I pray that even as I type this, that it is the Lords Spirit leading and not my words coming forth. In all things I must decrease as He increases.

I pray that even as I type this, that it is the Lords Spirit leading and not my words coming forth. In all things I must decrease as He increases.

Recently I was confronted by our Heavenly Father with questions as I was reading a book titled "In His Steps". *This book is loosely based on events that took place in  Topeka Kansas in 1896. In it, Dr. Sheldon, the pastor of Central Congregational Church decided to try an experiement of writing a story each week and handing it out to his members of things that took place in the lives of various people with different backgrounds and vocations. His idea took off, and as a result of this project, people have applied the principles of his ideas to their own lives for over eighty-five years, and still it is as fresh as the beginning ideas took shape on that June day.*

As I continued reading, I saw several things taking shape and I also saw a familiarity in the mix. In this project, the question is this; upon any given everyday event, the things that we do, do they line up with the word of God? In challenges to the hearts of actions taking place in different situations, it is not so much what would Jesus do, but what has He done? Are the things we do in responding to everyday circumstances of diverse kinds things that Jesus would do, or has done? How can one be sure that what is being done is something that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus would do the same exact thing or something very similiar? Well, the question of what would Jesus do has already been answered again and again, and we can see the proof of that in the Bible, through His teachings, through the examples set forth as He applied those things He preached for all to witness through compassion, love, and His own Self-sacrifice for us all.

A few years ago I stumbled upon a movie while I was channel surfing. The title of the movie was Pay It Forward, and so intrigued, I watched it. It has just started when I changed the station, so I did not miss no more than maybe five or ten minutes of it, and the synopsis of it was basically this, that someone did something for another from their heart, and in doing so it started a chain reaction and a continuation of good deeds passed on through one person after another after another. Not too long ago. Ophrah Winfrey had a couple of shows I believe in which she gave money to a few people with the charge to go forth and find someone or a family in which they would bless that family with what he/she gave. In return of that, some of those that had been blessed by the ones that Ophrah chose went forth and without any expectations from the party giving, blessed someone else.

And so as I read this book that now has peaked my heart as I listened to the still small voice of God speaking to me, I rose up and asked the Lord, what is it that You will have me to do? Well, cleansing had to take place first and so in my heart I quietly thought of the scriptures that my mentor had given me in II Chronicles 7:14 ~ "If my people who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive the sin, and heal the land,"  and lead me to the 51st Psalm vs. 1 ~ 3, 7, 10 ~ 12 ~ "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me...Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow...Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."

As I got on my knees, on my face in total surrender unto my Redeemer, I was asked by the Lord, "are you walking in His steps? are you living your life in total death to self and alive in Christ?" I had to be honest; no I was not. How can I quote Galatians 2 ~ 20 which says, "I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who lives but Christ living in me" if I had not died to self? The proof was in my thoughts, my words at times, and my actions. The relationship with Jesus starts from within the heart, within the spirit, and that which is birthed from the depths of our being, in our center, will eventually be made manifest through the Holy Spirit so that others can see the light of Christ shining from within, but it cannot take place if there is corruption and defilement staining the floors, the walls, the ceiling of our hearts and spirits now can it? Renewal must take it's rightful place in the mindset as well as the heart before an outward change can manifest and be seen in the natural by those who's lives we affect and/or impact in one way or another. In the song "The Lord Is With Us In This Place", singer Yolanda Adams sings this verse with such passion; "there must be a change in the spirit before the outer man can be renewed." Such motivational truth in those words, words that need to be recongnized as thought provoking and self determination to allow God to bring about that renewal.

When God has ministred into our spirits His call, His purpose, His plan whether we know what it is or not, the outward cry of our hearts should be, "I will follow Thee". Lets be honest, have we made that declaration in the moments of intimate worship with Christ and kept our word to Him? Have we declared to Him and FOLLOWED THROUGH with it, that we will walk in His steps no matter what the cost? Can we do a self-examination and also seek the Lord for revelation of who we are from the INSIDE out? And the crucial question, are we willing to follow in the Masters steps each and everyday? That means getting up everyday and give thanks to God for our life, to get into the Word and say from Psalms 19 ~ 14, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord my Strength and my Redeemer."  Throughout the day, acknowledge Him, and seek the examples of Christ for each things that confronts us each day.

No one is perfect and this is not about trying to call people to be robots. ONLY God through Christ Jesus can perfect us, but as we go forth each day, think about the things that can be done for OTHERS that we are not doing, or don't have a desire to do;

Do we check in on the elderly and shut in to see if they need assistance of any kind?

Do we volunteer our time to share the gospel of Christ to others as He shared the love of God with the multitudes?

Do we see a situation where someone has needs that must be met and go to help them, or do we cross the street and say that someone else can take care of it?

Do we know of someone that needs clothes and/or food, someone that may be a little short on their rent or mortgage money, and reach out a helping hand to them even if it means sacrificing that addition to the car or that new outfit to help them out, or do we just brush the situation out our minds and say that they will be all right?

Do we look at the commercials on tv for children that are starving, animals that are being abused and neglected, and lend a hand to help in their rescue whether by monitorial contribution or tithing our time, or do we change the channel?

Do we see that someone is in need of medication in which they may not have all the resources needed to make the purchase, and reach into our wallets to make up the financial difference, or do we just turn our back on them and pretend that we did not see their issue?

As human beings, we are going to mess up, that is a given. No matter how much we try to put forth our best, wear the armor of God, and "treat people as we want to be treated", at times we do fall short. And we do get angry at others, and we do get offended and hurt; brothers, sisters, bosses, friends, co-workers, some of the negativity even comes from leaders in the churches. I know all too well the results of being hurt by leaders, friends and/or family, and I know all too well the results of how those wounds affect me. And there is nothing wrong with being hurt, being offended or even getting angry, as long as we know where to place it, and when to let go. Sounds easy? No, nor is it easy to get past some of the offenses perpetrated against us by others, OR the offenses that WE may perpetrate against others.

The very first recorded murder happend in Genesis chapter four. After the fall of man happened through the disobediance of Adam and Eve to not partake of the forbidden fruit, they concieved and brought forth children; first Cain, a tiller of the ground, and then Abel, a herdsman. Time came to bring their offering to the Lord, and so Cain offered fruit, while Abel brought forth a firstling from his flock. God was pleased with Abels sacrifice and recieved it, while Cains He rejected.

Cain got very angry as a result of the Lords decision, and God scolded Cain about his attitude and what would happen if he did not reject the angry spirit that was washing through him. But Cain ignored the Lord, sought out Abel his brother, went off in a jealous, angry tangent, and killed Abel. Thus we see from the first Biblically recorded murder what happens when we allow negativity to cloud our judgement.

But God provided a solution for us in Christ Jesus, a Better Way of doing things when we are dealing with offenses of different kinds. He even tells us in Matthew 5:23-25 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. " We must forgive, release the ones who has hurt you, and also go to the ones that WE have offended and bring forth our apologies. Did Jesus forgive those who put Him on the cross? Yes He did forgive each and everyone one of us, even asked our Father to forgive us "for we know not what we do". He was not just referring to the ones that physically beat, flogged, and nailed Him to the cross, He was talking about all mankind, and by His example of forgiving us, we should very well follow. The example that came forth through Cain and Abel provides what could take place if we allow our anger to cloud our judgement.

So what do we do? Walk in Jesus' steps, follow His lead. I had to do that, when God confronted me with the question of am I walking the path that Jesus provided for me. In Matthew 7 ~ 13 Jesus says this; "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it." So I had to make the decision whether to follow in His steps, or go beyond to the path of destruction. It was hard seeing the sides of myself that was so corrupt from bitterness, but in asking the Lord for help, he not only showed me the ugliness inside, but the beauty that comes about when choosing the path provided for me through Jesus Christ. And it is an everyday thing to die to self, not a once in a while when-I-feel-like-it thing.

I'm not going to ask what would Jesus do because again, we already know what He would do through what He HAS already done. Instead, I present to you a challenge as God presented it to me. I challenge each person that reads this to reach out to just one person for starters that you know has a need, and give them your assistance. If you don't know anyone personally, then go to a homeless shelter and volunteer, go to an animal shelter and volunteer, find a charity in which needs are in desperate call for food, clothing, blankets, diapers, etc for victims of floods and/or fire, or any other disaster whether it be natural or not. How about taking that morning coffee money and treating someone else, offering to buy them  a cup instead? Pray upon these thoughts and the needs of others; perhaps going to a family member or a friend and buy dinner for them so that they don't have to cook, especially those that have to work AND take care of children or the elderly.

Please don't say to yourself, "well that was my good deed for the day", no, that is not acceptable; reach out to another. I'm not saying to go broke, in all things we must use wisdom, but it could be something as simple as seeing a drug addict that wants something to eat, or an alchoholic, and taking them to a fast food place or restaurant and buying them something to eat. I would not recommend giving them money because we know basically where that will go, but show them the love of Jesus by giving/sharing something of yourself that YOU were blessed with, to someone else. Jesus said this; In Matthew 25: 31 ~ 40,  "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations  will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous  will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."

Are we up for the Challenge? Can we take some of that which we have been blessed with and Pay It Forward to another or others? Can we determind in our hearts that if we are going to take on Jesus' name as CHRISTians, then should we not THINK like, SPEAK like, and ACT like the one who's name we have taken on as our own? Lets learn to walk In His Steps so that His light is seen from WITHIN us, encouraging others to walk likemindedly in His steps.

Since responding to the Lord as He challenged me to walk in His steps, my relationship with Christ has changed, my faith is stronger, each day from that day I get up determining in my heart to follow the path of Christ no matter what the cost for me. He paid the price for me and in doing so opened the doorway, rent the curtian for me to have fellowship with God. By His Self-sacrifice, He has charged and enabled me to go forth and bring His gospel to the lost, the weary, and broken hearted via various ways; internet, walking, and even wrong phone numbers, at times even talking to a phone company representative about Christ as I wait for whatever problem I have to be solved.

I feel so ALIVE and His Word comes alive in me as even in rough seas, I seek His face through His Precious Word for guidance and direction. I am encouraged greatly to follow His ways of doing things, and know that even in those turbulant waters I must allow His peace to flow in me, keeping my eyes upon Him no matter what I see happening in the natural. God's challenge to me is restoring the joy of my salvation, and in all that I am, I continue to check myself to make sure that it is in His Steps that I walk, that I live, that I shine.

I don't want anyone to see Celeste at all. In my own reflection, I don't want to see me, but see Christ looking back. I desire that all who's path I cross, see God instead and behold His beauty, the Light of Christ that resides in me.

I hope that these words bless you and likewise encourage you to follow daily in His steps, allow a newness, a renewal to be birthed within you, to revive the desire for Christ where it may have grown stale, and in accepting this challenge, embrace the excitement that comes with it as not only the new wineskin is fitted upon you, but the new wine to fill it. In other words, become a new creation in Christ by shedding the old man (the wineskin), and be filled with the love and life of Christ through the Holy Spirit (the new wine) for His people. Thank you for taking the time to read this and may the blessings of the Lord continue to rain down and increase bountifully in the lives of all of my sisters and brothers in Christ. God bless.

*Words taken from In His Steps.