Scripture Psalm 92:4 4 For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
He Makes me GladI have experienced profound sorrow in the past few months. I guess all of us have at some level or another as we navigate a world wide pandemic. For me the loss was my dear father. I miss him so much and I can feel that pain in my heart that is wounded so deeply by grief. In the midst of my tears God has provided for me a smile. Simple things, like a bird chirping, hearing children laughing as they run and play, seeing the smile of a friend are like small lights in great darkness. It is then I am moved by the love of God. His love is deeper than my sorrow. He makes me glad even in the midst of such pain. Now I truly can understand that my joy is a product of His love. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________- Scripture Zechariah 4:9 ThehandsofZerubbabelhavelaidthe foundationof this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. Finish Strong There are very few satisfying feelings like finishing what you started. I remember I had a cousin named Jake that was very bow legged when he was little. This significantly impeded his speed when he would run. However, this didn't deter him from joining many of our impromptu races. The other kids would quickly pass him by and often would be off doing other things while my cousin Jake was ever so slowly still finishing the race. What I admired about Jake was that he never gave up and he always finished every race he started. He did it slowly but the fact was that he did it. It really doesn't matter how fast you run if you don't finish. God gives us the grace that when He begins a good work in us, He always finishes what He starts. Yes, there are undoubtedly many obstacles that try to keep us from reaching the destiny God has for us. But you just keep your eyes on the finish line and finish strong. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Numbers 11:23 And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not. Oh Yes My God CanMoses was in the wilderness with over 60000 mouths to feed. The people cried out for food as the hunger became unbearable. God spoke to Moses and told him to tell the people that He would send food for them until they were full for not just one day, or one week but for an entire month. Moses' finite mind just could not comprehend how this could be possible. God reminded Him that there is nothing too hard for God. God miraculously provided food for His people.
Often we can look at the overwhelming trials of our life and be pressed by the impossibility of a solution to our problem. But God CAN do it! He can solve your problem in a moment. God changes the impossible to possible. Tell your troubles that seem so unsolveable "Oh Yes My God Can". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture 2 Samuel 23:9-10 9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away: 10 He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.
Cleave to the WordEleazar was a great warrior. In one of his fierce exploits the Bible describes his fervent battle with the Philistines where he fought until his hand clave unto his sword. Letting go of the sword would have been a detrimental error which would have cost him his life. Despite his exhaustion, Eleazar held on to the one thing that could save him...his sword.
What are we holding on to? Are we holding on to the life saving sword which is the word of God. In our fiercest battles our only offensive and defensive weapon is the Holy Scriptures. Hold on to the word of God no matter how hot the battle of life gets. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Judges 7:13-14 13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
I heard them talking about me Upon calling Gideon, God addressed him as a mighty man of valour. Gideon at the time was hiding in a winepress to thresh his wheat. He was terrified of the Midianites. But God chose him to lead the battle against this great multitude. Gideon was so unsure about the call of God in his life, that he asked for a sign several times. He still remained unsure until he overheard a man telling another one about his dream. In the dream he saw a cake of barley bread that tumbled into the hosts of Midian and killed them. The listener confirmed that it had to be Gideon because God was using him to deliver His people. The result of his eavesdropping encouraged Gideon and he was convinced that God had chosen him and his army to defeat the Midianites.
God is so merciful that even when we doubt that He could ever find us useful, He gives us the assurance of our value. God has a unique perspective in that He doesn't just see us as we are but He sees us for what we can be. God knew that He was developing Gideon into a great warrior leader even when Gideon didn't know nor could believe it. God will make them talk about you so you can see yourself the way you ought to be seen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Acts 28:5-6 5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. 6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god. I'm Still Here! After a brutal shipwreck, Apostle Paul barely made it alive to the island Melita. I could only imaging how elated he must have been to be on dry land after hours of drifting in the water. The people of the land, were kind to the shipwrecked crew and prisoners, and showed them great kindness. As Paul was gathering sticks to put on the fire, a viper emerged out of the heat and fastened on to his hand. Now when the people of the land saw this, they believed Paul must have been some horrible criminal to survive the sea only to be poisoned by a viper. As they waited and waited for Paul to begin to swell up and die, he didn't. The venomous beast had no power over Paul's body.
Some of us have experienced life breaking events that were meant to destroy us. We survived one thing and then something else emerged out of no where. BUT, God preserves us. We aren't broken by life but we are able to not only survive the hurt but to thrive in midst of it. When others expected us to die, we can boldly say "By the blood of Jesus Christ, I'm still here". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Numbers 14: 9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. Don't be afraid it's just Bread The children of Israel were given the opportunity of a life time. God was about to bless them with a promise land that had more than they could ever dream. The land was better than good and super abundant. But... isn't there always a but? But the people in the land were strong, tall and they looked pretty powerful. All of a sudden fear annihilated their hope. Joshua and Caleb dared the nation to shift their perspective of the "great" enemy. Instead of seeing them as threats, obstacles or admiring their power, see them as bread. They didn't come to kill you but to make you stronger.
Are we doubting God's promises for our lives because of the greatness of the obstacle. It's time for us to see things in the light of God's magnificence. He will make a way. Those obstacles as frightening as they may be are just bread that will feed your dream and make it stronger. Bread was never made to be feared it was made to be consumed. Trust God today and go in and posses what He's given you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture 2 Chronicles 26:5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. Seek the Lord In many self-help programs the key to success is locking on to a goal and making it the focus. However, the Bible shows us how to truly prosper and be successful. It's not so much focussing on the goal but focussing on God. God makes it all possible. When we seek God and follow Him, He leads us in the right path and we discover things we could have never found out on our own. If you're feeling stagnant, try seeking God and allowing Him to bring you to a higher level. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Nahum 1:13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder. The Yoke is Broken When preparing the fields farmers used to use the great power of oxen. The ox is a very large, powerful animal, capable of trampling any man. Yet a small apparatus called a yoke limits the movement of the oxen and gives the farmer control. The purpose of a yoke is to control the powerful.
God has made us powerful. We have the power to live a life that is in harmony with the Spirit of God. Sin uses yokes of dependency, addiction, and weakness to limit that power. The enemy is very much aware of how great we could be in Christ so he uses the yoke to control us. When you come to Christ, He breaks every yoke. We are no longer slaves, easily controlled, mindless followers. BUT we receive power when we receive the Holy Spirit of God. Be free in Jesus Christ your yoke is broken ._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scripture Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Do You Agree? In the mornings I like to go for a walk. I enjoy the fresh air, the birds chirping and the exercise. There are often many other people out there doing the same thing but we are all walking in our own directions. We all may be walking but we aren't walking together.
God invites us to walk with Him. That means we have to be going in His direction. Jesus said that He is the way the Truth and the Life. We have to take His way in order to live in agreement with Him. If we are walking with God then we have to agree with His word. We can't live a contradictory life style or agree with the negative things the world puts out there. We have to agree that we are who God says we are and we'll do whatever He tell us to do. This is the direction to joy, peace and everlasting life. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Numbers 11:23 And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not. Oh Yes My God Can Moses was in the wilderness with over 60000 mouths to feed. The people cried out for food as the hunger became unbearable. God spoke to Moses and told him to tell the people that He would send food for them until they were full for not just one day, or one week but for an entire month. Moses' finite mind just could not comprehend how this could be possible. God reminded Him that there is nothing too hard for God. God miraculously provided food for His people.
Often we can look at the overwhelming trials of our life and be pressed by the impossibility of a solution to our problem. But God CAN do it! He can solve your problem in a moment. God changes the impossible to possible. Tell your troubles that seem so unsolveable "Oh Yes My God Can". __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scripture Colossians 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Die to Live One sunny day as I was reading on the beach when all of a sudden I heard a group of children squealing and chattering loudly. I tried to ignore them but the giggles, oohs and aaahs continued. I put my book down and walked over to investigate. There was a small shark that had washed up on the shore. The children were amazed by the lifeless creature. They were poking it, touching it, and pulling it. Eventually someone from the beach shewed the children away and removed the corpse from the beach. I thought about how close those children could get to the shark because it was dead. Their annoyances would have been met with brutal and deadly force had the shark been alive. But as long as the shark was dead, they could do nothing to it to get a reaction.
Are we dead to sin? When we are poked, mocked, or dragged by every day annoyances do we react? If we die to this world we live in the realm of God. We can’t exist in two kingdoms at the same time. We need to be dead to sin to be alive in the newness of Christ. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture 1 Peter 5:10 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
It’s Settled A few weeks ago I hurt my back. I had to go to the chiropractor. Going to the chiropractor is not like going to get a massage. A massage is relaxing and soothing. The chiropractic experience is one of pain. Why would I go to the chiropractor knowing full well the kind of torture that awaited me? The reason is simple, the moment of pain leads to days ahead without it.
We are encouraged today to know that the pain and suffering we experience in this life is necessary to make us into the people who can enjoy the eternal glory Christ has prepared. Through our earthly suffering we become complete, strong and settled. The word “settled” means stable, founded established. Something that is settled isn’t easily blown away but can stand strong in the midst of storm, opposition, and the unexpected. When we go through hard times, let’s remember that it’s only making us unmoveable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Joel 2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. Restored YearsIn the summer season of our lives, when we're young, we are surrounded by fruitfulness and beauty. Time is abundant. As we get older and approach our winter season, things become more scarce. Time seems to be running out and we are faced with the regrets that are founded on a belief that it's too late. With God all things are possible. In the depths of depair we can sometimes forget that God is the Lord even over time. The time we thought we lost, God can restore. To restore means to bring back. Jesus Christ is resurrecting some of our dreams, hopes and ministries that we thought were long dead. Trust God today, that He can restore the years. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture
Jeremiah 31:35-36 35 Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: 36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. As long as there are stars I recently took a trip to the country. As I sat out by the campfire, I looked up and I saw a countless stars decorating the black night sky. I was truly in awe. I live in the city where we are so barricaded by artificial lights we rarely witness this kind of beauty. Then I began to think about the generations of men and women who admired these same stars. We all have wondered at the same moon and have been warmed by the same sun. The sun, moon and stars are not only appreciated for their beauty but also for their consistency.
God describes His unending love for His people in the book of Jeremiah when He says that "As long there is a sun every morning, a moon every night and stars for a light in the sky, you will be mine". It sounds like something straight out of a love poem but these words describe the consistency of God's love. His love never waivers, ends, nor can be broken. We can bask in this abundant, for ever kind of love.. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. My Song When I was a child, the game of Trust was very popular. It consisted of you falling back fulling trusting that your friend would catch you. There were times I wouldn't fall all the way back though. Those were the moments where I believed that the person couldn't or wouldn't catch me. My level of trust was based on the person in whom I was trusting.
Do you really trust God? Are you willing to fully fall back and let Him catch you? God will always catch you. He will never let you fall. The liberty in trusting God brings the kind of joy that isn't based on circumstances. In the darkest moments we can have our own song. Our song is a song of praise that God is worthy to be trusted and He will see us through. Do you have your song of praise today? Trust God and He will make you sing. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Genesis 24:23 And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in? Is There Room in Your Father's House
We live our lives on a stage where the world is the audience. There is always someone watching and observing us, our choices, our words, our actions and using all that evidence to sum up who we are. Sometimes it doesn't necessarily measure up to who we profess to be. Our integrity is defined by how well our profession of ourselves lines up with the observable evidence of what we do every day. Abraham entrusted his eldest servant with the task of finding a suitable wife for Isaac from among his people. The servant prayed to God so specifically about the qualities of the wife he wanted for his master's son. When he encountered Rebekah's kindness and compassion he knew she was an answer to his prayer. Based on her actions, he suspected that she was a daughter of Abraham's people so he approached her to find out more about who she was. Rebekah's generosity moved the servant to arrange for her to be Isaac's wife.
Are we living a life that moves people to ask us about who we are and do we invoke the desire for people to want to come to our Father's house? Evangelizing is more than just handing out tracks, or sharing websites with the lost. It's about living a life that is an example of what it means to be a true child of our Heavenly Father. Your love, your kindness, your life will make the world want to find out, if there's room in your Father's house. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Kiss the Son We are bombarded with so many images of what it means to be strong. Strength has become known as power over others, being fierce, relentless and on and on. But we fail to recognize the strength in humility. True strength is when we can submit ourselves to God. In the Psalmist's day to kiss someone was to show submission. In many places in the Bible the kiss is used as a recognition of someone's high status. It's interesting that this Psalm isn't written for the lowly but to kings and princes. All will bow before the King of kings. We will find our blessings when we submit to God's will and trust His direction for our lives. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Psalm 116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.
Return to a Place of Rest In our society today, we are working more than ever. We are working when we're at work and perhaps checking e-mails, or finishing work when we get home. The weekends are often ram packed with activities and then we're at it again on Monday. We haven't valued the state of rest. Some people may even see rest as a waste of time. Rest however, is a time to just stop, relax, refresh and recharge. Without rest, we are in danger of running on an empty battery.
God has given our soul a place of rest. This is a secret place where our soul can cease from all the hustle and bustle and be restored. We often leave this place of rest and we begin to worry about all the things on our "to-do" list. Remember God's blessings are always abundant. God is always more than enough so just relax, He's in control. We don't need to worry. It is time for us to rest, turn our cups up to God and He will fill us up with blessings until we overflow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Deuteronomy 3:28 But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.
The Encourager During this lock down there have been many of us who have experienced loss. We have endured isolation, loneliness, and immense sadness. You would think the thought of knowing that these experiences are common around the world would give some comfort, instead it sometimes just exasperates the situation. Whenever, I come across challenges, I try my best to face them fearlessly but, this time, these challenges seemed bigger than me. I began to lose my confidence and succumb to the despair of my situation. BUT God didn't allow me to stay there. He provided me encouragement through His word and through His people. When I am reminded of the greatness of God, I remember even though this is a battle I can't win alone WITH God I CAN do ALL things. God knows your purpose and He sees what you have to fulfill. He is well aware of the greatness locked up inside of you so He creates the conditions to break the vessel to liberate it. If you are feeling down, broken or you've lost your confidence, be encouraged in knowing that the God you serve is all powerful and nothing is beyond the scope of His ability. God CAN and He WILL bring you through this. Hold on to His promises and be encouraged. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Matthew 14:15-16 15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
A Desert Place The evening is always an indication that night is nearby, just waiting to descend upon the landscape. Jesus' disciples became increasingly anxious about having all these people in a desert place as night was quickly approaching. A desert place is a place of barrenness. Nothing grows there and that means there was no food to feed anybody. Isn't it funny that sometimes dark times and desert places can drive us away from Jesus and toward looking for our own solution. "Send them to the village" they entreated Jesus. But Jesus, he had other plans. He took what the disciples had which was just five loaves and two fish and fed five thousand men as well as women and children.
The disciples made the mistake that we all do at times. We look at our resources and conclude that we don't have what it takes to face the challenges we encounter. Jesus reminded the disciples that it was not about their limited resources but His unlimited resources. Your Heavenly Father is able to supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory (Phillipians 4:19). You always have enough, even when it looks like you have nothing at all. Trust Jesus that He will empower you to give what you don't believe you have. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit
The Uncondemned “We caught this woman in the very act of adultery”. Shouted the angry crowd. The blood thirsty accusers threw this publically shamed woman at the feet of Jesus. They thought they finally caught Jesus. He would have to condemn this sinful woman and they would happily stone her for her disgraceful act. I could only imagine this woman’s tears, humiliation, fear and terror as she lay helpless in front of the Lord. Jesus stooped down on the ground and began to write. The words that he uttered breathed hope into this woman. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”. All the accusers saw their sins reflected in those words. They dropped their stones one by one and left. This woman found herself alone with Jesus. He did not condemn her but set her free.
When we come to Christ, we are the uncondemned. We are no longer condemned, judged, guilty, disapproved or criminal. We have been made free to walk in the joy of the Spirit of God. Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins. What will you do with this freedom? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Luke 10:42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
The One Thing that Matters In our modern day times, we are busier than ever. We have so many commitments, places to go, things to do. and on and on. We barely have time to think as we are embraced into the hustle and bustle of every day life. How much time do we spend doing, thinking or saying things that actually matter?
Martha was a busy lady. She found herself engulfed in the business of serving and soon became so overwhelmed it drove her to complain to Jesus. Her sister Mary on the other hand was not worried, bothered or busy doing anything else but listening to Jesus. The overworked Martha's frustrations surfaced as she realized that her sister had not bothered to help her at all. Why wasn't Mary busy like she was? How could she just sit there and listen. Martha had the wrong perspective. All that service for the Lord meant little if she never spent quality time with the Lord. Jesus reminded Martha that there is only one thing that matters most and that's being in the presence of our Lord Christ Jesus.
Are you finding yourself swept away by the flurry of the insurmountable tasks and your never ending "to do" list? Take some time to walk away from it all and enjoy the rest and peace that you can only find sitting at the feet of Jesus. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture 2 Chronicles 32:8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
The Lord will Fight This Battle King Hezekiah received the news that he was about to encounter an undefeated enemy. The army of the Assyrians had conquered every country that opposed their rule. When Hezekiah realized that Judah was next on the list of take overs, he turned to the Lord. The men of Assyria uttered threats to inject fear into the hearts of the people. But Hezekiah countered those words by expounding the promises of God to His people. Those who were once riddled with anxiety now could rest on the hope that God would fight this battle because when God fights a battle, He always wins.
Do you realize that you're on the winning side? If you trust in God then nothing, or no one, can defeat you. Stop toiling to fight your endless battles yourself and learn to rely on the Lord to help you, to fight for you. You will find that there is rest in hoping in the Lord. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Jeremiah 31:37 Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.
Immeasurable Love Can we ever really understand the love of God? We can compare it to our love of our family, our husband or wife, our friends but those intense concepts of love pale in comparison to how great God's love for us actually is. Our Lord describes His love for His people as wider than the heavens, and deeper than the deepest ocean, as consistent as the sun, and invincible like the moon. In other words God's love for us is mind blowing. His love is greater than anything we could ever imagine. It was love that moved the Almighty God to put on flesh in the form of a man and die for our sins. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the greatest demonstration of love. No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, the love that God has for you is immeasurable. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Unmoveable In fierce winds the thing to hold on to is the thing that isn't moved by the storm. The psalmist describes the one who holds onto God as a tree that is planted by the rivers of water (psalm 23). These trees are so deeply rooted and nourished that they are virtually unmoveable. Paul had encountered so many things in life that had the potential to shake his world. But in the midst of all the trouble, affliction and tribulations, he stood firm, on the solid foundation of his faith in Jesus Christ.
Today we can choose to be unmoveable by not allowing the cares of this life to toss us around. We have the choice to cast all our cares upon the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). None of the things can move you when you are holding onto the solid rock Christ Jesus.
Scripture Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Wise Guy The Greek culture was obsessed with pursuing and acquiring wisdom. Socrates one of the great ancient philosophers once said " The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing". Yes this statement requires a certain level of humility but The Bible shows us that being wise has nothing to do with what we think we know or don't know. There is a greater deeper wisdom that can only be obtained by getting to know the creator instead of being marveled by the creation.
Job was a man who experienced great loss in life. Through it all, he came to the conclusion that to fear the Lord was the only way to get wisdom and to depart from evil to get understanding. In this case to "fear the Lord" moves beyond simply being afraid of or terrified by God. To fear the Lord is to get to know Him and to be in awe of His wonder. Essentially to fear the Lord is to recognize His awesomeness and His limitless ability.
Wisdom isn't found in our pursuit of ourselves or tirelessly trying to dig into self discovery. If we want to find wisdom, the only place we will find it is in getting to know the Lord. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Nehemiah 2:20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will ariseandbuild: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
Arise and Build I enjoy watching restoration building T.V. shows. I'm always amazed at how someone can take a run down dump and make it a pristine dwelling. There are times when the building looks hopeless and irrepairable but the skilled builders restore it and make it something awe inspiring. I often wonder where they get the gumption to even begin to tackle such a task. They seem to completely ignore the present condition of the building but they catch the vision of the finished structure.
The people of Israel had experienced 70 years of Babylonian captivity. Cyrus, King of Persia, defeated Babylon set the Jewish people free to return to their land. After many years a new King Artaxerxes became the King of Persia. Nehemiah was his cupbearer. Nehemiah explained his desire to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem and he brought to his attention the records of Cyrus’ decree to allow the Jews to build. The war torn pieces made the task seem near impossible. Other nations mocked them as they began to rebuild. They did not let that stop them. They saw the vision of a rebuilt city. So with determination they began and continued to build.
Are you sitting in the ashes of your dreams? Do you see broken pieces when you look at your life? God says "Arise and build!" . You see, God has the finished product in clear vision. Believe Him and you will see what He sees when He looks at you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture 1 Chronicles 7:24 (And his daughter was Sherah, who built Bethhoron the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.)
Building and RebuildingEphraim had experienced extreme loss. Four of his sons decided to rob the people of Gath of their cattle and in the process, got themselves killed. Ephraim was thrown into deep despair over the tragic end of his children. Many of us are mourning today not because of our own experiences, but because of things that are happening to the ones we love.
Ephraim was comforted by his wife and she again became pregnant and had another son. Many of us would see this as an exciting, brand new opportunity, a sort of second chance. The sorrow of Ephraim's life hampered his perception of the blessing of this new baby boy. He was unable to celebrate or rejoice. He called his son's name Beriah which means calamity and misfortune. Do we allow our past to colour our perception of the new opportunities that God places before us? Do we allow ourselves to be ungrateful for our present blessings because we are so focused on our past misfortunes?
The Bible tells us that even in this broken state, God blessed Ephraim greatly. Ephraim had a daughter whose name was Sherah. She would build. She built a city which would be an immense accomplishment for anyone, let alone a woman of that time. Be encouraged friends. God can use the broken moments in our lives as pieces to rebuild our new and brighter future. Look to the light of God's goodness in your future instead of looking back at the despair of the past. God always brings you through to build something new. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Numbers 21:4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
The Venom of Complaining The children of Israel were finally free from their Egyptian captivity. In Egypt they lived life as slaves with heavy burdens to bear. Now they finally had the opportunity to be free. Their freedom however, would not come easy. They had to fight many battles and endure a harsh wilderness in order to make it to their promised land.
After they had just experience a great victory over the King of Canaan, they once again encountered another obstacle. They wanted to go through Edom which would have been a direct route to the promised land but they were denied entry. They thought maybe once again God would give them a victorious passage but there was no intervention in giving them access to Edom. Deflated, they had to take a more round about route through the mountainous way of Hor by the Red Sea. Here discouragement began to creep into their hearts. Their frustration erupted into complaints which ultimately questioned God's capability to bring them through. Venomous snakes appeared and began to bite and kill many people. God told Moses to create a brazen serpent on a pole. Whoever looked at the serpent became immune to the snake bites and lived.
Are you faced with an obstacle to your blessing? Do you feel like you're going in circles and this difficult journey is sapping away your ability to stay encouraged? Instead of complaining which is a venom that kills your dreams, turn to God and believe that He can bring you through victoriously. Some detours are necessary so learn the lesson they have come to teach you.. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Judges 1:15 And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.
Go Ahead and Ask Caleb's daughter knew that all she had to do was ask and her father would gladly give her what she needed. Although he had already given her the south land, she knew she could ask for more. Your Heavenly Father wants the best for you.. The world is His and everything in it. As His child you have access to all that He has which by the way is EVERYTHING. Are you reluctant to ask God for what you need or desire? It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32) so feel free to ask. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Numbers 11:23 And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.
Watch it Come to Pass Moses cried out to God in frustration as he was bombarded by the desperate pleas of his people for meat. They had spent quite some time in the wilderness with only manna to eat and now they were craving something more savoury. Overwhelmed by their impossible requests Moses sought the Lord for help. God told him that He would provide them meat not just for a two days, five days or even 10 days but for an entire month. Moses stunned by God's seemingly outrageous promise reminded God that it was 600 000 footmen not to mention women and children. God assured Moses that He was capable of fulfilling the impossible task of giving meat to this congregation. Moses watched as God used a mighty wind to bring thousands of quail from the sea to quench the insatiable desire the people had for meat. Right before his very eyes, Moses witnessed God's miraculous power.
We are constantly faced with the impossible. We ask God "Will I ever get married? Will I ever have a child? Will I ever get that promotion?" And on and on the questions roll. But today, God reminds us that He is more than capable to meet our impossible needs. Trust God that you will see the promises of God fulfilled in your life. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scripture Psalm 138:8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. It's Being Perfected I've always enjoyed watching the sketch artists downtown. They offer to sketch your portrait and in just a few minutes... voila... you're face is on the page. But if you notice, in the beginning they start with a blank page. As they work, all you can see are the random lines. What if they stopped there? You'd never have an idea of the finished product nor would you be able to marvel at their artistic ability. The random lines don't make sense to the onlooker but the artist sees the purpose of every line because the end image is already in his or her mind.
God sees the end even before it happens. We are just onlookers and sometimes to be honest, things happen in life that don't make sense to us. But it makes sense to the Artist. God knows what it takes to make us into that complete, beautiful version of ourselves. It takes time and in the making it often doesn't look pretty nor does it resemble the finished product. We are assured by the word that We are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is (1 John 3:2). We don't know what we will be. All we know is that it will be perfect in Christ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Genesis 35:18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. Giving Birth to Strength "Give me children, or else I die." were the words of desperation as Rachel clung to her husband Jacob. Years of childlessness had driven her to the brink of unbearable emptiness. Jacob was so frustrated with her because she was asking him to do what only God could do. BUT God remembered Rachel and opened her womb so she could give birth to a beautiful, well favoured baby boy. You could only imagine her elation as her empty arms finally held her long awaited son. She named her son Joseph. The name Joseph in Hebrew means to add or give increase, indicating that Rachel was hoping for more children.
Her hopes were satisfied as she received the jubilant news that she was now pregnant with a second son. However, things took a turn for the worse and Rachel struggled in child birth. As she recognized that her life was escaping her body, she named her son Benoni meaning son of my pain. Jacob however, changed the baby's name and called him Benjamin meaning son of my strength.
Can we turn our pain into strength? Are we so focussed on the pain that we forget that it is the only way to build muscle and stamina. Without the opposition and resistance, things are too comfortable and it leaves us stagnant. Today see every negative experience as your opportunity to give birth to strength instead of focussing on the pain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Psalm 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
Built In PraiseYou and I are amazing beings. Adam the father of human kind was created by the hand of God and became a living soul not because God allowed the wind to blow into his lungs but because God breathed His own breath into him. Breathing is so important to our survival. On average we take between 17000-30000 breathes a day. The breath we breathe is God given. Thus, everything that has breath has the capacity to give God praise. We have a built in praise connection with our Creator. What will you do with your breath? Instead of using it for complaining, worrying, fighting, use your breath to give God praise. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: The Finish Line's in View Heart pumping, sweat beading on my forehead as I waited for my relay partner to pass me the baton. It felt like it was an eternity as I attempted to contain my anticipation for my chance to run. On my track team I was the anchor. I loved that position because I could see the end of the race. The whole relay made sense from my perspective. The race was about the finish and how we endured to the end. Finally I could see my partner approaching, I start to jog slightly until I feel the cold steel in the middle of my hand and like a bullet I take off for the finish line.
When we keep the finish line in view the entire race makes sense. We recognize why we are living the life we live. We are living to obtain an eternal crown. All of life's trials seem so small in the marvelous light of this knowledge.. Everything will be worth it when we finish and finish well. So hold on and run this race until you cross the finish line. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Psalm 141:9 Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.
Don't Take the Bait One of the most difficult animals to trap is the bird. As long as they are flying generally no snare can hold them. However, to get the bird out of flight and on the ground, bait has to be used. When the bird sees the tasty treat, it unknowingly enters a trap and WHAM its caught. Only then does the bird realize that the bait just wasn't worth its freedom.
The enemy uses the same tactics to try to ensnare us. As long as we are flying high in the Lord we are virtually untrappable. It's when we come down for the low base things of life that we desire to feed our flesh are we at risk. We become enticed and drawn away by our own lusts that we can find ourselves entangled. Stay in flight. Don't come down for the bait. For your freedom in Christ is worth more than any momentary pleasure. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn
Make Room It was tax time and all people were required to go back to their own cities to be accounted for. Mary and Joseph took their long journey home to Bethlehem from Nazareth. Many people from all over returned so all the inns and places to stay would be occupied. When the time came for Mary to give birth to our Lord Jesus Christ, there was no room for them in the inn. She had to go to the manger for shelter.
Our lives can get so jammed pack with so many things. There are many sources of distraction, leisure and just plain old time wasting. But have we made room for the King of Kings in our lives? How much of our time do we dedicate in simply spending time with the Lord? The inn missed out on being the birth place of the Saviour of the world. Don't miss out on being a sanctified temple. Make room for Jesus today! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Zechariah 4:9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.
You Will Finish What You StartedThere was a study that explored the impact of interruptions on job satisfaction. The findings showed that people who experienced the least amount of interruptions liked their jobs the most. Wouldn't it be nice to start and finish a task without any interruptions? But that's not the way life works. Life is full of interruptions. We begin on one journey and then obstacles come to try to divert us from our path.
God encouraged Zerubbabel the King that he would be able to finish the house where he laid the foundation. He had experienced a lot of opposition as he tried to build the temple. God assured him that he would complete the temple and show the world that the Almighty God had sent him. Often we are confronted with things that try to stop us from finishing. But with God we will finish and finish well. Yes we will be able to see the plan of God come to fruition in our lives. Trust God that He will help you to finish what you started. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture 2 Chronicles 16:8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand.
Ask God
Scripture 2 Chronicles 15:7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
Stand FirmWords have power. They can lift us up or tear us down. They can leave us strong and encouraged or weak and defeated. When King Asa heard the word from Azariah he was strengthened and empowered to do the hard work of getting rid of the idols. He recognized that at the end of all the toil that God had something good in store for him. Even his mother was engaging in idolatry and he had to address her. Asa drew strength from the prophet's words and made significant changes in the land of Judah.
Today, when we read the Word of God, let us be strengthened by its promises. Isn't it funny that we can think of our problem a million times a day? These thoughts only leave us drained. When we meditate on the Word of God, we can find strength to do the difficult work because we know at the end of it all God has a reward for us. Read the Word of God regularly so that it can give you the strength you need.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture 1 Kings 18:30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. Repair the Broken Altar Elijah was one of the greatest prophets of all times. In his epic show down with the 400 false prophets of Baal, he was about to display the wonders of God. The challenge was that the God that answered by fire would be God. The prophets of Baal prayed earnestly all day and even cut themselves but there was no answer from their god. Elijah called on God and God answered by sending down fire and consuming the sacrifice and licking up the water. Before this wondrous event could take place, Elijah ensured that he repaired the altar. The people were engaged in other things and neglected the upkeep of the altar. The altar was the meeting place where they would offer sacrifices and meet God and Elijah knew he needed God in this situation so he insisted that the broken altar be repaired.
Is there a broken altar in our lives? Are we meeting with God regularly or are we neglecting our time with Him? We need to make a decision today to repair our altar. We need to ensure that our meeting time with God is a priority to us. With God anything is possible so it is essential that we rely on Him to face every challenge. Spend time with the Lord every day and your life will change exponentially for the better. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Exodus 4:2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. What's in Your Hand?The children of Israel cried out in horror as they saw the pursuing Egyptian army closing in on them. They were confronted with mountains and the Red Sea. Many began to worry and believe that God had forsaken them in the wilderness. Moses turned to God for direction. God asked Moses a question that seemed quite peculiar "What is in your hand?". You see Moses was looking to God to give him something.....some miraculous deliverance from on high...or something like that. Instead God is asking Moses about what's in his hand. Moses responds "A rod". God tells him to stretch out the rod and in an unbelievable moment the Red Sea is divided and the children of Israel escaped over on dry land.
Sometimes it takes a Red Sea for us to realize the greatness God has placed in our hands. We can often see ourselves as powerless but God empowers us. He gives us everything we need to be an over comer. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Are you overlooking what God has placed in your hand? When you are faced with a challenge look to God and He will give you the right tools for the right time. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scripture Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
Just Do It!We are living in a time where people are engaging in all kinds of conversations on many different platforms. We have developed theories about how to win souls for Christ. We come up with grand plans for spreading the gospel and expanding the ministry. However, the most powerful way to witness for Christ is to do the work of Christ. We need to move beyond just talking about Christ, singing about Christ to living for Christ. When others see our good works, they will glorify our Father which is in Heaven (Matthew 5:16). The most powerful teaching tool we have is the life we live. Remember serving Christ is demonstrating actions that are faith inspired and evidence of a love relationship with the Creator. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
Complete in HimNobody's perfect right? It depends on our definition of perfect. In our minds we can often see perfect as without flaws or with no faults. With God we can achieve perfection but it isn't this flawless unattainable image but rather being totally complete. No matter how beautiful something is when it is unfinished its purpose isn't maximized. When it is finished we can see how useful it is.
In Christ we are complete. Through the power of His blood we are made whole. We are enough and just what is required for this time. God made us for His purpose and He gives us everything we need to fulfill it. The only way we can combat the lies perpetuated in our society is to believe that there is nothing missing in us for we are complete in Christ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Exodus 14:15-16 15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: 16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
Keep Moving ForwardThe children of Israel experienced many obstacles as they fled to freedom from their captors the Egyptians. There they were penned in by mountains and they watched in horror as the Egyptian army pursued them. The Red Sea was in front of them. They were so focused on the many obstacles that they lost sight of the power of God. The LORD reminded them that it wasn't time for crying they needed to keep going forward. "But how?" they may have wondered as the Red Sea stood defiantly before them. All of a sudden Moses stretched out his rod and miraculously there was a way in the midst of the sea for the children of Israel to walk through on dry land.
We are met with numerous obstacles that can easily distract us from the power of God. God is encouraging us today to move forward. Don't stop and observe the obstacles, it's time to keep our eyes fixed on where God is taking us. Trust God in the face of challenges and keep moving forward. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Psalm 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Washed CleanI thought I packed my clothing carefully when I was going on a long awaited vacation. Unfortunately my lotion wasn’t tightly closed and it leaked over my clothing. My reddish colour lotion found its way on one of my favourite white jackets. I thought that my jacket was ruined. I scrubbed and scrubbed but it didn’t seem to do anything to the red stain. My friend suggested that I take my jacket and soak it in bleach. I left my jacket for soaking for three days. On the third day the jacket was totally white again with no evidence of the stain.
We have many experiences that seem to stain our beautiful lives. We can sometimes come to the conclusion that it just will never be clean again. Our mistakes are never bigger than God’s grace. When God cleans us up there is no evidence of the stain of sin. We are completely clean and washed as we soak in the love of our Saviour Jesus Christ. God’s love removes every stain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Lamentations 3:22-23 22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Our Faithful God I remember as a child when someone made a promise that they didn’t intend to keep they would simply cross their fingers. So in order for us to take the person’s word seriously we had to see their hands to ensure that fingers weren’t cross. Only then could we believe that the promise was valid.
God always shows us His hand. We can see the work that He does. His fingers are never crossed because He is always faithful and His promises are sure. When God says it, He does it. It may take longer than you anticipated but it will happen. Trust God that He is our Faithful God and He will keep His promises toward us.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-- Scripture Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Here Am I Send MeAre you willing to go where God wants you to go? Even if it's difficult or unpleasant. It is so easy to say "yes" but it's another ball game actually living it out. Isaiah felt that he was of unclean lips which would disqualify him from witnessing such a holy moment. However, God prepared him by allowing the seraphim to cleanse his lips with a live coal. Then Isaiah, was confident that now he could go and represent the Lord.
If God sends you, He will prepare you no matter how unprepared you feel. He is a God that can transform and make the unworthy, worthy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scriputre Psalm 17:4-5 4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. 5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
Be Careful It's SlipperyIt was an icy, winter day. My friend and I started out and began to walk to the car. There was a path that was shoveled and a path that wasn't. Of course, the most direct and easiest path was the one that was unshoveled. My cautious friend chose the shoveled path. Sometimes patience isn't my strong point, so I decided to take the most direct path. I took two steps and then before I knew it I had both feet in the air as a tumbled to the ground. My friend who so graciously tried to bury her laughter blurted out "Are you okay?". Embarrassed and a little wet, I quickly jumped to me feet and gave her the thumbs up. The path was a lot more slippery than I anticipated.
Sometimes the easiest path is not the best path. We can overestimate our ability to navigate our own lives. We need to follow God's path. Any other path is slippery. We are bound to fall when we rely on our own wisdom to choose our own way. Never trust in your own strength. You may think you're strong enough to go to the club with your old girlfriends but that my friend is a slippery path. Going out with the attractive co-worker alone, again a slippery path. Going to the bar with the group after the ball game another slippery path. Let us shun the very appearance of evil and stay on the path where our footing is sure. Stay on God's path because He will uphold your footsteps.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ . Scripture Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Dream the Dream and See the VisionGod speaks to his prophets through dreams and guides them through visions. A dream occurs when the dreamer is asleep and a vision happens when the beholder is awake. Both are God's communication for what will happen in our lives. It is as clear as day, because we can see it. This is God's visual depiction of purpose, the future and His will. The reason for the revelation is to inspire and spark hope. God remembers us and loves us.
So what vision or dream do you see? God shows us glimpses of who we will be and who we can be. When we trust the vision, we can work toward it with confidence that it's not by our power but by the awesome power of God that the dream and the vision will come to pass.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Anointed and Appointed to WinIn ancient times shepherds would anoint the heads of their sheep to keep out lice, tics and insects which had the potential to penetrate the sheep's ear and kill the animal. The oil made it so slippery that these critters would simply slide off the head of the sheep. From this experience the anointing oil came to symbolize God's protection. Anointing oil was also used to indicate a person's purpose to assume a role such as a King or prophet. The idea behind the anointing was that this person was chosen for this purpose.
To be appointed on the other hand, demonstrated an establishment of authority. The appointed person would receive their appointment before they assumed the role as when Aaron's sons were consecrated to be priests.
Today God has anointed us for the purpose of receiving the victory. He has appointed us to assume the position of victor. That means it is our RIGHT to win because God has already given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So even though we're running this race, we know that in the end the winning title is our position, our purpose and most of all our right as children of God. _________________________________________________Scripture Isaiah 43:5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; Faithfully FearlessHave you ever noticed when God is about to elevate someone to a new level He always begins by telling them "Fear not"? Abram when he was receiving the promise of having a child at almost 100 years old, God told him "Fear not", When Moses and the children of Israel were leaving Egypt and were pursued by Pharaoh and his army, God told them "Fear not", When Joshua was chosen to be the next leader after the death of Moses again the first word God gave him was "Fear not". Why? We naturally fear the unknown. But remember the future is unknown to us but God is already in the future, so it's no surprise to Him. He will never leave you to tackle the unknown in your new level, He'll be right there with you. Don't let fear keep you at the same level. Obliterate it's paralyzing effects with the word of God and boldly declare "I will not fear because the Almighty God is with me!". Be faithfully fearless and believe God's power to keep you.
Scripture Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
“My computer just won’t work. I’ve tried everything and it only shows a black screen”. My frustrated co-worker complained. I walked over to his office and began pressing buttons. The two of us tried trouble shooting and as we prepared to call the IT department for help we noticed that the monitor wasn’t plugged in. We bashfully plugged it in and “Voila!” the computer turned on. The computer had everything it needed to work but it wouldn’t work until it was plugged into the power source.
As believers of God, we can find ourselves in situations where things just won’t work. We try everything and every attempt still turns up empty. As a believer you have power but it’s not until you connect with God who is our power source do things get activated. Today get closer to God and see the power increase.The Power Source
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture 2 Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
Don’t Count me Out One of the greatest Apostles in the scripture Apostle Paul had a harsh dispute with his missionary partner Barnabas. Paul wanted to return to the towns where he had preached. It would be a great trip and an awesome time in the Lord. Barnabas wanted his young cousin John Mark to accompany them. Paul refused to have John Mark on the trip because he had previously deserted the pair in Pamphylia. Paul was so adamant not to take John Mark that he and Barnabas separated from each other. Later in his life however, Paul tells his protege Timothy that he should bring John Mark because he was now profitable for the ministry. What Paul recognized is that we can’t hold someone ‘s identity captive because of their less than shining moment. When we provide mentorship and Godly support the unprofitable can become profitable.. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Scripture Psalm 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Planted to FlourishOften in the Bible there are references to the plant kingdom as an example of what it means to be a child of God. The Hebrew word for flourish means to blossom, spread or grow. And why did the psalmist choose the palm and the cedar to describe the righteous? There are many good reasons. Both the palm and the cedar grow to be quite tall, they can live for a very long time, they have strong roots, and they flourish in challenging environments.
The more we walk with God, the more staying power we receive. We begin to recognize that with Christ we can weather any storm. We can endure dry and cold seasons and we cannot be moved by our external circumstances. When God plants you, He plants you to flourish and to grow. So it is up to Him to give you what you need. Trust that everything you go through is meant to make you flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture 2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
It Ain't that HeavyAs a young person, I was working with my two younger brothers to help my cousin move. We cooperatively created an assembly line to get his many boxes into the moving truck. I remember one box in particular was quite large. When I saw my brother walking toward me with the box, I immediately told him that I couldn't carry it because it would be too heavy for me. He laughed and threw the box at me. It was just a box of stuffed animals. Even though the box was big it wasn't heavy at all.
Are there boxes that come our way in life that we assume are just too heavy? They may very well be heavy but when you have Christ even the heaviest box of affliction feels like you're carrying stuffed animals. Our afflictions in this life are only temporary and you're never asked to carry them alone because Christ is willing to carry them with you. And why should we endure affliction? The answer is simple: the glory we get is ETERNAL. That's right. It's beyond forever. What we see, hear, and touch is not all there is to life. God has something much greater in store for us. As we go through hard times all we have to do is keep in mind that "It ain't that heavy at all". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Deuteronomy 6:6 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Always on My Mind What do you think about? Is your mind jammed with today's to-do lists, worries of what might happen, or just exhausted by bombardment of the covert messages of our society. Isn't it amazing that we can think 10 different thoughts in a matter of minutes. It's also pretty interesting how what we think about invades what we talk about. Our lives our inevitably impacted by our thoughts That's why the Bible reminds us to have the Word of God in our hearts. This word "heart" discusses the seat of the mind, will and emotions. When we have the Word of God in our hearts it fills our conversations, our actions and ultimately our lives. We become so full and abundant that we can pour into the next generation. So what's on your mind? Let it be the Word of God. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. The Good Way Many times we find ourselves at a crossroads in our lives. There are so many choices of paths we can take. It sometimes isn't clear which one is the right one. The Bible warns us that there is a way that seems right to a man but the end of that way is death (Proverbs 14:12). God doesn't leave us alone and confused. He tells us the way we should take. Jesus declared "I am the way, the truth and the life" (St. John 14:6). If we are in Christ then we are taking the right way. The way that leads to life everlasting. Our soul can sometimes get so exhausted trying out all the new ways that are presented to us in this day and time. It's time to give your soul some rest and find the only true way: Jesus Christ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Joshua 14:12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.
Give Me This Mountain Did you ever notice that anything that is given to Jesus, He multiplies it? At the marriage supper, He multiplied the wine. Not only was it abundant but to put in the words of the governor of the feast it was "the best wine". A little boy had two fish and five loaves of bread and in the hands of Jesus, it could be multiplied to feed over five thousand men, women and children.
What if we gave God our life? Could you imagine what He would do with it? Abraham was an old man with no children. It looked like everything was over and done with when it came to having a child. Sarah his wife was old and she was well passed child-bearing age. BUT God gave them a child when it looked impossible. He promised to multiply Abraham's seed. Why? Because God created us to multiply. That is to produce more than what we came here with. God even commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. We have to ask ourselves, are we producing for the LORD? If we aren't, maybe it's because we haven't given our lives to Jesus because whatever we give to Him, He multiplies. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Hebrews 6:13-14 13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
Made to Multiply Did you ever notice that anything that is given to Jesus, He multiplies it? At the marriage supper, He multiplied the wine. Not only was it abundant but to put in the words of the governor of the feast it was "the best wine". A little boy had two fish and five loaves of bread and in the hands of Jesus, it could be multiplied to feed over five thousand men, women and children.
What if we gave God our life? Could you imagine what He would do with it? Abraham was an old man with no children. It looked like everything was over and done with when it came to having a child. Sarah his wife was old and she was well passed child-bearing age. BUT God gave them a child when it looked impossible. He promised to multiply Abraham's seed. Why? Because God created us to multiply. That is to produce more than what we came here with. God even commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. We have to ask ourselves, are we producing for the LORD? If we aren't, maybe it's because we haven't given our lives to Jesus because whatever we give to Him, He multiplies. _________________________________________________ Scripture Zechariah 10:1 Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
Ask for the RainOnce when I was younger, we experienced a summer with very little rain. In the past, the rain was always something to complain about but when the grass started to become brown, and we had to get water restrictions, the rain became a welcomed blessing. Then finally the rain came. It was a down pour but we celebrated because it was exactly what we needed.
There are times in our lives when we experience very dry moments. It seems like nothing around us is flourishing. Could it be that we're asking for the things that won't change our situation? We need to ask God for a down pour of His Holy Spirit. Only then will the dry places flourish again. We need to begin to focus our prayers on receiving more of God and growing in Him. You don't have to endure the barrenness in your life another day, just look to God and ask Him for the rain. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scripture Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
Even in the Valley God Provides
Abram found himself in a battle of the kings. He could remain on the periphery until they took Lot his nephew and all that Lot owned. Then Abram was forced to get involved in the fight. When the battle was over Abram was most likely weary and found himself in the valley. There Melchizedek King of Salem comes down from the mountain to feed him while he is in the valley with bread and wine.
Have you found yourself exhausted after a long hard fight? Are you in a valley point in your life? Well count yourself blessed because Jesus Christ the King will come down and feed you with bread and wine. Jesus said that this bread that He will give is His body and the wine is His blood. When we eat of the King's hand, we will never hunger again. Trust God that He will feed you after the battle even when you're in the valley. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Deuteronomy 11:24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.
Take the Walk of Faith The people of Israel had began their exodus from Egypt to the promised land. God told them that He had already given them the land. It belonged to them but they had to go in and possess it. Wherever they walked they took possession. Their obedience to the word of God lead them to obtaining the promise of God.
There are many times when God has already given us something but we haven't done anything to possess it. We have careers, opportunities, houses, cars, husbands, wives, children that we haven't yet possessed because we're standing still in fear instead of walking in faith. Jesus said that He is the way. If we walk in the Way we will find that everything God has given us is there. So today begin to walk in the faith that you must possess all that God has given to you.
Scripture Psalm 145:3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
God's GreatnessI've always listened with much jubilation when people spoke about the healing power of God. I heard them talk about how God miraculously healed them from sickness and disease. But I had really never been sick neither had anyone in my family. So I heard about God as a healer but I didn't experience Him in that capacity. This year, my sister became very ill and had to be rushed to the hospital. It was a difficult ordeal to watch someone that young go through so much. It was a long road but we prayed and believed and God healed her. She would be in the hospital for almost a month before experiencing a full recovery. Then one week later my father became very sick. In the hospital they began to give us the grave news that he may not make it out. Again we had nothing else to cling to but the word of God and the promise that God would heal him. We prayed and my father was completely healed and delivered. Now I can testify with that same confidence that God is a healer. Every time I think I know God, I experience another aspect of His character and I am in awe of how great He is. Keep searching and you will find that God's greatness is passed finding out. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
The Life of the JustHabukkuk pointed out that to be righteous isn't about anything else but completing living by faith in God (Habukkuk 2:4) because the just shall live by faith. It seems a bit drastic to some of us to see "fearful" and "unbelieving" being in the same category as "murderer" or "whoremonger". On the surface it doesn't seem that bad. However, when we are fearful or we don't believe God that doubt hinders our life. It kills our relationship with the LORD because it neglects to recognize who He is.
When we begin to meditate on God, we recognize that He is the creator of the universe, the all powerful, all knowing, GREAT GOD! Nothing is impossible for Him. This is who He is. Today face life without fear and trust that God is able to give you the best life. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scripture 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
Honourable VesselsIn ancient Palestine, precious items that needed to be stored were often put in a clay pot and buried in the ground. When the treasure needed to be retrieved, the clay pot was broken and the precious item was taken out. It was clear that the clay pot wasn't the treasure but what was important was what was inside.
We can't get it twisted, it's all about God. We have to resist the temptation to get heady and believe that we're anything but a clay jar housing a great treasure. It's the God who lives inside us that makes the difference. We are no better nor less than any other person on the face of this planet. Our value comes from God. This excellency isn't ours but it all belongs to God. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture 1 Kings 17:11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
More than What You Bargained For Elijah the prophet met this widow in the time of severe famine. She was a window which meant that her income would have been limited even in the good times let alone in this dire season of her life. God spoke to Elijah to go to Zarephath to this particular widow after the brook Cherith which sustained him through the famine had dried up. God said that He prepared her to sustain Elijah. The only thing was, the widow had no idea that she was being prepared to be a blessing.
Elijah asked her for a drink of water. Her generosity is applauded in her willingness to get the prophet a drink but then... He extends his request which also stretched her faith. He asks her for a morsel of bread. He might as well of asked her for a million dollars because he was asking for EVERYTHING she had. The prophet was asking her to give him the very thing she herself needed. In her obedience, she was blessed and her little food miraculously replenished itself and she and her son could eat harty throughout the rest of the famine.
Sometimes God asks us to give until it hurts. I was going through a dry season in my own life recently. It seemed like God was asking me to give what I needed. I encouraged others, when I myself needed encouragement. He asked me to lift up others when I felt down cast. He asked me to celebrate victories and successes of others as I grappled with my own secret failures. Believe me, I was more than tempted to complain about my situation. Until I realized, that in my desperate moments, God still used me to be a blessing. And a blessing MUST be blessed. My tears of sorrow transformed into tears of gratitude for the opportunity to be the vessel that God used to provide a blessing for others. In turn, He blessed me. God encouraged me through His word. I began to see revelations, I had never seen before. God lifted me up and He caused me to experience my own successes. Never be afraid to give your all to God. Whatever, you give to Him, He always multiplies it.
Scripture Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Pay Attention
The other day I was driving down a familiar road. It's a road that I've driven on hundreds of times because it's a road that hardly ever has traffic. One day they were doing construction on the road and there I was stuck in traffic and super frustrated. To pass the time, I began to look around. To my surprise to my right was this gorgeous garden which displayed a plethora of colourful flowers and plants. In the midst of this breathtaking moment, I realized, I had never noticed this garden before. You see, this road takes me to work, so I'm often preoccupied with thoughts about what I'm going to do, what happened yesterday and so on and so on. I was so preoccupied I neglected to notice the beauty. It wasn't until I was forced to slow down did I make the time to pay attention.
Are you living a life of preoccupation? It's time to stop and recognize the wonders of God. There is so much for which we should give thanks. When we pay attention we begin to see the hand of God in our lives and how He has constructed every day miracles for us to enjoy. We have this opportunity to enjoy today and to pay attention to the many blessings of the Lord. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Joshua 8:1 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
It's Already Given When I was 12 years old, all I wanted for my birthday was an acoustic guitar. I loved music and I wanted to learn to play the guitar and become a great musician. I remember admiring a guitar from the catalogue. I looked at it every day and my desire to have it grew stronger with each glance. Little did I know that my father was paying attention and had already bought me the guitar and had it hidden in the closet waiting for my birthday. I was desiring something that was already mine but I never knew it. You could only imagine the elation I felt when he presented me that guitar. I became one of the most memorable moments of my life.
Joshua went into the city of Ai fearless. Although this army had defeated him before this time, he was going in with the Lord’s assurance that this time he would win the battle. Joshua’s confidence was rooted in the knowledge that if God said it then it will surely come to pass.
Jesus Christ has already given us the victory. He conquered sin, death and the grave. These are the primary enemies of the human race and they are already defeated by our Lord. We don’t have to live our lives in fear. We too can experience the same confidence that Joshua had in knowing that God has already given us the victory.
Scripture Psalm 104:3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Wind Resistant There are many attempts throughout history to combat the forces of the wind. We appreciate those gentle breezes which make leaves dance but we dread those heavy winds that destroy homes, ruin cities and leave a path of destruction. Some have endeavoured to create wind resistant homes that would be durable through these harsh winds and many have failed. In order to survive the storm, the foundation of the home has to be really deep so that the wind can't just pick it up and move it.
God is not moved by the wind. He walks upon the wings of the wind. The wind is in his control. Jesus baffled the disciples when in the midst of a horrifying storm He commanded the wind to be still and it miraculously stopped. We have a firm foundation in Jesus Christ. We are not blown away by the winds of life because we have the creator of the wind as our God. He keeps us wind resistant in the harshest storms. We will not be moved. The ungodly don't enjoy this privilege as Psalm 1 tells us "The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away." The word is clear, with God you can stand everything but without Him you'll fall for anything. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
The Heart's Condition The heart is one of the most important organs in our body. It's essentially what keeps us going. That's why it's so necessary for us to take care of the condition of our heart. We have to eat right, exercise, and do practices that keep our heart healthy. Our ultimate goal is to have a strong heart because it so important to our physical existence.
In the spiritual sense our mind is that vital organ that keeps us going. In order to have a healthy mind, we have to reflect on its health and its condition on a regular basis. Without reflecting on our words, actions and conduct we can leave ourselves open to repeating the same mistakes. The direction of our life can depend on the condition of our mind. That's why the Bible encourages us to "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philipians 2:5). We have to keep our mind clean, for our entire life depends on it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Ecclesiastes 3:13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
Enjoy Life This Christmas it was my turn to host the family. I wanted everything to be perfect. I bought the most delicious food, beautiful decorations and I made sure that my house was spic and span. During this preparation I began to feel so stressed. I wanted everything to be just right and less than the best just wasn't acceptable. When my family arrived, they were so impressed with everything. I served, I cleaned, I worked and worked and then I realized that I did all this work but I wasn't enjoying myself. I just kept on working. So I put the cleaning cloth down and sat down and laughed and talked with my family. I needed to enjoy my labour.
Are we so busy with life that we forget to enjoy all that we're working for? Are we taking business calls, when we should be spending time with our family? To enjoy life means to find pleasure, delight, and joy in life. God's gift to us is that we can enjoy all the things for which we've labored. We may not have everything we want but there are so many wonderful things in our lives we can appreciate. Find joy in the laughter of your family, a smile from your friend, listening to your favourite song. It's those little nuggets of joy we can discover throughout our day that make life worth living. Take some time today to enjoy your life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Psalm 105:41 He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.
Rivers in Dry Places I always wondered why people saw mirages in a dry desert land. The heat, the lack of resources, water and food lead the mind to begin to imagine hope. The deprived person runs to the mirage only to find out that it's not real. It's only a figment of the imagination. The heavy heart is then bogged down by despair. But when he or she really encounters an oasis and the water, resources and food are real then there's rejoicing and gladness because they have finally found what they needed: water in a dry place.
You and I today have areas in our lives that are very dry. These dry places seem to be fruitless, barren and without the necessary resources to sustain growth. Today God lets us know that He can provide rivers in the dry places of our lives. Things in our lives that we thought could never bear fruit, God is able to breathe life back into it. God can begin to water those seeds we thought couldn't grow. Are you experience a dry place in your life? Turn it over to Jesus and He will be the river in your dry place. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
My Rock Jesus told his disciples a parable about two men who decided to build houses. They both wanted to make a home but they differed in their choice of foundations. One built his house on the sand and the other built his house upon the rock. The two houses would appear to be relatively the same until the wind and the rain came and beat up on the houses. The house that was built on the sand was washed away but the house that was built upon the rock remained unaffected.
God is not affected by the winds of life. When everything around is blowing away He remains steady, and firm. He is that ROCK. He is solid and nothing can move Him. If we build our lives on Jesus Christ, He will never let our house fall a part because He is the sure foundation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Ezra 8:23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us. God Answers Prayer When you pray, do you really believe that God hears you? Do you really believe that He will answer you? Ezra found himself between a rock and a hard place. He had bragged about his God's ability to help His people. He felt ashamed to have to go and ask the King for help so Ezra turned to God and prayed. God heard his request and provided the help he needed.
We have a God that answers us when we pray. Whatever we need we have the assurance that He will hear us and answer us. Trust God today and believe that He WILL answer your prayer.
Scripture 1 Timothy 6:6-7 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out
Comforted to Comfort Suffering in the life of a Christian can often seem like a mystery. We are baffled by the fact that sometimes seemingly bad things happen to good people. However, we need to recognize that being blessed is about our perspective. For the believer every experience works out for their benefit. It all works out for our good (Romans 8:28).
As we go through hard times, we have a Comforter that gives us peace in any situation. God Himself comforts us through His Holy Spirit. In this scripture Paul reminds us that God's comfort is not intended to make us comfortable but rather to teach us how to be comforters to others. When we go through our difficulty we learn the right words to say, the right things to do to comfort our brother or our sister who is going through the same thing we went through. We are comforted so we can comfort others. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Contentment In society today there are many of us that are in the pursuit of happiness. We want to feel and be happy. Many of us are looking for things to make us happy, so we buy a new car, a new house and maybe some nice new clothes. The problem is the happiness is only temporary. Being happy isn't just about getting things. It's about being grateful for what we have and appreciating the beauty in our lives. Contentment isn't an emotion. Contentment is a perspective. When we recognize that our life is whole, full and worth living, we can truly appreciate the breathe that God has given to us. For the children of God it isn't enough to experience momentary happiness but we can experience the joy of the Lord in our lives every day. We can trust that God gives us just what we need, when we need and He knows what we need in our paths to lead us to our destiny. Today, experience the contentment that only God can give. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Acts 28:5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Shake it off After encountering one of the fiercest storms known to the region, Apostle Paul experienced a harrowing ship wreck. The crew and all the prisoners that were on the ship had to swim and use pieces of the ship to float to shore. After overcoming a storm, everyone was miraculously safe and on dry land. As they were drying themselves by the fire a viper jumped up and bit Paul. When the indigenous people of the region saw this, they thought " This man must have been a murder to escape such a horrible storm only to be poisoned by a snake". What happened next baffled them all. Paul simply shook off the snake into the fire. When they were expecting him to die, the poison from the snake had no affect on him at all.
There are times in our lives when we survive horrific experiences. This does not exempt us from experiencing other horrible things in life. What it does do is make us stronger so that issues that would be tremendously big deals, become something that we can easily shake off. God has kept us this far. We don't need to allow the poison from life's trials to make us bitter. The poison doesn't have to have any affect on us. We can shake it off into the fire of God. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Mark 7:28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
No More Crumbs The Syrophenician woman had a sick daughter. When she came to Jesus for help, He gave the most surprising answer. He said "Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.". It's kind of hard to believe that the loving Jesus would say such a remark. It seems harsh and almost cruel. The woman's answer demonstrated her humility by responding "yet dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs". Jesus was moved by her willingness to take a position of humility and healed her daughter.
Today you and I don't have to settle for crumbs. We have been invited to dine at the King's table. We no longer have to sit under the table. We now sit at the table as sons of God not under it like dogs. Revelations 22:14-15 reminds us14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Now that we have accepted Christ as our Saviour we can have access to his bountiful blessings that are limitless and beyond our imagination. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Habakkuk 2:2-3 2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Focus and Keep the Dream Alive The narrative of Joseph in the Bible is one that if full of ups and downs. Joseph experienced the harsh resentment and envy of his brothers. He received the loving favour of his father which only fuelled his brothers' hate toward him. On top of all that, God gives Joseph a dream of his future dominion. His brothers were furious by the very implication of the dream that Joseph a younger brother would rule over them. When they saw the opportunity they planned to kill him to extinguish the dream. However, their greed took over and they sold him. Joseph experienced so many hardships. He was lied on by Potiphar's wife, thrown in prison, forgotten, and seemingly alone. Despite all that, Joseph knew that this could not be his end because the vision God gave him hadn't yet come to pass. He knew that it had to happen because it was revealed to him by God. Joseph had to wait and in the fullness of time he was invited into the palace to be second in rulership to Pharaoh.
The vision even if it takes a while will come to pass. God's delays are not God's denials. If you are experiencing a low in your life today, remember this can't be the end. The vision God has given you for your life has to come to pass. Just hold on and wait. Keep the dream alive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
A Shift in Focus Abram received such an awesome word from God in a vision. God Himself promised to be Abram's shield, his EXCEEDING and GREAT reward. What reassurance of protection and hope that God was going to take care of him. However, Abram was still concerned because he didn't have a child. He couldn't possibly see how he was being rewarded with this void in his life. God revealed to Abram that all of his needs would be met. God showed Abram that he would be Abraham -the father of many. God was Abraham's provider.
Sometimes we can miss the mark. There are those of us that can fight battles and do great things but we struggle with the non- events in life. These are things that we expected to happen but didn't happen. This can leave a hole in our lives that seems impossible to fill. BUT that only happens when we look at what we don't have instead of looking to the Great God that we do have. Everything you need can be found in Jesus. He is your reward. You may think it hasn't happened but God is adding to your sentence by saying "It hasn't happened YET". God's timing is always right. Trust Him that He is your SHIELD and your EXCEEDING, GREAT REWARD! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Exodus 3:4-5 4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Holy Ground The moments in life that we remember most our those points of transitions. The times when life as we knew it would never be the same. Moses was experiencing one of those life changing moments when he encountered the burning bush. As Moses drew closer he realized that was burning but there was no fire. As God saw Moses investigating the bush, God asked him to remove his shoes because he was now entering holy ground. It wasn't the ground itself that was holy. It was the presence of God that made that ground holy. Moses coming from Egyptian culture would understand that whenever one was going into a sacred place to worship, he or she would take off his/her shoes. Moses was about to embark on his destiny because he was in the holy presence of the Lord.
The word "holy" is about separation, or being set a part. The sacred is not a common thing. When we have that transition moment with God, we have to recognize that this moment is holy ground. It requires us to take off our shoes as we enter into worship. To worship simply means to bow down. So we bow down our will, our plans and our solutions to receive the awesome call that God has for our lives. So let us reverence our God designed transition moments because they are holy ground. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Genesis 26:18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
Digging Wells Abraham was a good father in that he had left an inheritance for his son Isaac. However, he could not have anticipated that the envious Philistines would try to destroy the wells. In a dry land such as Abraham's, wells would be a sign of wealth and a source of necessary water. Issac, however, dug those wells again and gave them the same names that his father had given to them.
There are things in life that would like to come between us and our life source which is God. They try to stop up our wells. But today be like Isaac and understand the provision of your Heavenly Father. These wells of blessings belong to you and no matter what the enemy does you can dig them again. When you return to God we can be as Jesus said in St. John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. The enemy tried to stop the well but the water was still there. All Isaac had to do was a little digging. We need to be willing to dig into the word of God so our wells can be unstopped. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Mark 4:39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
Complete Calm
The disciples had the awesome opportunity of listening to many parables so eloquently told by Jesus. They heard the parable of the sower, the growing seed and the mustard seed. They were given the privilege to absorb the word of God as they listened to Jesus.
Then Jesus suggests that they go over to the other side. Some of the disciples were very experienced fisher men and were most likely very comfortable about sailing over especially in fair conditions. Suddenly, there came a fierce storm with crashing waves that almost swamped the boat. The disciples became frantic with fear. Jesus on the other hand was fast asleep. "Wake up Jesus! Don't you care that we could drown?" they shouted. Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind and then there was complete calm. The disciples stood in awe of the magnificent power of Jesus Christ to command the wind.
The disciples had heard the word but now they had the chance to see that Jesus was Lord even over the powerful storm.
Many times we feel confident in being in control of our lives. We feel like experts who know exactly what to do. It's not until we experience one of those storms in life that threatens to swamp us, that we turn to Jesus. Jesus is never frightened or shocked by the storm. He knows that even the winds have to obey him. Accept the calm that only Jesus can give and stop trying to paddle through the storms of life. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Genesis 41:14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.
Get Ready! It's Time to Exit Joseph had spent years in a prison for a crime he didn't commit. God had provided an opportunity for Joseph to receive hope of relief when he interpreted the dream for the butler and the baker. When the butler received his release, Joseph believed that the butler would remember this kindness and help him out. You could only imagine his disappointment when the butler didn't return. However, God worked out the opportunity for Pharaoh to have a dream that only Joseph could interpret. The butler remembered him and finally Joseph was being released from the dungeon. He had to get ready for his new opportunity for a face to face meeting with the King.
Some of us in our lives seemingly have missed many opportunities. Our hopes rise so high when a perceived "big break" is coming. We find ourselves on the rollercoaster of hope and disappointment when things don't turn out the way we wanted them to turn out. However, there is coming an exit day. You won't remain in your dungeon forever. Get ready, start fixing up yourself, and getting prepared because exit day is just around the corner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Blessed Beyond Boundaries There are times in our lives when we can easily believe that we've hit rock bottom and things couldn't possibly get any worse. In my experience, it always can. Joseph found himself at a very low point in his life. He had been sold into slavery by his brothers and if that wasn't bad enough, Potiphar's wife lies on him and Joseph lands in prison. Just looking at the circumstances in Joseph's life, it's hard for any of us to see them as blessings. The Bible reminds us that Joseph even in the prison is still favoured by God.
God fav Mark 4:39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
ours us. Our favour isn't dependent on our circumstances. We are blessed no matter what is going on in our lives or where we might find ourselves. We are blessed without borders or boundaries. The favour of God penetrates any of life's hardships. We can declare, "I am blessed despite my circumstances, and I am favoured no matter the circumstances.
Scripture Matthew 12:13-14 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
Don't Miss the Miracle Have you ever found yourself in an argument that had no other motive than proving you were RIGHT? It didn't matter what the other person tried to say, you were intent on proving your point. Things that were perfectly logical were completely ignored because they would disprove or contradict the point you were trying to make. Trust me, I've been there.
The Pharisees found themselves desperately trying to prove that Jesus was wrong and that they were right. They asked him tricky questions, gave him scenarios they thought were against the law and many other strategies they tried to employ to trap Jesus, all because they didn't like His doctrine. The problem was, that they weren't right. All their endeavours blinded them to the miraculous work of God that was taking place right before their very eyes. Jesus healed a man's withered hand. This should have been cause for rejoicing but instead, this only made them work harder to destroy Jesus.
Friends, don't miss out on the miracle trying to prove a point. Let us humble ourselves so that we can witness the POWER of God ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Genesis 19:17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
Escape to the Mountain I reluctantly accepted the invitation to attend a work function with my colleagues. They had to twist my arm (in the metophorical sense) to go. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the company of my work mates but it’s their form of entertainment that really isn’t my cup of tea. As the event progressed, people were drinking, eating, dancing and having fun. I sipped my cup of juice, sat and observed. My thoughts were interrupted by a question. One of my workmates asked me if I drank alcohol. I told him that I didn’t. Not that I was judging him or anything but that alcohol just wasn’t for me. He then looked bewildered and asked me “Just how do you escape reality?” At the time, I really didn’t know what to say because I never thought that reality was something that I needed to escape. I had escaped the reality that I didn’t want to live with a long time ago. Since I accepted Christ into my life, I enjoy the freedom that comes with His liberty that only He can give. My escape is not in the valley of temporary enjoyment but my joy brings me to the mountain top where I have a true perspective of reality. The reality for a child of God is that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Genesis 14:14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
Fight for Them Lot found himself in the middle of an uprising. The Kings of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as others rose up against Chedolaomer King of Elam and his allies. Chedolaomer was a fierce adversary and captured the Kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their citizens, including Lot Abram's nephew. When Abram received the news of his nephew's capture, he rose to action and called upon his armed men to fight the intimidating enemy to retrieve him. Abram didn't sit and allow Lot to be lost, he fought for his loved one.
Many of us today are watching as our loved ones are being captured by the enemy. This is war and we can't allow the enemy to keep them captive. We must fight for our loved ones in prayer and supplication to the LORD. Our love is demonstrated in our persistence in the fight. Don't stop fighting until your loved one is back where they belong- in the presence of the LORD Jesus Christ. Keep fighting beloved, keep fighting! ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture 1 Samuel 30:8 And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
Recover All The Amalekites had taken everything away from David and his men. They lost wives, children, possessions, you name it, they lost it. Not only did they lose everything but the fact that it was taken away made it all the more painful. David was angry and his men were furious. Even though everything in him was telling him to pursue those Amalekites and take back what was his, he paused to enquire of the Lord whether or not he should go. When he received the confirmation from the Lord, he knew that he had already recovered all because God said he would.
There are things that have been taken by the enemy, maybe our joy, our peace, our happiness but God is letting us know that we don't have to live without because we can pursue and recover. Joy belongs to you, peace belongs to you, it all belongs to you because it was purchased with the blood of Jesus and no enemy has the right to take it away. Take back what's yours and recover all. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture 2 Kings 4:2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
What's in the House? Many of us have found ourselves in the same position as this poor widow. There are times when our life experiences leave us feeling like we are left with nothing. It was no mistake that Elisha asked this widow to shift her focus from her situation and all that she had lost to focus on what she had left. Even in her response you could just hear the defeat as she minimizes the amount of oil that she had left in the house. She regarded herself as someone that had nothing but Elisha showed her that little is much when God is in it. God used Elisha to give this widow a miraculous experience. He told her to borrow vessels and to begin to pour out the oil she had in her little pot. To her surprise the oil just kept on pouring filling every vessel and only stopping when there were no more vessels to pour into.
Are you feeling like this widow? Do you believe you have nothing left? Well God is letting you know that all you have to do is pour out the little you have and you will realize that there is more in you to give than you could ever expect. Trust God to multiply the little oil you have left in the house because with God even the little is more than enough. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Revelation 4:10-11 10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 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
Get into Position A friend shared with me a story of a little boy who was often found being naughty. One day his father told him to stop running around and sit down. The little boy continued to run. Finally, his annoyed and exhausted father shouted out in frustration "SIT DOWN NOW!". The little boy plopped down on his seat with a smirk on his face. His father was baffled by his son's coy smile as he sat on his little stool. So he asked "Why are you smiling?". The little boy defiantly replied "I may be sitting down but I am standing up in my mind".
Worship in the Hebrew means to "bow down". Are we like this little boy when we come to God in worship? Are our bodies in a kneeling position but our mind is still standing up and being self willed? John in his second vision in the book of Revelation, received a glimpse of worship in Heaven. These four and twenty elders seem to be royalty because they have their crowns but, despite their royal status, they casted down their crowns and worshipped the King of Kings. We need to get into the position of worship, where we bown down and humble ourselves before the Almighty God. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture 1 Samuel 18:14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him. Behave Wisely Often when we think of the word "wisdom" we think of an old man with a long beard, with sage words, living in isolation. However, wisdom can never be attained living the hermit lifestyle. Wisdom is a quality that God possesses and gives generously to His children. That's why James encourages us "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5). When we understand the will of God and do it, we become wise. David was a young man that knew how to make sound judgements, good decisions and lived a Godly life because he was intimately connected with his Creator.
We may never fully grasp the world's kind of wisdom. It's fleeting and always changing with every new fad. We have this consolation, that the more we get to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, the more we can attain the wisdom to live an excellent life in the presence of the Lord. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
God's Purpose When I was a child we used to play a maze game. To play this game we had to throw a marble in and then quickly use levers to close different pathways to guide our marble to the end point. If we were successful at the game the marble would fall out and we would once again have our marble. So the purpose of this story isn't to let you know how little it took to amuse me as a child, but rather to let you know that sometimes doors are closed to lead us to our destination. Everything we go through is part of God's plan for us to fulfill our purpose.
Each of us were created for a purpose. God had a purpose in mind when He fashioned you and me. Many of us might find this hard to believe because we haven't yet discovered our purpose. We may not understand the things that happen to us as we go along the journey. Often, our purpose is discovered when it is fulfilled. A purpose has a lot to do with the destination.
Understanding that we were created for a purpose, brings meaning to all that we go through. Everything that we experience- the good and the bad are all meant to guide us to fulfill our purpose. So what we are going through may not feel good but it always works out for our good because God has a purpose and a plan for us. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Scripture 1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
It Can't Move You Last week our province experienced a severe wind storm. I watched as almost everything was taken up in a swirl of wind. However, there were some things that didn't move at all no matter how hard the wind was blowing. Those stable structures had a foundation that could not be shaken by the severity of the wind.
In life, we will inevitably experience some severe storms. Sometimes they just hit us by surprise. That is why it is so important for us to have a strong foundation in Christ. When these winds come we will be that unmoveable structure that's not taken up and blown away. So be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord and you will survive the storm.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Psalm 13:6 I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me
Bountiful Blessings David was going through a difficult time when he wrote this Psalm. He felt like God had forgotten him. There are times in our lives when we don't understand the move of God. It seems like we're all alone. That's because we are looking at the problems and not the blessings. When David began to recount the mercies and numberless blessings that God provided he had to sing. God's blessing are bountiful That means they are abundant, exceeding expectations, large, great, magnanimous, bigger than we could imagine. Don't let life's problems get in the way of your song. Rejoice in the Lord because His blessings always outweigh our problems. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Your Focus When I was learning to drive, I had a hard time staying in my lane. I was so nervous about the other cars on the road and I was always look at them. The driving instructor scolded me and told me that the car will ultimately go in the direction of my focus.
This is also true for our lives. Our direction will be greatly influenced by the desires that we pursue. We are encouraged to keep our focus on heavenly things not on the things of the earth. We can focus on our problems so much that we can't go forward. It is time for us to change our focus. Look up and keep your eyes on Jesus and your life will ultimately go in the right direction.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Forget About It!
There are times when I feel like I can carry everything I need to my car. The other day I had my lunch bag, purse, tea and my shoes. I noticed that I left my jacket and I attempted to pick up my jacket without putting any of the many items down. Of course, as I bent down to pick up the jacket things began to fall out of my hands making a big mess.
Are we still holding on to things that we should have let go? When we jam pack our lives with hurts from the past, we aren't able to pick up what we need in our present or in our future. Paul encourages us, that one thing we need to do is to forget those things that are behind us so we can be free to reach forward to the great things before us. Make room for the future by letting go of the past. We need to learn from our past mistakes and move on. We were never expected to stay there.
So today forget about it, let it go and reach out for the future. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture 2 Kings 4:2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
What do you have in the House? I needed a dress for a banquet. I went to many different stores, shopped online but I couldn't find anything I liked. In desperation, I went through my closet and found a beautiful dress that just needed a little bit of work. So I took it out and began to make the necessary bedazzling adjustments. When I wore the dress I felt like the belle of the ball. I realized that I had searched everywhere but what I needed was already in my house.
The widow came to Elijah looking for him to help her. After the death of her husband, she found herself and her family in a time of need. Her husband who was a prophet and also the breadwinner of the house was no longer there to provide for them. I find it interesting that Elijah didn't send her to her neighbours or even to the other prophets but he asked her about what she already had in her house. According to this widow the only thing she had was a pot of oil. She saw herself as destitute and in need but Elijah showed her that God could take the little that she had and multiply it. As she began to pour out the oil it kept on flowing and she filled many containers that she could sell and get the much needed funds to support her family.
Are you in a chase for what other people have to give you? The search is now over. God has given you everything you need to make this journey. We just need to give everything to God and watch Him multiply it to meet our needs. What do you have in your house that needs to be dedicated to the Lord?
Revelation 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Sing a New Song
I would definitely consider myself to be a music lover. There are times when I find a song I absolutely love and I play it over and over again. I find myself humming the tune or singing the words, or the song will keep playing in my mind as I go about my day. That song becomes "my song" and I call it that whenever, I hear it playing. My friends even come to know it that way. That song begins to define me because it reflects what I love.
What kind of song are you singing? John tells us in Revelations that in Heaven, there is a new song that is sung around the throne of God. This song is all about God and His glory. Some of us have been singing the wrong kind of song too long. Are we singing the blues? Are we singing about how many troubles we have or about how bad things are? Well it's high time for a new song. Sing of His wonders and of His grace. When we begin to change our tune and sing about the Glory of God, our faith is strengthened because our God is GREAT. Ask yourself, "Isn't it time for a new song?"
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Fragrance of a Life Well Lived What is the evidence of a life well-lived? We often find ourselves enamored with movie stars, singers, basically the rich and famous. However, many of them have lives that seem to end in tragedy and their impact that they made is far from being positive. Is that a life well lived?
I had the privilege of attending the funeral of Stanford Hope. His name may not ring a bell to you because he wasn't a movie star, singer or famous celebrity according to the world's standards. He was a crossing-guard. At his celebration of life service, city officials, police officers, school staff, students and a wide range of community members as well as his home church all came to express the indelible impact that he made on their lives. His cheerful, committed and Godly character impacted the lives of so many people. He was even recognized as the best crossing guard in all of Canada. Standford finished his course and touched the lives of many. The fragrance of a life well lived remains long after the person is gone. Whatever we do, let us do it as a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Ecclesiastes 3:11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
Just In Time Beauty When my friends and I went to Ireland, as we walkeWhat is the evidence of a life well-lived? We often find ourselves enamored with movie stars, singers, basically the rich and famous. However, many of them have lives that seem to end in tragedy and their impact that they made is far from being positive. Is that a life well lived?
I had the privilege of attending the funeral of Stanford Hope. His name may not ring a bell to you because he wasn't a movie star, singer or famous celebrity according to the world's standards. He was a crossing-guard. At his celebration of life service, city officials, police officers, school staff, students and a wide range of community members as well as his home church all came to express the indelible impact that he made on their lives. His cheerful, committed and Godly character impacted the lives of so many people. He was even recognized as the best crossing guard in all of Canada. Standford finished his course and touched the lives of many. The fragrance of a life well lived remains long after the person is gone. Whatever we do, let us do it as a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God.d downtown there were many exciting attractions but one that stood out were the sketch artists. We saw many beautiful portraits that were sketched in intricate detail by these talented artists. As I observed one of the artists sketching the face of his enthusiastic model, the picture looked distorted with random shapes. As he progressed, it began to look more and more like the person. It was then I recognized that things aren’t always beautiful when they’re “in progress”. But when the artist is finished the work is eye catching, striking, and breathtakingly beautiful.
God is a master artist and He is in the process of making us into His beautiful master piece. The beauty can be concealed as we're in the making but we have to trust God that He makes everything beautiful in His time. This means He has particular time to allow our beauty to shine. Let us hold on to God and trust that His timing is always right. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Luke 2:44-45 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. Is He with You? Mary and Joseph were on a day's journey when they realized that Jesus was not among the company. Jesus who at the time was about 12 years old could not be found. As good parents, they had to turn back to Jerusalem to see if they could find Him there.
We have to examine ourselves daily as we travel on this journey called life. We need to ensure that Jesus is with us. Mary and Joseph recognized that something was missing. Some of us may have been living our lives with the same feeling of emptiness, as life without Christ often feels. If you realize you are travelling without Him, turn around and seek Him. If you seek the Lord Jesus, you will find Him. When you find Him your life will never be the same. It will be joy unspeakable and full of glory! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. God will do it! There are times in our lives when we feel like we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. We can sometimes get so overwhelmed by the demands that are placed on us. God is offering us a chance to have peace and rest in the midst of our busy lives by turning all of our cares to Him.
I am so glad that I don't have to rely on my strength or my power to get things done. Especially on those days when I feel like I have nothing left to give. God let's us know that there are some things that are beyond our power to get done so we must rely on His Spirit to get it accomplished. He is not asking us to do things on our own. It is an awesome feeling to know that in the midst of our struggles, issues and our many problems, that the Spirit of God is there to bring us through victoriously. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture 2 Kings 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. Your Backup We are often afraid of the unknown. Walking through the dark can make the every day item seem scary. It's not until the light is turned on that we see the way things really are and the fear disappears.
Elisha's servant had the same kind of illusion caused by his inability to see the whole picture. When the King of Syria realized that God told Elisha all of his plans, he wanted to apprehend him. He sent a multitude of troops to capture Elisha and bring him back to Syria. Elisha's servant saw the troops and was overcome with fear. Elisha was as cool as a cucumber because he could see who was backing him up. He asked God to open his servant's eyes. The servant could see the great heavenly hosts that were ready to fight on his behalf.
God has your back. You may appear to be alone, but you are NEVER alone. God is there to fight for you. So when you are surrounded by life's troubles, enemies, hardships don't begin shaking in your boots. Stand confidently that as long as God is with you, there is more with you than there is against you. You will overcome because the victory is guaranteed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Genesis 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. Hold on Your Change is Coming After being reunited with his brother Esau, Jacob and his family embarked upon a journey. At night, when Jacob was left alone, he wrestled with an angel. As the day was about to break the angel told Jacob that he had to let him go. Jacob recognized that this angel could bless him. He was determined to get his blessing and he refused to let him go.
There are times in our lives when we have experienced immense struggle. What we miss in the struggle is the fact that it is the very thing that builds our muscles and makes a stronger. Every obstacle can become a stepping stone. Just hold on. If you held on today then you can hold on tomorrow. Your change is just one moment away. Believe God today and don't let the struggle beat you, but let it change you into what you ought to become. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Jonah 4:4 Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? Confronting Anger Have you entered into a conflict with someone that just made your blood boil? I mean the foot stopping, yelling, screaming kind of anger. Well I most certainly have. One day a young man came into my office and he was so rude to me. He used the most foul language to address me and called me a number of less than flattering names. I tried my best to remain calm and eventually we resolved the issue. However, I was still angry. I called him all kinds of things in my mind and I just couldn't let it go. The evil thoughts toward him bombarded me.
The Holy Spirit convicted me and I realized that my anger was a result of my own pride and will. I felt like this young man was not the kind of person that should ever speak to someone "like me" in that way. I was a professional and an upstanding lady of God. How dare he? When I confronted to reason behind my anger, I had to ask God to help me get over my self and kill my pride.
Anger can be such a dangerous emotion. It often leads us to do and say things that embarrass us later. Jonah didn't want the people of Nineveh to receive the grace of God. They were cruel to his people and they didn't deserve any kind of mercy. Their repentance after his message left him bitterly angry. God so lovingly asked Jonah the question "Doest thou well to be angry?" We have to recognize that often our anger doesn't allow us to do well but rather quite the opposite.
Today let us confront the reason behind our anger, so that we can do what is well before the Lord. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Psalm 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. Seek God's Face I was riding on the bus once and I thought I saw my friend from a distance. I began to wave with excitement because I hadn't seen him in a long time. He glanced and looked at me but he didn't wave back. Confused by his reaction, when I got off the bus I crossed the street him to see if everything was okay. As I got closer to him and I saw his face, I realized that it wasn't my friend at all. It was just someone that looked like him from a far.
Our face is our identity. People know our presence by our face. However, from far away it is hard to distinguish the features of a face which can lead to a mistaken identity. We can often make the error of thinking things are God's will when we are so far away from Him. If we want to walk with God, we have to be close enough to see His face. We won't mix Him up with a stranger because we can clearly see Him for who He is. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you (James 4:8). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Confrontational Jesus? Often when we think of Jesus, we muse upon His loving kindness, and tenderness. We see Him as the gentle Lamb. This emphasis can lead to a passive view of what it means to be Christ like. Many equate it with being a righteous door mat. But there was so much more to Jesus than His tender side.
When Jesus saw how the temple court was being used as a market place under the guise of worship, He took action. He turned the tables over and exposed them for what they really were. He confronted them when He said "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." Jesus confronted the sin that was found in the House.
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. We have to confront any action, thought or attitude that is unholy. The intention of our bodies is to serve the LORD. We have to identify the sin, turn it over and cast it out. We can't make excuses and justify sin in our lives any longer. Yes, Jesus loves us and He is a gentle Saviour. He is also strong, and powerful and willing to fight against sin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Psalm 91:7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Can't Touch This Mosquitos seem to love to dine on me so whenever I travel to a country where there are loads of mosquitos, I always bring along my repellent. One year while I was in Jamaica a bought a new mosquito repellent product. It was a fan that would literally build a barrier around my body so no mosquitos could get threw. As a sat and read in the cool of the shade, I could see an army of mosquitos flying toward me but they were stopped dead in their tracks. They came close but they just couldn't touch me because I had my repellent shield around me.
This experience got me thinking about the protection of God. Evil can come close but it just can't touch us. This is not to say that bad things won't happen to us but because of God's protection it always turns around for our good (Romans 8:28). We know the enemy can form the weapon to fight against us but it won't prosper (Isaiah 54:17). We can be like David and run through a troop by the protection and power of God. Let the haters hate, like the gossipers gossip, let them set all the traps they want but it can't touch us. Trust in God and stay covered under His protection. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Acts 9:36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. A Full Tank I would say that my knowledge of cars is minimal at best. As evidence of this, was on the weekend when I was driving home and my car suddenly shut off. My gas gauge wasn't working properly and so there was no indication that my car was completely out of gas. I was able to use the momentum of the car to park it in front of my neighbour's yard. My less than impressed husband came to the rescue with a jug of gas to get me going.
This experience really got me thinking about being full. We can't go on if we have nothing inside us. We need those things that fuel our lives so that we don't suddenly run out. Tabitha was FULL of good works and almsdeeds. She always had enough to give to someone else. When you're full there is no fear in pouring into others because your supply is abundant. She freely gave to others and her reputation was that of a giver.
Are we running on empty? In the kingdom of God it's not what you take in that fills you up but what you give out. The more you give, the more full you become. So make sure your tank is on full by doing all the good you can to all the people you can. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Lamentations 3:24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Hope in God The word "hope" is a multi-faceted word that can invoke many thoughts and emotions. It requires expectation and belief that something will happen. In hope there is no doubting or guessing. It's a definite, sure thing. We have small kinds of hope like "I hope it's sunny outside tomorrow" or a tremendous hope like "I hope to be healed." Regardless, hope is that thing that wakes us up in the morning. It is because we have hope we gain the strength to tackle a new day. Without hope, life loses its meaning and there really is no point. When our hope is misappropriated we find ourselves wrestling with disappointment. But placing our hope in God gives us the assurance that it WILL come to pass. God is our portion. The word "portion" is an allotment or an inheritance. If God is our inheritance we have more than this world could ever give, so have hope. Tomorrow will be a better day and even if it's not, your better is coming. God will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). So recharge your hope in God by confessing His promises in His word and you will have a fresh outlook on life. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Psalm 23:6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Dwell in the House Most days I don't even give it a second thought that I have a roof over my head. But on those freezing cold days, I am so grateful to be in a warm home. It is then that I realize that I don't have to be exposed to the elements but I can enjoy the protection of home.
David wanted to dwell in the house of the LORD. He recognized that in this harsh world with many vicious storms, he could find safety in God. When we dwell where God is, we can experience all the joy, love and goodness that He gives. Even in the midst of turbulent times we are not devoid of any good thing because we are living in God's house. I'm not just talking about the building or in other words the church. But we are the temple of the LORD when we dedicate ourselves to worship Him. As long as we believe and trust God, we remain the house of God and He dwells within us. Today the best is offered to you when you offer yourself to the LORD. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
What God Wants When I was younger I loved winning so much that it made me a sore loser. I would try to be the best. Being the best meant that I did everything right and it was a confirmation that I was worthy. There are times where we approach our walk with God in the same way.
Micah asks the question "What can I give God?" and "What can I do to please him?". Michah asks if God would be pleased with sacrifices of year old calves, thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oil. He even goes as far as to ask if giving his firstborn for his sins would be enough. Sound familiar? Many of us are trying so hard to pay the debt of our sins when we forget that Jesus paid it ALL. That means you owe nothing. There is nothing you can do to warrant your salvation. Some of us are under the impression that God wants our sacrifice, our gifts or the possessions we have. What does God want? He simply wants a relationship with us. As we walk humbly with the Lord we will do what is right, we will love mercy, we will be good enough by the precious love of Jesus. All God really wants is you. Today decide to give God you and He will always make you a winner.
Scripture Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Sowing and Reaping When I was a teen, my family moved to a newly built subdivision. There was mud where our potential grass would be. I remember sitting with my siblings and a friend on our porch enjoying the summer heat while eating watermelon. Instead of daintily throwing the seeds away we opted to simply spit them out on the grassless front lawn. After all they were just seeds. When we finally did get our grass, it was beautiful and lush. But as time progressed we saw these little buds growing up in our grass. At first we thought it was some strange weed, but upon closer inspection, we saw they were many watermelon plants. The seeds we aimlessly spit out began to grow.
Many of us our doing the same kind of unintentional planting. We are spitting out seeds without any thought to where they will grow. The Bible tells us that if we sow it, then we can expect to reap it. As Christians we need to be intentional about the kinds of seeds we're planting. Are we planting joy, love, goodness? Are we sowing seeds that we want to see grow or are we horrified by our harvest. God is not mocked. If we plant it, it will grow and we will reap it. So plant good seeds so you can reap a good harvest. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Genesis 45:8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
It's Not the End of My Story "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Isn't this one of the questions we often hear people ask? It does seem kind of unfair when disaster hits someone that is a faithful, loving, kind Christian. What did they do to deserve such tragedy? Well it only seems like a tragedy at this point in the story. But you can't know the story in its entirety until you read the ending. Romans 8:28 tells us "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.". God takes every experience in our lives and works it out for our good.
Joseph was well beloved of his father. This gained him the envy of his brothers. Their jealousy was so hateful that they wanted to kill him. When they realized it was more lucrative to sell him, they sold him into slavery. As soon as Joseph started to experience some stability and success as a slave, then Potiphar's lustful wife tries to seduce him. When he rejects her advances, she lies on him and he is thrown into prison. Joseph's brothers caused him to have a very rough life. But then things turned around for Joseph. He interpreted a dream for Pharoah which would save the land of Egypt from severe famine. Joseph earned Pharoah's respect and he was given a position of prominence.
After all this, Joseph finally meets his brothers again. This was the perfect time for revenge. Instead, Joseph offered them forgiveness as well he took care of their physical needs. Many of us reading this account are baffled by Joseph's reaction. He however, recognized that all of these horrible experiences God used them to MAKE him into what he needed to be.
Have you experienced some hard times in your life? Remember that everything you go through is an ingredient for your success. God will make you into the best person you can be. Trust God. He's the only one that knows the FULL story of your life. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scripture Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mountain Moving Words During the day we say thousands of words. We spend the better part of a day with words just casually rolling off of our lips and often we don't even remember half of the words we say. But have we ever stop to think about the power of our words? Not only do our words reveal what's going on in our inner world, they also have the power to impact the world around us.
Peter was in awe of the power of the words of Jesus on the fig tree. When Jesus passed by the unproductive tree, He cursed it and said it would never bear fruit again. When Jesus and his disciples walked by the tree again it was dried up from the root. Peter just couldn't believe his eyes that someone's words had that power. Jesus told his disciples that they should have faith in God. He showed them that even a mountain can't stand in their way if they believe and speak the word.
Are you wasting your words? Are you speaking words of faith and belief? The only way we can fill our life with the good things God has for us is to speak the Word of God over our lives. These words have a creative power to change the atmosphere and make things happen. Choose to speak the powerful, mountain moving Word of God and see the miracles that will be birthed in your life. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Mark 6:41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. Broken to Multiply As a young child, one of my fondest memories is having the opportunity to break a piñata. As crazy as it sounds, back then, people had no qualms about giving a blind-folded five year old a large stick that he or she could use to swing around desperately trying to break the brightly coloured paper mache horse. I remember the squeals of my friends when the horse was broken and all the candy rained down. In delight many of them ran and filled their little hands with colourful delights. In reflection on this experience, I realized that the joy only came when the piñata was broken. As long as it stayed whole and beautiful we were all deprived of what it had to offer.
Jesus' disciples were in a bind. There were five thousand people in the desert listening to Jesus and it was getting late. The disciples thought it was only right to send them away so they could get something to eat from one of the nearby towns. After all there was nothing to feed such a multitude. When Jesus puts the onus on them to feed the multitude, they are insistent that it just couldn't be done. Then the Lord asks them to give him what they had. They only had five loaves of bread and two fish. The disciples saw what they had as disastrously insignificant to meet such a great need. But it's when they gave what they had to Jesus, he did something that was unthinkable, He broke the bread. When something is broken it becomes smaller. I could only imagine the thoughts that would run through the minds of the disciples. However, as Jesus continued to break the bread it miraculously multiplied.
Just like the disciples, when we give what we have to Jesus no matter how insurmountable the circumstances, He will break it to multiply it. It may seem small and insignificant but God values what you have to give. When you surrender yourself, your gifts, talents, your money all that you have, you will find that little is much when God is in it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Joshua 14:12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said. Give Me This Mountain In life we are inevitably faced with situations that seem much too large for us. Trying to tackle these kind of mountainous problems can be overwhelming. So why would anyone ask for something that has the potential to cause such pain? When we recognize the awesomeness of God and the greatness of His blessing our humungous problems seems so small.
Caleb had spent forty years in the wilderness. Finally, he had a second chance to gain the promised land. At 85 years old you would think he would want to take it easy. But not so. Caleb was still believing God for great things. He wanted the mountain for his inheritance. Not only was it a mountain but there were also the Anakims which were giants in the land. And to make matters worse, they lived in fenced cities.
Caleb had many obstacles in his way that seem to prevent him from getting what belonged to him. When he recalled the promise of the Lord, he recognized that his destiny was not determined by his obstacles but by the promises of God. He believed that he could conquer the mountain and drive the Anakims out of the land.
Are you afraid to ask for the mountain because it seems too great a challenge? Remember that God is SOVEREIGN! If God said it belongs to you, it must come to pass. You can bodly say like Caleb "Give me this mountain!". ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Matthew 8:3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. He Can and He Will I'm sure we all believe that God is all powerful and mighty. We can shout "hallelujah" in praise of the awesomeness of His power. There's no doubting that. Even though we are confident that He can, there are times when we're not sure He will.
Jesus was surrounded by the multitude. There were many people coming to meet the wonderful Saviour who could heal and deliver them. Here comes this leper who was shunned by society and left to live alone because of his contagious disease. Whenever he came near people he had to shout "Unclean, unclean". His circumstances could easily lead him to believe that he wasn't worthy to receive the gracious healing that Jesus could give him. He humbly approaches Jesus " Lord if you will, can you make me clean?". Jesus looks at Him with so much compassion and touches him and heals him. Jesus demonstrated to this leper that He was willing to heal him. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. Increased Favour I remember one day standing at the bus stop and it was pouring outside. As I shivered under the cold drops of water, I suddenly felt the warmth of a very large umbrella protect me from the rain. When I turned around I saw the smile of a stranger who was willing to share some kindness with me. There are many times in our lives when we are provided with just what we need when we need it. We call that FAVOUR.
As a child of God, He has blessed us with favour. This is where we receive His approval, support, and affection. Each day we walk with Him we see that doors open up for us, and unexpected opportunities become available. As we increase in our favour with God it inevitably overflows into receiving favour with other people. God will make people do things for you that you simply don't deserve. We are blessed and highly favoured by the LORD. Let us never live our lives as anything less than BLESSED. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Psalm 92:14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; December Rain I remember one day in December I was walking in the evening. Generally in this time of year, it's cold and there's a lot of snow. This December evening however, was very different. Instead of cold it was warm enough to wear a T-shirt. As I stood outside and basked in the unexpected warm weather, a light rain began to fall. I found so much hope that night in the thought of "December Rain".
Many of us are in seasons in our life when it seems like it's over. We begin to expect nothing but ice and cold to freeze over our dreams and prevent growth. But God is doing something new. Believe God's word that even in your old age you will bring forth fruit. You will experience spring time weather in your winter season. It's not over until God says it's over and He will renew you like the eagle. Believe God that He will give you the December Rain. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Knock, Knock In my Christian journey I have encountered many people who make it seem like getting closer to God is an insurmountable task. Jesus makes it sound so easy. As easy as opening a door. Jesus is always seeking us. He always loves us and He is ready and waiting to fellowship with us. We get closer to God when we want to. If we draw close to God then He draws close to us.
Today open the door of your heart to the Lord Jesus. When you welcome Jesus into your life, He makes your life full and complete. Jesus is waiting to dine with you. Answer the door, because He's knocking. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
We Shall Be like Him A caterpillar isn't considered the most beautiful creature. They resembled the worm and other slimy critters that solicit our disgust rather than our admiration. However, what makes the caterpillar different is its potential beauty that will be revealed in the fullness of time. When the caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis (a transformative change) it becomes a colourful, awe striking butterfly.
You and I are like that caterpillar. Society, the people of the world may not always recognize the immense beauty that is presently trapped in our potential. When we see Christ, we will undergo that metamorphic change and become like He is. We will reflect the glory of Jesus. So let us hold on to that hope that we SHALL be changed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture St. John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
An Abundant Life There is a stark difference between living and simply existing. Today many of us our going from day to day without a purpose. Jesus outlined the mandate of the thief: to kill, steal and destroy. We allow negative experiences to rob of us of our joy and peace. The cares of this world can often suffocate our dreams and kill our hopes. Too often the events of life shape us and break us.
Jesus offers us freedom from the deprivation the thief tries to inflict on us. Jesus came to give us an abundant life. The word abundant encompasses the idea of plenty, more than enough. God never intended for us to simply exist. That's why He breathed into us the breath of LIFE. We were made to LIVE. This is the reason why Jesus came. Today let us enjoy the beautiful, majestic and powerful things God has created us to be and to enjoy! ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Psalm 6:9 The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer. He Heard You the First Time Have you ever been in an extremely crowded noisy area and heard your friend calling your name? You answer back to let your friend know where you are but, because of the noise and the crowd your friend doesn't realize that you've answered. It's when your friend comes closer to you that you are able to let your frustrated friend know that you were answering them all along but the noise blocked their ability to hear the answer.
Many of us are in the same situation as we pray to God. We are calling Him and calling Him and it seems like He's just not answering. You know He's supposed to be there but you don't see Him moving and you can't hear His voice. It's only when we come closer to the Saviour that we realize He heard us all along and He's answered. So be confident in your prayers knowing that your Lord Jesus Christ has heard your supplication and He HAS received your prayer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Nehemiah 6:3
And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
Don't Come Down Whenever I travel by plane I always try to get a window seat. I like watching us ascend into the sky and then looking back at how small things begin to appear. Things such as buildings, houses, or tractor trailers that seem so large are just little dots on the ground when I'm up in the sky.
I am reminded of Nehemiah's answer to his critics. His work is carrying him to a new high which gives him a new perspective. When you are doing great things for God, things that seemed to be so unmanageable and large are simply small dots. God's presence has a way of helping us to see what really matters. Nehemiah's work was too great for him to come back down and lose his bird's eye perspective.
We can not exchange our great work for God for the lower level things of the world. It is when we commit to remaining in the presence of God and to stay focused on His work then we get the right perspective- God's perspective. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. While You Were Waiting The hardest word for us to hear sometimes is the word "wait". I mean we can swallow a "yes" or a "no" because those are definite answers. But when we hear "wait" , we're flooded with questions like "How long will I have to wait?", " Will it ever happen?", "Is my waiting in vain?". These questions can sometimes stifle our hope. However, the prophet Isaiah reveals a promise of hope when we wait on the Lord. It is in the waiting that we develop strength. God is preparing us to become the person who is strong enough to properly manage the blessing for which we so desperately wait. So while you're waiting stop looking at the clock and pacing back and forth. Meditate on the Lord and remember that He will give you the strength to making it through this period of waiting. TRUST HIM ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Planted by the Lord A pastime that I have often enjoyed with my mother is gardening. The joy of plants is intensified by the knowledge that these are the fruits of our labour. Flowers seem more beautiful because we planted them. Before we even begin planting anything there is always a plan. We look for the best spot to ensure that the plant receives everything it needs to grow and prosper. The plants are never consulted in this decision but we as the gardeners know what the plants need and we do what it takes to give it to them.
God is the master gardener. He knows exactly what we need in order to prosper, grow and bring forth the best fruit. In planting the conditions are always messy, with dirt, mud and cold rain. But these are the conditions in which the plants thrive. God has planted us right where we need to be. We are planted to show forth HIS GLORY. We have the admiration of our Lord. He loves us. He delights in the prosperity of His people. God gives us the great exchange of all the of the negative things others have planted in our lives and HE plants us in the best ground for us to bring forth the best fruit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord Built with the Storm in Mind Many of us as children grew up learning the story of Noah and the Ark. Noah served God faithfully. However, not everyone in his time recognized the power of God. Many lived lives filled with deplorable acts that displeased God. God was going to cause the flood to destroy the earth. Noah's strong relationship with God made him privy to the plan of God. God commanded him to build an Ark. At this time Noah could not have imagined what the Ark would do for his protection. He hadn't seen rain much less a flood. He couldn't imagine what God was going to bring him through. God however, had a plan and He told Noah exactly what to do to build the Ark. Noah built it according to God's specifications so that it could endure the storm and flood.
Today God is giving us the specifications for building a life that can endure the storm. We may not be able to conceive the kinds of storms we will confront in life. One thing is sure, that when we live our lives for Jesus Christ, He will build us up to endure any storm. The next time we are faced with life's stormy winds, we can boldly say "This storm can shake me but it will never break me. I was built with this storm in mind and with the help of God I WILL endure to the end." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Genesis 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. Name Change Every one of us has a name. Generally it's a name our parents chose. What ever the reason for the choice, this name is used to identify us. The reality is that our given name is not always the only name that is used to identify us. These names have a deeper meaning and imply something about not just what we are but who we are.
Every time God was transitioning a person in to a new identity a name change was involved. When Abram (exalted father) received the notification from God that he would now be Abraham (father of the multitude) it was sure evidence that he was about to embark on an identity shift. The man that had no children by his wife Sarah would now receive a son of promise: a great nation.
God wants to call you by your name. No, not the name that people decided upon, but the name that is linked to your destiny. You may be called "worthless", "loser", "hopeless" but God will call you "Holy", "Whole! Wanting nothing", "Victorious". Transitions are never easy. But just like you can't put new wine in an old wine skin you can't put an old identity into a new destiny. Let God change you into who you ought to be. He's preparing you for next level. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. What are you waiting for? Have you ever had a moment in your life when you felt like you just missed an opportunity because of impatience? You felt it necessary to take the first thing that came to you just because you were tired of waiting. Trust me my friend, I have been there.
God encourages us in His word to be aware of what/who we are waiting for. If we are waiting on the LORD. He has many promises for us. He will renew our strength. The word "renew" in this sentence means exchange. As we wait for the LORD, He will exchange our strength for His. God isn't asking us to wait for Him in our own power. As we begin to wait our faith in God is increased. We can begin to see how His blessings that often go unnoticed have guided us along the way to our destination. God has made some promises to us. Wait on Him, and don't jump for an imitation. Only God has what you need right when you need it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Hungry? One of the greatest joys for me is sharing a good meal with good friends. However, I will never forget those moments in my life when I experienced real hunger. I'm not talking about being slightly peckish or having a craving for a favourite treat. When I was hungry, all I could think about was food. It was always on my mind. It was an insatiable need that I was highly motivated to fill. Clothing, money, friends nothing could fill that need other than food.
At first glance, we may wonder, "how could hunger and blessed be in the same sentence?". Hunger definitely doesn't feel like a blessing. But it really depends on what we're hungry for. We all experience this hunger. The thing that occupies our thoughts and motivates our actions. Hunger unfulfilled is one of life's tragedies. When we are hungry for God, He will fill that hunger Himself. He will fill our cup and allow it to overflow with His joy, peace and love. We need to stop trying to fill this hunger with the things of this world, that only leave us destitute and wanting. Turn to your Heavenly Father and He will satisfy your hungry soul. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. God's Abundance There was a time in my life when I felt like I never had enough. I was living from pay cheque to pay cheque. I had made a few bad judgment calls with my money and I found myself in debt. When I recollect on those years, I see how the hand of God has brought me through. God didn't just meet my need, He exceeded my desperate expectations and now I have more than enough. God has blessed me that now I can be the lender and not the borrower.
God's abundance is so consistent and great that He doesn't just meet our need today but He always has enough for tomorrow and the day after that. God's supply will NEVER run out. He meets our needs not according to our circumstances, not even according to our need but according to HIS riches in glory. We serve a wonderful FATHER that is our provider, sustainer and keeper. When you find yourself in want, just have faith and believe that God has an abundant supply and He wants to bless you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture The Words of My Mouth Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. Have you every said something and the moment those words left your mouth, you wished you could take them back? We all have experienced the sting of a word misspoken. We try to take it back but it is already in the atmosphere. I believe we innately understand that our words have POWER. God's words were so powerful that they created the world and everything in it. God has given your words POWER. What will you create today with your words? Will you create a positive world that is based upon your faith and trust in God. Will your words agree with the word of God and decree who God said YOU are? Psalm 139:14 says I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and WONDERFULLY made: MARVELOUS are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. You are a child of God that means you are precious and His blood has made you clean. Begin to speak the word of God over your life because Romans 10:17 says So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So speak the word loud and let your voice be heard. Use the word of God to become the YOU He's created you to be. God bless you always with love from your sister!
Scripture Zechariah 3: 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” Change These Clothes In our modern day and age fashion has become a booming industry. We communicate many messages about ourselves by the clothing we choose to wear. Clothing can tell people our economic status, our purpose, our profession, and in many ways our state of mind. In biblical days the priest was the connection to the Almighty God. It would be unheard of, if a priest wore anything other than his beautiful, pristine, priestly garments. In this text, the prophet describes Joshua the priest as wearing filthy garments. Although he was a priest and he was supposed to be God’s representative his clothing just wasn’t in line with his purpose. His state of mind didn’t fit the priestly office. How dismal the scene until God who is so merciful commands that the filthy clothing is taken away and new clean clothes be put on His priest.
Peter calls us members of a Royal Priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Just like Joshua we don’t cease to be God’s child when we have done wrong. When we mess up our spiritual clothing, God is so gracious that He will clothe us in His righteousness if we surrender to His precious will. Today let us be conscious of the message we our sending to the world. Are we a priest of God in filthy garments or our we wearing Christ in our everyday thoughts and actions? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Loving God It's always exciting the moment you recognize that someone loves you. You can see their eyes light up when you walk in the room. You're on cloud nine because you know that someone thinks you are special. It is so comforting to know that God loves us. I mean truly loves us. God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die on a cross for our sins. (John 3:16) There is no greater love than when a man lays down his life for a friend (John 15:13). Jesus gives us the "I'll die for you." kind of love.
Being confident of the love of God for us, do we love God back? Would we lay down our lives for Him? I know none of us are planning to die on a cross but are we willing to die to sin? Our love for God is seen in our sacrifice. The scripture tells us that we have to love him with ALL of our HEART. We must love Him passionately, with our will and our emotions. Do we love Him with ALL of our SOUL? We must love Him with the essence of our being. We define ourselves by our love for Him. We are encouraged to love Him with ALL of our STRENGTH. All that is in our power we give to God. Serving God was never meant to be a "duty". God calls us into a love relationship with Him. God loves us so much. Our love for God has to be with our ALL. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Mark 6:41 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
Broken to Multiply As a young child, one of my fondest memories is having the opportunity to break a piñata. As crazy as it sounds, back then, people had no qualms about giving a blind-folded five year old a large stick that he or she could use to swing around desperately trying to break the brightly coloured paper mache horse. I remember the squeals of my friends when the horse was broken and all the candy rained down. In delight many of them ran and filled their little hands with colourful delights. In reflection on this experience, I realized that the joy only came when the piñata was broken. As long as it stayed whole and beautiful we were all deprived of what it had to offer.
Jesus' disciples were in a bind. There were five thousand people in the desert listening to Jesus and it was getting late. The disciples thought it was only right to send them away so they could get something to eat from one of the nearby towns. After all there was nothing to feed such a multitude. When Jesus puts the onus on them to feed the multitude, they are insistent that it just couldn't be done. Then the Lord asks them to give him what they had. They only had five loaves of bread and two fish. The disciples saw what they had as disastrously insignificant to meet such a great need. But it's when they gave what they had to Jesus, he did something that was unthinkable, He broke the bread. When something is broken it becomes smaller. I could only imagine the thoughts that would run through the minds of the disciples. However, as Jesus continued to break the bread it miraculously multiplied.
Just like the disciples, when we give what we have to Jesus no matter how insurmountable the circumstances, He will break it to multiply it. It may seem small and insignificant but God values what you have to give. When you surrender your gifts, talents, your money all that you have, you will find that little is much when God is in it.
Scripture Zechariah 4:6-7 6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
A Mountain Slayer My friends and I decided to climb Mount Fuji on a trip we had taken to Japan. It sounded like a lot of fun and an opportunity to slay a mountain. It wasn't until we began climbing the mountain that we appreciated just how large and high it was. It took us almost 17 hours to do our climb. On the way some of my friends had to turn back because of exhaustion and altitude sickness. It wasn't an easy climb for me by any means. I remember feeling sick and tired but I had a determination to make it to the top. When I began to approach the top of the mountain, I could hear friends in the distance shouting and cheering me on. It took every bit of strength I had left to reach the top of the mountain. I looked down and I saw the clouds beneath my feet. I understood a mountain was a mighty entity.
The angel of the Lord spoke to Zerubbabel and warned him that his own power and might would not gain him the victory. He would gain the victory by the power of God. He also went on to tell Zerubbabel that the mountain will become a plain before him. When I think of how great that mountain was and how difficult it was to conquer, I have a greater appreciation for this scripture. When we do it on our own it's almost impossible, difficult and tiresome. When we do things God's way a mountain hike is like a walk in the park. As we move in the Spirit of God, then impossible tasks become simple. The problems we face are never too great for our God. Jesus said "The things that are impossible with man are possible with God" (Matthew 9:26), and He went on to emphasize, "With God all things are possible." Today lets trust God to work through and in us. His Spirit empowers us to be mountain slayers!
Scripture Luke 5:5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
A "Nevertheless" Moment Life can be a challenge sometimes. We work hard to manage our lives, to get the things we want or need out of life. Can you imagine never having to struggle? Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen who were out on the sea all night. They toiled and they struggled and they came up with nothing. Peter and Andrew were expert fishermen. So they had the knowledge and the skill to catch fish. They knew when and where the fish could be. However, their efforts availed them an empty net. Jesus met them in the morning. He told Peter to launch out into the deep. Peter knew that day time was not an optimal time for fishing. He also knew that he had tried launching out all night and it didn't work. The difference this time was Jesus told him to do it. In obedience, Peter cast out his net by the word of Jesus even though he knew that what Jesus was asking him to do went against what he knew to be true about successfully catching fish. He might have questioned "How could it be this simple?". Peter knew all this nevertheless he did what Jesus told him to do. "Nevertheless" is a key word here. It means "in spite of" and it implies that he was going against what he knew. As he obeyed Jesus his net was so full of fish that even the boat couldn't hold it all.
Many of us are like these fishermen. We try so hard and we have yet to see the fruit of our labour. It's time for a "nevertheless" moment. This is the moment when we've done all we know how to do and we surrender and do it God's way. This is the moment when we stop being the expert and whole heartedly trust that God's methods and ways are superior to our own. We can say like Peter "Jesus I've worked all my life and my net is still empty NEVERTHELESS I will do what you say to do". If you are tired of the struggle, trust in the word of Lord Jesus Christ because only He can fill your net. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Isaiah 43:1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
God Calls Me By Name There is a comfort in knowing that the one who created you and formed is so invested in you that He is concerned about every detail. God had a master plan when He created us. We are created for a PURPOSE. We are no accident. In biblical times, the name a child received was a prophetic label about who the child would become in the future. When God calls our name He is affirming our identity which is linked to our purpose. God is the only one who fully knows who we truly are. He knows our past, present and our future. He sees our heart and He knows our thoughts. When God speaks His words are creative. He can call us a name that we don't think we are worthy to receive. We have had many others in the past who tried to redefine us by calling us a name that isn't in line with who God created us to be. Some may have called us worthless, unlovable and many other unmentionable names. But when God calls us by OUR name, the name that defines who we are, we become what He calls us. We belong to Jesus Christ and He has redeemed us for a greater purpose than we could ever imagine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
We are Healed Jesus Christ is the King of Glory. He is God manifested in the flesh. Why would such a wonderful God put on flesh and come to earth only to suffer, and die a horrific death? The simple answer is for LOVE. God loved us so much that He was willing to take the penalty for our sins so we could be saved, delivered and healed. Many of us think of healing in terms of deliverance from disease or sickness. And yes healing includes all of this. However, we received healing from something far more lethal than any illness. We received healing from our sinful condition. Sin is the pollutant that contaminates everything that is good and pure. You and I were once slaves of sin. We could do nothing to prevent ourselves from doing the despicable things we absolutely hated. Jesus allowed himself to be abused as he took the punishment for OUR sins. He who knew no sin of His own was beaten with many stripes. Everyone of those wounds, piercings, gashes were for our healing. Today we can boldly say, "I AM HEALED of all sin sick diseases". By HIS stripes WE are HEALED. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Joel 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
Let it Rain Water is such an integral part of our lives. Everything needs water to survive; plants, animals and we need it as human beings. We tend to really recognize the importance of water when its scarce. I'm not sure if you've ever experienced real thirst. I've travelled in very warm countries and after a long day, water is all you can think about. As soon as you get that cold glass of water, you just want to gulp it down as fast as you can to quench that thirst.
In the time of Joel the prophet, God promised to give the former rain and latter rain in the first month. After experiencing a drought this was welcomed news. The rain would restore those things that had been lost because of the drought. Trees would once again bear their fruit and everything would have life again because of the rain.
The Holy Spirit is our spiritual rain that brings that essential life giving water. Jesus said "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. "(John 7:38). When we have the Holy Spirit inside of our hearts we carry our water source in this dry and thirsty world. If we don' t allow the Holy Spirit in, we become spiritually thirsty, often drinking doctrines, or self help efforts that leave us still thirsty. Only the Holy Spirit can satisfy that thirst. Be glad in the Lord because He has sent the Holy Spirit to bring life to the dry places in your life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Acts 27:43-44 43 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.
Making it on Broken Pieces Paul the Apostle had many great adventures in his pursuit to do the work of God. He underwent many hard times. It was determined for Paul to sail to Italy. On the way, the ship was faced with "contrary winds". Paul warned the crew that the ship was going to sink. The master of the ship believed that they could just press through the storm. They continued their journey and entered into smoother sailing. This time of quiet was short lived and they encountered a fierce storm called the Euroclydon. This wind began to destroy the ship. The centurion commanded that those who could swim should jump in first and those that couldn't should make it to land on the broken pieces of the ship.
Many of us are like Paul as we journey through life we meet "contrary winds" . The word contrary implies that this wind has come to prevent us from reaching our destination. We may try to keep pressing through the wind only to find that we meet a mega storm such as Euroclydon. The Euroclydon is a cyclonic tempestuous northeast wind. One that can shatter and destroy the ship we've been sailing on. There are those that seem to abandon those shatter dreams and make it because they know how to "swim". Some of us know how to navigate and find a way through with the God given abilities we receive to survive. God encourages us today that if we can't swim not to stay there and drown. Find a broken piece of the ship and hold on until you get to land.
The storm might have destroyed your dreams, hopes, and life as you know it. This wind took most of it but we are reminded that it didn't take everything. There are still pieces that remain that can help us stay a float. Your life is not over. You have breathe and life so hold on. You will make it, even if it's on broken pieces. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Real Love Love has become such a common word in our society. We love this and we love that. We were never called to love things but to love PEOPLE. The word says "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." (1John 2:15). Our love needs to be extended to others. Love prevents us from doing harm. We wouldn't hurt, steal from, lie to, murder or covet someone we love. Love is the fulfilling of all the commandments because it takes love to cover a multitude of sin (1Peter 4:8). God is asking us to have His kind of love. A love that endures hard times and keeps standing. A love that is able to forgive. What kind of love do we see in our lives? Today we are encouraged to ask God to give us a heart to love our neighbours for we need the help from the Holy Spirit to give REAL LOVE.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Jesus Cares There are moments in my life when I feel so overwhelmed. I feel like I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I'm sure many of you also feel this way especially in those busy times in life. Under all those burdens it can sometimes be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was never God's intention for us to carry such heavy weights in life. He let us know in His word, that His yoke is EASY and His burden is LIGHT (Matthew 11:30). The only way that this can be possible is when we let Him carry our load. He loves us so much and He will never leave us. Give your cares to Jesus. Peter encourages us to cast our cares upon Jesus. In other words throw off your burdens on Jesus. Aren't you ready to be free and light again? Then give these worries to Jesus and He'll carry them as He carries you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
It's in You Why do bad things happen to good people? This has been an aged old question as we observe the human condition. We often think that if we can just do everything right then we'll never have to suffer. Paul encourages us in Romans that suffering is pain with purpose. There is strength and beauty locked inside of us. Suffering is the key that unlocks what's on the inside and we begin to recognize who we really are. The tears we cry are real, the pain is often severe but the hope we have is that the glory that is revealed in us makes it all worth it. Suffering is a part of the molding process to make us into God's precious child. As Job said in the midst of his suffering "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). You can't have gold without fire. As you go through, remember that God is using your struggle to reveal what's in you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Matthew 7:24-25 24 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.
Your Foundation As a child, my friends and I enjoyed using Lego pieces to build. We all tried to outdo each other by building the tallest structure. We would work diligently and as quickly as our little hands would let us to build something that felt like it could touch the sky. Unfortunately, many of us received a rude awakening when our structure would tumble with Lego pieces falling all over us. We soon learned that we needed to spend more time building a strong foundation if we wanted a structure that would last.
Our lives can sometimes be like these Lego structures. We spend so much time building the structure and we forget about the foundation and unfortunately pieces come crashing down. Jesus encourages us today to take another look at the foundation of our lives. What are we building our lives on? If we want to build a life that lasts and can withstand the storms that will inevitably confront us, then we have to build a life that is based on the WORD of God. Is the word of God governing our choices, the direction of our lives, our thoughts? If you want to build a strong life, a meaningful life, a life that will not fall a part when faced with adversity, then build your life upon Jesus Christ the SOLID ROCK. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Ezekiel 37:9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
Prophesy unto the Wind Many of us have seen the power of the wind. Sometimes this power can be so destructive. Tornadoes, hurricanes and other strong winds destroy homes, ruin cities and cause insurmountable damage. In this verse however, God told the prophet Ezekiel to give the wind a life giving assignment. Ezekiel found himself in the valley of the dry bones. These bones were very dry and all mixed together. The whole situation appeared hopeless. It would seem that adding the wind to this equation would only be more disastrous. But God in his infinite WISDOM assures Ezekiel that this wind didn't come to kill him but it came to breathe life into this hopeless situation. So as the winds began to blow Ezekiel just gave the wind the message that God gave him.
Like Ezekiel, we can sometimes find ourselves in the valley filled with dry bones. We see skeletons of hopes, dreams, and desires. We are confronted with utter disappointment. Often in this low state, it seems like one thing after another. Today God is reminding us that these hard times didn't come to break us but they came to MAKE US. Prophesy to your wind today. Tell the wind the word of your God. Let the wind know that it came to breathe life to those forgotten dreams and hopes. Sometimes winds unearth treasures that have been hidden. There are treasures hidden in you that become remarkably apparent in the midst of your struggle. You will find in the midst of the wind that you're stronger than you thought you were more courageous, brave and ultimately more beautiful than you could have imagined. So today, don't let the wind dictate how you move, but you prophesy to the wind and tell it the way that God said it should go. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Romans 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. The War Within Each of us engages in a war every day. This war is not fought on a battlefield or in some foreign country. This war that we fight is within us. Even to get out of bed can be a struggle. Essentially, it is a war between good and evil. We have a vision of who we would like to be. What keeps us from being that person ? Sometimes the person we ARE is resisting the transformation. There are some sins that we find pleasurable, and sometimes even self serving, but these sins come at a price. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life (Romans 6:23). We have to kill the old man daily. We need to get rid of those habits, thoughts, reactions that satisfy the flesh but wound the soul. We are encouraged to put on the armour of God in order to fight this fight and WIN. (Ephesians 6:13-18). With the help of the Lord, you shall be victorious and be the person you were CREATED to be. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Lamentations 3:21-23 21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness
Great is God's Faithfulness There are times in our lives when we go through a rough patch. It comes to a point where we get so burdened that our perception of life becomes clouded by our storms. It's easy in these moments to forget the goodness of God. However, the prophet Jeremiah as he was experiencing hardships, he REMEBERED that he served a GOOD God that wanted what was good for him. In remembering, his hope was strengthened. It's time for us to remember that God has new mercies for us EVERY morning. He is a FAITHFUL God. He is there all the time, even when we can't see, feel or hear Him. He stays there with us and He keeps us from being consumed by this life's trials . The next time you are confronted with hard times, begin to reflect on and remember that God is FAITHFUL and He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will be with you until the end (Hebrews 13:5).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. The Heart and Mouth Connection Words are powerful. It was by words that God created the heavens and the earth. His word is creative. We are made in His image thus our words create as well. Words also reveal what is hidden in the heart. Have you ever heard someone say something that seemed odd or out of place? Their words left you wondering "Where did that come from". It came from the heart.
As children of the Most High God, we have to be vigilant about the condition of our heart. The word of God isn't meant to only reside in our logical brains. It must be in our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 tells us "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life". Our lives are ultimately influenced by what we choose to say and what we let in our heart. So let our mouth always confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Let Jesus sit on the throne of your heart. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
Stop Feeding Pigs There are times in our lives when we have to WAIT for something. The waiting period can often be a difficult time. We have to remember although it may feel like God is holding us back, He's actually holding us up. I'm sure many of us have heard the story of the prodigal son. He was the younger of two sons who asked his father for his inheritance prematurely. As soon as he received it from his father he went to a far away land and squandered all he had. When he had spent it all, there came a famine. This unexpected poverty lead him to join himself to a citizen of the land. That citizen sent this Jewish man to feed pigs. Pigs were considered unclean animals by the Jews. This would be considered the height of insult to be asked to feed pigs. As he fed the pigs, he himself was experiencing starvation because no one gave to him. It wasn't until he began reflecting and recognized that even the servants in his father's house were eating well, that he decided to humble himself and return home. He began to realize all he took for granted.
Some of us today are like the prodigal son. We feed things we feel are unclean, while our soul is starving. Just as he fed the pigs, we feed those piggish behaviours, attitudes, and thoughts and forget that our soul is hungry for something or should I say someone. We need to feed our souls with the word of God. Stop investing your time, energy and resources in things that only bring you down. Invest in God, and you will always get the best RETURN. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
Full Joy In God's eyes there's a difference between living a Christian life and surviving a Christian life. God doesn't want us to try to simply trudge through life being miserable. Joy is a key to our connection with God. After all, the JOY of the LORD is our STRENGTH (Nehemiah 8:10). Jesus shared that His desire is that our joy may be FULL. The word "full" implies that something is at capacity and it can't take any more. God wants us to have so much joy that we are filled to capacity. Do you have room in your life for more joy? Then it's time to bring your requests to the LORD. He wants to give you the things that bring you JOY. So today you and I can look for doors to be opened, ways to be made and many joys to be received. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Esther 8:5 And said, If it please the king, and if I have favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces:
Reverse It In this passage Haman went to the King to write a letter that would ensure the annihilation of the Jewish people because he was angry with Mordecai the Jew who refused to bow to him. His decree was sent out to destroy every Jew even the women, children, the aged: everyone. He didn't want to see a single Jew survive. Esther went to the King and with God's help she was able to request that the decree that was orchestrated to destroy her people be reversed.
As we live our lives there are many things that the enemy has tried to speak over our lives. Sometimes we have been told things about ourselves that make us doubt our capabilities and sometimes even our self worth. Well today the Lord is going to reverse every word that the enemy has declared about you. You are who God says YOU ARE. God calls you His precious child. He says you are the HEAD and not the tail, the first and not the last (Deuteronomy 28:13). Understand that God is the King of kings and He alone can reverse all those negatives that have tried to influence your life and give you the joy that comes with being truly free.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Psalm 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
Seek the LORD "To seek" is to try to find something out through searching. What does it really mean to seek the LORD? We know that God is all around us and in us so we think we know where He is. This seeking is not just about finding God but finding out more about who HE is. God promises in His word that if we draw nearer to God that He will draw nearer to us (James 4:8). God wants us to want Him. We need to seek Him first above all of the other things in life we'd like to pursue. When we seek the Lord He will never leave us. We know His name and we call upon Him for help. God will hear us when we call. Seek God and you will find everything you could ever need. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Ecclesiastes 11:4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
Sowing in the Wind Are you waiting for the right moment to do something great? You may often hear yourself say, "Someday I'll get around to doing it?" The problem with this belief is that someday never really comes and years go by and there never really isn't a right moment. The scripture tells us that observing the wind will prevent us from sowing and reaping. Essentially we can't wait until all the ducks are lined and up and the conditions are favourable. Life is full of trouble and problems. We will always have conditions that seem to impede our ability to sow into the purpose that God has designed for us. When God lays something on our hearts, we have to move in faith and begin to DO what God wants us to DO. Notice I didn't say pontificate about it or get into deep theological discussions with friends about it. It's time to ACT. When is the right time? NOW is the only right time. Let the wind blow and let the clouds gather but never let them stop you from doing and being all that God has called you to BE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Don't Faint Most of us have heard over the years that it is better to give than to receive. These words spoken by Jesus Christ remind us of the joy in giving. As Christians, many of us take pleasure in helping other people. However, there are other times when helping someone out has a great cost for us. Doing good doesn't always feel good but it is necessary. The word encourages us not to be weary of well doing. In other words- DON'T FAINT. To faint means to get weak, dizzy, or lose consciousness. We can't afford to do any of those things in our Christian walk. Instead, we have to hold on to God who is our strength. We are encouraged to remain sober and have a sound mind. We can only reap when we sow. If we get overly tired during the sowing phase of our lives, it will ultimately influence our harvest. Ecclesiastes 11:4 tells us "He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap". Don't get overwhelmed by all the good that you have to do. Hold on and don't faint! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Psalm 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. You're Royal How do you see yourself? A lot of our choices and actions are influenced by our self perception. We need to adopt God's perception of us as His creation. God deems us as ROYALTY because we are the children of a KING. When God created us, He crowned us with glory and honour. When someone is crowned, they receive regal authority. We have dominion and power that is given to us by God. Too often we neglect to use our power partly because we don't even recognize we have it. God has crowned us with GLORY and HONOUR. These words reflect the high respect and worth that God places on us. He loves us and respects us. We are empowered by the love of God. So lift your head high and walk in the ROYALTY that God has given to you! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Revelation 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. Eat up the Little Book It seems like our modern day culture is obsessed with dieting. It has become a bustling industry. Many people, particularly women are on some kind of a diet or another. We get so preoccupied with what we feed our bodies but have we taken the time to examine our spiritual diet? What do we feed our souls? As Christians today we are bombarded with many different messages. All day our mind consumes random images and those undercurrent themes that tell us what to believe and can influence how we feel. Just think about it, where do we get our messages about love, being beautiful or being happy? God is encouraging us today to eat up His word. Let the messages of the Holy Bible feed you. You will find the right kind of joy, peace and truly understand what it means to BE blessed. We need to spend time consuming the word of God so it can be our meditation. Then our way will be prosperous and we will have GOOD SUCCESS (Joshua 1:8). Eat up the little book today! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Joshua 3:5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.
He Works Wonders What are you expecting from the Lord today? As Christians, one would think that we each would have an amazing answer to this question. But are we really expecting God to move on our behalf TODAY? Joshua told the children of Israel that it was time to get themselves ready for the wonders of God. They had to sanctify themselves. This meant setting themselves a part so they could be holy, separate and consecrated for what God was about to do in their lives. God was working things out for their journey to the promise land. He was about to part the raging Jordan River so the children of Israel could cross. God is getting ready to do something WONDERFUL in our lives. Have we begun to set ourselves a part in expectation? Let's get ready because God is ready to do WONDERS for us.
Scripture Matthew 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Follow ME want to be a follower of Christ. I want to be one of His disciples. I want to walk in the newness of life. So let me be a follower of Christ.
Many of us can echo the sentiment of this song. We want to be a follower of Christ. To be a follower of Christ means we have to be willing to be LIKE Him. When Jesus called His disciples, He told them that He would MAKE them fishers of men. The disciples could not have imagined the process of transformation they would have to endure as they followed Christ to move from being mere fisher men to fishers of men. If we say that we will follow Christ, we need to prepare ourselves to be MADE into what He has purposed for us to be. We can't follow Christ and remain the same. We have to be willing to undergo the process that is often painful, difficult and sometimes heartbreaking. Yet it is worth it to follow Jesus. It is time for us to accept Christ's invitation to follow Him. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Matthew 14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Stay Focused When I was learning to drive, the driving instructor always encouraged me to keep my eyes on the road. As a flighty young person it was so challenging because there were so many things happening on the street. The instructor sternly cautioned me that "You will go in the direction of your focus." These words resound true today in our spiritual lives. We need to ensure that our focus is on Jesus. When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, he asked the Lord to bid him to come. Peter kept his focus on Jesus and he was able to do the miraculous: walk on water. Peter defied the natural expectation to sink because he trusted that Jesus would keep him seeing that He called him out of the boat. As he basked in the wondrous power of Jesus Christ, the wind and storms around him became invisible at that moment . When Peter, however lost his focus and began to notice how boisterous the wind was, he saw the waves all around him then he began to sink. We are encouraged today to keep our focus on JESUS. The winds of life can blow but they are only distractions. We can't allow life, troubles or anything to allow us to sink. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Psalm 121:7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
God Will Preserve You In the summer delicious pears grow in our backyard. There are always more pears than we can eat. We give some away but then we preserve the rest so we can enjoy them in the winter months. The pears have to be kept away from the elements otherwise they'll become rotten and distasteful. So we keep them in jars to preserve them. God will never allow us as His children to be exposed to the things in life that will make us distasteful. He maintains our sweetness by preserving our joy in the midst of trouble. We can smile and rejoice because we know that God is keeping us. He preserves our soul that even though we age and go through hardships, our life experiences will never taint us. We will remain fruitful, fat and flourishing even in our old age. As the song says "If you know the Lord is keeping you what are you gonna worry about?". We don't have to worry or fear because the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who preserves our soul. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Be GLAD Have you laughed today? I mean a real belly laugh. One day, I was out on the playground with my students. As I stood and observed them play, everyone of them laughed. Some giggled and others just laughed hysterically. It was like just being alive was a joyous occasion. And yes it is! We have to remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength. We ought to be glad to have the Lord in our lives. I know that things aren't perfect right now. We don't have everything we want or need. But that's the wrong focus. We need to focus on ALL the MANY blessings that we have. God is SO GOOD. I'm not experiencing a momentary chuckle but true joy inside my soul to know that the Lord has made me GLAD. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Psalm 27:1 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? The Source of Strength There are defining moments in our lives where we learn something about ourselves. We see our flaws or sometimes we even see our strengths. However, there are those moments where we come face to face with our frailty. When we recognize that there are some things that are out of our capabilities, we are driven to seek help from the source of our strength. Philippians 4:13 says I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. The important point is that Christ is the one who gives strength. We need to let go and let God do what He does best-work things out. It's time for us to stop trying to do things all by ourselves. The load is too great. We need to rely on the Lord for strength.
Lord give us strength today to manage the things that are too much for us. Give us the strength to live in your joy. Free us from anxiety and fill us with hope. You are the source of our STRENGTH. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture Romans 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Love for All Many of us are okay with loving our neighbor. That's probably because we have developed this narrow definition of who is our neighbor. Is our neighbor the nice guy that opens the door for us every morning? Or maybe our neighbor includes the sweet old lady in church who always slips us a candy. But did Jesus really mean that we should love everybody? After all, there are those people who have done unmentionable things to us. They've stolen our opportunities, abused us, lied on us and the list goes on. Is God requiring us to love them too? Jesus emphatically told his disciples "Love your enemies and pray for those that despitefully use you" (Matthew 5:44). I know at this point you're probably thinking "Seriously? That's not possible". We can only love this way through the help of the Holy Spirit. Loving our enemies isn't just for the benefit of our enemies. The kindness we show is to build up ourselves. God doesn't want us to carry around the weight of hate and resentment. We should be kind to everyone because that's what distinguishes us as a child of God. Everybody loves people that love them back, but it takes a true child of God to extend that love to every and any one. Jesus said that love defines us when He said "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:35. So don't rejoice in the suffering of your enemy but have mercy on them. If we live in the Holy Spirit we will live a life of total and complete love.
Scripture Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart Delight thyself in the Lord Do you enjoy being in the presence of the Lord? Of course we all do. In His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures forever more. But being in the presence of the Lord takes time. We have to put aside time in our lives to spend time with God. We can sometimes get so busy serving Him that we forget that we can delight in Him. To delight is to have rapture, extreme pleasure and enjoyment. Does this describe our interactions with the Lord? Serving God should never be a duty it is supposed to be a DELIGHT. Today take some time to just enjoy Jesus. Enjoy being with Him and basking in His GOODNESS. DELIGHT yourself in the LORD. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Just Ask If you're anything like me it's often very difficult to ask for help. We have to first recognize that we need help and that the task that we are attempting is beyond our own abilities. Jesus encouraged the disciples to ASK. We can have a happy and peaceful life. We can have all the joys that our hearts could ever imagine. All we have to do is ask. When we bring our requests to the Lord we are recognizing that He alone can fulfill our needs. It is God's pleasure to give good things to His children. Since we are His children, we have access to the riches in glory. All we have to do is ASK and it SHALL be given. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scripture Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Perfect Peace Is your life filled with turmoil and unrest? Many of us as Christians would be very reluctant to admit that a topsy turvy life is our reality. However, it doesn't always have to be this way. There is a way to PERFECT PEACE. His name is Jesus Christ. If you put your trust in Jesus you will have nothing missing, nothing broken. When we trust Jesus we put our confidence in HIM because we know that he is reliable, good and honest. We can trust Jesus because we have faith in His character. He'll never fail us and He always keeps His PROMISES. If you know the Lord is keeping you then what are you going to worry about?
Scripture Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Stay Connected Romans 8:35 starts off by asking the question "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Often our answer is "Nothing will separate us because God is".....and we provide our reasoning. But if God is left till the end of our day or if he is an after thought are we really as connected as we believe? As women we are so many things to so many people pouring out of our souls daily trying to encourage those around us, providing support and a listening ear, being a burden bearer, a teacher and a friend that our time and energy is depleted by the end of the day and that is the time we usually want to give to God. If we don't make the time to have true connection to God through prayer and reading the bible we will not be able to replenish our souls and without a replenished soul we begin to drift from our creator. In every relationship time alone together is important and since God won't ever move away from us, we must fight to maintain our relationship with God and let nothing or no one pull us away from connecting to God ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture St. Luke 18: 27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
It's Possible With God There have been moments in my life where I almost talked myself out of a blessing. "It's too impossible", "It can't happen" are some of the thoughts that would bombard my mind when I faced a challenging situation. Then I am reminded by the Holy Spirit that with God ALL things are POSSIBLE. God doesn't deal in impossibilities. He speaks the word and it has to happen. We can sometimes be disillusioned by life's difficulties because there's only so much we can do. Remember, God doesn't have those limitations. He's not bound by time, financial restraints or anything else. God is GREATER than our struggles. He can defeat any foe. You and I can only do so much. When it becomes impossible for us, it's time to give the situation to God. For God can make the impossible possible. Have faith in God and watch Him work it out for you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scripture 1 Kings 19:9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
Get out of the Cave Fear is a crippling and powerful emotion. It effects our minds, bodies and it's often the thief that steals our dreams. Fear prevents us from launching out into the deep and becomes a major road block in achieving our purpose. But where does fear get such power? It gets its power from us. Yes you and I give fear its power that means we also can take that power away. 1 John 4:18 says "There is no fear in love; but perfectlove casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love". We have a God that loves us unconditionally and totally. If we accept that love then there is no more room for fear.
Elijah the prophet witnessed great moves of God and defeated many foes in the name of the LORD. However, a threat from Queen Jezebel to take his life sent him running and hiding himself in a cave. God asked him the question "Elijah what are you doing here?" Fear brings us to places where God didn't send us. It wasn't God's intention for the great prophet to be held captive by his fear in a cave. God called Elijah out of his hiding place so he could speak to him. God then gave Elijah the task of being brave and anointing the king that would replace the reign of Jezebel and her husband Ahab.
Are you hiding in a cave because of something the enemy has said about or to you? Walk out of that hiding place and hear what the Lord is saying to you. He is telling you to trust HIM. HE alone is able to empower you to do what you were created to do. Fear only provides an illusion of what could happen. God knows what WILL happen. Believe God not fear. It is time for us to proclaim "Fear you have no power here. You've been taken off the throne of my mind. My mind belongs to Jesus Christ. I believe I am who He says I am and I can do what He said I can do." We can boldly say " I candoallthings through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Phillipians 4:13).
Scripture St. Luke 6:47-48 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Build on the Solid Rock The foundation of any building determines its strength. If we think of our lives as buildings then what would our foundation be? Are we grounded in the comforts of our lives, our jobs, our families? What makes us secure? Jesus encourages us today that He is the SOLID ROCK. Yes He's that SURE FOUNDATION. We need to build our lives on Jesus. His word should be the guide to all of our decisions in life. The life we build must be built on Christ.
It's not enough for us to only hear the word of God. Churches are packed with people who love to have their ears tickled by a gifted speaker. However, what really matters in making Christ our foundation is rooted in the things we do. When we totally rely on Christ we can withstand any storm. David said in Psalm 73 that when he witnessed the prosperity of the wicked, his feet almost slipped. He became envious because they seemed to live their lives with no devotion to God but it seemed like everything was alright with them. But when David saw the ending that was planned for the wicked he knew there was nothing to envy. In reality other people may build on other foundations and their lives seem to be okay; however, Jesus points out that when the stream beats upon that house then the strength of the foundation is revealed. It is when we build on the SOLID ROCK the storms of life can try to break us, but they can't because our foundation is unbreakable. So choose today to build your life upon Jesus Christ because HE is the only SURE FOUNDATION. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture 2 Chronicles 20:17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you?
He Will Fight For You
At a very young age I always had a strong bond with my sister. We had each other's back. I remember once when we were young teens, a boy had pushed me and before I could do any kind of retaliation, my sister lunged out of the crowd and blocked him. I didn't get a chance to throw a single punch that day because my sister pretty much ended the fight with her fierce intervention. This lovely young man has since developed a strong admiration for both my sister and I. I just look back at this memory and realize the confidence I felt when I realized that I didn't have to fight by myself. I knew that there was someone willing to fight for me.
You and I can be comforted knowing that the battles that we face in life, we don't have to tackle them. We don't have to fight in this battle because our mighty Lord and SAVIOUR will fight for us. He is all powerful and nothing can withstand him. We need to remember to stand still. To be still means there is no motion. We aren't making plans on how to tackle the battle, we aren't creating weapons, we aren't worrying. The only thing we are required to do is wait on Jesus Christ to fight this battle for us. When we stand still we will see the salvation of the Lord. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 Comeuntome, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. So get out of the way and let Him fight for you! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture St. John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
Only Believe Do you believe God? Many of us would automatically answer this question by saying "YES". It seems like a no-brainer. God is all powerful and nothing is impossible for Him. The word believe implies that we accept something as true. Of course God is faithful and it's easy to believe Him. But is it really?
Martha's brother Lazarus died. He was in the grave for 4 days. The situation seemed hopeless. If only Jesus had come earlier her brother would be alive. She had faith that she would see her brother in the resurrection. She didn't realize that as she spoke to Jesus she was speaking to the RESURRECTION and the LIFE in human form. Jesus emphatically told her all she had to do was believe and she would witness the glory of God in her situation. I could only imagine the thoughts that raced through Martha's mind as Jesus commanded the people to roll away the stone from her brother's grave. She exclaimed "But Lord by now his body stinks". After all the man's been dead for four days. Jesus calls out "Lazarus" and life is restored to him. Lazarus is alive. Right before Martha's eyes she sees that God is able to do the impossible. He can bring those dead things back to life. Not only do we have to believe that He can, we must also believe that HE WILL.
Are you ready to see the GLORY of God in your situation? Then it's time to BELIEVE. It's easy to believe God when the circumstances are favourable. It's necessary to believe Him strongly when they're not. It doesn't matter if everything around you looks impossible when Jesus says YES nobody can say no. We can boldly say " Lord I believe that you can and will do it for me!" In Mark 11:24 Jesus reminds us, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Only believe and you will witness God's glory. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
What's on your Mind? Have you ever had a thought that lead to another thought and then before you knew it you're thinking about something so strange? You wonder "How did I start thinking about this?". The Bible is very clear about the power of our thoughts. What we think matters. We can't allow our thoughts to be aimless. We definitely can't leave our mind free and open. Our mind must be focused on the things of God. In order for our lives to remain pure, our thoughts have to be right. Proverbs 23:7 says "As a he thinks so is he". It's our thoughts that define who we are. We are encouraged by the word to take our mind off of things that aren't positive. Our minds needs to be focused on holy things...things that are worth thinking about. Stop focusing on your worries or on things that are negative. Anxiety, fear, torment all these things are a product of negative thinking. So turn your eyes upon Jesus. Think the way He would want you to think. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture 1 Samuel 1:15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have pouredout my soul before the Lord. Poured Out Hannah had found herself in a desperate situation. She had prayed to the Lord for years to have a child. Although her husband loved her immensely and showed her great affection, her desire was to be a mother. While she prayed in the temple, the priest Eli misunderstood her situation. He saw a woman acting strange and he concluded she had to be drunk. The only intoxication she experienced was sorrow. She had to correct the priest's wrongful accusation that she had been drinking. She informed him that she had POURED OUT her soul before the Lord.
Some of us are in a desperate situation. We have trials, sorrows and prayers we are waiting to be answered that seem to press us. Instead of turning to something else for comfort, bring your sorrow and pour it out before the Lord. After Hannah poured it all out, Eli gave her a word that God would honour her request. From that word Hannah left her sorrow there and was no more sad. Pour it all out before the LORD and leave it there. Wipe your tears and don't worry about it any more. Remember God is in control. You can trust him to take good care of you.
Not long after, Hannah was the proud mother of the baby boy Samuel. She didn't just rejoice in motherhood but she gave him back to the Lord. Samuel became a great judge and prophet in Israel. When God answers your prayer...notice I said I didn't say "if" but I said "when".... you need to be willing to give whatever He gives you back to HIM. Use it for His GLORY. God will indeed bless you so THANK Him now because it's only a matter of moments before you see and experience the blessing.
Scripture Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.. You've got it! Peter and the other disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree that Jesus cursed dried up from the root. It was unbelievable that Jesus could just speak a word and then that word would be manifested so quickly. To the rest of us, we might be confused by their astonishment. After all, they're disciples they witnessed many miracles. However, this instance was beyond their scope of belief. They knew that Jesus' words had power but now they've witnessed it for themselves. Jesus responded "Have faith in God". It's not when the word comes to pass that we rejoice at the power of God, it is when we hear the word that we rejoice. When we pray we don't simply shout for joy when the prayer is answered, but we shout as the words leave our lips because we know that God is FAITHFUL. If we can believe we've received it, then we can have it. God wants someone that's prepared to receive the blessing. The question we have to answer "AM I READY FOR THE BLESSING?'.
Scripture Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Your Season I really enjoy eating mangoes. It is perhaps my most favourite thing to eat. One day I bought a mango from the grocery store in mid-October. I was surprise at how revolting my favourite fruit tasted. The fruit was just not the same when it was grown outside of its season. Most fruits have a season where the conditions are optimal for growing. It is during this season that the fruit is sweet, enjoyable and absolutely delicious.
Just like fruits you and I have our own season. God has prepared a season where the conditions are just right for us to grow and produce GOOD fruits. The fruits tell a lot about the tree. The kind of life we produce says a lot about us. We bring forth lives that are strong, kind, compassionate full of goodness when we are planted in the Lord. He like rivers of water feeds our thirsty roots and keeps us nourished. If we find ourselves planted anywhere else then our fruit would become inferior. This is your season to be the BEST you can be for the Lord. God has given you everything you need to live a godly life. When we are in Christ, we can boldly declare “ This is my season to PROSPER. There is no deficiency in my fruit!” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scripture Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Be of Good Courage Some people say “God will never ask you to do something you can’t do.” In reality God asks us to do things all the time that are way out of our own capabilities. There are many examples in the Bible where God asked ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Saying that God won’t ask us to go beyond our human limitations keeps us comfortable and safe from opposition. Dare I say it’s been one of the longest running excuses for disobedience. There are things in life that intimidate us and make us afraid. A life that is lived in fear is a life that has not been lived at all. God is demanding us to do something that goes beyond our strengths, our abilities, our talents: He’s asking us to be COURAGEOUS. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It is acting despite the fear. We can’t allow our emotions to hold us captive. We need to begin to listen to the voice of God. It's time for us to say “Lord whatever you want me to do, I’m willing to do it”? Remember it’s not by your power nor by your might, it is by His Spirit. God will equip you to do the impossible. Just have the courage to believe that when He sends you, He never sends you alone. He goes with you. We can be like David and say “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;” (Psalm 46:2). Life’s circumstances can’t shake our faith. We can be courageous when we know that God is the SOURCE of our strength.
Scripture Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
Rest in Hope A song I found very difficult to sing was the song "I don't mind waiting on the Lord". Every time I would hear that song sung in church I struggled to bring myself to utter the words. After all, I didn't want to lie in church. To be honest, sometimes I did mind waiting on the Lord, especially when things didn't happen when I thought they should. I would wonder if they'd happen at all. It was in these moments that I could feel the creepy hand of worry beginning to manipulate my mind. I would bombard myself with the "what ifs". What if things didn't work out? What if things don't happen the way I need them to or want them to? What if... What if... What if... Then I paused and I realized that all of my "what ifs" never recognized the POWER of God. They basically did the opposite in making me doubt the faithfulness of the Lord and these thoughts strangled my hope. These negative emotions left me feeling almost afraid to hope for anything at all.
In this scripture there is a rescue for our souls. When we look to God to be our source we get to REST in hope. Hope is the belief that something will happen. So we wait with expectation because we believe in the power of the one who promises. Our hope is not based on the thing we hope for but it is based on the ONE true God in whom we trust. So give yourself a break from worry and anxious thoughts. As Phillipians 4:6 says Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Once we take it to the Lord, we can then simply rest in hope. Now I can boldly sing "I don't mind waiting on the Lord" because I KNOW He WILL come through for me.
Scripture Luke 8: 50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
It's not over until God says it's over "Don't bother Jesus any more the girl is already dead." I could only imagine the excruciating pain that Jairus one of the rulers of the synagogue endured as he felt the sting of this horrific statement. His little girl, his only child was snatched away by death. Jesus witnessed these words and he understood their impact on Jairus' hope. Could Jairus continue to hope for his daughter to be healed now? Jairus was about to get a deeper understanding of Jesus. Sometimes in the most difficult times in life we learn the miracle power of the Lord. Jesus encouraged Jairus to not lose hope to continue to believe in the face of impossible circumstances. Let's face it many of us would believe it was over. His sick daughter was dead so asking for healing would be out of the question. After all death is final...or is it? There are things in our lives that people tell us we shouldn't pray about any more. "It's just not going to happen" they advise us with the best intentions. Jesus is saying the opposite He warns, "Don't let fear run your life". Jesus said I AM the RESURRECTION and the LIFE, he that BELIEVES on me though he were dead yet shall he LIVE. Death is not the end. Jesus is the alpha and the omega the beginning and yes HE'S the end. Jesus is the one that ends our story. So don't be afraid. Bring the impossible to Jesus. He specializes in bringing dead things to life. All you have to do is BELIEVE because it's not over until God says it's over. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scripture Mark 4:39 9 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Peace Be Still I remember as a little girl, being afraid of storms. The lightning and the thunder would send me to the closest closet for protection. Storms are rarely a positive experience for any of us. It is important to remember however that storms are only TEMPORARY. I know when we're going through our storms in life it feels like it will never end. God didn't allow the storm to come into your life to break you. The storm came to MAKE you. It is in the storm that we witness the awesome power of God. The disciples realized that the storm was too much for them to handle alone. They went and sought the MASTER of the storm. Jesus has the power to rebuke the storms in our lives. Bring the case to him. He'll rebuke the storm and leave you with PEACE. His peace is the kind that brings calm to your spirit when you're weathering challenging situations. Call on Jesus. He won't allow the storm to overpower you. He has power over the storm. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scripture Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. You Already Have The Key As a classroom teacher, my students and I were moved to a portable. A portable is a small building just outside the school.. We affectionately called it the "cottage". This meant we had to enter the main school to access the washrooms, the office and other classrooms. Whenever, I wanted to enter the school I would go and knock on one of the windows to have someone open the door for me. One day the custodian caught me doing this and said to me "Why are you knocking? The same key you use to open your classroom is the same key to open the door to the school". I was knocking on the door and I had the key on me the whole time. As you could imagine I felt pretty embarrassed knowing that I hadn't even tried the key. I began to think about how many times I was outside knocking and I could have had access to what I needed in the school a lot faster if I realized that my key worked. You and I also have a spiritual key. If we never use our key then we don't get access to what we need.
Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God. Upon that confession Jesus let him know that he had the keys to bind and to loose. Our words are the keys. We sometimes bind up things we should be loosing and loose things we should bind. If we are careless with our words we can lock ourselves out of an opportunity instead of opening a door. We need to speak those words of faith. We need to say that "I can do ALL things through Christ." instead of listening to the enemy's lies that we can't do what God has called us to do. It's time for us to release blessings in our lives and the lives of others. We need to speak words of peace and victory. We also need to bind those evil things that try to invade our lives. Let poverty, sickness, defeat know that they are bound in the name of Jesus Christ. Live a life of access to the blessings of the LORD. Remember you have the key so use it!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scripture Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
You're not going under... You're going THROUGH We all have experienced hard times in our lives. Being a human being is never an easy journey. The philosopher Descartes said "Be knd; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle". Yes this is the human condition however, we don't have to fight this battle alone. God is offering us His company through the hard times in life. We can often make the mistake of looking at life's challenges as tools that have come to destroy us instead of God giving us a learning opportunity. When we walk with the Lord the circumstances of life are unable to break us. As we pass through the waters they don't have the power to hold us down. The experience teaches us that God keeps us a float on the seas of life. The fire doesn't have the power to burn us but we go through the fire and learn that our hopes cannot be extinguished. God is taking us THROUGH these troubles. Remember the next time you are faced with an overwhelming challenge that you are not going under, with the help of the Lord you're coming through this completely whole, wiser and more determined.