This is what I stand upon. I am not commanding God to heal. And I do not blame myself or God if my healing does not come when, where,  or how I want. My prayer is to align my mind, my will, my spirit with God to such a degree that I, like Paul, can pray to the Father three times in  full faith and confidence, and be at peace when He answers and says to me, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Corinthians 12:9,10

Or like Job, who said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.   He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite (or profane, godless person)  shall not come before him.” Job 13:15,16

My goal, through prayer, is to strengthen up the inner man. Ephesians 3:16 says this: “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;”

Who or what is is This inner man? If you are born again, your spirit is reborn. It is new. It is our minds which we have to work upon.  Paul says this, in Romans 12:2;

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

The word translated “renewing” is anakainosis ( an ak ah’ ee noh sis) strongs number 342 and it means: renovation, complete change for the better. The mind must be renovated to come into harmony with our recreated spirits. II Corinthians 5:17,

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Ephesians 4:23, 24 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Now think about the process of renovation. If  I were to renovate a home in the natural , I might follow the steps:

Designing  and Planning . Have an idea of what want to have done. What will my new home look like?

• Begin examining and renovating the Roof, Foundation, Siding, Windows to make certain the house won’t collapse on me
• I  may have to do some  demolition work.
• I may need to  perform some structural  work such as Moving  or constructing new walls, enlarging window openings, Adding beams to support a greater weight, adding or removing doors.
• Redesigning Heating, AC, Electrical, and Plumbing systems
• Install new insulation and  Drywall
• Installing the new flooring
• Install replacement windows.
• I will need to do non-structural  carpentry work such installing baseboards, molding, trim around windows and doors
• I’ll need to do Interior Painting, Wallpapering
• And finally do the Siding and Gutters

Contrast this process to the process of  building a new home.  I would need at a minimum the following:

• Hire an architect who produces my blueprints,
• hire an engineer to assure that the plans are sound and complete
• buy A plot to build upon
• get A building permit
• Get Cost estimates, financing options
• hire  A surveyor, a building contractor.
• Lay the foundation
• hire a master carpenter
• hire Framers and builders, and other finishers

As we strive to renovate our minds, know that we have at our side the Lord Jesus Christ  who was  not only a  Carpenter and a carpenter’s son in the flesh, but He is also the creator of all that is in heaven, on the earth, the visible, and the invisible.   Jesus is our teacher, our example, our foundation, and our pattern.  He is the author/designer/architect/engineer and the finisher of our faith. He is the one who assures that the whole building process is complete and perfect. And we have the Holy Spirit who guides us, comforts us, assures us, and strengthens us during  every step of the way,  through the word, rhema revelation, and the still, small, voice within.

And as our mind comes into resonance, into harmony with our recreated spirits, our bodies will follow along. The physical toll of worry and stress is attenuated. We are reasserting dominion over our appetites for foods and drugs which harm us. And we strive as God gives us knowledge and strength to become fit temples for the Holy Spirit. When er renew our minds, after the new man, our body follows suit.

Now, we respond to what Jesus said here in many ways.:

• We might say: I can’t just stand there and let someone attack me and not fight back. My survival instincts  will take over. It is foolish not to try to defend yourself.We could think, I have to protect the things I worked for. No one can just come up and take what belongs to me without a fight.
• Or we could say, and some commentators say that Jesus was speaking to a 1st century Jewish audience. He gave them the wise way to handle the abusive tactics of the Roman soldiers. He was teaching how to live in a godly, dignified way in the face of an oppressive state.
• I might even say, I don’t understand what Jesus is saying. But I know this. No one is going to disrespect me. I can’t be a push over. I can’t be used and abused. I can’t be a doormat, a pushover, a punk, a weakling, a wuss. Lay a hand on me and draw back a nub
• What is your reaction?

The issue Jesus raises here is in keeping  with the general message of the Sermon on the Mount. In the Kingdom of God there is a new paradigm of living. A new way of relating to others and to God. A radical change which is in opposition to the old way of life.

The old way of life which was dominated by the flesh– not the physical body, by flesh I mean the sinful nature, as the old-time black preachers used to say, the flush. In Hebrew, it is the  Yetzer ha-Ra. (evil inclination). The problem is that the flush does not want to relinquish control. The concept of life of the spirit the words, of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount is foolishness to him.

But, what if Jesus meant what he said -literally? What if a child of God in the Kingdom of God is expected to turn the other cheek. To allow others to hurt us, cheat us and steal from us?

Let’s return to the Sermon on the mount where  Jesus says, “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil:” The Greek word translated resist here can also mean stand against, withstand, oppose. (antihistemi). Example. We are told to Resist the Devil and he will flee. (James 4:7). It goes without saying -but I will say it anyway less I be misunderstood – obviously we are to resist Satan and his imps. But for as humanity  is concerned – and especially our brothers and sisters – there is another way.

Here is an example of the new way of thinking we should have. 1 Corinthians 6:7 Paul is talking about Christians suing Christians who wrong them. Paul says,

Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

Now in this,  Jesus  is our prime example. Here is what Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 2:19-23.

19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21 For even here unto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:  1 Peter 2:19-23.

Paul says this in Romans 12:17-19
Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

God does not want us to be punching bags: but we must. have faith in God. We must trust God.  There was an incident in Luke chapter 4: around the 18th verse. Jesus had given perhaps his inaugural message in his home church,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord

Jesus sensed their doubt and unbelief and he prophesied against them. The people became so angry they grabbed him, took him out of the city and  started to throw him off a cliff. Now Jesus didn’t say. “I will suffer thee to toss me off yon cliff. Yea though you toss me of yon cliff anon and breaketh my body, yet wilst I rise again. No it says in verse 30 that Jesus passed through their midst and went His way to the next town. It was not his time. God provided a way of escape for Jesus. And He will for us as well

1 Corinthians 10:13
13 There hath no temptation (testing, trial) taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We don’t realize how special we are to God. We don’t fully appreciate how He is at work in our lives 24/7/365 tweaking us,  teaching us, loving us, molding us, shaping us, conforming us, and even singeing us till we reach our expected end – when we become full-fledged sons and daughters who look like him, talk like him, and act like him.

He accomplishes this through many means:

• Guidance through His word (Rhema, illumination, revelation of scripture). When we get that flash of insight as to how this scripture applies to our life.
• Other believers, preachers, teachers, prophets, and angels who guide, goad, and sometimes rebuke us.
• Sometimes He puts obstacles in our way which force us to take the necessary detours.
• Finally God shakes us up.

During the shaking it seems our world is falling apart and God is far from us. Sickness, financial strain, issues with our marriage, our children.  The car breaks down or the roof leaks. Someone we love dies, etc.

It may not seem obvious to us that God is at work in our lives. We make a bad decision such as buying a  house we can ill afford, quitting one job for a better one, taking a short cut home from church then all hell breaks loose.

Here is an example of a decision gone bad. In 1st Chronicles 21:15, King David decides to take a  census of Israel. David had been warned against doing so by his commander, Joab – not a particularly spiritual person -  but the king goes ahead. This decision by David leads to the death of tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

God shook David, but he didn’t destroy him. If we look at  Psalm 30, we see that God’s chastisement of the king was not with out effect.  Certain ungodly attributes of David were shake out and destroyed. He was shaken that only his God-like characteristics might remain. Psalm 30 shows the following transformations:

• Psalm 30: 6,7  Self-sufficiency was shaken out so that faith and reliance upon God remained
• Psalm 30: 9-11 Pride was shaken out so that humility before God and man remained
• Psalm 30: 12  Self glorification shaken out that sincere praise and gratitude remains.

When God shakes it seems that our world is falling apart, but He shakes only that the true you remains. The real, unshakable  you which remains is a man or woman who manifests the fruit of the Spirit. Not clones, but  unique, individual expressions/reflections of the divine.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: Galatians 5:22,23

And knowing this, let us welcome and rejoice in the shaking when it comes – and it is coming.  But don’t despair. When the shaking comes we should remember what David said in Psalm 30: 5:

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning

But then I saw these Ads on TV and in the magazines Ads for “Male enhancement  pills.” You know the ones I mean. They promise to enlarge my appeal with women and my standing among men. A Chrysler 300M or an Escalade with 22 inch rims.  Fine homes, fine cars, fine clothing, big screen TV. Must haves for a player ( retired player I might add) A beautiful Beyonce-style trophy wife or girlfriend. A few  women on the side.  All this I needed to be a real man in this society. And it could all  be mine if I would just take that little pill.

And I bought it and I swallowed it. It promised “natural male enhancement” and sure enough I gave me  the strength, the stamina, the endurance, and the desire to grab life by the…. horns and be  all that I could be. Have all the things I desired. To live life to the max. Of course, I would need to work some over time or take another job. I had to develop my hustle skills to earn some money on the side. Maybe I’d turn over a little weed and picked up a few extra bucks. Did some side jobs and took money under the table. Did not miss an opportunity to turn a profit. I did have less time  for my wife and kids, but they say it is not the quantity, but the quality of the time that matters.

I planned the work and worked the plan. And it worked. The pill worked just as advertised. It seemed of. Well, heres what really happened..  The pill  promised hours of satisfaction and it delivered  – at first, but over time, those hours became filled with tedium and exhaustion. That feeling become just friction. Pain and weariness took the place of any pleasure I derived from having all the things the   media said I had to have to be considered a successful man.

Working 50, 60 hours a week. Too tired to enjoy my quality time with my family. Seeing  my children  grow up and away from me. Things are going on in their lives that I never knew about. Issues my son or my daughter was dealing with that I could have helped with if I only knew: or had the time. I wanted to teach my son about women, about life,  but he has had to learn it  from the streets..

I wanted to protect my daughter from boys who would use her and toss her away.  I bought her designer clothes. She has her own room. I-Phone, laptop, a credit card.  And a car for her 16th birthday. But she is seeing this lowlife loser who is too lazy to buy the pill and take it himself. He would probably try to talk her into taking it instead.

When my wife and I married, I had nothing. She has to be proud of the man I’ve become. I provide for my family well. I am a man’s man. I am dead tired some nights. The mortgage on the house and the car payments make the end of the month very stressful I know.  It’d be nice if she had a full time job.

Sometimes though. When I  drive from my first shift job to my part time job or at 4:30 in the  morning when I’m delivering papers, a wave of tiredness hits me.  A literal wave of fatigue sweeps over my whole body. And for a moment,  I wonder,  what  am I doing? What’s going on? How did I end up here?
I think: Even though I have all the  things I  ever wanted — somehow, it isn’t  enough.  My garage is so  full of stuff there is no room for my car. Closets overflowing.  I am not satisfied. I  feel empty. I feel numb. I feel a sense of loss. Though  I am gaining things but I’m losing  relationships. My relationships are  hemorrhaging, rotting, drying up.

I suspect I been lied to. I’ve been hoodwinked. I’ve been had. I’ve been took. I’ve been led astray, led amok. I’ve been bamboozled. And now I am  hearing  voices. Two voices like those of angels. One on each shoulder.

One angel says, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.  Go for it. You need a pool. And a Porsche you need to become a mason. ” And this angel holds another pill out for me to take.

And the other voice, the other angel says:

16 And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind? 17 All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness. Ecclesiastes 5:16,17

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Luke 12:15

I know what Covetousness is. The selfish desire for or pursuit of money, wealth, power, food, or other possessions.  We can never get enough things. Is Bill Gates satisfied with his billions? Is Warren Buffet, David Murdock, Donald Trump? The second angel says:

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. Ecclesiastes 5:10

I’m caught up under the influence of this pill. I am not thinking straight. I need something: but what. The second angel says again:

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mark 8:36

I found out about a better way. Who can rescue me from this emptiness and futility? There is a way  offering True Male Enhancement. And God can show us the way.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Matthew 6:33

Seeking the Kingdom. The Kingdom includes that part of space and time where the will of God reigns supreme. Not just in the physical world but in the spiritual world. Not just among the angels but among the people of God. There is a a true synchronicity because the Spirit of God is the underlying force, the motivator through which everybody and everything works together to manifest the nature of God and His nature.: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Peace. Shabbat. The Sabbath where man rests from his work. God rested on the 7th day according to Genesis 2:3. But Jesus said that God is still at work even on the sabbath.

John 5:16,17. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17 ¶But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

Is this a contradiction? Resting? Working? Which? Both!
The rest I am speaking of is that kind where your spirit is quiet and attentive to God. Where you can hear Him speak and can see Him at work. At work in your life, your family’s lives and in the world as comforter, guide, healer,  provider, teacher and protector. “Be still and know that I am God”, He says . He is not in the rat race. The long hours, the travel, the putting up with bosses who disrespect you or customers who wear and grind away at your last nerve. The seemingly endless pursuit of prosperity with little true and lasting reward or purpose. He is not in any of this. He is not motivating you to do any of this, but He is in that still small voice that you are either too burned-out or  too distracted to hear.

We are seeking the Kingdom. I’m not talking about joining a monastery. Or quitting work. Paul says the man who won’t work, shouldn’t eat.. In the midst of our work: in the hustle and bustle we listen.  As we listen, We see God at work and  our work takes on a new dimension. We work not for a paycheck but for true, lasting  rewards.  If we listen, through our work, God develops within us at least 5 things:

• Godly Strength:
• Godly Adornment:
• Godly Confidence:
• Godly Provision:
• Godly Service:

What do I mean by this.

Godly Strength: When we work as if we are working unto the Lord, we are strengthened in the inner man. We learn to deal with the stress and pressures of the workplace. We learn to develop an excellent spirit.
Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Daniel 6:3

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean (obscure) men Proverbs 22:29

Godly Adornment: We represent Christ in all our dealings at work. When our co-workers or our customers or clients see us, they see Jesus manifested in us.  No need to ask WWJD, they see us in action.
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
Godly Confidence: God is our sure foundation. We know that He is working for us, with us and in us. We can boldly work as unto the Lord. Loving but Uncompromising. Again with a spirit of excellence.

¶Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. Matthew 7:24-27

Godly Provision: We know that it is God who gives us the power to get wealth. It is God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Our God is able to supply all our needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. It is God who is ever attentive to our needs – even before we pray, even if we  don’t know how to pray.
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Matthew 6:31,32
Godly Service: We are not slaves, but in a way, we are if we work for others. Our bosses tell us when to come to work, when to leave, when we can eat lunch and where. They set our pay and benefits and we work for them at their pleasure.

Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:22-24

Seeking the Kingdom. In this true rest, we strive for Kingdom things. We toil to renew our minds. We labor to crucify the flesh. We work overtime – not to pay a debt of the financial kind but a debt of  love – especially towards the family of God. We don’t hustle to posses, we consent to become: To manifest in our bodies in our souls and in our minds the new man, the new spirit God has created within us. This spirit is in perfect agreement with God’s will and God’s ways. Our  spirits are made in the image of God.

We trust. We believe that as we seek first the Kingdom of God all things we need to live in this world will be provided for. God knows we have need of them. But He wants more for us

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10
That word  abundant in Greek is perissos ; superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality); by implication, excessive; exceeding abundantly above, more abundantly,  beyond measure, even wastefully beyond needs( superfluous)

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us Ephesians 3:20

More than enough. Excessive. Large Life. Larger than Large life. However, we don’t think about these things as the world thinks about them. We no longer seek things to fulfill. We seek things to enjoy. We no longer pursue status symbols. We are kings and priests. God said so. I believe it. My spirit gives witness. That settles it. We are His beloved. Status beyond any rap star, rock star, pro athlete, politician, or billionaire. We can enjoy our blessings with His approval.

Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. 20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart. Ecclesiastes 5:19,20

Seeking the Kingdom. True male enhancement. In the Kingdom,  we trust that God is working in us, through us, for us. All things are working together for our good because we are the called. He places people and circumstances in our lives for our benefit. He did not stop me from marrying that woman or taking that job. He did not stop that salesman from selling me that car, or that house that I can barely afford. He allowed it. It is all that I might learn and grow. To  be made perfect and complete through suffering, trial and error, successes and failures.

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 1 Peter 5:10

So I do want to sell you a pill  alright: the GOSPILL. Seeking the Kingdom of God  is True Spiritual Male Enhancement. Its not found in a little, blue pill, but in a transformed mind. It doesn’t promise material assets, but spiritual riches. It is not an enlargement of the outer man, but the growth and expansion of the inner man. God’s Spiritual Male Enhancement Program gives you the ability to overcome in this society, which  puts so much pressure on men to perform at artificial and unrealistic levels for rewards which are as solid as smoke, as durable as pudding, and as long-lasting as an eight ball.

In conclusion, Spiritual Male Enhancement raises the whole man, mind, body, soul, and spirit. It leaves you with a  new, larger perspective  of what  life is really about. God is not out to take you r things from you. From the Kingdom viewpoint it is not the size of the paycheck, square footage of your house,  or the rims on your car, that you are working for. It is the enjoyment you get from these things and the gratitude you feel to the God who gave you the power to get them in the first place. Spiritual Male enhancement says it is not how many hours you can work it,  but whether or not, after all the hours of work you put in, God is glorified, your family blessed, and you can enjoy the fruit of your labor and  peace of mind .

The beloved disciple, filled with the Holy Spirit said this:

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth III John 2

The wise king who experienced the rat-race himself had this to say:

Then I commended mirth (praised exceeding gladness), because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. Ecclesiastes 8:15

All that I have been talking about is for the believer. You a believer needs to do is go to God in prayer and asking if there is anything to what you just heard. God will answer. Just listen.

For the non-believer, someone who does not know Jesus son of Mary,son of God as your savior, you need to learn of him.  He was actual man who was born over 2 thousand years ago. At the age of 30, he began his ministry teaching the presence of the Kingdom of God, the mercy and forgivess of God. He healed the sick, raised the dead. By word and deed he should that God was with him, that he was the Son of God, the Messiah promised to Israel.  He was kill by the Romans at the instigation of the Jewish leaders. But after 3 days, he was resurrected. He was seen by hundreds of people including his chosen disciples who spread the good news of salvation: deliverance from bondage to sin, forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit within all believers, and everlasting life. Accept Him today!