Going in ready!

I don't think New Year’s Eve has ever been on a Thursday since I've been writing Rhema and you know what? I'm glad! Even though I try to write an encouraging word every week, it can be a pretty tough position to be in, for New Year’s Eve, if people are looking for a word to set the tone for their whole new year. So I preferred to not even put myself in that position and leave that for the pastors and prophets of the world! However, I will say the few things that God gave me to say and encourage you to walk into 2016 with purpose, expectation, and obedience. So here goes…

God is faithful and He is present! There is nothing happening in your life that He is not fully aware of. So as you go into this next year, know that God is in control. Whether you are standing on a word of rebuilding or shifting, growth or blessings, allow God to be God. Allow Him room and freedom to move in your life the way that He wants to. Remember that all of the prophetic words in the world cannot do what you are not open to receive. You can't speak renewal and your mindset is stuck in 2010. You can't shout and dance off of a “shifting” word and be unwilling to move. You can't Facebook post about exponential growth and you refuse to take the one baby step the Lord asked you to take. This is a new year and a new opportunity to move to the next level in your life but it takes obedience and honesty. It takes you doing an honest evaluation of your life and seeing what needs to change. It takes you sitting in the presence of God with your pad and pen and just listening to and writing what He is speaking about your life. It even takes you being willing to repent or be transparent so that those that look to you for leadership aren't following someone trapped in bondage.  I know this sounds harsh but I don't want you to miss what God has for you in 2016!

Paul gave Timothy some advice that I think is worth considering on this last day of 2015. “In a well-furnished kitchen, there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets- some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to His guests for their blessing. Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness – faith, love, peace- joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God.” (2 Tim. 2:20-22, MSG) You see? There's definitely a next level and a shifting and growth waiting on you but it takes a prepared heart and mind. In order to be all that God wants you to be and have all that God wants you to have, you have to be in position to be used. You have to be seeking after faith, love and peace and ever ready for God to call your name. Isn't that what you want? To have a Kingdom impact, to see someone brought to Christ, to see God’s name glorified? Well, position yourself heart, mind and spirit  to push forward so that you can walk out what God has for you in 2016 with purpose, expectation and obedience! Let's get it!!

God bless and Happy New Year!

On the Eve of Purpose

I've done a Rhema every Thursday for 4.5 years. It's been both challenging and life changing at the same time. I have been discouraged and encouraged, strengthened and broken down all for the sake of fulfilling the assignment that God gave me. I've wondered at times whether it was time to give it up and find something else to do but every time, God reminds me that this is part of my current assignment and has purpose. As I have been sitting here this Christmas Eve morning, I've thought a lot about Mary. She took on a major assignment from God without warning or preparation and she did it with grace. I never expected to be writing a blog or have books but I've known for a long time that writing was one of my gifts. I wrote little things for my church newsletter, I was an English major, my mama was a writer so Rhema was shocking to me; but it wasn't out of nowhere. Such was not the case with Mary. She was minding her own business, preparing for marriage when she got a surprise visitor.

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You’re beautiful with God’s beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you.” She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.’ The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob’s house forever— no end, ever, to his kingdom.””‭‭(Luke‬ ‭1:26-33‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

Okay, folks! Do you see what I mean? There is nothing said about Mary being out working in ministry or being of a royal or wealthy family. There is no hint in the background information that she would be chosen for the huge assignment of bringing the Messiah into the world. She was not looking for this to happen! So why her? What could have been so special about Mary? Gabriel gave the answer with one phrase, “God be with you.” God had been with Mary. He knew that He would be received. He knew that she could be trusted with the assignment that He had for her. Could it be that God is watching and waiting on you to be ready to receive what He has for you? Is it possible that you are putting too much pressure on yourself to be “ready or worthy” when He really just wants to make sure that you will receive Him? Woooooo, Mary!! You are showing me something this morning!

Look at her response! “Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.” The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. “And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say.” Then the angel left her.” (Luke‬ ‭1:34-38‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

What would happen if you responded to God’s instruction like Mary? What would change in your life if you didn't look at the impossibility of the request but just said yes? I dare say that you would see miracles birthed through you, your purpose come forth and the blessing of God overtake you. Mary said yes when everything in her life would tell her to say no. She got in agreement with God and saw power, authority and victory grow in her. Do you see what I am saying? God has placed a seed of purpose in your belly and all you need to do is say yes. It is up to you to look past the adversity and the challenge and carry your gift to delivery. You have a purpose to bring forth! You have a gift to give the world that you have been specifically chosen to carry! You have a major assignment to complete! Like Mary, it's the eve of your delivery! It's time to stop preparing for labor and start pushing. The world is waiting to announce the arrival of your purpose! Let it be with you just as the Lord has said…amen!

Moving Ahead...

If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” Martin Luther King closed his remarks to a group of students at Washington University in 1957 with these words. They spoke to me this morning from a poster in my office as 2015 comes to an end. He was challenging those students to not give up or in until segregation was over and to keep fighting to achieve their goals without bitterness and violence. I thought to myself how relevant those words are to those of you that are in transition right now. How powerful they are to those of you that are tired from a long year. How important they are to those of you that are beginning a new assignment, job, or ministry as January approaches. As I sat staring at these words, I heard the Lord say, don’t stop moving!

The word stagnant then immediately popped in my mind and the definition I saw slapped me in the face. It means “(of a body of water or the atmosphere of a confined space) having no current or flow and often having an unpleasant smell as a consequence; showing no activity; dull and sluggish; characterized by lack of development, advancement, or progressive movement.” (Dictionary.com, Google)That’s rough! Why? Because God has called you to more. He has called you to advance His Kingdom with your songs, your writing, and your words. He has called you to reach the lost and the hurting. If you’re sitting on your gifts, holding onto your past and generally not moving, how long do you think it will be before your lack of movement starts to smell or become unpleasant to be around?

Folks, as you are preparing for this new year, it’s time to move. It’s time to stop being stuck in what used to be and look at what God has said will be. It’s time to stop letting fear keep you from walking fully in your gifts, taking that job, or writing that book. It’s time to take that step out of grief and into healing. It’s time to change your answer from no to yes. It’s time to move forward. MLK made it clear that it doesn’t matter how you get to your destination, you just have to keep going until you get there. The Lord sent me to a familiar passage and the words of Paul to encourage you in this journey and remind you to keep moving forward toward your victory.  

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it. (Phil. 3: 12-16, MSG)

Don’t you want everything that God has for you? Well, God is not stagnant and He certainly isn’t sluggish and dull! I’ve never heard anyone tell me that God told them their potential was capped out in the 1^st grade. Nope, He wants to grow you and mature you. He wants you to move forward in the plan that He has for you! You know…the one with a hope and a future! Moses tells us in Deuteronomy 1:6-8 that God told the children of Israel, “You’ve stayed long enough at this mountain. On your way now. Get moving. Head for the Amorite hills, wherever people are living in the Arabah, the mountains, the foothills, the Negev, the seashore—the Canaanite country and the Lebanon all the way to the big river, the Euphrates. Look, I’ve given you this land. Now go in and take it. It’s the land God promised to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their children after them.” (MSG)

It’s time! “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” Your tomorrow is waiting on you to move. Your 2016 is waiting on you to move. Your breakthrough is waiting on you to move. May Jehovah Jireh, the God that sees ahead and then provides, bless you as you move!

Amen…

Let God be God...

Can I just help you out today? I won’t take up much of your time but I want to tell you something and I really want you to apply it to your life starting this very minute. Ready? Let God be God. That’s it! That’s all I got! I know that may be difficult to really take in because your automatic response is “I do.” I know that because it was mine. But the truth of the matter is, you don’t. I mean, you say the right things, and do the expected things but sometimes you get in the way. Sometimes God’s timeline doesn’t line up with yours and so you make “adjustments”. Sometimes God’s decision isn’t quite what you expected and so you rationalize another way. Sometimes God’s instruction is a little too hard and so you decide to do things your way. The result is what matters, right? Wrong. You see, God has a purpose and a plan for your life. It’s intricate and detailed and it was written on a level that is so much higher than yours. It takes into account your free will, your bad attitude, your “no”, and your wrong choices. It’s even prepared for your fear and your disobedience. Does your plan have all of these contingencies? No? Well, let God be God!

I know, I know! This is supposed to be an encouraging holiday word that you can feel good about and that’s truly what I wanted to do but God thought better of you! God wants you to walk into your 2016 better than where you are now. He wants you to know that He can handle any and everything that you face and it won’t be hard for Him. But here’s the thing. He doesn’t need your help! He is God all by Himself and there is no one like Him. He has this plan for your life and it’s well thought out. Look at Jeremiah 29: 10 -14.

“If you want the truth, this is what the Eternal has to say: “You will remain in Babylon for 70 years. When that time is over, I will come to you, and I will keep My promise of bringing you back home. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that. At that time, you will call out for Me, and I will hear. You will pray, and I will listen. You will look for Me intently, and you will find Me. Yes, I will be found by you,” says the Eternal, “and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations where you’ve been scattered—all the places where I have driven you. I will bring you back to the land that is your rightful home.” (VOICE)

Notice that I started with verse 10. You see, people don’t like to look at the hard stuff that often comes before the blessing.  But God showed me that in order to trust Him in the “future and hope”, you have to trust Him in Babylon. In the beginning of Jeremiah 29, God told the exiled Israelites how to live and survive in Babylon before He told them about what would happen in the future. If you let God be God in your life, He will show you how to prosper in your wilderness and then bring you back home RESTORED. Read those verses again! He’s telling you how to let Him be in control of your life. He’s telling you how to make it, how to trust Him. He’s showing you that He already knows what you’re going to face and He’s made provisions for it. He has not lost track of you. He has not forgotten what He told you or the hard places that He has sent you to. The issue is whether or not you will relinquish control long enough to reap the fruit.

“God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?” (Num. 23:19 NLT) God is consistent and He is faithful. You can trust Him to handle your life. As a matter of fact, you’ve seen Him do it before. So here’s your chance…get out of the way! Step back, stop trying to carry it, stop trying to plan it, stop trying to figure it out. God is asking you TODAY to let Him do it.  HE is lining things up for you. HE is shifting things in your life. HE is putting things in order. And guess what? He has it all under control so just take my advice and let God be God…

Amen…

Your search is over...

Recently, I have seen a lot of people searching for things in the wrong places. Men searching for affirmation from women other than their wives. Women searching for love from men that aren’t worthy of it. Mothers searching for their worth in their children and losing themselves in the process. Teenagers searching for approval from their friends with sometimes deadly consequences. Church folks are even guilty of searching for satisfaction in their leader and ending up disappointed. In every case, the search is unfulfilling and never-ending. Why? Because you are looking for things in people and places that can only be found in God.  Today, God told me to tell you that your search is over. Hallelujah! I don’t know about you but that’s good news! Imagine not having to look for the answer to your problem anymore. Imagine not needing to search for calm in your storm anymore. Imagine not waking up every day wondering how you will make it. Your search is over!

When God said this to me, my initial thought was that this only applies to a certain type of person. You know…needy people! And certainly not me! But the more I listened, the more I realized that everyone is searching for something or has been at some point. We have all been guilty of looking for answers for an issue in a million places before getting to God. The key, folks, is in knowing where to look! Some of you have been looking so hard for man to give you what you need that you’ve missed God reminding you that He has already given you everything. He wants you to know today that everything that you need can be found in Him. God highlighted 2 Peter 1:3 – 9 in The Voice translation for me this morning and it put a whole new spin on the peace of God for me.

His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue. Through these things, we have received God’s great and valuable promises, so we might escape the corruption of worldly desires and share in the divine nature. God took the first step to rescue us from this corrupt world. He has granted us His power, revealed to us true knowledge, and spoken to us great promises. He has done all this for a reason: that we might participate in His own nature and reflect His own life. But we are not passive observers of God’s saving actions. We must receive His grace, grow in knowledge, and join Him in this work of redemption. To achieve this, you will need to add virtue to your faith, and then knowledge to your virtue; to knowledge, add discipline; to discipline, add endurance; to endurance, add godliness; to godliness, add affection for others as sisters and brothers; and to affection, at last, add love. For if you possess these traits and multiply them, then you will never be ineffective or unproductive in your relationship with our Lord Jesus the Anointed; but if you don’t have these qualities, then you will be nearsighted and blind, forgetting that your past sins have been washed away. (2 Pet. 1:3-9, VOICE)

Instead of searching, start receiving and adding. You see, God is not missing and He wants you stop acting like He is! When you feel your heart breaking, look for Him, His love is everlasting. When your strength is failing, look to Him, His strength is made perfect in your weakness. When the grief is overwhelming, reach for Him, He is the rock that is higher than you. When you feel like you are losing at life, seek Him for He is your defense and strong tower. When the holidays are your worst enemy because depression and loneliness overtake you; turn to Him for He is your constant help and your peace. It’s over! Stop searching! All that you need is in God and He wants you to remember it!

 May God’s abiding presence surround you and remind you of the indescribable gift of love that He has given you through Jesus Christ. Your search is over…

Amen…