Be Grateful...

I kind of thought I would have something deep and profound to say to you on this beautiful Thanksgiving Day. But I don't. As a matter of fact, I really only have 2 words and it seems almost cliché to write them but it's what I'm hearing, so I will. Be grateful! Yep, that's what I have. Sounds easy, right? I can hear the chorus of “I am!” echoing all around. So much so that I hate to go further with my question. But it's what I'm hearing, so I will. Are you really? God is calling for His people to put action behind words. It's not a new sentiment but it bears repeating. Today, on this Thanksgiving, God is using  a highlighter on the word “be” and calling on you to not just say you are grateful or text it but really BE grateful.

God sent me to Ephesians 1 in the Message translation to show a great example of how to be grateful. Paul was writing to the Church at Ephesus and doing what He did best – proclaiming the name of Jesus. He is reminding them of who God is and the wonderful gift of Jesus that He gave to the world. As Paul comes to the end of his opening, he tells them how excited he is about their relationship with Christ. It is here that you find this great 4 verse explanation of how Paul shows his gratefulness. It blessed me!

“That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have  in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you-every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask-ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory-to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life He has for His followers, oh the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust Him-endless energy, boundless strength!” (Eph. 1:15-19 MSG)

You see, gratefulness is not just an internal, quiet place, though it certainly can be. But Paul showed us that it is wanting more for someone else. It's praying that they be all that Christ as called them to be. It's celebrating the work that God is doing in them and in doing so, God gets the glory. Today, as you spend time with your friends and family, pray for them to prosper and be in good health! Pray that they walk in their purpose and calling! Pray that their relationship with God grows stronger and they experience wisdom and discernment like never before. Show your gratefulness  to God by representing Him well! I am grateful for each one of you. I thank God that He led you to Rhema today and I pray that He increases you in every area of your life. I pray that the last few weeks of 2015 are filled with favor and blessings for you. May gratefulness live in your heart daily, your energy for God be endless and your strength boundless!

Amen…

Worship your way through...

I have one thing for you today. Are you ready? It’s not super extra deep and spiritual but it’s what I hear God saying this morning. Okay….here goes! WORSHIP YOUR WAY THROUGH! I don’t care what you are facing, what the enemy has put in your way, what you have told yourself that you can’t do, what your circumstances look like, what your finances look like, what has disturbed or distressed you, the answer is in your worship. You see, God is the beginning and the end of everything. He created it all and it all comes back to Him. Sometimes, all that is happening in your world distracts you from that fact and causes you to make a person, an event, a challenge bigger than who He is. Today, I simply want to remind you that getting in the presence of God and focusing on all that He is will take you through whatever pain or struggle you have in front of you.

Colossians 1:15-20 in the Message translation spoke to me today and it is an awesome reminder of why you have to worship to make it.

“We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in Him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, He organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—He is supreme in the end. From beginning to end He’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is He, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in Him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of His death, His blood that poured down from the cross.”

Did you feel it like I did? Did you recognize that Christ in all of His fullness and supremacy trumps every crazy thing in your life? Did you see that because of His death and resurrection, everything that attempts to distract you from Him, has to bow to who He is? Did you understand that if you shift your focus away from the confusion, the struggle, the challenges and towards the Most High, All Powerful, All Sufficient God, you will find yourself on the other side of whatever tried to stop you. You have to worship your way through. You have to take the frustration, the anger, the bitterness, the anxiety, the doubt, the hesitation, whatever it is and lay it at God’s feet. Thank Him because you have your life. Thank Him because you don’t look like what you’ve been through. Thank Him because He trusted you to speak for Him. Thank Him because He loved you even though He knows you and your secrets. Thank Him because He has a plan and a purpose for your life and He will walk you all the way through it.

Worship your way through, woman of God! Know that God sees everything that you have fought for and struggled with and He is preparing you for your next level. Worship your way through, man of God! Know that God sees how hard it has been to lead when you didn’t have the answers and He is positioning you for greatness. Worship your way through, saints! Know that God is in control and that He is big enough to meet you in the beginning, the middle and the end.  Worship! Worship! Worship your way through! Join in with the 24 Elders in Revelation 4 and sing “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” (Rev. 4:11, NKJV)

 

Amen

Walk into your new!

I was an English major in college and the daughter of a former journalist so I like build up when I'm writing. I like to have an introduction and a thesis statement so you know the point of whatever I'm writing early on. I'm comfortable with that! So when God just comes straight out with something, I get nervous. I struggle to just write that one thing without prefacing it with a story or a metaphor or something. But today, God simply told me to tell you to walk into your new!

He sent me straight to Isaiah 43. "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands." (vs 18 - 19, MSG) Some of you have been so focused on what was and even what is currently going on that you have missed the joy of what is coming. God has promised to do a new thing in you, in your heart, in your ministry, in your marriage but you keep missing the excitement because you are caught up in the worry and the wondering. Today, God is saying cast those old weights of the past to the side and walk into your new! I love this passage of scripture because the whole chapter is God reminding His people of who He is. He is reminding them of who He has been to them - Redeemer, Deliverer, Creator, and Protector! He is reminding them that He is their present and future help. And you know what? He has not changed because He is all of those to you as well. It's time to stop worrying about the "former things" as the New King James Version says and walk into the new thing that God is doing.

Can I just tell you that what's coming is so much better than what has been? God has great plans for you and as Jeremiah 29:11 says, they are plans "of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope." I'd like to think that if God has plans for me, they don't involve me being stuck on the past. No! He said, "Behold, I will do a new thing!" That's a promise, Saints! It's telling you that first, He is with you as you transition and second that He is doing the work! Nowhere in that passage does it ask you to make anything happen. Nope, He just basically tells you to pay attention as He does it! So why would He tell me to tell you walk into your new and not just wait? Simple! Because the key to walking is that you are acknowledging that He is doing something amazing and you trust Him enough to go where He's taking you. You have so much in you that God is getting ready to use. Don't miss your road out of your desert or your river through dry place by worrying about what was! Get up and walk into your new!

Amen...

God is big enough!

A couple of days ago, I was having a horrible day – luggage was lost, late for my work event, and foolishness was everywhere! I was tired and frustrated and not myself. As I was standing at my fair, a student walked up with a bracelet on his arm that stopped me in my tracks. It read GOD IS BIG ENOUGH.  It may sound weird but I felt like God read the message out loud to me. It hit me hard! I kind of stared at it for awhile, mentally trying to pull myself together while not looking completely crazy. I finally got my voice and told him that I liked his bracelet. The student took the bracelet off and gave it to me,and said share the message! I took that literally and shared it on Facebook and then God started giving me specific messages for people surrounding the idea of Him being enough. And so here I am to tell you…He is BIG ENOUGH!

I don't know about you but I need reminders! I often have so much going on in my life that if I don't have a list, I will forget something. I have a great memory but the older I've gotten, the more I rely on “the list”. The same thing is true when it comes to God. Sometimes I get so caught up in what the world is saying or what my circumstances are looking like that I forget the breadth of God. In other words, I forget just how big He is. I get so distracted by how big everything else is that I forget that God is bigger! Well, that's when I have to rely on my list of the names of God and this week, it has been El Shaddai, God Almighty, the All Sufficient One. The One that used a bracelet as a live reminder that He is big enough to show up at a law fair in Texas at my point of need and say “I see you and I am big enough to handle all that you are facing.” Did you know that Shaddai comes from the root word shad that means breast? For a newborn baby, the breast is the source of nourishment and supply. If you have ever seen a breast fed baby you know that they are attached to their mother for that sustenance. They will seek to feed or be close to that source whenever they are near her because they know she has what they need. And so it is with El Shaddai. He wants to sustain you, bless you and supply your need. Even better, His supply never runs dry. As I really thought about that, my spirit was encouraged and yours should be as well! Why? Because you don't have to search for what you need, God will supply! You don't have to search for enough strength to make it, God will nourish! You don't have to search for enough energy to stand, God will sustain you. He is BIG ENOUGH!

I’m not a mind reader and I don't know each of you personally but I know that you have had to fight some battles in your life. I know that stress and people have slowed down your progress at some point and made you question who you are supposed to be. I even know that loss and transition have forced you to make hard decisions. But can I tell you that God is big enough to handle all of those situations? He has enough insight and wisdom in the tip of His finger to take care of every aspect of your life. He is just that big! Revelation 1:8 says, ““I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says theLord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.””(NLT). You know what that means? It means that everything that has happened to you had a purpose, everything that's happening now has a purpose and everything that will happen, has a purpose. And best of all, God is with you in all of it. He is so big that He encompasses the beginning and the end, the past and the future! Everything! He is enough for every situation and circumstance! Cancer, grief, divorce, anger…whatever it is, He is BIG ENOUGH!

So be encouraged today that God has everything that you need and He is willing and able to supply it. Trust Him as El Shaddai, God Almighty, All Sufficient One. He is everything you need in one! He is your sustainer and your supply! He is your blessing and your nourishment! He is BIG ENOUGH…

Amen