I started meditating on the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray. Sometimes it is easy to think about prayer related to the things that we need, things we are looking for, problems that need to be solved, and circumstances that we think that need to change. The Lord’s Prayer starts with an identification of a …
I illuminate Jesus Christ’s desire to include us in His Father’s family. In Matthew 12:50 Jesus was not closing a door on his physical family, he was opening the door for everyone to become part of his spiritual family, “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” We do the will of the Father by loving the Lord with all of our heart, and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
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It may be hard to understand the way that God executes His plans. When Jesus Christ was born, His parents could not find a proper place for His birth. According to our way of thinking, a manger and a simple stable would not be the right place for the Son of God to be born. I think that there is …
I express the passion we must have in our walk with God. We must have a personal drive like Paul and identify with his cry in Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”
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A while back my husband was gifted a beautiful potted Olive tree. Our last name, Oliveira, means Olive tree, and it was a sweet gift. We placed it in a corner where we can enjoy it and it receives water and sunshine every day. Around spring time it usually has a few olives on its branches which the birds around …
Our family has lived in the United States for the past ten years and I have to say that Thanksgiving has become my absolute favorite holiday! What a brilliant idea to have a national day to give thanks. Thankfulness is such an important trait to have and to teach our children. We read often in the scriptures about the importance …
I connect our ability to receive God’s provision of communion with Luke 6: 37 & 38. When we plant seeds of judgment and condemnation that is what we receive, but if we plant seeds of forgiveness, kindness and love, we will receive those blessings from our Father.
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In this season of thanksgiving it is so important for us to find a place of solitude to meditate on the Word of God. It is important to stop and give thanks to God for His unconditional love for us. As I was taking this time for myself, I came across these verses from the book of Jude “But you, …
I bring an important message about oneness and worship. There is a synergy when we worship together in oneness which is pleasing to the Lord. God is searching for a people that will continuously worship Him in spirit and in truth.
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I was sitting in a meeting recently when I heard these words: “We are in a season of change. Learn how to give away what you have.” These words confronted me in a positive way and I immediately remembered the words of Christ, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35. I was curious to know specifically …
I talk about the maturing of God’s sons. Galatians 4:1 compares immature children to slaves under the authority of guardians and managers. It is time for us to mature as sons and grow up into the measure of the fullness of Christ. The key to this maturity is obedience, Christ was diligent to do and speak only that which His Father instructed and it is time for us to do the same.
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When we read the scriptures we see that in Christ we are born again. Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not …
I teach about Gods plan for you. God has a vision for you way bigger than the vision you have for yourself. When he is removing the blocks in your life it may seem unpleasant but it is because he sees you the way he saw you before the foundation of the world. He has predestined you and is working His truth in your life.
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When God created us He put a treasure in our hearts. 2 Corinthians 4:7 reminds us, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” How then can we look at ourselves with disgust or sorrow? You may think you look like a simple earthen vessel but …
Our beloved Bob Poulson passed on to be with the Lord at 7:25 pm Sunday evening on September 24th, 2017. Bob has been an associate pastor of Hale O Nā Kāula Church for many years. He was born in 1949 in Los Angeles, California. He moved to Illinois when he was 11 years old after losing both his parents. Later …
I convey our deep desire to return to the Lord and abide in His presence. God jealously desires the spirit He has made to dwell in us and the spirit in us desires to reconnect with Him. His love is the only thing that can satisfy this yearning hunger within us. By faith we open our hearts to receive and reconnect with the pure love of our Father.
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Every year we anticipate our celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. We always want it to be special and fun for everyone, but especially for the children. The Feast of Tabernacles is a time of remembrance and teaching the next generations about the importance of knowing the Word of God. This week I have been reading about a very interesting …
I link the parable about forgiveness in Matthew 18:21 to the fundamental teaching on love from Luke 6:27. Love your neighbor and relate to them the way you want God to relate to you. By the grace of God we must start relating with compassion and truly forgiving one another.
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The period of the Feast of Tabernacles is very rich and deep in spiritual meaning for us. It is a statute that Moses received from the Lord in the wilderness. “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8, NAS) We understand that from the beginning it was God’s plan to have a Tabernacle …
Last week I brought a practical message about why we celebrate the Biblical Feasts. It is not about do’s and don’ts, it is about relationships and God’s Unchanging Love. This will not work in isolation, but in our unity. We need to receive and be a channel of God’s unchanging love to one another.
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As part of our celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), we camp together and have fun with our children, teaching and imparting to them the heart behind our experience in walking with the Lord and our faith for His presence to always be with us. It is always a very fun time when we play, sing, teach our children, …
I express the need for us to worship. Worship is the most important thing we can do because it is what God is looking for. It is not about engaging in a religious routine, but rather entering into an intimate relationship with our Father. “God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24
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I believe it is so important for us to always be aware of our spirits and of how we are growing and moving in what God has given us. I often ask myself these questions: “How am I walking with God?” or “Am I applying God’s word in my life in a practical way?”
I would like to share a practical thing we can all do as we grow and mature in our relationship with our Father. Focus your spirit in praising the Lord and being thankful in all things. “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). This is a principle that works in all areas of our lives. It will keep our spirits anchored in the word God. When we practice this attitude we create our own immunity, keeping our spirits engaged and in tune with the Holy Spirit.
When we exercise this principle we will avoid complaining, criticism, and the bad habit of giving voice to negativity. Focusing our spirits on expressions of faith and love towards God and our neighbors. We read in Proverbs 16:32 that “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.” This is a verse I have memorized and it keeps me accountable for watching over how I react to things I hear and see.
One practical way to maintain this control and rule over our spirits is to be careful with what we say. Even if things are not going the way we expect, murmuring and complaining will never solve the issue. Too often our first reactions are negative and can lead us to have regrets, but if we pause and take control of our reactions we can avoid letting simple incidents ruin our day and atmosphere.
Here are some more passages that I read while I was meditating about this. I pray it may help you in a very practical way.
“Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit” (Proverbs 25:28).
“A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back” (Proverbs 29:11).
“If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless” (James 1:26).
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).
James 3:5-12
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I explain Jesus’ teaching from Luke 10. Jesus reminded the disciples that the first and foremost commandments are to love the lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Trying to justify who is or is not our neighbor is an excuse to not do what we are supposed to. When walls of division come down and we remember that being right is never more important than our relationships we can see that everyone is our neighbor.
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We are approaching the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. As Christians, we do not only celebrate it in remembrance of what God did in the past, but we also anticipate the fulfillment of what God is doing during the Feast of Tabernacles today. We believe that there are truths hidden in plain sight in the Scriptures, but we also …
I bring a message about God’s love for us. We need to open our hearts and receive God’s love which surpasses knowledge and is filled with strength and power. Once we become rooted in God’s love and fully accept it, nothing can separate us from it.
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We are being led to move through relationships. God allowed Elijah to live in isolation but then required him to find someone that would be his provision. There will be no growth and maturity without the body coming together with every joint supplying what they have received and opening up to receive from others also (Ephesians 4:11-16). We can relate …
I continue teaching about God’s unconditional love for us as expressed in Luke 15. Wherever we are, we can choose to return to our loving Father and he will greet us with open arms.
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I believe kindness is a powerful aspect of love, especially when applied in our own homes. It is something that can cause immediate change to our day and it helps our love not to grow cold. When someone acts kindly to you, it triggers a chain-reaction; being kind bears much fruit. I suggest we all start planning situations where we …
In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-31), Jesus describes three ways of thinking: how we think about ourselves when we have done something wrong, how we think about ourselves when we have done something right, and how God thinks about us.
The younger brother knew he had messed up but he chose to return to his father’s house and beg to work as a slave. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). There was no hesitation from the father. The moment he saw his son he began expressing his love. God is this loving father. It does not matter how much of our inheritance we waste, or how long we wander without Him, the moment we take a step and return to Him, He will run to us with loving arms. He will clothe us with the robes of his nature, give us his ring with authority, place new sandals on our feet so we can learn to walk in a new way, and kill the fattened calf for our abundant joy. When we come before the Lord He has the best for us, He is not holding anything back.
The older brother thought he was doing everything right. He worked diligently to please his father and earn his inheritance. However, when he spoke to his father he had a slave mentality. He was jealous and angry because his brother got a party when he didn’t, but it was never his father who limited him. The father’s response was the same for both sons, “All that is mine is yours.” No matter what you think you did, or have to do, to deserve the Fathers love, you are wrong. The only thing you have to do is come before Him. All that the Father has is yours.
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