Prayer Changes Things, Not Me.

I am on a journey to grow my prayer life.  This week I  found new meaning in the verse that says,

'Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words'.  Romans 8:26 

I finally realized the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within me.  I also realized that sometimes I don't like what He says.  But as I develop a more constant prayer life, I am more in tune to the direction that I am being pulled.  The reason I sometimes don't like it, is because of how quickly I am corrected when I have done wrong. Like today when I became angry over the silliest thing and immediately I felt convicted.  It's been happening all this week and I am kind of getting tired of it.  No not really.  I am enjoying it because it let's me know that I am growing.  I would much rather be growing because anything that isn't growing is dead. It also helped me to realize how many times I have shrugged off the Holy Spirit.  All those times I just had to be right instead of obeying the spirit when He told me to be quiet and to love through my actions.  I may have been right but God was not glorified because I was not an example of His love.  I did not behave as though I was the recipient of His grace and mercy.  I had forgotten that I was covered by the blood.  The bottom line was that I was right and they were wrong and they needed to see my way.  This was even on topics of the Bible.  I have learned that most arguments are over religion and not what the Word says anyway. 

My biggest conviction came one day in the middle of my prayer. There I was praying when all of a sudden I was stopped.  Now we all know praying is a good thing and God loves to hear from His child.  So, what could possibly have placed  a pause in my prayer?  Well I'll tell you.  I was praying for God to change someone for my own selfish reasons.  Not only that but before my prayers I was trying to do everything in my power to change this person myself.  But on this particular day the Holy Spirit stopped me and said (just as if they He was sitting right next to me), only God has the power to change anyone and what made me the expert on how this person needed to change.  What a slap in the face!  But He was right.  How many times had I taught in Sunday School or spoke in different Women's Day programs on the power of prayer?  Many times. And today I was corrected. I truly believe that the Holy Spirit had tried to show me this before but it was before I was ready to dedicate my life to prayer and staying tuned in to God, never losing my connection.  How can I pray for someone to be more loving when I was not showing love?  How could I ask for someone to be more understanding when I was not understanding?  Instead I became angry and introverted.  How could I ask God for someone to get something that was so plain to me from His Word, when in my explanation I put that person down?  I believe this is the very reason we were told to 'love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and thy neighbor as thyself'.  The more you come to love the Lord, the more you come to realize His unconditional love for you.  The more you pray you come to know the will of God for your life.  It's about a process and the process includes your very own transformation.  You are being changed into the likeness of God.  That is what is important.  We must never lose sight of this fact.  The good thing is that even if we do, we have the Holy Spirit in us, helping us. He is your internal prayer partner, helping you to create the perfect prayer. 

Dear Lord,
Thank you for your Holy Spirit.  Thank You because when I don't know what it is that I should pray for, the Holy Spirit intercedes for me. Thank You for the gentle nudges that He gives to keep me on the right track, moving in the same direction as You so that I can fulfill the purpose You have for my life.  Thank You for the correcting I receive throughout my day when I am praying or behaving in the wrong manner.  Lord continue to change me into the person You want me to be. I will continue to give  You all the praise.  In Your Most Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 
                                                                                                                                                       

In Your Presence

I have found that the place I love to be the most is in the presence of the Lord.  In this place, my every thought is on the greatness of the Lord. I acknowledge Him for who He is and what He has done.  My most fondest memories are not when I am in panic mode and begging Him to meet some need but when I am truly just meditating on the awesomeness of God.  I look forward to the morning when He awakens me and I begin to pray and thank Him for waking me up this morning.  For granting my family and I protection.  It is at this time that my anticipation for the great things God is going to do for me is at it's highest.  I have no thought of what may have occurred the day before. I am just so amazed that God has given me another chance to praise His name.  To magnify Him.  To glorify Him.  This is such an awesome time for me.  My soul yearns to be with the Lord.  Even on my weary days, I can come to a place of peace of joy.

We should all desire to be in the presence of the Lord at all times.  Meditating on His Word all day and all night.  No matter where you are or what the situation, it is always a right time to worship Him.  It's like the Psalmist said in the 84th chapter...'How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!  My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord.  My heart and my flesh sing joy to the living God'...(v1-2)
Every thought he had was about the goodness of God.  It's like that craving I get for a peach cobbler every now and then except it is all the time.  That peach cobbler might not always be good for my health, but the presence of God is always good for me.  As I walk through the valley, at my lowest point, I can still feel as though I am on the mountaintop.  As I walk through my valley, I fear no evil.  God is with me and that is enough said. As I am walking through my valley, I am talking to Him.  Keeping Him abreast of every detail of my life.  As I am walking and my body becomes weary, I still anticipate what God is going to do and I receive strength from the Lord.  Those that walk past me that may know my life story may not understand, so I stop by and share with them about the goodness of Jesus.  I give them a little encouragement.  I let my little light shine.  Everywhere I go, I let my little light shine. 

A lot of us are looking for happiness in all the wrong places.  All those things provide temporary happiness at best.  Your spouse may let you down.  Your best friend may let you down.  Your job can let you down. You house can get destroyed and your car repossessed. But I stopped by to tell you today, that there is One that sticks closer than any brother.  He is able to provide a joy that doesn't fade with circumstance and a peace that the average human can't even understand.  Take a journey through the Bible and read about the attributes of God. The next time you are sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, I dare you to just raise Your hands.  Just start to say the name Jesus.  I dare you.  Learn to live in His presence.  God is constant.  He never changes and His love never fails.  In God's Presence, that's where I always want to be. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father, 

The One who knows everything there is to know about me and loves me anyway.  You are my Healer.  My Provider. My Protection.  Worthy of glory and honor.  I love you Lord. There is no one like You.  I invite You into my heart, my mind, my soul as a permanent fixture.  How lovely is Your dwelling place. Thank You for Your Word.  Teach me the way you want me to live.  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in they sight O God for you are my strength and my Redeemer.  Speak to my heart.  If there is anything that is not like You Lord, please take it away.  I will forever give You all the praise. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

God Is Bigger

For the past couple of days I have been singing a song that says, 'Oh magnify the Lord with me. Let us exalt His name together. As we enter into the house of the Lord, we sing praises...praises to our King.  For the Lord, He is great and is worthy to be praised, magnify Him and lift Him up.'  I hadn't actually thought about this song in a long time but it rose up in my spirit and I just started singing. It reminded me of a beautiful concept that I had forgotten.  My God is bigger!!!! He is bigger than any problem I might face.  He is bigger than any obstacle that may be thrown in my way.  He is bigger than any of Satan's attacks that try to deter me from my goal.  There is nothing that my God cannot handle, no problem that He cannot solve.  But this past week I had forgotten this concept and had become too focused on the problem.  There I was in bed wide awake and the words of this song came to my mind. So I begin to sing. 

When the world seems like it is crumbling in all around you and your best effort at having a positive outlook fails, what do you do?  You try to explain it to friends and loved ones, but they just don't understand.  In fact, you get upset because they aren't as worried about what is going on as you are.  Your every thought is consumed with the issues of life.  Today I am stopping by to tell you that it is time to stop focusing on the problem and time to start looking up to God.  Stop amplifying your problem and start praising God.  The effects of my praising God was enormous!  I could no longer feel sorry for myself.  I could no longer act like those who have no hope.  I had hope!  My hope was in Jesus.  The one who made the heaven and the earth.  It was no longer about me.  It was about God.  He would not fail me.  God is a great God.  Worthy of honor and glory. God is not unaware of the situations that are going on in your life.  Take some time and read the 40th Chapter of Isaiah.  'Have you not known?  Have you not heart?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall fall exhausted;  but they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.  (v28-31)

You may be tired but the God you serve never grows tired.  This problem that you are going through is simple to God.  Stop trying to understand why.  We have got to get in the habit of looking at the bigger picture.  We don't know the path that God is taking you through for His greater glory, to fulfill the promise that He has made to you.  But I guarantee that He has not forgotten and He is just wanting you to trust Him.  Have a little faith.  Satan loves to creep up in your mind, trying to make you doubt God.  But God is bigger than Satan.  He has all power in His hands.  Trust Him.  Trust Him Trust Him.  He did not bring you this far just to leave you.  God will be glorified.  I have no doubt.  Keep praying.  Hold on.  Allow this situation to bring you closer to God.  Magnify Him.  Use Faith the size of a mustard seed to activate the power of  an enormous God.

Dear Lord,

My hope is in You.  I will not be afraid of the terror by night nor the arrow that flieth by day.  I choose to dwell in Your secret place.  A place where I can find refuge and strength in my time of need.  It doesn't matter what is going on around me, I will trust You.  You are an awesome God, worthy of all the honor and the praise.  I will not be defeated.  I know your plans for me are for prosperity, hope and a future.  And all these things are done so that you will be glorified.  So I surrender all to you.  I give you my doubt, my fear, my anxiety.  I turn it all over to You.  Thank you Lord for being my everything.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Deus Absconditus

'In the midst of my trials, I know that You are with me.  Trouble all around me, I know that you are with me.'  These words are the beginning lyrics to one of my favorite songs.  This song reminds me that I must always put my trust in the Lord.  And I do trust You Lord but right now You seem so silent.  In the midst of everything going on, you seem to let the storm continue to go on.  Not only do you let it continue, but it continues to get worse.  The God who I have been taught is always with me, is hidden.  Deus Absconditus...the God who is hidden. I only have one question then.  "Don't You see me suffering?

In fact, He does.  I haven't quite figured out why God seems hidden at times.  I'm praying and crying.  Crying and praying...and it seems that He does not hear me.  And if He is hearing me, why isn't He doing anything about it.  During this time I am reminded of the scripture that says, 'His ways are not our ways, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.' (Isaiah 55:8)  Truth of the matter is, I don't know what is best for me.  My track record has shown that I have made some very bad decisions in my life. I don't always follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life.  You see, God sees my end from the beginning.  I am only able to see a small part right now.  That is why when I don't seem to understand, it's okay.  I can't lean on my own understanding anyway.  The way I think things should work out may not be what God intended.  So what do I do in the midst of all my trouble.  I acknowledge Him because He is there and He directs my path.  He guides my steps.  I could choose my own path but how much easier my life is when I choose to follow the path God has set before me. 

Maybe the reason that God seemed hidden to me was that I wasn't in the right position.  Maybe I needed to move myself so that I was closer to Him.  Yes, I had been praying but my prayers had become very generic.  It was time for me to look up to heaven and SURRENDER.  Give God everything and no matter what the outcome, trust Him.  I really thought I had been doing this but my spirit kept saying 'Pray Ramona...pray.'  It is so easy for life to become stagnant and even though we know we are going to go through trials, we do not serve a God that doesn't want to make our situation better.  The time had come for a change in my life.  One that brought me closer to God.  A life that was in line with the scripture that said, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.' (Matthew 6:33)  All my life I had been taught that prayer had power.  Power to change.  And right now I needed changing.  Prayer is about relationship building.  Until you have the right relationship with God how are your other relationships going to flourish.  As you build this relationship through prayer, God doesn't seem as hidden.  When you pray, you can't help but feel His spirit.  When you pray and the circumstances don't change, you still have a blessed assurance.  In the beginning God may seem hidden, but in the end He feels closer than He has ever been.  All because you learned to really pray.  There is a saying that you PUSH....pray until something happens.  I believe that when you pray something always happens. 

Maybe right now God seems hidden in your life.  Your life consists of sleepless nights and stress-filled days.  Maybe you have prayed about it.  Maybe you haven't.  Whatever the case may be...I challenge you to take a look at your prayer life.  Are you in a position of closeness to God?  He desires you to be close to Him and it is possible through prayer.  Remember ACTS....Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.  The more you pray the more it changes from a rehearsed act to a warm, loving letter to the Most High God. In the end you will come to realize that God is not hidden, He is right there waiting for you.   

Dear Heavenly Father thank you for being who You are.  You are such and awesome God and worthy of all the glory, honor and praise.  There is none like You.  One who is magnificent, glorious and sovereign.  You know all about me.  I confess my sins to You today.  I confess that I have not been living as a good representative of Your goodness.  I have allowed life's circumstances to take me away from You when I know they are meant to bring me closer to you.  There are so many things going on in my life that I don't understand but I am leaning and depending on You.  I thank You Father because I know that you are in the process of doing a great thing in my life so that You can get the glory.  Lord I pray for those around me, my family,  my friends, the leaders of our churches, the leaders of this country.  I do not know Your plan for their lives but I pray Your will be done and that You continue to guide them into all wisdom and knowledge.  In Jesus' Name I pray Amen. 

Redeemed

It is so exhausting trying to live a perfect life.  Always trying not to break any rule and keep up appearances.  I am so glad that I don't have to do any of this.  Having a life that exemplifies the perfect situation.  Graduation.  Marriage.  2.5 kids.  Great Job.  History has shown that there were a group of people called the Israelites, God's chosen people, who were given Ten Commandments.  For a short while they tried to live according to these rules.  They were so thankful for what God had done for them when He delivered them out of Egypt. Soon after they were given these commandments though, they broke them.  They disobeyed God in a major way over and over and over again. 

One of the things I have to fight hard against is the spirit of failure.  In every area of my life I have certain expectations of myself. This started out at an early age. Because of my intelligence, which was a gift from God, everybody told me what I should do and who I should be. Sometimes it included God and other times it didn't.  It wasn't long before this became my very way of life.  I had given myself a time line and was determined not to waiver in any way from my goals.  Suffice it to say the first time I didn't meet one of these goals it hit me very hard.  On top of that, I was raised in the church. I knew right from wrong and there were certain things I did and I knew they were wrong.  I got pregnant out of wedlock. And then, much like the Israelites, the cycle began. Single mother, dropped out of college, divorcee, just to name a few.  Then there are the sins that I can't seem to stop doing.  I try to control my tongue Lord but she made me upset and I had to tell her off. Although You told me in Your Word that 'death and life are in the power of the tongue'.  (Proverbs 18:21) My words have the power to build up, yet I find myself at times tearing things down. 

Today as I was driving home from class I became excited.  Why?  Just at the realization of what Jesus did for me at Calvary.  Because of his sacrifice on Calvary and the shedding of His innocent blood, I don't have to live a perfect life.  No matter how hard I may try, it will never happen.  If I could what purpose would there have been for God sending His only begotten Son to die for my sins.  God knew that I would experience failure.  At the very moment sin entered into the world through Adam's disobedience, God realized that it would take more than my actions to save me.  I would never be perfect but I could be redeemed.  'Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins'. Colossians 1:13-14  Have you ever taken a moment and thought about what this means?  You are no longer a slave to sin even though you were born into sin.  There are not too many things you can rid yourself of that you were born with. Yes, there are all kinds of surgeries that can alter the way you look but underneath you are still that same person.  When God redeems you, He washes you with His blood.  You have been delivered by payment of a ransom.  Jesus paid it all.  All He asks of us is that we want to live right and that is shown through our actions.  He wants you to try.  He understands that you will slip up.  When you do, own up to it.  Ask God to forgive you.  If it is something that you know you struggle with more than something else, ask God to change your behavior, from the inside out. Admit to yourself right now that you will never be perfect.  Stop beating yourself up about it and having a defeatist attitude. This should only deepen your relationship with God.   While on this earth you are going through a sanctification process.  This is not your excuse to sin.  To just run off at the mouth and tell everyone off anytime you feel like. To hook up with Billy Bob or Sally Sue anytime you feel like it. Own up to your struggle.  That is the first step in the right direction.  It gives God free reign to make the changes He needs to make in your life.  He is just that good of  a God. 
 
Driving home today and reminding myself of this very thought felt like a load being lifted.  I needed to stop putting so much pressure on myself and realize that God is there always to help me in my time of need.  I can call on Him at anytime.  The fact that I feel bad about my failures is just His blood working within me, further cleansing me from the impurity of sin.  I'm okay with that.  No longer will I allow Satan to bring me down by telling me that I'm not good enough or by making me feel like a failure.  I have been redeemed...washed in the blood of the Lamb.  Bought with a price.  He justified me.  And right now I am being sanctified. More importantly, one day I will be glorified. 
 
Lord,
 
Thank you for the gift of eternal life.  I thank You for sacrificing Your Son just for me.  I thank You for the blood that washes me clean.  I thank You because even though I may fall short, You are there to life me up.  I am no longer a slave to sin.  I have been bought with a price.  Help me to continue to become more like You.  Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me.  I am lifting my eyes up to the hills where I know my help comes from. It is You, the one who made the heaven and the earth.  Help me to remember that you will perform your work in me until it is complete.  I am walking in my destiny.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

Anticipation met with Expectation

I believe every one at some point in time wonders if God has heard your prayer.  We wonder to the point that we repeat the same prayer over and over again, this time with much more intensity.  At least I do sometimes.  Especially in situations that it seems that He is taking so long to answer me.  I ran across a scripture today as I was reading in the book of Isaiah. 

'Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear'.  Isaiah 65:24

Your relationship with the Lord should be number one above any other relationship.  Let me say that again...your relationship with the Lord should be number one above any other relationship.  That means husband, wife, children, mother, father, sister, brother.... No one should come before God.  The way this thing called life works is God first, everybody else second.  Now you may be thinking, "Okay Ramona I get it."  But do you really?  God desires to be first in your life.  He longs to have a personal, intimate relationship with you.  He wants you to tell Him your innermost secrets.  He wants you to bring Him all your wants, your needs. Tell Him your hearts' desire. That thing you can't share with anyone else.  He doesn't want to hear it second hand or on the internet.  He wants you to take time out of your daily schedule and talk to Him.  Why?  So that He can provide for us what we need.  There is no other motive.  It is for your benefit.  In fact He anticipates that you will come to Him.  He knows what is going on with you already anyway and He wants to help.  That is what prayer is for.  Christians must learn how to pray in order to experience the fullness of communion with God. Why do you think we are told to 'pray continuously' or 'pray always'? 

Most of us have been taught that we must say the right words or somehow get God's attention for our prayers to be answered.  It is as though prayer is our idea, when in fact it isn't. Unless I am reading this wrong, this verse says that before I even utter my first word in prayer, God is already ready to answer.  He is in fact sitting there anticipating my call. He has already prepared an answer.  It's because God knows me better than anyone else.  This is such good news.  It means I don't have to sit and worry about if God is going to meet my need.  In fact I like to look at it this way....Anticipation met with Expectation.  God is anticipating hearing from His child and His child is expecting God to meet the need.  I don't know about you but when I know that the person I am calling is excited about hearing from me, it makes the call a little easier.  I am running to the phone to call.  This is how it should be with God.  I don't have to worry about the shame I feel from messing up and living a less than perfect life even as a child of God.  I can tell Him my deepest fears, what causes me anxiety, my wishes for my husband, my children, those nearest and dearest to my heart. I don't have to worry about it going in one ear and out the other.  I am never ignored.  After all, it was God himself who asked for the conversation.  That is why we can go boldly before the throne of grace. It is there that we may obtain mercy and find grace in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Let's stop thinking of prayer as a chore.  God desires to bless you.  He wants to meet your need. He desires to change you from the inside out.  He knows what is best for you.  Maybe you don't pray everyday, why not start today?  God is sitting there waiting for you to talk to Him. Whatever it is that you are looking for God's got it.  We, as Christians, have got to start using our resources.  You have direct access to an All-Powerful God.  Call Him up!

O Most Gracious and Heavenly Father, all praise, honor and glory be to you on this day.  Again I want to thank you for imparting your wisdom to me through Your Word.  Many days I have risen without so much as a good morning Lord. Thank you for waking me up.  I have went to bed without so much as a "Thank you for helping me make it through another day" and there you were sitting there waiting for me to talk to you.  I am sorry Lord.  I am going to do better.  It makes me feel good that You want to hear what is going on in my life.  Lord I wanter a deeper, more intimate relationship with You.  Open my ears so that I may hear you speak to me and open my eyes as You direct my path.  I want to be more like You.  In Jesus' Name I pray Amen. 

Know Your Worth

Do you really ever get to the point that no matter what things look like, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has the situation under control and everything will be alright?  The point that the words you say are not just lip service but evidence of your strong faith in God?  Is your desire to get to the point that you can answer this question YES, without any hesitation?  As a child of God, your answer should be YES!  How do you get to the point that you have that type of blind faith?  Faith in God that when the world is falling in all around you, you can look the devil in the eye and say..."Is that all you got?"  I cannot answer that for you but I can tell you how I got there.  It was in the eye of the storm that I learned for myself who God is in a personal way.  And it is through every additional test and trial that I go through that I come to know Him in an even more intimate way and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will take care of me. 

I know that the devil is busy planting all kind of negative thoughts in your mind. Trying to make you think during your most difficult times, where is your God now? It is during those times when you must stand on His Word. Believe the Word when it says,

'Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me? (Jer. 32:27) 

'Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened at all, that it cannot save, nor His ear dull with deafness, that it cannot hear'. (Isaiah 59:1)

'Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall'. (Psalms 55:22)

You see, although my God sits high, He looks low.  He is able to reach you at your lowest point.  You are valuable to God.  Recall what was said in Matthew 6:26,  'Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they'?  You must know your worth and also believe that God knows exactly what you need.  The battle that you fight is the Lord's.  Are you feeling weak right now at this moment?  Don't have anything left in you to fight?  His Word says, 'He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might He increases strength.  (Isaiah 40:29).  Now is not the time to give up.   I tell you today... hold on, be strong, it's only a test.  God will give you strength for your journey.  I am witness. In every situation in my life, it was Jesus that brought me out.  There is no doubt in my mind. The God I serve is an awesome God!  He is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than I could ever ask or imagine.  Tell God what you need. Even though as Christians we know that we must endure hard times, it is okay to ask God for some relief. 

Dear Lord,

I come to you today giving you praise for being such an awesome God.  I come to you today giving all my burdens to You for you are my heavy load sharer. I give you all my worry and every bit of my doubt.   I stand today in faith, believing that what you have promised me in Your Word will come to pass.  No longer will I limit You with my unbelief. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Praise Him Anyhow

More than I can say..."I Love the Lord".  Yes I do.  He is the lover of my soul.  He walks with me and talks with me.  He orders my steps. (Ps. 119)  He directs my path. (Prov. 3) He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him I am trusting.  (Ps. 91)  As I meditate on His Word, both day and night, I find myself becoming like a tree planted by the rivers of water.  My leaves won't wither and everything I do will prosper. (Ps.1) The issues of life may try to overtake my soul but I will not worry because in my thirty-six years on this earth, I have never seen God not work it out for my good. (Rom. 8)  When others around me try to put me down, I hold my head up high because I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  (Ps. 139)  I am beginning to see myself more and more through His eyes. 

I woke up this morning with the praises of God on my lips.  I looked all around me and saw how good God has been to me.  So much better than I have even been to myself.  I realized that in my search to find a better life, it has been here all along, inside of me.  This better life has nothing to do with the material things I possess but it comes with the peace of mind I have each and every day when I realize that God is still sitting on the throne.  It's the joy that is everlasting and doesn't fade away like happiness that is dependant upon my circumstances.  It's knowing that Jesus came that I might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10) and the only person that has been standing in the way of my living this abundant life is ME.  God's intention has always been for me to enjoy my life and those that He has chosen for me to share my life with.  It's time out for me to be walking around feeling sorry for myself because something didn't go according to my plans. Instead I should be praising God because He thought enough of me not to leave me to my own devices.  I can only imagine how messed up my life would be if He had. 

Now even with the revelation in my spirit of how good my God is, I still don't do everything right.  There are days when I have to fight off that spirit of depression that tries to take up residence in my mind. However, I am determined that I should have the mind of Christ.  (I Cor. 2:16) Each day I thank Him for His Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit that dwells within me guiding me into all truth.  (Jn. 16:13)  The Holy Spirit that nudges me into making wise decisions.  The Holy Spirit that reminds me of the Word that has been planted in my heart. It's just good to know God.  Ain't He wonderful!  The devil would have it that I am sitting up worried and stressing about things that are going on in my life right now but I am not going to give into it.  Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  (I Jn. 4:4) 

This is not my typical writing but today is not a typical day.  Some days it is a struggle just for me to want to do anything.  I could give in to just seeing my circumstances, but I will not.  I am going to continue on in the Lord.  I am going to put on my armor, take up my sword.  Realize that this is just a passing storm and know that my soul is anchored in Jesus.  Maybe today you are struggling with being able to to see past your circumstances.  I encourage you to begin to meditate on His Word.  Keep your thoughts on things above.  Paul tells us to 'take every thought captive'.  (II Cor. 10:5) When you start to think those thoughts of defeat,  take a second and ask yourself, "Does this thought line up with God's Word and what He has purposed for me as His child?"  We are destined for victory. Yes, we will be tried by the fire but we will come out as pure gold.  Our trials come to make us strong.  Stop feeling sorry for yourself.  God is still working.  He sees your struggle.  You are never alone.  People may turn their backs on you but the God I serve never will.  Hang in there.  This too shall pass.  God is not a man that He should lie. Everything He has said in His Word will come to pass. 

Most Gracious and Heavenly Father, I come to You today just to say thank you.  Thank you because you have not left me out here all alone to deal with these trials by myself.  Today I acknowledge Your power.  I thank you for Your grace and Your mercy.  I thank you for Your Word that lives in me.  I bind those negative thoughts and replace them with those things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable. My prayer today is that You continue to reveal to me those things I need daily to live a life that is pleasing in Your sight.  I am but a vessel that desires to be used by You.  Lord, please forgive me of all my sins. Those that I have committed in word, thought or deed.  Thank you for your forgiveness.  Please continue to remove from me those things that are not like you.  I will forever give You all the glory and honor You deserve.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen.

Spiritual Warfare

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood..."  How easy it is for us to get caught up in fighting against the person we see standing in front of us that is causing us so much grief.  At least it is for me.  Here I am motivated and on fire for the Lord and here comes someone working overtime to try to steal my joy.  The sad part about it is, often times, I let him or her.  I forget that my fight is not with her but with Satan who doesn't want to see me living an abundant, stress-free life.  He would instead like to see me in constant conflict with my brother or my sister over things that at the end of the day don't matter and cause me to take my focus off God.  It's spiritual warfare y'all!

I can usually deal pretty well with storms that deal with health, finances, employment but conflicts with people I don't do as well with. My thoughts are if I am not bothering you then why are you bothering me.  I am not going to use today to talk about all the reasons why people start conflict with someone else.  Most of the time the underlying reason is jealousy.  Christians should realize that God has enough blessings for everyone.  The other part to that is 'be careful about wishing you had someone else's life because you never know what God had to take them through to get it'.  You also may not want to do the work to maintain it. And when I talk about work, I am talking about how you have to be in constant communion with God, working those knee pads overtime and staying in His Word.  

So how do we combat spiritual warfare?  With the sword of the spirit...which is the Word of God.  You have to read the word.  It's also beneficial to pray to Word of God.  When you pray the Word you don't have to worry about your prayers being in conflict with the will of God.  You also have to rely on the wisdom revealed by the Holy Spirit who helps to guide us into all truth.  The Spirit which helps us to see our attack for what it is....Satan.  If the devil can get you so wrapped up in fighting with someone then you are not living your life to glorify God and it appears that Satan has won. But as Christians we know better than that. God is victorious and the devil has been defeated. Yet here we are once again not living the victorious life that God has set out for us. We must recognize the devil's tactics.  He specializes in trickery and deception.  And we must see it from both sides.  He is not just bringing others up against you. He also wants to use you against someone else.  (How many times I have fallen into this trap and helped the devil with his handiwork.)  All because I was too busy looking at Sally Sue or Jim Bob.  Christians we must put on the whole armor of God.  Daily you must put on your belt of truth, your breastplate of righteousness and have you feet shod with the preparation of peace.  And when it's time for that hand-to-hand combat, when the actual fighting takes place, you must remember to pick up your sword.  Now I am one of those people who carry my Bible Promise Book in my purse, but most of us don't carry a Bible around with us all the time.  That is why it must be hidden in your heart.  How many of us still memorize scripture?  The Word is definitely better than any song lyric you will ever memorize.  Do you know how much more prepared you would be for Satan's attacks if you committed one verse of scripture to memory a week?  It can be done. 

As a child of God you must Realize that Satan's attacks are inevitable.  Part of our jobs as Christians is to Recognize these attacks are part of spiritual warfare.  Instead of Retaliation we much use the Revelation of God's Word to stand firm and fight against these attacks.  For although we live in the world, we do not fight a worldly war. 

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the revelation of Your Word.  It is so wonderful to read Your Word and understand it.  I enjoy being at a place of peace knowing that all things will work out for my good.  Lord I am coming to You today asking you to create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.  I have become distracted by what I see in front of me and because of the conflict I have taken my eyes off You.  Thank you for showing me that there is a war going on but the devil has already been defeated.  I am making a promise to You today to commit more of your Word to memory so that I am always prepared for battle.  I realize the more I work to be more like You that Satan is going to come up against me.  Thank you for providing me with the weapons necessary for combat.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit that dwells within me and reminds me daily of what you desire for my life and how I should behave as a child of the King.  It's so good to know that You didn't leave me out here by myself. I am eternally grateful.  In Jesus' Most Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

I'm Free

How much do you acknowledge the hand of God in your life?  Do you recognize Him working and moving in everything that goes on?  I have come to the conclusion that I can do nothing without Him.  I also recognize that I will be nothing without Him.  I realize that in order for me to live the life that God designed for me I have to acknowledge that everything that goes on in my life has a divine purpose.  I no longer have to live a life of bondage. I can live a life of freedom.  Freedom to be who He has called me to me. 

How many people do you know that if given the choice to live in bondage or live a life of freedom would choose bondage?  Not too many.  Christians are the only people I know who choose to live in bondage when they are given an option.  I know that I, personally, have been guilty of this but not anymore. I do not believe that God wants us to live our lives in bondage. We live in bondage to fear.  Worry consumes our minds.  And if worry is consuming our minds we cannot be thinking about things above.  (Remember...whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,  whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report - Phil. 4:8) 

Being free doesn't mean that all is good in the world.  Being free means that you Acknowledge God as being in control of everything that goes on in your life. Accepting the things that He causes to happen in your life, as well as the things He allows to happen in your life.  (You do know there is a difference.)  Asserting your authority in each and every situation. Making no assumptions, but being sure that everything is working out for your good.  (Romans 8:28)  It's time out for being knocked down everytime the wind blows.  Don't you know that you are victorious? Or maybe you don't know that you are victorious.  Later on in the same chapter of Romans, verse 32 says 'and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free'.  That truth is found in His Word. The more you read it, you come to know the divine purpose He has for your life.   It's found by having a personal relationship with Him.  The more you talk with Him and share with Him, the more He reveals to you how those promises apply to your everyday life.  The chains begin to loosen up.  You stop feeling so bad about yourself.  You stop comparing yourself to others.  You realize that God is always with you.  He will never leave you and He will walk with you through every situation.  True freedom means you live according to His word and you are no longer enslaved to sin.  Your walk starts to match your talk.  You have a faith that is unwavering.  And it's not just for when you get old.  As a young adult, I am a witness that you can have it now.  Do you know how powerful that makes you?  To be free....in your mind.  To know that no matter what things look like right now at this very moment, you will be alright in the end.  To not be bound by social standards but to comfortable in who you are as a child of God.  It's time to stop living your life in bondage.  The time has come to walk in your freedom. 

Dear Lord, 

What a wonderful thing it is to know that everything that I go through in life, you have my back.  I no longer have to bound by the spirit of doubt, worry, fear, insecurities, negative thoughts.  Instead I can rest, knowing that as Your child I am free.  From this day forward, I am going to walk in that freedom.  When those thoughts try to sneak back in my mind, I will come to you in prayer and accept the peace that comes in knowing you have it all under control.  Thank you Jesus.  In Your Wonderful Name Amen. 

My God...My Everything

There is no one like the Lord.  He is the source of my strength. My everything.  I just love to give Him praise.  When I rise, I think of His goodness. All day long I think of His power. I ask Him for wisdom.  I live to please Him.  And when I go to bed at night I thank Him for watching over me and protecting me and loving me.  Anybody understand what I am talking about?  Have you developed that type of relationship with the Lord that He is your everything?  In this life, there are many things we want.  Things that consume our thoughts and the majority of our time.  Where does the Lord fit in?  Is He at the top, in the middle or at the bottom of this list?  Be honest.  Today I was reading in the book of Psalms. I found words that echoed what my heart was filling.  When you get a chance, read the entire psalm.  Here are a few verses. 

' O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you.  My soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.  Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.  So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands'.  (63:1-4)

The Psalmist was clearly writing about his personal relationship with God.  Even in the midst of his wilderness he continued to reflect on his love for his God and more importantly God's love for him.  He wasn't focused on getting out of the wilderness.  He decided to worship Him while in the wilderness.  I believe David was on to something.  He realized that even in the midst of His circumstances God was still God, and that was saying alot. Have you ever been sitting there on a bad day and start to think about God?  I don't know about you, but it's almost as if the day has started over.  You realize that even when it seems you are standing alone, you have God.  Your Personal Saviour.  There is nothing like it.  And what about His unfailing, unconditional love.  Have you come to realize that God's love is better than life?  David did.  Stop right now and tell yourself that God loves you.  It is because of that love that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sins.  That same love gives us grace.  That same love gives us new mercies every morning. That same love forgives us when we confess our sins and remembers them no more. That same loves grants us the privilege of prayer where we can go boldly before the throne.  We can tell God everything without fear of being laughed at or made to feel stupid.  This same God has shown you His power and glory.  You ought to praise Him.  I look at it like this. There is not one person on this earth that has done for me what God has done. God saved me.  He saved me from a burning hell.  He continues to save me from myself everyday.  I can't help but praise Him.  Trouble all around me, I'm still going to praise Him.  Stress, frustration, sleepless nights, I'm still going to worship Him.  When life goes from bad to worse,  I am going to lift my hands and praise Him.  All the days of my life I will seek Him.  He is my everything.  

Dear Lord,

I bow before you in reverence, simply praising your holy name.  You are such an awesome God, worthy of all the glory, honor and the praise.  I come before you today just thanking you for your many blessings.  Sometimes I become so wrapped up in my circumstances that I don't see all the things you have done for me.  So many distractions and things that consume my time.  But today I just stand in awe of your power.  Thank you for my life.  Thank you for loving me.  Thank you for protecting me from dangers seen and unseen.  Thank you for fighting my battles for me, for building a hedge all around me and doing so much more.  Lord, you are my everything and I praise you simply for who You are.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Transitions

Things change...people transition.  How often do we get the two confused?  Transition times are 'wilderness' times where we discover or rediscover our identity and God prepares us for the next chapter in our story.  Several things may take place during this time period.  The one I want to discuss today is when God uses this time to prune us. Now I am a city girl so I had to do a little studying on what 'pruning' actually was.  In reading John 15, the story of the vine and the branches, pruning sounded a little harsh.  After studying a little bit more about it, I realized that it was.  But it was the end result that I came to look forward to. 

As I was reading up on pruning there was one particular word that stuck out to me and that was the word 'selective'.  Did you know that pruning is a horticulture practice that involves the selective (there goes that word again) removal of parts?  Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping (by controlling or directing growth), improving or maintaining health, and both harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of fruit. Now that you have had your lesson in horticulture go with me to John 15:1-2 which says,  "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." Thank God that He is all-knowing.  He can see, even those things that I try to camouflage, that are not like Him.  Believe it or not, as much as I try to do what is right and live a life that is Holy and acceptable and pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, there are still things that God can see that are a part of me that need to removed in order for me to do the work that He has set before me to do.  And what better person to handle it than the Master Gardener.  As I have grown into a more mature Christian, I am come to be thankful for my season of pruning and recognize it as a period of transition.  It is during this time that God not only removes some sinful things in my life, but He also removes some things that I thought were useful and good. Now it is natural during this time to feel a sense of loss.  I even remember being angry and frustrated with my life. But as you come to understand this period in your life, you will begin to notice that you feel lighter, as if a load has been lifted.  You must come to trust the wisdom of the Father as this process is taking place. 

So how do you deal with the pruning process?  I believe that God gave us the answer right in His Word. "If ye abide in me and my words abide in you..."  How easy it is for us to turn our backs on God, especially when it seems as though He has turned His back on us.  After all what kind of God would cause me so much pain.  And let me tell you that pruning is a painful process.  I mean He can cut off anything, including people.  I think that was the hardest for me.  But remember I said that pruning can include those things which we think are useful and good, when in God's eyes they are not.  That is why it is important to abide (remain, continue, stay) in Him.  Remember His promises.  Romans 8:28. Hebrews 13:5. Psalms 23  And especially the promise at the end of the verses I quoted above that tells us when this process is over, you will be even more fruitful.  You will be even more prepared to do the work that God has purposed you to do.  That God will be glorified, which is always the main purpose of everything we, as Christians, do. 

You may be in a period of transition right now where it seems that God has forgotten you.  He has left you in this horrible state, when in fact you may just be in the pruning process.  Instead of becoming angry and frustrated, try praising Him. God has not forgotten you. In fact, He was thinking especially about you.  He is removing that dead weight and shaping you and maintaining you for His work.  He didn't bring you this far to leave you.  Hold on!  You are just in a period of transition. 

Thank you Father for my period of transition.  Satan had snuck in and was trying to tell me that you had forgotten about me, that you had left me out here all alone.  I just want you thank You for your Word that has sustained me during this time and will continue to keep me during and after this period of transition is over.  I thank you Father for thinking enough about me not to leave me the way I am.  You are always thinking of me, helping me to decrease so that you may increase and so that I can be a light that shines in this dark world.  Lord I just thank you because you have never given up on me.  I give You all the glory, honor and the praise.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Stand Still

How easily we forget what they Lord has done for us.  Just let a new problem come along and all of a sudden panic. Our fear overcomes our faith and we start to complain, stress out, blame other people, take our eyes off God and start focusing on the problem.  We very seldom take a moment to realize that the very place that we are is where God intended for us to be so that once again He can show us who is in control.  I was reading in Exodus, a very familiar passage about when the children of Israel reached the Red Sea.  Funny thing about this story, is that they were following the path God had set for them...out of Egypt to the Promised Land.  But my question is why would God not put together a path that bypassed the Red Sea?  He knew that they didn't have any boats.  I also believe that He knew that Pharaoh's army would soon come after them.  And what did the children of Israel do as soon as they saw that Red Sea, they started complaining.  They forgot that God had just delivered them from captivity after over four hundred years.  Sound familiar....sounds just like me.

One of the things that I am working towards is a 'dependence on God that is so absolute and complete that the gray areas don't have to be defined'.  What are the gray areas?  For me, it is those times when I'm just not sure.  I know and believe that God can, but in the back of my mind I'm still a little worried.  It is the 'in between times'.  The times when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place.  The Children of Israel hadn't developed this kind of dependence yet.  If they had, when they came to the Red Sea they would have stood there and waited to see what God was going to do to deliver them.  In fact, they would have started praising Him right then because they knew that it was already done.  However, at this moment in time all they could see was the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh's army approaching fast behind them.  Now you may not have a Red Sea in front of you or an army behind you but I would almost bet that there have been circumstances in your life where you have been following the directions of the Lord and yet you find yourself in a situation that seems impossible.  So what do you do?  Moses simply told the people to 'stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today'.  (Ex. 14:13)  I can only imagine how hard that was for them to do.  My first instinct would have been to do something.  Things are too bad.  But God's instructions to Moses was to tell them to stand still.  I have found that when I try to fix situations myself I usually just make them worse, especially when I am afraid.  The Israelites were talking so crazy that they were wishing they were back in Egypt.  An example of your fear becoming fatalistic.  I wonder what would happen if the next time you found yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place with no where to turn you decided to stand still.  Leave it all in the hands of the Lord.  You decided to wait for His direction and simply kept moving on through.  You see, I do believe there is some truth to the saying, "If God brings you to it, He will most certainly bring you through it."  Instead of letting your fear overcome your faith, allow your faith to overcome your fear.  After all hasn't God already proven Himself to you as the only one who is able to bring you out of the worst circumstances.  Why not trust Him?

Dear Lord,

The harder life gets, the harder for me it is to trust You.  It's not that I haven't seen what you can do. It's just hard for me not to see what's going on in front of me.  I want to be totally dependent on You.  It has been a struggle thus far for me to take my hands off, be still and let you be God.  I know that I cannot handle it on my own, so today I am giving it all over to you. I am tired of worrying and trying to fix it on my own.  Thank you for the places You have taken me thus far, even though I couldn't always see the purpose. I know that You always know what is best for me.  Thank you Lord for my journey.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Labor Pains

I find myself right in the middle of a personal crisis. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse...they do. Can my faith be tested any more? When do I get a break? I am trying to hold on? At this point I don't know if I can. Man, does life throw you your own set of curve balls? One right after the other. Do you realize that Jesus told His disciples that it was going to get worse before it gets better?  Read Matthew 24.  Jesus begin to describe some of things that would take place after He left the earth.  None of these things sounded too great.  In fact, most of these things would be devastating.  But Jesus was preparing them. He even told them not to be alarmed by the things that they would experience.  Don't be alarmed?!?! You mean when thing go from bad to worse.  Is He talking about when you have a series of storms all wrapped up in one major storm?  Is He talking about when you can't even remember when things were normal?  I believe He was.  But He still told them not to be alarmed.  'See that you are not troubled'. (v6)  He went on to tell them 'such things must happen, but the end is still to come.' (v6)

Now I can only imagine what the disciples were thinking as they were sitting there listening to Jesus.  I know what I would have been thinking.  "You mean that I already have to be without you and now you are telling me that I am going to have to experience some of the worse days I have ever seen.  You have got to be kidding."  That is what my life seems like some days.  Like there is no end in sight to the storm.  It is as though it is going to rain for days.  How could things be worse?  But I'm your child.  How could you allow such things to happen? I can imagine Him saying, 'But they must my child, it's part of the process.  It is all so that I can be glorified'.  I love the way that He ends this statement though, with some hope.  He tells them that the end is still to come.  And we all know what the end is, don't we? That is the day the trumpet shall sound and I will be caught up to meet my Saviour.  The wicked will cease their troubling. The weary shall be at rest.  All the saints of the ages shall sit at His feet and be blessed.  Are you shouting yet?  He is telling us that even as bad as it will get (and it will get bad), there is an end in sight.  One that will be glorious!  I can barely contain myself right now. 

As I was reading this I thought about the progression of childbirth.  I was so ecstatic when I found out I was expecting.  Then the morning sickness came.  My feet begin to swell up.  I couldn't sleep.  I had severe headaches.  The closer I got to giving birth, the more discomfort I felt.  Then came the Braxton Hicks, false labor. I remember one night having them so bad that I just wanted to die.  It couldn't get any worse than this.  But oh my goodness it did!  Labor!  Contractions that were so bad that I think I almost squeezed my friend's hand off.  I had never felt such pain.  But I couldn't go back now. The end was in sight.  And that is what I am hear to tell you.  Things will get worse.  You may not want to hear that but don't be discouraged.  You are not alone.  God is in your corner.  He is on your side.  Your days may be dark...darker than they have ever been.  I believe that there is a purpose behind your pain.  It is so God will be glorified.  Your situation may be such that people around you may be telling you that it will never get any better.  They may be kin to Job's friends.  But I tell you, don't listen to them.  Who would you rather have on your side?  I choose God.  He can give you strength in your storm.  Courage in your crisis.  Power during your persecution.  He is able to do all that and so much more.  Just have faith.  Believe.  Trust that His way is the only way.  Stay focused.  Don't be alarmed!  A great and glorious end is in sight!

Dear Lord,

Thank you for reminding me that I am never alone,  no matter how dark the day may get.  I must confess that I don't like the fact that things may get even more worse than they are now, but I have faith that you will see me through.  I am going to keep my eyes on the prize.  I am going to continue to be obedient to your Word.  I know that my strength is in You.  I will continue to trust You.  I love you Lord.  In Jesus' Name Amen.

God's Perfect Timing

I was led this morning to repeat this posting. I pray you are blessed.


'This is what the Lord says, At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation, I will help you. I will give you as a token and pledge to Israel. This will prove that I will reestablish the land of Israel and reassign it to its own people again." (Isaiah 49:8)

(Read Isaiah 49: 8 - 26)

Leaving Bible Study on Wednesday night, a dear sister of mine hugged me and said, ' now that was right on time.' It was just what she needed for the particular season she was at in her life. On the ride home I remembered how many times I had said those exact words. Most times I was at what I considered to be 'the end of my rope'. I just couldn't take any more. We like to say all the nice cliche phrases like, 'He's an on-time God' and 'He may not come when you want him but he's always on time'. But when the burdens of life are pressing you down do you really believe it?

How do you move from mere words to application? You must trust God. Trust that he knows what is best for you. God has many reasons for delaying our deliverance. But God's delay is not his denial. He is perfectly working out the details. Ask yourself what if God gave me everything I asked for immediately. Would I value it as much? You must hold fast to the hope that is in Christ Jesus. Every trial you face has a purpose. Only God knows what that purpose is but I can tell you that you will be better and God will be glorified.


Dear Lord,

Thank you for your perfect timing. Times are tough right now. I'm having a hard time holding on. Help me to hold fast to your unchanging hand, realizing that in the end things will work out for my good. In Jesus' Name Amen.

Being Transparent

After thirty-six years of life on this earth, I have learned a little bit about myself.  One of the things I am very good at is putting up a wall or wearing a beautiful mask.  I have never liked for people to know what is going on in my life and I like to take on the cares of everyone around me.  I have learned that having this type of attitude is not always best because there comes a time when I just can't take it anymore and I need someone to lean on.  I just have never learned that skill of being vulnerable.  Vulnerability has always been seen as a weakness.  For the women out there who are reading this...you know what I mean.  And for the men out there..I see you out there trying to be strong for everyone.  But this has to change.  As a child of God, being self-sufficient and self-reliant really have no place in your life.  WHAT?!?!  I know...you think I am crazy.  But I am not.

Think about it.  How can we be both self-sufficient and self-reliant when we are supposed to be depending on God for everything?  I know that is what we have been taught but I want to erase those thoughts from your mind.  Have you ever thought about becoming transparent?  Now I don't mean that everytime someone asks you how you are doing that you sit down and tell them everything that is going on in your life.  But I am saying that you don't always have to answer, "Fine."  What do you think of when you hear the word transparent?  I tend to think 'clear' or 'see through'.  A new definition came to my mind today and that was 'removing the mask'.  I had to stop and think about if my prayers were truly honest prayers or had I even learned to put up a mask with God. How silly of me?  He is the one person who knows my innermost thoughts and feelings.  It made me stop and think about how can He truly help me when I am not giving everything over to Him.  Instead I want to seem like this Mighty Christian who can withstand it all.  Truth be told, I'm not.  I'm stronger than I used to be but I am far from being too strong to need God.  He is the only one that can meet my needs.  He may use people like my husband and my family and my closest friends as instruments, but every good and perfect gift comes from God. 

I always like to use God as my example.  The story of him weeping over the death of a friend of family comes to mind.  (John 11:35, Jesus wept.)  He was the Son of God.  He couldn't possibly be vulnerable?  But He was.  He allowed those around Him to see His emotion.  What better way of showing us that He knows exactly what we feel!  How many relationships have you ruined because you didn't want to appear weak?  How much longer have situations lasted because you didn't want to 'have a real talk' with Jesus and tell him all about your problems?  I have just gotten tired of living with things that I know God can handle.  I am not doing it anymore.  I believe that even with our tests and trials, God desires for us to have a good luck.  We have to learn to give up control.  It's not about being who society wants us to be. It's about being who God designed us to be.  It's time to take off the mask.

Dear Lord,

I have a confession to make.  I haven't been completely honest when I talk to you.  I have hidden some of my innermost thoughts and feelings.  Yes, I have prayed when I was hurting but I didn't really tell you that I felt like screaming.  That I have never felt such pain.  That I am so tired of going through this and feeling like no one understands.  I've done all this when all I had to do was come to You.  I am coming to You now Lord.  I am asking for peace.  I don't want to be strong anymore.  I would rather be weak so that You can be strong for me.  Thank you Lord for showing me where I needed to change.  Thank you for showing me where I have caused some of the difficulty in my very own life and relationships.  I am so grateful.  Today I begin anew.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Let Your Light Shine

When people look at your life do they see Jesus?  I am not talking about on Sunday morning when you are dressed all up with your mind stayed on Jesus. I am talking about every other day of the week when you are at work or at school or in your home.  It is easy to be saved at church but your greatest testimony is not in the church, it is in the office, on campus, at the football games, in the restaurant, at the mall. Believe it or not, someone is always watching. I am talking about when someone upsets you, what is your comeback?  Do you turn the other cheek? We can all turn our light on and off when we please but I believe that our light should shine at all times.  For every chance we have to respond in our old sinful nature, we have an opportunity to witness for Jesus.  I don't mean like we used to do on Saturday mornings at the church that I grew up in where we went door to door, but in your every day routine.  Like the song says, 'This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine'.  There is so much truth to this song. 

The topic came up in my Interpersonal Communications class about why people post all these Christian things on Facebook and then five seconds later they are cussing and talking crazy and doing all other things that may be confusing to those who are not as spiritually sound as the person making the post might be.  Some of my classmates even referred to us all as 'hypocrites'.  It made me think about what kind of message we are sending out there.  What type of message are you giving that babe in Christ who may have just gotten saved or is trying to grow in Christ?  I Corinthians 8 touches on this.  Verse 8 says, 'But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble'.  Now this is not about me questioning your Christianity.  We all have to stand alone in judgment.  I cannot stand for you and you cannot stand for me.  What I do want you think about is, "Are you living your best life?"  The life God created you to live.  Walking in his footsteps in everything that you do.  None of us are perfect but we are being perfected by God.  You must come to learn who you are in Christ.  You must know that 'greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world'.  You must also know that there is 'no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it'. 

I grew up being taught that a Christian's life had to be boring.  I was taught early that hell was a real place.  But what I have learned now is that Christians can have fun. It is okay to laugh. I like different genres of music.  I grew up thinking it was a sin if you didn't listen to gospel music only.  We always hear about those condemning folks for drinking, dancing, etc.  You never hear them use a scripture to back up what they are saying and if they do they only use part of the verse. These are people who just like to condemn everybody.  That is not what I am here to do.  I would just encourage you to step back and take a look at your life.  Are you living a life that is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord?  Are there things you are doing that may be a stumbling block to those around you?  I can't answer these questions for you. I will tell you that you can live the life of a Christian 24/7 and not be ashamed.  I love being a Christian.  I can stand boldly and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ wherever I am.  There are times when my light is not shining as bright because of my actions and bad decisions I have made but I have determined never to let it go completely out.  What about you? 

Dear Lord,

I confess that my actions are not always those that represent You as I should.  Sometimes I left this 'old self' get the best of me. I need your help to continue to make me into the person you would have me to be, so that my light is always shining.  The opportunity is always there for me to make the right decision.  Lord, I need your help to make that decision, the one that is pleasing in your sight.  I confess that sometimes I don't like to be under a microscope and  I want to exercise my freedom but I must realize that people are watching me and I must always represent the one who loved me so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for me.  I thank you for giving me the strength and the wisdom to make good choices.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Be Anxious for Nothing

I need to revisit a topic that I have talked about before.  It is so easy to become consumed with worry.  Looking only at our situation and focusing on how bad it is.  I sat for hours today just watching my daughter as she lie there helpless, complaining of a pain in her stomach.  She wasn't eating or drinking and had slept for the past two days.  I didn't know what to do.  I had prayed but I couldn't shake that feeling of anxiety.  So I began to speak to my spirit, "Be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:6-7 

I felt a little bad at first because here I am worrying when I know the power of the God I serve.  I believe with all my heart what He is able to do. But this is my daughter....my baby girl.  I have to confess I was worried.  I couldn't do anything to help her.  (my weakness)  So I prayed again, not for my daughter to be healed but for God to help my anxiety.  I confessed my weakness to Him, stopped looking at the situation and just begin to believe that God had it all under control.  You see, that is what I believe Paul meant in these verses.  He knew that we would worry.  After all, we are human.  But we shouldn't worry all the time.  Our faith should replace our anxiety.  When anything burdens our spirits, we must ease our minds with prayer IMMEDIATELY.  We, as Christians, should not worry as those who have no hope.  Our hope is in Jesus.  Our prayers have to become second nature.  Is something troubling you?  Pray about it.  What better way to ease your troubled mind!  Sure, we will have every day common concerns but they shouldn't consume our thoughts.  Now I can only tell you about my personal experiences, but no sooner than I prayed the second time did I start to feel so much better.  I even let my daughter go sleep in her own bed.  It's amazing how quickly God's Word proved to be true.  And it wasn't even that my daughter was better.  It's just that I decided to let God do what He does best.  Don't you know that God knows our needs before we tell Him, but when we tell Him we show our dependence on Him.  I know that life can cause you to worry and be anxious but you don't have to be.  It's time to turn it all over to God.  Let Him handle it.  Stop stressing.  We serve a MIGHTY GOD! 


Dear Lord,

Thank you for being Jehovah Jirah, my Provider, Jehovah Rapha, my Healer, Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace.  Thank you for caring enough about me to take care of all my needs.  I confess that I have been a little anxious.  I am not sure what the future holds.  My finances are crazy.  My relationship isn't going as I would like.  My child is sick.  My job is not very stable.  But Lord I am trusting in You.  I am casting all my cares on You.  I don't want to worry anymore.  Thank You Lord for loving me.  I know that it is because You love me that you continue to meet my needs.  For this I am so grateful.  I love you Lord.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

God Never Fails

I wonder if the people who were effected by Hurrican Katrina in Louisiana ever thought that things would turn around.  Let's go back even further and ask the people who were affected by the May 3rd tornadoes in Oklahoma thought they would ever be able to rebuild.  I am reminded of when the economy took a turn for the worse and job after job was lost, company after company closed down.  People lost their homes, their cars, their spouses.  It was reported that during that time suicide rate was the highest it had been in a long time.  People were going about their lives as normal and then the bottom fell out.  I am sure that the people affected by these events were not focused on the power of God.  All they could see was the devastation.  Much like me today. Things are not going as I would have hoped but I am reminded of a hymn that says..."My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest frame but holy lean on Jesus name.  On Christ the solid rock I stand!"

Sometimes it is difficult to see God in the midst of everything going on.  But I am here to let you know that He is there.  When Hurricane Katrina came, the May 3rd tornadoes, the crash on Wall Street, the downturn of the automoile industry, your kids' misbehavior, your spouse walking out the door, the death of a loved one, the end of what you thought was a promising relationship, the end of a long-time friendship. In the midst of all these things, God was there.  He had never left.  In fact, this is when God is able to do some of His best work.  When He is able to step in and show that no one or anything could make this situation better except for an All-powerful God.  There may have been some people sitting there thinking, "I have never had anything really bad happen in my life before and now this."  So we begin to scramble around trying to put the pieces of our life back together again...or at least some resemblance of it, but even that isn't working.  Nothing you try to do on your own is working.  What's left to do?  I guess I'll pray. 

Now this may not be an exact replica of how you handle your crisis situations but I would almost bet that you don't turn to God first the way that you should.  I wonder how different things would have been if you had prayed first, left it with Him and trusted Him.  He is actually the only one in your life that has never let you down.  Oh sure, when things go sour in our lives we sometimes pinpoint God as the cause of our suffering.  Sometimes you might be correct.  God might have allowed it to take place in order to move you to a higher place in Him.  Even if that is the case, He is still the only one who is able to turn the situation around for your good.  GOD NEVER FAILS.  Whatever it is you are going through. You may be ready to give up.  I just wanted to tell you to hold on.  Have a little faith. Just the size of a mustard seed. (Matthew 17:20)  He can turn your situation around.  No matter what things look like in front of you.  Finances may be next to nothing.  Marriage may seem loveless.  Job may seem hopeless.  I serve a God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly.  He is able to multiply your little to much just like He did with the fish and the loaves of bread.  It is time out for being tossed to and fro and being on the verge of giving up everytime the wind blow and the waves toss.  God is able to say...Peace be still in your life.  Your sole source of dependence has to be God.  No matter how dark the night or how cloudy the day. I will say it again....GOD NEVER FAILS. 

Dear Lord,

I have to confess that the situation I am going through right now looks awful bad.  I believe that You are an able God but right now I am having a conflict between what I see and what I don't see.  You have brought me out of situations like this before, I know, and yet I'm still struggling.  I want to believe.  Help me to believe.  Thank you Father.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

More Grace

What can you tell me about the grace of God?  We all know about His grace...God's unmerited favor.  We can't earn it. God just gives it to us because He loves us.  I was reading in the book of James, Chapter 4.  I have read this before but this week, it was if I was reading it for the first time.  I remember memorizing verse 7 as a child. "Submit yourselves, then, to God, Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."  But that is not what caught my attention today.  It was the verse before that which said, 'But he gives us more grace.' (v6a)  I don't think I had ever read that before.  Interestingly enough I had to see what this was talking about.

I went back and read the first five verses.  These verses addressed so many different issues.  Conflict among believers.  Why our prayers go unanswered?  Our love of the world. All of these things that go on after we are saved. Why are there conflicts among believers?  I can't speak for anybody but myself.  Most of my conflicts occur out of my own selfish nature.  One thing that I have learned is that it takes too people to argue and as Christians, one of us needs to be the bigger person and show the love of Christ.  Most arguments are meaningless anyway.  It's because we are more concerned with being right and proving our point.  But are we really showing the love of Christ when we do this.  This doesn't even take into account our desire to be the best no matter who we have to step on to get there.  On top of this, we have the nerve to pray and ask God for something while we are sitting in church cutting our eyes at somebody or talking about the preacher when he says something we don't like.  It's not that God doesn't want the best for us. It's that most of us make our plans to get ahead without consulting Him.  We also start to love those things more than God when we start to neglect our relationship with the Lord because of them.  Have you ever thought about what this type of attitude does to your witness for Christ?  I can't help but think that it damages it.  As Christians we should be  a little bit better.  And we can be with God's help and when we humble ourselves and submit to Him. 

But thanks be to God, who realizes that we are sinners saved by grace.  He realizes that we still have that sinful nature and there are times we pick it back up.  So instead of God doing like some of us would do and writing us off, He gives us more grace.  The grace of God is contrary to the spirit of the world.  It helps us to fight off our old ways.  What we receive from God is stronger than any negative spirit.  Now this does not mean that we keep on sinning that grace may abound.  It means that for some of us who are really trying to live right and do what God requires of us and live how He wants us to live, there are times when that old nature creeps in and it is not always easy to fight off.  Even those of us who act holy all the time have issues that God has to help us with.  So we submit to Him and with His power we are able to resist the devil and draw near to God. 

I read this verse earlier this week and it just kept coming to the front of my mind.  We just don't realize how  much God does for us sometimes.  He knows that we are not perfect.  And in spite of our imperfections, He keeps on being God and providing what we need.  Some people have not gotten to the point that they can shout about grace.  But when you realize the wrong you have done and yet God loves you, forgives you and has given you grace, you have a reason to shout.  He truly doesn't have to give you anything else.  You can't earn it. It's effortless.  That's the best reminder I have had all week.  I have a habit of beating myself up when I do something wrong.  I don't have to do that anymore because God looks at me through grace.  Hallelujah! 

Dear Lord,

Oh great and mighty God, thank you.  As I look at my life and see how many times I have chosen to ignore your spirit that lives in me and respond in my old sinful nature, yet you keep on loving me and forgiving me, I am so grateful.  I thank you for looking beyond my faults to my need and providing for me. I thank you for those times when I went ahead with my selfish desires and did things that I shouldn't have and yet you took those circumstances and worked them out for my good.   I thank you Father for your grace that has brought me thus far and will continue to lead me on.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Is There Anything Too Hard For God?

Today I am reminded of the very simple fact that God has a purpose for my life.  And so, I wanted to stop by and remind you that God has a purpose for your life.  No matter where are right now and how many times you may wonder what this trial has to do with your purpose, rest assured that God does have a purpose for your life. Now I don't know about, but I have taken many detours in getting to my purpose. Most of the detours were caused by my own hand.  However, my stubbornness or my pragmatic attempts to help God do not take anything away from God's ability. 

I was reading the story of Sarah.  You know Sarah, the wife and half-sister of Abraham.  The one who gave birth to Isaac.  She was told her purpose but she didn't believe it.  In fact, she laughed at God.  Didn't He know how old she was?  The real question of the day was didn't He know how old Abraham was?  I can only imagine the moments of doubt she had when she was sitting alone.  I can only imagine the insecurity she felt, especially when she looked all around her at the other women (much younger women) who were having children.  Why do you think she went to Hagar? Apparently she thought God needed a little help.  Can you relate?  What has God revealed to you about your purpose?  What circumstances are blinding your view to see the power of God to accomplish the purpose God has for your life?  Sarah, like so many of us, were looking at her limitations.  I believe that despite our frailties, our lack of faith and our self-reliance, God accomplishes His purpose.  Sometimes He has to go around us or move us out of the way.  Nevertheless, you can have confidence in knowing that if He said it, it will come to pass. 

It's funny that after Sarah laughed at the mere thought of having a baby, God's response was simple.  "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?"  Whatever situation you may be in and how far away your goals may seem to be, if they are in God's plan and will for your life, it will happen.  I have learned that God can use anybody to help achieve His purpose and while we may have limitations, we serve a limitless God.  As I look back over my life, I am able to see God directing me toward His purpose.  There were times I had other things in mind but I always seemed to come back to the same place.  That is why we must abide in Him, stay in tune with His voice.  Before you were conceived He knew what it was He planned for you to do.  After all, He knows everything about you. (Even those things you try so hard to hide from everybody else.)  I am a witness that He can take even those things and use them for His glory.  My brother and my sister, I am here to tell you that there is nothing too hard for God.  Trust Him.  If He said it...it will definitely come to pass.

Dear Lord,

Father, I just want to praise you.  You are the Alpha and the Omega.  The beginning and the end.  I have a confession to make.  My faith is lacking.  I really don't see where you are taking me and what this thing I am going through has anything to do with it.  I want to trust You more.  I know that you are a limitless God and You are able to do exceedingly abundantly more than I could ever ask for for even imagine.  I know that you have a purpose for my life.  Help to me follow You withe complete obedience.  I know that I can do all things through You who gives me strength.  Thank You for thinking enough about me to use me in Thy service.  I submit to You.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

An Ever-Present Help

I love how God's Word is able to just jump out and grab you.  It provides comfort for your soul.  The Word of God was just that for me today.  My sleep has been off.  Once again I couldn't get my mind to stop working...and man was it in overtime.  I was worrying about this and that.  Trying to control the situation on my own. Thinking about what could happen.  All of sudden the Holy Spirit brought Psalms 46:1 to my remembrance.  'God is our refuge and our strength, and ever present help in times of trouble.'  Thank you Jesus!

While I was sitting there worrying about situations that were beyond my control, God was reminding me that He is always there when I need Him. It doesn't matter what is going on all around me.  He is my protection from danger or trouble.  That means things that I get myself into and those things I am not even aware of.  You see, I might not always make the best decisions but God is looking out for me.  Not only is He my protection but He also is my strength.  I need to make a difficult decision.  I might not have the courage on my own and yet, He provides me the strength to do it.  He stands up in me.  Things around me may be close to utter destruction and I don't have to worry.  This is when the Word of God has what I like to call, a calming effect.  All worry must cease.  God is in control.  Nothing you haven't already heard before, just a reminder that God is.   What is He?  Whatever you need Him to be.  ALWAYS!!!! This is when I begin to shout because I was reminded once again that God is ever-present.  At all times.  In every circumstance.  Invariably.  Not the ones I deem to be easy but the most difficult ones. This one thing I can be sure of.  You see, if I mess up too many times I am not sure if my friend will be there, my family, my spouse but God will always be there. Stop your worrying and your stressing.  Though the very bottom may be about to fall out from under you, God sees, He knows and He cares.  And that's enough for me. 

We serve a God that sits high and looks low.  We don't have to worry about bugging Him too much or being afraid to ask for what we need.  And even when our prayers may be more about what we want want, Jesus himself, intercedes on our behalf and asks God for what we need.  That is wonderful news. 

Dear Lord,

Thank you for being my protection and my strength.  Thank you for always being there even at those times when I ignore you and don't spend time with you.  You never leave my side.  I can look to You and know that everything is going to be alright.  Sometimes it feels as though my very life is falling apart and nothing is going as planned.  That is when I am so glad that You, Oh Lord, are in charge of my life and all I have to do is follow your direction.  I have felt alone some days and I just want to thank you for Your Holy Spirit that provides comfort to me.  I am reassured that I am never alone.  Help me to rely more on You and know that all things are working together for my good.  In Jesus Wonderful Name Amen.