Empty words?

I have been sitting here with a blank screen trying to pull together what I thought God was saying about being thankful with a word that He had me look up last week. I couldn't see a connection and nothing was coming together so I just sat waiting. Just as I was about to put everything aside for awhile, I looked down at my phone to see Hebrews 12:28-29 in the Message translation staring back at me.  “Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” (Hebrews‬ ‭12:28-29‬ ‭MSG‬‬) All of a sudden it made sense. Folks, the Lord said to me, “Actions speak louder than words.” So my question for you today is simple. Are you doing or just talking?

Oftentimes, what God tells you to do and your natural thought process don't match. He is instructing you with an advanced knowledge and understanding of the outcome that you aren't privy to. So when He says start a business, you say I don't have the start up money for that. Or when He says write a book, you say I don't have enough time or material. Your mind comes up with all of the limitations and issues that could go wrong with the scenario that God has laid out. Sound familiar? It's that whole faith vs sight thing! God is trying to get you to a place where you just trust Him and act. So many times you miss the easy road because your vision stops at the first roadblock instead of seeing the newly paved road just beyond it. Stop talking about what God said you will be and start acting on what He said.  Hebrews 12:28 says that your “thankfulness should be brimming with worship.” To me, that says that it goes beyond the mere words ‘thank you’ to action. Are you doing or just talking?

I couldn't figure out why God told me to look up the word stagnant last week. It just didn't go with anything that I could see. I mean, He was challenging me and my obedience and faith left and right so stagnant didn't make sense to me. But I looked it up anyway and Merriam Webster said it means, not flowing in a current or stream; stale; not advancing or developing. The Free Dictionary added “often foul smelling, lacking vitality or activity.” God, what in the world does that have to do with being thankful and this Hebrews passage?  It's actually quite simple. Verse 29 is an example of how you move  forward in what God is saying. “For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s ACTIVELY cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn. And he won't quit until it's all cleansed.” Do you see? This is the exact opposite of being stagnant. If you want to show God that you appreciate Him and what He is doing in your life, I challenge you to be like Him. He has presented this unshakable Kingdom and He can't sit still while His mission is accomplished. No! He is burning what needs to be burned and cleaning out what needs to be removed. He is ACTING! Are you doing or just talking?

You no longer have time to sit still waiting on God to speak again. Notice, I said again! In most cases, what you are waiting on God to confirm, He has already told you multiple times. Your natural mind or fear has just kept you from hearing it. While you are sitting still or not flowing in what God has ordained, you are growing stale and losing your motivation and vitality. It's time to stop just talking about what God is saying and put some action behind it. Stop saying God gave you a record and you aren't perfecting your songs and saving for your studio time. Stop saying you have been called to the nations and you aren't working on your passport and saving your money. Stop saying you are a missionary and you aren't serving in your community or actively looking for places to serve. If you want to show God that you are thankful today, honor His instructions, act on His Word and obey His command. Actions speak louder than words, Saints. Let's start doing!

Uh oh! He answered...

This morning I was thinking about a sermon I saw yesterday by Bishop Noel Jones entitled “What to do until He answers...” It was a great word and I definitely have some things before the Lord that I am waiting on. But God said something interesting and relevant to me. He said, “My people struggle more when I answer.” Stopped me in my tracks! What, Lord? He began to talk to me about the need for confirmation after confirmation, the questions, the fear, the discomfort. Then I heard “Why isn’t My word enough?” JESUS! Waiting on Him is one thing but DOING what He says is something else entirely. You see, regardless of how hard it is to wait, you have been conditioned to do it. There are probably thousands of books about how to wait successfully for God to move, speak or do. Though you may get impatient or struggle while you wait, in most cases you have no other option. If you could solve your problem or change your situation on your own, it would be done. But what will you do when He answers? What will you do when He responds to your prayers and it doesn’t line up with your personal plan? What will be your response?

I found myself in Isaiah 30 this morning and the Lord is speaking to the rebellious people of Judah. He is warning them about being in relationship with Egypt and following them instead of Him.  He uses the first half of the chapter to tell them about what happens when you don’t listen. It’s a warning to you and me as well. Read it for yourself! It will probably read like a biography of your life like it did mine. You know the story – girl does her own thing, follows man/the world, everything falls apart, realizes that the Lord has been waiting on her to see that He is the only way, runs to the Lord, He cleans her up, shows her where she went wrong, calls on her to trust Him, blesses her obedience. Have you lived a version of that story? If not, here’s the point. God is always on the scene and He’s waiting for the right time to shift you to the next gear. Remember, the plan was already established. So while things may come as a surprise to you, they aren’t a surprise to God. That’s why when He tells you to do something, you have to do it. Don’t delay the plan because you don’t understand what’s happening. Don’t miss the easy turn because you couldn’t see around the corner. Is it scary? YES! Will it be worth it? YES and YES!

If you are like me, you’ve asked God about His timing. Perhaps you’ve wondered why He told you to go back to school when you have finally gotten your schedule under control. Maybe you’ve tried to figure out why He told you to give someone you can’t stand money when your bank account is crying. It could be that you’ve questioned why He told you to move halfway across the country when your entire family is somewhere else. These are challenging instructions that people in your life may not understand but you know that God is speaking. These are the moments that God talked to me about this morning. It’s those moments when He is giving you glimpses into your destiny and waiting to see if you will trust Him enough to follow through.  You see, sometimes waiting is easier because it doesn’t necessarily require you to do anything. But when God gives you a command, there is an expectation that you move. Scary, right? I know! But can I tell you that your next level is tied into your obedience? Think back over your life and what has happened when you looked beyond fear and grabbed hold to your faith. Was it scary? YES! Was it worth it? YES and YES!

I hear you, Ebony but what if I’m scared of what comes next after I say yes. Look at what the Lord says to His people after He has reminded them of who He is.   “Oh, people of Zion, citizens of Jerusalem, you will not cry anymore. God hears the sound of your weeping, and He will answer with grace. Even though the Lord has fed you the bitter food of adversity and offered you the water of oppression, your great Teacher will reveal Himself to you; your eyes will see Him. Your ears will hear sweet words behind you: “Go this way. There is your path; this is how you should go” whenever you must decide whether to turn to the right or the left. Then you’ll get rid of all your worthless idols clad in silver and your despicable images plated with gold. You will destroy these idols and discard them as you do filthy rags, saying, “Get out of here.” And then God will see to it that your efforts are fruitful—He’ll give you rain for your seedlings, bread from the earth, grain nourishing and plentiful. On that day your livestock will graze on acre after acre of green pastures.” (Is. 30: 19- 26)

Often times the struggle is hardest right before the answer comes so that you are more open to hear when He begins to speak. But I can tell you this, when you decide that your yes is worth more than your fear, you will see fruit. You will be able to see that God was always present and working.  Don’t miss what God is saying because you think it’s always a big thing. Sometimes it is as simple as making a phone call, dropping off lunch, or saying a quick prayer. The size of the instruction isn’t equivalent to the blessing that can come from your obedience. So…what will you do when God answers? You obey…

Amen

 

God's got it...

Happy Thursday, family! I don’t have much but I wanted to share what God said to me today. I heard Him so clearly and it blessed me and hopefully, it will do the same for you.  It’s simple but worth noting. He said to me, “I am in control. Will you trust Me to keep you? Will you trust Me to lead you? Will you trust Me to get you where you need to go? What I told you about who you were purposed and destined to be doesn’t change according to what the world does. I am the One who holds the heart of kings in My hands and direct them the way I please. I am the One who sees the end from the beginning. I can handle whatever happens because nothing is a surprise to Me.”

As I reflected on what God said to me, I began to think about how big God is. In a few sentences, He addressed the election and my household. He reconciled my past and my future, my purpose and His plan.  He effectively shifted my focus from self to Him. What about you? You see, what He said was basically a reminder of who He is and what He has already told you about who He is and who you are in Him.  When you are looking at your life and don’t know what’s next, God is a planner. When you are looking at your finances and don’t know how to pay your bills, God is a provider. When you are looking at your body and don’t know how to stop the pain you feel, God is a healer. He is everything that you need and more than enough. He is faithful and consistent. He is present and available. He is mindful of you and concerned about what concerns you. Don’t allow what you see in the natural to take you from what God has told you. Don’t change lanes if God didn’t give you a new map. Stay with God, He is in control.

As I was writing, God sent me to one of my favorite passages of scripture. I believe it is His way of telling you that no matter what your life may look like today, His word is still true and so is His plan. He is in control and if He said it, that settles it.

My intentions are not always yours,
        and I do not go about things as you do.
     My thoughts and My ways are above and beyond you,
        just as heaven is far from your reach here on earth.
     For as rain and snow can’t go back once they’ve fallen,
        but soak into the ground and nourish the plants that grow,
        providing seed to the farmer and bread for the hungry, so it is when I declare something.
        My word will go out and not return to Me empty, but it will do what I wanted;
        it will accomplish what I determined.  For you will go out in joy, and be led home in peace.
        And as you go, the land itself will break out in cheers;
    The mountains and the hills will erupt in song,
        and the trees of the field will clap their hands.  Prickly thorns and nasty briers will give way
        to luxurious shade trees, sweet and good.
    And they’ll remind you of the Eternal One
        and how God can be trusted absolutely and forever. (Is. 55: 8 – 13 VOICE)

That passage speaks of greater and higher. It speaks of breakthrough and triumph, promises kept and hard places turning to joy. But mostly it serves as a reminder that God’s got it and He has you!

Amen…

Glory is coming!

Has God ever shown you something and said it would be yours? Have you waited patiently for it, believing that it would be coming soon? Perhaps it has been longer than expected now and you are starting to feel a little pressure. Or maybe it's been a lot longer than expected and you feel A LOT of pressure! People who you thought were supposed to help bring your vision or promise to pass have come and gone and yet you keep waiting. The age that you thought that you would be is now in the past and frustration sometimes creeps in your spirit. What do you do to keep going? What do you to do when your destiny and your reality aren't coming together? It's a hard place to be but this morning God told me to tell you that if it was predestined, it has to be glorified!

I don't know about you but when God shows me something, I want it right away. The idea and reality of waiting tears my nerves up. I am a planner so I want to see the end results line up with what I expected them to be when I put my plan together. God showed me today that He is the ultimate planner.  He said that you can rest assured that in His plan, whether you see it working or not, the results will always line up the way He expected them to when He put the plan together. Let's pause for a praise break and the knowledge that His plan is working! Okay, God then sent me to the definition of predestination. According to Merriam Webster, it is the belief that everything that will happen has already been decided by God and cannot be changed. Can I remind you that the Lord said in Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (ESV). When God set that plan up and spoke it into existence, there was a glorification date stamped on it. Nothing in that definition said that the path would be straight or there wouldn't be delay or challenges. However, it does say that it will happen. Glory is coming!

Ok so you have been reminded that what God showed you has to happen but here's the exciting thing. It will be better than what you saw! Yes! You see, God told me that some of you wouldn't be excited about this word because you have been waiting for so long and you have “heard it all before”. But He told me to go to the definition of glorified to help you feel it. The KJV Dictionary  says it is to make glorious; to exalt to glory or to celestial happiness”. Romans 8:30 says “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (NKJV‬‬) The verse describes a process of getting from the setting of the plan to the fulfillment. It tells me that what God started He has to finish. It tells me that even though there are a lot of things in between the beginning and the end of the wait, you will get to the place you need to be and it will better than you imagined. Imagine arriving at your destiny and you are overwhelmed with happiness and all you want to do is give God glory. You see when it is glorified, the splendor of it all is more than what your mind could conceive. It's better!  You have to understand that He could only show you what you could handle but His results will blow your mind every time. Glory is coming!

Let me sum it up with this word from the Lord, “This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (Hab‬ ‭2:3‬ ‭MSG‬‬) If God gave you a vision, a word, a promise, it has to happen. Even if the time has been long, God’s plan is working. Even if the setting has changed, God’s plan is working. Even if it doesn't look like what you thought, God’s plan is working. Believe me when I tell you that I understand the struggle of the wait but if He predestined it, He will glorify it. Glory is coming!

Amen