  There is someone who is in need of the love that you have to give.  The key is that they may not look like you.  They may not be from your side of the tracks.  They may not have what you have.  However, they need you.  Reach out to someone who needs a hand Dear Reader and show them where your heart is. Show them the love.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

The Wisdom of Tony Stark

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and everything else will that you have been seeking will suddenly appear. Praise God for all that you have been through because everything works together for your good. You have been through the fire and have come out without a scratch. You are stronger than you think and you are more beautiful than you will ever know. Do not let anyone or anything turn you around from what God has for you. You mean the world to the world.

Good day to you all! There is a lesson in everything that happens to you, but it can easily be missed in the midst of complaining.

I love a good movie. A movie that came out recently that I enjoyed was The Avengers. I didn’t think that I would enjoy the super hero movies, as much as I have, but there is so much that we can learn from them. In the Avengers we have earth being attacked, and all seems to be lost. The enemy is too big and too numerous to stop. The head of the attack is bragging about his dominance to one of our heroes, Tony Stark. He tells him that there is nothing that he can do because the earth is already been defeated. The war is already over. Toney just looks at him, and tells him that what he is saying may be true, but they have put a team together, and they may not be able to stop the end of the world, but they would surely avenge the world. Oh what a wonderful lesson.

Dear Reader you may have had dreams when you were younger that have passed away. You may have had plans that did not work out. It may seem like all hope is lost, but let me encourage you today to keep your eyes on God. I want to encourage you to look your enemy in the eye and tell them that God is not done. It aint over until God says it’s over and right now God has not said that it was over. Dear Reader I want you to know that you are not done with your dreams. All this time you have been getting better. You have been getting wiser. You have become more efficient. Dear Reader with your knowledge, wisdom, and efficiency, you have put together a team. You may not be able to do anything about the dreams that have passed away, but with this new team, and God on your side, you can definitely avenge those dreams. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and everything else will become clear. All of those things that you lost will suddenly be found, and they will be found brand new. Your enemy thinks that they have seen the last of you, but they haven’t seen anything yet. The best is yet to come. Your best days are in front of you, and those who doubted you are in for the surprise of their life. Be excited Dear Reader, you are an Avenger!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Hold On, I'm Coming

God is speaking to you today. Don’t let your busy schedule keep you from listening. God is moving through you today. Don’t let the quest for your own direction keep you from going where He is leading. God is blessing you today. Don’t let the lack of material things keep you from seeing your true blessings. God is touching you today. Don’t let the artificial feelings that the world offers, keep you from feeling the real love that God is blessing you with. You are covered today. You are beautiful today. You are loved today. You are blessed today.

Good day to you all! If you are able to speak to someone today, and lift them up you have done a good thing. If you are able to speak to someone today and give them hope when the only thing that they have seen has been hopeless. If you can do these things then you are the blessing that someone has prayed for.

Don't you ever be sad,
Lean on me when times are bad.
When the day comes and you're down,
In a river of trouble and about to drown

Just hold on, I'm comin',
Hold on, I'm comin'. – Sam And Dave “Hold On, I’m Coming”

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
A letter to the oppressor:
I pray that this message speaks to your heart in your time of need. I know that you feel that there is nothing that I can teach you. I don’t hold any significant degree’s and I hold no significant position. You have trained your eyes to look for material things, and you have trained your ears to listen for what is in your best interest.
Understand that I write to you, not just on my own behalf, but on the behalf of the people who are under your authority. We the people who will not rely on our own strength in order to change our situation because our strength is limited. We the people reach above your authority to draw upon the strength of God which is unlimited. In your arrogance you have been led to believe that your power is infinite and you shall not be moved. However I am speaking to you in your time of need, because it is time for your to move away from we the people. It is time for we the people who have studied, prayed, and waited, to remove the chains and the ropes that have kept our hopes and dreams bound for so long.
I tell you today that we shall call you out by name. We shall call you out: unemployment, depression, fear, unbearable boss, debt, backstabbing friend, abusive relationship, repossession, foreclosure, bad news, loneliness, negativity, poverty, and we shall say to you that your days are numbered, and your power is limited. You shall no longer hold any power over us. Your power is not as important as our weakness. It is in our weakness that we are made perfect. We shall boast in our weakness because it has never been said, “The smaller they are the harder they fall”. It has always been told that the bigger they are the harder they fall. I pray that this message speaks to your heart oh yea that despise forgiveness and savor oppression. I pray that your eyes can see the faces at the bottom of the well one day. I hope that you are able to hear the voices that cry out and cannot be heard. God promised that we the people call on Him, He will be on the way. The call has been made, and we shall hold in to hope, and we shall hold on to our dreams. We shall hold on to the promises of God. Your oppression shall no longer be your staple, but it shall be the back drop of the story that we shall tell when they ask us how we made it when the odds where stack against us. I write this to you on behalf of we the people who are:
Beautiful, Loved, and Blessed
John Reed