Position check

Isn't it amazing how time flies? It seems like we were just closing out 2011 and now here we are at the gateway of 2013. It's been quite a year. There have been triumphs and losses, joys and sorrows, peace and turmoil. Some have celebrated a closer relationship with God, while others have questioned His very existence. People are reflecting on what has been and praying about what is to come. However, in this last entry of 2012, my challenge to you is very simple - Trust God.

Okay, maybe simple is not the right word. For some trusting God is one of the hardest things because you are so used to doing things on your own but as we leave this year behind, I encourage you to make this your plan of action. You see it doesn't matter what you're going through or who you are. This is imperative for everyone. You see, trusting God is not just for when things are going well in your life. It's when your heart is broken from the loss of a loved one. It's when you have no job and aren't sure about a plan B. It's when you are angry or bitter and just can't move on. It's when you want something so desperately but it feels like the waiting is more real than the manifestation. It's certainly not easy but it has to be our focus.

Jeremiah took me somewhere this morning on this trust journey that I believe will bless you. You remember Jeremiah don't you? He questioned why he should even be used by God and often in his book, he battles with the messages he has to give and his call. Aren't we like that? We know that God has a plan for our lives and has called us to something big but we struggle with our flesh and wanting to do what we want to do. But hear what God says in Jeremiah 17. He says, “Blessed is  the man who trusts in the  Lord , and whose hope is the  Lord . For he shall be  like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7, 8 NKJV) 

What a great word as we get ready for a new year! Look at what God is telling you. If you put your trust in Him, you won't have to worry when drought and lack are all around because of your positioning. Water represents life and God is the source of all life. If you trust Him, you will be in the place to receive continuous nourishment and supply and won't have to fear the pressures from the world or stress of lack because God will ensure that you continue to produce fruit.

It's time to stop looking to man for solutions to problems that only God can fix! This is not to say that God can't use man to help you but when we are looking to the world or a person to hold all of the answers, we are in trouble. This is what the  Lord  says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the  Lord . That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. (Jeremiah 17:5, 6 NIV)  

Aren't you tired of the desert? As we go into this new year, let's be sure to check our positioning. Let's make sure we are close to the river and not straying over into the dry lands. Let's be mindful of who God is in our lives and the fact that He knows every hair on our head so He certainly is aware of where you are in life. Don't try to speed up His timing because you think you are ready. Trust that God knows. Trust Him to handle every situation you face. As we leave 2012 behind, I challenge you to trust God with all you have. Trust Him to heal your body. Trust Him to heal your heart. Trust Him to heal your marriage, finances, faith...whatever you seek! 

Love and peace to you! Amen...

Live on...

A terrible and unimaginable tragedy occurred last Friday. Whether you are a parent or not, I’m sure your heart broke for the loss of those beautiful babies and brave women.  I was devastated as I prayed for the families. I asked God for guidance in how to move forward from this and the answer was profound: LIVE. I took a breath and let that word sink in. It became clearer and clearer. Satan is out to steal, kill and destroy. If we all crumble and die in sadness and bitterness and anger, he wins. It’s time to live! In the face of senseless death, we must not be trapped in that moment of ending but turn up our lights and cherish life that much more. It’s time to live!

It’s Christmas time again and we celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ and the beginning of His journey.  We celebrate the supernatural power that is God. We celebrate new life. God has shifted his focus to honoring that precious gift. I believe that He is moving us further beyond thanksgiving to putting the thankfulness into action.  He truly wants us to start living, to be grateful that we have breath in our bodies. Those 20 young lives that were lost won’t get to experience high school and college and parenthood or any of those gifts that come with being an adult. But they lived and made an impact. It’s our turn. Honor those young lives by starting yours afresh! Jesus told us in His own words that “I have come that they may have life, and that they have it more abundantly.”  (John 10:10a NKJV) Are you living an abundant life? If not, it’s time to live!

Charles H. Spurgeon, a 19th century Baptist preacher once said “Go forth today, by the help of God’s Spirit, vowing and declaring that in life—-come poverty, come wealth, in death—come pain or come what may, you are and ever must be the Lord’s. For this is written on your heart, ‘We love Him because He first loved us.’’ Isn’t that powerful? No matter what we face in our lives, we are the Lord’s and we must stay in that frame of mind. We must not give in to what the enemy wants us to believe. We must determine that no matter what comes our way, we will live.

I don’t know about you but I’m tired of the devil’s darkness being allowed to permeate this world. I’m tired of seeing otherwise peaceful people be turned into violent killers because the enemy overtook their mind. I’m tired of seeing marriages attacked by a spirit of division. I’m tired of seeing depressed Christians because the enemy has convinced them that they are alone in this world. I’m especially tired of watching families being torn apart by unaddressed anger and bitterness that the devil keeps feeding. Folks, we have the power to fight the devil! We have the Word! We have to return to living in the light of Jesus Christ. You see we have loved darkness for too long. The devil’s future is decided and we will overcome. “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Rom. 13:12 NIV)

As you celebrate your Christmas on Tuesday, do so with a renewed joy and faith. Choose to live! I’m standing up to the enemy on your behalf and declaring PEACE, JOY, LOVE, and LIGHT! I believe that you are no longer going to be content with irritation, anger, or bitterness. I’m excited that your latter will be greater and your old has passed away! God is doing a new thing in you! Embrace it and look forward! It’s time to live the abundant life! Live on…

Merry Christmas, God bless and AMEN…

Crucifixion time...

As I was sitting here getting ready to write, something a good friend told me earlier this week popped into my spirit. She said, “Just because things change, doesn’t mean you did something wrong.” When she initially said it, I brushed it off because I didn’t immediately connect with it for what it was: a word of correction. Isn’t it funny how we all have habits that are so much a part of us that we don’t recognize when they can be detrimental? I’m super resourceful, a planner and a fixer. If you tell me that you need a TV, I’ll send you a couple of places that are having sales within a few minutes. If you say to me “I need to get away!” I will have some ideas within seconds and email them to you. I can create an itinerary like nobody’s business! Google was created for me! That’s not necessarily bad, right? But it also takes me a while to adjust when things don’t go according to the plan that I’ve come up with. I will worry about the smallest change and how that will affect the plan until it gets fixed or someone tells me that it’s ok. Where are you going with this, Ebony? It’s a pretty simple answer actually- It’s time for a crucifixion.

I often ask God why I have to tell all my faults for the world to see. He told me that through my transparency someone else can get set free.  I can admit to not being all that agreeable at the beginning…lol…especially since my mama reads this! But anyway, here we are at a crucifixion this morning. Are you wondering who the unlucky person is? It’s you and me. We are coming to the end of another year and it was a long one! Though it seemed to pass quickly at times, there have been some real struggles and hard times this year. Things we didn’t expect to happen…happened. Things we hoped would end… didn’t. People we tried to shake… wouldn’t leave and the ones we didn’t want to let go of, went away. Now it’s time to kill those things that have been holding us back. We cannot take bitterness, anger, hurt, and pain into 2013. It’s time for a crucifixion.

This is a real crucifixion too and when it’s finished, we’re not going to resurrect any of the things that we kill today. Paul told us in Galatians 5: 1 to “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” (NKJV) In other words, if Christ has set you free, don’t go back and pick up the dead stuff. Christ went to the cross so that we could be free, so why do we continue to walk around in bondage? And often times, it’s not the big things that kill us. It’s those little things that we allow to grow into big things. It’s just like me getting caught up with things that I can’t control. If I allow my frustration, when things don’t go according to plan, to turn into anger or cause me to cuss someone out because they didn’t do what I wanted, I’ve turned a benefit into a negative.  So…I’m putting that hyper control up on the cross today. What do you need to kill?

This is not to say that you won’t struggle. The struggle is real but it doesn’t have to consume you. We can no longer allow unforgiveness, anger, frustration, etc. to keep us from our blessings. We can’t get to the new life of post-resurrection unless we kill the old stuff first. 2013 is going to bring promotion for some of you. It will bring new life to others.  But I refuse to let it bring 2012’s issues! Paul said, “For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor...I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal. 2: 18, 20 NKJV)

We have to consciously leave those dead things behind and live out our new Christ centered lives. I’m not going to be the same Ebony in 2013, I want you to see Christ who lives in me. How about you? Let’s really nail this stuff to the cross. Are you ready…ok here we go! Ummmmm…anger? You’re keeping me from the righteousness of God! (James 1:20) You’ve got to die! Hey, bitterness! No longer will I be withheld from God’s forgiveness because of you! (Matt. 6: 14-15) Here’s a nail for ya!  Oh yeah…control…didn’t forget about you! I heard God tell me to be still and know that HE is God. (Ps. 46:10)So I don’t have to handle it all anymore! It’s crucifixion time!

As you finish out 2012, my prayer for you is that you leave everything that hinders you on the cross. I pray that the load gets lighter each day as you kill off those things and begin to walk in newness. I see your sleep improving, the smile coming easier, and the joy of your salvation being restored! May the God of peace, cover you as the old passes away and the new comes!

AMEN…

Revive us again!

Have you ever been in a dry place? Maybe you feel stuck in sadness or bitterness, distant from God, or just plain tired? You know the Word. You know what you should be doing but for whatever reason, you just can’t get it together. You just feel…off. What do you do? What is it? When will it end? Sometimes, the Church gets like that. We need someone to pump us up. Our services are dry and dead. It seems like no one has a testimony or a shout. It’s actually pretty draining when your well runs dry and you’re pushing and pressing but can’t seem to break through. Well today, God wants us to wake up! It’s revival time!

This past week or so, I’ve been struggling in my early morning prayer time. It seemed like I couldn’t get through the whole time without falling asleep. As I thought about it, it was reflective of all of my time with the Lord this week. My study time, my worship, everything was a struggle. You know we can blame the devil for everything but sometimes it’s us! Now, he will take advantage of the openings that we leave for him but I had to be honest with myself and say it was me. This morning, I said "Oh no! I'm orbiting out of this galaxy of foolishness!" I cried out to the Lord for a revival! I told Him that I couldn’t be satisfied with worship, prayer, and life as usual. I wanted more. Have you ever wanted more from God? Sometimes you have to chase after it and not settle for waiting for it to come to you.  You see revival is not for the world. Revival is for God’s people and His church! It’s personal and if we all grab hold, the world would be changed!

Psalm 85 is a great prayer/song of restoration in the Old Testament. The people had been freed from their captivity in Babylon but it seemed that they had not received their full restoration from the Lord so they went before Him for revival! The first 3 verses remind God of what He has done and then goes on to ask how much longer. We then find the request for revival so that the turnaround can happen.  Isn’t that like us? God brings us out over and over again but yet in our flesh, we fall back into what we have been delivered from. God heals our hearts, we bring up old pains. God blesses us, we think about what we still don’t have. God delivers us, we find a new habit.  But today, we are not going to be satisfied with that any longer. We want to be refreshed and restored! We are crying out to God, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in You?” (Ps. 85:6 NKJV)

Do you remember the old hymn, Revive Us Again? My favorite verse in the song is “Revive us again; Fill each heart with Thy love; May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.” Doesn’t it make you want to sing? “Hallelujah! Thine the glory. Hallelujah! Amen. Hallelujah! Thine the glory. Revive us again!” This morning I am asking the love of God to rekindle our souls with fire from above! God, set fire to personalities and the faces of man! Spark a fire in us that we might worship You like never before! Stir up the gifts inside of us, that we might use them to change the atmosphere around us. Fresh fire, fresh anointing, fresh wind! Revive us, O God! When we grab hold of revival and let the Holy Spirit work on us, favor and restoration comes! “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.  Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.  The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.” (Ps. 85: 10-13 NIV) Doesn’t get much better than that!

I challenge you to seek God’s face like never before! Do what it takes to get there – soak, pray, take a day off to rest. Whatever it is you need to do, do it! God is seeking true worshippers and you can’t give true worship with a dried up spirit! Revive us again, God!!

AMEN

Hello, Future!

My morning got off to a bad start. Well…let me clarify. After my prayer time, I went back to bed for a little while and when I got up again, it was like waking up to a bad dream. One child was moving in ultra-slow motion, the other one was in speed mode and not listening, husband was in his own world and I slowly got more and more irritated. There wasn’t one thing in particular that got me, but a combination of things that set me off in the wrong direction. I got snappy and not particularly pleasant. By the time we were all leaving, one child was crying and the other was pouting and I was rolling my eyes. When I finally got in the car and on my way, it didn’t take long for the Holy Spirit to start working. I began to repent and pray. I called my husband and apologized and the girls chatted and we were back on track with our day. Why did I have to tell all that, you ask? Simple answer: It’s time to move forward.

After dropping Sanai off, I put in a devotional cd to just reset and the man said one line that made my spirit jump. “Don’t let past failures and events govern your life.” I knew it was God speaking. It felt like He was giving me permission to move on from this morning. I had repented and gotten things straight in the family so I couldn’t stay there for the rest of my day. In the bigger picture, so many of us are stuck in our pasts. We are struggling to move forward from what happened last month, last year, in childhood. I believe God is telling us to seek freedom from those old hurts, pains, and traumas. It’s all in line with this season of thanksgiving that we are in. In order to be grateful, we have to take our focus off of the struggle. God doesn’t want us to live in rewind, He wants us to press play on our lives and watch Him work.

I hear you saying.  How do I do that? I’ve been struggling with this disappointment, this failure, this hurt for so long. It’s hard for me to move on. Believe me, I understand, there are some things that we have experienced that feel impossible to escape from. But the question is, isn’t your future worth the attempt? There is not a timeline to moving forward but I believe there is one to getting started. Once you agree to give those burdens over to the Lord, your future starts. Think about Paul, who had quite a past to contend with and many past failures but he tells us to keep pressing forward. “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Phil. 3:12-14 NLT)

My prayer is for peace and liberty to reign in your life. It’s so hard to walk in joy when you are carrying the weight of the past on your shoulders and in your heart. My challenge to you today is to reach out for freedom and start your journey forward. No longer can we allow the hurt to be your comforter. We serve notice on the enemy today that moving forward is our new plan of attack. “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Cor. 3:17 NKJV) This verse is nestled in a chapter that talks about the glory and power of the new covenant. We are no longer like the people of Israel that were separated from the glory of God by the veil over Moses’ face. The veil was taken away by Christ. “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord, who is the Spirit, makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.” (2 Cor. 3:18 NLT) Allow the glory of God and His Holy Spirit wash over you, take away that old stuff, and propel you forward.

So…as we close, let’s say goodbye to some things as we move forward. Goodbye, unforgiveness! No longer will you keep me focused on what my _____ did to me. Goodbye, anger! No longer will I allow you to color my life and how I interact with people on a daily basis. Goodbye, bitterness! You don’t have permission to harden my heart and hinder my blessings anymore. Goodbye, disappointment! I am through letting you lower my expectations because of what happened yesterday.  “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Is. 43: 18-19 NKJV)

Today we close the door on those things that hinder and clear some space for the new things that come from a fresh start. This is not an easy thing but it is something we must do consciously so that we can walk in all that God has for us! Hello, future! You sure are looking brighter…

God bless…AMEN

Thanksgiving shift

When I woke up this morning,  I contemplated not doing an entry. What is left to say about thanksgiving? We all know that we should be thankful everyday and not just once a year. We all know that God is good and worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. What is left, God? The answer I received  was it doesn't matter what we know if we don't put the knowledge into practice. Since last week, I have been hearing in my spirit that God is waiting for us to take our focus off of the struggle and the circumstance and shift to thanksgiving and praise. It's not enough anymore to just say that we are grateful and use all of the church phrases. We have to live every day with a grateful heart, acknowledging what God has done, is doing, and will do. Are you willing to shift your focus?

Harry Ironside, a pastor and author from the 20th century, once said, "We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction." When we make a conscious decision to give God praise and thanks instead of worrying, we are telling God that we trust Him and the enemy that he does not have the power to run our lives.  We won't have time to focus on the hard things if we just keep looking at our blessings. I think about all the families that are grieving today, and I'm grateful to be on my way to eat with mine. I think about all the homeless in our country and I'm grateful that I woke up in my bed. I think about all the divorces and I'm grateful to talk to my husband even with all his Keviness...lol! My point is there is a blessing in every circumstance, we just have to find it. Are you willing to shift your focus?

There probably isn't a better story about thankfulness to God in the midst of a hard place than Paul and Silas in the prison. Acts 16:25 says "So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks." Does it get harder than that? The key is in their reaction. They did not cry and whine. They didn't bring everyone down because of their situation. Nope! In the midnight of their situation, they sent up a praise and ministered to others. Remember? The Word says, " But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them." (Acts 16:25) and they got a reaction! An earthquake came that shook the foundations and opened the prison doors. Imagine if you looked at your struggling marriage, your crazy children, your negative job situation, and your poor finances and told God thank you. What do you think His reaction would be? Well my faith is just crazy enough to say that He will send an earthquake to shake up your situation!

God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask or think according to the power that works in us. Your thanksgiving is power! Your praise is power! It's time to function with gratefulness instead  of struggle and a shift will occur! I pray that today is the beginning of your journey to praise and thanksgiving! God has been that good!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for each one of you that takes the time each week to read this blog! Be blessed today...AMEN!

In all things...

Lately, it seems that God has been using songs to speak to me. You know what I mean. Haven't you ever been going through something and the words to a song will pop into your spirit or come on the radio at just the right time and the lyrics will minister to you as though the song was written just for you. This morning God went old school on me! "How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me? Things so undeserved yet you gave to prove your love for me.  The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude. All that I am, and ever hope to be I owe it all to Thee." Can't you hear Andrae Crouch singing? "To God be the glory, to God be the glory! To God be the glory for the things he has done! With his blood he has saved me...With his power he has raised me. To God be the glory for the things he has done!"

This is a season of thanksgiving and not just because of the holiday next week. I believe God is calling us out of the focus on the struggle and into the next phase...praise for the victory! But to get there we must shift into gratefulness and appreciation for what God has done. Granted, this has been a rough year on a lot of levels. Marriages have been attacked, churches have been divided, unexpected deaths...but we are still here! Folks, that's enough to tell God thanks! There aren't enough words to tell Him but I believe if you just try, your perspective will begin to change.

One of the first scriptures I really focused on after rededicating my life to God was 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (NIV) Paul wrote this to the church of Thessalonica, which was a fairly new church, and it falls in a list of instructions that he gives the church on how to live as a Christian. This verse is sandwiched between "pray continually"(v17) and "do not quench the Holy Spirit." (v18) That HAD to be important, right?! But I didn't really understand what Paul was saying to me. How could I give thanks if my world was a mess or when I was broke?  So I posted it in my office and I would read it everyday and study and it began to speak to me about how to keep going in times when it felt  like God had abandoned me. If you let the thanksgiving overtake you, the hurt or the pain can't overwhelm you. 

You may be in a time in your life, where mustering up a word of thanksgiving would take all you have, but I encourage you to do it! Paul is not saying that there won't be struggles but rather he is saying that when they come acknowledge who God is and the fact that He knows what you are facing. When you thank God in the midst of your circumstances, you are taking the power away from the situation and putting your faith in Him! I know this has been a rough year, month, or day but you are alive! Don't take the ability to breathe, walk, love for granted! Tell God thanks for the things He has done instead of focusing on what you don't have! Healed you? Thank Him! Blessed you with lunch money when you didn't have any? Thank Him! Got an apology from someone who never has? Thank Him! Woke you up this morning? Thank Him!

He is a great God and He is worthy of our praise and thanks! To God be the glory for the things He has done! AMEN...

Faith in Action

We love football in our house! Thursdays and Sundays, the television is usually reserved for NFL football and we are big Fantasy players. A couple of weeks ago, Directv gifted us with NFL Sunday Ticket for being loyal customers and my husband looked happier than on our wedding day! This last Sunday, while watching the Sunday night highlights, I saw some real action! Which play do you mean, Ebony? Was it Dallas losing? Was it the crazy defensive performance of the Chicago Bears? Nope…while both of those exciting things happened, the real action was Coach Chuck Pagano’s speech to his players after their win Sunday afternoon. It was faith in action!

"I mentioned before the game that you guys were living in vision, and you weren't living in circumstances. Because you know where they had us in the beginning -- every last one of them. But you refused to live in circumstances, and you decided consciously, as a team and as a family, to live in a vision. And that's why you bring things home like you brought things home today. That's why you're already champions, and well on your way. I've got circumstances -- you guys understand it, and I understand it. It's already beat. And my vision that I'm living is to see two more daughters get married, dance at their weddings, and then hoist that Lombardi [Trophy] several times.” (Chuck Pagano, 11/4/12)

When I heard that, my spirit jumped a mile high! Every one of us can plug ourselves into that speech. We all have circumstances but we can choose to live by what God says and believe that we have won. Coach Pagano is facing leukemia but he stood up and basically told the devil that it doesn’t matter what he put in front of him, he was speaking life! How are you facing your circumstances today? A lot of people are facing difficult times right now…marriages are struggling, battles of the mind, sickness, incarceration, but you already have the victory! It’s now been reported that Coach Pagano’s leukemia is in remission! We serve a God that can do the impossible. It’s time to stop forecasting disaster and start speaking victory!

2 Corinthians chapter 4 is a powerful chapter and if I could quote the whole thing I would. I encourage you to read it for yourself, it will truly bless you. God brought me to verse 13 as I was thinking about Coach Pagano. “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak. “ What are you speaking today? Paul was referring back to Psalm 116:10, where David was praising God for deliverance from death. Despite, struggling, he continued to believe. That’s what we have to do, folks!

It does not matter what you are facing today, the answer has already been provided. Are you sick in your body? Healing has already been provided (Is. 53:5)! Is your mind under attack? I’m here to let you know that you have a sound mind! (1Tim. 1:7) Are you stressed out? God will sustain you, if you cast your burdens on Him! (Ps. 55:22) “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” (1 Cor. 10:13 MSG)

This journey is a faith walk. We are all facing or have faced things that we never expected but God is a great God and He is able to do “exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think...” (Eph. 3:20 NKJV) If you are in a challenging place in your life, I encourage you to speak the Word of God over yourself, which is life! Coach Pagano set a great example for us, he believes he’s healed and he declared it! It’s time to declare some things over your life! It’s time to see ourselves victorious and live in that victory and kill the power of those circumstances! In the words of Coach Pagano, “It’s already beat!”

AMEN!

Living Testimony

Last Friday, I lost my Aunt Wendy unexpectedly to a blood clot. One of the last songs she posted on Facebook was the old Rev. Clay Evans songs, “I’ve Got a Testimony”. It gave me a great peace that at the end of her life, she knew what God had done for her. I didn’t wake up wanting to do a memorial to my aunt, but all morning the words to that song have been playing in my head. I believe that God used this moment in my life so that I could make sure that you really realize how important it is to not only love the people in your lives and make sure they know it but to have a testimony. Who is God to you? Has he brought you through anything hard in your life? Even in the difficult times, we can look back over our lives, and see the victory because you’re still here. You have a testimony!

Today, as I thought about the power of a testimony, the Holy Spirit immediately took me to Revelations 12. This is the chapter that describes the war in heaven when Satan was cast down to earth with all his angels.  To me, this is one of the most powerful chapters in the Bible. You get to see just how nasty the devil is and what his plan was. He was furious to be defeated and cast out and he made it his business to wage war against all that keep God’s commands. That’s us!  But do you know how Michael and the angels defeated him? Verse 11 says “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (NIV) He couldn’t shut them up! They had the blood of Jesus and the power of their testimony to fight for them.

Let me tell you something that you already know – the devil is busy and he hates you! I have seen him recently attacking marriages, children, jobs, family relationships and churches. His whole intent is to deceive you and keep you from standing on what God has told you. “…He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44 NIV) He’s a liar! He speaks words into this world designed to destroy you. Is he saying any of them now? Failure? Bad parent? Bad spouse? Stupid? Weak? Crazy? Has he been pointing out all of the things that you have going against you? If so, I challenge you to get up and fight! You can overcome the devil’s lies with the blood of the Lamb and your testimony!  Need help?

I want you to look back over your life and think where you could have been? If God had not intervened in certain instances, what would have happened to you? Right now, everything may not be exactly as you want it but you’re reading this so you can see and breathe. You have a testimony! You are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ. What that child has done is not bigger than what God can do! What that spouse says or does to you, is not stronger than God’s purpose for your life! What your job outlook currently  is does not dictate your future. The loss of important people in your life does not determine where you will end up. You see, God is faithful and present and through Jesus Christ we will always triumph!  

Later on in Revelations 20:10, we are shown the devil’s future. Folks, there is a lake of fire waiting for him and he will be tortured day and night forever! He does not deserve your time or your words. Use your testimony to move forward! Use your testimony to defeat the spirit of fear in someone else! Use your testimony with the blood of the Lamb to overcome the devil in your life! You have so much power in you; that it would probably blow your mind! God didn’t bring you through sickness, debt, depression, and a broken heart to keep it to yourself. Stand on it as further evidence of just how much God loves you. I know my own testimony and if God could use me to share His Word with you every week , he can use ANYBODY! He’s that great of a GOD!

I challenge you today to walk in victory! Don’t let any attack slow you down or take you off track. You are an overcomer! Sing with me! “As I look back over my life and I think things over, I can truly say that I’ve been blessed, I’ve got a testimony!”

AMEN!

Meet me on Damascus Road...

This morning when I sat down to write, I heard nothing, saw nothing…had NOTHING! I sat waiting and prayed again. Shortly, after that I started singing “Speak oh Speak” by the Brockmans. The lyrics simply say “Speak oh speak, Holy Spirit. Come and have your way. Speak oh Speak Holy Spirit. Here I am, I’m open.” Sometimes, we get so caught up in how we think God is going to move in our lives that we miss what He’s doing. God doesn’t need our permission or our plans on how to move in our lives, He just does what He does. We’ve been raised in a society that teaches us to speak our minds and take control of our own destiny. Some of us have our lives planned out through retirement and beyond. We’re comfortable with our ideas and have figured out our purpose and we’re running along with that.  But what happens when God throws a turnaround moment in there?

Do you remember the Damascus Road? Saul was comfortable in his role as persecutor. He thought his main purpose in life was to stop the spread of Christ’s message and he did all he could to fulfill that purpose. When we meet up with him in Acts 9, Saul is headed to Damascus to arrest any believers that he finds there and bring them to Jerusalem in chains. “As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (vs 3 – 6 NLT) Have you ever been moving along at your own pace and doing your own thing, when God stopped you in your tracks? It didn’t necessarily mean that you were a terrible person, but God had something else in mind for you. Are you ready for a turnaround?

“Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus.  He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.” (vs. 8 & 9 NLT) Some of us have been walking in darkness for so long that our eyes have become accustomed to it. Jesus had to literally lay Saul out so that all he could focus on was Him. During those 3 days, Jesus was doing a restorative work on Saul. He was preparing Saul for his resurrection as a new creature. In the midst of this, Jesus sends Ananias to lay hands on him. I love this part of the story because it shows that no matter at what state you find yourself, Jesus loves you enough to send someone to see about you. Notice what Jesus says in verses 11 & 12. “The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”  Ananias did not want to go help Saul because he knew of the awful things that he had done but Jesus said “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.”  (v 15) Are you ready for a turnaround?

You see, even in your mess or circumstance, God has a plan for your life. You may not be able to understand why you’re stuck in a dead end job or why your children are not living out their lives the way you expected or even why your husband is out of order. Please know that God is not taken unawares.  He sees the greatness that you can’t recognize. Saul was converted from a murderer to immediately preaching the Gospel.  How much more do you think God can change you from lost to found, from sad to joyous, from burdened down to free? It’s time to let God do what He does. You don’t have to figure it out; you just have to let Him do it. Damascus Road is not just for sinners, it’s for anyone searching for that new start.  If you’re struggling to find your way, take a stroll down Damascus Road, Jesus Christ will meet you there and He’ll come with light that beats back your darkness.

Today, I speak light and life to your spirit! I encourage you to allow God to shift things in His time and lead you where He would have you to go! The final chorus of the Brockman’s song says “We say Yes, Holy Spirit! Come and have your way! We say Yes, Holy Spirit. Here I am…I’m open!” It may cost you something comfortable but it will change your life! Are you ready for your turnaround?

God bless…AMEN

Livin' on a Prayer

My husband was an MTV sponge growing up. Strangely enough, he probably knows every 80s rock song every released or parts of it. That was not quite my flow so imagine my surprise when I woke up to the chorus of Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer playing over and over in my head. I tried to get away from it for over an hour and even told a friend. Finally, I said 'maybe this is my Rhema.' So I looked up the lyrics and I said "Okay! I get it" The end of the song says "We've got to hold on ready or not. You live for the fight when it's all you've got. We're halfway there - livin' on a prayer"

The last few weeks, God has had me focusing on trusting Him at His Word even in the face of adversity and opposition. Sometimes it's all we can do to keep going when life keeps throwing us curve balls. But the key is to not give up. Some of you are  waiting on God to do something, anything in your life.  You've prayed, fasted,  gone to church regularly but seemingly the situations and circumstances in your life aren't changing. I believe God used the lyrics to this classic rock song to remind you that you're farther along than you think! Keep fighting and trusting that your prayers have been heard.  

Remember Hannah? If anyone had to stand on prayer and keep fighting through attacks, it was her.  "But her rival wife taunted her cruelly, rubbing it in and never letting her forget that God had not given her children. This went on year after year. Every time she went to the sanctuary of God she could expect to be taunted. Hannah was reduced to tears and had no appetite." (1 Sam. 1:7 MSG) I read this verse over and over again in different translations and the thing that kept standing out to me was the phrase "every time". Even though Peninnah tortured her year after year, she kept going. She stayed in God's face regardless of what the enemy did to try and stop her. It doesn't say that it was easy on her.  She had no appetite, she cried bitterly but she kept on going. You see, even if you get some battle wounds or have some setbacks, when the bell rings get back in there. The devil is crafty and he looks for weaknesses and plays on them BUT God has the victory all wrapped up. 

 "As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”  “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” (1 Sam 1: 13-17 NLT)  Imagine if Hannah had  given up. Imagine that she decided the fight was too hard and walked away from her desire to have a son. Think about this! Hannah was right at the edge of her breakthrough when that priest confronted her. She was almost there and didn't know it but she fought back and walked out with a blessing! 

So...the question is this. Are you prepared to fight for what God has promised you? Is that healed relationship, new husband, permanent peace of mind important enough to hold on to? It is! I don't care what the enemy has told you and you shouldn't either. He'll keep coming but he will not win. I encourage you to live on that prayer that you have been standing on. You're almost there! Waiting on a phone call...almost here! Knock on the door...almost here! Promotion...almost here! You are right at the edge of breakthrough...don't give up prematurely.

So, I'm calling on my inner rock star to encourage you and sing loudly : "Whooooah, We're halfway there...Livin' on a prayer! Take my hand and we'll make it I swear...Livin' on a prayer!"

God bless and AMEN!

Bye Bye, devil...

“I just don’t understand why this is happening to me. I’m a good person!” Have you ever found yourself saying that to yourself or someone else? Most of us have. It’s hard to see those that are doing whatever they want prosper while you are fasting and praying and struggling. Or even worse, you are really chasing after God and giving Him your best, and the enemy goes for the jugular with his attacks.  How do you maintain yourself? Well, God has really been dealing with me lately about recognizing the attack for what it is so that I know how to react. You see, the devil loves a mind game! If he can get you to respond to one of his tricks, that’s a feather in his cap. Today, I want to remind you that there is a battle plan for your attack and victory in your praise!

In Psalm 18, we find our old friend David praising God after He delivered him from Saul. The whole psalm is a testimony to what the Lord can do when you’re in the midst of an attack. “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.  He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.  They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.  He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”(Psa. 18:16-19 NIV) You don’t have to fight these attacks on your own.  Earlier in the chapter in verse 6, David says, “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, in His ears.”  So there’s our first step! Call on God! Don’t let the enemy keep you silent and suffering. That’s what he wants. But oh no, devil! You cry out to God and He will answer.  There is no attack or enemy that is too strong for God to handle.  Don’t make the attack out to be bigger than God. Trust Him enough to ask for His help.

When I came out of prayer this morning, the chorus of Hallelujah was playing in my mind. I sang it a few times through but it kept playing. I was kind of ready to move on when it hit me. Step two - Praise!!  It’s the response to the attack!  When the enemy attacks, he expects you, and truth be told, WANTS you to give in to your flesh. He wants you to get mad, get bitter, and get even. Isn’t that the world’s way? Isn’t that what some of your friends will tell you to do? But will their solution give you victory over the hurt or peace in your emotions?  No, it’s a temporary high but we’re seeking the permanent healing that only God can give. Praise can get you there! When you praise God in the midst of your trial or attack, you send shockwaves through hell because that’s not the response they are looking for. I know what you’re saying…I really don’t feel like praising, Ebony. I just want to sleep until it goes away or I’ll give God what I’m comfortable with – a clap here, a tear there. But there is power in your praise! There is victory in your shout! There is joy in your dance! Do not let the devil keep you bound up in silence. How do you know your praise won’t break something in someone else? Try it! When you feel that praise bubbling up inside, let it loose!

Let me tell you something, the devil is already defeated! He has an expected end and it’s in a pit in hell. He can’t win unless you let him. God is not going to leave you to fight alone! Get up! It’s time for the next step - fight! “To the faithful You show Yourself faithful; to those with integrity You show integrity.  To the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the wicked You show Yourself hostile.  You rescue the humble, but You humiliate the proud.  You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.  In Your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.” (Ps 18: 25-29 NLT) You have the power of the most High God behind you! Remember that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6: 12 NLT) You can’t fight spiritual attacks with worldly weapons!

 Fight with your prayers! Fight with your praise! Fight with your power and authority! It’s not really even a step. It’s your way of survival. When you let the devil take you under and give up, he wins. Don’t lay down your weapons. You know what I mean? Don’t stop reading your Word. Don’t stop giving God praise for the victory. Don’t stop seeking His face. Sometimes it’s really hard. I freely admit that. When the attacks won’t stop coming and you get tired, keep praising! Hebrews 13:15 says “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (NKJV) Why is that scripture relevant?  A sacrifice is a loss or something you give up, usually for the sake of a better cause. (www.vocabulary.com) What better cause is there than overcoming an attack of the enemy!  Give God the praise even when you don’t feel like it. I guarantee you will feel a shift!


I declare now in the atmosphere that you will win! Come on! Join me in giving God the highest praise for the victory in your life! Even if you can't see it yet - expect it, wait for it, celebrate it! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! "Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered! Let those also who hate Him flee before Him!" (Psalm 68:1)

Bye bye, devil! AMEN

 

 

The Perfect Love...

I used to read and collect romance novels. I loved them and the conflict of love and drama that they had. The best part would be that argument or event that caused the couple to break up towards the end and what would lead them back to each other.  I couldn’t stand the books where the reconciliation  was too easy or unrealistic. What does this have to do anything, right? It’s really pretty simple, actually. People in those books were always looking for a perfect love that withstood every trial or problem they faced but one or the other of the characters always ended up compromising something to be what the other wanted. Aren’t you glad that God isn’t like that? He is the perfect love and nothing can separate us from Him.

I’ve shared before how much I love Romans 8. It has one of my most called upon scriptures in Romans 8:28 that has gotten me through so much. But today God sent me further down in the chapter. Just like the characters of romance novels, many of us are looking for perfection in life and love. We want everything to go according to plan and we don’t like it when things go off course. Sometimes, it’s hard to admit that we are the ones that usually cause our own problems. But regardless, God never promised us an easy way. As a matter of fact, look at what Jesus had to endure for our victory. Jesus said himself, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” (John 15:18) Unfortunately you don’t get a pass on the hard things of life. But no matter what you do or have done to you, Paul tells us that there is one thing you can be sure of.  “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 38-39 NKJV)

I have heard that scripture all of my life but the older I get and the more I experience the more it means to me. No matter what the enemy puts in my way. No matter what I put in my own way, God will still love me. I want you to really put that in your spirit. Okay, so that man cheated on you, that supervisor treats you unfairly, that doctor put a time limit on your life. If God be for you, who can be against you?! Sometimes we make the pain and hurt so much our friend that we get lost in it. The enemy wants you to believe that you are unlovable and that your past sins are enough to keep you from getting the things you want or need. But the word of God says “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” (Rom. 8: 35-37 NLT)

So, maybe you are in the fight scene of this particular chapter of your life. Let the fact that God is a perfect lover comfort you and take you onto the next chapter. He won’t play games with your mind nor will he leave you to pick up the pieces alone. He is a faithful and ever present God. The problem is we usually leave Him before the part where He puts you back together again. We go looking for our own solutions and often times go backwards and end up repeating  parts of our story that we should have left in chapter 1.

The New King James Version of Romans 8:37 says “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” That means that no matter what you are facing or have faced, you have the victory because He loves you! I will take that statement over a whole book of what the world has to offer. You have the victory over that cancer! You have the victory over that struggling marriage! You have the victory over that mounting debt! You’ll be hard pressed to find where God says He deals with some of your issues. The Bible says ,”Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them  ALL! (Psalm 34:19 NASB) That’s love, y’all!  So if you are looking for a perfect love that will never fail, try my God! He can do anything BUT fail!

Peace and blessings…AMEN

God's got you!

What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up this morning? What to eat? What to put on? Who was going to take which child? Or maybe the questions were more pressing…How will I pay the bill due today? Why don’t I feel well? Why don’t I have a job to go to? As you thought through these questions, did you come up with comforting or at least suitable answers? I’m sure your answers will vary. Life is full of these question and answer sessions that we have with spouses, children or just ourselves. This morning I was reminded of a sermon that my mother preached back when I was in my early teen years called Consider the Lilies. It was a memorable sermon that highlighted a faith survey that is key to maintaining our peace and remembering just who God is.

In Luke 12, Jesus is teaching His disciples about money and possessions but He is also showing them just how valuable they are to Him. “Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (Luke 12:22 – 27 NIV) As you battle through rough times in your life, it’s time to focus on what God has promised rather than what your circumstances look like. When things are hard, it’s often hard to think or speak positive. Our flesh wants to worry but God is saying I’ve got you! What will the worrying change in your situation other than making things more stressful? Philippians 4:6 says “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God.”

Jesus goes on to say in verses 27 - 31, “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.  For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.  But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” God has made it clear in so many ways that He has a purpose for your life. Though life gets hard and the enemy has you in his sights, God’s plan will prevail. Remember what He said, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11 NIV)

 Where is your faith?!  Just like those wildflowers, God knows just what you need. Don’t get caught up in the daily stresses of life when there is an expected end. I hear what you’re saying! Ebony, I don’t have a job. I’ve been waiting for years for my finances to get straight. I’m 10 years passed the age I had planned to be married.  I’m tired of seeing my family live the same cycles over and over again. My emotions are all over the place. But guess what? God’s timing is perfect. He doesn’t throw words like “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you” and not mean them. He says it Himself! “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.”(Is. 55:11 NKJV) Have faith in His promises. Stand on His Word. Speak those things back to yourself.  Remember who you are to God. Like Job, you are being considered and your latter shall be greater!

So here’s a little exercise to drive this home. Tonight, go in a quiet place. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a field of beautiful flowers. As you look at them in your mind’s eye, ask God to minister to you like He does them. Like the winds blow over the flowers in the field, let a fresh wind from the Holy Spirit engulf and refresh you. Stay in that spot until you feel a shift. You see, often times we don’t get what we need because we rush God to do stuff quickly. God wants you to see and know what you mean to Him. He wants to fellowship with you and talk to you. But you need to listen and receive. Take the time to consider the lilies and you won’t have time to think about what isn’t right in your life.

As I close, I thought it was important to use more traditional versions of the Word today but I’m being led to end with The Message Bible’s translation of Luke 12: 29 – 32. My prayer is that you will be encouraged to take the love that God has for you. He truly has you and your situations under control. You are a beautiful flower in His garden! Be blessed!

“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.

Thank you, Jesus! AMEN…

What happens when the locusts leave?

When it rains… it pours! We’ve all heard this saying many times in our lives and isn’t it true? I mean if it’s not, it at least feels like it. When things are happening in your life, it never feels like one of those summer rains when it’s been too hot. No…it feels like a straight downpour with thunder and lightning! No drizzling over here!  Do you remember the plague of the locusts that God sent when Moses was trying to get Pharaoh to let the people go? It was an epidemic that consumed what was left of the crops in Egypt’s fields and again showed God’s authority and power. It was powerful and overwhelming.   Many of us have experienced stretches like this is in 2012. The hard times or the emotional issues or the relationship problems overwhelmed you to the point that you wanted to give up. You probably felt like the victim of a plague or a never ending rainstorm.  I’m here to tell you today that there is restoration and healing at the end.

I was led this morning to Joel 2 and then the words “What happens when the locusts leave” popped into my spirit. Wooooo! It gave me chills. But I then wanted to know where the Lord was going with this. Locusts are big bugs that fly, some would say they are in the grasshopper family. I personally, HATE crickets & grasshoppers…things that jump at me or even worse fly at me… freak me out! So imagining a swarm of them taking over a land would be enough to turn me around. Obviously, it’s what happened to the Israelites. Once again they had fallen off spiritually. They were doing well financially but turned away from God and focused on their material wealth. So…God sent something to get their attention. Chapter 2 of Joel describes them as an army that methodically swept through the land terrifying the people and overwhelming everything in its path.  It was so bad that different types of locusts appeared. “What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; and what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.” (Joel 1:4 NKJV)  Isn’t that something? It’s like what your job didn’t take, your spouse took and what they left, the burdens of your past took.

I have noticed something though. Often times these valleys and struggles have served to get our attention. Think about it. Don’t hard times wake you up and send you running back to prayer and the Bible? In the midst of their situations, God speaks and He tells the Israelites some things that would serve us well. “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.  Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.”(Joel 2: 12 -13 NLT) Instead of focusing on the physical aspects of your pain, change your life, adjust your heart. There are lessons in everything. They call everyone together – elders, children, babies- and the priests intercede and the Lord hears. I often tell people if you want to see a different result, you have to do something different. If you’ve been struggling on your own, seek out the elders of your church or your community and ask them to intercede on your behalf. God wants to restore. He’s not a God that likes to see His people suffer because He loves us.

He loves us enough to make the locusts leave. They have to! When God promises new blessings in verse 20, He also promised to get rid of the locusts. Your emotions that have wreaked havoc in your life, they have to come in order! Your finances that have stressed you out, they have to come to order! Your marriage that has caused all those sleepless nights, it has to come to order. When He gets rid of the struggles in your life, He puts it back in order because that’s who He is. A God of order! It however, requires you to turn your face to him for all of your help. No more battling the locusts alone. Just do what He says and let Him do the work.

I know it’s been hard. Sometimes you don’t even know how you got where you are. You look back over the last few months and all you see are tears and struggle but guess what God promises you restoration. The Lord says, “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.  You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.” (Joel 2: 25 -27 NKJV)  Everything that you have lost to your struggles will be restored to you. It doesn’t matter what overwhelming battle you have faced, whether it’s finances, emotions, or relationships. God can and will give you everything back. How? Trust Him at His word and step out of the way!

And it gets better. Restoration is just the beginning! He will then pour out His Spirit and show signs and wonders. So if you are drowning in what seems like a swarm of locust, and you’re struggling to see your way out, please know that God is faithful and He is present. He wants your whole heart so that he can bless you and restore you!

May your clouds turn to sunshine and you trade your heaviness for garments of praise! AMEN…

God has not forgotten...

I love God. He is not random or chaotic but rather is a God of order and vision. He has had a plan for you from the very beginning of time and He is a promise keeper. Naturally, we have thrown our own wrenches and curveballs into the mix but there is an expected end and purpose to your life.  This week, I have talked to quite a few people that have been struggling with waiting for that purpose to play out. You know when you are facing health problems or emotional challenges, even stressful relationships; you start to wonder “Is this really what God had planned for my life?” Sometimes frustration sets in or possibly bitterness and anger and it’s a struggle to just move forward. Has anyone been there? Today, I want to remind you that God has not forgotten.

I’ve been reading and studying in the book of Isaiah this week. As an English major, I love Isaiah because of its often beautiful language and structure but it challenges me for some of the same reasons! The early chapters focus on foretelling the condemnation of Judah for various sins with promises of redemption. The later chapters speak of forgiveness and restoration through the coming Messiah. I found myself on Tuesday night in chapter 62 and it has stayed with me. It is Isaiah’s prayer for Jerusalem but I think it speaks volumes to our stories.  If you go back to chapter 61, a very familiar passage, Isaiah is showing us the good news of salvation! So as we move into 62, I believe he wants the church to claim this new day of salvation and restoration and celebrate it!

When we are in the midst of a circumstance, we often get caught in the moment. It’s difficult to see beyond the fence of your struggle but I love how God uses Isaiah to shine forth restoration after the hard place. “Foreign countries will see your righteousness, and world leaders your glory. You'll get a brand-new name straight from the mouth of God. You'll be a stunning crown in the palm of God's hand, a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God. No more will anyone call you Rejected, and your country will no more be called Ruined. You'll be called Hephzibah (My Delight), and your land Beulah (Married), Because God delights in you and your land will be like a wedding celebration. For as a young man marries his virgin bride, so your builder marries you, And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride, so your God is happy with you.” (Is. 62: 3-5 MSG) Do you see your “after this” in this word? Your future will be greater. Look toward your new name! Look toward your spirit man being restored and rebuilt! If you are in a place where you feel frustrated, beat down, and stuck, you don’t have to stay there! God wants so much more for you.

“Walk out of the gates. Get going! Get the road ready for the people. Build the highway. Get at it! Clear the debris, hoist high a flag, a signal to all peoples! Yes! God has broadcast to all the world: “Tell daughter Zion, ‘Look! Your Savior comes, Ready to do what he said he’d do, prepared to complete what he promised.’” Zion will be called new names: Holy People, God-Redeemed, Sought-Out, City-Not-Forsaken.” (Is. 62: 10-12 MSG)  It’s time to get unstuck! God has not forgotten you or your struggle. He wants the very best for you but you have to grab hold of it! I know it’s hard. I’ve said this before but sometimes we get so comfortable with our pain that we make it our friend. We nurture it and encourage it. We look for people that will allow us to hold on to it. And before we know it, we are dying.

No more! “The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled; but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.” (Is. 62: 8-9 NIV) God has promised that you won’t lose all that you have worked for to the enemy. You will have peace and be able to enjoy it. But here’s the key. Believe God. Get it down in your soul that He PROMISED to never leave your or forsake you. Yes, there will be hard times but He is invested in you and has been since before you were in your mother’s womb! He has not and will not forget you. You have a new name! Hello, REDEEMED, SOUGHT OUT, and NOT FORSAKEN! Wear it well…

AMEN!