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REDUCE STRESS DURING A PANDEMIC
Our upcoming virtual seminar on the stress and affects COVID-19 is having on our nation will be on December 12th from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm (EST).
FIVE medical and mental health professionals will offer tips and techniques to de-escalate tension in the home and identify stress in children due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two professionals have Ph.Ds. in Psychiatry and Psychology; one is a counselor; another is a pediatrician; and one is an emergency M.D.
There will be a One-Hour Q&A after the lecture, so prepare your questions in advance.
Come hear these professionals for FREE on December 12th from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm (EST).
To access the seminar on December 12th, go to: https://www.facebook.com/greatestcommand/
Support us by sharing this opportunity with your family and friends. It’s not often we get to experience such good quality professional help on this level. The death toll in the United States is rising, and will only get worse, right in the middle of the holidays.
Join us for this virtual seminar and take advantage of these services for FREE.
If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Donna B. Comeaux
Spiritual Accountability
Matthew 25:14-30
The Parable of the Talents
Have you ever had to leave your home for an extended period of time and entrust your property to someone until you return?
What are some of the things you worry about?
Will the doors still be attached to their hinges?
Is the carpet torn?
Has someone rammed the car into the garage door?
It’s a scary thought, isn’t it?
Take a moment and suppose you’re the tenant—one entrusted to care for another’s property. You’ve been given all the tools needed for its upkeep.
- The gardener has been arranged to come once a week to cut the lawn.
- The sprinklers are timed perfectly to come on in the morning and late in the evening.
- The maid is scheduled to come in twice a week to clean.
- The utilities are paid through an automatic draft.
- The home is paid for and no rent or mortgage is due.
All is necessary is you keep a visible presence so no harm is brought upon you or the property.
The owner of the home, however, is delayed and his return is unknown. For many reasons, you grow restless. Then careless. Things are spilled on the stainless-steel stove and you are slow to keep it clean, making it harder for the maid to scrub out the mess. Many maids don’t clean the refrigerator, and your laziness is evident by the stink fanning in your face each time you open the refrigerator door. As the days grow long, and the owner is further delayed, you grow more restless, sloughing on the couch, leaving behind paper wrappers, filled garbage cans, causing the maid to work longer hours and leave many things undone.
Out of anger and frustration, out of loneliness and depression, you ram your fist in the wall because you are bored, you are alone, you don’t know what to do with such a large house and your weariness to leave the comfort of this beautiful home grows by the day.
In contrast, your best friend house-sits for a living because the pandemic has taken away good-paying jobs. Word is spread of his faithfulness, his diligence, and his attention to detail. As a result, he is not only paid fifty percent more than most, he receives steady work as compensation for the meticulous care of his master’s property.
Think this story is too far-fetched?
Okay.
Try this.
Before you were born, God knew you. He made every hair on your head, formed every bone in your body. He made you perfect. He made you different. He clothed you with talents, gifts, a way of speaking, tics and habits that define only you. He’s equipped you with everything you need, and has even extended enough kindness to give you some of what you want.
All you need to do is feed the body, keep the body clean, offer it in worship to God, keep it spiritually fed.
But too often we feed on nonsense: the wrong television programs, terrible and scary movies, dating and marrying men outside the body, feeding off hate and discord instead of truth and spiritual peace. And yet, while we partake in such things, we still expect God to bless us. I caution you: if you’re not being blessed, could it be associated with your lack of obedience?
Perhaps it is.
In Matthew 25:14-30, the servants weren’t punished because they didn’t profit by the same amount. No. They were rewarded according to their willingness to replicate their talents. Each servant invested his talents and doubled the return. That is, except one. Out of fear of judgment, one servant buried his talent.
I can’t help but think of Itzhak Perlman (pronounced E-Sok) as I write this piece. Itzhak is a seventy-five-year-old Israeli-American—a classical violinist, conductor, and music teacher—who stunned the world with his exquisite ability to play the violin. He has performed throughout all over the world. At age four, Itzhak contracted polio, and has been unable to walk without the aid of crutches ever since.
Why do I bring up this story?
On the surface, you and I can sit and make a list of things we can’t do if we were to lose our ability to walk. It never occurs to us to make a list of things we can accomplish regardless of our circumstances.
If you were to read Itzhak Perlman’s accomplishments, you would never see his “can’t” list. You would rather gape at his accomplishments, in awe, as he sits in a chair to be introduced, never noticing the crutches on the floor next to his chair … Until he attempts to stand.
It is then that your mind races in wonder … How is he going to play that tiny instrument and hold himself up?
But when Itzhak pulls on the first string, your wonder transforms to a spectacular and glorious reality. His music seems to tiptoe … then rise and dip … skip and playfully lift the soul.
I don’t have any musical talents. I don’t know where the “C” key is located on a piano, or what part the black keys play when composing a tune. But I can appreciate Itzhak’s talent. Above all, I appreciate his tenacity to focus on his abilities rather than on his disabilities.
Hidden in your shell of a body is a gift. We’re all born with one. Like the servants in Matthew 25, some are blessed with several talents. Itzhak took his one gift and doubled it, blessing the entire world with it. God expects you to do the same with the talent he’s given you. You and I may never become classical composers, but we will become something grand.
To unleash that grandeur, we must not become lazy servants and dig a hole to hide our gift.
The Holy Spirit has been speaking to you for a long time, urging you to get up and get busy. What better time than now? When the world needs you most. When your gift is at the height of fulfillment. When there is so much to be done.
In Matthew 9:37, it reads:
“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.’”
In John 4:35, it reads:
“Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”
Opportunities pass.
If you don’t seize the moment, you are plagued with guilt and unfulfillment. Sooner or later you become bitter, angry, jealous, envious … filled with a contentious spirit, greedy, wanton.
God intends for you to invest your life, invest your wealth, invest your resources; not waste them. The foolish are neglectful and abuse the power entrusted to them … acting out of fear … afraid to take risks … more interested in protecting their own well-being.
You are called to live righteous lives, in full obedience which brings about freedom so you can perform to your potential.
In the wake of this pandemic, we haven’t been able to “step out” for a while now. Have we? Our Gucci bags are collecting dust—the leather is rotting; so is the leather on our Prada red-soled shoes. Our diamonds will remain for another’s hand … or wrist … or neck. Corners of our fine homes are collecting gossamer trappings … meals for creepy things as we await another opportunity to host needless parties so we can flaunt our riches.
This pandemic is teaching us that none of those things have meaning. The pandemic is sifting our priorities like wheat, leaving behind whatever we thought was relative to our lives.
What is left once your priorities are sifted? What was so important to you? Who did you put before the Holy One? Who’s sitting on God’s Holy Throne? Who distracted and convinced you to disobey our Holy Father? What intoxicating music or filthy words captivated and lured you away from the Truth?
The pandemic is sifting you like wheat, and I want to know what’s left of you?
What should remain is your endurance and faithfulness in the Holy One. What should remain is your steadfast love for the brotherhood. What should remain is your godliness and righteous living … until the owner of your spiritual house returns.
We are called to be good stewards—to serve the brotherhood of believers, to feed the hungry, to entertain strangers, to visit the sick, to comfort the weak, to pray without ceasing, to—above all—love one another.
When the bridegroom returns, you will be held accountable. Mother can’t help you. Daddy will be speechless. Siblings will hide. Friends will flee. You are alone at the feet of our Holy Father to give account of what you KNEW to do and failed to do because you were too afraid to take a risk to open your home, cook a meal, visit a prisoner, or love the unloving.
You have a choice.
Be obedient and follow his commands.
Or dig a hole, bury your talent, and await the judgment.
There are no gray areas. There are no other options.
It’s up to you.
Yes, your Spiritual Accountability is completely your own. You won’t be able to hide. And your excuses won’t be enough!
Sisters, the choice is yours. You’ve been exposed. You and God fully know. Answer the call or ignore it. But with certainty, you will be held Spiritually Accountable for all that you do, or don’t do.
It’s up to you.
Donna B. Comeaux
October 15, 2020
This is Lesson #261 and the audio is below:
Has Your Lamp Been Removed?
Revelation 1-3
As I sat down with my morning coffee, I wondered what I would say, and how I would say it to you. What came to mind is our new journey. For one thing, we are all adjusting to the confines of the Covid-19 pandemic. For another, we are welcoming our new preacher and his family into our congregation.
When thinking about the adjustments we all need to make, I can’t help but wonder where I’ve gone wrong … what I need to change about myself … how I can be of better service to others? I think on this because of Revelation 1-3.
I imagine myself standing before the throne of God trembling in fear to behold his majesty. When I read God’s pronouncement upon the seven churches of Asia, I couldn’t help but tear up over what’s lacking in my life. I don’t want the Father to sit me down and tell me I’m good in this area of my life, but I lack in another, and if I don’t straighten up, I will be judged.
But how can I avoid such fate?
The Church of Smyrna and the church of Philadelphia are the only two churches out of seven found without fault.
Stunning.
What state will our church be in if Jesus comes with the clouds today? And what part have I played in my church’s demise or in my church’s glory before the Lord?
I don’t like new beginnings. I like routine. I would rather stay couped up in my house and not visit with a soul. I’m comfortable. Stubborn. Anti-social. I need no fanfare. I don’t care for gossip and I literally hate the telephone.
But as I write these words, I’m faced with this question: What am I willing to give of myself to further the kingdom of my Father?
The seven churches mentioned in Revelation are in Asia, specifically, modern-day Turkey, in the eastern Mediterranean area, on or near the Aegean Sea coastline, and were under Roman rule.
Ephesus was a city of 250,000 people, prosperous, wealthy, in the on/near the Aegean Sea, and under Roman rule. The ancient Greek city was located off the coast of Ionia, 3 Km southwest of present-day Selçuk in the Izmir Province, Turkey.
Smyrna is a city north of Ephesus – located on the Aegean Sea coastline that was later captured and destroyed by the Greeks, but rebuilt in the 3rd century, to later become an ally of Rome; is the third largest city in the country. It, too, was prosperous and had magnificent buildings. Today, known as Izmir.
Pergamos / Pergamon / Pergamum – located in the western portion of Asia Minor and north of Smyrna, approximately 15 miles inland of the Aegean Sea, and was once the capital of the Roman province.
Thyatira is located near the Lycus River and it’s where Paul and his companions were invited to stay at the house of Lydia where she and her household were baptized. This city is now known as Akhisar.
Sardis is located 50 miles east of Smyrna, 30 miles south of Thyatira. The Christian community was small and weak and a lot of them returned to their old religious beliefs. It was formerly the capitol of Lydia.
Philadelphia is located 30 miles southeast of Sardis, founded by Attalus II Philadelphus of Pergamos. It was destroyed by an earthquake in AD 17, but rebuilt by Emperor Tiberius. It is now known as Alasehir.
Laodicea is located 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia and 80 miles east of Ephesus in western Asia Minor – Turkey. It was renowned for its fine woolen garments and eye salves. This city is now known as Denizli.
The Church of Ephesus forsook their first love – Christ.
The Church of Pergamum had those in their midst who worshipped other gods and were sexually immoral.
The Church of Thyatira tolerated Jezebel who called herself a prophetess, teaching and misleading God’s servants.
The Church of Sardis is dead but pretending to be alive, their deeds incomplete.
The Church of Laodicea is lukewarm and is nauseating before the Lord.
What state are we in and how have I helped propel our sentence before the Lord?
I can’t answer this question for you, for I can’t assume to know what you know.
But I can say with certainty that each one of us has a role to play in helping to edify the Church of God. None of us has the right to warm a pew, nod in each other’s direction, cross our legs and criticize, sit back in silence, and carry on.
This is the time to pivot … to seize this opportunity … to set goals for ourselves in order to help the church move forward and not backward. We can’t afford to waste time waiting for a preacher, an elder, a younger person, or more families to move in, or our contributions to increase before we change our attitudes toward one another. When I stand before the throne of God, I will answer only for myself.
This is serious spiritual business. This isn’t a game. Prayer is not something you say, mere words, but is an interaction with God on behalf of another. Christianity is a spiritual communal affair. It requires engaging with others.
And have I mentioned that I’m anti-social and I’d rather stay home, alone, without a telephone?
How can you encourage me to change? What good can I be to the church with my selfish attitude?
Sadly, the answer is: I can’t be of use to anyone. Unless. I. Change.
And you won’t grow either if you do not change.
We are all called to grow in the spirit by the Word of God.
When I think of the seven churches and the seven angels assigned to them, I can’t escape the possible fate we may fall into, both individually, and as a church. I’m hoping my obedience to the Father will increase … my love for the brotherhood will be sincere … and most of all, my love for God will be fervent and without fault.
But to love God is to love my brother and sisters. In I John 4; specifically, v.7-11; and v.21, we are commanded to love each other.
If I continue to conduct my life … If you continue to conduct your life the same way you did a month ago, what have we profited? Do we not fear God’s wrath? Do you really think your church attendance is enough to ensure you have a seat at God’s table?
I want so much more than just to act like a Christian and attend worship service. I want God to change me inside out. I want God to scrub away the callouses until I am raw and tender in heart. I want to look upon people with love–not filled with hate, not by social class, not by political parties, not by ethnicities, not by education, not by financial status. I want to give all of me without complaining, without wishing and hoping for something in return. I want a steadfast love–a love without blemish, a love without fault, a love without judgment.
For all of that to happen, I must humble myself before the feet of Jesus and stop playing and acting the part in a play. I must turn in my Actors Guild Awards and replace it with bent knees, and a humble and repentant heart before the Father.
For all of that to happen, I must give up my complacency, give up my attitude of “I’ve put in my time. Let someone else do it.”
Until that happens, it won’t matter what preacher you’ve hired, how many people have joined our congregation, if we have an adequate number of elders, or if our contributions have increased. You see, if we accomplish all these things and have not love, we will stand before the Lord and He will not fail to voice his displeasure and tell us that we are lacking and have forsaken our first love.
Two of the main themes in the book of Revelation is God’s encouragement to the church — telling them that they have a greater future than the chaos surrounding them; and the revelation of God’s awareness of their deeds. A reward awaits those who endure. Jesus is still and will always be the head of all things. He is the King of all kings, God of all gods. In the book of Revelation, God unveils the church’s immediate future so they can be comforted in times of persecution. He’s encouraging you to hang in there, don’t give up, persevere, for when Jesus comes with the clouds the final victory of the Lamb over Satan will occur and we need to stand ready.
God knows your deed, your hard work, your issues with complacency and laziness, your unwillingness to volunteer to be of service to the church, your hardened heart, your perseverance, your fears, the tears you’ve shed over disobedient children. Like the seven churches, he knows your hate for wickedness, how you’ve tested friends and loved ones, members of the body only to find them false or lacking, yet, you have persevered and endured for his namesake and have not grown weary. Be of good cheer! Be of good courage for God rewards the faithful.
To the Church at Ephesus, he gave the right to eat from the tree of life.
To the Church at Smyrna, he promised no pain by the second death.
To the Church at Pergamos, he presented them with a white stone with a new name.
To the Church at Thyatira, he gave authority over nations.
To the Church at Sardis, he promises to never blot out their names from the book of life but will acknowledge them before the Father and his angels.
To the Church at Philadelphia, he wrote God’s name and city, the new Jerusalem, upon them.
To the Church at Laodicea, he gives the right to sit on Jesus’ throne and Jesus will eat with them.
The promises of God are sure, firm, and will not fade with time. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is, and was, and is to come. Daily renew these words in your mind basis so your spirit can be refreshed.
God will not gloss over your complacency. He won’t ignore it. Like he found fault with the seven churches of Asia, he, too, finds fault with me and you. Imagine you are before the Father. What will you confess? Or rather, what is the first thing you will try to hide from him?
My encouragement to you today, is, for once, be honest with God. Stop all the talking with one another and talk to God. Confess your complacency. Confess your unwillingness to give of yourself, to be of service to your local congregation, to love the brotherhood of believers. Confess why you are expecting so much in return and no longer willing to give of your time.
For anything short of repentance is no repentance at all. And without repentance, there is no seeing the Father face-to-face, no eating at his table, no crown of life, no eating from the tree of life.
I am lacking. I must do more.
How about you?
Are you really willing to run the risk of having your Lamp removed?
September 19, 2020
Donna B. Comeaux
LOVE ON PURPOSE
Ephesians 1
(NIV)
Have you ever asked, “Why did God make us … only for us to die and be apart from one another?” “Why get married then be separated by death?”
Questions like these are stirred by our quest to understand God’s purpose. There’s nothing wrong with us asking these questions. God knew you would ask. And he’s prepared an answer for you.
Ephesians 1:4-6 reads,
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
God didn’t wake up one morning and haphazardly decide to form a ball, dig in the dirt, and scoop you out.
He planned, set things in order, gave his son directions to be carried out later, then put everything into motion.
After we went astray, he could have withdrawn his hand and turned his back on us. Instead, he followed through with his commitment to love us … planning to love despite our failures. Take a closer look at Ephesians 1. This time let’s zoom in on the adoption:
“In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ …”
This means God prepared a way for us after we fell. He loved us so much that he was unwilling to leave us on our own. He made a way to reconcile us to himself.
God loved on purpose. This is God’s intent. This is who he is. This is his commitment. We might refer to this as a reckless love … a love without boundaries … a love without fault … an endearing, long-lasting love. If you think of God’s love in this manner, you’d be correct.
We are called to mimic not only his sacrifice but also his love for us.
What is it about us … as a people … that causes us to envy one another? What creates our quarrels and causes you to “lose your religion?”
Go to Ephesians 2:10 and read,
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
“… prepared in advance?” A workmanship? Created to do good works? What good works?
Many of us in the body of Christ are excellent in the mission field. We’ve seen countless videos of those who work tirelessly in the jungles of Africa, on the cold streets of Russia, under the watchful eyes of China. Under our breath, we mumble, “I wish I could do that.”
Those wishes sometimes catch us at a weak moment and it turns to envy. Envy causes us to fight.
Go to James 4:1-3 and read,
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
This verse covers more than worldly possessions. It covers any and everything that battles or conflicts with the Holy Spirit living within us. It covers our covetous desires to be like sister “so and so.” It covers the desires for your husband to be more like “Brother Moore, Larry, and Henry Joe.” It covers the desires to contribute hundreds of dollars to missions like the rich family over there and covers your urges to butter up to another brother so you can learn how to preach and gain the respect he’s been given.
God has apportioned all of us a gift and talent he desires for our lives. And one of the most precious gifts he’s given us is the gift of love. He commands it and demonstrates how to acquire it, use it, implement it, and to pass it on.
You see, no matter where you are placed in the body of Christ, we are to sharpen each other like iron sharpens iron and to love without favoritism. (Prov. 27:17; James 2:9)
We must, like God, Love on Purpose. We must plan on it. We must center our lives around loving each other. Our every intent when we come together when we pray, when we’re apart when we have a difference of opinion when our politics have instigated a divide when things aren’t going well financially or otherwise … Our every intent … our forever purpose must be to love one another.
Sometimes, we slip up and … say and do things … that we intended to keep hidden. We intend for our negative attitudes to stay behind the curtain, hidden away from our sisters and brothers in the church. We fool ourselves into thinking that our hearts won’t really be revealed to the naked eye.
But God says in Matthew 6:21,
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
This passage is revealing to us that whatever your intent … whatever it is you deeply feel, it will be known. Really? Yes. Your heart follows what you treasure. Your heart acts out or reveals what you treasure most.
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:45)
As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. (Proverbs 27:19)
So, if you have a negative opinion about someone … if you are angry and trying to hide it … if you hate but smile in disguise … if you speak softly, but inwardly want to murder … if you act kindly, but want to belittle and tear down those you love, IT. WILL. EVENTUALLY. BE. REVEALED. Why? Because you will act out what you truly believe. Because your heart cannot be hidden. You may fool yourself into thinking you can hide it. But your heart cannot be hidden.
The love God intended for us to have for one another calls for us to deny ourselves. To carry the burden of others as if it were our own.
To love on purpose is a mindset. It’s not an emotion. It’s not driven by circumstance. It’s driven by the love we have received from God Almighty. When we self-reflect on the weight of our sins and how God himself has removed us from darkness, we become thankful, gracious, uplifted, relieved, and we become receptors of unspeakable joy. We are to pass this love on to our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. And if we do or say anything to destroy or hinder the brotherhood of believers, we might as well fasten a yoke on our necks. For we are not enslaving and hindering a sister or brother, but we are thereby hindering ourselves and have become entangled in the wicked deeds of the evil one. (Galatians 5:1)
Think twice the next time unholy things are spoken. Think twice the next time you disguise your ill-intent. For God hears, sees, and knows the intent of your heart. (I Chron 28:9; I Samuel 16:7; Psalm 139:1-23) Humble yourselves therefore before the Lord. Speak as godly people. Speak holy and righteous messages one to another. For you are a royal priesthood, holy, and unblemished if you follow the Lord our God in your ways. (I Peter 2:9)
Beware,
“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:10)
Amen.
Things to remember and discuss:
- Self-reflect – Examine yourselves.
- Question your motives.
- Be honest with God. Confess your sins.
- Yield to the Holy One and submit yourselves to him.
- Seek the forgiveness of others.
- Don’t follow emotions. Follow truth. Search the scriptures for truth.
- Do what the Holy Spirit is guiding you to do.
- Speak righteously.
The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight. (Proverbs 15:26)