March 21, 2025
Good morning,
We live in a hectic world where skimping on prayer is easy. Prayer opens our hearts to receive the light and grace that Jesus offers us in our temptations. Through authentic prayer focused on Jesus, we also begin to desire the same things that Jesus desires. We cannot resist temptations to sin when we make choices based only on our emotions or public opinions. Our sins grow and multiply in the dark when we try to hide them or ignore them. And nothing affects our relationship with God more than our attitude toward our sins and the sins of others against us.
We are surrounded by negativity. We hear negativity in the media. It's downright pervasive on social media. We listen to it from colleagues, friends, and even family – it is everywhere. Lent is an opportunity to examine your life, identify areas for improvement, and make a conscious effort to change. It is a time to deepen your relationship with God, seek forgiveness, and renew your faith. During Lent, a positive and hopeful attitude focused on spiritual growth, repentance, and acts of charity, rather than viewing it as a burden, is key to a meaningful Lenten journey over negativity.
Lent is an excellent time to name what sinful, unhealthy, self-centered patterns need to change and act in contradiction of them by coming up with a strategy. For example, if the Lord shines a light into the darkness of an alarming pattern in your life, you can "stop doing it." However, you must work on a "change of heart" and consider what circumstances, attitudes, and other behaviors contribute to the pattern. Whatever situation or thing you might be dealing with, having a positive attitude can help you set yourself up for success, whether it's work, school, family, relationships, marriage, health, etc. The Prophet Daniel said in Daniel 9:3: "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, fasting, and sackcloth and ashes." We must see how we’ve surrendered to the gift of freedom God intended when Jesus Christ suffered and died for our sins to bring us into this relationship with God as His beloved children.
Thank you for your financial contributions to support the church's work. Please continue to mail your checks to Payne Chapel A.M.E. Church, 2701 Lee St, Houston, Texas 77026, or use Givelify.com (Payne Chapel A.M.E. Church—Houston, Texas).
Finally, I would like to leave you with this thought for meditation: “Having a positive attitude isn’t wishy-washy, it’s a concrete and intelligent way to view problems, challenges, and obstacles.” —Jeff Moore.
Always Pray.
Pastor Kevin L. Bullock, Sr.
