Trust and Believe

Life isn't necessarily good, matter of fact some days have been really bad and yet you cannot deny the fact that God is good all the time.  What you  feel during those times might seem to contradict what you know in your heart and when this conflict does happen you realize that you must make a choice.  Which one will win?  Will you give in to the feeling of discouragement, frustration, anger and doubt or will you stand on His promises and yet praise Him? 

Most decisions we make are based on our emotions.  After all, we are emotional creatures. That is why we must weigh the costs?  We have to decide if giving in to those negative emotions is worth the damage it may cause our fellow Christian brother or sister?  Will it delay the deeper, more meaningful relationship we desire to have with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?  Take a moment and ask yourself a question.  Is your relationship with Christ the same as it was a year ago?  If the answer is yes than you must evaluate why there has been no growth in your life.  If the answer is no then ask yourself another question. What was the main cause of that growth.  I have to say that my relationship with Christ is not the same as it was a year ago.  For every trial I have had to go through in the past year I have learned how to truly lean and depend on God.  It has caused me to not only say my prayers at night before I go to sleep but to have a mind for prayer, meaning I pray continuously all day.  I have learned to cry out to God honestly.  I share with Him my deepest fear.  I tell Him when I am angry, hurt or depressed.  I immediately ask Him to remove those feelings from me so that I don't get caught up in the sin that can result from an emotion.   I used to only pray this much when I was going through a storm.  Now because I have seen what happens after prayer, I pray just as much when the sky is blue all around me and there is nothing but sun shiny days.   There is no greater feeling than to know that no matter what I am up against God is going to see me through.  All that is required of me is to trust and believe.  'If you have faith the size of a mustard seek, you can say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move.  Nothing is impossible for you'.  Matthew 17:20  The record is still the same:  God 1 The devil 0.  Just keep on praying my sister.  Don't stop believing my brother.  Remember that the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much.  (James 5:16)

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Today is not the best day.  I am struggling within myself.   I know that you are a great God, all powerful and all sufficient yet when I look at the things that are going on all around me I confess that I get a little frustrated. I believe that there is no problem that I may face that is too big for You.  That is why right now at this very moment I am bringing my problem to You.  Create in me a clean heart and also renew my mind.  Thank you for answering my prayer.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

Between Midnight and Daybreak

Somewhere between midnight and daybreak God answers prayers.  Midnight is the transition period between the night and the day.  It is a period of intense darkness and gloom.  It is not just the period when the lights are about to be cut off. It is the time where the house is about to go into foreclosure.  It is not just the period where you lost your job.  It is the period where because of your financial difficulties your husband has left you.  It is not the period where you have been admitted to the hospital for a minor procedure.  It is the period where during the procedure, something goes terribly wrong and your loved one doesn't come out alive.  I am talking about the darkest hour. It is that hour when you cry out to the Lord and tell Him that you just can't take it anymore!  Your life has become a series of one step forward and two steps back.  If you let your thoughts have their way in your mind you would rather just give up.  Absolutely nothing is going as you had planned.  You feel discouraged. Many people depend on you, your family and friends.  You are the strong one of the bunch. Everybody comes to you when you are in need.  Here you are a prisoner in a jail of disappointment and discouragement.  Midnight sounds like a mighty fine time to cry out to the Lord in prayer.  After all. things happen when you pray.

Let's take a look at Acts 16:25-26.  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.  Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.   I am so glad that God is not bound by time.  This simply means that He can answer my prayer at any time of the day or night.  No matter how dark the night, God is there.  I am so glad that God isn't bound by geography.  This means that no matter what my location he is able to change things in my situation.  He answers the prayers of those bound by chains or free.  These two statements were two very important factors for Paul and Silas at this moment.  There they were locked up in prison, mainly for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.  Because of their commitment to God and their belief in His power, even in the jail cell they were still praying and singing praises to the Most High.  Now this is a pretty big phenomenon to me.  I know that when I am experiencing my darkest hour you are probably not going to find me praising God. You might find me praying but probably not praising Him.  In fact, you will probably find me wallowing in my own self pity.  Woe is me! Woe is me!  It would be great if during this time you could find me at my highest during my journey of trust, pulling from my experiences and God's faithfulness from times past to help me to make it through this incredibly dark time.  But it's so dark God.  I can't see my way out.  And praise be to God, I don't have to.  That is why we have the awesome privilege of prayer. I call it a privilege because God did not have to afford us this opportunity...a way for us to be in constant communication with Him.  A way for us to 'cast all your cares on Him, because He careth for you'.  (I Peter 5:7)  I can only imagine what their prayers sounded  like.  I imagine that they prayed for deliverance.  This deliverance would come in God's time and in His way.  I imagine  that they also prayed for support to make it through their current affliction.  They had learned by now that God's deliverance would come when the time was right, not necessarily when their load felt the heaviest.  I can also imagine that they prayed for those around them who might have been the very cause of their affliction.  WOW!  Locked up and in jail but praying for the very men who put them there. 'Pray for them that despitefully use you'.  (Matthew 5:44)  That takes a pretty strong faith and belief in a God who is sovereign.  Not only did they pray, but they sang praises also.  There were sure that they would come out alright so they praised God in advance.  What a wonderful testimony for those that were in jail with them! Nothing but darkness all around them and yet they had tapped into The Source for light.  

So what happens after prayer and praise, a ground breaking transformation in which your chains are loosened and the prison doors come open.  What does this mean for you?  It means that through prayer you can take your heaviest burden and leave it at the alter.  The lightening of that load is symbolic to you being free from the prison created by your own disbelief in the power of God.  'Oh what peace we often forfeit. Oh what needless pains we bear.  All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer'.    The lesson for today...Stop hanging on to unnecessary weight and turn it over to Jesus.  Midnight doesn't last always. It is a transition period between darkness and a new day.  Paul and Silas's location did not change, however a major transformation occurred in their mind and spirit.  Through prayer and praise they were refreshed and renewed.  God would deliver them and He will deliver you too.  It doesn't matter what your midnight looks  like right now, God is able.  Remember this....the darkest hour is just before the dawn. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

I come to You today because I know You to be a Deliverer.  There is no problem to big for you to handle.  I believe that You are able to take my situation and turn it around for my good.  My load right now is too heavy and I acknowledge that I cannot handle it all by myself.  I am giving it all to You.  Help me to leave it in Your capable hands.  In the past I have had the habit of picking it back up, but no more.  I am giving it to You and trusting You to do what is best for me.  Thank You Father. In the Most Wonderful Name of Jesus I pray Amen. 

A Journey of Trust

What is life to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as their personal Lord and Savior.  A Journey of Trust.  Take a moment and think about it.  He leads us from one situation to the next with one thing in mind...teaching us total dependence on Him.  Through the valley to the mountaintop and back down through the valley.  But while we are in the valley we fear no evil because the Lord, who is our Shepherd, is with us.  I just had to stop for a moment and praise Him.  Through everything God is with me and I should be using all of my trials and tribulations as  building blocks to grow my faith in God.  And not only do we have our own experiences to learn from from but we are also surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on telling us we can make it.  Through every test and every trial we will come out okay.  It's not like when my daughters ask me if they can have company over or if I will take them shopping.  Most of the time I say "maybe".  Now my little inquisitive child then asks me "Momma what does maybe mean?"  My response is simple. "It means that it depends on your behavior and on how I'm feeling."  I'm so glad God isn't that way.  The chance of us coming out of our situation in a better place is guaranteed!  The probability that I am going to receive the blessing meant for me is absolute.  Hallelujah! 

During the journey of trust you must come to know God's voice.  You must learn to recognize when he is telling you to move or stand still.  When he is telling you to stay or go.  In your period of drought you must come to know Him to be 'water in dry places' and 'bread in a starving land'.  By now you have come to know that I love to look at the children of Israel.  They remind me so much of myself. I can't be judgmental of the things they did because I have done a lot of the same things.  God delivered them from captivity into a wilderness where they had no water. Really Lord?  We have no water and then when they do find it the water is undrinkable.  So they begin to complain.  I remember the first time I heard this story.  I was a little upset myself.  It appeared that God had led them from one bad place to another bad place. Sound familiar.  Maybe you have never been without water afraid that you were going to die of thirst.  But you have had an experience where you were in a bad situation and God delivered you.  The next thing you know you find yourself in a situation that seems worse than your previous situation.   Of course this is not your story so let me try to bring it closer to home.  Okay Lord so you maintained me when I lost my job.  You helped me to provide for my family but now I have something else going on that is trying to its best to steal my joy and you are taking too long.  Let the complaining begin.  Finally you find a job but it is not nearly the same amount of money so how are you going to support your family?  Let's see what happened with the Israelites.  The Lord hears the cries of His people and He delivers them.  They hadn't yet learned what it meant to totally depend on God for everything.  Although when he turns the bitter water sweet they learn to trust Him a little bit more.  Only if the person who lost their job realized that while He was maintaining them, He was also teaching them how to live on less. 

I love to use my divine imagination.  Just for a moment imagine if when the Israelites realized there was no more water they all began to pray in one accord and praise God and thank Him for the water they knew that they were about to receive.  I like to imagine God sitting in heaven thinking 'Well alright, my children are finally getting it'. And while they were praising Him the water became drinkable.  We all know that didn't happen.  We also know that even with their complaints and doubt, God still provided what they needed. And He will do the same thing for you.  And if you don't get it the first time just live just a little while longer.  There are many more lessons to come.  How much better that time will be when you put all your trust in the Lord.  'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy path.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

I come to You today just to say thank you for all the things you have done for me.  The ways you have made for me and the doors You have opened for me.  I confess that I have not always had the best reaction to the trials I have had to face but I am so grateful that  You continue to give me opportunity after opportunity to learn to put all my trust in You.  Thank You for my journey.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

Keep On Serving

All day long the question has been running through my mind about what to do after prayer.  When you have prayed concerning a specific matter and you are waiting to hear from God.  Of course I consulted the Word of God.  So many times we become frustrated waiting on an answer.  The verse I was led to was Romans 12:12.  'Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer'.   Paul went on to say in the next verse 'Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality'. (verse 13)  What did I get from those verses?  Keep on Serving.  Continue to hope.  Be patient. Continue to pray.  But more importantly keep doing the work of the Lord.  There are more souls that need to be saved.  There are fellow Christians who need to be encouraged. And who better the do that work than you.

It is easy to become consumed with our problems.  We pray and we cry.  We fast and we pray. We even ask others to pray for us. We also sit down.  We complain that things are too hard.  We say that God won't mind if I take a Sunday off.  I'm just going to take a small sabbatical from the choir, Sunday School, Bible Study.  We don't bother to think about the person who may be watching us who is encouraged by our walk with God.  So what does it mean to rejoice in hope?  It means we look past the present to the future that God has promised us.  We praise our way through the storm.  Patient in tribulation?  Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstance.  Instead of reacting we refrain from any action.  Instead we decide to trust completely in the Lord. The one who knew my ending before my beginning.  The one who laid the very foundation of this earth and the One who will still be standing in the end.  It is in You, O Lord, that I put my trust.  And while rejoicing and being patient, you must never stop praying.  Your prayer should be confident and with that prayer you should have an attitude of expectancy.  And furthermore, your prayers should include prayer for others.  People are always standing in the need.  A Christian should not have an attitude that's about Me, Me, ME...all the time.  Yes, you may be going through.  But I can almost guarantee that the brother or sister sitting beside you is also going through.  That person sitting next to you in the choir stand may be doing all they can just to hold on.  They got up that morning saying "I must go to church because I need to see Jesus."  Then there is that unsaved person or that backslider who works in the cubicle next to you at work. If you sit down and stop serving, if you put a shade over the light that shines from you, then what Jesus will they see.  It's so funny to me that we can choose to stop serving God because of  our circumstances but we will go to work everyday.  We continue to take our children to the sports activities.  we even continue to live life as normal as we can but we shut out the only One who can really help us.  There have been many days that my person trials could have stopped me from sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ but a child of God is who I am.  It overflows from my soul.  It is the essence of my heart.  I don't have any option but to serve Him by serving others. He's been just too good for me to let Him down.  I can't see my sister or my brother hurting and just walk by them without smiling or saying an encouraging word.  Just saying a prayer in my spirit for them is helping them more than anything else I can do.  I can't say how much fellowshipping with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ helps me.  God is always setting up divine appointments for us to be a witness for Him.  The question of the day is will you be obedient to the call?  Reading through the gospels about the life of Jesus, I can recall many times when it would have been just as easy for Him to say "Father, this is too much."  But He didn't.  He kept right on doing the will of the one who sent Him.  That is what we must do.  We must always remember to put our trust in Jesus and to hope in Him.  We can wait patiently knowing that God is still on the throne and there is no one more powerful than Him.  He reigns over all the earth.  Daily communion with God is not optional, it is necessary for our survival.  Having an open, honest conversation with God.  And then after you have prayed, you must continue to serve Him.  There is not a better reminder of who God is than to share your testimony with someone about where He has brought you from.  To see someone's spirit lifted because you are there for them in their time of need.  They may even know that you are going through something yourself right now but you are still working for the Lord.  If that isn't a testimony of who God is, I don't know what is.  Be encouraged my brother and sister and always remember that God has a job for you to do.  And your patience allows room for God to work, teaching us, instructing us, and refining us through the furnace of affliction. The difficult times are when God often builds in us the deepest character.

Most Gracious Heavenly Father, 
I come to You today standing in need of a renewed mind.  The devil is trying to control my mind with thoughts of defeat but I will not be defeated.  I know that I can do all things in You who gives me strength daily.  I know that I am more than a conqueror and that I must continue to work even when I am weak.  I know that I must continue to serve You because You are an all-sufficient God who is able to provide for me whatever I need.  I thank You for everything you have done for me and everything you are going to do for me.  It is in the Wonderful Name of Jesus I pray Amen. 

In Between Times

Difficult times in our lives not only reveal who we are but also sets the stage for who we are becoming.  I call these times the 'In Between Times'.  The time between deliverance out of Egypt and arrival into the Promised Land.  Usually during these times we allow ourselves to become bitter and resentful over the smallest things.  One of the easiest places to develop these emotions is when dealing with loss.  Whether it be the loss of a loved one to illness, the loss of a child to drugs, the loss of a job to someone younger but less experienced than you or the loss of a spouse to another man or woman.  All of these losses affect your deepest emotions and it is easy to allow your heart to become hardened.  We, of course, think that the decisions we are making now will only affect the present but I beg to differ.  It is those decisions that shape who we are in the future.  Take for example the loss of a spouse in a divorce.  Often times there are court battles over who gets what...the house, the car, the children.  Want to see the worse in somebody just sit in divorce court one day.  People are fighting so hard to get even that they lose sight of God altogether.  Think about the loss of a dear friend.  Someone you have trusted with your innermost thoughts only to have them share them with someone else.  Realizing that person can't be trusted.  It is during these times that we must really rely on God to guard our hearts and our minds.  To keep our tongue from harsh words.  To keep our ears from ungodly advice.  To keep our feet from evil.  Yes, we all go through the necessary grieving stages but we cannot use that as an excuse to treat others wrong.  This is actually the time you should spend dedicated to prayer and reading your Word.  You should surround yourself with spiritual friends, those who will pray with you and pull you back in when you are out there on that ledge about to put something in concrete that should only be in the sand.  One of the most valuable assets you can have are Godly friends.  Those that will pray with you and for you.

Each and every time we go through a difficult season of life God is waiting to see if we are going to trust him.  Will we stand still and see the salvation of the Lord? If we are going to hold our peace and let the Lord fight our battles? We are ensured victory when we trust Him.  The thing that I have learned through my failure is that my attitude while riding through the storm helps to determine how long I have to spend in the situation and also how much repair work has to be done after it's all over.  A while back I was watching TBN and the minister who was talking asked a question that is very relevant to the subject matter I am talking about today.  'Is is possible to possess a vital faith that prompts you to be at your best while passing through a season of profound disappointment, unnerving chaos, or deliberating pain?  If you had asked me this question six or seven years ago I would say no.  Six or seven years ago when I was going through my worst wilderness experience yet, it did not bring out the best in me. In fact, I crumbled.  I couldn't take it.  I wasn't prepared to fight with Satan.  I wasn't strong enough to hold on to God's unchanging hand.  I locked myself up in my house and did nothing else.  I had my own private pity party, shut everyone out of my life and just gave up.  I still remember the exact moment God spoke to me and told me to get myself up, He had work for me to do.  It took me a minute to move in obedience but eventually I did.  My life hasn't been the same since.  Now when difficult times arrive in my life they really aren't that unexpected.  It amazes me how I am able to see things that are not good in my life.  I no longer have time to be looking at every body else because I am so busy asking God to change me.  Had I allowed myself to become bitter and resentful at the way my life had turned out I would not have been open to receive the blessings that I now have.  It was in the desert that I was reshaped and established a greater connection with God.  I won't say that it was easy.  In fact the desert is a hard place.  But never in my experience in the desert was God not with me.  I had known God for most of my life but now I have a true, personal relationship with Him.  Bottom line is that He had to grow me up.  He had to show me that I am not just the God of your mother and father but I am your God.  The one who you can depend on.  I believe there is nothing more powerful than the words God spoke to Moses at the burning bush.  "I AM..."  (Exodus 3:6) Every time I read those verses I add something new.  Last week He was my Healer.  Just today He was my Mind Regulator.  Those two words say so much.  When I was explaining it to my children, I put it like this.  God is simply saying I AM whatever you need me to be.  That is why I know that through my difficult times I do possess the faith that is vital for me to be at my best when all hell is going on all around me.  How do I know this because it is in my weakest moments God stands up in me the tallest.  You see, in the desert when God spoke to Moses telling Him who He was, he then went on to tell Him that He saw the affliction and heard their cry.  Our greatest assurance is in knowing that God sees and hears everything that is going on in our lives.  And because we know that, we can have peace while riding through the storm.  I don't know what it is you may be going through but I do know a God who is big enough to handle it.   God is awesome.  God is Sovereign.  God reigns over the heaven and the earth.  That means He is in control.  Never doubt for one second that He doesn't see what is going on in your life.  Because He sees you, you have something to shout about.  I will leave you with this thought.  It is no secret what God can do, what He has done for other He will do the same for you.  Just continue to hold to His unchanging hand. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

God who sees and knows everything that is going on in my life right now.  I confess that I am weak.  The flesh keeps telling me to give up but I know that I can make it because I have You, O Lord living on the inside of me.  I'm asking you today to guard my mind.  Guard my heart.  Forgive me of all my sins and remove anything within me that is not of You.  Lord I am doing my best to hold on.  Help me not to do permanent damage while in a temporary situation.  I am leaning and depending on You.  I know You will see me through.  I thank you God because You are gracious and merciful towards me.  I love you and I praise You.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Avoiding Uncertainty

In this world that I am living in right now the only thing constant is change.  As I try to wrap my mind around what is going on, I find that I can't.  I take a moment and look at everything around me and think about how one word, one sentence has turned my world upside down.  Whatever shall I do?  You know the feeling, don't you?  Boss comes in and says, "I'm sorry we don't need you anymore."  Your child comes home and tell you that he's failing math.  Your teenage daughter says she is pregnant. The doctor informs you that you have stage fourcancer and that chemotherapy must begin immediately.  Your wife tells you that  she doesn't love you anymore and that she's leaving you.  I bet you didn't realize that it is during this time that God does His best work on your life.  I would go even further to say that this time between Egypt and the Promised Land is necessary and that you have the potential to come out so much better.  The question I have for you today is are you open to let Him make the necessary changes in your life so that you can be all that He has purposed for you to be?

So many times during our seasons of pain and suffering, instead of looking for God, we blame God.  I have said this many times before instead of asking God what is He trying to teach you, we question God's sovereignty.  Or maybe that's just me.  Maybe I am the only one who grows tired of always being in the wilderness, feeling like God is picking on me.  At this point I have a choice.  I can either become bitter and resentful or I can open my heart to the blessings that God has in store for me that are most certain to come out of this period of uncertainty.  I am studying something right now in my Interpersonal Communication class.  It is the Uncertainty Reduction Theory.  Uncertainty exist when there is a high amount of possible alternatives.  You have know real way of knowing what the outcome will be.  As I sat in class and thought about this, it was as though a light bulb came on for me and my current situation.  I have been classifying my situation totally wrong.  I was not in a period of uncertainty.  There is really only one possible outcome for my situation.  VICTORY!!!  I had come up with the solution for avoiding uncertainty.  I am sure of this because God said it in His Word.  No matter how dark your situation may be, God has the final say.  We avoid uncertainty by knowing more about who God is.  The Word only tells us so much about who He is but when you can personally testify to the fact that He is a Deliverer, a Provider,  a Shelter in the time of storm, a Sustainer.  When you know Him to be a Healer, a way out of know way,  Jehovah Shalom - your peace... you can shout Hallelujah!  What better way to reduce the amount of certainty in your life.  What better way to exercise your faith in God. I know how easy it is to become weary in well doing, but it is in due time you shall reap a harvest of blessing if you faint not. Galatians 6:9  Either you can let this be a period that will result in great spiritual growth or spiritual decline.  You choose!

Most Gracious Heavenly Father, 

I  don't know why You love me but You do.  I thank you today because you loved me so much that You divinely design situations in my life to help to make me a better person.  Lord I ask you to give me the strength to endure during this difficult time.  Help me to look at my circumstance and see Your amazing hand carefully positioning me for success.  I trust You Lord with my life and love you with my whole heart.  I believe that goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and all things are working out for my good.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

Speak Life

...in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy path.  Proverbs 3:6

While I have gotten better about asking God about the major decisions in my life, there is one area that He is still working on...my mouth.  The words that I speak in the heat of the moment sometimes do not reflect that of a child of God.  I make a lot of excuses for the things that I say.  The main one is that I am defending myself against someone that has hurt me.  Regardless of the reason for what I say, I know in my heart that I should not have said it.  It amazes me how quickly the Holy Spirit helps point that out to me. 

Proverbs 13:3 says, 'He who guards his mouth preserves if life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction'. 

A new idea popped into my head...what if I decided not to say the very first thing that popped into my head.  What if instead I prayed and asked God what would He have me to say.  I can only imagine how different my life would be.  I can only imagine the burden that would be lifted off my shoulders knowing that the words that I say speak life and not death.  The words that I speak have the power to heal and not hurt.  How quickly arguments would be diffused.  How much easier it would be to forgive.  Truth of the matter is that words hurt.  It doesn't matter if they are said in the heat of the moment.  Words hurt sometimes more than physical pain. Why?  Because it's hard to forget what someone says to you.  Words infect your mind and damage your heart.  How many times have you sat at work or at home and repeated an argument over and over in your head. We are not sitting there asking God to help us to forgive the person who might have said those things.  Instead we are sitting there thinking about what we are going to say that is even more hateful when we get home.   I am not even going to go into the negative things we say about other people.  But I will say this...we are going to have to give an account for every word. 

Now I would have to admit that I am not one of those people who believes that you can just speak it and it will come to pass.  But I do believe that if you hear more positive than negative things, you will believe more positive things about yourself than negative things.  I also try my best to instill the same principles in my children.  No matter how much my son frustrates me when he doesn't work up to his potential, I don't call him stupid.  Instead I tell him how intelligent he is and how he has it in him to become anything he wants to become.  I believe that if I call him stupid then he will start behaving that way.  What reason would he have to do any better?  That is why it is important to feel our mind with truth.  What does God have to say about me?  Yet another reason to stay in the Word.  As much as I would like to think that everyone I come in contact with is going to be nice to me, however I am a realist and I know that is not the case.  So I must search the scriptures and see what the Bible has to say about me.  The verse that stuck out the most to me was that II Corinthians 5:17, 'I am a new creature in Christ Jesus'.  For me that said it all.  Whatever label you may try to put on me doesn't matter.  The things I might have done in the past don't matter.  I've been washed in the blood of the lamb. Old things are passed away, behold all things have become new.  And because God has done this for me, who am I to say negative things about my brother or my sister.  Who am I to repay evil for evil?  I must begin today to acknowledge Him in all my ways, including the words I speak.  I need Him to direct my path. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father, 

Creator of all things new, I give You praise.  Lord I come to You asking You to bridle my tongue. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight.  Help me to speak life and not death, to build up and not to tear down.  Forgive me for the hurtful things that I have said in anger.  Help me to see myself the way You see me.  I want to speak words inspired by you.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

Patient Endurance

I can make it.   At least that is what I keep telling myself.  I believe everything the Word says. I know that God can and He will, that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all I could ever ask or think.  But sometimes depending on the severity of the hardship, I still feel like giving up.  Times like this when I feel like giving up I have to go into my spiritual treasure chest and find a gem.  What's a gem? It's those verses that are invaluable to me.  They have become priceless because of what these verses have given me in some of my most trying times.  It's a Word that will help me make it just a little while longer.  Although I have been adding quite a few new verses to my treasure chest, this particular verse I had to dig down deep to find. 

'There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it.  I Corinthians 10:13

In other words, I can make it.  No matter how bad it looks, God is going to give me what I need to make it just a little while longer.  Most people when they talk about temptation they refer to sexually immoral sin - adultery, pre-marital sex, drinking, drugs, etc.  I contend that one of the biggest temptations Christians face is 'feeling like giving up'.  And who knew that we would suffer this temptation better than God. His own son must have felt like giving up a thousand times.  He, who did no wrong.  Now I can't compare my life to that of Jesus Christ.  I know that I have done plenty of wrong, but for the most part I try to live a good life, one that is pleasing in the sight of God.  The thing that still trips me up sometimes is when bad things happen to good people.  Just this week, my dad and I were talking about this very thing.  The age old question of why hardships seem to increase during those times when I am actually traveling along the right path.  It's so discouraging sometimes. It should come as no surprise to me though.  The Bible tells us that 'in this world we will have tribulations but take heart, I have overcome the world'. John 16:33 This verse doesn't say if we have tribulations.  It says we will. 

Everytime I read this verse one word pops up in my mind and that is 'Endurance'.  What is endurance?  The ability to carry on through, despite hardships.  To suffer patiently without yielding. This, my friend, is no easy task.  Not many people can keep on smiling and praising God in spite of everything that is going on in their life.  In fact, when I become stressed, I'm also frustrated.  I'm not the nicest person to be around and I am definitely not the poster child for the Fruits of the Spirit.  You better be careful if you are around me because I just might fly off the handle.  Thanks be to God the Father, that He tempers that spirit of frustration.  He calms my anxiety.  He gives me an outlet in His Word.  He gives me the ability to call His name which calms my fears.  No matter where I am or what the circumstance He is always there, providing a way out for me.  I'm not talking about a way out of my circumstance, because He might have it that I am there just a little while longer.  But He does provide a way out of the misery in my mind.  He provides a focus on that which is positive instead of negative.  He gives me hope and a peace that surpasses all understanding.  How is God able to do this when I have apparently shown such little faith in Him.?  Because God is love and I Corinthians 13:7 tells me that love endures.  Because of this fact, how could I ever think about giving up on God when He hasn't given up on me?

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Thank you today for your love.  I thank You because I know that because of Your love for me, You haven't given up on me.  You continue to provide strength in my time of weakness. You uphold me with Your right hand.  Lord, I know that my sufferings are producing endurance and endurance character and character, hope.  All these things so that You, O Lord can get the glory and so that I will receive a crown of righteousness.  I know that I may not be able to see the finish line but I know that I can keep on running with You by my side.  Please give me the strength that I need to run this race just a little while longer.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

There's A War Going On

Do you realize that every battle that you face is a battle between darkness and light?  For we do not wrestle again flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places'. Ephesians 6:12  This is hand-to-hand combat and it's real.  Satan wants nothing better than to deceive you into thinking that you are in this thing all by yourself.  That you are strong enough to fight your own battles.  He wants you to think that you are actually in control of what happens to you.  So if I can get into an argument with my spouse or my friend or my co-worker and I end up on top, than I've won.  If I don't forgive, under the pretense that I am not going to be left looking like a fool, than I've won.  One thing I learned a long time ago is that the devil is not stupid. What did he say when the Lord asked him where He had come from in the book of Job?  He was roaming to and fro seeking (Job 1:7) someone to devour (I Peter 5:8)  I can only imagine that if Job had not been prepared to STAND, what the devil might have done to him.  This is no different than what He desires to do to us.  As Christians we cannot be fooled by those that look like us, sound like us, act like us.  And more importantly we have to make sure that we don't allow the devil to use us in his plan.  Every time we choose to rely on our own emotions and feelings instead of really asking ourselves, What would Jesus have me to do in this situation?  What is it that He would have me to say?"

I must share with you an incident that occurred not too long ago in my life.  My emotions were getting the best of me and I knew that the next words that were to come out of my mouth were not going to be 'what Jesus would have me to say' so I begin to pray....Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight,O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.  I started praying silently and my spirit kept saying just be quiet Ramona and I did.  I did not want the situation to get out of control or to the point of no return.  I did not want my hurt and pain to cause me to become angry and bitter.  I did not want my behavior to hurt my testimony, to be a stumbling block for someone who may not be as strong as me in their Christian walk.  Because I begin praying, things did not get out of hand and I praise God that He helped me to be the bigger person in that situation.  This has not always been the case.  Satan desires nothing more than to sift us as wheat.  He is trying his best to cover up the light that shines from you because of the One that lives in you.  One thing that I have learned is that spiritual warfare is real.  The way to win is to put on the whole armor of God.  It's not enough to put on the belt of truth alone.  You must also have your breastplate of righteousness, and that still isn't enough.  To that you must have your feet must be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace,  the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God.  Since we are not fighting flesh and blood we cannot fight with carnal weapons.  'For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds II Corinthians 10:4  Since you know what you're up against, why not do all that you can to be totally prepared for battle. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Thank you for Your Word.  Thank you because it is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  Thank you for the way it guides me into the way of all truth.  Thank you that it continues to make me better as I read and study it and hide it in my heart.  I confess that I have not always taken up the full armor of God in order to stand against the wiles of the devil.  I have went to battle unprepared. Today Lord I am taking on the full armor of God.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit that dwells within me and shows me Satan's attacks for what they are and also reminds me that You, O Lord have already won the war and because of this my name is victory.  All praise, honor and glory I give to thee. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Solid As A Rock

God is our refuge and our strength a very present help in time of trouble.  Psalms 46:1

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Psalms 9:9

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  Psalms 18:1-2

The Lord is near to all who call on him; he also hears their cry and saves them.  Psalms 145:18

I could go on further but I think I will stop right there.  All day today I couldn't stop thinking about the stability of God.  He is my one constant.  The very nature of God is unchanging. In a world where everything can instantly be taken from me at any moment, I can always rely on God. It doesn't matter if I neglect Him or fail to spend time with Him, He is always there sustaining me through each and every circumstance that comes my way.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever more.  I have a peaceful reliance in Him that He can and will meet my needs.  This simple fact stabilizes my faith.  No longer do I have to say things like "If God..."  Those statements have been changed to "When God..."  Without a doubt I know that He is going to see me through.  And this fact is stated over and over again in His Word.  I love how I can start at one verse and that verse takes me to another verse and yet another verse, building on the foundation of my faith and causing an unwavering belief in the God who is in control of all things.  We should never have a reason to doubt God.  Yet we do.  Think about it.  Even when we couldn't see how the situation would work out for our good, didn't it?  God has never failed us or broken one of His promises.  In a world where even those most stable things can soon become unstable, we must put our hope in God.

In Thee O Lord, do I put my trust.  It doesn' t matter what is going on around me.  You, O  Lord, never change. I can dwell in your secret place and abide in your shadow.  You are my refuge, my safe place.  In You, O Lord I find peace.  I find joy.  I find love everlasting.  You are solid.  Your love is continuous. Your peace is overflowing.  In You I can always depend.  Stop looking at your circumstances.  Trust in the character of God.  He won't fail You.  Wait on Him.  We say these words a lot of the time as cliches. They sound good but do we really believe what we are saying.  It's time out for praising Him when the sun is shining.  Start praising Him in the rain, when the storms of life are raging.  I have found that when I praise Him while in my storm, I find safety and a peace that surpasses all understanding. 

Dear Lord,

Thank you for being my refuge, my fortress, my strength and a very present help in the time of trouble.  Thank you for the assurance I have that no matter what is going on in my life You are there to see me through.  I am never alone.  I thank you for being a constant in my life.  I can always lean and depend on you and stand firm on each and every promise in Your Word. Lord I love you and I trust You.  I know that everything in my life is working out for my good no matter what it looks like right now.  I can shout Hallelujah because victory is mine.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

God is Faithful!

There is a popular Christian quote that says, "If the Lord brings you to it, He will bring you through it."  I have used this saying and even shouted on it a couple of times.  But a question popped up in my spirit and I thought I would see what the Word has to say about it. The question was, "What if God did not lead you to it?  What if it was totally a decision you made on your own?"  You did not even think to consult the Lord for advice or direction until something went wrong with the decision you made. I don't know about you, but I don't always consult God in every decision and even sometimes when I do consult Him I decide to go another route, as if God doesn't know what He is doing.  Can you relate?  You know that day you were sitting at your desk at work, miserable, trying to figure out why you took that job in the first place.  You are in a relationship, married or unmarried, and two kids later you see that the situation is not going to get any better.  You are living in a city with no friends, no family, all because you followed some man, some woman or just for more money that you thought would bring you happiness, lonely and still unhappy.  All of the situations I have described were decisions you made without asking God if that was what you should do. So, does God bring you through even those situations? I say YES, YES, YES!

You see, I have come to realize (to bring into concrete existence) and recognize (acknowledge in a definite way) the power of God.  He is sovereign.  He can do whatever He wants to do when He wants to do it.  If He wanted to put a stop to anything that I had decided in my mind He could.  Some things God just allows.  The best part about it is that these things still go to serve His design purpose and He is still glorified.  I always go back and look at the children of Israel, God's chosen people.  I like to make comparisons to my life and also try to learn from their mistakes.  But think about it.  He delivered them just like He delivered me.  I was a slave to sin.  Yet even after deliverance they chose to make decisions without consulting God.  But God still delivered them when they called to Him and even sometimes before they called. It's like it is when I see my children drowning in the sesspool of their own making. There have been many times that I have rescued them without them asking.  It did not matter to me how they got there.  It is simply because of who I am. 

I thank God for this lesson in who He is.  So many times I have set and wallowed around, feeling sorry for myself.  I know that the reason I am in this situation is because I didn't bother to ask Him what I should do.  There were times that I even felt the urging of the Holy Spirit and I completely ignored it.  But I have concluded, my heart is fixed and my mind is made up, that even in my disobedience and lack of trust, God is faithful.  He was using these circumstances to teach me total dependence on Him.  He was altering all my preconceived notion about what I thought I could do on my own.  All the while He was being faithful.  It just wasn't about singing a song saying, 'I will trust in the Lord'.  I was trusting Him. This meant that I have trusted Him, I am trusting Him and I will trust Him.   I Corinthians 1:9 says, 'God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord'.  Yes God doe ask some things of us,but His faithfulness does not depend upon whether we decide to do them or not.  He is faithful in they way He blesses us and also when He disciplines us.  There are many other verses that you can stand on whenever that spirit of doubt tries to creep in:  John 16:33, Isaiah 41:10, Psalms 46:1-3, Psalms 55:22, Nahum 1:7, Isaiah 26:3, Lamentations 3:22-23, II Thessalonians 3:3.  Mark these verses in your Bible.  Write them down. Memorize them.  Let them become the very weapon you use when the devil attacks you.  The devil loves to try and control your mind.  These are just a few verses, but there are many more.  Take some time. Learn them.  The Bible is full of them. I began this by quoting a popular quote and I am going to end with an even better one....GOD IS FAITHFUL!

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

I come to you today in the humblest way that I know how, first of all thanking you and praising you for who you are.  You are the light of the world.  You are my strength, my strong tower, my leaning post.  More importantly, you are faithful.  I thank you that in spite of my disobedience you are always there to bring me through.  You love me even when I don't love myelf.  You provide for me.  I realize that I would be nothing with You.  I submit to your will and to your way.  Take complete control of my life.  I will follow You Lord wherever you lead.  I recognize that You are my everything.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Spiritual Maintenance

It's time for the oil to be changed on my truck.  Getting the oil changed every three to four thousand miles is essential to the proper performance of my vehicle.  Although I know that this is something that needs to be done, I can't tell you how many times I have put off and neglected going to have my oil changed.  I did this one time to the extent that it hurt my pocketbook and something minor soon turned in to some major mechanical work.  It made me think of how often I allow things to blow up out of proportion.  Yesterday's carelessness (neglect), today's crisis.  All the times I allowed a petty difference to blow up into a major argument.  How a simple rain storm quickly became a major thunderstorm. Do you know how most house fires start...from the distraction of everyday life.  Everything has a sense of urgency except what we need to take care of. 

Let's take a look at this from a spiritual perspective.  Matthew 6:33, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you'.  Yet when the time comes for me to read and study God's Word and commune with my Heavenly Father, I become so easily distracted and simple maintenance of my relationship with God goes undone.  This simple neglect leaves me unprepared to perform the work God has designed for me to do.  I am totally unprepared for battle.  I am , in fact, setting myself up for an unfair fight.  The thing that I am kicking myself about is that all of this could have been avoided if I had just done the maintenance.  Spiritual maintenance requires honest examination, confession and repentance.  We must allow ourselves to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  Spiritual maintenance is necessary for us to operate properly and efficiently.   'For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do'.  Ephesians 2:10  As children of God we should not be shaken up everytime we are faced with trials and tribulations.  If you are doing your maintenance and being filled up with God's Word you would know that 'the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing'.  James 1:3-4  I don't know about you but I am tired of minor situations becoming major obstacles in my life all because I am not standing on the Word of God and believing what He has said, knowing that God won't put more on me than I can bear.  He knows the most intimate details about me and knows just the right amount of pressure to apply, after all He designed me.  I am going to commit to doing the work....checking my self in for my maintenance appointment.  Asking God to 'Search me and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting'.  Psalms 139: 23-24

Dear Lord,

How excellent is thy name in all the earth.  Oh Lord, you are my refuge and my strength, a very present help in time of trouble.  Lord, I confess that I have neglected to abide in You and Your Word so that when I ask anything it will be done.  I have caused minor situations to become major obstacles in my life that have kept me from doing the work you have designed for me to do.  I am so thankful that you are a forgiving God and one who will always be with me guiding and directing my life so that I am aware of when I do make a mistake or fall short you are there to lift me up.  Thank you Lord for your goodness and your mercy.  I am standing firm on your Word that when I seek You first ALL these things will be added unto me.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.

Under Construction

There is one thing true about highways in Oklahoma - they are always under construction.  Drive down any highway at any time of the day or night and you will see orange cones and signs indicating that your expected travel time to your intended destination is going to be delayed. I absolutely love the way God takes something so simple and totally unrelated and makes it applicable to what is going on in my life right now because right now I am 'Under Construction'.  I am in the process of being 'put together' by God to be used for His glory. 

Twenty-four years ago I accepted Jesus Christ as my person Lord and Savior.  But at the age of twelve I did not fully understand what it meant for Him to be Lord of my life.  In order for me to understand this concept and benefit from the blessings that come from being a child of God, I had to be placed under construction.  You see, I had cracks and holes, bumps and bruises.  In other words, a lot of work needed to be done.  I discovered this by reading the Word of God.  It has a way of revealing the things inside of you that are not like Christ.  There is a funny thing about construction that I discovered.  Construction is not only the process of being put together but it is also the process of being taken apart.  I sat in my car and watched the workers as I traveled to Dallas one day.  One group of men had a machine and that machine's job was to pound the current pavement and break it up.  Then there was another machine that came behind that machine and removed all the broken up pieces. Once the pieces were removed a truck came in to fill the hole and then another machine that smoothed out the pavement.  Now there are times when I have seen the workers come in and simply pour new concrete over the crack and the holes, the bumps and the bruises but when this happens not too much time passes when I see them coming back and starting the process all over, doing it correctly this time. 

There have been times in my life when I have tried to take the easy way out, doing the bare minimum to get by, putting on a top coat of going to church, reading my Bible every now and then, listening to gospel music, but not doing enough to sustain me when real adversity strikes.  I had chosen to ignore the urgings of the Holy Spirit when He exposed something in me that needed to be removed or changed.  It is when real adversity strikes that I recognize my need to be in the hands of the Master, being shaped into the vessel that He wants me to be. You see, God has to take the old and replace it with the new.  He has to take my unforgiveness and replace it with forgiveness.  Hate with love. Discord with peace. And those are just a few of the things God had to change in me. It's a type of renovation that only God can complete.  Psalms 40:2-3 says it best.  'He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God; many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. 

God wants to establish you so that you are prepared to do His work.  In order for this to happen He has to place you under construction.  This construction may cause a delay in your arrival at your set destination but oh what a glorious day it will be when He completes His process and we are all that God desires us to be.  Remember this one thing...'He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 What the Lord has started, He will finish! 

Dear Lord,

I want to thank you right now for never taking your hand off me, for always working to transform me into the person you want me to be so that I may be used for your purpose.  I thank you for the power of Your Word, the power that it has to expose those things in me that are not like You.  I submit myself to You.  Mold me and make me after thy will, while I am waiting yielded and still.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

What Shall I Do?

What shall I do?  What steps should I take? What move should I make, O Lord, what shall I do?  I know you'll come through with an answer for me, please Lord set my soul free, O Lord I know you'll come through. 

How many of you are debating within yourself what your next step should be?  What direction should you go?  You've probably sought the advice of others. I know that's what I usually do and there is nothing wrong with that if that person is Godly.  But the real question I have for you is have you consulted God?  One thing that I am learning is that God's purposes for my life are inevitably accomplished.  God is sovereign and He can do whatever He wants to do when He wants to do it.  How much easier it would be for me if I would actually consult the Lord for guidance in all areas of my life.  His Word said it best in Jeremiah 33:3,  'Call unto me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known'.  We don't know the best thing for our lives.  We don't know what direction to walk in.  We need guidance.  What better person to turn to than the Lord God Almighty.  The one who knew the end from the beginning.  He has set out His plan for my life and for your life and yet we continue to ignore His counsel.  Time and time again I make plans without asking God what He thinks.  I can only imagine God laughing at me and saying,  "When is she going to get it?"  Proverbs 19:21 says it best, 'Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand'.  God has your best interest in mind at all times and He is the only one capable of fulfilling your divine destiny.  And the best news of it all is that He never gives up on you. 

A problem that I was having was my dependence on time.  I don't like to wait, even on God.  But if I am truly standing on His Word which says that the purpose of the Lord will stand, then I shouldn't mind waiting.  And while I am waiting I should continue to do God's will in His way.  I can't allow my waiting on God to cause me to become frustrated and to have negative feelings.  We are such an impatient people.  Think about when you are sitting at the table in a restaurant waiting for your food. You already have in mind how long it should take for your food to come out and heaven forbid if someone who got there after you gets their food before you do.  I don't know about you but I have a fit and I let everybody know it.  Behaving in love is thrown out the window.  That is exactly how we behave with God.  God takes no pleasure in withholding things from you.  He says in His Word, "Ask me and I will tell you."  Have you taken the time to say, "Lord, I am weak right now.  I need a scripture, a promise from Your Word so I can hold on a little while longer until your purpose comes to pass."  I must admit that I haven't done it that way all the time but I am learning this is the only way to go.  The God we serve is not bound by time.  We are limited.  He is unlimited. Another problem I was having was not understanding the power of God.  He doesn't grow tired or weary.  We cannot even comprehend how God chooses to fulfill his promises.  He doesn't ask us to.  All He ask is that we believe.  Stop and ask yourself right now, "Do you believe that God can turn the situation around for the better?"  The answer is a simple yes or no.  If there is even a hint of doubt then your prayer should be for God to remove the doubt.  God wants to move you to the passenger seat and become the main driver of your life. You have to move self out of the way.  Step aside.  I contend that you have nothing to lose by waiting on the Lord and everything to gain.  Whatever the situation is, God will sustain you!  In the end, God is going to be glorified and His purpose is fulfilled. 

Dear Lord,

I have a dilemma.  I don't know what direction to go.  I feel like I am in a tug of war with myself.  I know that I should have come to you first but I am coming to you now.  In Your Word you told me to call unto you and you will answer me and show me great and mighty things that I do not know.  Right now I am standing on this promise, believing that I will receive an answer from you.  While I am waiting on Your answer Lord I ask You to help me to wait.  Plant my feet so that I move neither to the left or to the right until I hear from You.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

Absolute Trust

Be careful what you pray for because you never know what God has in mind to achieve that result.  All my prayers here lately have been about the same...'for the Lord to show me the things in me that are not like Him and remove them so that I can be all that I can be for Him'.  I say that I am open to this transformation but sometimes it really hurts. I have noticed that sometimes He does it in steps and other times He just cuts it out of me without anesthesia.  I wish I knew a better way to be prepared for these procedures.  But I haven't figured it out yet.  I realize that I just have to have faith and believe that God is in control and He knows exactly what He is doing. But why does it have to hurt so bad and why does the process have to repeat itself over and over again?  I have learned that in these times of almost total darkness I must walk with God in absolute trust.  It is in these times that I must look to God as my only option, my only source of strength, my only source of hope.  Not my Savior who is just there to get me through this tough time but the God who is guiding my steps when things are going well. I don't know about you, but I seek God more when times are hard and less when times are good.  God wants me to seek Him in everything.  I know I say I do because it sounds good but if I am honest with myself I must admit that I don't seek Him for everything.  I still have a problem with relying on my own strength.  After all this time I haven't realized that my strength gives out.  I am not strong enough on my own. 

So how do I continue on when God is working on me?  I must STAND on His Word.  Ephesians 6:14, "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist...."   I am a soldier in the army of the Lord and I must always be prepared for battle.  There's a war going on.  The devil don't like it with your mind stayed on Jesus.  He doesn't like it when you are striving to be better.  He doesn't like it when you are actually listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and allowing the Word of God to transform your life.  He doesn't like it with you have a mind for prayer.  So He begins to fill your life with distractions and what better distraction than a defeatist attitude.  He wants you to become so focused on your problem that you don't have time to focus on God.   I am the first person to tell you that the storms in my life have helped to shape me and mold me into a better Christian, but God is not through with me.  There is still more work to be done.  I often times think about the children of Israel after they were delivered from slavery.  They went from captivity to  wilderness before ever reaching the promised land.  They didn't have  road map to guide them. They had a cloud in the day and fire in the evening.    It gets extremely hot in the desert yet God provided them with shade.  That same desert can get extremely cold at night yet God provided them with warmth.   All they had was the Lord and that was enough.  God made a way even in the wilderness.  You see, your wilderness can actually be  place of blessing. Even in the wilderness, He will provide everything you need. 

God takes you through to make you better.  I can't say enough that there is always a purpose behind your pain.  You must learn to have absolute trust.  Standing on God's Word means He has the final say.  It's not just believing that He can; it's knowing that He will.  Remember this, 'Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing is happening to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake in Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.  (I Peter 4:12-13) Our reward is not here on earth.  The suffering that we go through is achieving for us an eternal glory that doesn't even compare to your happiest moment. Trust God and give Him praise while riding through the storm.  Find safety in His arms. God will give you what you need to sustain you.  

Dear Lord,

I need You.  I need You to help me to stand strong, to stand firm in Your truth.  I admit that I am weak.  I can do nothing in my own strength.  At times my faith waivers.  I believe what Your Word says but I am having a problem with timing, with the process, enduring the pain.  I submit today to Your will.  Give me the strength to continue to stand even during my period of brokenness. I realize that I must be tried by the fire in order to come out as pure gold.  I am looking to the hills from whence my help comes.  I know that all my help comes from You.  Thank you for never leaving my side.  I love you and I thank You for being my light in dark places.  I trust You Lord with my entire life.  Do with it what You will.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen. 

Because He First Loved Me

I love God and I love myself.  I love God because He first loved me and I love myself because I have learned to see myself through the eyes of my Heavenly Father.  No I am not perfect. I have blemished skin, hair that doesn't always want to do right, weight that fluctuates, big feet, a nasty attitude sometimes, I get angry, etc., etc.  But when I look in the mirror all I see is 'Beautiful'.  It's not about being conceited. It's about being confident...confident in the God that lives in me that He is bigger than any of my flaws.  Confident that He will show up in me because I have given Him total control of my life.  God has a work for me to do.  He has a work for you to do.  If Satan can distract you from doing that work by causing you to become consumed with your flaws or any other thing, then he will do just that.  He will use whatever he can to take your focus off God.  But you cannot let him. 

This was a huge revelation for me.  I had spent countless hours trying to hide all my flaws from those around me.  I never wanted anyone to see that I had imperfections.  I had an image in my mind of what I should look like to others and not just in my physical appearance but in the personality that I gave off.  I did not realize that I didn't have any control over either one.  In fact God had already predestined me for greatness and the light that others saw shining through me as a child until now had nothing to do with anything that I was doing.  God's light was shining through me and that light was used to draw people to me.  God knew me before my parents even thought about conceiving me.  I recall how my mother often told me that she prayed for me in the womb that I would be used by God.  Even the scriptures say, 'For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb...My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.  (Psalms 139:13,15-16)  The same holds true for you. Do you know that God, in all His sovereign power, had a plan for your life from the beginning.  He knew that you would be born into sin but He already had a way for you to be saved from sin.  This is so awesome!  Just thinking about the fact that God loves me that much.  He knows those things that I haven't told anyone else and yet He still loves me.  He even knows my innermost thoughts and He still loves me.  And all He asks of me is that I serve Him. That I spend some time in His Word.  That I check in with Him everyday and see if there is something He needs to share with me that will help me and some days I don't even check in.  I could have been better prepared for that situation that I thought popped up out of no where, when God knew it was coming. 

God accepts me, every flaw, every stain.  In fact, He accepts me just as I am.  I can't say that same thing about too many people. And not only does he accept me, He loves me so much that He doesn't leave me that way. I can remember when I was in such a horrible state, looking for love, full of self doubt, insecurities, depending on things of this world to make me happy, or better yet a man to make me happy.  But then God entered the picture and I have not been the same since.  I am destined for glory and while I may not ever have fame or fortune in this life, one day I'm going to see my Savior and tell Him "Thank you".  Tell Him how much I delight in Him.  Tell Him how much I appreciate Him for changing my life.  Thank Him for freeing me from the bondage of sin.  Thank Him for walking with me.  But until that time how do I show God how much I appreciate Him?  How much I love Him?  I can do this by serving Him all the days of my life and in everything I do.  What about you?

Most gracious Heavenly Father,

Thank you for loving me.  Thank you for not just looking at what I was but at what you knew I could become.  I thank you because of the love you have shown me, I am able to love others better.  I can love them in the way You meant for me to love them.  Thank You for helping me remember that I too have flaws and imperfections and that I shouldn't judge others based on their flaws and imperfections.  Help me to remember that everything I do is so You alone can get the glory.  Lord I love you and I give you all the glory, honor and the praise.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

God Will Deliver You

I have a definite love for the writings of Paul.  Paul is a writer who uses his very own sufferings to encourage others.  That is why when I read his letters my faith is boosted because I know that God has seen him through some tough times.  What a lot of people fail to realize is the only way he became such a great apostle for God was because God took him through some things.  My absolute favorite verse comes from the writings Paul.  'So we do not lose heart. Though our  outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.  (II Cor. 4:16-18)  That is why I can look at my problems and shout 'Temporary!' 

I was reading in II Corinthians, the very first chapter.  Paul was talking to the church at Corinthians.  He was sharing with them about how the suffering that he endured in Asia.  Times were so bad that it felt as though they had received a sentence of death.  But God did not leave them there to die, instead He delivered them.  The best part about these verses was the confidence that Paul had that since God had delivered them then, He would continue to deliver them no matter what was going on.  And that is what I believe it is all about.  It is about having that same kind of confidence that no matter what is going on God will make a way.  I don't know what you are going through right now but I know that the God you serve is able. 

One thing I have taught my children is that if momma says something it is going to happen.  Whether it is discipline or reward, I don't just say things to say them.  I follow through.  Now sometimes, circumstances would have it that there may be a delay in when it happens but rest assured, it will happen.  I have seen my children on the edge of their seats with anticipation waiting for me to get my car keys to take them for ice cream.  I have also seen the fear in their eyes when they knew that once we got home they were going to get a spanking.  I've said all this to ask one question.  How often do you anticipate that God will deliver you? When going through your most difficult time do you have an attitude of expectation?  Do you still keep a praise on your lips?  The experience that Paul had in Asia was something that was beyond human survival.  He was discouraged.  He felt despair... that there was the total absence of an exit.  No way out.  But then God showed up as He had done in times past and Paul was able to share his testimony with the church at Corinthians.  That is why he wrote the following, 'He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.  On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again'. (II Corinthians 1:10)

When you have a situation that seems humanly impossible to overcome, stop trying to rely on your own strength and lean and depend on God.  That is what He is there for.  Look at the record.  He has delivered you in times past and He will deliver you again.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for being Jehovah Mephalti, my Deliverer, Jehovah Tsuri, my Strength, Jehovah Sali, my Rock.  I thank you because I don't have to worry or fret for I know that the trials that I go through are light and momentary. They are only temporary and what you are working out for me will make me much better than I am right now so that I can be used in thy service.  I am confident that this work you have began in me you will perform it unto the day of its completion. In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

Heart Maintenance

'Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me'. (Psalms 51:1) This a prayer I say every day. Why? Because I keep discovering things about myself I didn't know. I realize that there are things that I thought I had given to God and was free from that kept resurfacing somehow. I thought I had been delivered from that spirit of anger but just yesterday I snapped at the smallest thing. When I look back on it, it wasn't even that big of a deal. I became so very frustrated with myself. There have also been other emotions that have crept in at different times like bitterness, selfishness, resentment. So it is imperative that I continuosly ask God to clean my heart.

Over time layers had built up on my heart. Everytime my heart was broken...a new layer. Everytime a friend talked about me behind my back...a new layer. Everytime somebody was mean to me, said things to hurt me, left me....layer upon layer upon layer was being added. Over the years my heart had been polluted by things I saw in relationships other than my own. For example, it was very painful for me when my parents divorced. So many things that cause my heart to be unclean and only God could peel away those layers. So how do we get our layers to disappear? My first answer is always prayer. I have seen what prayer can do. Things have a way of just sneaking into our minds causing negative thoughts and emotions. That is why we are told to 'Pray continuously. (I Thess. 5:17) We just can't do it by ourselves. We have to have a mind for prayer. I don't know about you but I can usually feel that spirit sneaking up on me and if I can I will pray aloud but if not I will start to pray in my spirit. I ask God to come in and take control of my mind, fix my heart and bridle my tongue. I work diligently to guard my heart because out of it flows the issues of life. (Prov. 4:23)

Now let's take this a step further how do you guard your heart? With the Word of God. 'For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.... (Heb. 4:12)The Word of God has the power to peel back those layers. It's funny how the Word has a way of bringing out what is truly in your heart. What I like about it though is that it not only reveals but restores. We must take the time to listen to what is being revealed to us during our quiet time in prayer and study. It doesn't help if you simply read and pray but don't take some time to listen to what God is saying ot you. I am still in awe of how the Word will bring something to my attention and I find myself confessing that sin to the Lord immediately. Sin will hinder you receiving a clean heart. It will cause your heart to be hardened and God doesn't want that. He wants us to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit. (Ps. 51:17) This is not talking about the sorrow you feel from losing someone but it is the natural consequence of a person’s recognizing and admitting his own sins and imperfections. Because of this realization you turn to the only one who is able to do anything about it....God Almighty. If you are experiencing this same struggle, I encourage you today to turn to God. Start praying Psalms 51:1 daily. Begin to study God's Word. Confess your sins to Him. Slowly the layers will start to fall off and you will have a clean heart. But remember, once you receive this clean heart it is important to maintain it. Remember the children's song we learned...Oh be careful little eyes what you see. Oh be careful little ears what you hear. Oh be careful little feet where you go. Stand guard!

Dear Lord,


Create in me a clean heart. Take a good look at my heart God and remove anything that is not of You. Take away anything that is hindering me from being all that you would have me to be. I confess that I am still struggling with all kinds of negative emotions. (Confess each on individually.) Help me to study Your Word diligently. Whatever may be stopping me from reading your Word, Lord I ask you to remove it. Help me to always have a mind and a heart to seek you first no matter what may be going on in my life. I thank you for answering prayer. In Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.

Watch God Work!

Time and time again I have seen the power of God manifest itself in my life and in the life of those around me.  There is nothing more wonderful than seeing things happen in your life that you know only God could have done.  When I was a child I was not as aware.  The only examples I had of God at work were from the Bible stories I read in our Blue Bible story set.  Mama and daddy made me read those books backwards and forwards.  Stories like when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea on dry land or when Daniel was in the lion's den and came out untouched.  What about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace!  They came out of the fire and didn't even smell like smoke.  That is definitely God at work!  Then we have Joshua and the battle of Jericho...their praises made the walls tumble down to the ground.  Evidence that God will fight your battles for you.  There are many other stories but none so great as the Resurrection where he raised up Jesus from the dead with all power in His hands. 

I am no longer amazed at the power of God and what He can do because I have come to expect it.  I expect that when I pray, God will answer every time.  There is no greater evidence of this in my life than when He allowed me to be able to forgive those who had caused such pain in my life and even better than that, forgive myself. I couldn't move forward holding on to the guilt I felt and the way I felt like such a failure. I don't even think about the pain anymore.  You know why?  Because if I had not experienced that pain I would not have the relationship with God that I have today.  One of the mother's of my church asked me a few days ago if I was happy.  I didn't have to think about it.  I said "Yes" immediately.  No matter what the devil throws in my path I know that God is still on the throne.  I am going to continue to praise Him and glorify His name because He is worthy!  Again it is a choice that I make.  He has made me more aware of the fact that my fight is not against flesh and blood and the closer I become to God the more the devil is going to try and come up against me.  That is why I must always be prepared through prayer and by studying His Word.  His Word says 'that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus'. (Philippians 1:6)  And you can rest on this promise!  My God is not a man that He should lie.  Whatever God has spoken, it will come to pass.  Once you come to this realization, you will come to such a place of peace in your life that things just don't bother you.  You are able to praise God before the storm, in the storm and after the storm. 

God is always at work!  And our lives are the evidence.  I have never had a serious illness but when I look in the mirror I tell myself everyday, "Baby, you are looking at a miracle. "  I don't know what God may have taken you through during your life but I will tell you that He is not through with you.  He is always working things out for your good.  'And we know that everything that comes my way, the good and the bad,  is being carefully orchestrated and mapped out for my benefit because I love the Lord God with all my heart, soul and mind and because God has chosen me as a vessel to bring about His purpose. (Romans 8:28 - my paraphrase)  Yes, I still have struggles.  Yes, I still question God at times.  But doubt doesn't overshadow what I know in my heart.  And what I know in my heart is that God is bigger.  He is bigger than any problem that I might face, any person who tries to sneak in and steal my joy.  “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psalms 18:2) Everything I need I can find it him.  And when I pray to Him for direction, He helps me and He surrounds me with people who are there to lift me up and not tear me down.  Don't be deceived, the people around you play a big part in how your relationship grows with God.  Don't be surrounded by negative people.  Surround yourself with people who are going to encourage you. Those individuals who will remind you to keep trusting God...that the Lord will make away.  Some relationships can be very toxic and I am witness to the fact that misery loves company.  They are your friends just so long as you are in your storm but when God delivers you, you will find that you really don't have much in common.  Yes, you continue to show them the Love of Christ and you pray for them but you don't allow them to be the voice in your head.  You have the Holy Spirit for that.  Just remember that it is God that is working in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. (Phil 2:13) Once again there is that word 'work'.  I like to say it this way..."God is exerting a sustained effort to help me overcome obstacles and achieve His divine purpose."   The only question I have for you is will you submit to Him and allow Him to work in your life? 

Dear Lord,


I just want to start today by saying 'Thank you'.  Thank you for being my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliver and most importantly my God.  The one in whom I can always trust.  I thank you because in spite of me, you haven't given up on me.  I could have been dead a long time ago, if you had given me what I deserved, but Your hand of mercy, O God, saw fit to give me another chance to live a life that is pleasing in Your sight.  God I surrender all to You.  Open up my eyes so that I can see the doors you have opened for me. Open up my ears so that I can hear Your voice as it leads me in the right direction.  Bridle my tongue so that I may only speak blessings and not curses on those I come in contact with.  Guide my feet that I may walk down the path you have mapped out for me.  Lord, let all these things be done so that your name be glorified.  It is in the Wonderful Name of Jesus I pray Amen. 

By Our Love

I remember someone asking me once, "How can you tell if someone is a Christian?"  The response was simple..."You will know they are Christians by their love."  The reason for this answer is because God is the essence of love.  Love is inherent in everything He does.  And because you are His child and you have accepted Him as your personal Lord and Savior, the love of Christ should flow out of you in everything that you do.  This is an area where I have struggled in the past, especially when someone hurts me.  It is not as easy to reciprocate God's love to that individual.  But I must.  It is not an option.  One thing that helped me is that I begin to look at the withholding of God's love to others as being selfish.  When have I ever lived a good enough life to be the recipient of God's love? NEVER!  I am better than I used to be but who made me judge and jury to decide if someone else was worthy enough to receive.  Showing God's love should be a practice.  A habit.  It is not something that you should be able to turn off and on.  Because the blood of Jesus is running in your veins, you have received His very nature. The scripture says in I John 4:7, 'Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him]'. 
 
As Christians we say alot of things.  But if your walk doesn't match your talk, then your witness is tainted.  There are some people who cross your path that you may never get to verbally witness to, however if the life that you live shows the love of Christ then your witness is still going forth.  That co-worker that goes out of their way to do things to steal your joy.  That so-called friend who smiles in your face and then turns around and talks behind your back.  That family member who just can't seem to get their life together and is always coming to you with their drama.  These are the people who need Jesus the most.  And if you give back to them what they are giving to you, then where is God?  I have heard people say, "Well, God understands."  I am sure He does.  Think about what he had to endure when one of His very own disciples betrayed Him.  Do you not realize that Jesus could have caused something bad to happen to Judas?  Yet, he continued to show him love.  When Jesus stood before Pilate and was being accused of things, He never opened His mouth.  When he stood up on that old rugged cross, even unto death, He was still showing the love of Christ to the thief hanging beside Him, when we said "Today you will be with me in paradise."  This was during His most difficult moment and He was still thinking of others.  We could make all the excuses in the world to justify our behavior but God has been to good to all of us for us not to be obedient to His Word.  We have all been done wrong and we have all done somebody else wrong.  Remember what Jesus said when they brought the woman before Him to be stoned.  "He who is without sin, cast the first stone."  Not a rock was thrown. 
 
It all goes back to your relationship with God. As you spend time with Him and come to understand all the ways He open doors for you, how He forgives your sins and remember them no more.  The way He gives you unconditional love. It doesn't matter what you look like, what neighborhood you live in, what car you drive or what clothes you wear.  As a matter of fact, He loved us first. Why do you think He sent His Son?  And then to think about the way He grants you new mercies every morning.  He withholds from you the punishment you actually deserve.  And the simple way He just decided to give you grace, God's unmerited favor.  You could never live good enough to deserve it. It's time out for being selfish.  It's time to let people see the God you serve in the way you talk, by the way you walk.  Your life should be a reflection of the love of God.  God never said that it would be easy.  Just remember you always have a choice.  And furthermore, God is always right there beside you guiding you and the Holy Spirit is there whispering in your ear the ways of the Lord, reminding you what the scripture says.  One of my favorite verses says it best.  I recite it often when making a decision about something.  You  know this verse.  It's Proverbs 3:5-6.  I like to paraphrase it this way,  'Rely on the integrity, strength and ability of God and never depend on what I think I should do, but consult the Lord in all everything and He will show me how to correctly live my life. 
 
Dear Lord,
 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  I must admit that it is not the easiest thing in the world to love those that seem unlovable, to bless those that despitefully use me.  But I trust your Word which tells me that I am to love my sister and my brother not based on how they behave but because You live inside of me.  And although this may seem difficult at times I know that I can do it because 'greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.  I know that if your word says it than it is possible because 'nothing is impossible with you. So Lord guide my feet, bridle my tongue when necessary.  Let all things be done so that I am a witness for You.  I pray this prayer in Jesus' Wonderful Name Amen.