Some Things Don't Get Old!

Some things don't get old! For instance, sitting and eating dinner with your family with no TV never gets old.  I've done it all my life as a child and now, as an adult, with my wife and kids!  You'll be amazed at how much your respect level from your kids will rise and how much they will say to you!

We eat together about 3 to 5 times per week.  The only way we don’t eat together is if I’m out of town or we have a function to attend.  I’m really talking about eating together at YOUR home at YOUR table at YOUR pace. I didn’t say that you had to cook dinner, although sometimes it would be good! (LOL)

You will notice 3 things will develop.  I used the word “develop” on purpose.  The three things that you will notice will not happen in eating together once a week and it won’t happen by doing this for two weeks then stopping. It will take effort to start eating dinner together.  Most likely everyone is doing his or her own thing, especially if you have kids in high school with their own schedule.   You must be creative in finding time!  The younger the kids the easier it is to do.  The older the kids the more difficult it will be to start.  BUT IT CAN BE DONE! 

It will be awkward at first, but if you stay persistent, one of the best habits you can ever create will develop!

Immediately you will notice that your other family members are facing issues that are important to them, but might not be important to you.  Your spouse and children are dealing with situations, good and bad, that might not be high on priority list but it’s high on theirs.  You and your family should be the ones to listen to each other.  Cause if you aren’t the one to listen, somebody else will listen!

The second thing you will see develop is a chance to have bible study.  Now hold up before you start bringing your bible to the dinner table!  The Word of God is an instruction book on life.  This is a grand opportunity to weave the Word of God in with real life situations.  You may have been trying to start a bible study in your home but it just hasn’t worked.  The reason why it hasn’t worked is because you are trying to make the word of God separate from life.  Jesus taught to thousands but His most effective ministry was one on one with people who were going through a situation at that moment.  You will find yourself in that same situation with your family at the dinner table.  Now instead of saying, “Turn your bibles to” you’ll be able to quote a scripture with or without reference to them and begin to explain how to handle the situation.  And the best part is that the Holy Spirit will help solve issues that are important to you and that are important to each of your family members.  Now before you know it you have what I’d like to call an “Organic bible Study”.  The bible study happened naturally without all the formalities of church. 

The third thing that will develop is a love for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  As the Word of God is used to resolve situations, your family will gain confidence in the Word of God and will want to know more.  The most important thing you can give to your children is access to is learning how to hear God for themselves.  Once you can hear God, you can’t be stopped!

This has been a public service announcement for a dying world!  But I want you to practice this so that neither our children or we will die with it!  There is life in the Word of God and blood of Jesus!

Releasing the Spirit, Provoking Thought, and Causing Increase,

Leroy Thompson, Jr.

Honor: If You Want It, Give It!

I was meditating I Corinthians 9:1-11.  In that passage, Paul was talking to the Corinthians about, his calling, his personal life, money, and what he should get.  Remember he is also the author of some of your beloved passages in the bible such as I Corinthians 13, Romans 8, Ephesians 1, and many others.  So what Paul says in I Corinthians 9 has accreditation. 

I want to point out one thing he said in that passage.  Actually, I want to point out a couple of things!   It is important that you grab this because this passage has more to do with honor than anything else.  In the world system, honor is a dying word.  Proper civil disobedience, which carried honor, has turned into just blatant disrespect and a lack of honor.  This is why the economy is in the shape that it’s in and our country is headed in the direction it’s headed.  WE CAN’T LET DISHONOR ENTER THE CHURCH!

Paul began by reaffirming his calling to the people of Corinth.  Then he proceeded to talk about the rights that he and Barnabus have. Paul goes on to talk about farm animals.  Read what he said in I Cor 9:9.

For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?

Paul was telling the people at Corinth, who were beginning to experience success in their lives, that it was because of God using them (Paul and Barnabus) to share with them (the Corinthians) spiritual principles and anointing to add to their obedience that was causing the success.  So Paul wanted to know why was it a problem for them to receive HONOR from them.  Paul was letting the people at Corinth know that life is easier because they have someone teaching them how to make life easier.  Of course they (the Corinthians) could have treaded the corn themselves (discover, develop and position plans for success with out any guarantee that they would work), but now all they had to do was follow principles (gather and cook the corn) that were taught and enjoy the fruits of their labor (eat the corn).  I hope you got my illustration.

Your life is made easier because you are being taught principles of life that govern the Kingdom of God and cause you to be successful in a stingy world system. So it’s only right that you HONOR the one that is enlightening you to those principles of the Kingdom of God. 

That leads me to my 2^nd and final point in this passage.  Paul made a statement that  shows more about his trust in God and His word than anything else. In the I Corinthians 9:11, Paul said this:

 ¹¹If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal (natural) things?

That scripture was written in the light that success overtook the Corinthians.  Paul had so much confidence that what God was revealing to the Corinthians through him and Barnabus would produce.  And it was the reason for the Corinthians success! 

In that same manner, what you hear spiritually at your church from your man or woman of God should produce results, fruit, or manifestation in your physical life.  And if it does, then you should show honor to who honor is due!  But sometimes to understand a scripture completely, you need to hear what it means but didn’t say.  Paul was also saying that if what we have taught you spiritually hasn’t produced any natural results then there is nothing for us to reap and we shouldn’t!

It is dishonorable for you to forget about the man and woman of God that made life easier and better for you by praying with you, crying with you, standing with you, counseling you, fighting battles with you, spending time with God so that they could minister to you, constantly searching for more of God to share with you, and most importantly, releasing their anointing on you!

Think about what you would want to happen to you when you were in those positions helping somebody and their life increased because of what you did.  Maybe you’ll take it better if I use bible talk.  Galatians 6:7 reads:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

If you sow honor, you will reap honor.  If you sow dishonor, you will reap dishonor.  The next time you increase don’t forget that if it wasn’t for you spiritual leader saying what “THUS SAITH THE LORD” to you then you wouldn’t have even sniffed increase.  I structure my life on four things, LOVE, HONOR, LOYALTY, AND INTEGRITY.  And I’m reaping all those things in my life as a result!

I leave you with this statement.  If the church you are in is not causing success in your natural life, then the leader, pastor, overseer, bishop, prophet, or apostle of that church should reap anything either!

Releasing the Spirit, Provoking Thought, and Causing Increase,

 Leroy Thompson Jr.

www.ucanbeatdebt.com

The Opportunity that Produce All Other Opportunities!

There was a virus on my twitter account (@leroyjrt).  The virus posted a website about quick money from home.  A young man that is following me on twitter responded to ask me if this was a legit twitter post from me.   I responded to let him know that it wasn’t legit.  But then I heard the Holy Spirit, in my ear, say No Shortcuts! Seedtime and harvest first! Everything else follows!

There are some people that are coming into the church trying to replace God as the source of increase.  Nowhere in the bible did God give up the title as Provider. They are entering the church with “opportunities”.  God is the originator of the greatest opportunity there is, which is seedtime and harvest, giving and receiving, sowing and reaping! EVERYTHING ELSE AND EVERY OTHER OPPORTUNITY IS A RESULT OF THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY EVER GIVEN! 

Until you master sowing and reaping, you will always struggle with money and happiness.  Money and happiness are like salt and pepper.  They don’t control each other. You can have one without the other, BUT together they make food taste so much better.  Proverbs 10:22 says, “ The Blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich and added no sorrow. “  So the blessing from God is the only thing that can make money and happiness cooperate!  You don’t have to choose between one and the other!

I’ve had many people who call and waste my time by telling me they have an opportunity for me that will change my life.  My first response to them always is “My life is constantly being changed by my sowing and reaping”. 

I trust God to show me opportunities.  That’s what He promised in Deuteronomy 8:18.  He gave me the power to get wealth, but if I don’t adhere to Luke 16:11, I will jump for everything that comes to try and help God with my increase.  I Corinthians 3: 6-7 clearly makes it known that GOD is the one that gives the increase, NO ONE ELSE OR ANYTHING ELSE. In other words, God will reveal opportunities to you that will cause increase for EVERYONE (buyer, seller, giver, receiver) involved. His opportunities leave everyone involved whole.

According to Luke 16:11, I must first learn how to handle the opportunities I presently have before I get introduced to bigger opportunities from God.  What most people want is for God to give them an opportunity to handle $1 million and they can’t handle $100.  God will introduce bigger opportunities based on present behavior with present opportunities. In Isaiah 48:17, the bible says that God is willing to teach us how to profit and how we should do it.  Teaching is a main ingredient to growth. When God teaches you how to do something and you follow His directions, no one can stop the results from that opportunity from coming into your life!  So if God teaches and shows you opportunities for increase based on what you have handled already, you can rest assured that nobody can stop you from prospering.

Finally, Luke 16:11 says,

            If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

Why would God (Lord of the Harvest, the Provider, Increase giver) give me more than I have now when I can’t trust His system of seedtime and harvest with what I have now?  Stop helping God with channels and wait on him to reveal opportunities!

Releasing the Spirit, Provoking Thought, Causing Increase

Leroy Thompson Jr.

www.ucanbeatdebt.com

Next U Can Beat Debt webinar sessions begins September 4, 2011.  For more info, go to www.ucanbeatdebt.com.