Look up!

The Lord has so many attributes and abilities that I love. He is a provider and a protector, healer and sustainer, friend and father. He is quite simply and yet so deeply amazing! But there is one aspect of God that has always spoken to me and met me at my lowest moments and it is this: He is the lifter of my head! If you have ever been in worship with me, you have heard me acknowledge God for this because it is so real to me. Many times, before I could get to victory or joy or peace, I needed to know that God was with me and He always started with lifting my head up. There is nothing like when someone you love puts their hand under your chin and lifts your head. It means they were paying attention and care enough to not let you stay in that hard place. That’s what God does!

When David was running from his son Absalom, he was overwhelmed by what had happened in his life. His situation had turned for the worse and left him reeling and surrounded by enemies. He was completely outdone with what was against him but then he remembered Who he had in his corner.

“But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory [and my honor], and the One who lifts my head.”

‭‭PSALMS‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭AMP‬‬‬‬‬‬

There will be many times in your life where the bad seems to outweigh the good and the enemy looks to be winning; where it seems like you just cannot get a break.  But can I just encourage you today that the Lord is ready and prepared to lift your head in even the darkest of moments? What does that mean? It means that He takes your focus away from things that are beneath you. It means that He actively puts His hand on the place where your thoughts are. But most of all, it means that He is right beside you. He’s close and aware of your issues and situations. He is covering and protecting you all in that action of lifting your head.

You will come to realize, as David did, that God is bigger than what is against you. Stand strong, Saint! There is great power in knowing that you serve a God that won’t let you wallow in what opposes you but instead calls you to look up at what is ahead of you.

Amen

Nothing!

I just wanted to jump on today and remind you that there is nothing impossible with God. Nothing deep or super spiritual to say, just a reminder for those that need it. This is not one of those churchy phrases that people have said in church for so long but isn’t really in the Bible. This is the straight Word of God from the mouth of the angel of the Lord.

“For with God nothing will be impossible.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:37‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Did you catch that? Nothing! There is no incurable, no complete failure, no cannot make it. The very definition of nothing is “not anything, no single thing”. That means, if it is the Lord’s will, anything can turn around, be healed, change, be repaired, be re-started. Please stop letting people speak an end to what God said would live. Please stop believing a lie of the enemy when the truth of God reigns. Please stop speaking doubt when the promise of God is a guarantee.

Now you might look at this statement and struggle because there have been things in your life that have not worked out the way you thought it should. You’ve declared this statement to be conditional because some people have still died, some marriages have still broken up, and some hardships have still lasted a long time. Here’s the truth of God’s word. It’s His plan and not yours. What you have deemed the right outcome is not and what you think should be done doesn’t necessarily fit. You see, God works according to His ultimate plan and it has a lot of moving parts. Even if something seems like it will work best for you, it may not fit into the overall purpose that God has. You have to be open to how He handles every situation. Sometimes the miracle is in the length of life. Sometimes the breakthrough is in the peace you feel. Sometimes the victory is that you lived to tell the story. Be encouraged today that no matter the outcome, NOTHING has outsmarted, outworked, or outdone the Lord! He can handle it all.

Amen

Oh, Saturday!

Hey family! Happy Resurrection week! What a great time to celebrate the victory of Jesus Christ. There is great power in remembering that great victory can come after crushing pain. As I reflected on this week, God instructed me to tell you that it was necessary. I heard your immediate question, “What was necessary?” I asked it too! His answer was immediate as well: Saturday.

“The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate.” (Matt. ‭27:62‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

The “next day” in the Resurrection story was Saturday - the day after Jesus’s devastating death and the day before His extraordinary victory. It is the least talked about days in the 3 day stretch, mostly because the Bible doesn’t say much about it. The verse I highlighted is the first in a 4 verse section that talks about that day and that just about sums it up. (Read Matthew 27:62-65) Here’s the thing about Saturday! A whole lot of you are right there. You are stuck between the instruction and the manifestation, the deep loss and the joyful recovery, the yes and the purpose. It’s an extraordinarily hard place to be in but yet you don’t have permission to quit. There’s no answers but yet an expectation that you hold on and be strong.

You see, the Bible doesn’t mention directly what Jesus or His disciples were doing on that Saturday. We only see what the enemy was doing. We only see the plotting and the attempt to make sure Jesus doesn’t fulfill His promise. The Lord highlighted that fact for me so that I could encourage you. You see, the enemy needed a follow up meeting to try to ensure his victory but the Lord did not. He said it, everything happened as He said it would and that settled it. Yes, Saturday would have been filled with grief and despair for the disciples but there would have also been expectation that just maybe Jesus would do what He promised. Though we don’t know for sure all of the details, we know that it was not an easy day. What about you? Though this season has been extremely challenging,do you still have your hope? Do you still trust the word you received?

Listen, fam! I need you to wait out your Saturday! Don’t get distracted by the enemy’s desperations and distractions. Instead, remember the promise that the Lord made you. He told you that you would make it to the other side. He told you that you would finish. He told you that He would heal you. He didn’t say that it would always be easy but He did say there would be victory. He did say that He would be there until the end. Don’t lose hope because there’s no step by step guide. Why? Because you have The Word and in the end, He wins every time!

Amen

Fix it!

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].” (JAMES‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

If you have been in church for any length of time, you’ve probably heard and said part of this scripture at least a million times. The King James says “the prayers of the righteous availeth much”. Remember now? Well, today, I was drawn to the first part of the scripture and it tapped me on the shoulder and started speaking. I am going to be as brief as I can but I really believe that the Lord is calling for maturity from the saints, especially when it means acknowledging and correcting your own faults.

It is much easier to see what is wrong with other people, right? How they hurt you or what they said and we forget that often there is another side and another perspective. Now, I am not talking about those clear situations where it is easy to see the victim and who was wronged. I’m talking about what often happens in friendships when something happens that is left unresolved or not discussed. It’s challenging because in those situations, silence has often won the battle. “I’m waiting on her to say something,” or “He ought to know how I feel so I’m not going to say anything.” Sound familiar? But James 5:16 challenges us to account for OUR own sins and missteps not just the other person’s. What would the world be like if we all held ourselves accountable for what we missed or got wrong?

Can I challenge you today to fix it? Whether it is a face to face, a phone call or a Marco Polo, identify those relationships in your life that you left unresolved, and do what you need to do to make it right. Sometimes an apology is all that is needed. Let me clarify! I’m not telling you that you should go searching out old relationships that the Lord has released you from but I’m referring to the ones that you know didn’t end correctly. Time passing doesn’t always mean resolution has taken place.

Be honest with yourself about those situations! Did you misinterpret? Is there another side or possibility? Did you misunderstand? Look closely so that you can do your part in fixing what might otherwise stay broken. Why are you asking me to do this, Ebony? Because the other key part of that verse is the answer. So YOU will be healed and restored. The resolution is for you and your wellbeing more than anything else so your prayers can really be effective because your heart is pure and your hands are clean. Let’s be willing to do the hard stuff so that we can reap the good benefits.

Amen