R2W Monthly: April 2018

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(www.R2W.news) The Purpose of Righteousness

Welcome back to The Road2Wholeness Blog!  And welcome back to Blogger...  Thank you for visiting The Road2Wholeness Blog.  We are ready to continue the “P” series.  Today’s blog is titled The Purpose of Righteousness. 

I begin this blog with the statement God laid on my heart this past Easter Sunday… it’s, “Righteousness can wiggle its way out of any grave".  This is such a profound statement that I will treasure probably for the rest of my life.  This statement is also well in line with the Gospel, and the great hope we put in Christ to receive eternal life. 

So what is the purpose of righteousness?  Let’s begin by looking at Joshua 2:1-7.  It tells the story Rahab a prostitute who is living in the land that was promised to the Israelites.  She has heard along with many others how mightily the God of the Israelites have been moving on their behalf, and she knows that the land will be invaded.  When Joshua sends two spies to look over the land and return to him with a report, she seizes her opportunity to save herself and her family. 

Later in Hebrews eleven, she is honored for her faith and listed among many men of great faith; men such as Joseph, Moses, and even Abraham.   Now, some can look on her role and call her an opportunist, however, if we look again, we will see the value she provided to the Israelites at a very crucial time.  It’s important to remember that this was not the first time men had gone to scope out the promised land.  Under Moses’ leadership the first set of men brought back a negative report.  The report they gave dissuaded the entire camp and made the people fearful to pursue the promise.  

 Therefore her role was quite significant because it did not only save her life, but it saved the lives of the two men Joshua sent, and allowed the children of Israel to get into position to receive what was their inheritance.  Thus her faith produced righteous action, and again we see the principle that was noted in the LAB series; that faith is counted as righteousness.

This is an important way to look at righteousness because if our righteousness never produces righteous action then what we are doing is simply storing up our goodness.  This is great in that we don’t negatively impact our world, yet it also does not make the greatest impact.  I say this because all the righteous people in the world could not help God’s plan until a righteous act was offered.  It is also important that we see Rahab the way God sees her.  In that day, people who did not believe in the God of the Hebrew people would not assist them even to save their own lives.  This is the reason God showed how many plagues (opportunities) were given to pharaoh, and how many times he still pursued the Israelites.  He pursued them to death.   Therefore her faith was counted.

As we know the most righteous act ever performed was the death of the Lord on the cross.  It was the greatest act of Love, and it covered a multitude of sin.  What we can see with all of the people God chose to serve Him, with the exception of Christ, is that they were not without sin, but their acts of love—their righteous acts covered a multitude of sin.

Therefore, the Purpose of Righteousness is to cover a multitude of sin, and not just our own.  We look again at Christ who was without sin, and whose grace sufficiently covers all the sin ever committed as well as all the sin that will ever be committed. 

Now let’s look at what constitutes a righteous act.  First, I will say only God and the beneficiary of a righteous act can testify.  You see a righteous act takes into consideration what is at stake.  It also accounts for when the act is performed.  It’s the quality of timing that adds to the value of a righteous act.  Lastly, it’s how it’s done.  All righteous acts vindicates in one way or another.  Because of the stakes and the significance of the timing, the act itself produces honor.  It produces honor for both sides. 

In the case of Rahab we see that she was later honored, and is mentioned in the book of Hebrews “Hall of Faith”, and God, whose word became indestructible.  It also vindicated the Israelites who spent forty years in the wilderness, and could have easily forgotten that they were in fact God’s chosen people. 

So now we begin to see the many benefits of righteousness.  We see that it assists God’s plan, it creates honor, and it vindicates (therefore covering a multitude of sin).   This is why righteousness can wiggle itself out of any grave, and this is why our God and Lord was and is risen.

Remember to go within that you may never go without.  The God within you awaits you.  Until our paths collide again, I wish you... Peace, Love, Life, and Complete Wholeness in Christ.

In Service,

NaTisha Renee Williams

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(www.R2W.news) The Purpose of Joy

Originally published at www.road2wholeness.com on 1/9/2018

Welcome back to The Road2Wholeness Blog!  Thank you for taking the read today! We’re continuing in “The Purpose of” series.  The title of today’s blog is The Purpose of JOY! 

So we all know Joy!  At least most of us assume that we all know Joy.  At minimum, we know happiness.  We know bliss… but do we know JOY?  Many have tried to draw a line between Joy and happiness; calling one biblical and one worldly, but I don’t feel the need to make that distinction.  Rather, I’ll just tell you about my experience with and knowledge of Joy—and of course, we’ll look at the purpose of JOY.

It’s hard to understand joy without bringing into awareness it’s opposite.  Those who have not known great strife or worry may tell you that they know JOY, but I might beg to differ.  I often look at the life of Jesus and the purpose of Jesus’ life to get a solid hold on Joy.  For this, I also need scripture.

In John 15:13 it reads, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. In the following verse Jesus describes His friends as those who follow His commands.  In Hebrew 12:2 it is said that “For the Joy set before Him, He endured the cross.”  Therefore we see that Jesus’ Joy was to pay the sin debt for those who have been called to have life in Him.  Thus His life’s purpose became a source of Joy even unto death. 

In John 15:10-11, Jesus says “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your JOY may be complete.” 

If you look closely, you’ll see that Jesus says commands and not commandments.  Jesus is speaking here about a life of purpose in The Will of God, according to the Word of God, and in steady communication with God.  He was describing a life exactly the way He had lived.  That was the life that made His Joy complete, and that is the life that He wants for us as well.  Verse 11, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” tells us that there is no complete joy, nor can there be a full understanding of JOY without the Lord.

So, we know that one main purpose of Joy is to be able to fulfill the purpose of God for our lives.  And we can also see here that with the fullness of Joy that comes through Christ that it is in fact possible.  I like to say that “The purpose of Joy is to help you to forget” or make bigger the reward than the sacrifice.  I think that’s what the Apostle Paul was pointing to in Hebrew 12:2.   

Giving this understanding of Joy, then we know that our Joy is often under attack.  This is why most of us have heard the words “Don’t let the devil steal your joy.”  Furthermore, we know that scripture says, “The enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy.”  But what does the enemy want to kill, steal, and destroy.  Most of us think that it is us he desires to kill, steal, and destroy, but it is actually a lot easier for him to pull us away from purpose.  The truth is that the enemy attacks us spiritually and in the unseen realm long before we ever see any physical signs of being attacked.  His desire is simple.  It’s to kill our hopes, steal our peace, and kill our trust in God, and this usually begins with our peace. 

In Matthew 13:20, it reads “The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with Joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time.  When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.”

Imagine what it means to receive something with Joy.  It’s that wonderful feeling when you’ve come to a long awaited answer—when you know what you’ve received will bring peace and harmony to your life.  It’s to receive something as treasure.  Now imagine having it snatched away before you can even relish it or apply it or see it proven in your life.  That’s what it means to have your JOY stolen, and the first trick of the enemy is to attack your peace.  Why?  Because your joy is an extension of your peace.  As the scripture says… “When trouble or persecution comes… they quickly fall away.”  Therefore, if the enemy can keep not only our feet on rocky ground, but have us plant our eyes on that ground; we will fall away.  Here is where we find that our hope has taken a hit, and if we don’t quickly make that recognition and redirect our eyes, then we eventually give up our trust in God.

This is why the Apostle Paul began Hebrew 12:2 with, “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith”.  This is why Jesus was able to maintain the power to heal— it was because His eyes were fixed on the Father who perfected His faith.  He didn’t have to stop and take time out to heal his own life, but He remained full in His walk with God and His JOY was complete. 

This is the power and purpose of JOY, and when our joy is complete we can begin to pour out the overflow unto our friends— the ones who have been called to have life in us through Christ.  That overflow of Joy, we call love.  We can make this calculation from our own experience with people we encounter who bring us joy.  We can also make this calculation from scripture.  If we look once again at Matthew 15, this time from verse 9 and through to verse 12; we can see clearer the correlation between love and JOY.

It reads, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

Therefore we see that to keep the Lord’s commands is to remain in His love, and when we do, we will have the fullness of Joy that is required to love each other as He has loved us.  This is not simply being nice to each other, but it is to live in service to God, and fulfilling the Will of God that it may bring to the world a kind of Love that was seen through Christ.

Remember to go within that you may never go without.  The God within you awaits you.  Until our paths collide again, I wish you .... Peace, Love, Life, and Complete Wholeness in Christ.

In Service,

NaTisha Renee Williams

The Purpose of Two

Originally published at www.road2wholeness.com on 12/13/2017

Welcome back to The Road2Wholeness Blog!  Thanks for taking the stroll with us today.  Today begins “The Purpose of” a series.   This blog is The Purpose of Two! 

Most of us probably can think of at least two or three purposes or significances of the number two.  Honestly, I’ve never really been big on numbers and their meanings.  I’ve recently become curious with certain numbers however, as I’m now creating The Decks and the Road Novel Series.  Without much thought, I named this blog using the number two rather than the word “to”.  Later it was revealed to me that it was the perfect symbol of the road to wholeness being one between each person and God.  Today we will look at two from that stand point, but also and mainly we will look at the reason being for the purpose of affirmation and confirmation.

Before we go further, let’s liken these two terms to two others.  I would like to look at the word affirmation as prophecy and confirmation as testimony.   These two essentially work hand in hand.  They are each other’s witness.  Yet they do not necessarily abide together or have to be in awareness of each other.  In life, God is continuously affirming our way and the purpose that He has created us for.  Sometimes we accept what He tells us and other times we simply do not.  God however is not moved or changed by our direction, acceptance, or refusal.  He simply continues to affirm what He knows.  He is our witness of what is ahead.  When we live out or achieve what he has spoken, then we become His witness.  Therefore, the purpose of two is to be a witness. 

In our lives, we’ve all been assigned a witness.  Likewise, we are also made to be a witness for others.  This may show up as in Luke 10:1 where Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs to the towns where He would later visit, but in a more complex scheme of things, the paths of you and your witness may never collide.  This we can see through scripture again and again.  Jesus came to fulfill many prophecies about Him.  He came to confirm what was said.  He came to testify on the behalf of the prophets who God used to direct and warn His people over time.  

In the case of Noah who saved his family and the living creatures God chose to preserve, Jesus also became His witness.  He did this by presenting once again an offer to be saved; and again in the case where the danger cannot necessarily be seen.  Therefore one becomes a shadow to the next.  Just like your shadow is a witness of you. 

In the case of Moses who led the Israelites up out of Egypt, Jesus also became his witness.  When God gave Jesus as a lamb, He again asked for His people to be set free.  He said, I will offer you a new covenant. 

In the case of King Solomon, who God allowed to build a Temple for His name, Jesus also became His witness.  Solomon, who had asked that anyone who would pray towards the temple he built would be heard by God, affirmed what was to come.  Jesus then through His sacrifice enabled the Spirit of God to reside with us as an indwelling God. 

So we can see that Jesus, one person, is given the authority by God to give witness to the entire Word of God.  Likewise, Jesus also becomes our witness; for every course man takes has been established by the word of God.  By His spirit He affirms the way, and by God’s purpose there will always be fulfillment.  We know that fulfillment however, is set by God for an appointed time and person.  This is why David the father of King Solomon only dreamt of building the Temple, but it was his son who was allowed by God to do it.  Therefore, the purpose of two also means that we don’t get to be the way, but show the way.  For we know Jesus said, “I am the way.”  So, as we move forward in our pursuit of purpose, let us consider that some of us are sent to affirm and some of us are sent to confirm.  Some of us will tell, and some of us will testify, but however it goes, we should know that we do have a witness in heaven.

In Matthew 18:20 Jesus says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.”

This was spoken by Jesus before His departure, and I believe having the full knowledge of the Holy Spirit, that we are always counted as two.  For Jesus said that “The Advocate” would come in His name.  Therefore, I and “The Advocate” both being gathered in Jesus’ name, and agreeing on anything, will have it done.  This is the faith and understanding that we use when we pray.  We acknowledge the Holy Spirit as one, and we believe Jesus’ testimony that what we ask for will be done for us by our Father in heaven. 

That being said, I like to think of myself and God as a majority.  So the purpose of two is always multiplication.  It’s always to multiply the Kingdom of God.  It’s always to preserve.  It’s always to continue.  Yes, the purpose of two is to continue… to continue on being a witness.

Today, I hope that you will also continue on in your pursuit of wholeness and in God’s purpose for your life.  Think of yourself as a majority, and remember that you do have a witness at all times when you pray towards the name of the Lord.  Stand firm and know that you will be delivered by faith through Christ.

Remember to go within that you may never go without.  The God within you awaits you.  Until our paths collide again, I wish you... Peace, Love, Life, and Complete Wholeness in Christ.

In Service,

NaTisha R. Williams

Life of LAB: Allow Me to Summarize

Originally published at www.road2wholeness.com on 11/27/2017

Welcome to The Road2Wholeness Blog.  Thank you for taking the read today, and for following the series!  This was the final blog in the Life of LAB quick series 2017.  Allow me to summarize.

For this I turn to the JAWW of God.  What is the JAWW of God?  It’s the Judgment, Authority, Will, and Word of God.  That being said…. Did we do it?  Did we cover it all?

Let’s look back…

Day one we looked at what it means to salt with the blog Fire Hazard.  Day two was Trash Pick-Up, and we talked about not picking up the trash that comes disguised in our lives.  Day three on Thanksgiving Day, we looked at what it means to stay Fed with the blog Always Fed.  Day Four we examined the belly between dimensions of faith.  Day Five we remembered what it takes to remain devoted and of good use to God.  Day six we simply showed up to demand the promises of God.

In each of the blogs we connected the takeaways and the principles to the judgment, authority, will, and word of God.  I hope you enjoyed the scriptures we looked at as we progressed.

As a memorable takeaway, let me leave you with just a few final thoughts. 

As you consider your Life of LAB and not only what it means to you, but what it means to God, I urge you to remain bold enough and courage enough to face your labs.  More importantly, I urge you to accept that you are His handiwork.  Reject the spirit of intimidation and imitation.  Reject manipulation and deception.  Hold on to the JAWW of God.  It’s the only way to overcome those four nuisances. Love on your assignments, and let them love on you.  The purposes of God is no light matter, and we shall serve them with that in mind.  Never forget that there is an adversary.  The Word of God is clear.  We have inherited an adversary.  Yet, do not fret.  He is defeated by the blood of lamb and the word of our testimony.  And so, fight for your testimony as the blood fights for you.  Victory is yours.  Remember your role as salt, see far, shutdown the tempter with the indestructible Word of God, come through the belly in between dimensions of faith, stay pure and let the light of God filter your mind, heart, body, soul, and spirit.  And lastly, advance.  Move out and demand what the Lord has given to you.  Demand it with creativity.  Demand it with righteousness.  Demand it with persistent.  Demand it with love.  Demand it with devotion.  Demand it with every breath that is given to you. 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul.”

I hope you will join us for Life of LAB 2018.  Stay connected to The Road2Wholness Blog on IG for the Life of LAB Inspirational "road blocks". 

You can also help us to carry on the spirit of this blog series, by using the following tags: #gobesalt #seefar #stayfed #getfed #buildfaith #throwup #showup #lifeoflab2017 #JAWWofGOD

Remember to go within that you may never go without.  The God within you awaits you.  Until our paths collide again, I wish you… Peace, Love, Life, and Complete Wholeness in Christ.

In Service,

NaTisha Renee Williams