But If Not

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:17-18

There are often times of uncertainty that we all go through in life.  Wondering what our next step will be.  In the midst of all this we are expected to have faith that in all things God is going to work it out. After all, that is what His Word says.  Even now when my life is in a state of flux and wondering what my next move will be, while trying to hold on the midst of it all, I question if my faith is strong enough.   Faced with opposition on every side. Individuals who mock the very faith upon which I stand and yet I still have hope.  As I think about this I am reminded about the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace.  After reading this story again I find myself asking if I would have had the same kind of faith.  It's easy to proclaim to be a child of God when everything is going good around you, while you are surrounded by other believers.  But what about in the workplace when you don't know who's a Christian and who's not.  Will you still continue to stand up for God?  What about while hanging with your friends when conversations turn to gossip and backbiting?  Will you continue to stand up for God or  just blend in smiling and laughing along in an attempt to fit in?  I would like to say that I would do the right thing and 'stand up for God'. But the truth of the matter is I don't know what I would do.  I need my job.  What if my standing up for what is right causes me to get fired?  To I have the faith to say that God will continue to 'supply all my needs according to His riches in glory'.   What about when dealing with friendships?  These ladies (gentlemen) have been my friends for years.  I don't really want to stir up any confusion.  And what about when you have been praying about something and you are waiting on God to answer that prayer.  Is your faith predicated on if God answers the prayer in the way that you see fit? Or are you able to proclaim boldly that you trust God as the three Hebrew boys did when faced with the danger of being thrown in a fiery furnace?

It makes me think of my current situation and how I am in the process of going through some major changes in my life. Here I am waiting on God to answer my prayer, beginning to see a little light at the end of the tunnel.  Watching God work on my behalf and starting to feel hopeful.  But in the midst of all this I had to ask myself, "What if the situation doesn't work out the way I would like? Will I be okay with accepting the results as God's will for my life?  Will I be able to say 'But even if He does not'?  You see, that's the kind of faith I want to have.  Life has shown me that things are not always going to work out as I would like it to.  That job I may really want may be given to someone else.  Someone who I may have thought to be a lifelong friend may turn out to be seasonal.  While I may be praying for healing, God may decide to deliver the ultimate healing and take my loved one on up to glory.  All these situations could easily shake my faith but God has just been to good to me for me not to accept that He knows what is best for my life.  And if He has determined to take me through the fire then bring it on.   If I have to be tried by the fire so that my life can be used as a testimony to help someone else then I am going to walk through the fire.  And while I may have to go through the fire I have decided to stand up for God.  My questions for you today is, " What will your decision be?  Daily we are faced with opportunities to be a witness for God.  At home, on our job, in the grocery store, at the mall.  Will you be that witness? 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

I come to You today in the humblest way that I know how.  Giving you all the praise You so richly deserve.  Father I ask today that You forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.  I know that in times past when faced with a situation of whether or not to stand up for You or blend in with the crowd, I have not always made the best decisions.  Today I make a bold declaration of faith.  You., alone. are the one, true God and in everything I am going to praise Your name.  In Jesus' Precious Name I pray Amen. 

Stop Your Complaining

Turn on any television , watch any new program, read any newspaper and you will find a plethora of bad news.  Not only that, but if you are anything like me and have a normal life with ups and downs, twists and turns, you don't have to do any of those things to find some bad news. All you have to do is look around you, open the mailbox, listen to your ungrateful child, miss a few hours of sleep, deal with a crazy boss or know-it-all coworkers.   And what usually goes along with all of that, complaining.  On any given day we could all find something to complain about.  But I wonder if every time we felt the urge to complain we actually thanked God, how much better our lives would be. 

The Psalmist writes in  Psalm 34, 'I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. (1-4)

Now I was not there when he wrote these words, but I would venture to say that 'all was not perfect in his world'. The Psalmist chose to do something different.  Instead of looking upon his circumstance and how dark the night, he chose to look to God.  I often turn to the Psalms when I am at a loss for words to pray.  How fitting, when all may look bleak around you, to look to the hills from whence cometh your help.  That's really what it is all about.  The believer and the non-believer should have some distinct differences.  One difference is that even when we are tempted to let our heads hang low, it doesn't stay there for long.  We don't hope as those who have no hope.  Our hope is in God.  So stop your complaining and start praising Him.  For every reason you might have to complain I bet you  have something to be thankful for.  There are times in my life where I have a harder time finding those things to be thankful for I have learned that the reason for this is because I find myself looking for the extraordinary instead of finding God in the ordinary.  Things that I have started to take for granted like my family, good health, true friendships.  All these things that God has blessed me with.  When you come to realize that everything you have, you don't deserve, it becomes easier to 'bless the Lord at all times and praise Him continously.

Now maybe you haven't gotten to this point yet.  Verse 5 in the text above brings home the most important reason that we don't have to waste time complaining.  That reason is prayer.  Being able to lay it all out and tell it to God about it is something to be thankful for.  You don't have to worry about the perfect words or complete sentence.  All you have to do is speak from your heart.  And I am hear to tell you that He hears you. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Thank You so very much for the privilege of prayer.  There is no greater relief than being able to come to You and pour out my heart, not just with request but in praise.  Lord I thank you for everything that you have done in my life. I know there are times when I have taken for granted the blessings you have provided for me.  Help me not to develop a spirit of complaining but one of gratefulness.  Help me not to be selfish in my prayers but selfless, giving You the honor you so richly deserve.  All these things I ask in Your Precious Name Jesus Amen.

Looking Up

I am often amazed at the different things the Holy Spirit reveals to me in my quiet time with God.  How the treasures in the Word of God are numerous.  I can read a story in the Bible that I have known since I was a little girl and all of a sudden the verses take on a whole new meaning.  This morning I was reading the story of the 'two fish and five loaves of bread'.  If you are like me you have probably heard this story all your life.  James Cleveland even sang a song about how 'little becomes much when you place it in the Master's hands'.   

Mark 6:41 says, Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them.  Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to he disciples so they could distribute it to the people.  He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 

The setting of this story takes place after Jesus had been teaching and by this time He had quite a large following.  Now the disciples still not getting the big picture and realizing the power of the Man with whom they traveled saw all the people and the late hour and just wanted to send them away.  I can imagine that they looked around and saw all the people and knew how hungry they were and thought to themselves "How are we going to feed all these people?  We better send them away before we insight a riot."  I can see their heads hanging low, discouraged, not knowing what to do.  They weren't thinking about looking up.  In fact, they were probably looking down.  It made me think about how I am at times.  When all I can see is the situation around me, the bills that keep coming in the mail, the need for a better job, the stress of raising children, and on and on.  Instead of looking up to heaven I'm looking all around at what I have and not what God can do with what I have if I would only give it to Him.  Case in point: Have you ever had that problem and  you decided to pray about it and all of a sudden little things start changing?  I have and so I know what a difference looking up to God can make!  What an awesome teaching opportunity this situation for Jesus! He knew the secret.  And He thought enough of us to share it with us. 

You see, it doesn't matter what you have or what your current situation may be.  You may be looking at your bank statement wondering what you are going to shuffle around this month just to make it to next month.  You might be saying that I have tried everything I can and my spouse still won't act right and I just want to give up.  You might be tired of being mistreated on your job but can't quit.  You have had about all the disrespect from your child and your family is on one right now trying to run your life.  Maybe you have a dream and you don't think you have the resources to make the dream a reality.  All you can see from looking around is what you don't have.  What is missing.  Maybe you are asking yourself, "When is it going to be my turn?"  My challenge to you today is that instead of looking down or looking around,  try looking up.  Looking up has a way of changing your perspective.  Realizing your limitations and allowing a limitless God to step in and give you what is missing.  Thanking God for what you do have and asking Him to bless it.  Your job, your house, your misbehaving child, your spouse.  Your family (however crazy they may be).  There isn't anything we can do in and of our own strength and when we try we are often disappointed.  The time has come for you to trust that God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.  Allow Him to turn your 'little into much'  by giving it to Him and placing it in His hands.  Not holding on but letting go completely and then being obedient to His will.  And then step back and watch God!

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the awesome privilege of prayer.  It is during this time that I can come and share with you everything that is going on in my life.  Lord today I want to ask forgiveness. I have been guilty of looking at my current situation more than looking to you. I have been looking around and down, sometimes expecting limited people to meet my need.  But no more.  I look to You, Heavenly Father.  For You are the only one capable of meeting my every need.  Thank you for sustaining me even when I didn't realize it.  For keeping my mind and giving me peace.  I know that with You I can do all things.  It doesn't matter what my resources are because you are able to multiply them and make them enough.  Help me to be satisfied with 'enough'.  In Jesus' Precious Name I pray Amen. 

Better Days

It has been a rough couple of months.  Some mornings I just wanted to stay in the bed.  All sorts of things running through my head.  Every emotion you could possibly imagine feeling, I felt.  Usually when I feel this way I can find refuge in going to church, fellowship with other Christians, singing in the choir and hearing the Word of God imparted.  This time that didn't work.  After the loss of my Pastor I didn't feel much like going to church.  My heart was sad and it effected every part of my life.  Although I would much rather have taken some time off from life, I couldn't.  I still had people who needed me, my husband, my children, family, and friends.  You see, one thing that I have learned is that the life of an Encourager is often a lonely one.  Everyone is used to you being upbeat, always knowing the right words to say, being that person who is  'able to get a prayer through'.  We aren't supposed to be sad or have an off day.  Because of this we learn to build up fake walls that eventually come crashing down.  Because the truth of the matter is that as strong as our faith may be and no matter how much we love God, we get drained. When this happens we find ourselves looking for those who are able to provide refreshment and pour back into our buckets.  We don't set the expectation bar too high because we realize that everyone is going through something so we don't want to become a burden.  But because we know this, over the years God has placed people in our lives who we can confide in. Those who will pray for us.  The ones who see behind the mask. So you are probably asking yourself why am I telling you all this?  Because I know that each and every one of you reading this today sometimes get to the point that you are drained.  You are at the crossroads of life.  You don't know what direction to take.  You get in a 'funk' and you can't seem to shake it.  So what do you do?

There is a song that I love that I find myself singing at some of my most difficult moments.  The lyrics are as follows:  'When my heart is overwhelmed, my prayer is Lead me to the Rock.  Lead me to the Rock that's higher than I Oh Lord, higher than I'.  There is something about the words of this song that put me in a place of worship.  A place where I am no longer focused on what is going on in my life but instead I am focused on God.  And that is a good place for me to be.  It is in this place  that I find safety.  I am free to speak my mind, tell God all about my problems. My soul is rejuvenated.  My spirit is refreshed.  I often leave this song and move into another song that simply says, 'I'm in His safety, rest in His safety, the safety of the Lord'.  Are you starting to see a pattern?  As a Christian you simply cannot stay in a depressed, negative state of mind when you keep your mind stayed on Jesus.  Don't you know that your Heavenly Father wants nothing more than to bestow bountiful blessings on His children?  Some tangible and some intangible.  And as for me, while I love those blessings that I can see and touch, I am starting to learn as I grow older and wiser that I would much rather have the intangible blessings.  Things like peace and joy.  Man can come take all the other things from me but my God is no Indian Giver.  'This joy I have the world didn't give it to me.  The world didn't give it and the world can't take it away'.  That's good news y'all!

And that's not all...  I have also found that it is during this time that God is trying to get your attention.  He wants to take you to that next level. Time to go higher in Him!  He wants to see what your response will be.  Who are you going to run to?  Are you going to open up your Bible and let the Lord speak to you through His Word?  Are you going to cut back on your tv time to spend more time in communion with the Father?  Everything that you need is at your disposal. But as the old saying goes, "You can lead a horse to the water but you can't make Him drink."  God is not going to force feed the Word to you.  And I am just here to remind you that it is necessary for your survival.  If you are still going all week long only reading your Bible on Sunday, it's time to make a change. The Christian needs a steady diet of the Word of God.  Prayer is not an option; it is a necessity.  Allow God to transform you by the renewing of Your mind.  The God we serve is awesome and able to meet your every need.  The sky may look dark right now but remember, 'Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning'. (Ps. 30:5)  'They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary.  They shall walk and npt faint.  (Isaiah 40:30-31) 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

I come to You today standing in the need.  I'm not quite sure what is going on in my life right now.  But I know that when I don't know I can come to You for guidance and direction.  Help me to dig deeper into Your Word and listen for Your still small voice.  Help me not to look not only at my situation but to fix my eyes on You.  I am trusting You with every area of my life, submitting to Your will.  I love You Lord and I will forever praise Your name because You are Worthy!  In Jesus' Wonderfu; Name I pray Amen. 

Just Pray!

Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.  Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or is he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father, who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (NAS, Matthew 7:7-11)

Do you believe in the power of prayer?  If so, let me ask you a question.  "Have you prayed about it?" Whatever it is that has you stressing out and worried.  A negative report from the doctor.  The threat of downsizing.  A marriage at the end of its rope.  A child that won't act right.  Depressed?  Disillusioned?  Whatever the case may be, the Bible tells us that we can come boldly before the throne of grace that we may find mercy and grace to help us right when we need it. (Hebrews 4:16)  So why do so many of us, including myself, not pray as often as we should.  Instead we spend our time worrying, stressing, and complaining to people who can’t do anything about it.  I can’t speak for for any of you, but after doing some soul searching, I discovered what my issue was... Trust.  Maybe like me you sing the song "I will trust in the Lord. I will trust in the Lord. I will trust in the Lord...until I die, 'til I die."  At the end of the day I had to ask myself do I really believe that God can do exceedingly, abundantly above all I could ever ask or imagine or are those just words that I just say because it sounds good.

I thought about the life of Jesus and how while He was here on earth He spent a lot of time praying.  How many times He went off to a place alone and spent time communing with His Father, especially at the most difficult times of His life.  And I just know that each time He went was with confidence, believing that His Father had the situation under control and was working it out on His behalf.  I have decided that I want to get to that point in my relationship with God.  Instead of always just saying that I believe that God can, knowing in my innermost being that GOD CAN and WILL!  That's what it's all about. Some of the most recent circumstances in my life have left me wondering.  I know what the Bible says and all the right things to do BUT.  That little three letter conjunction causing my faith to waiver. I needed to be reminded that people on earth may let me down.  They may not live up to my expectations but God is not like man.  All of His promises are 'Yea and Amen'.  Now that is something to shout about! As a parent I do whatever I can to give my children what they need and my resources are limited.  However, my Heavenly Father's resources are limitless.  He not only has whatever I need, He wants to freely give it to me.  I learned a long time ago that everything I have comes from God and when my limited resources stop that is where God begins and because of this I never run out.  

In the verses above we see three different ways we can go before the Father to get our needs met. We should be diligent in our prayers.  We must seek Him with a proper spirit and with humility and sincerity.  Ask with confidence and humility. Seek with care and application. Knock with earnestness and perseverance.  A couple of years back I decided to lose some weight.  While there were many crash diets out there I made the decision that I needed to change my lifestyle in order to achieve he results that I wanted. The most important thing to me was to have lasting results.  So I did just that.  I developed a healthy lifestyle.  That is what prayer must become to the believer.  We must develop a lifestyle of prayer.  In the same way that we wash our face and brush our teeth everyday, we must pray.  Pray without ceasing. (I Thess. 5:17)  The Bible doesn't say, 'Pray just when times get hard'.  God loves to hear from His children. What is it that you stand in need of?  Whatever it is have you prayed about it? 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Looking back over my life I see your hand of mercy and your grace.  I thank You for all the things You have done for me, many things that I didn't deserve. I am so grateful.  Lord I come to you on this day making a commitment to pray more.  Instead of taking things into my own hands I am going to give them to You.  No more worrying or stressing out about things beyond my control.  I'm placing it all in Your hands.  Thank You Father for answering my prayers, for providing a calm in the midst of chaos, peace in the midst of a storm.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

Fight On

He said, "Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's. 2 Chronicles 20:15

Listening to the CD from this past Sunday morning's service, the music for the song "Fight On" began to play.  This song begins with the soloist saying, "In this walk we face many battles but they're not yours. They belong to the Lord..."  As I was driving home I begin to think about the senseless battles I have been a part of instead of turning it over to God.  The most recent one dealing with an employer who did everything in her power to keep me down to the point that I had started dreading each morning.  My mood would start to change on Sunday evening about seven o'clock..  I was miserable.  There were many times when I wanted to give up or give her a piece of my mind.  After all, who did she think she was? But something on the inside wouldn't let me give up.  I read my Word. I prayed without ceasing.  I gave it over to God and once again the stick-to-it-tive-ness that comes from having faith in God helped me make it through.  You see, I recognized that I was not in control and  that I needed to step back and let God be God.  He didn't need my help.  I also realized the reward in being faithful.  It was my job to continue being a light shining in the midst of a dark world.  And the very best thing about that, by being obedient to His Word and staying out of God's way, He was able to work out things for me far better than I could have ever imagined. I learned that sometimes I need to just 'Be Still' and see the salvation of the Lord.  Hold my peace and let the Lord fight my battles, VICTORY shall be mine. 

It doesn't matter what you may be up against right now.  Is it your relationship?  Your job?  Just someone who doesn't like you and does everything in his or her power to bring you down, scandalize your name.  Remember that 'your fight is not against flesh and blood'.  Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  He wants to keep you distracted. But you must give it to God and let Him handle it. I cannot stress enough how important it is to put on the armor of God.  It is the tool God gave us to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.   I have also learned that God can see the bigger picture.  He knows just what we can handle and as we continue in obedience, keeping our focus on God (by praying, fasting, reading His Word), He continues to make deposits in us that make us stronger and wiser.  We find ourselves ready to face anything.  Have you ever felt this way?  Maybe right now you are faced with an impossible situation. If so, I dare you to give it God, completely.  Perhaps in the past you have been guilty of giving up too quickly.  Instead of trusting God you tried to work it out on your own.  My encouragement for you is to "Fight on" but not in the traditional sense.  Not with words or with physical actions but use the power of prayer.  Get in the Word.  Praise God and let it be your weapon.  When Satan sees what you are going through and yet, you still have a smile on your face and a praise on your lips, he won't know what to do.  He may try and come at you a little harder but my Word tells me that the devil is already defeated so I am going to treat him that way.  I am not giving him any power.  I'm going to praise God in the valley.  In the midst of grief.  In the midst of what seems like hell on earth sometimes.  Through prayer and praise and the power of God I know that I have the victory and so will you!

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

I praise Your name today.  I worship and adore You just for who You are.  You are Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.  I know that it is in You that I live and move and have my being.  You are Holy. God you are Faithful.  You are Omnipresent.  You're my Rock.  You're my Deliverer. Most importantly, You are my God and I am going to serve You for the rest of my life.  I give my current situation over to You. I trust that You are going to work it out, not only for my good but, for Your Glory. And in the midst of it all I am going to continue to praise  Your name.  In the Mighty and Most Precious Name of Jesus I pray Amen. 

God Is In Control

''And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.  Genesis 1:3

Every now and then I find myself wondering how such a loving God could allow bad things to happen to good people.  I'm talking about the people who are trying to live right.  These individuals are making a true effort to do that which is holy and acceptable in the eyes of God and still can't catch a break.  Have you ever wondered this about yourself or someone you know.  I started today doing '40 Days of Faith' with Pastor Teron Gaddis of the Greater Bethel Church in Oklahoma City.  It's a simple challenge to read the Bible for 40 days straight and watch your faith begin to grow.  He began the study in the beginning and so I read the 1st and 2nd chapters of Genesis.  As I was reading the words, God is in control' erupted in my spirit and suddenly I was at peace.  Slowly I began to think about how God was here in the beginning and that everything was created by Him.  Maybe you are reading this wondering why all the excitement?  I will tell you.

God was here before the earth existed and He will be here until the end.  He didn't need a starter kit, an architectural design, a team of engineers or a construction team to create the world.  God simply spoke it into existence.  What does that mean for you and I?  It means that no matter what  we may be going through God can end it simply by saying that "It's Over".  He spoke and said, "Let there be light" and there was light.  In a nonexistent, dark world, God created light.  Is it dark in your life right? Dark in your marriage?  Dark at your job? Stricken with grief? Unsure of your future?  At the end of your rope?   If so, I am here to encourage you to hold on a little while longer.  The darkest hour is just before the dawn.  Have faith and allow God to speak light into your circumstance.  I am coming to realize that one of the best things I have in my utility belt is 'hope in God'.  It's just good to know that I have Him with me always. I am a child of the King and being a part of God's family has its privileges.  Not only that but I begin to think about the bad things that have happened in my life.  Those times when I almost 'Let go' but glory be to God, He reached down and grabbed me,  raised my bowed down head and gave me the strength to run on. I, then began to think about the things that could have happened but the Lord kept me from them.  He protected me from dangers, seen and unseen. 

I look back over my life and think about all the different ways God has revealed Himself to me.  I no longer have to talk about what I heard.  I am telling you what I know.  If God had not taken me through each and every phase of my life, I would not be the woman that I am today.  I speak with confidence when I say that He will be your Provider, your Shepherd (He provides all my needs), your Confident Keeper, your Rock in a weary land, your Protector (even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear not for He is with me).  He's given me that peace that surpasses all understanding.  A calm in the midst of chaos.  I haven't always been faithful to Him, but thank God He has been faithful to me. There isn't anything that happens that God doesn't know about.  Knowing God gives you some stick-to-it-tive-ness.  You don't take of running at the first sign of trouble.  Instead you get down on your knees.  You fast and pray.  You humble yourself and admit your wrong and ask God to continue His work on you so that you can be of service to Him.  You acknowledge that God is in control and you submit to His will. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Thou who made me and knows all about me, the good, the bad and the ugly but You love me anyway, Thank You.  Today I thank you for Your Word that is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my pathway.  I thank You because even in the worst circumstances I can still have joy, unspeakable joy.  Help me to remember that in my darkest hour, I still have hope and that because I have You everything is going to be alright.  I praise Your Holy Name.  I rededicate my life back to You Lord.  Use me as You see fit.  I will forever give Your name the praise.  In Jesus' Precious Name I pray Amen.