My Prayer for You...

Dear God,

It’s me again! Today, I simply wanted to thank You for every person that is reading this entry. I pray that their hearts are lifted and their spirits encouraged by who You are in their lives. I acknowledge You as El Elyon, the Most High God, Who knows all and sees all. I pray that as they read this prayer that You will search their hearts and strengthen them in the places where they are weak or hurting. I pray that You take every rip and tear and knit it back together as only You can. I pray that you take every nagging memory and every tormenting spirit and cast it back to the pits of hell from whence it came. I pray that you replace those feelings of tiredness and frustration with energy and triumph. I pray, God, that Your peace will reign in them today.

God, I acknowledge You as Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who sees and provides. Your word says that You will supply all of our needs according to Your riches in glory through Christ Jesus; therefore, I pray that You will meet each reader at their need, whether physical, spiritual, or financial. I pray God that you will give them exactly what they need to accomplish what You have called them to do. I pray for miracles to manifest in their lives, God. I pray for breakthrough to manifest in their lives, God. I pray for provision to manifest in their lives, God. I pray that You will show them who You are and that they will recognize you as the Source. Bless them, Lord, in the name of Jesus!

God, I acknowledge You, as Jehovah M’kadesh, the Lord who makes us Holy. I pray that You will focus their minds on living a life that is pleasing to You. I pray that they will be living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto You. I pray, God, that You will make them over, transforming them by the renewing of their minds. I pray that You will give them clean hearts and renew a right spirit in them that they may represent You well in the world. God, I thank you that you don’t see them as they are but through the lens of Jesus Christ and who they will be.

Finally, God, I acknowledge you as Jehovah Raphe, the Lord who heals. I pray for every reader that is experiencing sickness of any kind. I pray healing, restoration, and renewal over their minds and bodies. I pray, God, that they will believe you to be able to do anything. I pray that their faith will be strengthened and they will speak life over themselves in the name of Jesus. I pray that cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart conditions, mental illness, arthritis, low iron, breathing issues, allergies, kidney issues, stroke, and brain conditions must come under the subjection of the Holy Spirit! I declare that these illnesses and any other that I left unnamed have no power over these readers. They are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. Jesus bore 39 stripes for their healing and I call it forth right now. I pray according to Your word that they may prosper in all things and be in good health, even as their souls prosper. I’m grateful that you are the God of all grace, Who after they may have suffered for a while, will perfect, establish, strengthen and settle them. Thank You, God for your healing touch going out right now over them in the name of Jesus!

Thank You, Lord, for allowing me the privilege of sharing Your word with these readers. I pray, God, that they are encouraged to keep pressing, praising and moving forward. I pray that if they have any sins that are weighing them down that they would repent and be forgiven. I pray that this prayer encourages them to call on You for whatever they need for You are the Great I AM and I thank You for being You. I’m excited about what You’re going to do in their lives!  I love You, I praise You, I thank You, and I expect You, God! I pray these things in the name of Your precious Son, Jesus!

Amen

God has your back!

Have you ever had a day where you just needed an encouraging word? Perhaps you have had a rough week and you just need to be reminded that God is with you? Or maybe you are just worn out from giving so much of yourself. Well I asked God today for a right now, relevant word that would minister to you AND me! He answered and I pray that it uplifts and strengthens you to keep pressing.

Psalm 91 is a powerhouse scripture passage. It is filled with nuggets and phrases that you can pull out and stand on. Today, God wants you to focus on verses 14 – 16. I pray that you receive His words in your heart. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.  He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” Do you see what God is saying here? Read it again! He is essentially saying that He has your back! You are not alone in this struggle. Sickness, depression, grief, bitterness, none of those things can stand up to Jehovah Mephalti, the God who delivers! So many times the enemy attempts to take you out by focusing your thoughts on the difficulty of your situation. He will hammer you with reminders of what you don’t have and what isn’t working. But God is saying that He WILL be with you in trouble and He WILL answer you when you call on Him. There is something about the word WILL. There’s no doubt in that word…it’s a sure thing! When God says that He WILL do something, you can take it to the bank!

Okay…so God just told you what He was going to do simply because you have loved Him. If you have any doubt, He just sent me to Isaiah 55 to make sure you have it. Read the word of the Lord and hold it in your heart. “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.  It is the same with My word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” (Is. 55: 10-11, NLT) God doesn’t causally throw words around. If He said it, it always produces a result! It will do just what He intends for it to do. Some of you need to be reminded that “God is not like man that He should lie nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num. 23:19 NKJV) Don’t categorize Him with people and stay in a place of worry and fear. NO! God LOVES you and He will be with you no matter what you face!

As you go through the rest of this day, I want to encourage you to stand firmly and boldly on the word of God. This is the time of shifting. He is moving you out of the same old mess and away from the same old giants but you have to be willing to move. You have to be willing to take Him at His word and obey. He wanted to encourage you today to step out of those old shackles and walk into what He has been telling you. YOU have to believe it! He is with you! Everything that has drained you, weighed you down, tormented you has to submit to the power of God. So, be encouraged today! You are blessed! You are an overcomer! But most of all, you are HIS!

God bless you…AMEN

Just what you need...

One of my favorite hymns growing up was Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. I can still hear the strong voice of Mr. Clyde, one of the deacons, singing “Leaning, ohhhhh, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.”  I loved to watch the old saints as they sang because you could tell it meant something to them. You may not have understood why they got so into it but you knew the words were doing something. Then one day, you wake up and realize that the only way you are going to make it through that particular day is if you lean on the arms of Jesus. You realize why the saints were shouting and waving their hands. You see, that song was written almost 130 years ago but it can still minister to you. It can still remind you that as long as you stay wrapped up in the arms of Jesus, you are safe and secure from all alarms. Do you know why that is? It’s because God has not changed. He is everlasting and eternal. Today, I just simply want to remind you that God is still just what you need.

This morning in response to a friend’s prayer request, the Lord sent me to 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10, a scripture that ministered to me as much as it did her. This passage comes right after Paul’s account of when he experienced an out of body, heavenly experience. He received so much revelation that he was given a thorn in his side to keep him humble. Paul begged God 3 times to remove the thorn and God finally responds with “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” Sometimes, you can get so caught up in the problems, the weights, the burdens, that you forget the solution is already present. God’s grace and strength are always at work and you really don’t have to do anything except receive it. God is still just what you need.

My church bible study has been focused on spiritual warfare for the last few months and last night, the lesson focused on the armor of God. There was a lively discussion about being prepared daily for battle. The question was raised as to why folks thinks it’s a good idea to put the armor on in the middle of the battle instead of at the beginning. Ephesians 6 has been available for centuries, yet people still find themselves losing the same battles due to lack of preparation. Why is that? God has not changed! He has given you everything that you need to resist the enemy and win! I love what Paul says in Ephesians 6:10 – 11,”God is strong, and He wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way.” (MSG) God is still just what you need.

I just want to encourage you to stay rooted and grounded in the God who does not change. He is faithful and He is working things for your good. It’s hard sometimes, because it feels like the hits keep coming, the challenges keep popping up, and the struggles keep growing but tell yourself like David that “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.” (Ps. 138:8a NKJV) He won’t abandon, forsake, or fail you. He still has just what you need to make it through whatever you are facing! Singing…”what have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms.”

Amen

Pass the test!

My allergies are in full effect and I’m just going to be honest. I feel and look a mess! I tossed and turned all night and woke up this morning feeling like a zero. I knew it was Rhema day but I just didn’t have anything to give. A couple of folks asked me when it was coming but again, I had no response. It’s an interesting thing when God has you on assignment. You know that He has given you a task but life doesn’t always cooperate. Things or people happen that throw you off and sometimes you just don’t see how you can get it done. It can be stressful because sometimes you want to either put it off or not do it all. But today, I heard God clearly tell me to speak to my stumbling block. What about you? What is it that God has given you to do that is seemingly always under attack or you struggle to accomplish all that you need to do? Whatever it may be, God is saying that if He called you to it, He has equipped you to handle it.  

Isn’t God hilarious?! Doesn’t He seem to always ask you to do the things that are the most difficult? Doesn’t He require you to respond in a holy way to certain situations that you really want to cut up in? This morning, as I was thinking of ways to get out of writing Rhema, He sent me to Jeremiah 1. I immediately started shaking my head because I knew what was coming. The Lord gave me this message:

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
    Before you were born I set you apart
    and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. ⁸ And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”(Jer. 1:5-8 NLT)

Soooo…guess what? It’s time to rise up and get to work! God knows what you are capable of handling. Remember, He sees the big picture and the future plan. He knew before I was placed in my mother’s womb that I would write Rhema and that sometimes I would struggle to feel worthy to share His word. He knew that you would be a pastor and sometimes struggle with leading people when you still have your own imperfections. He knew that you would be the strong one in your family and sometimes struggle with the weight of everyone’s issues. But God said very clearly in that passage that He will be with you and will protect you. He is faithful and present!

So here’s the deal! It’s time to have a conversation with that stumbling block, that stronghold, that hindrance. It’s time to be like David when he was captured by the Philistines. He stood confidently and said, “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. I praise God for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Ps. 56: 3-4, NLT) There is nothing that can stop what God has ordained for you to do. So don’t let man, the enemy, or allergies stop you from carrying out the assignment that God has given you. Even if it seems like you don’t have the strength or the courage to do it, remember that He knew before you were born what you would be. Do you trust Him enough to carry out His plan? Kick that stumbling block out of the way and pass the test!

Amen…

Goodbye Winter...HELLO SPRING!

Hallelujah! It’s Resurrection week! Do you have a celebration in your spirit? Do you have joy in your heart? If you don’t, let me tell you something. God is amazing! He continues to work miracles and show His resurrection power over 2000 years after He raised Christ! This week, I have looked in the faces of people that could have been dead. I saw what doctors had given up on. But God is faithful and kind and He has a timeline that doctors have no say in! As I prepared for this word, I thought I was going to write about something completely different when I heard one question. How long has your winter been? My, my, my! Some of you have gotten so comfortable in your long johns and fleece that you refuse to see the springtime knocking at your door. Well, saints, it’s time to open the door and walk into your spring!

Winter is the coldest season of the year. According to Wikipedia, it is caused when the axis of the Earth in a certain hemisphere is oriented away from the sun. Hmmmmm…dare I say, that the coldest time of your life is when you are positioned away from the Son of God? Perhaps, your mind and your mouth has been saying that you trust Jesus but your spirit and your heart are not in agreement. It’s become so easy in the church to say words that sound good but that actions don’t back up. It’s become easy to speak life and believe death but today, God is calling you into spring. He is challenging you to pack up those heavy, burdensome winter clothes and put on light and airy attire. It’s time to walk into your spring!

You may be asking me why I would talk about winter during Resurrection week but this is exactly the right time. You see, when Jesus died on the cross, He took the power that a winter season can have on your life and defeated it. He rose again with the keys to death and the grave in His hands. He brought restoration, rebirth, and renewal with Him. If that doesn’t describe spring, I don’t know what does. It’s why I love this time of year so much! Whenever I think of what Jesus Christ did for me, I feel a fresh wind. I feel a fresh start. I feel the warmth of renewal.  The Song of Solomon is a beautiful book of love poems. In chapter 2, the young women says to the young man, “Look, the winter is past, and the rains are over and gone.  The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.” (v. 11-12 NLT)Saints, that’s how the love of Christ feels after you have been through a long winter season in your life. When you encounter Him again after what seems like the quietest and bleakest period, there is a fresh wind and a new beginning.

As you go through these next few days, remember the amazing power of God. Remember what He did on the third day when He resurrected Christ. Remember that what man has decided is your end, God can make an opening! Remember that what winter has frozen over and killed, God can renew and restore. Winter is over and so are the burdens, the time lost, and the struggles. You are at the edge of your spring and it’s time to walk in it! It’s resurrection time! It’s spring time! Join me in celebrating what the Lord has done!

Amen…