Resurrection is calling!

This has been an interesting season in my life. I have faced a lot of things that I did not expect nor, if I’m honest, welcome.  Like many of you, I’ve had some moments of doubt, discouragement, frustration, and even disappointment. But in all of that I’ve still heard God speak and encourage me to keep pressing and keep living even when I sometimes felt at the point of giving up. I walk in the mornings and it is a great way to get my prayer time while exercising. Lately, during this time I’ve been reflecting a lot about my life over the last couple of years and trying to make sure I am catching the lessons and tests so that I don’t have to repeat them. This morning, however, I was led to listen to the Word as I walked and the scripture that came up was the story of Lazarus. I love this account because you can see so many lessons in this one chapter. As I listened, I heard God say so clearly, “Resurrection is calling…are you listening?” Woooooo….I almost tripped! I said, “Ok, God…that sounds good! Break it down for me!” He began to show me in the story of Lazarus how Christ offered resurrection but it was missed. He was showing me that it's time to catch hold of what He is offering! The question of the day is - are YOU listening?

I believe most of us know the story of Lazarus. I always think of it as one of the great miracles of Christ. In summary, the story goes like this. Word is sent to Jesus that Lazarus is sick. Jesus responds by saying that, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” (John 11:4 NLT) So He stayed where He was for 2 more days. In the meantime, Lazarus dies. Jesus tells the disciples that He is going to wake him up. They don’t understand what is really happening but follow Christ. When they get to Bethany where Lazarus is, Jesus is told that Lazarus had been dead for four days. This is a huge deal because according to Jewish tradition after the 3^rd day, the spirit of the dead person has left them. Any hope of resurrection is lost. So for Christ to bring Lazarus back to life, He shows the power of God and the fact that no matter what a situation looks like or a timeline given by man, He is able to bring life back. I mean, that’s enough to shout right there! But we have to go further.

When Martha comes out to meet Christ, they have this exchange. “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”  Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”  “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”  “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” (John 11: 21- 27 NLT) Jesus shows us a whole lot in this exchange. He has just given Martha the key to life. He told her that anyone that believed in Him will live even after death.  God had me to really focus on this conversation. Martha is looking at death square in the face and though she believes in Him, her natural mind doesn’t immediately allow her to see life in Him. She does not immediately see victory. She sees comfort and a future ability but not a present help.  But He is offering it. Jesus is speaking to every believer that finds themselves dying in fear, attack, and chaos. He is saying even in death, even when you have reached your lowest point, you will live!

The story gets even more interesting when Mary arrives to talk to Jesus. She falls at His feet and says, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11: 32 NLT) When Jesus saw her crying and the mourners weeping, the New King James Version says He groaned within Himself. Other versions say He was very angry. I thought about this and asked God why He would be so angry. I believe it’s because He had been offering life throughout His ministry but people just kept missing it. Even those that were close to Him, from the disciples to Mary & Martha did not recognize the power that lived in Him. Even after talking to Martha, she responds to His request to open the tomb by falling back on tradition and protesting that the smell would be too bad after 4 days. Can you imagine how frustrating that would be to be offering someone something so good and free but they just can’t see clearly? God showed me how Lazarus’s actual resurrection was the “you can’t possibly miss this” moment. It was the culmination of what Jesus wanted the people to believe without seeing a physical manifestation.

Have you noticed that so many times, you get so caught up in your circumstances and your death situations that you fail to see the resurrection that God wants to perform in you? He wants nothing more than to see you walk out of your tomb, get unwrapped and let go. Will He have to come all the way to the grave or can you hear Him offering you life now? Can you hear Him calling your name? I heard Him this morning, say “Ebony, I am the resurrection and the life!” I started looking down to make sure I wasn’t still carrying around any of my grave clothes. Are you? I don’t care what has happened to you this week, this month or this year, Jesus is calling you to life! Whatever grave clothes you have put on, start taking them off. Husband that doesn’t understand your struggle…take it off! Children making crazy decisions…take it off! Supervisor driving you crazy…take it off! Finances out of control…take it off! Take everything off that has weighed you down so that you can hear clearly. I guarantee that Jesus is calling you to life! He is shouting, “Come out!” Are you listening?

“And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.” ( John 5:25 NLT)

AMEN

Go on and LIVE!

I have had enough of Satan. Great way to start this blog of encouragement, huh? I know...not really but it's true. I am tired of watching the news and seeing how he has taken over and confused the mind of a man to the point that he goes and kills 12 innocent people. I am tired of seeing a young man that knew The Lord reach a point in his life where he felt that he had nothing to live for and went actively seeking death. I am tired of seeing people misuse their titles and positions, whether in church or government or the workplace to massage their own ego. I have quite simply had enough of Satan. He is actively after the minds and lives of the people of God. John 10: 10 tells us plainly that he seeks to kill, steal and destroy but the great news is that Christ counteracts and overcomes all that he is out to do. As I searched for peace in what seemed to be a week filled with sadness, I was reminded that we serve a God of love and compassion. He is the answer to all of life's tragedies and concerns. It's often hard when you are in the midst of grief or transition to always feel Him but trust that He is there. Today, My instructions from the Lord were quite simple. He said "Speak life."

God cracks me up with that! He will tell me to write about something that I may have struggled with in that week. I had a couple of days this week where I wanted to roll around in my circumstances. I didn't want to encourage anyone...didn't even have the energy to try. I just wanted to feel sorry for myself. I know y'all think I am completely crazy but it's true. I had to call on some folks to pray me through. One morning, I found myself in my prayer time, crying out to God and asking Him all sorts of whys and He said "Get up and praise Me." It kind of caught me off guard and I sat up. He continued to speak and basically set me straight. It's nothing like when God calls you to the office and essentially lays you out. He reminded me that what I say and think has power and it has consequences. I can defeat Satan and Revelations 12:9 tells me how. It says "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the WORD of their testimony and they did not love their lives to the death." Don't forget that power you hold! The enemy wants nothing more than to take your mind and your life. You must speak like you want to win.

Saints, it's time out for doubt. If you have been held up by confusion or hesitancy, it's time to step out from behind your hiding place. God is waiting for you to trust Him enough to live. Fear of where your gifts and calling wants to take you is keeping you from your abundant life. Worrying about how you will survive this season of lack, is keeping you from walking in your abundance. Trying to figure out how to make your family line up is keeping you from living in abundant peace. You see when God told me to speak life, He also said to tell you what kind of life. The abundant life! No matter what Satan has said about you, it can't hold up to what God says. Satan says die, Christ says live. Satan says lack, Christ says supply. Satan says chaos, Christ says peace. No matter what the enemy comes up with, Christ has the answer.

So, today I simply say LIVE. That's it...LIVE! Cast down whatever the enemy has tried to kill you with. You are an overcomer! If you can't see it automatically, look back at your testimony and see how the power of God's love gave you life over and over again...LIVE! "Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit-you choose." (Prov. 18:21 MSG) Today, you win!

Love to each of you! Amen...

Which way to the Red Sea?

What do you do when you are halfway there? I mean when you’ve been in the midst of the struggle for a while but you still don’t see an end in sight? If you look back, you can see how far you have travelled but when you look ahead, there seems to be no opening. You’re in the middle of the valley. You find yourself looking around saying, “What now?” Last night, in Bible Study, my pastor referenced Philippians 3:14 where Paul says “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (KJV) But what happens when the press gets real. Then what? When I asked this question of God just now, the answer came quickly. You stand!

I don’t think it’s any secret that in life, you will have struggles. Sometimes, they are meant to build your faith and bring forth your purpose but when you are in the midst of it, you don’t always want to hear someone say that it’s all for your good. Especially when you’re thinking ‘my good would be for it to be over.’ Trust me; I’ve said those words recently. The Lord took me this morning to Exodus 14 to the Israelites journey out of Egypt. Let me set the scene for you. Moses has just led the people out of Egypt through the wilderness towards the Red Sea. They have been following the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. God made the decision to lead the people through the wilderness rather than through Philistine territory because He knew that if they faced war at that time, they would turn back to Egypt. So we can see that God has a plan and a purpose already. Could it be that your wilderness is a way around something even more difficult? But let’s keep going…

God continues to unfold His plan for the people of Israel. “God spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites to turn around and make camp at Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Camp on the shore of the sea opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are lost; they’re confused. The wilderness has closed in on them.’ Then I’ll make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn again and he’ll chase after them. And I’ll use Pharaoh and his army to put my Glory on display. Then the Egyptians will realize that I am God. And that’s what happened.” (Ex. 14:1-4 MSG) Pharaoh falls right into the plan and goes after the Israelites. When the Israelites saw the Egyptians coming they lost it. They were caught between a rock and a hard place…Egyptians behind them and the Red Sea in front of them. Can you see yourself in the Israelites? You have stepped out on faith, you are serving in the Kingdom, you are being obedient yet your wilderness seems never ending. Then you get to a place where you have been traveling through this season for a while trying to keep your eyes on God and you think you are making progress. But then you look back and see all the hard things that you walked away from. You see the scary trials and attacks right on your heels and when you look ahead, all you see is impossibility. What do you do?

The people of Israel react in anger and terror and ask Moses, “Weren’t the cemeteries large enough in Egypt so that you had to take us out here in the wilderness to die? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? Back in Egypt didn’t we tell you this would happen? Didn’t we tell you, ‘Leave us alone here in Egypt—we’re better off as slaves in Egypt than as corpses in the wilderness.’”  (Ex. 14:11-12 MSG) Woooooo…are the Israelites speaking your language? Maybe you don’t want to admit that you’ve had similar thoughts. “God, I don’t know what you think I’m going to get out of this but I don’t want it. It’s too hard. I would have rather stayed where I was and had money. I would have rather stayed with my old friends and had fun. This press is too hard.” Okay, maybe you haven’t had a flesh moment/thought but I have. I can relate but then doesn’t God always speak a Word? You see, it’s often when you’re in the middle of your valley that God really speaks. That He really moves. The problem we often face however is getting past our fear and pushing forward to what’s ahead. Moses says to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again. God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!” (Ex. 14:13-14 MSG) When you are in the middle of your valley experience, you have to stand and let God do the work. It is so easy to mess yourself up with your mouth and your opinion. But Moses is telling the Israelites that they won’t ever see this particular enemy again. Watch how God handles them when you let Him fight and stop talking. This is how we get to the Red Sea. You know the story from here…God separates the Egyptians and Israelites overnight, and splits the Red Sea. The Israelites make it safely through on dry ground and when the Egyptians run after them, the Lord releases the water and they all drown. He brought them out.

You might have been in this season for a long time and the struggle has gotten really hard. Things aren’t working the way they usually do for you. Money is not flowing and people are not doing what you want them to do. You are standing between the Egyptians and the Red Sea. Both ways look impossible but I challenge you today to stand firm and let God do the battle. Don’t be knocked over by the press, instead let the press push you towards the banks of the Red Sea. Once you get there with no power of your own, God is waiting to split the water and allow you to pass through on dry ground. Just stand, saint! God is shrouding the enemy in fog and putting distance between you. He is putting people in place to walk you through to victory. There has always been a plan and a purpose, the key is standing firm long enough to see the results.

Be encouraged, my friend! “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.” (Ps. 20:7-8 NIV) AMEN…

Jonah and Me...

I have a confession to make. It’s not an easy one to put out there and I didn’t want to but God continues to show me that through my transparency someone else might be helped. I’m praying that I don’t get struck by lightning like the old folks used to say. Okay…here goes… I’ve struggled with disappointment in God. Yep…I have. It has taken me a long time to identify what I was feeling and how it was even possible as a person of faith. Even now, I don’t want it to be true or to even write it but it’s a reality. I wanted God to do some things for me that from what I could see, He hadn’t done. I wanted Him to bring me out of some situations that He hadn’t brought me out of. I wanted Him to move in my time. Anyone else been there? When He didn’t move as I believed He would, it threw me off. I had prayed and fasted and believed but the situation was still there and I didn’t understand it. As a result, I struggled in my study time, my prayer time, and my praise. One day, God revealed to me what I was feeling and then He began to minister to me. I couldn’t believe it when I heard the word disappointment. There was no way I could be disappointed in GOD! But that was it and it was affecting our relationship. God loved me so much that once He revealed it, He showed me how to come out of it. He led me to the story of Jonah.

I'm sure you know the story but just in case let me catch you up. At the beginning of the book, The Lord tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell the people that He is going to destroy them for their wickedness. Jonah is not feeling that and goes the opposite direction and hides on a ship headed for Tarshish, trying to escape God. That plan does not work and the Lord disrupts the seas so much that the sailors on the ship throw Jonah over board once they discover the root of their problem. Jonah ends up in the whale/giant fish for 3 days and 3 nights. He has some alone time with God and has some major revelation and sees God for the deliverer that He is and God orders Jonah free of the fish.

 So…this is the part of the story that I always think about but what did Jonah have to do with disappointment? Then I realized that I had forgotten about what happened once Jonah was out of the fish. The Lord gives Jonah the command again and this time Jonah obeys. He goes to Nineveh and gives the word to the people. Then the problem that Jonah has begins. The people believe God’s word and declare a fast from the king to the animals. Everyone goes into prayer and repents in hopes that God will change His mind and He does. “When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.” (Jonah 3:10 NLT)

“This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” (Jon. 4:1-3 NLT) I started to see where God was going with me. Jonah had been proud of himself for being obedient and he wanted to be right in his declaration. And now God was going to turn around and seemingly make him out to be a liar. He was disappointed that God would put him out there for ridicule. Have you ever been like that with God? I’ve done all You asked me to do, God and yet I am unemployed. I’ve sacrificed for You, God and yet I am broke. I’ve shared Your Word, God and yet I am childless. It’s often difficult to see the purpose in the plan. But it’s there.

God responds to Jonah with a question. “Is it right for you to be angry about this?” (Jon. 4:4 NLT) Jonah has what appears to be a tantrum and goes off to see how things would turn out with the city. Anybody had a tantrum when God didn’t move like you thought He would? He is disenchanted and disappointed. God has a plant to grow over Jonah that shades him and the Bible says that Jonah was grateful for the plant. But then God sends a worm that kills the plant. If that’s not enough, a hot wind blows on Jonah and the sun get so hot that Jonah grows faint and wants to die. Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant? And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death.” (Jon. 4:9 NLT) That’s deep! But then the Lord gives the answer. “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly.  But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” (Jon. 4:10-11 NLT)  I realized at that moment that sometimes, you want so desperately for things to happen the way you have imagined that you can’t see what God is using youto do. You can’t see that He is using your obedience to bless someone else that can’t handle what you can. You find yourself putting your focus on what you thought was the provision or the answer and when it is removed, you can’t see beyond it.

It’s human nature to be disappointed when things don’t go your way. It’s happened to everyone. But where do you go with it? How do you fight back from it? God had to show Jonah that His kindness and mercy reached beyond the confines that he had put on Him. Sometimes He has to remove protection so that you can see the bigger picture of His plan. Sometimes, you won’t like how you feel but the result will be right. In order to step out of disappointment, you have to step away from your flesh. “For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws and it never will.” (Rom. 8:7 NLT) You have to know that you serve a God that cares for you. You have to recognize that He has a plan for your life even if the plan differs from yours. Don’t allow your plans, opinions, or ideas distract you to the point that you can’t see God’s hand upon your life. Though things may not go according to your vision, what God orchestrates will always be a thousand times better! Be encouraged and blessed!