Common Sense Wisdom 01

Common Sense Wisdom 01:  I want to try and help some of you out. FB Post & Tweets are NOT the time for you to air your dirty laundry and post your business for the World to see. It's called Social Networking! Furthermore, if you are stupid enough to put it out there, DO NOT get mad/upset when people comment on it or the person u talking about addresses it.

What is your Motive?

Prophetically written by: Apostle Dr. Larry D. Sims, D.Min.

Isn’t it amazing how we in church we do so much stuff. We are on so many boards and committees. We sing, preach and testify. You carry the Pastor’s briefcase and bible. You get them water and are right there to meet their every beckon call. But the Lord says “What is your Motive?” 

What is the motivation behind your service? Are you serving out of the goodness of your heart or are you serving to get something? Are you serving because you think that will make the pastor ask you to preach more the other Ministers? Are you serving the pastor because you want to take over his work or even steal his Vision? Are you serving because you are seeking position and prestige? What is your Motivation?

If the Pastor or spiritual head of your church came in and stripped you of every position, could you still serve them faithfully? If the Missionary board chairman rejected your idea, could you still serve on the board faithfully? Are serving on the board to be noticed by people or is it coming from your heart? 

Many times we treat God the same way as we do people. Now ask yourself, why am I serving God? Are you serving him because you love him or because he can give you stuff? Why are you living a Christian life? Is it because you were taught that’s the way to live or is it because you have a personal relationship with God.

Why do you go to church? Is it just to show off how spiritual you “THINK” you are? Is it to show off your new dress or suit? Is it to hear the word of God for your life, or is it so you can say that you go to the “Who’s Who” church? Are you going in hope to receive a word or to get confirmation to what God has showed you in your private prayer time?

What is your motivation for ministry? Is it to minister to souls or make you look like something? Are you working to set people free or just to exalt yourself over others. Ask yourself what is your motivation?

So many times our flesh is so blind to the fact that if we have the right motivation we can convince ourselves to do anything. Many of us if we really be honest with God and ourselves can say that we have some wrong motivations. So many people serve with a preconceived agenda. We serve when we can see the benefit for us. Most people don’t serve out of the love in there heart, but out of “What’s in it for me?”

So many people in this hour treat God like our own personal genie. We place him on the shelf until we need something and then we go to him expecting him to perform. God is not a genie! God has a personality and feelings. Just think, if your husband or wife only married you because of what you could give them or offer them, how would you feel? What if the only time you saw them is when they wanted something? How would you feel? So many people treat God the same way.

How would you feel if your husband or wife came to talk to you and they said everything they want you to know and hear and then got up and left, never hearing how you wanted to respond. How would your marriage work like that? So how can your spiritual life be productive? So many times when we pray, we tell God and command God and get right up never waiting to see if God has anything to say.

How many trials could we have avoided if we simply had of listened. What’s really in our hearts as it relates to God? Do we have a genuine love and concern for God, or do we want what God can give us.

God wants a people to love him for him, not having any preconceived agenda. If you go after him there’s nothing that He wouldn’t give you. But, what is your motive? If God blessed you tomorrow would you still be faithful? Would you pay your tithes? Could you still give someone a ride that needs it? Would you still come to church on Sunday instead of staying home and cleaning your house? Will you take the blessing and run or would you offer it back to God.

God is looking for a people with a pure heart that wants him not for what he can do but simply because they want a relationship with him. The key to opening God’s hand is to open his heart.

Let's keep it...(What)...REAL!

Complied & Written by: Apostle Dr. Donell Sims

© 2005 Larry Donell Sims

How many times have heard the word "REAL"? What does it mean? Where did it come from? Many people talk about being real but few actually live by it. Webster defines real as being something which is existing, genuine, true, or authentic. My definition is not being fake, being who you are regardless to what others think about you. If we really be honest with our self we have been taught to lie, cheat, and steal. Think when you were young and was made to play with someone you really didn't want to play with, and you had to be nice because if you didn't your parents were going to get you. Or even when someone ask you how a outfit looks and you know they look terrible but because it's not nice to hurt their feelings you say it's cute or you look nice, knowing in your heart you want to say that is the ugliest thing I've ever seen.

*Though we don't want to go around and hurt people's feelings were do we draw the line. If you never tell that church member or that friend they cant cook they'll never stop inviting you over for dinner, and they'll forever bring that dish to the church fellowship. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but wouldn't it be safe to say that if I lie to spare your feelings I'm not being your friend because what happens when we go out and someone else notice that the outfit is a bit ugly and make a remark that probably hurt worse coming from someone else instead of their friend.

*And another thing why do we pretend to like people that we really don't like. Now I know that we as Christians say that we must like everyone, and though this may be a controversial issue. I feel that we must love everyone, you can love someone and not like them or their ways. Because we as Christians have unsaved love ones who we love dearly, but we don't like the lifestyle they live which could cause us to separate ourselves from one another. We as Christians must become real with ourselves or we are going to loose a lot of people in the body of Christ. We must be real with ourselves first concerning our issues and struggles. We must learn to separate church people from  Gods people. Church people tend to hide and fake to impress people. They will dress up a problem instead of facing it. They feel that they have to prove something to people rather than proving it to God. They would rather look saved and consecrated rather than being saved and consecrated.

*As a God man or God woman we must strive to be real in every part of our life. It is our goal to please God rather than man. I would rather be saved, than just to look saved because if I am saved sooner or later I will look saved. It's like this I would rather have a million dollars than just looking like a million dollars because looking like is not going to get me the benefits that being will. Having a actual relationship with God is better than just talking about God.  Many times we come to church and we jump and shout off emotion never really getting to know God in his fullness, and when we go home we are still defeated, broken, and alone. Many times our spirit longs for something as though something is missing, And we try to fulfill this desire with a man, woman, and things that have no value and can only give a superficial love.

It might even fulfill the desire for a moment but then as time goes by you realize you're in the same place with the same feeling of loneliness and emptiness. The reason is a substitute can only last a season or a short period of time. But you are going to have to get the real thing. Some things you just can't substitute. You must have the real thing. Having a relationship with God is so much better than going off someone else's testimony. I'm reminded of a story that I heard one time about a man who was walking  down the street and someone gave him a hundred dollars. He was so happy over this hundred dollars, the person told him to return at the same place tomorrow and I will give you another hundred dollars. So he ran over a friends house to tell the good news. He got there and began to share the testimony of his blessing and after he was finished his friend wanted to know who is this person that gave you this money? What is his/her name? Where are they from? What is something that you can give them in return for their blessing you? and the man began to think, and had to say "I don't know." See after all the praise he gave and all the joy he had, he was still left with a Question. He couldn't show his gratitude because he didn't stop to take time to get to know the person that blessed him and a lot of times that's the way we do God. He blesses us and we are so excited  about the "THING" that we for get to acknowledge the one who gave us the blessing in the first place.

It’s Time to Get Back to It?

Written by: Apostle Dr. L. Donell Sims

©2009 All Rights Reserved L A Ministries

What is that thing, Place or assignment that God has called you to that you out of disobedience left and/or not doing? Yea you know where you’re suppose to be and what you’re suppose to be doing. You’re not hiding from anybody and you’re not fooling anybody, especially not God. Yea you put on you mask and you have your front on Good, but we all know it not real.

You try to act all hard like you the truth but you’re living a Lie everyday. If you put as much effort and work into be real as you do in being fake… You would be a better and much happier person. You’re looking for fulfillment, Until you get right with GOD and do what HE tells you do when, where and how HE tells you to do it, NOTHING is Going to Work out for you and you’re always Going to hit that same Brick Wall. Because there is only one way and that’s God’s Way.

There’s a story in the bible about this dude that got to big for his britches (pants) and he went to his father and asked his father, for his inheritance. Now it wasn’t rightfully his because his father hadn’t died and you never know what your inheritance because it what’s left after that person dies. But anyway, that father gives the son a portion of his wealth and the son sets off to do what he feels he can and wants to do.

The son is living it up, he has great friends so he thinks. He’s doing all the things that he couldn’t do at his father’s house. And then he runs out of money. The Friends leave and now he is alone. The one he spend time with and spent money on are all now gone. They don’t stick around to help or even offer a piece of bread. What at one time wouldn’t even cross his mind as a source of survival, now looks appetizing, Hog slop.

Now he at a point of having to make some decisions. And this is where most of us get and make the mistake. We leave family, Friends, Churches/Ministries/organizations, spouses, our kingdom assignments and even GOD, then we go and make a mess of things. At this point we have two options, Be prideful and Stay where we are and fake like we are alright, get deeper out of the will of God and either have a harder road to travel  back to get things right with God and people or die in the mess we made.

Or we can be like the young in our story, Who the bible say he came to himself. He realize yes I messed up, but I don’t have to stay here and die. The bible says he went back to his father, not even to get what he had but to be a servant. But because of the love that the father had for the son, he received him back as a son.

What we have to realize is your destiny is not based upon your action but rather what God says. The actions  and choices we make may determine how long and what route we take, but it doesn’t change what God has for us and what He called us to be.

You are still going to have to accomplish your destiny one way or another. God’s Word Cannot return to him void. There is a old saying that says, “You can do this the easy way or the hard way, but you’re going to do it” And that’s the way it is with us and destiny it must and will get done.

I want to encourage you who may be reading this to get back to it. Get back to your god given assignment. Get back to preaching, Get Back to Teaching, Get Back to singing, Get back to working with the youth ministry, Go get things right with your family, Go be a Father to your kids, Go be a Mother to your kids, Go apologize to those you hurt and/or disrespected, Go back to the Church God placed you in, Go get things right with your spouse even if you are divorced go repent and get it right. Whatever you’re not doing that you are suppose to be doing , DO IT! Go forth and start that ministry, be the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and/or Teacher, Usher, Deacon, Church Mother, Youth Pastor, Administrator, janitor, Music Minister, Altar Worker, Sound Tech, Armourbearer/Adjutant or Home Care Leader.

As long as you are out of the will of God and walking in disobedience you are handicapping the body of Christ and hindering people from getting to Christ an reaching their full potential in Christ. So Stop being Lazy, Prideful, Selfish and Ungrateful, Get Up and Get Back to It!

Even if they don’t receive you, make sure you’ve don all you can to make it right. Yes you might have to go through some restoration, You might have to regain trust with them and yes you might have to swallow your pride and go more than once or sit among then know they don’t trust you. It may not be as easy this time as was the last time or if you did it when God first told you, but it the price you have to pay with disobedience. Though God forgives us we still sometimes have to bear the consequences of our actions. But You have to suck it up and GET BACK TO IT!!

It's Time To Shift and Become!

We are now in the New Year 2013, Praise the Lord! Through all the trails that we faced in ’12, we made it! So many times we get caught up in the New Year clichés as to what the New Year is going to bring, but I want to challenge every believer to get past the rhymes and catchy phrases and really seek God as to what He has for you in this year and let that be the goal you work towards.

Its time for the body of Christ to SHIFT and BECOME! For so long we have sat down being lazy not fulfilling our God given destines. We have let others intimidate us and scare us out of our place, but I challenge every believer that reads this to Forget about the Haters, Nay Sayers and Doubters and press forth into the things that God has placed in your heart. Romans 8 ask us, “What shall we then say to these things, If God be for us, WHO can be against us? Go ahead and start that business, You can go back to school, You are better than what your situation says, You can be a better mother/father than yours was to you, You don’t have to stay under the stronghold of lack, sickness doesn’t have to take you out and you don’t have to stay in that dead-end relationship.

You must understand that you are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image and the likeness of God. God had a preordained purpose and plan for your life even before the foundation of the world. God declares in Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you and expected end. This let us know that we don’t have to accept the lie of poverty, lack, failure, hurt, oppression, depression or suppression.

So I encourage every reader, Get up from where you are or where you’ve been for some time and shift into the things that God has called you to so that you can Become and accomplish everything that God has called you to be and do.

The Decalration

Hello Everyboby!

Here I am taking the leap of Faith to start. I know some of you will like me and some will hate me. Some will offer words of encouragement other will criticize my every word, but you know what… I don’t Care!

I’m here to help those I can. I’m going to do this and I will be successful and have great reception. Check Back Soon!

Love to all,

Donell

It's Time

For so long we await people's approval and validation. We allow people to dictate to us what we can and cannot do. Then you come to a point that you say enough is enough; I'm going for myself. God has created us all for a purpose. His purpose for our lives are not based on anyone or anything except His word. We love people and we value their opinion. Many time we take their suggestions because we believe and at least hope they have our best interest at heart, but it comes a time you have to Know and Go for yourself.

One of the hardest things to do in life is let go of someone you love. Many times its the people that have been there and helped you in times past that you really need to let Go. It's not that they don't love you, but they don't know whats inside of you and where God is trying to take you. They mean well; however, sometimes we have to take the risk. Most Great Men and Women that made great accomplishments had to take risk, dare to be different and step out the norm.

No its not that you're better or you're trying to be funny; You just can't settle for mediocrity. We have to understand that everyone can't and won't go where we are going. Its not that they aren't called, but it could be that they are called to a different place. If your job move you to New York and your best friend is moved to California that doesn't mean your friend is a bad person or even you, it just mean you have different assignments in different places.

It's time for Us to get to the place God has ordained for us to go. People may or may not understand and thats ok. Destiny is Calling and we must answer!