WEDNESDAY'S WORD - RESENTMENT - 06/29/16- Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

RESENTMENT is being angry, upset, or having bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly. The French resentir means to feel aggrieved or distressed by. Another word for resent is RANKLE - a wound or sore that continues to be painful or fester until it becomes septic (infected with pus).  Resentment ensues when a negative feeling or problem becomes more intense especially through long-term neglect or indifference. It is a mixture of anger, disgust, disappointment, and sadness. Resentment can be triggered by an emotionally disturbing experience felt again or relived in the mind. This emotionally debilitating anguish may not be detected by casual acquaintances. Disillusionment, distrust and despair set in when the experience of our relationship fails to meet our expectations. But they're close, what do you do?    

 

David's resentment over his enemy's actions distressed him so; he cried out to God in Psalm 55. "I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted" (vs. 2) "My heart is in anguish within me." (vs. 4) The pain and fear was so great and overwhelming that he wanted to take flight. "I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest." He asked for God's intervention to fight on his behalf, but then makes an interesting statement: "For it was not an enemy who reproaches (slanders, defames) me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him.  But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; we who had sweet fellowship together, Walked in the house of God in the throng."(vs. 12-14) Scholars surmise that King David is referring to his close friend and counselor Ahithopel, who later turned against him in his son Absalom's coup attempt. Julius Caesar's above was shocked when his confidant Brutus conspired his assassination, "Et tu Brute?" You too, Brutus?

It takes a village to help someone courageous enough to admit they are struggling with bitterness and resentment. Paul instructed the Hebrews,
"Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many." (Heb. 12:15) You or someone you know might have an infected heart. Jesus' healing love through you is part of the cure.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - DESPISING PROPHECY - 06/22/16 Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

A few weeks ago we had a class on Discovering God's Will: the Providential will of God - what God has planned regardless; the Moral will of God - commands in His Word; and the Personal will of God - His direction for our individual lives.  We find His will through the Bible, by obtaining wise counsel, and through listening to the Spirit's guidance within us. John said, the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and show us things to come (John 16:13). One way God reveals His will is through PROPHECY - the gift of communicating and enforcing revealed truth. Prophecy comes in two forms: prediction (foretelling) and assertion (forthtelling).  In foretelling, the phrase, "And it shall come to pass" is used to say, "God will surely do it!"

As is too often the case, Habakkuk's prayer to God begins with a complaint. "How long, Lord must I call for help but you do not listen?...Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? (Hab.1:1-3) He protests the evil Babylonians, whom he doesn't realize the Lord is raising up to execute judgment on the land and deal with Israel for her sins. We don't have a construct for the possibility that God will use our enemies to bring us to repentance. We, like Habakkuk ask, How does a Holy God who cannot look at sin use evil people to bring about righteous judgment? (vs.13) Then we wait, to see how God's gonna answer that challenge!  God tells Habakkuk, while I'm purifying Israel, I'm going to judge the Babylonians too. So write this vision down. It's going to go down EXACTLY as I say. If it takes a while, still wait.  Live this next part of your story by faith, be fully persuaded that what I've spoken will come to pass.

Do not quench/stifle the Spirit. Do not despise or treat prophecies with contempt, but test them all; hold to what is good. 1 Thess. 5:19-20

Two things will make us stifle the Spirit, despise God's assertions and predictions, and disregard or even oppose God's visions:

1. We don't like the content. Like Habakkuk, or Jonah, we disagree with what is being said.  We don't want to do it or don't want it to be done.
2. The waiting makes us despondent - we become dejected and lose confidence. The humiliation makes us give up and abandon the promise. 

Some of us have heard from God. He's given us a vision of what will take place. We may not like the content, and the wait that seems eternal...but we know the outcome. The Lord has given us instructions on what to do in the meantime. Some of us have discarded these directives due to hopelessness.  I encourage you to GO BACK to what was PROPHESIED or the VISION that was written. Drop your pride and walk it out by FAITH! (Hab. 2:4)  

SUNDAY WORSHIP 11:00 AM The Great RoomSUNDAY CLASSES 9:30 AM Youth Room 225 Wyoming Ave       Cincinnati OH 45215 (Presbyterian Church of Wyoming) 513-212-1131

Sadell Bradley | New Life Covenant Cincinnati | 513-212-1131 | Email | Website

STAY CONNECTED:

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - ORLANDO - 06/15/16 - Sadell Bradley -New Life Covenant Cincinnati

The word ORLANDO is a Spanish word that means famous land. No truer words could be spoken right  now, as the US and the world mourn the tragedy that occurred there this weekend. Amidst the barrage of news reports, social media opinions, prayer vigils and protests, our collective American voice is shocked, outraged and dismayed at the terrorist execution and wounding of scores of our citizens by a deranged person claiming terrorist indoctrination. As is often the case, we have decided that love trumps fear. (1 John 4:18)

Does agreement from Christ followers that this is a tragic and grief-filled situation that necessitates love to all involved cause us to run from our beliefs? No. We still believe that Jesus Christ is the one way to the Father, the Truth and the Life, (John 14:6) and that marriage presents God's boundary for purity in sexual relationships. (Heb. 13:4) Believers don't expect or require Christian beliefs from non-Christian people. Our mission, like Jesus' is to seek out and love and help people who want to reconnect to God. (Luke 19:10) We must accept the fact that many will not agree with our beliefs... Jesus did.

In John 8, Jesus was teaching a group publicly in the courts of the temple. The Pharisees and teachers of the law brought before Him a woman whom they said, "Was caught in the very act of adultery." They stated, "The law says we should stone her, but what do You say?" Their goal was to accuse Jesus, which is still Satan's purpose. [Jesus purpose is to destroy the devil's work. (1 John 3:8)]
Everyone knew this woman was a sinner. They all knew she, and the unexposed man who had been with her, were in the wrong. That went without saying, so Jesus didn't say it. He wrote something on the ground then first addressed her accusers, "Whoever is without sin among you, let him be the first to cast a stone at her," and with that, her critics were silenced. "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" Jesus asked her. "No Lord," she replied. "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more." Jesus' sequence here is important: 1. He corrected/rebuked the religious leaders; 2. The woman encountered Him. He loved her and defended her from attack; 3. He revealed Himself as Lord and forgave her sins without condemnation; 4. He brought her to repentance. Stop sinning. To attempt to get to 4 before 2 or 3 is where we miss it.

If this attack had occurred in a heterosexual club, would the headlines read, "Club full of drunken, fornicating, addicted reveling, adulterers blown up in terrorist attack?"  I seriously doubt it. Did we first investigate the sins of those killed in Columbine, Oklahoma, Sandy Hook, or San Bernadino? No. Every shooting or killing of innocent lives is a terrorist act. Whether the hatred is inspired by race, gender, religion or class, it is meant to inspire fear in us. Only God's perfect love will cast out that fear (1 John 4:18) Christians are not to be overcome by evil. Evil can only be conquered with good. (Rom.12:21)

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - THE GREATEST - 06/08/2016 - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

The word GREATEST is a superlative adjective of the word GREAT.  Superlative means of the highest quality or degree; an exaggerated expression of praise, something embodying excellence. GREAT means of an extent, amount, intensity, ability, quality, or eminence, considerably above normal or average.  The acronym G.O.A.T. means Greatest Of All Time. In sports few athletes have garnered this superlative. One who did, Muhammad Ali, died this weekend. The entire world mourned a man of unparalleled boxing talent and skill, unmatched charisma, unabashed confidence and pride in the beauty of his heritage, far reaching humanitarian efforts and philanthropy, and unswerving courage in his religious and civil rights convictions. It seems the only battles Ali did not win were self-control with women and his fight against Parkinson's Disease, which brought him to frailty, motor skills impairment, and silence. 

As a child, my entire family would sit in the living room and watch Ali's bouts with Foreman and Frazier. We'd laugh as he vocally sparred with Harold Cosell.  At 14, I met Mr. Ali on the track preparing to run the 200M final at the Jesse Owens Invitational in LA.  I was representing my home town.  He said, "Philadelphia? That's Joe Frazier's town!" I replied, "Yes, Sir."  As the race was about to start I said I would win it, and did. There is history with me and Ali. I'm melancholy (a pensive sadness) as I think about him. As an athlete, I am in awe of his grit, domination, prowess and intelligence in the ring. As an African-American, I've cheered in the stands behind his power-filled words that went into life's arena to fight for rights we could not gain on our own.

As a pastor, and follower of Jesus Christ as the one way to the Father and access to eternal life; all I could do as I heard the news and watched all of the posts, tributes, video clips, expressions of mourning and memories, was wonder...Where is Muhammad Ali now? For all of the money, fame, prestige, and accolades he has, and will continue to receive posthumously... What has happened to his soul?  I haven't heard much talk of that on social media among Christ followers, but I hear Jesus' words ringing from Mark 8:

34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

 
Were we so enamored with Ali's status that we forgot we believe that without Christ he, like us, was a sinful man on a pathway to destruction and in need of forgiveness? Cassius Clay grew up Baptist, but what did he see? He made a decision not to follow Christ: a choice that God gives, and a right and freedom Americans have for which Ali fought. I just hope there were people close enough to continually tell him about JESUS' sacrifice for sin and show him God's love. (Phil. 2:1-11; John 3:16-17) I pray that in Ali's heart, though he could not speak, it was revealed and he accepted that JESUS is the GREATEST OF ALL TIME! He is far above every power, and HIS name is above EVERY name. (Eph 1:21) He ascended there with humility: by becoming the servant of all, dying on a cross for our sins, and silently but powerfully sacrificing His life for us all (Isaiah 53) to HIM be all glory!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - RUT - Sadell Bradley 06/01/2016 New Life Covenant Cincinnati

A RUT is a long deep track made by the repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles.  To the right is a picture of a circular rut. Figuratively, a rut is a habit or pattern of behavior that has become unproductive and dull, but is hard to change. Ever been, "stuck in a rut? in your personal life, work, marriage or ministry?"  It's frustrating! paralysis has set in and momentum is gone. As the cliche goes... Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. In certain situations, that is so true.

40 years of wandering in the wilderness? now that was a rut! A mere 250 mile journey should have taken just 11 days to accomplish, even for 600,000 men, plus women and children. However, to transform the habits, behaviors, and idolatrous patterns of 400 years of slavery in Egypt took 40 years. The identity crises, character issues, doubt, murmuring and complaining, etc. were much more difficult to root out than to shuttle their bodies to the destination.  The day eventually came when it was time for them to get out of the rut.

 

1“Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me, and circled Mount Seir for many days. 2“And the LORD spoke to me, saying, 3‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north.. (Deut. 2:1-2)

God explained the reason for their rut, once it was time to enter the promised land, "You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." (Deut. 8:2)

Humility is having a modest or low view of one's own importance. Selah! (pause and think about it) Testing or proving is being put in a situation that reveals your strength, performance, reliability or quality. God tells Israel, "Here's why you've been stuck in this rut for so long."  It isn't just the way it is. It isn't her fault or his fault. I'm not punishing you for being bound in your past. It isn't even 'the devil.' It's training to purify you, to help you get over yourself and obey Me.