Turn-Around Tuesday – Fear Tears Away One’s Hope

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.” After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”” (Genesis 14:24–15:1, ESV)

Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great. Fear is a monster that seems to come out of nowhere and take over our minds and hearts. It plays on our emotions and causes us to doubt the very things we know are true.

As insidious as a stalker, fear can penetrate our every waking – and sleeping – moment. Dripping with terror, we are drenched in the fantasy that all is lost and hope no longer exists. Gnawing at our hearts is eats away our confidence like the food relatives eat at a picnic! No one seems to be immune.

Take Abraham. Fresh from his victory over superior forces, Abraham remains generous to the end of the victory. To King Melchizedek of Salem (one day to be called, Jerusalem), he gives away ten percent of all he recovered and asks to keep nothing.

Now, at home, in the quietness of his afterthoughts, Abraham begins to question his decisions, his life, his future, and fear joins the discussion. Don’t you hate that? I mean, why does fear have to come uninvited? And why does it stay so long?

Whenever fear enters, hope exits. Possibility goes with hope as well. And all we are left with is fear and it’s friends, despair, darkness, and disappointment.

God wants to remove our fear and focus us on the future He has planned for us. And so, He commands Abraham to stop fearing! Fear then is an emotion we can control. Why should fear be stopped? Because God shields us from all the evil we imagine and the evil we can’t see. What we should focus on are the promises of God. In them, we find our future, our hope, our “very great” reward.

If you are struggling right now and life isn’t turning out the way you had hoped it would stop fearing. Choose to remember God is our ever-present Protector from all evil and great will be our rewards!

Turn-Around Tuesdays are designed to bring hope and help, insight and encouragement to those of us who are simply overwhelmed by the flood of problems life throws at us. No one is immune to trials and troubles, but God has a way of lifting us from life’s torrents. Each short thought is written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and comes from his life-journey with the God who never leaves us or forsakes us. He welcomes your comments below.

 

 

 

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Magnificent Marriage Monday – Reprimanded By God For Faithlessness!

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?” So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to you!” But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring.” (Genesis 17:17–19, CSB)

But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.No one likes to be told they are wrong. In fact, no one likes to be told much of anything. Yet, when we are wrong, especially in marriage, someone has to stop us from continuing down the path of no return and steering us back to the Path of Life.

When God steps up and voices His disapproval for our choices and opinions, we know things are serious. But God cares about the thought life of a husband and wife. He knows that “A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.” (Luke 6:45, CSB)

So, God corrects. He does so through His indwelling Spirit, through the revealed words of God (the Bible), and from those around us who love and care for us. However He speaks to us, it is essential that we listen because the future direction and blessing of our marriage will depend upon it. God guides us because He has a better plan for us.

When God spoke to Abraham He vetoed Abe’s plan immediately. There is no room for our “shortcuts” in God’s economy. Ishmael and his posterity are still a thorn in the side of Israel. This is frequently the case. What we feel is a “help” to God will almost always turn out to be a problem for us, for our children, and for the generations to come.

So today, as you consider your marriage, your choices, and God’s voice, what will you do? Are you ready to step into God’s Path of Life once again? With each choice, we can either walk with Him or walk away from all that He has as we walk away from Him.

God has a plan. It’s probably close to impossible. After all, God does that kind of thing on a daily basis. Are you choosing impossible today? If you are, tell God your choice. He’ll more than bless you!

Magnificent Marriage Mondays are helpful hints, clues, ideas, and solutions for the child of God who is looking for a spouse, in a relationship with someone, or are already married. Each post seeks to bring help, hope, and honesty to your life and make the rest of your life, the best of your life. They are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his 38 years, 5 months and 2 days experience with his wife, Melodee, who was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. He is currently seeking God’s will for his new life partner. He welcomes your comments below.

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Hope For Today – Loving Our Enemies!

Posted on February 24, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

I’m Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and I want to share some Hope For Today about, Loving our enemies!

Check it out at the link below. Click the link below to listen. Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: EaglesInLeadership.org.

Just push the media button below to hear this encouraging message!

We hope you’ll consider going to Israel with the Eagles In Leadership group this December! Click the link, “Join Us In Israel This Fall,” at the top of the website for more information.

And, if you are so inclined, sign up for more encouragement through notifications (UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THE WEBSITE) of other blogs and podcasts while you are at the Eagles in Leadership​ website.

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Faith Filled Friday – Believing While Watching!

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. She said, “Drink, my lord.” And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again to the well to draw water, and she drew for all his camels. The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.” (Genesis 24:15, 18–21, ESV)

The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not. God answers our prayers of faith. Yet, have you noticed how faithless we can be when God answers the prayers we pray? Like Abraham’s servant, when God answered his scenario exactly he still didn’t believe it for sure.

And why shouldn’t he doubt? I mean, this was like an instant answer to prayer. Can you imagine the long nights during the journey? There, staring into the very stars God used to promise Abraham of his abundance of descendants, this servant must have poured out his heart for success. There had to be an heir!

Now, here he stands watching the very fulfillment of his every request. Had he only been in town a few minutes? Could God really answer this quickly? Was it even possible that the first woman that came forward was the answer to all of his requests?

In our lives, God longs to answer our prayers. But answers are energized by our faith. God wants us to connect the reality of His ability to the need of our situation. He longs for us to comprehend that He is infinitely interested in the daily minutia of our lives. He loves us and just wants us to open our minds to the reality that He is constantly watching us, paying attention to our every step.

Perhaps today you are realizing that God is waiting for you before He answers your prayers. Maybe its time to reaffirm He cares so much more than you have given Him credit for. Is it time to step forward by faith and ask God to answer your prayer in a way you can understand that answer and believe it when you see it?

 

Faith Filled Fridays hope to boost your trust in God and accelerate your daring and courage in everyday life. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each encouragement out of a heart that has known both great joy and great loss – his wife of 38 years, 5 months and 2 days was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. Through every experience, God has proven Himself more than faithful and trustworthy. He welcomes your comments below.

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Train Them Thursday – When God Speaks!

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.” (Matthew 2:13–14, NASB95)

So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. Fully devoted followers of Jesus obey immediately. In fact, to delay is to disobey.  When God calls us we go, we do, we stop, we tell, we forgive, we respond. Why? Because “you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:20, NASB95)

It is in the spiritual nature God imparts to our souls to obey. We know, deep within our spirit, that God is both compassionate and wise. When He speaks He is motivated for our good, never for our evil. Despite what the voices around us are saying and the circumstances we find ourselves experiencing; God is working out His plan.

In His time God will reveal the “whys” to our questions. For now, we trust His character. He hasn’t let us down yet and the last page to our lives isn’t written either. In the end, all wrongs will be made right and all sacrifices will be rewarded.

Despite the incredible hardship and the dead of night, Joseph knew God was acting on his behalf and for the sake of his family. As most new fathers, he did what had to be done to protect them, in response to the urgent warning of God.

Perhaps, like I, you had never thought about this. When Joseph left, he didn’t know about the slaughter of the innocent baby boys two years and below. He just knew to flee! It would be weeks, perhaps months, before word would come to him of the wretched evil of Herod, the bloodthirsty maniac on the throne.

You see when we obey God blesses, but we might not know what He has spared us from for a while, or until eternity. For now, we need only trust and obey, to respond knowing He is compassionate and wise. Joseph assures us it will be worth it all as a result.

Train Them Thursdays seeks to wed the Great Commission directive of Jesus with the practice He employed while on Earth. Each nugget is meant to encourage the reader with a “can-do” spirit to realize that discipleship is something each person is both capable of and empowered to accomplish. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each thought and they flow out of decades of his tried and true field-testing in multiple settings from rural to inner city. He welcomes your comments below.

 

 

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Patience and Purity When Wanting Sex

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

In part two of this three-part interview, Dr. Smith talks with Keisa Jones, author of Preparation While You Wait, Real Talk For Women of God Waiting On Their Promise about patience and purity when wanting sex.

In today’s episode, author Keisa Jones speaks to us about patience and how she has developed it when she wants sex but is single and saved. She also talks about her incredible trust in God and how she has developed that trust with God and where it has lead her to.

Eagles In Leadership highly recommends Keisa’s book to you. If you would like to purchase Keisa’s book, just click the book title here: Preparation While You Wait, Real Talk For Women of God Waiting On Their Promise.

* WARNING: This is a frank and transparent discussion and may not be suitable for younger listeners.

About our guest author: Keisa Jones is a passionate woman of great faith and loves the Lord with every fiber of her being. She is an encourager, motivator and servant leader in the Body of Christ; being called to share the truth and love of God to the NATIONS. She understands the mandate from God to go to the nations and kingdoms “to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” During an encounter 10 years ago with the power of salvation, she fully surrendered her life to God. Learning through prayer, relationship and the study of God’s Word has been her focus and commitment.

She currently serves as a Minister of Open Door Worship Center under the leadership of Bishop Deon and Prophetess Fannette Douglas. The Lord has given Keisa a heart and passion for leaders and those hurt and broken. She has dedicated her life to live as a true example of a BELIEVER and FOLLOWER of Jesus Christ. Her motto has become, “For God I live and for God, I die!

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Willing Worker Wednesday – God Chose You To Speak Out

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the vicinity of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Luke 3:1–3, HCSB)

God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. God has given you a unique message. While there are lots of other people in the world – as of this writing it’s 7.53 billion – God has given you a unique message to tell. And the choice is always ours. Will we give voice to the message of God or will we remain silent like so many others have done and continue to do?

You will notice in this passage we have just read that there is a king, some governors (tetrarchs are governors), and two high priests. However, if you slow down you will notice God didn’t speak to any of those VIPs. He chose a seeming “nobody” to speak a message that turned people into “somebodies” – children of God.

And this is God’s preferred method. As Paul writes, “Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world —what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one can boast in His presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:27–29, HCSB)

You have been given a message for humanity. While you may not know it yet, someone needs to hear that message. It will make an eternal impact. That is why God entrusted you with it and you to share it. Something will not be right in the Kingdom of God if you do not share that message.

What’s more, the message God has given you is probably not like what others are saying. I mean, if it was you wouldn’t be necessary, right? The way you speak, the words you use, the tone you deliver it in, and the personality you wrap all that in is the essential key God will use to change a life or lives.

You are amazing! Give voice to God’s message in you!

 

Willing Worker Wednesdays are dedicated to explaining the core realities of servant leadership – the Biblical principles and methods used by God’s faithful people throughout time. They further reflect the lifestyle of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords as He walked on this earth announcing the Kingdom of God had arrived. These brief lessons are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his extensive ministry within the local church, in higher education, in church consulting and as a Biblical author and leader. He welcomes your comments below.

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Turn-Around Tuesday – When God Sends Help

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.” (Genesis 14:14–16, ESV)

Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people. Captivity is no place for the child of God! Yet, all too often, the forces against us seem to be greater than the strength within us.  When we lose the battle to the beasts that prey upon us, despair can become an all too familiar “friend.”

It is the darkness that destroys many of us. Whether the lights are on or not, we feel the oppression and we grope for a way out, to no avail. It doesn’t matter anymore whether our choices or someone else’s advances brought about our incarceration. This captivity eats our soul alive. Sadness overwhelms and hope fades.

Lot was a captive along with all those from his community. Overwhelming forces quickly carried the people of Sodom away. Just looking around created a sense of hopelessness. All these people and so many more military! Life couldn’t get any worse, that’s for sure.

If you are where Lot was, and you’re locked up and away by forces greater than you can overcome, God wants you to hear that help is on the way! He has those who love you all around. Being dear to another means greater hope in the moment.

You are on God’s mind and as you cry out to Him in your darkness, God’s heart is pulled. Just as a father cannot bear the cries of pain from his child, so too, God can’t bear your weeping and tears.

Now is the time to explode in a cacophony of wailing. Vent your pain to God. Let Him hear the agony you are in. He is moved by your emotion and will mount your rescue quickly in order to bring His captive child home safe and sound.

Be real, be vocal, and be ready for your release! Help is on the way!

Turn-Around Tuesdays are designed to bring hope and help, insight and encouragement to those of us who are simply overwhelmed by the flood of problems life throws at us. No one is immune to trials and troubles, but God has a way of lifting us from life’s torrents. Each short thought is written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and comes from his life-journey with the God who never leaves us or forsakes us. He welcomes your comments below.

 

 

 

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Magnificent Marriage Monday – Struggling To Believe The Impossible!

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah will be her name. I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?”” (Genesis 17:15–17, CSB)

Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?” Why is it so hard to believe God when He tells us He will do the impossible in our marriage? Why do we choose not to believe? Why is doubt easier than faith?

Notice Abraham’s reaction to God’s promise. “Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed.” Have you ever reacted like this to something God has told you concerning your marriage? Sometimes the promises of God seem ridiculous, especially when we are walking in the flesh and not in the Spirit. Doubt requires nothing of us.

When Abraham heard these words of God, the promise of a son from his post-menopausal wife, his knowledge of science overruled his experience with his God. Are you familiar with this scenario? Do you know what I’m talking about?

Often we choose to believe what we know instead of whom we know. When our rational mind overtakes God’s promises, we are headed for unbelief. It is in those moments that we must will ourselves to trust the One who spoke and the universe appeared. Until we do that, we will hold God’s promises for our marriage in derision.

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, CSB) Reality. There’s the issue. Is God our reality? Or, do we trust what we can touch and see? The Bible calls that walking by sight and not by faith (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Marriage is about trusting God, about believing God for the impossible. When we lead with a, “Yes, God, I believe you!” God does amazing things for us. Marriage changes when we act in faith!

What impossible thing do you need to trust God for right now?

Magnificent Marriage Mondays are helpful hints, clues, ideas, and solutions for the child of God who is looking for a spouse, in a relationship with someone, or are already married. Each post seeks to bring help, hope, and honesty to your life and make the rest of your life, the best of your life. They are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his 38 years, 5 months and 2 days experience with his wife, Melodee, who was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. He is currently seeking God’s will for his new life partner. He welcomes your comments below.

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Hope For Today – Loving One Another Just As Jesus Loves Us!

Posted on February 17, 2019 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

I’m Dr. Matthew Lee Smith and I want to share some Hope For Today about, Loving one another just as Jesus loves us!

Check it out at the link below. Click the link below to listen. Hope For Today is a part of the ministry of Eagles In Leadership. If you would like to know more about the hope God gives and His abundant life through Jesus Christ, I would invite you to check out our website: EaglesInLeadership.org.

Just push the media button below to hear this encouraging message!

We hope you’ll consider going to Israel with the Eagles In Leadership group this December! Click the link, “Join Us In Israel This Fall,” at the top of the website for more information.

And, if you are so inclined, sign up for more encouragement through notifications (UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THE WEBSITE) of other blogs and podcasts while you are at the Eagles in Leadership​ website.

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