Box?! What box?

I know you’ve heard the old saying, “you can’t get a different result doing the same things.” Well…that’s essentially what God said to me earlier this week in prayer. He basically challenged me to do more. He wants to give us all that we desire but we often get in the way with our traditions and routines. God is all about order but He’s not about limits. So why do we find ourselves giving Him the same time and the same praise and but expecting these great blessings?  That’s why King David is such an interesting character. He was a man after God’s own heart that made mistakes but always acknowledged the power and presence of God. The best thing to me though is how he didn’t believe God could only do things one kind of way so he went HARD in praise!

Remember the story of David and Goliath? What an awesome testimony about defeating the giants in your life. When he was mocked by the Philistines and Goliath, he spoke a word of crazy faith. He stood there with his stones and sling and said, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Sam. 17:45-47 NLT) And it came to pass. Folks, we do not serve a routine God! If you have faith to stand with your stones and sling, He can destroy those big situations and issues that you face. Are you ready to step out of the box?

I love the story when David is bringing the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6. His friend Uzzah dies during this journey because he touches the Ark despite instructions not to and David is afraid of and angry with God. He leaves the Ark with someone else for 3 months because he was unwilling to take it with him. This is so powerful though because it tells us that no matter where the presence of God is, there are blessings. While the Ark of God was there, Obed-Edom and his entire household were blessed. (v.11) Think about that for a minute. Out of someone else’s unwillingness, that man got blessed because he was willing and available. What blessings are you missing out on because you refuse to go all the way with what God is telling you to do?

Back to the story! My favorite part of the whole story is David’s reaction when he got the Ark back and brought it into the Jerusalem. They rejoiced and praised and “David danced before the Lord with all his might…” (v. 14) Do y’all see that? He was so excited that the presence of God was with him that he went forth in a serious praise dance. Wooooooo! I love it! God created us to worship Him and He inhabits the praises of His people. It’s time to stop worrying about what Sister Sue is going to say about you if you clap your hands. It’s time to put Bro. Bill to the back of your mind when God says witness to your co-worker. It’s time to cancel out the distractions of the enemy, when God says spend an hour in prayer and meditation. He wants more of us!

 I love what David told Michal at the end of the chapter. She was bitter to begin with but she was especially furious that David danced so wildly in public and called him out. David replied to Michal, “In God’s presence I’ll dance all I want! He chose me over your father and the rest of your family and made me prince over God’s people, over Israel. Oh yes, I’ll dance to God’s glory—more recklessly even than this. And as far as I’m concerned . . . I’ll gladly look like a fool . . . but among these maids you’re so worried about, I’ll be honored no end.”  (2 Sam. 6: 21-22 MSG) The NKJV says “I will get even more undignified than this”! In other words he was saying, my praise is not for you or anybody else, it’s for the God that chose me and blessed me and I’ll give it all to him.”

We are living in a time where people get mad at you for posting scriptures on Facebook or say you’re doing too much if you witness to people outside of the church. But let me tell you something. Your reward doesn’t come from man or anyone in this world. It comes from God.  God wants to do something so amazing in your life but He requires you to give something – your time, your praise, and your faith. Don’t let the world encourage you to limit God or keep you in a box. There is so much more!

Do something new with God this week …revitalize your relationship with Him…upgrade your praise and worship…if you've been kept in a box, smash it! I promise you will go higher in Him! God bless…

AMEN

Jesus at the Center

This morning after prayer, all I kept hearing over and over again was “Jesus at the center of it all.” It sounds so simple and yet can be difficult. So often we say that Jesus is our everything but is He really? Do our lives and the choices we make, reflect that? Today, I don’t have anything deep to say other than to encourage you to refocus your attention on Christ. We have seen terror and grief this week in Boston. Parents have lost children, people have lost jobs, someone has lost faith but even in this Jesus lives. There comes a time that we must surrender everything to God. Some of us continue to carry weights that we shouldn’t be bearing. Some of us are holding on to hurts that God wants to heal. Some of us are crying out but not releasing. This is the season to let it go and put Jesus back where He belongs…at the center of our lives.

Jesus is alive and sitting on the right hand of the Father. He is interceding for us and advocating on our behalf. He gave His life so that we could live. For that reason, we need to place our hearts in His hands and let Him work. Let Him save. Let Him deliver. It doesn’t really matter at what stage you find yourself in life, He is able and willing to address any situation. I love what Hebrews 4: 14 – 16 says about Jesus and who He is to us. “Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.” (MSG) Jesus, be the center of it all.

I encourage you to reach out your hands to Christ today. Put Him at the center of your life.  If you’re grieving, don’t carry that burden for one more day. If you’re sick, put that diagnosis where it belongs at the altar because He has already taken care of it.  I can speak as a witness that God hears every concern that you have and is working on your behalf. If you let Him, He will send you the answer.  I know how hard it is to let go of something that you’ve carried for so long that it’s become your companion. But now…it’s time. Jesus, be the center of it all.

Imagine this; you’re at your house preparing for a trip. You have your suitcase out and start putting things in. As you pack, it gets heavier and heavier. Finally, after a struggle, you close the bag and are ready to take it to the car. Jesus appears and asks for the bag. He offers to carry it for you but you say that you have it under control. You struggle to get down the stairs, dropping the bag several times, a couple of times, you even fall. All the while, Jesus asks you to let Him carry it. Finally after getting it downstairs, you are exhausted with little strength left to lift it into the car so you ask Jesus to lift it for you. He takes the bag from you and you are amazed at how quickly your strength returns.  You turn to thank Jesus and He tells you that He was there the whole time waiting to help if you would have just let Him carry it. Jesus wants to be your everything and carry your load because He cares for you. Stop volunteering your services for something you are unequipped to handle on your own.

Today, I invite you to realign your life so that Jesus is at the center and let everything else fall into place behind Him. In the words of Israel Houghton, “Nothing else matters. Nothing in this world will do. Jesus you’re the center, everything revolves around you. From my heart to the heavens, Jesus be the center. It’s all about you!”

AMEN...

Living while I Wait...

I think one of the hardest things to do in life is wait. It doesn’t really matter what it is but that time between when you know of something you want or need and when you actually get it can feel like forever. For someone like me that likes things to go according to plan, waiting can be especially stressful and trying because I start wanting to speed things up.  Have you ever been impatient for something to happen? Have you ever asked God, or at least wanted to, what was taking Him so long? It’s human nature to want things NOW. I mean we live in a “microwave” society. We want to speed up every process to get to what we want in lightning fast time. But what do you do when your situation is not changing quickly? How do you react when your season of waiting has stretched out over years?  God dropped something really simple but extremely profound in my spirit when I asked these very questions. Keep living while you wait.

There are so many scriptures in the Bible about waiting on the Lord and many examples of people that waited for things to happen. Job is probably one of the people we think of immediately. He had some of the most difficult and terrible tests to survive in his life and yet through it all he waited on God to deliver on His promise of restoration. It took 40 chapters for us to see Job restored but through it all, He never spoke against God. He hurt, he wept, and he prayed but he stayed steadfast; famously saying, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15a NKJV) Many times, Job’s friends questioned and discouraged him, but He kept living and testifying to God’s power. When your family and friends disappoint you and your worldly possessions fall away, can you trust God enough to keep living while you wait on Him to move?

Imagine that your life is like a car. When you turn it on, there are so many options that you have. You can put it in reverse or go forward. You can shift into different gears. You can warm it up or cool it off. Some of us have put the car in park and let it run idle. You aren’t going anywhere, you aren’t progressing, you’re just standing still. You have taken God’s word of “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) literally. This verse is in the middle of a chapter about how mighty God’s presence and power is. It’s a description about just how much God does NOT need our help. It is about getting out of the way and resting in Him. It is not about sitting still. It’s time to put your life back in gear.

I want to speak life into your waiting season and as I do, I speak into my own. Sometimes all God is waiting for is our faith to shine through. In order to do that, you have to live. You have to plan. You have to EXPECT! While you are waiting on God, keep living! As tempting as it is to throw in the towel and do our own thing, we can’t. Think about what God has told you…what He has promised.  “He is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of man that He should repent...” (Numbers 23:19)  If he promised you deliverance, a husband, provision…He has to do it. He doesn’t go back on His word.  Lamentations 3:25 says “the Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.”  I encourage you to keep living as you wait. “Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Ps. 27:14 ESV)

The promise will come to pass, if you faint not! AMEN…

Plunge In...

I’m always amazed when God sends little signs and confirmations that He knows exactly where I am at a particular moment. I know I shouldn’t be surprised but always get this leap in my spirit when a Word or a song or a person comes across my path and speaks the answer to a question that I asked God that morning or even that same minute. I have listened to a particular soaking CD many times but almost every time I will hear something new and it will be for me right in that moment. A co-worker of mine calls them “God winks”.  So this morning, I just want to encourage you that God sees and He knows. When you are on your mountaintops, He is there and when you are in your deepest valleys, He is there. Your inadequacies, your fears, your desires, your hurts, He knows them all and He is a refuge and a shelter for your soul and your spirit. I invite you now to plunge into the depths of God’s love and rest there.

Matthew 11:28-30 is a beautiful piece of scripture. It’s one that most can finish because you’ve heard it all of your life. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest…” (NKJV) The Message Bible’s translation called to me this morning, however, and I wanted to share it with you.  “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Do you hear what He is saying to you? God has plans for your life. Through this season of challenge and often struggle, He is preparing you for your next level. But He wants you to know that He will not put anything on you that He is not right there to help you with. That’s why He wants us to learn to rest in Him. He is carrying the weight but we have to stop trying to help Him with it.

God is calling on us to trust Him. He has every situation already laid out and finished. When Christ rose from the dead, He came back with all power in His hands and the victory! So, if you serve and believe in a risen Savior, you must trust that He can handle your “stuff”. Whatever that is, He can handle it. Your job, your finances, your health, your spouse…He can handle it! I encourage you today, to lay it all down and rest in God’s love. “And He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14 ESV) I know it can be hard but as I heard a mighty woman of God say last week, your flesh will not win! We are God’s beloved and He desires to bless us. Receive it and rest in it.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NLT)

AMEN…