It's. Not. Over.

Often times we find ourselves in a holding pattern. We’re waiting for God to move in some area of our lives and He isn’t moving as fast as we want Him to or how we want Him to. We wonder how much longer. Some of us are like Jacob and crying out that we won’t let go until He blesses us. Some of us are fasters and trying to show God that we are serious about our petitions. Some of us are just quietly lying before the Lord and some are travailing. This morning as I waited for a Word, I heard God say “It’s not over.” I started to put an exclamation point just now but it wasn’t like that. It was a statement. It was like when someone looks you in your eye and gives you their word and you believe it. So I asked Him to give me a scripture and immediately Romans 8:18 dropped in my spirit. “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”(NLT)  Wooooooooooo! Now you can break out the exclamation points!

Romans 8 is my “go to” chapter in the Bible. I find so much encouragement, promise, and strength in this chapter. I encourage you if you haven’t read it, lately or ever, to read and study it. My uncle taught me to read it whenever I needed to remind myself who I am in Christ. What a blessing! So after God gave me that Word, I came back to it and sure enough I got what I needed. It’s human nature to be emotional and responsive to what happens in our lives. When things don’t go our way, we might cry or get angry or even want to give up but God is telling us today that it’s not over. Finances are a mess, marriage going awry, children acting crazy but God has said that this is nothing compared to what is to come! There is a future glory that we can look forward to!

I remember when Bennie Hinn announced that he and his wife were divorcing a few years ago. I watched the statement and thought how sad he looked.  I don’t know him personally, obviously, but it made me sad too. I wondered what happened to break up a 30 year marriage and why couldn’t they call on God to fix it. They were apart for a couple of years and no matter who or what was to blame, they both had to journey through that period of adjustment and difficulty. Then one day, I heard that they are reconciling. I was so excited by that news because you don’t hear that often. I imagine that at some point, God whispered to them “It’s not over.”

Remember Hannah? She desperately wanted a child and endured year after year of taunting and waiting. She cried out to the Lord and was truly discouraged. God saw and with my spiritual ear, I can imagine Him whispering in her ear “Peninnah doesn’t have the final say, your husband doesn’t have the final say, even the priest doesn’t have the final say. It’s not over.” And it wasn’t! Along came Samuel. What if she had given up? That’s why Romans 8: 18 – 25 is so important. We must have hope and believe God when He says that it isn’t over. “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” (Romans 8:24-25 NKJV)

Don’t give up! There is victory in your perseverance! “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” It may seem that you’ve been holding on for a long time…waiting but God is faithful and He is present. Don’t let the enemy convince you that your story is over. We never know why God does what He does. His thoughts and ways are higher than ours. But we can be confident that He has it under control. If God promised you something, He is good for it. What did he tell us in Isaiah 55:11? “So shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Sounds to me like IT’S NOT OVER!  

Be blessed! AMEN

Let Him...

 I’ve been sick for a couple of weeks now and it’s been horrible! I hate being sick! And you know what? Nothing stopped just because I was sick. I still had to be wife and mommy. I still had to work. I still had to preach and write. Life kept going. I kept saying to the Lord, “Why?! What is happening? Why now?” And His answer tore my nerves up, though it shouldn’t have. He said to me, “Because it’s time. I’m teaching you how to say yes. I’m teaching you when to say no. I’m teaching you to adjust and be flexible when I shift you. I’m teaching you and shaping you into who I need you to be.” I realized when I heard that response yep…that is exactly what has been happening. And even though I have resisted at times and fought back with flesh, it is happening and I have to accept it.

Could it be that you are in a similar place? Could it be that all of the challenges and trials that you may be facing right now are God’s way of molding and shaping you into who He needs you to be? Let me clarify! I don’t mean He needs you, in the sense that He can’t do it without you. I mean that in order to fully walk into what He has for you, He wants your spirit man to be in a particular shape. It can’t be the weaker party in the flesh vs spirit equation. He wants you walking in power and victory. He wants your confidence in Him and what He has put inside of you to overwhelmingly answer any doubt that tries to question you. He wants you to accept what He is saying about you! Tough, right? I know! I want to be in the background and talk to small groups but God keeps pushing me and challenging me to step up and out. It’s the same with you.

Do you think He has allowed you to go through those hard experiences where you questioned your very purpose on this earth for nothing? Nope! He’s going to take that challenge and shape it into your testimony that will bless generation after generation. Do you think He has asked you to do big things with little money so that you could just go broke? Nope! He’s showing you that you can fully and completely depend on Him if you let go of the control. Do you think He has allowed you to lose people that you leaned on before so that you would be alone? Nope! He’s stretching you because where He is taking you will be filled with new people and you’re going to have to be bold enough to start new relationships.

I guess what I’m saying to you today is let God do what He’s doing in and through you. Let Him take you to new places and try new things. Let Him open doors that no man can close without trying to close it yourself. Let Him be God! It's super scary but it will work for your good because He said so and He's in charge.

Let me leave you with God’s words to Cyrus in Isaiah 45:4-7 (NLT). Take it in…

“And why have I called you for this work?
    Why did I call you by name when you did not know me?
It is for the sake of Jacob my servant,
    Israel my chosen one.
⁵ I am the Lord;
    there is no other God.
I have equipped you for battle,
    though you don’t even know me,
⁶ so all the world from east to west
    will know there is no other God.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷     I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
    I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.

 Amen.

How much is your word worth?

I haven't missed a Thursday Rhema in almost 5 years. But today, it seemed like no matter what I did, I couldn't carve out time to write. Everything that could, got between me and doing my assignment but yet, here I am. I just couldn't go to bed without trying to get it done before midnight. Crazy, right? Why is it so important? The word is still relevant on Friday, right? Of course it is! I'm not that deep! But I do know that God gave me specific instructions 5 years ago that I try my best to follow. So I had to ask myself a serious question. How much was MY word worth? Was it worth a few minutes of lost sleep in order to maintain the standard that God had set forth? I decided that it most certainly was and it made me think. What about you? What has God put in your spirit that you have let time, people or struggle keep you from accomplishing?  Will you follow through with what God has assigned to you regardless of what obstacles come your way? Will you stand by what He birthed in you even when what you expected isn't what you see? I, for one, am tired of watching people adjust what God said to make things more comfortable for them. It's time to stick and stay, Saints! 

God then sent me to Ecclesiastes just to be sure I had it. “When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved. Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.” (Eccl‬ ‭5:4-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

I hadn't thought of it like that! When I told God yes, I was giving Him my word. I was promising Him my heart, my actions and my obedience. Wow!  It makes it a lot harder to throw away an assignment when we look at it like that, doesn't it? I want to challenge you to do what God has placed in you to do. Stop taking your visions and dreams lightly and pushing them back because something distracts or challenges you. Truth, Lord! Come on! If God thought it important enough to share with you, shouldn't you take it seriously enough to carry out. Too many times, I have let fear or doubt keep me from walking out an important assignment. What about you?  Join me in saying, No more! If I ask God to be a promise keeper, I should try my best to return the favor. Doesn't He deserve it?

Amen 

I'll be the one...

Briana Babineaux’s song “I’ll be the one” has been playing in my head since I woke up this morning. When I got in the car, it came on and has been on constant replay ever since. If I’m perfectly honest, I wanted it to stop! I’ve had a lot on my mind this week and trying to get things done, so not being able to get rid of a song was on my nerves! Finally, I stopped and really listened to the line that kept repeating in my mind. “The one you can use, the one you can send, the one with the yes you can trust.” Then it goes on to say, “You don’t have to look no further. I’ll be the one.” This was her love song to God. This was her yes! WOW! Wake up moment! God was reminding me of my why! HE was calling me out of that place where you are overwhelmed with people’s expectations and assignments and back to Him. He brought me back to why I am doing what I’m doing. Why I write Rhema every week. Why I’m trying to get a sermon together. Why I am working on this and that. It’s for Him. It’s for His glory. It’s not about me. So the question of the day is “will you be the one?”

Have you ever gotten so caught up in the business or really the “busy-ness” of ministry that you lost sight of your why? You ended up tired and frustrated because you didn’t say no to that meeting or that committee. You stayed in a position for entirely too long because tradition taught you to stick and stay. You even took on an assignment that wasn’t yours because no one else would do it. But you know what? God told me to remind you that He chose you to do a work that no one else can do. He called you to minister to the sick because you have loved and lost and know how to be selfless. He called you to be an intercessor because you have experienced the power of prayer and know how to listen for His voice. He called you to the streets because you have seen Him change your focus and know how to love on the lost. HE called you to build up women because you have seen the opposite and know how to walk in transparency. You see, your yes is important. God doesn’t do things off the cuff. He has a plan and a purpose for your life but are you willing to be the one He can trust? Are you willing to be used?

Can I tell you what the Lord just showed me? He said, “You did not choose Me. I chose you, and I orchestrated all of this so that you would be sent out and bear great and perpetual fruit. As you do this, anything you ask the Father in My name will be done.” (John 15:16 VOICE) Whew!! When you decide to walk this thing out with God, you are going to see fruit that doesn’t stop. Perpetual means never ending or changing; so frequent as to seem endless and uninterrupted!! Jesus is offering you some fruit that doesn’t stop! Come on! That means that everything you have gone through is worth it! Don’t give up on what God has told you to do! Don’t get distracted by the cloak and dagger stuff that the enemy tries. God called you for right now and everything that you have experienced has been perfectly orchestrated to get you to your purpose! Your ministry will be blessed! Your conference will grow! Your business will be profitable. Why? Because TODAY, you decide that you will be the one! No matter what anyone else is doing, you will be the one! You will be the one God can use, send and trust! HALLELUJAH! I see you over there with your YES. Now walk it out, people are waiting…

 

Amen

Yes means YES!

This week God blessed me to see another year of life and I truly give Him glory! As I transitioned into this new year, God began to really deal with me about the concept of owning the call on my life. At first, I pushed back a little bit because I didn’t want to acknowledge what that meant about how I have been living my life. By nature, I am a confident person. I have been speaking in front of crowds since I was very little and know my strengths and weaknesses well. However, when it came to the call of God on my life, I lived at 101 Doubt St, in Everywhere, USA! It wasn’t so much doubting that God could use me as much as doubting HOW God could use me. I wanted God to do things in the way I wanted Him to. You know, in a way where I could be comfortable! I wanted Him to stay in the box that I had constructed and not stretch me too far beyond that. Anybody see a problem with these statements? Yep! I wanted God to work within my framework when His plan is so much larger. I wonder how many blessings I missed by walking in fear? I mean, let’s just call it what it is!  But it’s a new day for you and me!

I’ve talked about this before and it’s interesting that it’s come back up. I think it’s because this is a new month, and for me a new year and God is calling His people to walk in fullness of purpose. He is calling you into your destiny and halfway just isn’t good enough anymore. On the eve of my birthday, God challenged me to announce who I was and stop hiding. He asked me to stop focusing on what I thought I couldn’t do and instead walk into what He was calling me to. You may be saying to yourself, ‘That’s not me! I’ve already heard God and I’m marching towards my destiny!’ Well, great! But I thought the same thing. I had my speech about how I said YES but I also had my private conversations with God where I was still saying NO or NOT YET. You see, I have learned this week that every day I have to own my calling and purpose. I have to be open to the way that God is going to use me and not be concerned about MY plans and capabilities. God knew what He was doing when He called you leader, pastor, prophet, teacher, etc. He looked beyond what the world would say was a qualified person and saw YOU! 1 Corinthians 1: 26-27 says, “Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”?’ (MSG)  Look at yourself in the mirror and say HE chose me! Come on!! Isn’t that a privilege?!

So today, I’m challenging you to look up instead of in. I’m challenging you to take what God says about you to heart and walk it out. This is the day, the month, the year to embrace all that God has called you to be. It doesn’t mean that you have it all together but rather that your spirit and heart are open to be used and prepared. It doesn’t mean that you have a title in front of your name but rather that you are positioned for your next. You have to know that yes doesn’t mean easy but it does mean obedient to whatever God wants to do. Mind you, the enemy is listening as well and so he is going try and throw you off but 1 Peter 5:10 says that “after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (ESV) Does it get any better than that? You have the best team in your corner! The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost are working together to bring you to a place of completion. The plan is set and the future and hope promised. The only thing in question is YOU!

As you make the decision to live out your calling and purpose, know that I am praying for you as Paul prayed for the saints at the Church of Thessalonica. “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.  Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (NLT)

Amen…