Morning is coming...

This morning when I went to the gym, it was dark. I was facing the window on the treadmill and I watched as the sun came up and light chased the darkness away. It was an amazing transformation from shadows and low street lights to full vision and light. Things that I couldn't identify slowly became clear and easier to understand. As I continued to walk, The Lord said to me, "There's always another day." Immediately, the scripture in Lamentations came to my mind. "Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning;Great is Your faithfulness." (Lam. 3:22-23 NKJV) On a day when the world is celebrating darkness, God wants you to remember that there is always light.

The thing about darkness is that it cannot last. No matter how much it may want to stay around or you want to stay in it, light immediately dispels it. As I watched the sun rise this morning, I thought about how long yesterday was for me. I mean it seemed like it would never end. But it did. Sometimes, we look at our situations and feel the same way. It can seem very dark when your marriage is in recovery, your finances in bad shape, or your child is sick. It can be overwhelming to not be able to see your way out but I'm here to remind you that God looks at you everyday and makes new mercies available to you. He showers His light on you and chases the shadows away.

Here's the thing though, you have to open your eyes to see the transformation. You have to be paying attention and expecting the change to happen. When I was working out, I could have kept my eyes on the things going on around me in the gym and I would have missed watching the sun chase away the darkness. But I knew that something was going to happen and I waited for it. If you are going through a difficult time right now, I encourage you to expect God to do something new for you everyday. Look at the verse that follows in Lamentations. It says, "The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“Therefore I hope in Him!” (3:24 NKJV) The Complete Jewish Bible makes it even clearer and says "Adonai (The Lord) is all I have," I say; “therefore I will put my hope in him." With everything you have, believe that God wants His light to shine in your life. He wants you to prosper and be in good health. He wants your light to shine so that He will get the glory. He wants you to live.

Today, I pray that God's love and light overtake any issues or struggles that you face. I speak an end to your nights of weeping and welcome your morning of joy. "Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing your restoration and the power of a new life shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God shall go before you conducting you to peace and prosperity, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am." (Is. 58:8-9a AMP)

Amen...

Growing at the Door...

Life is an interesting thing. We go through ups and downs, times when we get it right and times when we get it wrong, joys and sorrows. In all of those things, God is speaking and He wants us to listen. It’s amazing, almost unbelievable, how many times we miss His voice. Over the last couple of weeks I have really been in conversation with the Lord about a lot of things but mainly with what He wants to do with me. I’ve been struggling with what it means to say yes to God. Actually, it’s more what to do after saying yes. In the midst of this conversation, God has confronted me with my biggest enemy…me! Sure, Satan has his role to play but how I deal with my own fears, faults and doubts is on me. I’m wondering if anyone else can relate. Have you ever been at a stage in your life where you slowed yourself down? Have you ever been confronted with your own choices and realized they weren’t the best? Have you ever missed the mark? It’s okay. The truth of the matter is everyone has but the key is how did you move forward?

This morning while I was in prayer, I had this interesting vision. I saw a door and the view zoomed in to the doorknob and then widened back out. There was a little girl trying to open the door but every few seconds the little girl would grow until she was a grown woman. I could only see the back of her but could clearly tell from how her size and hair changed that she was growing. But eventually a larger figure came to the door and helped the woman with the door. I asked the Lord what that meant. He immediately brought a scripture to mind that I had read last night. “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”  (Rev. 3:20 NKJV)

You see, there’s a time when we walk up to the door and we struggle to open it because we aren’t ready. We want God to speak to us and we want to be in fellowship but our ears and our hearts are blocked in a way. So, we stand at the door and go through different things and the blockage gets smaller and smaller. Until one day, through different experiences and lessons, you get to a place of maturity in Christ. You reach a point where you are ready to hear His voice and you ask the Holy Spirit to help you, even if there is a price you will have to pay. The Lord has been at the door the whole time but perhaps you weren’t ready for dinner. Maybe you wanted a snack or some water but not the full meal.

Friends, I’m here to tell you today that The Lord wants to come in and completely fill you up. He wants you to understand that the fellowship He will provide is worth more than the things you might lose. Everything that you have experienced has been for a purpose and if you ask the Holy Spirit to make it clear for you, you can see it too. On the other side of the door, there is a fullness of joy, there is restoration and there is strength. I encourage you to bind up the voices of anything else that isn’t God. You need to hear His voice with clarity and be able to know for yourself that it is Him. Nothing your flesh or Satan has to say to you will encourage or renew you but God will. Right now you are growing at the door, now you just need to sit down and eat!

Amen…

He's already got it under control!

My youngest daughter, Kennedi, turned 3 a couple of weeks ago. It is truly amazing how quickly time passes. Kennedi is small in stature so people often think she is younger than she is and though I am biased, she is really cute. For those reasons, I find myself wanting to help her do things that, at her age, she can start to do on her own. So ding ding...revelation! She doesn't need my help all the time! She would say to me, "I can do it, Mommy" but I just couldn't seem to let go and let her. So recently, I had laid her clothes out and was getting ready to help her put them on and she said "I'm gonna do it." Well I immediately started thinking that I could do it faster and without messing up her hair, etc even though I knew she could do it. Long story short, she did it and looked fine and because I trusted her to do it, she was excited by what she had done. Cute, right? Yep but what's the point? Do you ever find yourself doing what I did to Kennedi to God? Have you had an instance where God has told you that He would handle something but you thought of all the ways that you could do it better? It's time for your revelation moment! He doesn't need your help!

This morning as I prayed, I heard that very phrase. I then heard "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9 NLT) I didn't really get the connection because I knew that wasn't the context in which that scripture was used. Then he gave me that example of Kennedi and I was really confused! But then I got it, it's all about recognizing your role in the relationship. God is in control and has all that you need but you can get caught up in the intelligence that He has given you . So you try and run ahead and end up in a mess. True, He is a loving and great God but He is also the all knowing and all powerful God. Just because you see Him in His love does not make Him incapable. He has given you all the signs that He will do it but your flesh says "I can do it faster, smarter and it will turn out fine." I am here to tell you that your situation will turn around much quicker if you take your hands off. Because you see, once you let go, you are showing your weakness, and that welcomes God's strength and grace. He doesn't need your help!

One of the first bible verses we are taught is "Trust in The Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." (Prov. 3:5&6 NKJV) We learn it and then we seem to immediately forget it. This is the key and we are missing it. Stop trying to figure this thing out on your own. Your understanding of your situation is most likely not what God sees. There is a purpose and a reason for everything. Where you see defeat, God has purposed victory. Where you see lack, God has ordained provision. Where you see failure, God has prepared success. However, in your rush to see the end of the situation, you are missing the path. You are missing the signs of light. Read that scripture again. He says to trust with all your heart and not your understanding. Your understanding will not get you where you need to go, only God will. The instruction is not to help God by doing this or that. Your instruction is to trust and acknowledge. That's it! He doesn't need your help!

Believe me, I know how hard it is to wait! I know the temptation to add your opinion or move to what you think is a better position. I have been there and at times still give in to that but it is not the answer. Nothing you or I can do can come close to the perfection that God will achieve. Right now, God is speaking to His people and He is telling you to take your hands off. He had the plan worked out before you knew there was an issue but you slow things down when you interfere. Every word in the Bible has a purpose. So in Romans 8:28 when Paul says "And we know that ALL things work together for good of those who love God, and are called according to His purpose." I believe him! God is working on everything for me because I love Him and am called according to His purpose. How about you?

May God encourage and remind you that He is working on your behalf. Amen...

Streams in the Desert

If you have been reading Rhema for awhile, you may have noticed that for a few months, it seemed like everything I was writing was about making it through or surviving the struggle. It was and is a very real season for a lot of God’s people right now. The enemy is running rampant and the world is getting crazier by the minute. But God is calling us to restoration, if we are ready to receive it. This morning as I was praying and waiting for the Lord to speak, I saw the phrase “streams in the desert” and it literally jumped off of the page. It seemed to sum up that struggle to get to the place of renewal and rejuvenation that we all want so bad to reach but can have a hard time getting there.  I kept waiting for God to tell me what I was supposed to say but all I heard was silence. The longer I waited the more real it became. I couldn’t hear a thing and yet I had to keep going, functioning and waiting. I went to Isaiah 35 where the phrase is found and it began to make sense. You see, sometimes the drought and the trial seems like it will last forever but God has already prepared your green place. The key is recognizing where you are and that God is more than able to restore.

In order to really understand, God took me back to Isaiah 34 for a minute and it began to be clear. If you read this chapter, Isaiah is prophesying to the nations about the judgment and tribulation that is coming. It is filled with vivid images of death and blood and it is guaranteed to come. It’s desolate and it’s chaos. “It will be called the Land of Nothing and all its nobles will soon be gone. Thorns will overrun its palaces; nettles and thistles will grow in its forts. The ruins will become a haunt for jackals and a home for owls.” (Is. 34:12-13 NLT) Doesn’t sound very promising, does it? As I read this chapter, I could see some of you. I could see how you have been living in familiar places that have turned to ruin. They have changed so much that you hardly recognize your surroundings or the people.  The turmoil has taken its toll on you and your faith to the point that you are crying out for water and for life. I was then reminded that Jesus told us that we would suffer as he suffered. There was no promise of an easy or free ride but there was a promise of redemption.

And so we find ourselves back in Isaiah 35. This chapter is the homecoming celebration after the war. It is the vision of God showing off his glory for us. You see this is what God wants you to look towards. This is His message to those of you that are reaching for restoration but are not quite there. “Energize the limp hands, strengthen the rubbery knees. Tell fearful souls, ‘Courage! Take heart! God is here, right here, on His way to put things right and redress all wrongs. He’s on His way! He’ll save you!” (Is. 35: 3-4 MSG) This chapter is a vision of the ultimate restoration. “And when He comes, He will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf.  The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.  The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.” (Is. 35:5-7 NLT)Can you grab a hold of this? Can you see that God is a present help and that He wants nothing more than to see you walking in joy and life? I love the visual of water breaking through dry ground. It is a symbol of life after death and rejuvenation. It also tells me that where you may be at this present time is not your destiny. And once God does it, once He brings you out, it’s yours and you won’t have to face those same giants again because He won’t allow it. “There will be a highway called the Holy Road. No one rude or rebellious is permitted on this road. It’s for God’s people exclusively— impossible to get lost on this road. Not even fools can get lost on it. No lions on this road, no dangerous wild animals—Nothing and no one dangerous or threatening. Only the redeemed will walk on it. The people God has ransomed will come back on this road. They’ll sing as they make their way home to Zion, unfading halos of joy encircling their heads, welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness as all sorrows and sighs scurry into the night.” (Is. 35: 8-10)

My prayer for you today is that you receive what God has for you. That strange land is not your permanent home. That place of discouragement, exhaustion and fear is not where you are purposed to be. You are destined for watered and satisfied ground.  So if you are starting to tire out and feeling like you won’t make it, have no fear, I see the streams sprouting up in your desert. Get ready to thirst no more…

AMEN

Restoration is Here...

Let’s do a little exercise. Think back over your life since 2011…let’s say January 1^st of that year. How would you describe it? Has it been a great season or has it been a time of testing and trial? Have you learned a lot of lessons or have you been in a holding pattern? What has your life been like? I would venture to say that it has been a mixed bag for most of us. There have been highs and lows, movement and stagnation, joy and sorrow. What’s your point, Ebony? Why do I have to go back and think about those hard times? Isn’t looking forward the answer? Sure it is! We all want to be moving forward and not backwards but today God spoke to me about restoration. In order for us to appreciate the bounty of a renewed faith, a restored love, and rejuvenated life, we have to understand and acknowledge the loss, the disappointment, and the death.

Today, as I was walking, I was listening to Romans 4 and God highlighted one line for me that I could not get away from. This chapter talks about Abraham and his faith and how we benefit from what he experienced.  God made Abraham a promise. He told him that he would be the father of many nations. Abraham could not see that in his natural mind or based on his circumstances but verse 17b says that it “happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.” (NLT) I could not get away from that line. It kept playing in my mind as I walked and when I was ready to go home, it was still there. I was trying to throw it around in my mind as to where God wanted me to go with it but when I sat down to write all I heard him say was restoration.

You see, for some of you this season has been devastating. You have lost things and people that you couldn’t imagine. You have at times been forced by the enemy to live on fading faith. But God directed me to tell you today that He is the God that can restore life to dead things and create newness where there is nothing. Are you ready to walk in restoration? You see, you have to be ready to receive it because otherwise you are waiting with no expectation. You have to be in a place where you are tired of being tired, tired of living in lack, tired of living in depression, tired of waiting on someone else to give you what you need. You have to be ready for spring. God wants to give it to you. He is willing and able to do it.

It could be that decisions you made brought you to this place or you are completely a victim of other people’s choices. It could be that God chose you for this season to show others how to handle it. Whatever was the cause, it is now time to come out. It’s time to repent for any sin that may have gotten in during this season and watch what God does. Look at the book of Joel. The people of Israel were in the midst of drought and attack by locusts. We find out that God sent those locusts to get the people’s attention and call them to repentance. Once they had repented, God promised to restore. He said, “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you.  You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame.  Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.” (Joel 2: 25-27 NKJV)  God left nothing uncovered. Every trauma, loss, attack that you have experienced will be recovered and you will know without a doubt that God did it.   Again, He is giving life where death has destroyed. He is creating a new order out of nothingness.

Today, I want you to grab hold to your restoration. I want you to claim your victory and walk in it. God has made you some promises and given you some instructions and He wants you to follow through with them. He wants you to do what He said so that you can reap the benefits. It’s time! You have walked around wondering when it will be your time for too long. Now is the time. The shift is happening right now and the restoration is taking place…believe it. Today, the Lord is saying restoration is here! To the weary, get up! To the heartbroken, rise up! To the depressed, live! To the disappointed, come up! “God sent me to announce the year of his grace— a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies— and to comfort all who mourn, To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes, Messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit. Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness” planted by God to display his glory. They’ll rebuild the old ruins, raise a new city out of the wreckage. They’ll start over on the ruined cities, take the rubble left behind and make it new.” (Is. 61: 2-4 MSG) God will take your ruin and make it new. He will take your dead situation and give it life and through it He will get the glory!

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. (Rom. 15:13 NLT)

AMEN