Remember the Promise!

‘I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, and it told Thy love to me; but I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to Thee. Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died; draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord, to Thy precious bleeding side.’ (Frances Crosby, 1875) The words of this old hymn echoed in my spirit this morning as I met with the Lord. I was feeling a little down and tired. There is so much going on in the world and it seems that the world has already tucked away the celebration and the emotion of Resurrection Day. It’s like coming down from this extreme high with nowhere to go. The issues are still there, the foolishness is still there, the frustration is still there. But this morning, I heard the Lord say ‘Remember the promise.’ I heard that and wanted to push back a little bit and tell Him that I’ve been doing that but He repeated, ‘Remember the promise’.  Some of you are in a holding pattern, waiting on change to come or manifestation to take place. You are right on the edge – giving up on one side and pushing forward on the other. But today, God encouraged me to tell you to remember what He told you and hold on.

For forty days after Jesus was crucified, He appeared to the apostles teaching them about the Kingdom. He taught them and ate with them and showed them that He in fact was alive. Right before He ascended to heaven, He told them to expect the gift of the Holy Spirit. He said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And then He was gone. This made me think of times when God has given you a word or instruction and told you to expect something and then silence. He has told you that breakthrough is coming but not when. He has told you that your name and ministry will be great but not where. He has told you that you will have a successful business but not how.  God was serious when He said, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Is. 55: 8-9 NLT) He has a plan and purpose for your life that goes beyond what you see right now. So when He promised the disciples the gift of a Comforter, He knew that His timing would have to be perfect. He knew that they were facing the loss of not only a teacher but hope itself. How do you face tomorrow when it seems there is no hope? Remember the promise.

After Christ’s ascension, they waited another ten days before the gift of the Holy Spirit arrived. I think it’s important to note what they did during this waiting period. They went into prayer and went about fulfilling the word of God. They set out to replace Judas as had been foretold in Psalms by David. Think about this. They had lost their leader and a fellow brother to betrayal and now they had to keep going and conduct business.  Doesn’t that seem like too much to ask at the time? I mean, why couldn’t they just pray and get themselves together before going on with the work. But I believe Luke gave us a glimpse into how to wait on the manifestation of a promise. It made me think.  Could it be that this is included so that you know that Kingdom work doesn’t stop? Could it be that this section was shared so that you would remember that before you were in your mother’s womb, God had laid out an order and purpose to your life that will have to be fulfilled? Could it be that Luke shared this so that you would know that even in the midst of despair, you can get on one accord with your brothers and sisters in Christ pray and something will be accomplished? They stood on the promise in faith. They kept pressing while they waited but they kept the promise at the forefront. Remember the promise.

When the day of Pentecost arrived, 50 days after the Passover and Christ’s crucifixion, the Holy Spirit came and essentially laid all the saints out. They spoke in tongues and heard a word that “pierced their hearts” (Acts 2:37). The church went forward from that moment. Despite the naysayers, the doubt and the distractions that were present, the believers received the promised gift. They received the Holy Spirit, the promise! The Comforter! The One who teaches us all things and reminds us of what the Lord has said!  So take this message and remember! Hold on to what God has told YOU! It does not matter what others say or do, you hold on to God’s promise. Remember that what He says cannot return void.  He said, “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with My word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” Don’t give up, folks! Remember the cross and the sacrifice but don’t stay there, move forward to the promise and wait for it. It must come to pass! AMEN…

Come on in, Jesus!

I love Passion Week. It is truly a time to reflect on who Christ is in my life and honor His sacrifice for me. Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the tradition and collective celebration of Easter and forget that Christ went to the cross for you as an individual. He bore those stripes for your healing. He was pierced for your rebellion. He was beaten so you could be whole. Sometimes it’s easy to think about the world and not make it personal. But today, let’s get personal. Let’s take a minute to honor the God who sacrificed His only Son so that your dying soul could have life. You see, I’ve come to realize that there are moments when God wants me to see myself and who He is to me. The same goes for you. God wants us to get out of the routine of celebrating Easter for the sake of timing and tradition and recognize that the death and resurrection of Christ means you now have the opportunity to live. Live…not just exist. Overcome…not just make it. Stand…not just lean.

This morning the Lord showed me a vision of a door but it was zoomed into the deadbolt. I looked at it and noticed that it was in the unlocked position. Then I heard the Lord say, “You’ve unlocked the door but you haven’t invited me in.” I was shocked! ‘Of course I’ve let You in, God! How could You say that?’ Then He began to show me and it was truly a revelation. Can I be transparent with you all? It’s hard to do but I’ve found that Passion Week and Easter are about renewal, restoration and resurrection and at the heart of all of those things there must be truth. Every week, I set out to hear a word from the Lord to encourage you on this journey. It’s my assignment and my calling but I realized that I had only let Christ in halfway. Let me clarify. I said yes to Him but I didn’t want to carry the weight of it. I told Him that I would do His will but I didn’t want anyone thinking I was anointed. I promised Him I would be committed to sharing His word but I was uncomfortable with people saying it was good even though I knew it was from Him. I wanted the connection with the Lord but I didn’t necessarily want the responsibility. Can you relate to what I’m saying? Has God called you to something but because you are uncomfortable with the assignment, you’ve only partially allowed the Lord in?

Well He said to me, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.” (Rev. 3:20 NKJV) And that’s what this week leading up to Easter Sunday is all about…opening up your heart and allowing the Lord to commune with you. It’s time out for allowing fear to dictate how far you can go. It’s time out for allowing other people’s expectations to keep you from stepping out in faith. It’s time out for allowing your discomfort to keep you from walking in the fullness of your gifts. Christ went to the cross so that you could be free. He took on the sins of the world so that you would have victory over sickness. He did it for you! So if He did all these things for you, don’t you think He deserves your whole effort, your whole heart? Don’t you think He deserves to hear you say, “nevertheless not my will but Your will be done”? It’s hard, saints but the release and the freedom of owning your yes is powerful. Being able to say that you welcomed Christ to fully have His way in you makes a difference. He is waiting.

This Passion Week is about watching death turn to life. If you have been bound by anything - unemployment, relationships, health issues, I challenge you to let Christ in to your situation completely. I challenge you to turn Him loose and let Him do a perfect and complete work in you. As He told the leper in Matthew 8, “I am willing, be cleansed.” He is willing, saints to come in and dine with you. You just have to open the door and welcome Him in.

Have a blessed Resurrection Day! AMEN

Resurrect me!!

It’s the week before Easter and Christians around the world are preparing to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s an exciting time to reflect upon the sacrifice and the power shown during the weeks leading up to Christ’s crucifixion. Spring is finally here and signs of new life are popping up everywhere…flowers, trees, and bees. As I was thinking about that, God said to me “it’s resurrection time”. I agreed and tried to move on to the next thing but then He pointed out something to me. With all of the newness of spring, there are many of you that are still feeling the effects of a long winter. You haven’t quite gotten the joy of the new season but God is calling you back to life today! He wants you to stand up and cry out to him, “Resurrect me!”

How many of you are ready to be revived and resurrected? It’s time to go into this new season in a better place. It’s time to shake off the layers, the heaviness, and the cold and receive the warmth of the Son. As I was praying, God immediately gave me Psalm 51. When David wrote this psalm, he had just been confronted by the prophet Nathan about his affair with Bathsheba and he was looking for redemption. I wasn’t quite sure if I had heard correctly at first but then I got it. Everyone goes through challenges and trials in life and the aftereffects are often heavy and long. Think about it. The grief after losing a loved one. The disappointment after a betrayal. The fatigue after a spiritual test. The guilt after a sin. Sometimes, these things weigh on you to the point of hopelessness and you are crying out for renewal and resurrection. But read what David says. “Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don’t look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. Unbutton my lips, dear God; I’ll let loose with your praise.” (Ps. 51: 7-15) I’m a New King James girl to my heart but I love how the Message translates these verses. It captures David’s heartfelt desire to be redeemed and brought back to life. Can you see how you can apply this to your life? Can you see how the desire to be made new applies after a long winter season? Resurrect me, God!

When Christ was resurrected, He gave way to restoration and renewal in your life. The fact that He did not stay in the grave gave you the power to live again. It’s time now to take off the grave clothes of winter and put on your fresh spring attire. It’s time to leave all the pressures of the old season and embrace the release of the new one. “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have Him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.” (1Peter 1:3-5 MSG) This is your resurrection day! This is your time to give all the worries, stresses and disappointments over to God and receive your future. Resurrect me, God!

God wants you whole and well. Will you receive it? You see, that’s the issue. If you do not allow the space and time for God to work in and through you, you allow winter to keep hold of your life. For those of you that have seen Frozen, there’s a scene when Olaf the snowman begins to melt because it’s too warm and he is given his own personal snow cloud. Some of you have unconsciously requested your own personal snow cloud that has kept you from feeling the full effects of spring. I challenge you today to step out from under that cloud and receive the gift and power of resurrection. You deserve it! May the God that raised Christ from the dead, renew and restore you today and cause you to feel a quickening in your spirit to go forward into your new season! AMEN.

Keep Pressing!

There was an old church song that we used to sing when I was growing up called Keep Pressing On. I can still hear Mr. Blue Mayo singing it today. He would lead the Gospel Choir in... "Keep pressing on! Keep pressing on! Trials of the world seem to get you down. Keep pressing on round by round don't let Satan block your way. Keep pressing on!" Even as a child, I loved the message of motivation and faith to keep going no matter what the enemy tries to do. Today is about giving you the encouragement to keep going in your life, in your calling, in your job...whatever it is that is frustrating you. God is saying don't give up! Keep pressing on!

"I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.” (Philippians 3:12-14 MSG) Paul was talking to the Philippians about giving it all to Christ when he makes this statement. We think of Paul as this great apostle that had massive amounts of wisdom and faith, which he did but he was also always real about who he was and his shortcomings. So tell me this, if this great man of God can "press on" as he says in the New King James Version, despite persecution and frustration, why can't you? God does not play favoritism. He has given you access to the same power and authority that he gave Paul. The difference is often how the access is used. Paul went hard when he was working for the world so when he got access to Kingdom knowledge, he went into overdrive and never gave up even in the face of danger, man, and death. What have you given into?  Have you let the stresses of the world weigh you down to the point of stagnation? Have you let man's opinion tear your nerves up to the point of frustration? I'm here today to tell you to get up and keep pressing on. God has a purpose for your life and it must be fulfilled and it can't be done in your closet. Keep pressing on!

Let's be real. There are very few smooth roads in life. You will encounter bumps and potholes and accidents. But how you handle those encounters is how you reach your goal. You have to remember that if you persevere through the testing, there is reward at the end. Hey! I'm not saying that the fire isn't hot and uncomfortable and often painful but Christ is there tending the fire. He is burning away everything that you don't need. What would happen if you gave up right before He pulled you out of the fire? What gift would you miss out on? What promotion would you forfeit? What refreshing would you discard? You HAVE to keep going! You are the only one that can complete the assignment that He has given you. The pain has a purpose and the process has an end. Keep pressing on!

Child of God, you are called to great things! What you are experiencing is all designed to get you to the expected end. I challenge you today to look in the mirror and encourage yourself. That's what David did! Tell yourself that the calling is worth it! The job is worth it!  The child or baby is worth it! The marriage is worth it! Remind yourself of the goal and press towards it. Matthew 5:16 reminds us to "let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Can God get the glory if you throw in the towel? Nope! Be encouraged, my friend! God is up to something awesome...AMEN