Don't Panic!

This morning was a bit of a mess in the Bryant household! We all woke up late, my oldest missed the bus and when I went to start my car to take her, it wouldn't start. My immediate thought was WHY? This is not a good time for all of this to be happening...I have way too much to do today and in general to have to deal with car issues. So, I focused on what I could do and that was walk my child to school. As I walked back home, I began to pray. Well, I take that back. I began to tell The Lord all the reasons that this was not a good time for this. It was a flesh moment, y'all! When I got home, I literally got on my knees and asked The Lord to speak. I didn't have anything for myself and especially not for you. But then I heard a quiet but firm voice say "Don't panic..." I heard it multiple times and I started to receive it. My flesh wanted to say "Okay, God...but..." However, my spirit man was reassured.

Then the Lord led me straight to the Word, "Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you." (‭Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭10‬ MSG) Don't you love that kind of moment? You know, when you feel it in your soul that God is speaking and He is right there offering you peace? This was my moment and I had to embrace it. But you know what? It's for you too!

I don't know what you are facing today, this week, this month, this year. But what I do know is that God is in control of your right now. He is with you and He will not leave. Sometimes, you are seeking an immediate conclusion to a problem or situation that requires a process and when it begins to take a long time, you panic. A marriage that took 5 years to get off track may not be restored in 2 weeks. A child that has been lost in the world for 2 years may need longer than a weekend church service to be delivered. God is definitely capable of doing things suddenly and immediately. However, do not panic when it takes longer. Because you know what? He promised that it would get done. Philippians 1:6 says "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" (‭NKJV) That, folks, is reassurance!

So, here I sit, waiting in peace for a solution to my current situation. You see, nothing will be accomplished by worrying. It took me a long time to learn that. If this was 2 years ago, I would be in the corner bawling my eyes out and screaming why me! But if God told me not to panic, that means He has a plan and it will work way better than anything I can come up with. How about you? Are you willing to let God do the work while you wait? Remember that "ALL things work together for the good of them that love God and are called according to His purpose." (Rom. 8:28 NKJV)

May the God of peace rest with you today and remind you to not let panic overtake the plan...Amen

Shut up and LISTEN!

Have you ever tried to talk to a child and tell them to do something but they keep talking? Perhaps you were disciplining them or just trying to give them instruction. My youngest child is terrible with that! She always feels like she needs to get one last word in and I will have to say something to her along the lines of “Shut it! If I’m talking all you need to be doing is listening.” At that point, once I know she is listening, I can either tell her the lesson that she needs to understand or I can tell her what I need her to do. She then does it because she was able to hear what I was saying. This morning as I was in prayer, the Lord gave me that example and said "Sound familiar" Huh? Nope! Then I heard, ‘how can YOU hear what I’m saying if YOU won’t shut up?” (The Lord has talk to me in Ebony terms!) Ummmmmm…Lord? Isn’t that a little harsh? But He went on to clarify and it was pretty simple. ‘You aren’t in charge so be quiet and just listen to what I’m saying.’ Well…alrighty then! Some of you have gotten off track simply because when God has told you to do something, you kept right on giving your opinion or explaining or interrupting when He was trying to finish. For some of you, shutting up means to stop meddling. Stop doing your own thing when God has told you to do something else. Saints, it’s pretty raw but… shut up and listen!

Okay, so clearly I was a bit taken aback by this word! I like it much better when I can be comforting and encouraging but sometimes God gives me a cautionary word. I say this often but it bears repeating today. God wants you to be whole. He isn’t giving you instruction to hurt or hinder you.  He wants you to be moving steadily towards your purpose. But too often, folks get sidetracked simply by not listening to what He is saying. It’s part of the reason why you may be retaking the same tests over and over again. Sometimes, the instruction seems too hard. Sometimes, it sounds too crazy or too big for you. But I can witness and assure you that it is always better to just listen and obey…the FIRST time!

Let’s look at the parables in Mark 4.This was an odd place to go, in my opinion but here we go! (See? Listening ears!)  Jesus uses these stories to teach Kingdom principles in a way that everyone can understand. The parables in this chapter are building blocks starting with the parable of the sower and the importance of hearing and accepting God’s word. Then the next one is the parable of the lamp which God highlighted for me today.  “Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.  For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.  Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” (Mk. 4: 21 – 23 NLT) Ok…so I didn’t really get how the first section applied but then I sat for a minute and was a bit stunned by what popped in my mind. Could Jesus possibly be talking about purpose? Could He be saying that what you have, your God given purpose is meant to be shared? Could He be saying that everything that has been hidden in you will come forth if you have the ears to hear and understand what He is saying? Could it really all be coming down to paying attention and letting Him reveal all you need to know? I had never thought about that as even a possibility. Then I went on to the second part of the parable.

“Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more.  To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” (Mk. 4: 24-25 NLT) Hmmmmmm…pretty clear there! The more you listen, the more you will understand. When you don’t listen, understanding gets taken away. How many times have you not listened to God and found yourself confused about the whys and whats of your situation? How many times have you questioned what He said and decided to choose your own answer and found yourself in a mess?  It’s time to just shut up and listen, folks! God is speaking to you and what He is saying is filled with clarity, wisdom and honesty for your situation. Stop messing yourself with your explanations, analysis and opinions. It is literally a waste of your time and energy. You cannot get to the obedience stage until you have listened long enough to know what He is saying and THEN obey.

Folks, God wants the very best for you! He wants you to be whole and to prosper in every area of your life. You know what else? He wants to tell you how to get there and live your best life. The question is are you listening? Are you AVAILABLE to listen? It has to be a part of your every day. You can’t allow yourself to get distracted by the voices of man or the enemy. Your job is to listen out for God’s voice and pay attention. “My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.  Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.  Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.  Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.” (Prov. 2: 1-5 NLT)

AMEN…

Growth in the Struggle

What a faithful and loving God we serve! Sometimes, it’s easy to forget the loving and faithful part when you are in the midst of struggle or hardship, especially when it’s lasted for a long time. But yesterday, God reminded me about the growth that almost always comes with struggle. How can you recognize how good God truly is if you have never been through anything? Today, He just wanted me to remind you just how much He loves you and that even in the midst of difficulties and challenges, He is molding and shaping you for His purpose and His glory. He sent me to a great passage in Romans 5 that I think will encourage you without me saying much more. I’m using the New Living Translation because it just spoke to me this morning.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Rom. 5: 3-8)

Folks, I don’t know where you are in your journey today but I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that God knows. The whole key is in trusting Him through the struggle. Man will disappoint you and even fail you but God sent His Son to die for you when you had nothing to offer Him. Doesn’t that make you think that you can make it through this valley, this storm, this rough patch? Doesn’t that make you realize how valuable you are to God?

 I want you think about this. When you look at yourself through all of the marital issues, the financial problems, the pregnancy challenges, church folk, sickness, whatever it was; what do you see? Do you see a mess? Do you see bitterness, anger, regret? Now look again, and take stock of where you are versus where you started. Do you see any differences? I would be willing to bet that you will find that your prayer life is stronger, your faith has grown and your endurance has developed. That’s called growth in the struggle! And the fact that God sees all that you ought to be and all that you will be! And that’s what makes this journey worth travelling. Even when you want to give up, that still small voice will say keep going, keep pushing, keep pressing. You have purpose to get to! You have ministry to bring forth! You have life to live! So don’t continue to look at the struggles and challenges that you face as things that are out to kill you, instead look at them as stepping stones and growth towards your best you in God!

I love you but God loves you best even at your worst! AMEN…

What are you expecting?

One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 18:21. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it will eat the fruit thereof.” Yep, King James Version! I have to use this verse whenever I find myself speaking negatively about my situation or circumstances. It calls me back to order. But this morning, the Lord used it to speak to me about expectancy. The meaning of the verse is pretty simple. I think the Message translates it in a way that everyone can understand. “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit – you choose.” So as I was sitting outside this morning, the Lord encouraged me to look at it again. He asked a simple question – What are you expecting? I started to answer quickly and then I paused. Oh. You see, I’ll just be honest with you. Recently I’ve been asking the Lord about a lot of situations and circumstances in my life. Asking Him why they are lasting so long and when they will be over. I have had moments of disappointment, frustration, and even a little anger. But when He asked that question and reminded me of that scripture, I realized that I needed to get my expectancy back. You see that scripture is all about expectation being fulfilled. If I speak death, I can expect the fruit to be death. If I speak life, I can expect the fruit to be life. I need to expect God to move. I need to expect Him to answer. I need to expect Him to do what He promised. Are you still expecting?

God still amazes me in how He works. This morning, I couldn’t hear a thing but He led me outside and instructed me to just sit and wait. Did you get that? Not just wait but wait with the expectation that He was going to give me a word. So I did and as I was sitting there, He gave me Romans 8:18 – 25 and Paul took me right on in!  “That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.  All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.” (MSG) Does it get any better than that? We are not diminished in the waiting! Wooooo… What you are going through right now is not your end because there is greater coming. There is a future day that you are being prepared for but you must wait with the expectation that the better is coming.

 So let me say this. If you are stuck in depression and discomfort because your situation seems impossible or your life has not turned out the way you wanted it to, ask yourself what you are expecting. Have you allowed your circumstances to rob you of your expectancy in a God that does what He promises? Have you allowed your anger to steal your hope that change is coming? Because that’s what expectation is…HOPE! Psalm 62: 5 -8 says it this way. “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.” (NLT) It’s time to remember where your hope lies. It’s time to turn your attention away from what people have said or done to you and put it back where it belongs…on your Rock and Refuge. You see, the enemy wins when you have no hope or expectation in God. Because when you are in that place you aren’t anchored to anything. You are just existing and not living. But when you are expecting, you are holding on to the promise. You are hooked up to God, waiting on Him to move.

So there it is, what are you expecting God to do? What are you waiting quietly for Him to do in you, for you, with you? Be honest with yourself and God because He already knows. If you are struggling with an answer to those questions, I encourage you to set aside some quiet time to get in God’s presence and ask Him to renew, restore and revive your connection and your spirit. He will do it, you just have to be open to receive it! Here’s to the revival of your expectation!  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Rom 15:13 ESV) AMEN