The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:3 - 'Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I love the teachings of Jesus. Of course, his teachings aren't popular now because people are into the whole "god" thing without Jesus. You see, a god can be anything. That's why you must be careful about following people that only claim to know "god" but do not specify which god they know. And you can always tell by the way they behave who they serve! Jesus taught the beatitudes early in his ministry because of the "god" server's attitude toward religion. They were religious indeed but used it as a way to belittle others. Jesus corrected this in his beatitude sermon right off the bat by saying that those that had less spirit were greater than the ones that thought they were very spiritual!

The key to this beatitude is the small "s" in spirit because that lets us know that it's talking about our spirit and not the Spirit of the Lord! Jesus is saying that blessed are the people that lose their own spirit or "will" because the less of you there is, the more of Christ you can retain! It's time to die to who you think you are and become who God says you are. It's not just for people that think they are everything, but it's also for people who feel they are nothing.

That's still a complex and when you become full of those thoughts you allow no room for the will or Spirit of Christ to lead and guide you. What ever is greater in you is your master. Whether it be negative or positive, your own thoughts about your life must be removed so that God can get out of you what he desires. So, we must learn to let go of the thoughts we have and accept Christ's thoughts. Let that same mind that was in Jesus be in you! That really means, die to who you are so that God can live through you. In 2011, we have to take down in order for God to be raised up.

We must decrease so that he can increase. Our flesh must die so that his Spirit can rule in us. There is too much of "us" in the way for God to really be glorified and shown mighty. We have to be poor in our own spirit so that God's Spirit can be rich in us!

Suggested Reading: John 3:30, Gal. 2:20, Phil. 2:5, 1John 4:1





Matthew 5:4 - 'Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.'

One function of the Holy Spirit of God is the ability to comfort us. Jesus said later on in his life, before his earthly death, that he would not leave us comfortless, but he would send us the comforter to keep us comforted. He knew that his leaving was going to cause much sorrow in the hearts of his followers, so he wanted to make sure we were comforted after he was gone. Death is something that cannot be avoided in this life and it's hard to deal with at times. Not just the death of loved ones, but also the loss of anything that is dear to us. But there is a manifestation of the Holy Ghost that comforts us in our time of mourning.

I remember losing my father and trying to deal with the pain of it. I can honestly say that it hurt beyond measure and was one of the most tragic instances in my life. But I can also say that through the whole ordeal, God was there and his Spirit embraced me in a way that I will never forget. Although I lost my father, I gained my true direction and purpose. Although I lost someone dear to me, it put me so close to my heavenly father, that he was able to speak clearly to me and direct my every move. So, through the mourning, I gained much in his comforting. Sometimes we have to lose in order to gain.

A lot of times, we hold on to things or people and cannot see past them until they are removed. And many times, they have served their purpose in us, but we yet want to hold on. Well, in this beatitude, Jesus is saying, when you lose, you will instantly gain. Whatever you let go of will be replaced. And you are blessed when you mourn losses because that's when the power of God can come and show you his comforting power! This beatitude is really saying, "Blessed are you, when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you, because that's when Jesus can become most dear to you!"

Suggested Reading: John 14:16, John 15:26, John 16:7, Psa. 71:21, Acts 9:31




Matthew 5:5 - 'Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.'

Meek does not mean weak! The world tries to make Jesus out to be some sort of coward that went around agreeing with everyone and keeping quiet about his beliefs. But if you are a Word reader, you know that Jesus taught the strongest message of all times and his message went totally against the religious leaders, the law enforcers, and everyone that thought they were someone. But he was very strategic in his approach, almost cunning. He would just baffle them with questions they could not answer and put them in situations they could not handle with his powerful word.

He was not weak at all but he was meek and lowly in his approach. He did not use his rank or authority to get into places or float above everyone else, but he stayed meek and low so that he could always touch the people. That is why this beatitude says that a meek person will inherit the earth because a meek person takes themselves down so they can stay with the people of God and not appear to be greater!

We have a serious problem in the body of Christ today. People are being lifted up and celebrated like they are the bomb instead of lifting Jesus up! Recording artists are acting like super stars now and selling everything about themselves. Many pastors and preachers are surrounding themselves with body guards and not being accessible to the people anymore.

God is being pimped by people that love money, fame, and worldly accolades! What happened to being "meek"? Jesus did not promote himself, but he did just the opposite. He told people to keep his works a secret! Jesus wanted to stay accessible to man so that he could help them. He did not preach and then go hide from everyone. He did not give a word and then walk around with the disciples as his body guards to protect him from the people! Even when Peter tried to act like a body guard, Jesus rebuked him! Jesus loved the people and wanted to bless them. Even when his safety was endangered, he still was so moved with compassion for the people, that he went among them.

Why are the preachers, recording artists, etc. of the church today acting like they are stars? Why are they making so many demands in their contracts and trying to lift themselves up to be something? Why are they preaching or singing and then hiding backstage or surrounded with entourages of people to stop others from touching them? What is going on? Well, all they will ever have is their money and their fame. But to get God's inheritance (your family blessed and saved), you must stay meek like Christ was. Money and fame are not the measure of success! It's what God thinks of you that counts and he measures us by the condition of our hearts not the opinions of people.


Suggested Reading: Matt. 11:29, John 7:10, Mark 7:36, John 3:30, James 4:6, 1Pet. 5:6






Matthew 5:6 - 'Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.'

A hungry or thirsty person will do just about anything for food and water. We must eat and drink to survive and without food and water, we will surely die. Well, the same goes for Spiritual food and water. There are so many Christians today dying spiritually because of their lack of spiritual food and water. The Word is the food because Jesus said he was the bread of life. Then he talked with the woman at the well and said that he could give her living water flowing like a river and she will thirst no more. But she had to talk with the master to receive the living water. If we do not read the Word and talk with Jesus, then we will starve and be thirsty!

We must get back to the place where we are hungry and thirsty after the righteousness, or "rightness" of God. We have to get away from trying to be "wrong" and still be blessed. You cannot be right if you hunger and thirst after wrong! So many people in the church are seeking after the blessings of God and their "breakthrough" without Spiritual hunger and thirstiness. But you cannot get filled until you seek God's "rightness!" Why would a person seek after the money of God, the healing power of God, or the signs and wonders of God without desiring to be righteous before God? I hear preachers and pastors arguing about how much sin a person can actually commit and still be saved, but that's not even the issue in the Kingdom of God. The real issue is that if you love and honor God, you will seek righteousness or "right-standing" with him.

To receive from God, you must please him, and obedience to his commandments is what pleases God. Though we do not merit salvation, the bible says in 1 John that he who practices righteousness is righteous. And if we do not hunger or thirst after our right standing with him, then we will not be filled. So, my friends, stop seeking the blessings of God and seek the righteousness of God. Don't just hunger and thirst after the "blessings" of God, but hunger and thirst after your rightness with him first. When you are obedient and living "right" before him, you will then be truly blessed!


Suggested Reading: Psa. 27:4, Matt. 6:33, 1Pet. 3:12, 1Pet. 4:18, 1John 2:29, 1John 3:7







Matthew 5:7 - 'Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.'

No matter how good you think you are, you are not good enough! Right at the moment of your greatest deed comes the tempter to show you how human you really are. God is not impressed with us being better than anyone, but he is impressed with our faith! Pleasing God is what he desires, not trampling over people and claiming to be more holy than others. It's not about us looking more holy, or acting more holy than others but it's about us understanding that the way we are is not how we have always been and there are others that are not quite there yet.

And because of this, we must have mercy on them when they are weaker or not as mature in Christ as we may think we are. It's really a gamble because once you begin to think that you are better, the bottom usually falls out and you are dropped back to earth to realize that it's not really you, but it's Christ in you that keeps you from falling.

When we are merciful to people, then mercy is extended to us when we need it. I remember listening to a TV preacher as a child and how he preached very harsh messages concerning sexual sins. He would always preach hell and fire and show no mercy. The next thing we know, he is caught up in the same thing. Even though God forgave him, the world did not want to forgive him because he was so harsh and unmerciful before. And that's how mercy works. This beatitude is really saying that you will reap what you sow. Don't come down too hard on people because you will need mercy one day. You must sow forgiveness to get forgiven. You must sow kindness to be treated kindly.

You must show yourself friendly to have friends and you must always remember that you fell, over and over again in your past, so it is wise to help people up rather than kick them when they are down. Show mercy and you will get mercy from God above if you fall. Now, one must have a repented heart for mercy to be extended because those that do not desire to change or repent should be preached against and exposed. Understand, I'm not saying that we should not preach against sin or ignore it (you know me better than that!), but we should always preach just as much mercy as we preach against sin because the mercy of God is neverending.

Suggested Reading: Psa. 27:4, Suggested Reading: Psa. 136:2, Eph. 2:4, Rom. 12:8, James 2:13





Matthew 5:8 - 'Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.'

The word "pure" in this Beatitude means "clear". In order for us to have a clear heart, we must allow God to clean it. But in order for him to clean our hearts, we have to stop hiding it from him. There are so many things that we hide as Christians today and these are the things that keep us from receiving what is due us as Kingdom children. Although we know we can never hide from God, many times we attempt to live a certain way before God without ever acknowledging that we have issues.

Issues from our childhood, issues from the way we were raised, generational curses, or even acting out sins that were performed on us when we were kids are usually things that we hide in our hearts and these things keep us from seeing God. And because we see God through our hearts, we must keep our heart pure or "clear" so that we can see through it.

The reason many of us struggle to see God in our daily lives or to talk with him in prayer, or to read his word, is because our hearts are filled with issues, dirt, deceit, hurt, anger, wrath, etc. and these are all Spirits that have come to torment us and keep us from seeing God. Of course we don't see God with our eyes, but we can see God move in our lives and see him operate around us. When we harbor these issues in our hearts, then it's hard to pray regularly or read the bible daily.

It's hard to talk to God or trust in him. It's hard to hear his voice or follow his path for our lives and it's extremely hard to live right. Having a heart that is not clear makes it hard to see God. The bible says with the heart, man believes he is righteous, so if your heart is not pure or clear, then it's hard to believe you are in good standing with God. When you don't really believe this, you don't pray like you should or you don't read the bible like you should.

If you don't believe you are righteous, you follow your own way and not God's way for your life. We must ask God to purify our hearts. Take away the pain, hurt, shame, etc. of the past so that we can serve him freely and not be bound by things that have damaged our hearts. A pure heart is a heart that can freely serve God and when we have a pure heart, each day we will see more and more of him.

Suggested Reading: Psa. 18:26, Prov. 30:12, Rom. 10:10, 1Tim. 1:5, Titus 1:15





Matthew 5:9 - 'Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.'

If God is our Father, then we should look and behave as he does. This is why sin is so awful in the sight of God, because he does not do it and when we do it, we are not looking like our father, but we are looking like his enemy the devil. And if God is our father, we should reflect him. Peacemakers reflect the Father because God said he would give us "perfect peace" if we keep our minds on him. So, how can we be of the Father and not be a peacemaker?

The devil disturbs peace and is the opposite of peace because his nature is of a peace taker. Have you ever known a person that no matter where they go, drama will follow them? They say they are a Christian, but they are always getting into it with someone about something? Mess and drama follows them everywhere! They constantly tick people off and make enemies, all the while believing that everyone else has the problem? This is not of God but it is of the enemy!

God's children are peacemakers and no matter how evil you are to them, they will work to make it better and not cause drama and mess. Peacemakers keep their homes in order and fight the enemy through prayer and not through lip service. Peacemakers don't stir up mess in the church against their Pastor or his family.

Peacemakers don't lie on others and deceive others into following their lies. Peacemakers don't treat people harshly or cause strife everywhere they go. Peacemakers set a good example for the world to see how good God really is. Peacemakers will remain your friends and not stab you in the back when they are upset. Even when you disagree with a peacemaker, peace remains. Those are the children of God.

If you have drama in your life constantly, then you need to pray for peace. God is not in drama or mess so if you are truly his child, you will be a peacemaker and not a peacetaker! If you are truly born of God, then his peace will operate through you.

Suggested Reading: Is. 26:3, John 14:27, Col. 3:15, 2Th. 3:16, Heb. 12:14




Matthew 5:10 - "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."


Have you ever been talked about or shunned because of your stand with Christ? When you stand up for righteousness these days, carnal and religious Christians will slam dunk you! It's almost like there are 2 extremes in the body of Christ, religious folks and carnal folks! Jesus had to endure these two groups of people in his time but it's much worse now. You have the religious folks that make salvation something physical that must be manifested emotionally in order to be truly attained. They wear their relationship with Christ like uniforms to prove their holiness. They talk about folks like dogs when you are not looking like them or worshipping where they worship. They destroy people with their gossip and attitudes, but will swear they are prayer warriors and anointed! This group of people are the masters of persecution.

And even though they are "throwed off", they will put crazy pressure on you to be better than them and you will always know how not to live by watching their example! So, hold your head up and forget what that crazy religious spirit said about you. The spirit of religion is of the devil and when you are persecuted by one of those hateful spirits, know that you are in line with where Christ was.



The other side of your persecution comes from the carnal church folks and the world. Carnal church folks want to sin and not be bothered with spiritual stuff like the Holy Ghost or divine healing, casting out demons etc. They feel that it's not necessary and even if it was, they wouldn't do it because they are carnal and they serve their own flesh and not Christ! They will persecute a Christian that stands up for righteousness because it puts pressure on them to live right. I cannot tell you all I deal with from pastors and ministries that want to sin, walk, talk, and live like the world and still claim to know Jesus Christ as their Lord! I cannot explain how hard it is to get a carnal church person to accept the truth about themselves instead of the lies that have been taught to them about themselves.

But I know that when we stand up for what is right, we gain God's Kingdom! When we serve God with our lifestyle, we have access to his throne. When people talk about you, or hurt you purposely because of your walk with Christ, know that they have done to you what they did to the savior.

And as they crucify and murder you with their words and deeds, just know that God will raise you up as he did his son, and people will know that you are his. Don't be ashamed to stand up for what is right, even in the midst of wrong. Right is always right and there is never a season when you should back down. Do the right thing always and God's Kingdom will be yours. Always remember, if you want Christ to stand for you, you must stand for him.



Suggested Reading: John 15:18, Gal. 2:20, 2Tim. 4:2, Rom. 6:6




Matthew 5:11 - 'Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.'

Jesus saved the best for last in this Beatitude. He said that when people do you wrong for his sake, great is your reward in heaven! Wait a minute! You mean that we are going to heaven to get a great reward? The reason I asked that question is because PEOPLE AREN'T PREACHING HEAVEN AND HELL ANYMORE!!!!!

The problem is that we have made the earth our home but it's not! The reason why we have pain, hurt, misery and turmoil here on earth is because this is not our home! All the prosperity messages, the breakthrough messages, the money cometh messages, and the television hype messages all suggest that we should have heaven here on earth. But there is no way we can have heaven on a place that is not our home.

The sin here on earth should disturb us but many of us are so busy trying to get all that we can until it doesn't even bother us anymore. Sure, we are to have money, that's why we have jobs and education. Sure we are to have peace, that's why we don't practice sin. Sure we are to have a good time, that's why we have family and friends. But we will continue to suffer and be persecuted because this world is not our home.

Because so many don't have the hope in Christ's return anymore they do not live like he is coming back. People feel that he is not coming back to get us any time soon, so they live like the world and do what they did back in Noah's day. But Jesus said that your hope in his imminent return will cause you to walk purely.

And that's the way it was when we were younger. But now, church folks are thinking about what we can get while we are here. We are acting like this is our home. But Jesus said our home is with him and our reward for enduring earth is up above not here. He also said that if you seek your reward here on earth, that's all you will get. He said if you seek the praises of men, then that's all you will get. But if you seek a reward in heaven, you will be greatly rewarded when you return home.

Heaven is our home people and the earth is not. So, get your affections off this place and keep them in things above. Save your souls for the Kingdom and change lives, and stop seeking to be something in this world. If you seek first the Kingdom of God, then he will make you what you are to be and you will get your reward in heaven! Jesus is coming back for us and we must be ready at all times because he said, when the world forgets he is coming and are no longer concerned with heaven and his return, that's the moment he will return.

Suggested Reading: Matt. 6:2, Matt. 16:27, John 18:36, Matt. 24:44