Devotional

And My Answer Is.....

2011-10-06T21:13:00.000-05:00

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,

Whom shall I send and who shall go for us?

Then said I, Here am I, send me”

--Isaiah 6:8

Judith froze in place as Ralph placed a diamond ring on her finger, asking her to marry him; her mouth was open, but no answer came forth, what was her answer? Ian sat in his boardroom chair, listening to his accomplishments when his boss offered him a raise and promotion, shocked, he stood shaking his boss’ hand, but never said a word, what was his answer? Amy stood over her mother’s hospital bed, she was on life support, the doctors told her that they couldn’t do anything further for her mother; they wanted to know if they should pull the plug, heartbroken she had no idea as to what to do, how would she answer? Landon laid on his bed one evening, trying desperately to fall asleep, but couldn’t as he had so much on his mind, when he heard a still quiet voice call out to him; unsure of himself, he attempted to answer the voice, the voice he thought was God, but hesitated again, what would his answer be?

Decisions, decisions, decisions. We, as people, are constantly confronted with a daily crossroad, where a decision must be made. Do we go left or right? Should we take the job or not? Should we apply to this job or not? Do we move to this area or not? Do we eat chicken or steak? Do we take the medicine or not? Do we go to school or work? Do we marry this man or that one? Do we let this relationship go or stay? The actual questions can go on, but the real question is what is the answer?

Much like the people listed above, we want to know the answers to our questions, well so does God. God wants to know what our decision is about Him. He has asked us all at some point if we will follow after Him, if we will do what He says to do, or venture out to the places He sends us. He wants to know if we are willing workers or if we will be unwilling to work for Him. How do we know this? Well God doesn’t change and at some point we too will have a moment in our lives where we are put in the same position as Isaiah, the prophet, and like Isaiah we must have an answer.

Here in the text God simply asked Isaiah who could He send to tell the people what thus says the Lord. He wanted to know who would accept Him and spread His word throughout the land. Isaiah, hearing His voice, answered and said, “here I am, send me.” Isaiah didn’t hesitate or waver in his answer, because He had tasted and seen that the Lord was good and that whatever path He had for His life, it would work for His good.

What about us? Will we answer the call? Will we go when God says go? Will we move when He tells us to move? Will we stay when He tells us to wait? Will we trust when He tells us to trust? Will we believe when He asks us to believe? Will we doubt when He tells us not to? Will we listen when He speaks?

While there are many choices confronting us, there is one answer that is pretty clear and that is in everything we decide to do, we must first make sure we are right with Him, and in that respect our answer to whatever He wants for our lives, must be yes! When our confidence is in God, that is when we have a personal relationship with Him, we can be confident in our decision making and know, like Isaiah, that it will all work for our good, no matter what. Today, make sure your answer is yes, yes to Him.

Lose The Weight

2011-10-05T22:49:00.002-05:00

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about

with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every

weight, and the sin which doth so easily

beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us

--Hebrews 12:1

Patty had been trying for weeks to lose a few pounds, but somehow she just couldn’t seem to shed them; she changed her diet, she went to the gym, but nothing seemed to be working fast enough. James had been working out for quite some time and fashioned himself to be a body builder; today he tried adding a few more pounds to his bench press, but couldn’t seem to handle the increase, he had to lose the weights. Angela’s heart was heavy, it felt like a ton of bricks were pressed upon her chest, after losing her only child; she wanted to lose the weight on her heart.

How about us? How many times have we tried to lose weight in our bodies, minds, or souls? How many times have we taken on more than we can handle or bit off more than we could actually chew? In those moments we know we need to rid ourselves of the weight in order to live healthily, yet we somehow manage to struggle with the process.

Similarly, we struggle daily with things that weigh us down. Life can throw some difficult curves like death, sickness, financial woes, career pitfalls, loneliness, personal disappointments, and stress. In those moments it feels like the world is hanging on our shoulders, like a dead weight hanging over our heads. These feelings, like an actual weight, are heavy and burdensome. In fact they can become the focus of our lives and block us from seeing our destiny or purpose.

The writer in Hebrews knew this and so he reminded us to lay aside the weight and the sin that sets us back. See gaining weight always slows the body down, and much like our natural bodies, weight gain in the spiritual realm causes us to make hasty decisions that ultimately sets us back on the road that God wants us to travel. While taking detours to our lives’ journey may prove to eventually lead us back to the main road, God desires that we live the life he created us to live, where His yoke is easy and where His burden is light. In other words we don’t have to be bogged down by the challenges of life or the heartaches that come with it; we just need to lay it aside. God asks us to cast ALL of our cares upon Him, that means everything that troubles or concerns us—we weren’t meant to carry the weight of this world, that’s why He sent His Son.

That’s right Christ came not only to rid us of sin, but also to ease us of the burdens we feel. Burdens, if carried long enough can literally break our backs, because our bodies just weren’t built to carry all that weight, so let us lose not only the weight, but also the sin that often accompanies it, so that we can move forward on the road God has paved just for us!

Today ask God to help you lose the weight!

Lower My Pressure

2011-10-04T11:29:00.000-05:00

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,

about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia.

We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure,

so that we despaired of life itself.

Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death.

But this happened that we might not rely

on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”

--2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (NIV)

Margie purchased a new home two months ago only to be laid off today; she was the only source of income for her household and she had no money for a rainy day, what was she to do, how were they going to make it? She thought, Lord take the pressure away. Anthony witnessed the heartless murder of his brother, the pain was unbearable, what was he to do with his anger, how was he to avenge his brother? He thought, Lord this is too much pressure. Marsha’s husband just told her he didn’t want the marriage anymore, she had been trying for years to make things right, and now her world was falling apart. She thought, Lord I can’t take the pressure. Jeremy’s pressure skyrocketed, landing him in a hospital bed for weeks, the stress of everyday meetings and demands of family life had finally caught up to him, now he was praying that he didn’t have a stroke. He thought, Lord lower my pressure.

How about us? Are we like these individuals who may find that the walls of life are caving in without any way of escape? Much like the scenarios above, we as people, come a point where we realize that life is challenging and sometimes unbearable. In fact many of us find ourselves wondering will things ever change, will a break ever come, or will we ever truly experience victory. In those moments where we feel completely helpless, God simply wants us to turn to Him.

What? God will allow us to undergo great pressure just so that we may rely on Him? Yes! How do we know this? Well it’s in His word! In this passage, Paul, the Apostle, clearly writes to the Corinthian church to let them know that this life is filled with great hardships, things that no man was ever created to endure on his own, but that every man was created to manage with God alone. In fact Paul expresses his pain in that he admits that he, himself, had even lost hope in life itself, but in that moment he didn’t give up on life, but rather realized he suffered just so that he wouldn’t rely on himself, but on God, Himself!

In other words, God will allow us to get to points and moments of despair in our lives, where we feel completely helpless, but that’s only to show that we really have a need that can only be filled by God. That’s right God created us with an automatic void so that we can turn to Him in our weakest moments.

The wonderful thing about God is that we don’t have to stay in a state of despair and all He is looking for is a heart of humility, one who doesn’t mind surrendering and realizing that God is the only one who can release the pressures of life. When we come to the place where we recognize God as the pressure-regulator, then we will find that life really isn’t all that hard, because we don’t have to do it ourselves, we need only to call on Him.

Today simply ask God to lower the pressure, and He will, He’s just waiting on us!

It Can't Be That Easy

2011-06-02T13:40:00.000-05:00

“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you”

1 Peter 5:7

Marcia wanted desperately to learn how to swim so she took a starter course. In class her instructor told her to put on her life vest and hold onto her floating device to float. Afraid to drown, she never put her foot in what was only three feet of water. Jeff had really bad allergies; his doctor prescribed some medicine for him, but he never took it, thinking his “home remedy” would soothe his symptoms, but they only got worse. His medicine was within arms reach, but he never took it. Jennifer had been struggling financially for weeks. Her mother told her that all she had to do was ask and she would send her the money right away, but she never reached for the phone.

How many of us do the same thing with God? How many of us lack because of pride, can’t move forward because of fear, or can’t get healed because of stubbornness and self-righteous thinking? We ask God to help us out of situations yet when He gives us the formula, we struggle with letting go and allowing Him to control the situation. In other words we get a little uncomfortable with entrusting our most prized possessions, our deepest fears, and our most heartfelt desires to the Lord, because we simply can’t see how things will turn out. Thinking this way never helps, as we eventually come to a place where we realize, we can’t do anything in our own strength and have to give it to God.

Today’s text instructs us to cast ALL of our cares upon God, that means He wants us to release the burdens, the struggles, the desires, the hopes, the dreams, the visions, and any other thing that may concern us to Him. Why? Because He cares for each of us and is concerned about each of our feelings, heartaches, joys, and pains. As easy as this may sound, it’s a struggle for many of us to do. Why? Because we think we have all the answers and we know how to resolve all of our issues and solve all of our problems, but truth is we don’t and what may have once seemed easy to the human eye is really complicated, but not too complicated for God, as there is nothing too hard for Him.

So many times we tell ourselves, “it just can’t be that easy” to just place everything into God’s hands, but really it is; it requires putting our faith, hope, and trust in Him—that’s the part which makes it seem not so easy, but that feeling will subside if we believe He has our best interest and that He cares for us. So before we think twice about taking matters into our own hands because we think we can, let’s remember there’s an easier way, God’s way. Turn it over to Him!

Forgive Them

2011-05-26T09:08:00.000-05:00

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them;

for they know not what they do…”

—Luke 23:34

It was early morning rush hour and the doors to the train slid open, with people bombarding this one and that one, Jane was amongst the early morning commuters who bustled in the doorways. Unexpectedly a young man stepped on her toe and dared not to even apologize, Jane became incensed, but realized that the young man probably didn’t realize he stepped on her toe, given the crowd; she quietly forgave him. Melvin had been involved with Traci for some time, he knew her pretty well and thought she had been healed of all her insecurities; he had no idea of how deep they ran, until one day he ran a little later than usual. She became infuriated with him, scratching his head he could only forgive her for her belittling insults because he knew she had no clue of how much pain she caused him, all the while consumed with only her pain. Isis was left sitting in her home waiting to attend the banquet for her son’s academic scholarship; he was the first boy in their family to graduate from college. She had arranged for a ride with her friend, but her friend went on without her, leaving her to sit for hours until she finally realized she wasn’t coming. Her friend said she “texted” her to let her know she was running late and would not be able to do it, but that text never reached her phone and her friend never bothered to follow up with a phone call. The banquet was over and Isis could never regain that precious moment in time, but she had to ask God to give her the strength to forgive her friend.

How about us? Are there things that people are doing to us that they simply aren’t aware of? Are there feelings of mistrust, hurt, pain, anger, or anxiety that someone else seems to drudge up without their knowledge? Or maybe even are there people who know our past and our history, but still seem to care less in their response or actions towards us? If so, what do we do in those moments? Well we must follow our leading example, Christ, and forgive them! What?

Forgive someone who has hurt us even when we think it’s intentional? Yes! Why? Well because they really don’t know what they’re doing. They really don’t know that they’re hurting themselves by hurting a child of God. They don’t understand that they bring damnation to themselves when they speak against God’s own elect. Furthermore we don’t understand that when we harbor ill feelings, bitterness, and resentment for the actions of others, we don’t allow the power of God to fully work in our lives so that we might be free of our own hurt and pain.

Here in this text, Jesus was hanging on the cross, being crucified by his own people without rhyme or reason and he simply asked God to forgive them, because they could not possibly understand what they were doing; they could not see that he hung there for their very own sin and not for his own gain or because He couldn’t deliver himself out of the situation, but simply so that they could see true love.

We must be the same way, as we might be someone else’s only example of true love. When we are at our angriest and when we are most disappointed, that’s when forgiveness is necessary, that’s when we rise to the occasion and seek God’s face for our sake as well as that of our brother or sister. We have got to learn to forgive and let go so that the past doesn’t hold us from God’s promise.

Live, While You're Alive

2011-05-24T10:49:00.001-05:00

While I live will I praise the Lord:

I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

—Psalm 146:2

Judy woke up this morning dragging her feet, she was tired of running around from one meeting to the other without recognition or added compensation. To Judy, it felt like she had lost her zeal to push any more at work, she was burnt. Andy just lost his mother, his life had taken a turn for the worse, or so he thought. Getting out of bed was a task and he found himself with one migraine after the next. To Andy, it felt like he had his very life sucked out of him, he was depressed. Tonie was practicing her last dance move for the performance of her life when she slipped and broke her ankle. For Tonie, this was her chance to go to Broadway, she was this close and suddenly life just changed in an instant and what once was an opportunity became a thought in the wind, she was disappointed. Roger had been feeling sick all week when he finally decided to go to the doctor. For Roger, going to the doctor was like admitting he was sick he never went, only to find out he was now diagnosed with stage four cancer. Roger hung his head in disbelief, he was only 32 and hadn’t even begun to live, what was he to do?

Perhaps some of us have woken up to some pretty dreary days and some not so hopeful news, where we feel like life has been sucked right out of us or where we feel like we’ve been dealt a bad hand in life. What do we do in those moments of despair or disbelief? Well in moments like these we live. Huh? Live? How do we live when life around us seems to be so troubling, so depressing, so unmanageable? Well we turn to hills from whence cometh our help and we gain our strength from the only One who knows exactly what we’re feeling. In His word we will learn how to cope with the pain, the stress, the loss, the hardship, and the disappointment.

The psalmist in this text had faced trouble, he had endured disappointment, he had suffered loss, and had experienced set-backs but it was all a part of God’s plan to make David into what he wanted him to be: a man after His own heart. So God taught David to trust Him, to lean on Him, to look to Him, and to praise Him in spite of his circumstances. So here in this psalm David encourages us to praise God while we have breath in our bodies, not because we feel like it or had a great day, but simply because we know that God is sovereign and it is by His will that we live, so while we have the chance we ought to praise Him.

So many of us walk around dead in spirit though alive in our bodies, why? Because we’re not really living. True living can only come when we come to know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When we come to know Him and His resurrecting power, we will know that He can raise our dead spirits and that we will feel life again even in our toughest hours. Living this life doesn’t mean problems won’t arise or that change won’t occur, but it does mean moving past the pain, the hurt, and the confusion that difficulties often bring.

Today we must cling to God and allow the life of His spirit to flow through us so that we may praise Him with all of being!

You're Not The Boss!

2011-04-13T11:12:00.000-05:00

And when all things shall be subdued unto him,

then shall the Son also himself be subject

unto him that put all things under him,

that God may be all in all.

--1 Corinthians 15:28

Kathy was really creative, in fact she was an asset to her team and her manager couldn’t speak more highly of her contributions to their success. Kathy prided herself on this and began to think that her creativity somehow compensated for her lack of structure. She came into work late, took long lunches, and entertained lengthy telephone calls. Her boss pointed her poor work habits out to her and she replied, “you need to look at your own work habits because this team wouldn’t produce results if not for me!” Stunned and shocked at her response, her boss fired her for insubordination and poor work ethic. Kathy realized in that moment, she was not invincible.

Perhaps we know people like Kathy or maybe we ourselves think like Kathy, where we think the world needs us and that our word is the final say. Maybe we get too “high for our britches” at times and we forget that we are trampling on someone else when we really should appreciate them or even the place that we are in. Our issue may not be at work, but maybe it’s at home and we think we deserve to have a roof over our heads and forget to say thank you to the one who’s providing it, or maybe our issue is amongst friends and we always think we have the right answer and that our answers somehow override everyone else’s. Well, if we think like this or know of someone who does, newsflash: we’re not the boss!

What? You mean my word isn’t the beginning and the end, the first and the last? No, it’s not! The first and final word rests with God. The word of God instructs us and reminds us that all things are subject to our heavenly Father, even his Son! What? Yes, Jesus Christ is even subject to someone, so what makes us any different? Christ set the precedent for us to follow: we are to be subject to God, His will, and His way—no substitution. The Bible is very clear that there is coming a time when all things in this earth shall be made subject to God, even death, and at that point, even our Lord and Savior, will be subject to the Most High God, so that He may be all that He needs to be in all of us.

Many times we don’t experience the victory that we need in our lives because we’re too busy being the “boss.” Huh? Yes, in other words, we get caught up with telling God what we should be doing, who we should be doing it with, and how we should do it, instead of simply closing our mouths and allowing Him to instruct us on what to do. True victory can only come when we make up in our own minds that we are completely yielding to God, for it is when we yield completely to Him that we can experience His “all” for our lives.

Kathy missed this point because she felt that her gift was greater than the one who allowed her the opportunity to exercise her gift. So many of us do the same thing, we forget that it is God who has given us the ability to do what we do and not we ourselves. When we lose sight of God, we lose it all. Don’t get caught up trying to be the boss, but simply recognize who is and be happy to know that when He is in control, you are sure to get paid, ‘cause truth be told, “you’re not the boss”!

Will You Receive It?

2011-03-30T20:24:00.000-05:00

“And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man

…Wherefore hast thou despised

the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight...

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house;

because thou hast despised me,

and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife”

--2 Samuel 12:7-10

Faith had been praying all night long that the Lord would change her boyfriend’s heart. She loved him, but she knew he wasn’t right for her, at least not the way he was. She thought, “if God would only answer my prayers”, it would make all her decisions worthwhile. For instance the decision to not take the job promotion that she had worked so hard for, seemed right if it meant saving her relationship with Larry, or so she thought. It would also make the decision to sleep with him before marriage right, if it meant she wasn’t going to lose a piece of herself, right? More importantly, God changing Larry’s heart, meant one more for the kingdom, and what could be better than that she thought, right?

Well perhaps some of us find ourselves in similar situations, maybe not exactly like Faith, but similar in the sense that we pray for things expecting a certain answer. We pray thinking we know God will answer the way we want, after all God’s forgiving and He cleans up all our messes, right? He cares and He wants us to have what we want, right? And while God is forgiving and He does work all things out for our good, He’s also just, and He also chastens those He loves. What?

Yes, in fact David experienced this first hand. The Bible records that David was a man after God’s own heart, yet David sinned. David had an adulterous affair with his captain’s wife, while he was away at war. In David’s decision to have an affair, he really didn’t think his actions all the way through, as Uriah’s wife got pregnant. Now David needed to cover his mistakes up and when that failed, he had Uriah killed, but God saw and He knew even if Uriah never found out what David had done. So God sent the prophet Nathan to let David know that for his actions, there were serious repercussions. But David, didn’t realize that Nathan was talking about him when he was sent, in fact he thought, “who could this man be and shame on him,” only to find out that he was this man.

It’s the same way with us, we like to know that God is pleased with our actions, whether they are at home, school, work, or church. We go about our daily lives forgetting to forgive those who’ve wronged, show love to those who mistreat us, lend a helping hand to those who use us, to trust God when it scares us, shake doubt when it taunts us, or even walk in truth when it hurts us. In those moments, we don’t necessarily want to know that we’ve disobeyed God or ignored His voice and we certainly don’t want anybody else to tell us either; but God in His mercy lets us know when we’re off the beaten path that He has set for us and sometimes He sends others to tell us. David listened, but will we?

Correction is necessary, but is not always easy to receive. Today maybe there are some areas of our lives that need changing and God’s been trying to get our attention, let Him change those things—it may not be the answer we want to hear, but it’s the answer we need to hear in order to get all that God has set aside for us in this lifetime. Let’s receive God’s word!

When Life Doesn't Make Sense: He Does

2011-03-29T10:24:00.003-05:00

“So they read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and gave the

sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”

--Nehemiah 8:8

These days nothing made sense to Linda. It seemed like when she needed her friends and family the most, they had all walked away causing her to feel very lonely. As she stood there in her kitchen alone, the tears began to roll from her eyes, she thought: when Lord? When would she feel “happy,” when would the pain of a broken heart go, when would she finally make the money she worked so hard to earn, when? The answers weren’t coming fast enough for Linda. Her money was running low, yet her bills were growing exponentially. Her boyfriend of five years, she wasn’t talking about marriage, and she didn’t understand. Her mom was in hospital suffering from cancer and even though she prayed for healing, healing couldn’t come fast enough. She cried, “Lord this doesn’t make any sense!”

Perhaps we can relate to Linda, where life just doesn’t seem to make sense. In fact we wonder when and if it will ever change. We search high and low, looking for answers to what seem like impossible situations, situations that we just can’t simply overcome in our own strength. In those moments, God wants to remind us that all the sense we need is hidden in His word.

Here in the book of Nehemiah, the prophet Ezra read God’s word to the people. Why? Because they were troubled, their lives were broken and were in need of much repair. Ezra’s response to their condition was the healing power of God’s word. In fact the scripture records that he gave the “sense” to the people. The “sense?” What’s that? Well that’s God’s word, for in the word of God we find true wisdom and judgment.

In other words, when we want to know answers, when we want direction, or when we want to make sense of things, we must turn to God’s word, for in His word, we will find love, joy, peace, answers, solutions, and remedies. That’s right, all the sense we need to make in life is found in God—there simply isn’t another way. Like the people of Israel, when we read and hear God’s word, not only will our eyes be opened, helping us to make sense of a dismal world, but we’ll be able to understand why we face some of the things we face. It’s not always easy to make sense of what we may deem as senseless, but God knows and He promised, that all things would make sense in time, if we yield ourselves to Him completely.

So let us allow God to make sense out of what doesn’t seem to make sense: read His word and apply it today!

When I Can't See, You Do

2011-03-28T16:43:00.000-05:00

And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha --2 Kings 6:17

It was a typical week for Jeremy. He woke up with work deadlines to meet, bills to pay, family members to pray for, and problems he needed answers for. Honestly for Jeremy it just didn’t make any sense to him, he had been asking God to make a way and in every direction he turned, there seemed to be no answer. In fact for Jeremy his life seemed to be at a stand-still. He wanted to move from where he was but just couldn’t seem to put one foot in front of the other for fear that he might walk in the wrong path. What was he to do?

Revelation from God is the best gift we can get from God because when we can see with the eyes of God and hear with the ears of God we are attune with His instructions and His commands. We don’t have to wander about aimlessly, we don’t have to remain in a state of confusion or bewilderment, but we are focused, we are determined, and we are certain of His voice. We know that His sheep hear His voice and another they will not follow, so we don’t have to question the Holy Spirit. But in order to know the Holy Spirit we must have discernment, we must see our lives as God has destined it to be and not as our flesh desires it to be.

Here in this passage of scripture Elisha and his servant were surveying the enemy camp, in fact the servant had seen that the city was encamped by the enemy with many horses and chariots—he wondered how they were ever going to be victorious. The servant could not see that God had provided a way of escape for them that would prove Him to be his Banner. He could not see how God was going to bring him out, but when the prophet of God prayed that he might see the hand of God at work in his situation, his eyes were opened and he could see the protection of God, and at that moment he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the battle belonged truly to the Lord.

Much like the young man who couldn’t see the hand of the Lord in His situation, are we. We too, fall prey to this scenario where we are looking only with our natural eyes at what a situation looks like, but Elisha knew God, and when we know God we know to seek Him. As such we must ask God open our eyes to our own situations, we must ask God to show us the way out so that we can follow His direction. Rest assured, God will open our eyes, but when we ask Him to open our eyes, we must ask believing, just as Elisha did and know that He will show us the way.

Often times we don’t see because we really don’t believe God can show us and sometimes we really just don’t want to see the answers He gives us. In those moments, we must pray that God remove any unbelief and any unwillingness to yield to His way. Today let us ask God to open our eyes to His solutions for our lives, for He holds our tomorrow in His hands!

I Owe You Love!

2011-02-09T12:29:00.002-05:00

Owe no man anything, but to love one another:
for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
--Romans 13:8

Valentines Day was right around the corner and Shanice wanted her night to be special. After all she felt as if that day was set aside just for her after all that she had done throughout the year for her boyfriend. She helped him out in school, she was at his side when he was sick, she cooked a meal or two when he was hungry, and now all she wanted was some flowers and a dinner, was that too much to ask for? Well Steve had something else in mind, in fact he knew very well all that Shanice had done for him throughout the year and well he thought that him just spending time with her everyday and being a listening ear when she needed one and a shoulder to cry on was his thanks to her. He brought her gifts throughout the year, but he didn’t think Valentine’s Day meant so much, because he showed her love all year!

How about us? Are we thinking we’re owed something in life like Shanice? Do we have debts? How many debts do we have? How many bills do we have to pay? How many favors do we owe our friends and families? What is the cost? What is the payment? The word of God says that the payment is love and that’s it!

So many times in life we try to make up for lost time with family members and friends by buying things or promising to do things in exchange for the guilt we may feel for not being there or for the price we feel must pay for their love, support, and care. In the end we feel that we owe those who were there for us something: maybe we borrowed money from them in the past, maybe they visited us in the hospital while we were sick, maybe they comforted us in the time of our loss, or maybe they just lent a helping hand to someone in need; but whatever the circumstance may have been, the result is the same—in exchange for their act of love and kindness, all we owe is love.

We can spend a lifetime paying off loans and cancelling mortgages and when those debts are cleared we feel relieved, but we do not feel love. It works the same way when dealing with others, we can spend a lifetime trying to repay all the things that others have done for us just to feel like we don’t owe them anything—that’s pride; but love appreciates the act of love by continuing to love others in the same manner. We sometimes soon forget the love that has been shown to us when the opportunity arises to demonstrate that same love in return.

The love of Christ paid every debt on the cross so that we wouldn’t have to continue to sacrifice to redeem ourselves from sin—He did it all by shedding His blood and dying on the cross for no greater love is there than this. So today let us forgive one another and walk in the fullness of love, for that’s all we owe!

Lord, Give Me Strength

2011-02-02T21:33:00.002-05:00

And Samson called unto the Lord, and said,

O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me,

I pray thee, only this once, O God,

that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

--Judges 16:28

Shawn had been working on his project for work for weeks. It was due in two days. Crunch time was here and he still didn’t feel all the pieces were quite together. In addition to working on his project he had just bought a new home, and still had freshly packed boxes staring him in the face every time he turned the key to greet him. Just when he thought he was facing enough deadlines, his girlfriend kindly reminded him that he hadn’t seen her in a week and that she wanted to go out. Shortly thereafter his phone rang, it was the Boys and Girls Club, they wanted him to show up for the monthly meeting, Shawn cried out: Lord give me strength!

Perhaps we’re like Shawn where we have mounds of work or things to do piled high on our plate. In fact it becomes quite overbearing and we’re wondering how do we make it all fit? Well in those moments right before we feel we’re about to just lose it, because the pressures and demands of life are just weighing us down, we cry out to God, before we snap!

Samson was no stranger to this either. Samson had allowed life to pretty much overtake him. He got caught up with a beautiful girl and soon enough he couldn’t see the forest from the trees literally. Samson lost his strength, his position, and his sight because he allowed someone else to get in the way of his true strength: God! Today we’re not losing our ability to kill lions and bears with our bare hands, but we are losing ground, when we allow people and things to overtake our minds to the point where we lose sight of God.

God never asked us to do it all, but He only asked that we do it all through Him. In other words we can only have the ability to do what we do through Christ, who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13). That’s right no man is an island on his own, and every man needs God. Like Samson, we get to the point of frustration where we’re just tired of having so much to do and so little time to do it, so we call out to God, because we just can’t see our way. In those moments, God is sure to hear His own and restore sight and strength to the blind and weak.

Maybe some of us are feeling worn out and tired and it’s only the beginning of the year, don’t waste another minute, call on God now, He will remember and strengthen those who call on His holy name, He will restore sight, because He wants us to know where we’re going and He wants us to have the strength to walk it out. So today know God as your personal savoir and simply say, “Lord give me strength!”

No Pain No Gain

2011-02-01T23:14:00.001-05:00

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus

shall suffer persecution.”

--2 Timothy 3:12

Heather refused to have sex with her boyfriend and as a result he ended up leaving her. She cried all night because she couldn’t understand why he would break up with her if he really loved her, she had been with him for over two years. Her friends criticized her and thought she should have just given in; they thought she considered herself to be better or something. Where were her friends when she needed them? Furthermore where was her blessing for doing the right thing, she thought. Why would God allow her to suffer?

Perhaps some of us are like Heather, who decided to stand for something right, but found ourselves suffering as a result. In those moments maybe we think like Heather and wonder why am I going through this and maybe I should have just given in or why should I continue to do the right thing? If we’ve ever asked any of these questions, hold on! Suffering is part of the plan. It’s part of the process we must go through in order to gain an even greater prize than what we see!

That’s why God took the time to remind us that we will suffer for His name sake when we live our lives before Him. He knew that we would grow weary at times and would want to throw in the towel when we can’t seem to make sense of why life seems to be so hard or why we aren’t getting what we want or even arriving at the places we want. God knowing this wanted us to know that our greatest testimony isn’t finding the best spouse, buying the big house, landing the opportune job, or gaining fame and notoriety, but it’s suffering for Him! What? Where’s the glory in that?

Well the glory is when someone sees that we can still persevere in the midst of hardships with a smile, that smile gives someone else the desire to know Jesus and what He did at Calvary. Because if we’re honest, nobody wants to go through this life alone, but so many of us do. We may have tons of people around us and still feel an emptiness that can only be filled by God. That’s right, we all want it, whether we admit it or not, we want to fill that void and it can only be filled by Christ. So while we all will face hardships, we can choose to do it alone or with Christ.

So what will it be? Well if we will all experience pain, why not suffer knowing that the pain we experience now is only for a greater gain later. God wants us be molded, strengthened, and encouraged by His word. Today let us know and remember pain for Christ’s sake will only result in gaining eternal life!

The Roads Are Slippery, Don't Slip

2011-01-27T20:50:00.001-05:00

Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.

--Psalm 17:5

The remnants of the snow had left the ground wet, but Marty sped along to get home from his long day. Driving along the wet slippery road, he hit a few potholes and as a result lost air in one of his tires, but he continued on and did not slow down. To Marty the roads had been plowed and it really didn’t look that slippery, but as he continued on he almost hit an innocent pedestrian, and that’s when he realized that he was just going too fast. Marty slowed down and thanked God that it wasn’t worse.

How about us? Are we like Marty? Do we travel down the road of life hitting the potholes of depression, swerving around the icy patches of grief, sliding along the path of stress, or dodging the sand pellets of disappointment only to almost lose our license to live? That is our license to live the life that God has destined for us? Sure we can live and get by speeding along, but what promises do we forfeit and what time do we waste hurrying along without God?

Well maybe we are like Marty and we’re just driving down the path of life too fast and not taking the time to proceed with caution by asking God to control our speed. The psalmist knew that he needed God to control his speed lest he should slip. He knew that if God didn’t slow him down he would fall and so he asked God to hold his goings, or direct his footsteps in His path so that he wouldn’t stray from the course.

In the same manner we need to ask God to adjust our speed in life so that we don’t miss what He has for us by going too fast or even never reach our intended destination for going too slow. At the end of the day the road of life is filled with bumps, potholes, curves, and slippery surfaces, and often time they are put there so we can slow down and appreciate what God is doing in the moment, even when we think we need to get to our destination.

Today let us ask God to adjust our speed so that we always move at the pace He has set for us. Remember the road of life can be slippery, so don’t slip, trust God with your life!

I Just Can't Make It Without You

2011-01-26T16:59:00.001-05:00

“For I know that good itself does not dwell in me,

that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good,

but I cannot carry it out.”

--Romans 7:18 (NIV)

Tim was studying for his chemistry exam; he was in medical school. He needed to pass it in order to begin his residency, but Tim hadn’t been doing so well and he knew that his wife and kids were counting on him to pass. Chemistry was a struggle for Tim and even though he had a tutor, he just couldn’t grasp the material completely in time for his final exam. Tim brought a cheat sheet in with him to the exam “just in case.” When Tim hit problem 10, he lost it, he didn’t want to pull the cheat sheet out, but he did. He passed his test, no one else was the wiser, but Tim knew and deep down he just didn’t feel like he deserved it, in fact he knew he really couldn’t make it.

Tim like most of us want to do what’s right, but deep down inside, if we’re honest, we’ll know that we just can’t make it without the only One who can. That’s right, Tim couldn’t make it on his own in medical school, that’s why he resorted to cheating. How about us? Are there things in our lives that we try and do on our own, thinking we can make if we just try harder, love harder, or work harder? If we take time to think about it, there probably are things that we’ve been trying to do, like Tim, without God. Maybe it’s not school, but it could be a career, a ministry, a relationship, finances, or even our health. As a result we find ourselves falling short. Why?

Well God’s word remains ever true, here in the book of Romans, we’re reminded that good just doesn’t dwell inside of us. That means no matter how good of a person we think we are, bad thoughts just naturally surface, because that’s our nature, as we were born into sin. Even with the best of intentions, man on his own, just cannot do what is good. But what does that mean? Does it mean that we can never do any good? No! It just means that when we do good, despite popular belief, it’s not because we actually carried it out, but it’s because God gave us the power to see it through. In other words having the desire to good just isn’t enough, we also need the power of God to carry it out.

Tim cheated because He didn’t establish a relationship with God where he depended upon Him and not on himself. Likewise we too will fall short of doing what is expected of us if we do not look to the hills from whence cometh our help, which is in the Lord! When we begin to rely more on God and not on our own ability to “make it” then we will begin to see the promises of God fulfilled in our lives. God is not looking for independent men and women, but He’s looking for men and women who don’t mind depending on Him to see them through.

Today let us realize that no matter how good our intentions are, we just weren’t built to live a life without God, without Christ, and without the Holy Spirit guiding our paths. Let it resonate in our hearts today that we just can’t make it without Him!

Help Me Prioritize

2011-01-25T10:55:00.001-05:00

Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel,

and his redeemer the LORD of hosts;

I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

--Isaiah 44:6

Zaria had a million and one things to do. She had a birthday party to plan for her daughter, a husband to cater to, a job that demanded her time and expertise, a house to clean, bills to pay, and church meetings to attend. At the end of the week, she found herself engulfed in her daily activities, but by the time Sunday came, well she was just plum tired. She figured if anyone understood, it would be God, after all she didn’t have to hear God complain in her ear at night or whine to her about being hungry throughout the day. The church didn’t need her presence, besides she could pray at home or so she thought, until the phone rang and she was interrupted yet again from talking to God. To Zaria, her priorities were in order, weren’t they?

If Zaria is honest her priorities couldn’t be further from order, in fact they were in complete disarray! Why? Well because she just didn’t put God first even if she meant to with the best of intentions. Many of us fall prey to the same thing without realizing it. We get so busy and preoccupied with life as we know it that we forget who and what matters most: God and developing a relationship with Him. When we get like this, we get sidetracked and our vision becomes quite blurry.

God knew there would be times when we would lose focus and so He reminds us in His word that He is the first and the last, and that besides Him there is no other god. In other words God wants us to know that the true priority of life is Him and fostering a relationship with Him. When God is first, we don’t schedule Him around life, but we schedule life around Him so that He remains at the very core of everything we do. When God is last that means we recognize that in as much as it all starts with Him, it must also end with Him; we must keep the end in mind with Him being the prize.

When we think like this, our days as hectic as they may still seem, become less important as we realize that all that we do has no meaning without God being at the very center of our lives. Today let us remember that while life is eventful and full of tasks and assignments, no assignment is greater than fostering a relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior each and every day. When we recognize this, we will not let a day go by where we don’t recognize Him as the first and the last. So if we’ve fallen short from making God a priority let us ask Him to help us prioritize today!

This must be our priority: God and God alone!

I CANNOT MOVE WITHOUT DIRECTION

2011-01-24T12:42:00.002-05:00

“And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the Lord,

saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?

And the Lord said unto him, Go up.

And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.”

--2 Samuel 2:1

Lucy laid in her bed one morning just thinking, it was almost 8:30 and she still hadn’t moved because she didn’t know what to wear. When she finally figured out what she was going to wear it was way past the hour of nine and she was going to be late for work. When Lucy finally arrived at work she had voicemails awaiting her and unread emails to answer, feeling overwhelmed Lucy grabbed a cup of coffee instead of tackling her work. When she returned to her desk, Lucy began reading emails but was soon confronted with a personal call from a friend who needed her help. Lucy knew her friend needed her but her clients needed her too, what was she to do next?

Life can get like Lucy’s sometimes where we become bogged down with work, personal choices, and outside drama, so what do we do when it seems like no decision is the right decision? Well we consult God! When Lucy woke up that morning, her first mistake was not talking to God about her day, she should have asked God how to proceed with her day, but she didn’t because like most of us, we think “why do I have to ask God about the ‘little things’?” But often times it’s the little things in life that end up hindering us from obtaining the bigger picture. Huh, how so? Well if Lucy had only consulted God about what to wear, as insignificant as it seems, she wouldn’t have been late to work, and she would’ve had time to review her emails and retrieve her voicemails all in enough time to be in place to help her friend in her time of need. But one move without direction cost Lucy time and caused frustration.

David realized in his walk with God that every step he took needed to be ordered by God. That’s why David always enquired of the Lord what he should do and where he should go, even for something as simple as passing through one city versus another. Think about it, how many of us ask God if we should take I-95 or the back-roads to work? Probably not many, but that’s what we need to do in life. Why? Because we’ll find that if we don’t we aren’t moving as quickly as we’d like and in fact we’ll actually come to a complete stop and wonder why we aren’t progressing, all because we failed to seek God’s direction.

When David asked God for direction, he got his answer, God said go to Hebron, which is a city of Judah. We may think well David was on the right track with thinking that he should go into one of the cities of Judah, but he still had to consult God. We may be on the right track with our thoughts or actions, but we still have to run every thought and act by God to ensure that we are following the path He has aligned with us.

In reality we cannot move without God’s direction, even when we think we’re moving, because should we make the wrong move, we’ll find ourselves right back where we started. So today let us enquire of God, let us ask Him to make the moves in our lives so that we can move forward!

Change Clothes!

2010-12-30T15:12:00.005-05:00

“Then Jacob said unto his household,

and to all that were with him,

Put away the strange gods that are among you,

and be clean, and change your garments.”

Genesis 35: 2

Paul always dressed very nicely, but he was on his way to the gym and he couldn’t work out in his suit, he had to change clothes. Terri had an interview in a few hours, but was still running errands in her jeans and sneakers; she was worried that she wouldn’t have time to change clothes. Marcus showed up to the spring dance in a jean jacket and some slacks, all of his comrades had suits on, he wanted to change clothes. Theresa thought Trina looked a hot mess, with her tight mini-skirt and fish net stockings on at the elementary school play, she really thought she should change clothes.

Whether we are dressed in fine linens or our everyday outerwear, we have all had one reason or another to change outfits a time or two. Why? Well we want to be dressed for the occasion, nobody wants to show up to the gym in a three piece suit, just as nobody wants to arrive at a job interview with swimwear on—it just wouldn’t work!

So how does this relate to today’s text? Well Jacob had just received some instructions from God to build an altar unto Him. Now the altar represents a place of worship, a place where we spend time with God one on one; Jacob realized that he had to come to God right. That’s why he told his people to put away strange gods, meaning anything that takes the place of God in our lives, whether that be a relationship, a child, a job, a hobby, or a sport; Jacob understood that God must come first. He also instructed his house to be clean, that means pure in heart, when we come to God we must be sincere in heart, we don’t have to be perfect but our intentions must be perfect. How so? Well we can’t really converse with God until we’ve repented to God, that’s how we go to God in worship clean. Lastly Jacob told his house to change their garments because Jacob knew that he must be properly dressed when approaching the throne. That doesn’t mean that we can’t talk to God in our pajamas but that does mean that we should be dressed with the whole armor of God. That means having righteousness on our breastplate, our feet covered with the preparation of the gospel, and having the helmet of salvation—that’s proper dress code!

Just as we cannot go to the gym in four inch stilettos, we cannot go to God without making Him our first choice, being pure in heart, and honoring His word in our daily walk. When we do this we have essentially changed clothes, because we are no longer the way we used to be and now our priority has shifted to pleasing Him and not ourselves. Pleasing God doesn’t mean we’ll always make the right choices, but it means we’ll have a heart to do what is right, even if we fall short of that.

As we approach the new year and we’re looking to make changes personally, professionally, physically, and spiritually, let’s make a decision to worship God with our whole heart this year and change clothes!

Break Away!

2010-12-28T09:38:00.003-05:00

“Now the Lord had said unto Abram,

Get thee out of thy country,

and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house,

unto a land that I will shew thee”

--Genesis 12:1

Katrina knew she was in an unhealthy relationship; it swayed her from everything she knew to be right: she found herself in his bed more times than her own and her lies were more prevalent than the truth. Morris knew the job was overtaking his life; it kept him from everything that was important to him: he barely made it to church and was constantly irritated by his family and those around him. Corrine knew she needed to change friends; but she kept hanging out till the wee hours of the morning partying and drinking: her own son barely knew who she was. Patrick knew his depression was overtaking his life; there were days that he couldn’t even move: he lost his job as a result and was getting ready to lose his wife.

Perhaps we know someone like the individuals described above or maybe we ourselves are these individuals and we need to “break away.” But from what? What is it that we need to break away from? Well we need to break away from anything that or anyone who hinders us from going to the places God has destined us to go to in this life. In other words God may very well want us to break away from family, friends, jobs, associations, affiliations, or activities that do not help us to achieve our purpose. But how? How do we leave kindred, our father’s house, the people we are familiar with, the places we are comfortable with, and the things we are used to doing to venture somewhere we’ve never been or to do something we’ve never done?

Good question, it’s probably the same question Abram had when God told him to leave all that he had known for so long and move to another country. If we read further in the text we will find that God wanted Abram to move not so he could experience more turmoil and more frustration, but so that He could bless him. So we have to ask ourselves, “what things are we tied to that are causing us to forfeit our blessing?” See God did not want Abram to be tied to a land with false gods and idols, He wanted to remove him from that place so that he could focus solely on the One, True, and Living God. Abram had to leave a physical country, but what place are we in today that God wants us to leave? Is it a place in our minds like lust, greed, or envy or maybe a place in our routine like who we choose to hang with or the places we choose to spend time at?

In that respect, we too are like Abram in that we get accustomed to living a certain way, not realizing that the way we are living is not how God designed us to live. God made us to give Him glory, but we cannot do that if we are so wrapped up into ourselves and our lives that we cannot see God anywhere or in anything. See when God is at the forefront of our minds, depression cannot set in, priorities cannot get mixed up, purpose cannot be thwarted, family cannot be destroyed, and sin cannot overtake us; but when our focus is not Christ, we can quickly be consumed and find ourselves in a place where we are wandering and lost.

Today God wants us to break away from anyone and anything that will hinder our walk with Him so that we can clearly see Him and go where He’s leading us so that we may be blessed.

His Name Is Wonderful!

2010-12-22T11:45:00.001-05:00

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:

And the government shall be upon His shoulder:

And His name shall be called Wonderful…”

--Isaiah 9:6

Timmy had an excellent report card, his teachers raved over him, and his parents were proud of him, in their eyes he was simply “wonderful.” Marcia is a gifted singer, she can move anyone to tears by the sound of her voice, and people always remarked how wonderful her voice sounded. Troy visited the sick and the elderly every free moment he had, just to let them know that someone was thinking of them, from the doctors to the patients, everyone agreed he simply had a wonderful disposition. Mindy couldn’t help but bake a cake for anyone and everyone’s birthday, this was her task she took on with joy, it was simply her way of saying, “I think you’re wonderful,” and the cakes were delicious too!

Truth is we’re all wonderful in one way or another. How do we know this? Well because we’re made in the image of God and He tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We each have been given gifts to do something; the hard part is sometimes just figuring out what that something is. We may sometimes find ourselves struggling with the gift or even how to use it because we’ve lost touch with the Gifter. That’s right we can operate in gifts all day long but never find joy in it, because we simply don’t know the One who gave it to us. In fact we don’t know what makes us wonderful because we don’t know who is Wonderful.

How so? Well, it’s that time of year where we see depression at an all time high, where people reevaluate who they are and what changes they need to make for the next year, and where loneliness creeps in like never before. In a season that is suppose to represent hope, this doesn’t sound so hopeful and it all starts with not really knowing just how special we are to the One who was sent for us. Jesus Christ was born into this world to save every sinner from eternal damnation and to give everyone who would only believe the right to eternal life. The fact that He brings eternal life signifies His sovereignty and God’s everlasting covenant with each of us that His government, meaning His rule and authority, rests upon His shoulders; in other words, He holds the entire world in the palm of His hands—He has total control over each of us!

For that He is Wonderful! Wonderful? Yes, wonderful; for what kind of God would love us so to send His only Son to be born into a sinful world, only to die for that same world? A Wonderful Savior, that’s who! The word wonderful signifies that He is exceptional, distinguished, and unlike any other. In other words there can be no comparison with man and the Son of Man; He is 100% man, yet 100% God. How amazing it is to know that Jesus was simply born to show man the way, for without Him we would be as lost sheep, wandering in the wilderness.

His wonderfulness is shown each and every day we open our eyes; His wonders are shown every time He makes a way out of no way; His distinguished character is shown every time He fights our battle and proves His justice; His exceptional ways are displayed whenever we experience His miracles; and His awesome beauty is shown in each and every one of us, if we would only allow Him to live within us. Truly we serve a Wonderful God, and an Excellent Savior.

When we know why our wonderful Savior was sent for us, we know our purpose and that’s to serve Him in whatever situation or state we find ourselves in. That means there’s no time to complain or to be depressed because we know that He’s working it all out for our good and that someone is being blessed by the testimony of our faith in Him! The best way we can honor our Lord and Savior during this holiday season is to draw closer to Him. We begin to draw closer to Him when we familiarize ourselves with His names. Today let us ask Him to show us just how wonderful His name Wonderful continues to be in our lives; we must know Him as Wonderful!

There's Only One Way

2010-12-08T17:32:00.001-05:00

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
--John 14:6

Cindy thought she’s take a short cut to get to her mom’s house, only to find out the back roads were under construction and only detoured her back to the main road. Herb thought he’d cut corners by working from home today, he didn’t feel like wasting gas on the drive in, only problem is he didn’t anticipate his wife asking him to pick up the kids and take care of the groceries as well; he didn’t get much accomplished and still had to use gas! Maria thought she’d cut her study time down by hours if she only studied the answers to the problems, she didn’t think about knowing why it was a problem to begin with, as a result she studied in vain and flunked her test!

Sometimes, much like these individuals in the scenarios above we see traffic ahead and we veer off the road to take what we think will be a short cut because we don’t want to wait and we are in a hurry; however when we take the short cut we find that there are road blocks, the lights are longer, the people cross the street slower, and the roads aren’t paved, slowing us way down. Other times we find ourselves cruising on open free roads only to be ticketed because we’re driving way too fast. Thus we learn that there really are no short cuts in life even when they appear to be short cuts. Similarly there are no short cuts with God.

Jesus explicitly stated that He is the way, meaning He is the manner by which we should live, He is our passage, and He is the One who guides our footsteps. He then states He is the truth, meaning He is the word and in Him abides the evidence of what was written in the word. Lastly Jesus reminds us that He is the life, meaning He raises that which is dead in body and in spirit, He gives purpose, He gives destiny, and He gives fulfillment. Therefore no man, nobody in any place or location can come to the Father but by Him, which means we cannot say we love God if we do not love Christ; we cannot say we trust God if we do not believe all that Christ did and all that He said we would do; and we cannot come to God unless we first repent and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.

So we cannot cut corners and think that we shall have what we ask for if we do not abide by the written word of God. If we are not living as Christ lived, walking in righteousness, faith, hope, and love we cannot come to the Father and we know that it’s the Father who makes all things happen, for even Jesus was subject to the word the Father spoke, for Christ said I only speak what the Father tells me to speak (John 12:49). Often times in life we try and do things ourselves, handle situations on our own, and even make decisions on our own, but somehow we always come up short; we never get the true fulfillment we were meant to have, we don’t experience truth, and we end up lost along the way. This is a result of disobedience, for Christ said He is the way, the truth, and the life and if we really believed that we would always seek the word to direct our paths and show us the way to prosperity, joy, love, and peace.

So let us stop trying to take a short cut with life, for that’s a gamble we don’t want to take, but let us grab hold of truth, guidance, and liberty in Christ Jesus by accepting His word and His work as true.

The Grass Really Isn't Greener On the Other Side

2010-11-10T14:51:00.001-05:00

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house,

thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant,

nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass,

nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

--Exodus 20:17

Kelly observed how Mindy's husband had treated her for the longest, he brought her expensive jewelry, dressed her in the best clothes, and took her to the finest restaurants, meanwhile Kelly was lucky if her boyfriend stopped by to say hello, she thought if I could only meet a man like Kelly's. What Mindy didn't know was that Kelly spent many nights alone, in fact she often cried herself to sleep because her husband wasn’t just buying her pretty things, but other women as well. Mark pulled his beat up car into his driveway every evening, while his next door neighbor Patrick, pulled into his driveway with a new car almost every six months. Mark thought, "why can't I get a new car, I make just as much as he does!" What Mark didn't realize was that Pat didn't have a wife or child, in fact he was pretty lonely and fancied cars to escape the pain of being alone. Rhonda was tired of hearing about everyone else's success when her world around her wasn't so great and she just didn't have anything to talk about: she was unemployed. What Rhonda didn’t realize was that she was completely healthy in mind and body, while her friend Betsy, was just diagnosed with terminal cancer and had to leave her high paying job for immediate treatment!

We've all heard the saying before, "the grass always looks greener on the other side," but is it really? Is what we want or desire truly better than what we have? Does God really know what we have need of? Does He see our frustrations and our heartaches? In short, the answer is yes God knows exactly what we need and moreover He understands what we want, but He doesn't always agree that what we want is what we actually need. In fact God takes the position that the grass is not greener on the other side and teaches us to be content.

How so? Well in His word He instructs to not covet anything our neighbor has, that means just because someone else just got married doesn’t mean it’s our time to get married, or just because someone else has a corner office downtown, doesn't mean that's where God wants us right now. In fact God warns us to refrain from thinking like this as it will do nothing but cause the green-eyed monster of jealousy and envy to surface, ultimately blocking what God has in store for us. What we must realize is that God has a time and place for everything He wants us to have in life; we just have to wait on Him.

Sounds great, but what do we do in the meantime, especially when we think we deserve some of these blessings? Well we begin to ask God to give us a spirit of contentment for where we are right now. It may not be where we want to be, but it’s where we need to be to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. It’s in the midst of the low periods in life where God builds our faith, our character, and our strength. In those times we must simply thank Him for taking the time to perfect us.

Today let us know and understand that the grass really isn’t greener on the other side, but it’s actually quite green where we are, for He’s causing us to lie in green pastures even in our most difficult times, we just have to be content with what He’s doing and when He does it!

Let Your Contentment Speak

2010-11-08T11:12:00.002-05:00

Let your conversation be without covetousness;

and be content with such things as ye have:

for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

--Hebrews 13:5

Have you ever been disappointed? Dissatisfied? Or dismayed with the way things turned out such as a job, relationship, school, or ministry? Have you ever felt like everyone else is doing better than you and you are by yourself in this situation, this circumstance, and in this world? Most of us can probably relate to this, because at one point in time we felt disconnected with others and discontented with life in that it didn’t provide us with the life we envisioned for ourselves, our families, or our friends. But we are not without hope, for the book of Hebrews instructs us to be content with what we have, even if it’s not what we want.

“But how can I,” one may ask. How can I be content with meager wages, living paycheck to paycheck, home alone, unable to fit last year’s fall clothes, living with friends, no place to call my own, with the loss of a loved one, or a negative medical report? How can I? Well if we’ve ever asked this question the answer is hidden in this text. God’s word right here in the book of Hebrews commands us to first speak without covetousness in our conversations. Huh? What does that mean?

Well the word covetous means to have a craving for possessions or for another’s possession. In other words when our conversations are filled with covetousness, they usually sound like this, “I want a six-bedroom house so bad, why did he get the loan and not me?,” “I know I shouldn’t but I want that man so bad, that I’ll do anything to get him, what she got that I don’t have?” “I really need to make more money, I just can’t stop thinking about it, why can’t I get a raise?” “Did you see his new car, man that’s my dream car, why can’t I get it?” If we’ve ever spoken such things out loud to someone else or even to ourselves, we are in a covetous mode and God is telling us to refrain from such thoughts and speech. In short, when we speak about our own situations or better yet when we begin to compare our situation to someone else who may have what we want, we ought not speak with envy or jealousy.

So how do we find contentment when we feel so discontented? Well we find peace in God, for He promises to never leave us nor forsake us. In other words He’s soon to meet our need, He’s soon to fill the void, He’s soon to provide for the lack, but we have to wait on Him; we have to trust Him and His timing. Sure sounds easier said than done, but God knows what we have need of and sometimes the very thing we think we need, we really don’t, but we’ll never know that until we come to the place where we want what He wants when He wants it!

That’s why He tells us to find contentment in what we have. In other words begin to thank Him for the legs He gave to walk and as we thank Him, He’ll provide the car to drive. Thank Him for the period of loneliness, where He gets to tell us things that He can’t disclose when we have someone else in our space and soon He’ll send us someone to share Him with. Thank Him for the life of the loved one we’ve lost and soon we’ll begin to understand it better why they’re gone. When we find contentment in Him, we find peace and as we walk in peace, we relax and allow Him to direct our paths, which is sure to bring us joy.

Today let us allow our contentment to speak for itself in word and thought!

2010-10-25T12:19:00.001-05:00

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

--Ephesians 5:15-16

Candace, filled with joy about her new love, gloated about all the wonderful things her new boyfriend brought to the table to her best friend, but she left out the fact that he was someone else’s husband. Cameron wanted to secure funding for his new venture, but his spending habits were awful, as a result he couldn’t find one bank to support him in what would be a great business. Patricia just came back from the doctor, he told her she had to lose at least twenty pounds to avoid fatal consequences, but she continued to eat whatever she pleased. Jayden wanted to make peace at home, but every time he attempted to hold his tongue at the most trying time, he let loose, pulling his wife further from him. What’s the message?

In each of these scenarios someone has made a decision, but was it a wise decision? Was it a decision that would bring about joy, clarity, and ultimate fulfillment, or one that would bring about pain, suffering, and cost loads of time? In the book of Ephesians, God reminds us how to live. He tells us that we must walk circumspectly, or in other words, we must be careful to consider all possibilities, consequences, and outcomes. He instructs us that when we walk in such a manner, we are walking in wisdom and not foolishly, with our head in the sand. Often times we want different outcomes, yet we find that we turn up with the same result time and time again. Why? It’s because we are failing to change our actions, or rather our walk.

As a result we’re not redeeming time, but we’re wasting time, thinking that somehow we will be victorious if we walk how we want to walk and not how God called us to walk. Sure it’s a sense of ease and independence to think that we made a decision, but did we make the right one? And how do we know whether the decisions we make are wise or foolish? We know by lining it up with God’s word. For instance Candace chose to date a married man, what are the consequences to that or the outcome? Can she potentially walk away with the man? If she read His word she would know that God hates divorce and frowns upon adultery, so that’s a not decision He would make for her, but He does have someone for her. Patricia heard the news from the doctor but she ignored his cautionary advice, that’s not wise. God wants us to listen and He wants us to take care of our bodies, because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Jayden wanted peace, but blew up every time he had an opportunity to show love, that’s not wise, God’s word tells us that a soft answer turns away wrath. Cameron wanted funding but he wasn’t a wise steward over his finances and God couldn’t entrust him with more if he couldn’t prove to be responsible with what he had.

Ultimately if we remain bent on doing our own thing, we will find discontentment with life, sure we may have those moments of bliss, but ultimately the way of the foolish is destruction. Instead we need to make the most of our time by choosing to make wise decisions according to God’s word, which serves as our guide for wise choices. Once time passes we cannot regain it and our time here is short, so let us make the most of it by submitting wholly and solely to God’s commands.

I Just Can't Find Another

2010-10-15T12:49:00.001-05:00

“Wherefore thou art great,

O Lord God: for there is none like thee,

neither is there any God beside thee,

according to all that we have heard with our ears.”

--2 Samuel 7:22

Melissa owned a pair of the “hottest” stiletto shoes, in fact nobody she knew owned a pair quite like it, but she had one problem, she was dressed and ready to go, but couldn’t find one side, and quite frankly there wasn’t another pair that would do! Earl had his suits custom-made; he imported the finest fabrics and no two suits were ever cut the same, however he put his black suit was in the cleaners and now couldn’t seem to retrieve it! Melinda had hired, whom she believed, to be the best secretary, she did everything Melinda wanted and even thought ahead for Melinda; however her secretary recently gave notice that she was moving on to higher heights! Eddie married his high school sweetheart, their marriage was bliss, his wife wasn’t perfect, but she was perfect for him; however, she fell ill suddenly and passed away!

What’s the common thread here? Well each of these individuals either had something that or someone who was special to them only to lose it. For Melissa no other shoe would do and for Eddie no other woman would do. God is an original too, and no matter how much we try to fill the void of having Him in our lives, there really is no substitute for Him. In fact the only difference in finding an original shoe or the ideal spouse and God is that we cannot lose God, once we find Him. God’s word is true, heaven and earth will pass away but His word will remain. We can walk away from God, turn a deaf ear to Him, and even act like we don’t see Him, but we cannot lose Him, and that makes Him unique by far! So how do we manage without Him?

Well we can’t manage without Him, even when we try. Melissa could’ve found another shoe, but the dress wouldn’t have looked the same, just as we could try and find another source to channel our energy into like our work, our school, our hobby, or our friends or family, but in the end, our outcome will not look the same, at least not how we envisioned it. Why? Because people and things by nature are fallible, they naturally fade and ultimately fail, that’s why we need to rely on One who is infallible, who makes no mistakes, and never lets us down.

King David recognized this; he saw the greatness of God. He understood that God is second to none, and that there is no other god beside Him, and nobody else quite like Him. If we look closer at the text, we will note that King David received this revelation because he attuned his ears to hear. Many of us miss just how great God is because we fail to listen to all that He has to say to us. Often times we are too busy focusing on how to be great, when God just wants to be great within us. In fact God is telling us to stop looking for the perfect shoe, job, house, or person, but just find perfection in Him. When we do, we are sure to have the perfect life He designed for us, which doesn’t mean a life without trials or tests, because these things actually perfect us, but it does mean a life designed to always produce God’s best.

So while we may be thinking “I just can’t find another_______”, we need only look to the hills from whence cometh our help, where we would come to know that we truly cannot find another God, as good as the God, who sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die for a dying world, so that we may live life more abundantly in Him!

STOP KILLING

2010-10-13T13:06:00.001-05:00

“Thou shalt not kill”

--Exodus 20:13

Rhonda turned the television on, only to discover that there had been yet another shooting in her area, this time a twelve year old girl, shot and killed, caught in a cross fire. Paula’s name was smeared all over her neighborhood, she cleaned up her act, but her so called friends wouldn’t let her forget her past. Terry wanted to advance in her company, but it wasn’t moving fast enough so she figured she would “help” by letting a few of the upper executives know the “skinny” on her manager—she wanted to move him out the way. Mark had decided to dedicate his life to doing missions for the Lord, but no sooner than he had made the announcement, his friends questioned him, family members worried him, and now he doubted whether he should follow his passion or not.

What’s happening? Why all the killing? Well it is no secret that we live in a world filled with physical violence, where lives are taken senselessly at all ages; but we also live in a world where people use their words to kill dreams, hopes, visions, and aspirations. Much like guns and knives, words are weapons that pierce the spiritual heart, they kill that which we don’t even see. So what do we do? How do we live in a world filled with violence? How do we obey the commandment not to kill?

We spread God’s word of love, for God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). But what does that mean? It means that if people really knew just how much God loved them, that He sent his Son to die so that we wouldn’t have to, that His blood was shed already so that we could live eternally, then maybe we might actually have respect for not only our life, but for the life of others as well. How so?

Well when we accept that He really shed His blood, we would know that His blood rights every wrong and that taking someone else’s life could never right our wrongs. When we accept His forgiveness of our sins, we wouldn’t look to remind someone else of their own sins. When we accept that elevation comes from God and not man, then we wouldn’t look to kill someone else’s position just to advance our own; and when we accept that many are called but few are chosen, we no longer look to kill His vision for someone else, but we would celebrate His working in and through someone else.

God’s word is clear: do not kill. We need to band together as a people and spread God’s message of love to as many people as possible, so that we can respect His word and His people. Spread the message: stop killing in deed and in word!

Where Are You?

2010-10-07T12:27:00.001-05:00

“And the Lord God called unto Adam,

and said unto him, Where art thou?”

--Genesis 3:9

Rachel drifted off again while her teacher was speaking, only to later find out that she was going to be quizzed on today’s lesson, where was her mind? David sat at dinner with his girlfriend of three years, while she poured out her heart, David paid more attention to the game, where was he? Tarsha ventured off to a tropical island, just to get away from it all, with the bright blue ocean in front of her, she found herself thinking about her bills, her marriage, and her children, where was she? John sat in service Sunday after Sunday rejoicing with the choir and listening to the preacher, yet the way he cussed on Monday, one would never know he stepped foot in anybody’s church, where was he really?

It’s a question we’ve all been asked at one time or another, whether it’s someone wanting to know where our physical location is or where our mental state is, and sometimes we just want to know: where am I? This question is one that has been asked since the beginning of time. How do we know this? Well God, in the beginning with Adam, asked Adam where he was. Why? Why did God, who knows everything, want to know where Adam was? It’s not that God didn’t know where Adam was or even that he had fallen short of His commandments, but it was more of a rhetorical question as to say, “Adam what were you thinking? Did you not think I would know?”

Perhaps Adam didn’t consider his actions before he ate the fruit and maybe even thought he could hide it from God, but he couldn’t and it’s no different today, we can’t either! So how do our minds and even our actions veer off from the course God has set out for us? Well it’s as easy as losing focus in a classroom, or in an in depth conversation that we’re quite honestly ready to have. Our minds change direction because we just don’t feel like listening and as hard as that may be to accept, it’s reality!

When we don’t feel like listening or want to listen, we miss the mark, we lose important details or information that is necessary for our next assignment, or as in Rachel’s case, our next test. When we don’t listen we’re not able to exercise proper judgment or wisdom and as a result we experience great folly. Not only that, but when we aren’t listening we miss out on what’s good in life: like the ocean, the flowers, and the trees; that’s how Adam missed out on the Garden. Running away from what God is saying doesn’t help either, because just when we think we’ve escaped it, it’s still standing right there in front of us.

So how do we get our minds in the right place, how do we do the right thing? We hearken to the voice of the Lord, calling us to listen to Him, to obey Him, and to walk with Him. When our minds are in the right place, there’s no need to ask, “where are we,” because we’re right there with Him! So where are you today?

I Need Answers!

2010-10-06T21:10:00.001-05:00

“Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice:

have mercy also upon me, and answer me.”

--Psalm 27:7

Dennis had been going threw one trial after another, it felt like he couldn’t catch a break, only to now find out he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, he wanted healing. Charlie cried all night because her relationship was unraveling at the seams and she could do nothing to stop it, she wanted restoration. Marlon couldn’t seem to shake his addiction to sex and alcohol, he longed for commitment and a sober day. Jayde was lost, she couldn’t understand why at the age of thirty-five she still hadn’t accomplished much in her life, she was still wondering what her calling really was, she wanted direction.

What’s the common thread between these individuals? They all want something, they all need answers! So what do we do when we have questions to life? What do we do when we wonder why we’re going through certain ordeals or why things aren’t panning out the way we envisioned them? If we have ever found ourselves wondering or even questioning why we are facing opposition or why we aren’t where we want to be in life, there is only one answer: cry out to God!

Cry out to God? Why would we do that? Well God holds all the answers to any questions or concerns we may have in life. He knows why we go through the things that we do. Perhaps it is to teach us a lesson in humility, or maybe it is to strengthen our walk with Him, or even develop our relationship with Him. In any case, the Psalmist knew that he needed to turn to God for His help. In fact he cried out for mercy. Why? Because God is merciful and within His mercy there is love, deliverance, help, and strength.

See we want answers, but do we want God? God wants us to cleave to Him in times of trouble, hardship, and uncertainty; but He also wants us to look to Him in times of joy, prosperity, and peace. God wants us at all times, not just when we’re in need. He wants to be the answer to every problem and the reason for every smile.

Hear us today Lord, we need answers, we really need You!

It's Easy To Give Up; Hold On!

2010-09-24T11:15:00.001-05:00

“³⁵So do not throw away your confidence;

it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶You need

to persevere so that when you have done the will of God,

you will receive what he has promised.”

--Hebrews 10:35-36

Johnny had just accepted a new job but before he even stepped foot in the door, problems were on the scene; he scratched his head, wondering, “Lord what did I sign on for? Is this really you?” Marissa had just said “I do,” no sooner than crossing the threshold, she noticed things about her now husband she had never known when dating him; she thought, “can I live with this for the rest of my life?” Keith just lost his father, he knew his strength lied in God, but just when he got use to the idea of trusting God, he lost his wife; he wept, “how do I go on?” Kym just moved to a new city, it was a fresh start, but just when she thought she left her problems behind more surfaced in front of her; in confusion she shook her head, “is this really a new start?”

Perhaps we have felt like these individuals above where we made decisions for the better or tried to make the best of certain situations only to be bombarded with more of life’s curves. In those moments we probably think, “I can’t take much more,” or “I thought this was for the best.” If we have felt like this, fear not, God is still there and He is definitely moving us into our rightful position, but how so?

Well the word of God is clear that we should not throw away our confidence in Him, simply because things aren’t going the way we planned or envisioned. Why? Because confidence, which is our faith in God, is what will move the mountains that our in our way. If we throw away confidence we ultimately throw away our destiny; but when we trust in God and His power to move the opposition, change the circumstances, or remove the pain He promises to reward us with the clarity we need, the peace we want, and the blessings we desire. So what do we do when life is throwing us for a loop?

We persevere, or rather, we press on in spite of the difficulties or oppositions we may face. When we continue to trust God’s leading despite what we may see, we will receive the promise of God. Why? Because trusting in God is what He requires of us, it is His will, and the word tells us that after we have done His will, which is to please Him, and we cannot please Him without faith, we shall receive our promise!

So while it’s very easy to turn back to what we’re use to or comfortable with, we have to learn to stay in the race and not give up, but hold onto His unchanging hand, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Hold on my sister and my brother; don’t give up, God will not lead us, where His grace cannot keep us and He will never put more on us than we can bear!

I NEED IT ALL

2010-09-21T10:18:00.002-05:00

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.

Amen.”

--2 Corinthians 13:14

Tiffany was satisfied with her job, she made good money, and was able to afford a decent life, but her house just wasn’t a home; it was empty and lonely nights just weren’t cutting it for her anymore. Alex enjoyed furthering his education, he was one class away from getting his doctorate, but his mind was never at ease; he worried constantly and restless nights just weren’t healthy anymore. Marcella loved her husband and children, she catered to their every need, but somehow she lost herself in them; she lacked joy and losing self-worth just didn’t make sense anymore. Timothy was healthy and fit, he looked great, but he couldn’t afford to pay his bills; he lost his job and financial hardship wasn’t helping his appearance anymore.

Maybe at some point in our lives we have felt like the individuals above where we had some things but wanted other things as well, in fact we just simply wanted it all. Maybe the job was great but the home wasn’t or the home was great, but the money wasn’t. If we have ever felt like this we can rest assured that there is One in whom we could “have it all.” Who’s that One? Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

When we ask Christ to come into our hearts, we receive His divine grace. His grace? Yes, His grace. That’s nice, but how does grace help my pockets when I’m broke? Well His grace is His unmerited favor upon our lives, that means when we’re broke and need a job, His favor can open a door to a job we don’t even qualify for, but for some reason the company felt compelled to hire us. Or His grace can touch the hearts of others to simply just pour out from their pockets into yours—that’s God’s grace!

Need more? Well then there’s God’s unconditional love, we get that too, whether we believe it or not, but we must accept it to experience it! That’s great, but how does His love cheer me up when I’m down or give me peace when I am worried or confused? Well when we accept God’s love for us, we realize that He is no respecter of persons and that He created us all with purpose and with a plan, it’s up to us to choose to walk in it. But we must know that His plan is always to prosper us and give us an expected end (Jer. 29:11). His love also covers a multitude of sin (1 Pet. 4:8) so it’s never about what we did or didn’t do, just that we accept His love for us so that we know He’s there at all times. When know this, we will know His promises because He promised to never leave or forsake us (Heb. 13:5)and He promised that He would give us perfect peace, if we would only keep our minds on Him (Isa. 26:3). God’s love is endless!

Want it all? Well then there’s the communion of the Holy Ghost, we get that too, when we accept Christ into our lives! Communion? Holy Ghost? Sounds wonderful, but how does that help my lonely nights when I don’t have anyone there to share my life with? Well when we commune with the Holy Ghost, we have intimate fellowship with God. That means there’s no room for loneliness or depression when we can talk to God at any moment of the day and know that He’s listening. We can share all of our thoughts or ideas with the only One who has the power to make anything happen on our behalves! What better fellowship is there? None!

So if we find ourselves wanting it all, we need only look to Jesus Christ, accept Him and receive all that He has to offer, for He has it ALL!

Even The Impossible Is Possible

2010-09-14T16:17:00.001-05:00

Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the
heaven and the earth by thy great power
and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee
--Jeremiah 32:17

Tracey looked at the mountain of bills in front of her, her debt was higher than her income, how could she ever pay her bills? Alex looked at the river of tears drowning his pillow, he has just lost his wife, he wondered could he ever smile again? Judy’s earth shook all around her when the doctor’s told her she only had six months to live, where was her healing? The winds of life nearly blew Mark away, when he discovered the woman of his dreams, didn’t love him at all.

In each of these scenarios, the problems seemed bigger than life, but how great is our God? Who can make the mountains? Who can cause the rivers to flow? Who can balance the seas? Who can get the earth to shake and the mountains erupt? Who can cease the winds and cause them to blow? Who can turn the sky pink, red, orange, purple, and blue? Who make the stars stand still and the planets rotate? Who can bring light and darkness all at once? Who can heal the sick and raise the dead? Who can turn weeping into dancing and sorrow into joy? Who can cover bitterness with love? Who can perform miracles and bring us out of impossible situations? Nobody but the true and living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!

And when we think of how great our God is, how awesome His power is, and how magnanimous His might is, we will throw worry out the door, cast fear out the window, and lock doubt away. We will not frustrate the grace of God with wishy-washiness, but we will stand firm in the faith, trust God with our whole heart, and be like the tree standing by still water—unmovable. When we have true relationship with God, we are awakened to His power and strength, we can testify to the vastness of His love, and we can see width of His mercy and His grace.

When we see God for who He is, we can speak as Jeremiah and remind God that there is NOTHING too hard for Him. When we praise God we extol Him for who He is and we tell Him that He is faithful and that He promised to be great and mighty! And when we do, the only response God can give is the one He gave Jeremiah: Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me (Jer. 32:27)?

And no there isn’t, so cast every prayer, petition, and care unto the Lord for He can do anything but fail. In exchange for His promises, we too must make covenant with Him to live right, walk blameless, and to honor His commands, for He will surely bless thee!

Let us remember that there is absolutely nothing too hard or impossible for God!

He's Placed It All In Your Hands

2010-09-08T15:39:00.005-05:00

Rise up; this matter is in your hands.

We will support you, so take courage and do it.

--Ezra 10:4 (NIV)

“You can do it,” the crowd yells. “Just walk away,” the friend says. “You got what it takes,” the mother cries. “Trust God,” the preacher implores. “Make it happen,” the father urges. “Don’t let anything get in your way,” the sister encourages. “Take a leap of faith,” the brother exclaims.

Each one of these phrases we’ve all heard before at one point or another in our lives. Why? Well we’ve heard it because someone, somewhere in our lives wanted to see us be bold and courageous. They wanted us to have more than maybe we even thought possible for ourselves. So there they stood in the corners of our lives, cheering us on to do not only what we desire to do, but what takes great faith to do. But how do we respond? Often times we are critical of ourselves and we remain stagnant, not because we don’t have what it takes to do what God has freed us to do, but because we don’t really believe we can do it.

But God’s word tells us to rise up! That means we have to stop feeling sorry for ourselves because things aren’t as we envisioned them to be and pick ourselves up. When one rises, they put themselves in an upright position. We cannot move if we are slouched down in body or spirit. No, our natural and spiritual posture must be in a stance. That means we must stand tall as children of the Most High and know that we have all we need to handle any matter before us, because in Him we have all we need!

In other words, when God tells us that the matter is in our hands that means He has given us every tool we need to move forward and now in faith we must be obedient and do so. We cannot expect God to do anything when we are not hearkening to His commands. How can He move if we don’t obey? Since God is a faithful God, who is longsuffering, He will patiently wait on us to do what He told us to do and love us even in our disobedience. That’s right God loves us in spite of, but he doesn’t promise that we wouldn’t suffer because of our disobedience. How do we see His love?

We see His love in others. When those encamped around us cheer us on in the bleachers at the game, in the cafeteria at school, in the parking lot at work, on the telephone with our friends, or at the home with our families, we are experiencing the love of God and His continued support for us to move forward in life. All we have to do is take courage and do it!

Taking courage means mustering up the strength to do what seems impossible, and not only mustering up the strength, but actually seeing it through to do it. Too often we get stuck at getting the nerve to step out on faith, but never following through with it because of fear, doubt, or insecurity. But we don’t have to feel that way when we know the God we serve, who is able to keep us from falling, meaning He will not allow us to fail or falter, when we are girded in the truth of His word.

So today, maybe there’s something that those around you have been encouraging you to do, don’t be afraid, you have everything you need to succeed. Step out on faith and watch God bless you abundantly for truly trusting Him.

HE IS THE THREAD TO MY FABRIC

2010-09-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
--Colossians 1:17 (NIV)

Things began to unravel for Michelle. Though her job was always demanding, lately somehow she couldn’t manage to keep the stress of it under wraps. At home, the kids’ very need for her attention irritated her and if her husband even asked a question, it was the wrong one. Amongst her friends, she was distant and couldn’t be bothered with any of their highlights or disappointments. Michelle knew she losing a grip on things, but didn’t know what to do to piece it all together.

Perhaps some of us can relate to Michelle in that there was a time or two where it seemed like things were spinning out of control and that we could hold it together fast enough. If we have been in Michelle’s shoes before or experienced unnecessary irritation, frustration, or undue stress then we know what it is to have no control over situations we are confronted with. In those moments we must remember that we ourselves are mere mortals and cannot control anything we may face in life, but we must know that there is one and only one whom we can turn to when the fabric of life begins to unravel.

Much like fabric sewn together, so are we sewn into the pattern of God’s will. When God created us, the Bible records that He knew us before the foundations of the world were established, before we were even conceived in our mothers’ wombs. Being that God foreknew us, we must know that He also had a specific design pattern for each of us. Much like a seamstress, God’s pattern for our life is created with perfection. We can choose to follow it or not. When we do, we become a beautiful piece, designed by the great Designer; but when we try to alter the hand of the Designer or go against His pattern, we will find that the ultimate product is not of quality, even if it appears to be. In time we will see the defects of the product come to fruition and ultimately the material will begin to unravel at the seams.

But we don’t have to unravel at the seams, in fact we don’t have to be a designer-copy, when we can be a Designer-original. That is, when we allow God to sculpt us and mold us after Him we allow Him to hold us together. We allow Him to take complete control as we submit to His will and as we do, we will find an outlet in Him. When we give our burdens, problems, past hurts, old wounds, secret thoughts, or undisclosed feelings to God, we allow Him to hold us together so that we don’t fall apart and so that our minds, bodies, and souls, continuously remain stitched to Him.

As we go throughout our day today let us be careful not to allow our seams to unravel, but let rather let us allow the great Designer to hold us together as He works out those things that bother, annoy, or even irritate us. Remember is the thread to our very fabric; He holds it all together!

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

2010-08-31T23:22:00.001-05:00

“Thy words were found, and I did eat them;

and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart:

for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

--Jeremiah 15:16

Joyce constantly complained that she was overweight, in fact she was recently diagnosed with diabetes, but she continued to eat her cookies, cakes, and ice cream; no wonder her sugar was high! Brad fed himself with all sorts of sexually explicit material all week long; he was a borderline sex addict, it was no surprise that he couldn’t remain faithful. Nadine filled her ears with latest and greatest gossip in town; she could tell you about everybody and anybody, it really was no secret that she couldn’t keep a secret! Mike was consumed with his self-image; he remained in the mirror and the gym, it was no shock that his best friends were vanity and narcissism!

But why? Why was Mike so vain? Why couldn’t Brad remain faithful? Why did Nadine spread news like wildfire? Why was Joyce unhealthy? The answer boils down to simply what they ate! Huh? Well it may seem obvious as to why Joyce acquired diabetes, after all she actually ate bad foods, but what about the others? Well they ingested a poor diet as well. It may not have been actual food that they consumed, but they consumed food nonetheless. Huh? Yes, they consumed spiritual junk food. How so? Well, for example, Brad filled his mind with sex all day long and so it was hard for him to remain faithful in any relationship. Why? Because his thoughts were consumed with the images he placed in them. Just as naturally eating poor foods clogs our arteries, ultimately leading to heart failure, so does eating a poor spiritual diet clog our minds from thinking pure, our ears from hearing truth, and our hearts from receiving love, which ultimately leads to spiritual heart failure!

However, when we eat the words of God we will have joy and we will rejoice. Jeremiah, the prophet, experienced this firsthand. The Bible tells us in this passage that Jeremiah found the word of the Lord and he ate them! Why? Well Jeremiah felt persecuted and was suffering; he needed something to sustain his spiritual body. Sure Jeremiah could have turned to sex, drugs, alcohol, gossiping, or self-absorption to alleviate his stress, but instead he turned to God; and when he found Him, he tasted of Him and saw that He was good! When he ate God’s word, he was filled with self-control, he was able to spread the Good News, and he was consumed with being transformed into the image of God, for he was called by His name!

God is calling us as well. He wants us to change our diets and consume His word for food. Since we truly are what we eat, why not eat of Him and be love, joy, and peace? When we do we are sure to be just like Him! Today let us find God and eat His word!

WHY ME?

2010-08-31T06:46:00.000-05:00

And thou shalt remember all the way which the
Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness,
to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart,
whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
--Deuteronomy 8:2

Claudia lost her mother suddenly; the grief and shock nearly killed her. All she could think was, “why me, why now?” Ramon couldn’t cut a break economically; he had been out of a job for nearly two years and every door he tried to walk through, shut right in his face. He was educated and had much experience, yet all he could think was, “why me?” Jessica had been single for seven years; she was tired of going to the movies alone. She tried meeting people, but nothing ever seemed to pan out the way she wanted, she thought, “why me?” Edwin was musically gifted; he could play any instrument and even arrange songs. All he wanted was an opportunity to play for his school, but his teacher always overlooked him, he thought, “why me?”

It’s easy to get caught up thinking, “why me,” when we face challenges in life, especially when we face those that are most painful. However, when we go through these hardships, trials, changes, adjustments, disappointments, and transitions in life, we must remember that God is at work. It gets difficult sometimes to see the good in life’s changes or the benefits of the hurts and pains we face, but in the midst of it all God knows exactly what He is doing and He is fully aware of where He is taking us and how He wants us to get there. What may seem as a detour or a setback to us in life may actually be a better path, a new elevation, or a complete transformation.

But what is God transforming and why? He is transforming us, individually and collectively; He is transforming our minds to think on Him; He is humbling our prideful hearts so that we may recognize Him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings and cling to Him. He wants us never to forget that it is He who was with us when our nights were lonely and our days were dark; He wants us to always remember that it was and remains He who has been our provision and source of help in a time of trouble. God wants us to know that just as He lead the Israelites through the desolate wilderness, He too, can and will lead us through our own wilderness experiences that we face in life.

For when we face adversity we are humbled because we become reliant on Him and when we are humbled He can prove us and show us what we are made of when we are relying totally on Him. When we are at our weakest moments God is testing our faith in Him to bring about a change; He wants to know that even when things seem scattered and disarrayed that we will still trust and believe in Him to be right there to see us through.

Therefore in our moments of despair and confusion, let us remember the word of God, hide it in our hearts, and follow it with every fiber of our being so that we may be found worthy of our calling and receive a blessing that no man can give and no man can take, because it is from the Lord, Himself. So if we find ourselves beginning to think, “why me,” try asking, “why not me,” because God has chosen us for the task and will never place more on us than we can bear!

GET ME BACK ON TRACK

2010-08-30T00:54:00.001-05:00

Order my steps in thy word: and let not
any iniquity have dominion over me.
--Psalm 119:133

Nadine finally got the promotion she wanted, she was getting paid; she forgot about how she promised to give more if she only made more money and focused solely on her needs. Ralph finally met the woman of his dreams, but he was so wrapped up into her that he forgot about speaking for a local singles group to encourage them that true love is worth waiting for. At last Katrina purchased her first home, however, she spent so much time fussing over the house, that she somehow couldn’t make it out to the House, that is the church-house. Casey attended just about every event hosted for the church, but he couldn’t tell you the last time he actually spent personal time with God. What’s wrong with this picture?

Well in all the examples above everyone was so preoccupied with what was in front of them that they completely forgot about who was above them. Huh? Well sometimes we may get preoccupied with our jobs, our schools, our homes, our children, our spouses, our friends, or our family that we forget that God is the one making it all possible. So what do we do when we get so caught up with our everyday routines, schedules, or habits that we forget about God? We humble ourselves! What? Yes, we humble ourselves and ask God to help us order our steps.

When we ask God to order our steps, we are asking Him to arrange our lives, guide our paths, destine our footsteps and to lead us into His matchless truth. In essence we are asking Him to put us on the right track. God, being the God that He is, is sure to answer that request because He wants us to walk in His steps. So what are His steps? His word!

That’s right, God has laid out the exact steps that we ought to take in His word. He tells us that we shall serve no other god, or place any graven image before Him, which means we should let nothing separate us from His love. Nothing; not sin, not money, not sickness, not a relationship, not a career, not a ministry, not a vision, and not even a house should have dominion over us! Nothing in our lives should control what we do, think, or say but God.

When God is truly ordering our steps, we have time for Him, we make time for Him, we spend time with Him; and when we make room for Him to organize our timetable or schedule, we are sure to be blessed.

God’s ordered steps always lead to a place where we are brought closer to Him and not away from Him. If we notice ourselves slipping from His presence, be sure to know that the steps we are taking are without Him, and no matter how good the ground feels, the foundation is not solid; and an unstable foundation is sure to ultimately collapse at some point. So if we have found ourselves in a place where God is not at the forefront of our minds, fear not, we can correct it, by simply asking God to order our steps.

So let’s get back on track with God and place Him first in ALL things!

Who Are You Trying To Please?

2010-08-18T11:53:00.003-05:00

"For do I now persuade men, or God?

or do I seek to please men?

for if I yet pleased men,

I should not be the servant of Christ."

--Galatians 1:10

Marcia thought she would surprise her man with a romantic dinner. She wanted to make sure all his favorite foods were cooked. In fact every morning her constant thought was how to make her boyfriend happy. Gary wanted to impress his boss. He went above and beyond by working ten hour days instead of eight; he was always on time and even took shorter lunches! Simone was the equivalent to a teacher's pet. Before the teacher could even ask a question her hand was up, she left no room for anyone else to respond or even ask a question! Jerry wanted to gain favor with his pastor so he opened every door and responded to ever request; he didn't think twice if he stepped on anyone's toe while trying to do it.

Each of these individuals have one thing in common: they're all trying to please people. How many of us get caught up with the same thing where we try so hard to make sure someone else or better yet that we’re happy, so much so that we forget to inquire as to whether God is happy? Sure there’s nothing wrong with doing something nice for someone, lending a helping hand, preparing a special meal, or studying to show ourselves approved; but if our motive behind our action is wrong then all of our well wishes are wrong!

How so? Well as God’s creation, we were made for the sole purpose of giving Him glory. We strip ourselves of our purpose when we make anything else more important than Him, like getting a significant other’s attention, getting the boss to notice us, or getting our pastor to elevate us. When these desires become our focus, we in essence idolize them and the desire becomes our god! At that point we are no longer trying to please God, but we’re simply pleasing men and ultimately self.

Pleasing men, women and even self, always ends with disappointment as we will find that they don’t respond the way we anticipate or hope. Why? Because what can man really give us, what can we really give ourselves? Sure people may not intentionally hurt us, but they’re not God and we cannot expect them to respond to us as only our Father in heaven can. When we learn that our lives are solely to please God, we will get each and every one of our desires met and we won’t have to become a slave to a dream or a vision, but simply a servant of the Most High!

Paul the Apostle, had to consider the same question. Scripture shows us that he determined that if he were seeking to only please man, then he was not really a servant of Christ, how could he be? Perhaps we may have found ourselves slipping away from God’s intended purpose by trying to please or impress others, fear not, we can change. We don’t have to stay on that course! We can alleviate the burden of pleasing men, and simply take up the easy yoke of pleasing God! All we need to do is ask God to be the center of our attention and He will take care of the rest!

Next time we find ourselves doing something, make sure the motive is correct and ask, “who am I really trying to please?”

What Are You Thinking?

2010-08-16T18:13:00.001-05:00

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind”
--Ephesians 4:23

Thoughts of low self-esteem ran through Sandy’s mind all the time. She was constantly consumed with how little she had progressed in life and how much she hadn’t achieved. As a result she often overlooked how much she had accomplished and how prosperous she actually was. Selfish thoughts plagued Angel’s mind. He didn’t take the time to think about how things affected anyone else but himself. His conversation was consumed only with what he wanted or what he had been going through and didn’t really care or ask what anyone else was feeling or thinking. Rachel allowed jealousy to engulf her mind. She could only think about what this one had and what that one got. She couldn’t focus on what she had or more importantly what she was losing because she couldn’t stop comparing her life to someone else. Max was preoccupied with all of his grudges. He grew stressed and lost much sleep holding bitterness in his heart.

How about us? What are we thinking about? What thoughts flood or dominate our minds on a daily basis? Perhaps we know someone like those described above or maybe even we ourselves struggle with issues such as low self-esteem, pride, selfishness, jealousy, or un-forgiveness. Or maybe our issue isn’t mentioned above, but we know our thoughts are not on things that are lovely, pure, of good report, or honest. So what do we do?

The scripture instructs us to be renewed in our minds, but what does that mean? How do we renew our mind? To renew is to make new or to restore, which gives the implication that our mind was once in its original state. But how do we get back to our original state? Well when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, we lost the original state of our mind, but Christ came to renew our thinking. That’s right! When we accept Christ, we not only accept that He died for our sins, but that He also died so that we could live in Him. We can only truly live a life in Him, with Him, and unto Him when we change the way we think.

God’s word not only encourages positive thinking, but it is the epitome of right thinking. When we immerse ourselves in His word, sad times will come, but we won’t drown in sorrow; tough times will come, but we won’t be broken; busy times will come, but we won’t forget about others; and hurtful times will come, but we won’t become bitter. In fact if we keep our minds saturated with His holy word, we will remain in perfect peace and experience all the joy that He has in store for us here on earth! So whatever we may find ourselves thinking, let’s make sure they are thoughts pleasing unto Him!

Can You Feel The Heat?

2010-07-14T21:35:00.001-05:00

“And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver:

He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver

, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”

--Malachi 3:3

When the sun is closest to the earth, we feel the heat! The hot sweltering sun causes us to perspire and thirst. The sweat running down our faces is nothing but impurities coming out of our pores and the thirst we feel, well that’s a need for something we need: water! Meanwhile, we’re thinking warm weather is good, but can it cool off a bit? Can the sun be a little less intense? It’s the same way with life! Huh? How so?

Well when we’re under the heat of life, we go through things that seem just about unbearable. Maybe the unemployment funds are running low and there doesn’t seem to be a job in sight: the heat is on. Maybe the relationship has been rocky for some time and there doesn’t seem to be a resolution to the problem: the heat is on. Perhaps the job overlooks our worth and consistently takes our value for granted: the heat is on. Conceivably the doctor doesn’t have a cure to the ailment and now it looks as if we’re stuck with it for the rest of our lives: the heat is on. In those moments we grow thirsty for a resolution, an answer, and a way out. Why would God allow us to face these hot and sticky situations? What is He doing? Doesn’t He see our pain, our confusion, our turmoil? Why won’t He send the answer?

The answer: God knows how much we can bear and further more He understands the principle of refining and purifying us. Here in the book of Malachi God is likened to a refiner and purifier of silver. What does that mean? Pure silver and gold has to go through the fire in order to separate the pure silver and gold from the impurities. That means when we’re going through tumultuous, uncertain, confusing, or hard times, we are actually being stripped of our impurities. The refiner cannot take his eyes off the metal not even for a second as to avoid damage. He or she must keep their eyes on the metal at all times and adjust the heat as necessary. The refiner knows the silver or gold is pure when he or she can see their reflection in the metal. God operates the same way!

The whole time we’re experiencing the “heat” God is removing all the things that He wants to take out of us. Meanwhile, He never takes His eyes off of us and He never puts more on us than we can bear. He allows us to go through the fire because He wants to see His reflection in us, all so that we may serve Him with a pure heart! So if we find ourselves in a hot place, just grow thirsty for His word, which is sure to make the heat all that much more bearable, and allow God to take us through the process that will result in an image He wants to see!

TAKE OUT THE TRASH AND LEAVE IT THERE!

2010-07-13T09:08:00.007-05:00

“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world

through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

they are again entangled therein, and overcome,

the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.”

--2 Peter 2:20

Douglas was told to take the trash out three times by his mother. Finally on the third time, only after he caught a whiff of it in his room, he took it out. He noticed, however, that the raccoons were starting to gnaw at the trash and decided that it was best to bring it back into the house. What he didn’t realize that not only was the stench worse, but it was accompanied by all types of flies and insects attached to the garbage. His mother was infuriated! How could Douglas have known the stench of the garbage to be so awful and still think it better inside the home? What was he thinking?

Perhaps we’re all scratching our head right now wondering what in the world was Douglas thinking to have thought that bringing the garbage back into the house was better than leaving it outside, even if the raccoons were getting into it? If we’re thinking that way, we’re probably thinking correctly, but sin works the same way. How many times do we find ourselves walking away from something that we know isn’t right, only to find ourselves entangled in the same situation all over again? How many times has God told us to do something and we fall into the sin of disobedience by doing it all over again?

If we have done this, we’re no different from Douglas. Huh? How so? Sometimes God speaks to us and tells us what to do or where to go and we fail to heed to His voice unitl things get really hard--that's disobedience. Then when we finally do what He requires, we sometimes turn back to it only to find much more trouble than when we first encountered the sin. For example, sometimes God tells us to leave a job or even an unhealthy relationship, and so we do for a little while, but then the financial struggle sets in and the loneliness hovers over us, attempting to convince us that somehow we’ve made the wrong choice. Not so! The raccoons of life will come any time we put the trash out, but we have to be wise enough and strong enough in God’s word to know that just because the raccoons came, doesn’t mean we go back to that job or back to that relationship.

Why? Because when we go back to that job, we find we work harder for less money and less respect, when we go back to that relationship, we find the same problems magnified even ten times more. It doesn’t get better, it gets worse! It works the same for any sin we battle with. So what do we do?

We turn completely and return to the sin no more because we have the knowledge of what’s better: life, joy, peace, love, and prosperity in Christ Jesus! Once we receive that knowledge how dare we allow the same sin to plague our minds all over again? Taking the garbage out is never a fun task, but who wants a smelly home? Similarly cleansing our temples of sin is never fun or easy, but the reward of having a sweet-smelling temple dedicated to God is worth it! The fragrance of holiness, righteousness, and faithfulness is second to none!

So let’s purify ourselves and remain faithful to the one who keeps us smelling good! Take the trash of sin out and leave it there!

Let's Walk Together

2010-06-07T04:41:00.003-05:00

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
--Amos 3:3

Simone stood in the doorway begging Bryant not to leave. She had been with him for seven years but they were complete opposites. She was a talker, and well he was a walker. He never could confront any issues they faced. Terrance complained about his job every day. He was assigned to a project with Sam, but he and Sam approached work from two different perspectives. Terrance was methodical and liked to plan things out, while Sam was a procrastinator and harried Terrance at the last possible minute. Joan didn’t like the way Karen addressed her, as a result she found it hard to be in her presence. Karen noticed the shift in their interaction but didn’t know what happened.

Maybe we’ve experienced or even witnessed some situations like these, but what do we do, how do we handle them? If we have confronted scenarios like this then we know that the scripture is true. We cannot walk with loved ones, friends, family, coworkers, colleagues, or even acquaintances unless we agree. What does that mean? Does it mean we can’t take a little stroll in the park next to the individual or does it mean we cannot stroll together through life’s valleys, plains, deserts, and mountains? While the question is rhetorical, it does have an answer.

The answer is whether we come to an agreement on how we communicate with each other, how we work with one another, or how we speak to one another, we need to be unified. If our mindsets our different concerning any decision that must be made, we will not be able to reach one. If we cannot agree we cannot accomplish the tasks placed before us! How so? Well God states in His word that if any two touch and agree on anything, it shall be done (Matt. 18:19), so if we cannot agree, it cannot be done! Therefore we need to be likeminded in Christ.

When God was speaking through the prophet Amos, he was angry with the Israelites and wanted them to know that their sin had separated them from God. God wanted them to know that they couldn’t very well live in sin and walk with Him simultaneously. In essence their sins put a wall between them and God. We are no different; it inhibits us from moving forward in Him.

God wants our earthly relationships, whether at home, school, or work to be healthy but more importantly He wants our relationship with Him to be in sync with His word. God doesn’t want us to walk in opposition to Him, but rather He desires that we walk in communion with Him. So let us today align ourselves with God and His word, and walk together with Him so that we can live out the blessed life He has planned out for us!

Please Speak; I'm Ready To Listen

2010-06-03T22:53:00.002-05:00

Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down:
and it shall be, if he call thee,
that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth.
So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
1 Sam. 3:9

Lisa’s husband shut down. For the past two days he walked around the house in silence barely responding to her questions. Finally she snapped and said, “will you talk to me?!” He replied, “sure, when you’re ready to listen!”

How about us? How many times have we tried to convey a point to someone only for our arguments and concerns to fall on deaf ears? Or how many times have we wanted to reach someone who seemed so far away and just yearned for them to speak to us, to talk to us? If we’ve ever been in a place where we feel like this, we need to ask are we ready to truly listen?

Samuel was ready to hear from God. How so? Well from the text we see that Samuel followed the instructions of Eli carefully. His obedience to Eli tells us that he was listening to what was being said to him—he was not arguing and he was not questioning. The first thing Eli instructed Samuel to do was lay down. Why? He wanted Samuel to lie down because his lying down represented a posture of humility. When we are in a humble state our ears are open to hear what is being said—we are not haughty and we don’t think we have the answer before it is given to us. When we are humble we are not only able to receive what is being said, but we are also able to be elevated to a place where we not only grow, but blossom.

The second instruction Eli gave Samuel was to say “speak Lord” if God were to call Him again. Why? Because once we are in a position to receive a word, we need to hear the word. It does us no good if are ready for it, but never acquire it. Samuel was ready to not only receive it, but he was ready to hear it. The Bible doesn’t tell us that Samuel had preconceived notions about what God was to say, it simply says he wanted to hear all that He had to say to him.

Often times we go to God with our own agendas. We want to hear what we want to hear and not what God wants to tell us. We think of God as our gene or our sugar-daddy: tell me sweet things, give me good gifts; but not so! God is our potter and we are His clay, He molds and shapes us in His own perfect way! We must simply be willing vessels ready to hear and receive what He has to say and act on it!

If we truly want God to speak to our lives and tell us what He wants, then we must be willing to yield to His will, humble ourselves, turn from sin, and simply listen. When we position ourselves accordingly we will be able to say, “please speak Lord, I’m ready to listen!”

Are You Talking To Me?

2010-06-02T22:23:00.003-05:00

“That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I;
for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not;
lie down again. And he went and lay down.”
--1 Sam. 3:4-5

Julie thought she heard her mother screaming her name, but when she ran into the kitchen she was nowhere in sight, yet smoke was everywhere. She reached in time to prevent a huge fire. Tony thought he heard the phone ringing so he woke up from his deep slumber. The phone wasn’t ringing, but it was time for him to get up, he almost missed his job interview. Sandra returned a call to her best friend, although she didn’t call her, Sandra reached her just in time, she thought life was too hard and almost took her life.

In each of these scenarios the question lurks, “are you talking to me?” Each person thought they heard a voice that somehow didn’t exist or did it? Was the voice they heard really their mom, the phone, their best friend or someone else?

Young Samuel experienced this same problem. Three times, Samuel heard this voice call his name in the middle of the night and each time he would run to Eli, thinking he had called out for him. When Samuel would approach Eli however, he would reply, I didn’t call for you. Surely this was all too puzzling to Samuel. After all he was sure he heard a voice and he was sure he heard his name called. Who was calling him?

God! Yes, God was calling Samuel, but because Samuel did not know the Lord he was unable to recognize His voice. How many of us are like that? How many of us fail to recognize God’s voice when He is speaking to us? Maybe we don’t know Him and He’s simply calling us to know Him. Or maybe we do know Him and He is calling us to do something or go somewhere that we haven’t considered or haven’t thought about. Too often we miss the voice of God because we are unfamiliar with His voice.

So what do we do to hear him? We do like Samuel and lay down. We lay down our preconceived notions as to how we think God speaks and allow Him to use whomever or whatever He chooses to speak His word. We lay down our burdens so that we can have clear minds to hear and clear hearts to receive. We lay down our pride and humble ourselves so that He can exalt us; and we lay down our agenda in exchange for His—He must have total control! Once we lay down all that holds us back and keeps us from hearing His voice, we can say like Samuel, “here I am Lord,” and we won’t have to ask, “are you talking to me?”

Worrying Adds Nothing But Subtracts Everything

2010-06-01T05:21:00.001-05:00

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
--Matthew 6:27 (NIV)

Wanda paced the floor all night. Her bank account was quickly dwindling to zero and a job was not forthcoming. What was she to do? Alice was growing impatient, she had been dating Matt for two years and he wasn’t talking about commitment. Should she stay or should she leave? Ronald was completely frustrated he had spent the last few months proving himself on the job, but there was no talk about a raise or a bonus. Was it time for him to move on? Don’s mother was recently diagnosed with cancer and given a short time to live. Where was the medicine to cure her body?

Each of these individuals are asking the familiar questions of who, what, when, where, and why? They want to know where the money is coming from, when the change is going come, who will fill the void, and what will be the cure. Questions like these cloud our minds by constantly gnawing at our hearts. They flood our thoughts with fear, anxiety, and doubt. At the root of all of these questions is one source: worry!

Worry? Yes, worry is what we do when we think constantly about a problem or situation. By definition it is the affliction of mental distress; it is torment; it is to choke or to strangle. In other words when we worry we afflict ourselves with mental distress, we torment our lives with needless stress, and we choke or strangle the answer to the problem we have by blocking God out with our worry!

Here in God’s word we see that God isn’t simply telling us that worrying changes nothing, but He calls upon us to really think about worrying. He probes us with the question: who can add an hour of life by worrying? The answer: nobody can add time to their life by worrying, but through worrying we can certainly take away from our lives. That’s right worrying can rob us of the precious time God has given to us to enjoy Him and His word. Worrying takes our peace, our joy, our happiness, our stability, our confidence and so much more. See we must come to the place where we realize we cannot make money grow on trees, we cannot make a relationship work, we cannot make a career on our own, we cannot heal ourselves, and we cannot make it alone. When we do, we will stop worrying and start trusting!

Yes, it’s quite easy to fret over what seems impossible, but we must remember that we serve a God of possibilities who makes the impossible, possible! Yes God has a plan, a solution, and a remedy. He knows where our provision lies; He knows who our companion is; He knows when it’s time to elevate us; He knows how to heal us; He knows why we face the trials we do; and more importantly He knows how to bring us out! God has all power in His hands and He doesn’t want us to waste time worrying because it adds nothing but subtracts everything! Today let us allow God to minister to us through His saving grace and His calming peace, don’t worry, trust God!

Say Thank You

2010-05-21T08:42:00.002-05:00

In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tanya worked all night on her project for work. When she arrived to work that morning, she handed her boss, Steve, the finished product. He snatched it from her hand and closed the door to review. He didn’t even say, “thank you.” Mark planned a special evening for his wife’s birthday. He picked out a dress, made reservations at a four-star restaurant, booked a spa-day for her, and planned a surprise trip. After Denise sashayed in her dress, ate her food, and relaxed at her spa, she turned over and went to sleep. She didn’t even say, “thank you.” Trevor was having a hard time coping with the loss of his mother. Friends and family gathered around him to show support. Some cooked for him, some cleaned, some lent an ear to him or a shoulder to cry on. After showing support for several months to a year, he would waive goodbye to his friends, but he never said, “thank you.”

Many of us are probably thinking, the nerve of Steve, how could Denise, and what’s wrong with Trevor, but what about us? Are we so different? Do we always say thank you? Have we thanked God for comforting us when the friends go home and the family members are gone? Have we thanked God when we don’t have a job and we still manage to eat and pay a bill or two? Have we thanked God when He promotes us to places unimaginable? Have we thanked Him for our sufferings? Have we thanked Him for our mistreatments? Have we thanked God in everything we do or say? Have we thanked Him for our period of loneliness? Have we thanked Him for being our peace in a chaotic world? Have we thanked him for healing brokenness and restoring joy? Have we thanked Him for the legs to walk with or the car to drive in? Have we thanked Him no matter what comes our way?

If we have answered no to any of these questions, then maybe we are not too far off from Steve, Denise, or Trevor. See God’s word instructs us to give thanks in everything for it is His will that we must--that's a commandment, not an option! We may not understand why God requires us to do this, but He knows that when we develop an attitude of gratitude we will not allow people, circumstances, or events to dictate our moods, steal our joy, or frustrate our purpose because we are in a constant posture of worship. That’s right, giving thanks is a posture of worship. Our true reverence for God is shown when we obey His word, and if He requires that we give thanks in everything, He is looking for us to do this out of love, devotion, and respect for Him.

In the scenarios above Steve should have thanked Tanya because she helped his entire team in a very critical time. Denise should have thanked her husband for all the beautiful gifts he showered upon her and Trevor should have thanked his friends and family for comforting him during his bereavement. But Tanya should have also thanked God that He gave her the ability to endure hardships, for it was only refining her and equipping her for the next phase in her life. Mark should have also thanked God for the giving heart he blessed him with, for it is more blessed to give than to receive and not everyone can say they give. Trevor’s friends and family members should also thank God for the opportunity to exhibit love and kindness to someone who is wounded and in despair; God used them to show Trevor there is still hope.

See we all have a reason to say thank you. Receiving a thank you from those we help always fits the bill, but when it doesn’t happen, we must still remember to say thank you to the One who showed us His comfort in a time of loneliness, His provision in a time of need, His grace in a time of impatience, His peace in a time of worry, and His love in a time of heartache. So next time we are looking for man’s thank you, just say “Lord, I thank you.”

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall....

2010-05-17T15:30:00.003-05:00

But we all, with open face beholding
as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
--2 Cor. 3:18

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” These were the infamous words the vain queen, who couldn’t imagine anyone as beautiful as herself. She was satisfied every time the mirror responded favorably to her. It was only when the mirror one day told her that she wasn’t the most beautiful that the real heart of the queen was revealed.

How about us, what are we reflecting? What does the mirror of life reveal about us? We all take a look in the mirror at some point during the day, some more than others, but we do. When we do we may find that nothing is out of place or everything is out of place. The mirror, for us, serves as a gauge for how well we look today. It’s very easy to think that we look great, nothing wrong with us, but it’s hard to actually face the fact that we may not look so hot today. In those moments we turn from the mirror and we don’t want to look into it, but it doesn’t stop us from going to it. We continue to go until we get it right.

But what about our spiritual mirror? How do we fair? Do we like what we see? Are we honest about who we really are deep down inside? Do we really hate and appear to love? Do we really envy and appear to be happy? Do we really worry and appear to have peace? Or do we really have bitterness and appear to have forgiveness?

See our spiritual mirror is the glory of our Lord and when we look at His glory we are changed into His image. So what is His glory? His glory is His beauty. His glory is revealed when we wake up in the morning, it’s revealed when we hear the birds singing or see the wind blowing. We see the splendor of our King when we look into His word and discover the truth about who He is and what He created us to do. Once we come to an understating of who God is, we begin to change to look like Him. Why? Because once we are aware of who He is, we discover who we are. When we discover who we really are, we don’t want to do those things that are displeasing in His sight. We want to change. We want a spiritual make-over.

And His glory does just that for us! It changes us into the image of God, after all that is the image we made in. The Holy Spirit living within remains as a constant mirror showing us where we fall short and what we need to tailor. He remains the mirror that keeps us in line with the word of God, so that our Father gets the glory. Today let us take a look in the mirror and allow God to really show us who we are so we can cut out that which separates us and grow in grace and the knowledge of who He is!

I Just Need An Epiphany

2010-05-12T22:17:00.002-05:00

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning,
and thine health shall spring forth speedily:
and thy righteousness shall go before thee;
the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.
Isaiah 58:8

Marcel sat on the couch at home watching television one night, when suddenly the most zaniest commercial came on. The commercial was so simple that it almost lacked creativity, yet so profound. In that moment Marcel saw the light, and no he didn’t run out and buy the product in the commercial, but what he realized in that moment, was that he was going about life the wrong way all along. He thought if made a big production about everything that people would notice him and that great things would be said about him, when in fact it turned out to be quite the opposite. When he loved, he just about loved too hard, he didn’t need to smother the other person; when he participated in group projects, he overextended himself, he didn’t need to acquire an anxiety disorder; when he applied for jobs, he embellished his resume, he didn’t need to pretend to be someone else; and when he gave to his local charity, he nearly gave all he had, he didn’t need to go to the poor house. Marcel had an epiphany!

Coming to a realization of any sort is enlightening, especially when we discover the simplicity of the answer. For instance Marcel thought he had to do great feats to be noticed, but missed the fact that old lady at the bus stop awaited his arrival every morning to help her onto the bus; she noticed him. We can be like this too. We get so caught up in what we think and how we think it should go, that we overwhelm ourselves, becoming impatient and frustrated as a result. But if we would only sit back and allow God to show us what He really wants in our lives, we will find that the answers to a lot of our pains, stresses, anxieties, worries, doubts, fears, and frustrations are actually right in front of us.

It is then that we will experience His light, breaking through those dark and dreary places of confusion and uncertainty. When God brings light to our situations it brings healing of the mind, body, and soul! In fact His word reminds us not only that He will bring healing, but quickly! How many of us are tired of walking in the same sick circle? Well if we are, then we want healing now! All we have to do is continue to live right. Right living must go before God, for we can’t expect His light to shine, where we block it out with sin and unbelief. That’s right our righteousness must go before Him so that His glory can be revealed through us!

That’s an epiphany! The key to our peace, love, joy, happiness, prosperity, relationships, careers, goals, or success is following after God. When we do, He is sure to open our eyes to things about ourselves and even others that will change the way we respond and interact with our family, friends, and even foes. See God doesn’t want us to walk around in bewilderment, but He desires that we have clarity and sound direction at all times because He must get the glory—that’s our purpose! We were created to give God all the glory, so our lives must reflect His glory, and since His glory is great, the glory shining through us must also be great!

Therefore we must get an epiphany and realize that we can only do it God’s way, any other way, just isn’t the way!

The Sun Will Shine After While

2010-05-12T20:06:00.001-05:00

Truly the light is sweet,
and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
--Ecclesiastes 11:27

After weeks of torrential downpours, Judy was happy to see the sun shining through her window. As she opened the drapes to her window she let the warm rays of the sun light her face and thought about the last few months of her life and how hectic they had been. As she reflected Judy remembered losing her mom not too long ago to a long bout with cancer; she also remembered how she lost her job due to her missing work because her mom’s illness; and to top it off her fiancé thought they should have time apart because he felt he had lost her somewhere in her grieving. As she thought she remembered the pain of all the loss she had experienced all at once; but then a smile came across her face. Judy was smiling because after eight months of suffering she was walking into a new job, her fiancé not only asked for her forgiveness but set a date, and the loss of not having her mother began to subside.

Judy was beholding the sun, after all weeping may endure for a night but joy is sure to come in the morning. Many times in life we go through dark moments where nothing makes sense and it doesn’t seem like we will ever smile again or obtain that thing that God promised us so long ago. In those moments we must remember that the light will come; and when it does come, for we know it will, we must embrace it.

Too often we reflect on all the hardships we experience and miss the rays of light God gives even in those moments of despair. Those rays that we feel, warming our most inward parts is the Holy Spirit comforting us, reminding us that He is always with us and will never leave nor forsake us! His warmth reminds us that His love will always lead us to the light that is oh so sweet.

Yes, experiencing the Light of this world is sweet and when we can see God in the midst of turmoil that is true beauty! How so? Well just as when the natural eye is in a dark place, it searches for least ray of light to see, so the spiritual eye desperately searches for light when caught in the darkness of uncertainty and when we see it—how pleasant! At that moment we feel like Judy who felt the sun not only shine upon her face, but also the love of the Son shine within! Be not dismayed, for sun is going to shine after while!

It's Really Not That Complicated!

2010-05-11T02:10:00.003-05:00

The entrance of thy words giveth light;
it giveth understanding unto the simple.
--Psalm 119:130

Every project Ellen was assigned to was made complicated somehow. No matter what she did, she made it more than life. Everything was a big deal, no task was simple. If her boss asked her to get to work on time, she would complain that she has too much to do in the mornings from dropping her kids off to school, to traffic, to making sure her husband had something to eat. If it was her turn to cook dinner, she complained about the her day at work, the noise the kids made in the house, and the fact that cooking took too long. If her friends asked her to lend an ear, she complained that nobody was ever there to hear her problems or help her out in a time of need. Nothing pleased Ellen, everything was complicated!

Does this sound like anyone you know? Perhaps we’ve all met Ellen or been Ellen before, where we complained about the least little things we faced in life, things everyone had to face or deal with at one time or another. For Ellen, even something as common as traffic was a struggle for her. Ellen’s poor attitude toward life caused her to miss out on the simple solutions to her not so complicated problems. How so? Well since Ellen was so focused on how frustrating traffic was, she missed the train passing her by. How many of us miss life’s train because we are so caught up with the traffic ahead?

But life doesn’t have to be this complicated. In fact if we would only turn to God, whose words are a light to our pathway, we would come to realize that life is really simple. We would find that the answers and the solutions we seek are nearer than we think. In His word we would read that His “yoke is easy and [His] burden is light.” (Matt. 11:30) That means that serving God, loving God, and obeying God is easier than we think. His commandments are there to guide us and lead us, not to thwart us or block us; but we would know this if we would only take the time to learn of Him through His word. For when we learn of Him, we gain understanding.

See, His word simplifies the complicated matters of life. It make clear the things we don’t seem to understand or get and in it there are countless resolutions and answers to what we think are life’s biggest problems. We often put more on ourselves than God ever intended because we have failed to seek what He thinks about this or that and as a result we find ourselves frustrated, miserable, unhappy, and in a state of constant dissatisfaction, not because we can’t have joy, peace, happiness, or satisfaction, but because we choose not to.

Choosing not to see the light is a harsh reality we must all face, as it is much easier to think that the light just isn’t there for us to see. After all, “is there anything too hard for God?” (Jer. 32:27) No! So why struggle with life, why complicate it more than necessary, why stress? It’s not worth it because when we place it all in His hands we will find that it’s really not that complicated!

Looking For Direction In All The Right Places

2010-05-10T09:47:00.001-05:00

For the commandment is a lamp;
and the law is light;
and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
--Proverbs 6:23

Sandra fell deeply in love with Leon. They had been dating for six months and she knew that he was the one this time. Her friends weren’t that excited about Leon because with one hand he took care of her and with the other hand he abused her. Prior to her relationship with Leon she was with Ralph and he cheated on her repeatedly. That relationship only ended one month before she met Leon. So with a broken heart and wounded soul she got involved with another man. Some would say she was desperately looking for love in all the wrong places. Why?

Perhaps we know someone like Sandra or may even be Sandra ourselves. Sandra’s problem wasn’t that she fell in love, but that she fell in love with people who couldn’t really love her. As a result she came up short, feeling rejected in one way or another and wondering why she couldn’t find true love. In the end all Sandra really needed was love. She needed someone to hold her, care about her, provide for her, communicate with her, and cherish her consistently. That love which Sandra sought ultimately could only come from God. Sandra’s problem was love, ours may be finances, acceptance, success, status, healing, deliverance, joy, or peace. In any event if we find we are looking to fill any void or lack in our lives outside of God, we are looking in all the wrong places.

Many of us may think well as long as I have prayed about it, I’m seeking God. But not so, for what good is prayer if our heart doesn’t have the right motive, or if we really don’t believe God will answer, or if we continue to walk out of His will by disobeying His direct commandments? We may ask, well what are His commandments? His commandments are His instructions for our lives; they are the laws that will lead us into all truth. For example God commands us to love one another as He has loved us (John 15:12). When we follow that commandment we are sure to experience not only God’s love, but His wisdom, and direction. Why?

Because God’s commandment is a lamp and His law is light. In other words when we follow His instructions we will be guided in the path He has set out for us. It’s in the times of sin and disobedience that we find ourselves wandering and in darkness—not when we are doing what He says and maintaining a pure heart. But even in our sin and disobedience God is merciful and continues to show His love toward us by correcting us—His reproofs are the way of life. In other words even when we are getting off the beaten path, God steps in and begins to correct us so as to turn us toward the right road.

As a result we need not look any further, when we truly want to fill a void, when we really want guidance and directions, we will look to His word which is our lamp and our light, promising to open our eyes to truth. When we’re in His word, we will look for love, hope, peace, joy, prosperity, health, direction, success, promotion, or comfort in all the right places!

Looking For Direction In All The Right Places

2010-05-10T09:47:00.000-05:00

For the commandment is a lamp;
and the law is light;
and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
--Proverbs 6:23

THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

2010-05-07T07:08:00.001-05:00

Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness:
he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
--Psalm 112:4

Jason looked all night through a pile of boxes searching for that one document he needed to submit to the bank. It was the missing piece to a long arduous task of trying to buy a home. Searching through box after box, he found nothing other than old photographs, knick-knacks, trophies, and random pieces of paper. As frustrating as those moments of searching were to Jason, he had the opportunity to remember precious moments in his life some items brought tears, others caused him to chuckle to himself. Finally when it was nearly midnight, Jason managed to stumble across that one document. Looking up, he thanked God for finding it but he also thanked God for the opportunity to sort through his belongings and reflect upon his life. Jason was beginning the next chapter in his life, but he couldn’t forget what brought him to where he was right now: God’s mercy and grace!

In our desperate search to find meaning, answers, and solutions to life, we often get frustrated, tired, bogged down, and discouraged because it feels like we are so far from the truth, the light, and the way. But fear not, we are not as far off the beaten path as we may think, in fact our feet are firmly planted in the plan and purpose of God. Sure it may seem like is there isn’t any light at the end of this tunnel, but there is. In fact God’s word reminds us that to those whose walk is right, that is to those who obey His word, there will arise light out of darkness. That means in the midst of uncertainty there will arise certainty, in the clouds of confusion there will arise clarity, and out of the web of chaos there will arise peace. How so?

Well God is very clear that if we really want to see the light, we must obey the Light. We must follow His commands, heed to His instructions, and adhere to the lessons He teaches in His word. The promise of gaining clarity in a dark place is given to those who believe and follow. Now He didn’t promise if we believe and follow that we would never run into moments where we need clarity, answers, or understanding, but He did promise to be gracious, full of compassion, and righteous towards us!

That’s right in the midst of storms, trials, stresses, and chaos we can find mercy and grace. Just as Jason was able to find moments of joy and gratitude to calm his anxious heart, so will God grant us His tender loving mercies as we seek to find His will for our lives. He will give us laughter in sorrow, joy in pain, comfort in distress, companionship in loneliness, peace in confusion, strength in weakness, hope in despair, and provision in a famine. God will give us exactly what we need to make it to our destiny. We must simply trust, believe, follow, and remain ever thankful—the rest He has under control! There is a light at the end of the tunnel, hold on.

TAKE ME TO THE SOURCE

2010-05-06T05:46:00.001-05:00

For with thee is the fountain of life:
in thy light shall we see light.
--Psalm 36:9

Kelley had heard some disturbing news. Apparently everyone was talking about the new man in her life—they all thought she could do better. After all she made more money than him, lived the suburban hills, was never married, and had no kids. He on the other hand was a blue-collar worker, had a humble home in the city, was a widow, and had two children. To top it off she even heard her “so called” best friend was at the bottom of these nasty rumors. Kelley had had enough; she went straight to the source and confronted her best friend!

How about us? How would we handle Kelley’s situation? Don’t we all want to get to the bottom of any rumor or backbiting gossip? If, we’re honest, most of us will say yes! When people are spreading lies or hurtful things about our lives we usually want to know where it’s coming from and “nip it in the bud”. When we find out, we head to the source. But what about when we want to know the plan or purpose for our lives? How do we go about that?

Well when we want to really want to get to the bottom of knowing what steps to take, what direction to move in, and what path to follow, we need to go to the Source. But who or what is the source and how do we get to him or it? Well the word of God is pretty clear here that the source is God. In Him we find the fountain of life. A fountain by definition is the source from which something proceeds or is supplied. God, being our fountain thereby serves as the Source from which all of our needs are supplied. Out of Him springs for life!

He is the only one who can lead us into our destiny, for in Him is light. Since out of Him proceeds light, we can then see our way. Looking to God is the only way we can clearly see, otherwise we are constantly wandering in frustration and uncertainty. Once we can see our way and the scales of darkness are removed, we can walk freely in His love, joy, and peace. We don’t have to worry about whether He can do it, because once He reveals Himself to us, we KNOW he can do it.

Many times we wander through life looking for different sources, whether that be the fountain of youth, the fountain of wealth, the fountain of romance, or the fountain of success. In our pursuit for these sources we often come up short because neither of these fountains can ever provide full contentment. As a result we continue our search for life, for meaning, and for purpose. Such journeys will only conclude when we find the Source and seek Him for continued guidance and insight. Lord take us to the source in You!

IT'S TIME TO CHANGE MY BULB

2010-05-04T23:23:00.002-05:00

For thou art my lamp, O Lord:
and the Lord will lighten my darkness.
--2 Samuel 22:29

Tracy couldn’t sleep last night, so she decided to read. She turned on her lamp and pulled out a good book to help her fall asleep. As she began to read, the light bulb in her lamp blew. She tried to change the bulb, but she was all out of fresh light bulbs. Frustrated, she tossed and turned hoping to get just a few hours of sleep in before the sunlight hit her window. Finally she cried out, “Lord please, give me peace!”

Maybe some of us can relate to Tracy’s frustration in not being able to sleep at night sometimes. In those moments we toss and turn with a million thoughts scurrying through our minds. Perhaps we are thinking about all the tasks before us at work, maybe we’re thinking about our next big project or how to accomplish our next goal, maybe we want to repair a relationship and can’t figure it out, or perhaps our children are wayward and we just hope they are safe tonight. In any of these scenarios we just don’t have the answers we want and we certainly don’t know the outcome. So what do we do?

We pray. That’s right whether we believe it or not prayer changes things. Whether Tracy knew it or not, she prayed that night, when she called on God for help, because that’s all prayer is: communication with God. What Tracy didn’t know was that the light that she needed, was really the Light of this world. Sure she wanted her lamp to work so that she could read her book, but what God wanted Tracy to know that her peace was not in the book, but it was in Him.

Often times we remain in darkness because we are trying to find light in places where no light exists and God is telling us to change our light bulbs. In other words, the old way of doing things no longer works. For instance it’s not enough to just have a degree to get a job today—today’s job seeker needs God; it’s not enough to be the best looking to get a spouse—today’s single needs God; it’s not enough to have the most ingenious idea—today’s innovator needs God; and it’s not enough to just have good credit—today’s future homeowner needs God!

In short, just in case we thought we had it all figured out with a backup plan of our own, God is saying turn back to me. He’s reminding us that He is our lamp and the True Bulb that will lighten the dark places. When God changes our bulbs He gives us a new perspective, a new direction, and fresh outlook. With His light we see differently; we see with eyes of peace, contentment, and confidence. So if we find ourselves stuck in a dark place of frustration, confusion, opposition, aggravation, or irritation, simply ask God to change the bulb!

LORD, LEAD ME

2010-05-04T05:58:00.002-05:00

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud,
to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire,
to give them light; to go by day and night..”
Exodus 13:21

Young Jeremy was happy to be on a camping trip with his family. He liked feeling the night air on his face, but mostly he enjoyed chasing the fireflies at night. For Jeremy, the fireflies were intriguing because not only did they provide light in the dark woods, but they also seemed to know where they were going. How about us? Do we know where we’re going? Or better yet, are we being lead by the One who knows where we must go?

For those of us who find ourselves asking these questions, we must remember that we are not too far off from the Israelites looking to escape from Egypt. Maybe we are not looking to escape from a physical place, but perhaps we want to escape the pain of an illness, maybe we want to escape the hurt of our loss, perhaps we want to escape a failing relationship or an unfulfilling job, or maybe we want to escape the feeling of inadequacy or helplessness from not having a job or someone to call our own—in either event we are looking to escape. When we want to escape a place of discomfort we need an exit plan, and who better to give us an exodus route than the One who created the plan and purpose for our life?

That’s right just like God provided a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, so shall He provide a road map for us today to lead us into the path He has created for us. Much like Jeremy chasing the fireflies of the night, so must we chase after the light of God’s word. How so? Do we run to every church service or sit on every board? No!

We simply spend time cultivating a relationship with Him that will begin to illuminate our path. Growing closer to God means getting to know Him better through His word. It doesn’t just mean going to church, but it does mean allowing the church to live within. Today our pillar of cloud and fire is the Holy Spirit, who enlightens us daily; He serves as our constant guide as to where we must go both day and night. He never leaves our side, because He lives inside!

If we truly want to be lead, we will allow the still voice of God to control, even when we don’t want to listen and obey. It may not prove to be easy at first, because our flesh always wants to go the opposite way, but in time we will find that it is more easy to follow Him than to choose our own way. Today just say, “Lord, lead me,” and He will!

LET THERE BE LIGHT

2010-05-03T08:26:00.002-05:00

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
--Genesis 1:3

Gary was trapped in the darkness of his mind. He wanted so desperately to see what the future held for him. Would he have the job he wanted? Would he marry the girl of his dreams? Would he be a father one day? Will he have that house on the hill? He asked God, but he heard no answer, or so he thought. He thought maybe a seer could look into their crystal ball or read their tarot cards to determine what lied ahead—after all he needed answers. The seer, however, didn’t have much insight into Gary’s life other than what he already knew, and so life was still a blur filled with much uncertainty. What was he to do?

There’s a good chance that some of us today are like Gary, looking for answers in all the wrong places. Perhaps we asked God to show us what to do and where to go, but have found the answers slow coming, and so we took matters into our own hands, much like Gary. Maybe we didn’t seek out a fortune teller or seer, but maybe we thought we would find answers in our friends, our family, our jobs, our education, or our spouses or mates, only to come up short. Why?

We come up short because the answers we seek lie only in God. When we are in a dark place, only God can speak light to our situations. When we think of the scripture, “let there be light,” we often think of the natural light, such as the sun, the moon, and the stars. And so naturally when we are looking for answers to our life’s journey, we look for natural resolutions, like the spouse we actually see and feel, the job we can physically walk into, or the location of the home in which we reside. But what about the light we need to find our way when we are lost in our thoughts, our emotions, or our plans. If we would only ask God to light our way, we will find that He will give us the direction and guidance we need to achieve His purpose for our life. We need only wait on His command.

We often struggle when the light doesn’t come the way we want it. Perhaps we want God to shine a 100 watt light on our situation but He knows we only need 60 watts to light our way. As a result, we miss His path, because it’s not what we wanted—we wanted more, we wanted something else, but God knows exactly what we need.

Be sure that when we ask for light God will grant it, for He doesn’t desire that we walk in darkness. He wants us to know His will for our lives and more importantly He wants us to walk in it. So trust and believe that when God says, let there be light, there will be light.