Go time!

It’s been a crazy day and I'm super late getting Rhema out but I couldn't let this month end without a post! So here goes, straight to the point! God said to me, it's GO time! Time to move from just dreaming about the vision and put some legs to it. It's time to stop saying what should or could happen and start doing. It's time to stop being content with just walking around carrying weight and instead push your purpose out. Are you ready? It's go time!

One of the scariest but most exciting times I have ever experienced was when I went into labor with my first child. Although, I was terrified at the thought of the pain of labor, I knew that my baby was on the other side of the pain. I knew that I would have to go through whatever it took to get to see the precious gift that I had been waiting all of those months for. And so it is with you! God has been building and preparing you for this moment. He's been speaking to your heart and developing a desire to see what you've been praying for so that when it’s time to push, you aren't afraid. He wants you to know today that the pain will all be worth it when you see what He has been doing. It's go time!

So here you are! Feeling the urge to push and not sure what to do? Well, rest assured that God is with you! He is in the delivery room serving in every capacity – coach, father,and doctor. He is the one encouraging you to stay calm and trust the process. He is the one telling you when to push so that you will stay on schedule. He is the one holding your hand and saying it will be alright. You see, though God wants you to be all that He has called you to be, He doesn't want you to be hurt. He doesn't want you to be premature with your delivery and risk death or struggle. He wants you to trust Him and His timing. It's go time!

Before I go, let me say this! Sometimes it can be easy to take yourself off the hook when you don't think something applies to you. If God has been talking to you about doing more in ministry, it's go time! If He has been talking to you about being a light in your family, it's go time! If he has been saying, start your book, visit that church, go back to school, it's go time! Don't miss what God is saying because I didn't name your particular issue or situation. It's time to move! “For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard. Then God will bless you for doing it." (James 1:23-25 NLT)

It's go time, Saints! There's purpose, destiny, peace, and breakthrough coming forth aynd you don't want to miss it!

Amen

Get out of the way!

“I like small and intimate!” “I’m not going to tell anyone what I’m doing so maybe it will just be a few people” “I love writing Rhema because it’s just me and God.” Those are some of the things that I said to myself and other people as I attempted to control what “my baby” would look like. I said, hoped for, and even prayed for what I was comfortable with. Notice that I didn’t say that God said that was how it should be. Nope…it was all me! The confessions of a control freak…sigh! Anyone else out there guilty of telling God what you would and wouldn’t do? It’s okay, you can admit it. Well, today the Lord had something for all of the control freaks out there.  Ready? Stop trying to control what He is preparing. You aren’t in charge of the manifestation but you are in charge of the gestation period. What are you doing with it?  Get out of the way!

Gestation is the process of carrying or being carried in the womb between conception and birth. It’s the development of something over a period of time. I guess you would say that it’s the more technical term for pregnancy. As the one carrying that vision, that plan, that idea to delivery, you are responsible for what you feed it, the environment that you allow it to grow in and the protection that you give it. So many of you are like me, in that you want to know every little thing that is happening, in hopes that you can avoid the unknown. But God is using this time not just for your vision but also for you. He’s healing your heart so that you have the ability to love and care for what He’s given you. He’s strengthening your core so that you have the endurance to make it through the pains that will inevitably come. He’s expanding you so that you have the capacity to grow what He’s prepared. Stop trying to control the outcome and instead take advantage of this time that He is given you.

So here’s the thing: delivery is coming! Just because you can’t control it, doesn’t mean that it’s not coming. A lot of you are at a stage in your life where God is asking you to do some things that are uncomfortable. He is stretching you and calling you outside of your comfort zone. He has given some very clear directives but you are having a hard time turning those instructions into action. Well it’s time for that to change. It’s time for you to move out of God’s way and let Him take you into manifestation. All He needs from you is your yes and your obedience. You don’t have to be afraid of the next step, you just need to be open to it.

I know that some of you are tired of this birthing theme but God won’t let me leave it alone. He is so serious about you moving through gestation and into delivery. He keeps showing me how valuable the whole process is to your victory and breakthrough. It’s a whole lesson on releasing control and depending on Him for everything. What would happen if you focused in on what God was doing during this gestation period instead of running away from it or trying to control it? What would happen if you used this time to simplify the other areas in your life so that you have the time and focus to do what He is calling you to do? Come on, saints! Get out of the way and watch God bring everything He has shown you to pass…

Amen

Just do it!

Happy Thursday, family! For those that look for an early Rhema, I apologize! I've been traveling  and getting in a place to actually write has been a challenge. From lots of moving around to not feeling well, to work, my day has been crazy. So I will get right to the point of what God shared with me today. Ready? Here goes... Complete the assignment! Finish whatever it is that God has been talking to you about for the last few years, months, and days. In the words of Nike, “just do it”! God showed me today that no matter what came against me – distractions, confusion, sickness, the assignment didn't change. He told me that if I would just do what He says, He would always get me to the finish line. The key is in the obedience to what He has said. You can't complete anything that you don't start!

I know what's coming next! I can almost hear the chorus of “but the enemy…” Nope! It's time out for using the enemy as an excuse. He’s real but he’s definitely played out! You serve a God that is bigger than any other. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the Great I Am. The enemy cannot hold a candle to the One that sits high and looks low. And if you are really honest, the enemy doesn't have to do all that much to mess you up. If he can throw one small distraction in your path, your whole plan for the day can be shot. It's happened to me more times than I can count. You know,  something minor becomes major within minutes because it happened at a key moment in time. Think about it, how many times have you been working on a project and someone called you and all of a sudden your focus shifts and your project is pushed to the side or forgotten? A lot, right?! But as we talked about last week, this is birth month!  God has set some things before you and given you a due date. You cannot afford to allow the enemy’s tricks to sidetrack you anymore. You have an assignment to complete!

I want to close with the words of Paul as he was writing to the Corinthian church. It took me completely by surprise because he is talking about giving and it wasn't what I was looking for.  But his words both blessed and challenged me to push forward towards completion. I wanted to share it with you in the Message translation because it spoke to me.  “So here’s what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart’s been in the right place all along. You’ve got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can’t. The heart regulates the hands.”(2 Cor.‬ ‭8:10-12 ‭MSG) This is a clear lesson about giving but what greater gift can you give the Lord than honoring His purpose and plan for your life? So let's get to it! It's time to let your heart push your hands to move. It's time to stop letting the enemy talk you out of expansion. It's time to tell fear and worry to exit so that faith and trust can enter. Its’ time to acknowledge the contractions and head to the delivery room! It's time, Saints, to complete your assignment!

Amen

Turn, baby, turn!

Happy September, Rhema readers! It’s a new month and it’s time to move! I was on Prophetess Nakia Davis’ conference call on Saturday and she reminded me that it is the 9^th month… birthing month. Time to push out those things that God has been preparing in you! After the call, the idea of birthing out stayed with me. It spurred me to action because I started to think about what God has been saying to me for years that I just plain refused to pursue. So I made up in my mind that day and declared that I am ready for labor. How about you? What have you been sitting on? What have you been avoiding? What have you allowed to become overdue? Whew! It’s birth month! So it was interesting to me when God spoke to me on the track yesterday and said, “Be careful of the breech”. Sounded deep to me and I struggled with it all day about what I was supposed to do with that. Then I realized that He was talking to me about positioning. So here’s the question! Do you need to turn your baby?

Most babies will move into delivery position (head down) a few weeks before birth. They are preparing for their big entrance into the world. However, in 3-5% of deliveries, the babies are breech. When a baby is breech, its body is positioned in way that its bottom or feet will be delivered first. This is not the most ideal position for labor and can make a traditional birth difficult or even impossible, resulting in a C-section. So y’all know that I was on the track looking around, wondering what in the world I was supposed to do with all of this information. I looked up some of the reasons how a baby could end up in breech and the majority were about the environment in which the baby developed in. Size and shape of the uterus, location of the placenta, even how much amniotic fluid can all contribute to what position the baby presents in. Then the Lord began to talk to me about the importance of conditions and positioning. Do you need to turn your baby?

He said there are some things that a mother cannot control about their pregnancy. However, there are some things that can and that’s what He said was important. Look at what God has been growing in you. Have you prepared the right environment for that baby to develop well? Have you been feeding your spirit with healthy foods? Have you been drinking of the living water? Have you been exercising your spirit with worship and praise? Have you been creating an environment that is conducive to good positioning? You see, you can also create an environment that is not. Smoking and excess weight gain can both increase the likelihood of a breech baby. What are you allowing to clog up your thinking and limit your vision? What extra baggage are you carrying that is slowing your progress? God wants the conditions right so that your labor can be smooth. Do you need to turn your baby?

You see, some babies will turn themselves but others need help. A doctor can perform a procedure where he/she pushes the baby into the head down position using firm but gentle pressure. There are even things that the mother can do. What is your point, Ebony? God wants your purpose, your ministry, your victory to be positioned for success. He wants the environment prepared for good positioning. He wants your spirit ready to birth out what He has been growing in you. Some of you will need the help of a spiritual midwife and some of you are prepared to do the necessary turning. Remember, labor is not easy! It’s called labor for a reason because it’s work. It’s going to require some sweat and tears, some stretching and some pain but in the end, you will have results. If your baby is in the right position, it certainly makes the labor easier. Come on, you’re getting close now! If your baby is out of position, start turning it. Start changing the environment that your baby is developing in. Make sure you are preparing so that when it’s time for the birth, it’s starting from the right position.

AMEN

 

It's a new day!

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! Today, I don’t have a formal topic or word, I just have what God put in my spirit. It ministered to me before it ever hit this blog. I pray that you are encouraged but mostly that you are spurred into action!

Welcome to your new day! This is the day of victory in your mind and in your spirit! This is the day that you step out on faith and walk on water. This is the day that you find your voice and speak your truth. This is the day that you look at what was and declare that it doesn’t compare to what will be. This is the day of reckoning! This is the day that the enemy must be called to account for his actions. He must make retribution for what he has done. No longer can he keep your peace, your joy, or your freedom. No longer can he control your mind or your forward progress. This is the day that you take back what he has stolen. It’s a new day! Do you understand? This is a new day!

It is time to make some decisions about who you will be and your decision is not contingent on people or opinions. God has some mighty things for you to do and it’s time out for inaction based on other people. It’s time out for not walking in your truth because it will make someone else uncomfortable. It’s time out for missing God because you’re keeping up with people. It’s time out for frustration with your assignments because people won’t get in order. It’s a new day!

How much longer will you live like one who has no hope? How much longer will you be satisfied with the status quo? How much longer will almost be good enough? Today is the day of decision. Today is when you say that you will live. Today is when you say you will be victorious. Today is when you start your book, record your song, do your business plan. Today is the day you call your sister, forgive your father, renew your covenant with your husband. Today is the day of action! It’s a new day!

I leave you with the words of Zacharias when his voice was restored after John the Baptist’s birth.

“All this will flow from the kind and compassionate mercy of our God.

A new day is dawning:
        the Sunrise from the heavens will break through in our darkness,
⁷⁹     And those who huddle in night,
        those who sit in the shadow of death,
    Will be able to rise and walk in the light,^[g]
        guided in the pathway of peace. (Luke 1:78-79, VOICE)

This is a new day! I pray that you walk in it…AMEN