The Stickman's Understanding...

  In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.                                                                              -Psalms 31:1 Good morning and God bless you. Central to your Christian walk is Trust. Often the two words used interchangeably are faith and trust. But though they have similarities faith is a noun that is all encompassing, whilst trust is a verb or action. It takes faith to have trust. Put in a sentence “Because I have faith, I trust God.” Based on that thought our faith must be intact so that we walk by faith and not by sight. You ...

  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. -Psalms 46:10 Blessings of the Lord in, through and around you. Given the fast pace this world has set we often find ourselves moving at blinding speeds.  We rush to work, rush home, rush to school, church, events, etc. In our rushing we miss the beautiful subtleties of a sun rise, sunset and fields of clover.  Though we think our rushing is the catalyst for our many successes, it is simply the grace of God and in the end His glory isn’t stolen. Eventually we will all come to a sudden halt, either by our choices or life choosing and at that point we should “stand still and stand upon.”  The psalmist knew how to stop, acknowledge God in all his ways and how to look, not glance towards the hills for his help.  On today stand still, thank God for answered and unanswered prayers,    let someone know how much you appreciate them, and stop and smell the r...

  Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. -Isaiah 41:10 Good morning and happy hump day.    Yes we sit mid week. A song I listen too of late says “I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of the enemy.” What a powerful proclamation... The eagle is known to swoop down and remove the advantage of a serpent. On the ground the cobra is king, but in the air it becomes simply prey.  We must take our battles away from the home court of the enemy which is based in the flesh and move it to the spirit realm. In this we raise a hallelujah!  It is akin to what Jehoshaphat did when he knew the battle was not to be fought by him, but by The Lord. It is so easy to forget that especially given the world condition and the bluffs of the bully. But stand firm in faith and keep declaring what is clearly in the spirit until what we’ve loosed on e...

  Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. -Proverbs 27:2 Good morning beloved and God bless you!    I’ve been perusing through the book of Proverbs and found the gem above. Self praise...Do not get self praise and encourage yourself mixed up.  Encouraging your self refers to taking the word of God and finding what He says about you and fully embracing it. Self Praise removes the impact of the word of God as it reflects on and to us as individuals.  The writer of Proverbs advises us to not self praise and if praise comes, let it escape the lips of others and not ours. Only God is worthy of self praise but even He calls us to praise Him.  Praising Him above self results in break-throughs, healing, and deliverances. Praising self is like a sugar rush that renders a burst of quickly dissipating strength. But to praise God, the unending well of strength, then to you is open unending joy and it’s strength.  Y...

  Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. -Psalms 26:2 Good morning and may God bless you richly. Happy Monday. Let’s rise and proclaim the name of the Lord.  The world as we know it has changed immensely as a result of the subset of the Information Age called the Social Media influx.  We are now more connected than ever and this connectivity is causing more depression, obsession, disagreement, and disconnection than at any time in history, and all those thing spring forth from the seeds of jealousy.  This is a result of the human tendency to compare ourselves to others. Comparing our resources, abilities, intelligence, possessions and even our looks rests in a place established by the enemy, when he taught Eve to become jealous of not only the position of Adam but of the Lord Himself.  The aforementioned tendency is so great that only the Lord can remove from us the inherent snares, traps and blind curbs.  Self worth is ultra important...

  As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool. -Jeremiah 17:11 Good morning and God bless you. TGIF. We live in such a fretful world. Fret is often spawned by envy. Simple old green faced jealousy.  Many will claim that they are not driven by such petty things,    but as the fox who wanted the grapes higher than his leaping ability attested, he wasn’t full of grapes but hater aid.  The Bible in many places tells us to not covet, envy and certainly not take what isn’t ours. But live right and work hard. And though hard work is required it is the righteous living that allows wealth gained to remain.  The partridge was and is known to be skittish and perhaps for good reason after all they were blown by the gazillions into the camp of Israel who did eat them initially with great relish.  Given their place in history part of th...

  Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. -Leviticus 19:15 Good morning and God bless you. It is yet rather cold in the bluff city but my heart is warm with the love of God.  On last evening my wife and I watched a movie that brought tears to our eyes. “The Lena Baker story”. It was about a young woman unjustly charged with murder and executed.  The man she was accused of murdering had become her torturer, who constantly forced himself upon her and even kidnapped her multiple times, once taking her to another state.  While trying to escape he pulled a gun which they tussled over resulting in it discharging and killing him.  A jury of her peers found her guilty. Lena was a black woman in 1944 Georgia. Her peers were 12 white men, the distinction is made because this is an example of Jim Crow justice.  It is clear here t...

  O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. -Psalms 136:1 God bless you on this wonderful glorious day! A grateful heart is a cherished heart. We show our gratefulness in our action towards others and certainly our attitude towards the provisions of the Lord.  Our attitude towards His provisions indicates a heart of gratitude or ingratitude. The writer of Psalms in this chapter lists out the benefits of being thankful.  We have many examples of people in the Bible not understanding how to be thankful at all times. If only Esau had been thankful he wouldn’t have despised the promised blessing and fallen short as the chosen son.  A great closing here is found in Zech 4:10, “despise not small beginnings.” In all things give thanks.   Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me at drschaefferinterceding@yahoo.com You can give to Interceding Christian Center (ICC) using our cash app $intercedingcc  God bless you a...

  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. -Revelation 4:11 Good morning and God bless you. It is a balmy 1 degrees as I write this but no matter the external temperature, my heart is ablaze with the joy only found in salvation.  Ever consider the profound affirmative statement made here? Though God doesn’t need our affirmation because nature speaks clearly, John the one “whom Jesus loved” wrote of his encounter with Jesus seeing all the things in heaven and beyond glorifying God... The scene is beyond mind blowing as the Elders before the throne stand up, bow down and cast off the accoutrements of God’s shared glory, the crown awarded.  As wonderful as those things are the Father loves us more. An Angel asked “What is man, that you care so much for them from generation to generation?”  Beloved that great love even questioned by angelic beings is in the heart of G...

  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. -Matthew 6:33 Good morning and to God be the glory! Happy Monday. It is a cold day in the city of Memphis as winter is showing its worst side.  As I saw people scrambling about in the pre-storm period store shelves were almost empty, I immediately thought of the provision of God.  His provision calls for us to conduct ourselves with righteousness always being our guiding light.  When He is consulted first, we bask in His wise council, when His written word is applied it commands the very elements of nature to react and provide, when we pray in sincerity His comfort and peace enraptures us.  So seeking Him is not an afterthought but the first thought for all provision.  Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me at drschaefferinterceding@yahoo.com You can give to Interceding Christian Center (ICC) using our cash app $intercedingcc  God b...

  1 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: 2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.                   -Proverbs 5 Good morning and God bless you! TGIF.   The old sage Solomon knew a thing or two about people. He observed them through his seasoned eyes and found not all that say they have the purest of intention…really do.   A real old joke tells of the cat that digs the bird out of the cow patty did so not as an effort to rescue him, but for lunch. In like manner we must be aware of those we want to yolk up with and for certain those who want to yolk with us. It certainly takes a team of oxen to plow using a double yolk plow, but if one ox doesn’t pull their weight it falls on the other.   Solomon’s warning starts off simply as a conversation adjuring his son to stop and lend his ear, and once that ear ha...

  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. -Psalms 27:5 God bless and good morning. It is a frosty day here in the Memphis-Tristate area due to a weather event. The city that is subject to having 75 degree Christmas days does not fair well in winter weather.  The issues begin normally at the forecast and continues throughout the event. From the stores having a run on the staples, to selling out of ice melting chemical, the panic is real.  Isn’t it good to have a God who gives you blesseth assurance. While in the Lord when all are in panic mode, you can reason and logically resolve things others cannot.   His pavilion is versatile being physical or spiritual as needed. The pavilion shelters your mind, body and soul and gives credence to that well spoken of perfect peace.  Stay in the shelter of his great pavilion.   Your comments and questions are ...

  The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? -Psalms 27:1 God bless you on this hump day. Hang tough you’ve almost made it to Friday.  The world has become a more chaotic place of late. From mutating viruses to extreme hate. Hanging in the air is a sense of dread and refuge seems so far away.  All the fore-mentioned are gifts of fear; which is not on the wishlist for any believer.  In order to overcome fear, faith must grow daily and what better way for faith to grow than to see challenges, that God protects us from, and makes us even victorious against those things.  The light of salvation blinds fear and gives great strength to the believer and as a result of God’s infused strength, it questions why be afraid?  Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me at drschaefferinterceding@yahoo.com You can give to Interceding Christian Center (ICC) using our cash app $intercedin...

  13 For every one that useth milk  is  unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. -Hebrews 5 Good morning and God bless you! As most  who know will agree I am a quirky guy. I see things others don’t see.  That upfront I have always wondered when Gomer Pyle would graduate basic training? After all during the five year run he remained under the preview of Drill Sgt Carter.  Let’s just say the human mind cannot take the constant oversight of the rigors of basic training and therefore 3 to 4 months prove to be sufficient.  Gomer Pyle for some reason never fully grew up in those five years as Sgt. Carter constantly yelled at Private Pyle.  There are Gomer Pyle’s of the faith who constantly must be reminded God wants us to grow and the milk as a staple must be replaced by meat.  W...

  NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. -Hebrews 11:1 God bless you, good morning and happy Monday. While recently teaching a class on the Bible I purposely misquoted the scripture above.  “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” After I did so I asked the reader to find the scripture and read it verbatim from the Bible for the class. He found it and did so not missing a word. I then asked if I had misquoted and took on the liberty of saying it with the missing word again.  A former student sat in proctoring the class and not able to contained themselves almost screamed the missing word...”NOW”.   We miss that word equating it to a place given to other simple clarifying words used in our language. A, And, It, She, They, On, Off...but the placement of this word in scripture is not happenstance.  When Jesus raised Lazarus or cast out sickness and demons. His faith was not only fo...

  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. -Mark 9:23 Good morning and God bless you. TGIF. Ever face any situation where the odds were not in your favor? I am certain that you have because we’ve all been there.  God specializes in the impossible. He has never met an impossible that He can’t turn. In the story surrounding the scripture above the innate unbelief found in most of us is displayed.  That said our impossible is based in our unbelief. The father of the boy wanted what was impossible in his mind and that impossible was intensified by the failure of the disciples to cast out the boys ailment.  When Jesus encountered the boy impossible was set back as the father realized his own disbelief could hinder the healing of his son.  If you are believing God for something, don’t let your unbelief or even the lack of others faith shake yours. Settle for the fullness of God and not that empty place you have when yo...

  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19 Good morning and God bless you. Welcome to Thursday. The Apostle Paul made this faith confession in the middle of his imprisonment while at either Rome or Ephesus.  In this faith confession though in prison he assured the following in Christ that he had amassed that his needs were already being met.  God has a way of providing for His own. Whether He does it through others or divinely provide, God ensures that your life has a story of great provision, your own two fish and five loaves of bread testimony.  Taking a gander at this world would easily cause many to pull the brake cord or flash the time sign, but when your faith is in God, you bide your time as He works out the purpose of your pain to bring glory and gain.  Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me at drschaefferinterceding@yahoo.com You can give to Interceding Christian Center (ICC) ...

  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. -Matthew 16:16 God bless and good morning. It is Wednesday “hump day”. And normally by midweek we have all been stretched to our limit. No one in a flesh suit is immune to the stress of this world.  When I find the pressures of this world becoming heavy, I return to and review the truth behind this world, it’s fallen state, our redemption being only in Christ and the joy of knowing our God is sovereign.  Then I meditate and confess the word over my life. One scripture that comes to me is the confession of Simon Peter.  His bold statement opened the glorious blessings of Jesus that included access into the treasure troves of heaven.  The beauty of his confession as well as ours is the joy it brings the Lord and we all know when God is pleased with us things bow to us. And let’s never forget His joy is our strength.  Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me at drsc...

  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. -Matthew 14:29 Good morning and God bless you!!! Thought life...yeah that subject again. In the story above the fiery Apostle Peter along with the others had great fear, they even thought the Lord to be an evil spirit as He walked on water towards them.  When the Lord calls you out you must trust Him. Peter at first felt great relief when he realized that the figure coming towards them was Jesus.   When He calls us out our peace is on point.    But as the peripheral things in life rears up seeking our attention, our peace is disturbed and then the peace we had that previously surpassed understanding is no more.  As Peter looked away from the author and finisher of our faith, I would venture to say it was not a rapid looking away but as we tend to do gradually we look away.  Looking away to our job for substance, looking away from peace to pov...

  For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? -Job 27:8 God bless you and happy Monday!!! As we see corporate greed ravage so many areas of our lives, it could easily lead us to the conclusion the is often used to keep us impoverished.  “Money is the root of all evil.    But taking such a stance puts us into opposition with the word of God , who says “THE LOVE of money...” The scripture above warns us that worldly gain does not provide the peace that we seek. And worldly gain is temporary at best. Worldly gain will not prevent you from having a medical professional pronounce you dead, it won’t allow you to take any of it with you, and will not position you any better before the judgment seat of God.  Worldly gain does not automatically put you in hell, but the manner in which you obtained, maintain and utilize it could be the factor that could bring to your hearing “depart from me.”  God has no problem with u...