Lighten Your Load...

From a young child, I learned to recite the Baptist Church Covenant and one of the lines that always stood out was “and with tender sympathy bear one another’s burdens and sorrows:” It’s clearly based on Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (NKJV) But what happens when it goes too far? Some might ask if that is even possible. I hear you saying, from the scripture above, we are clearly called to bear our brother’s burdens so why even bring this up. This morning the Lord got right to the point with a very simple message for the people of God that I think answers the question. When I prayed and asked what He would have me to share today, He said to me, “Let Me carry it.” Alright then, Lord…make it plain! And He did.

First let me be clear, you are your brother’s keeper and the Word is filled with examples about praying for your brothers and sisters, being a blessing, and not being selfish. But so many take it where it was not intended to go. The Lord talked to me this morning about those of you that pick up the weights & burdens of so many that you have not been called to carry. You find yourself tired and depressed and burdened down with self-assigned struggles. Yep, I said it! You have taken on stress and heartache that God didn’t tell you to take on. He told you to pray for your brother, He didn’t say to be his piggy bank. God told you to take care of your mother, He didn’t tell you to take on her attitudes. God told you to support your husband, He didn’t tell you to go backwards in your walk to appease him. You can nod quietly if this has been you. You have taken what God has led you to do and made it a heavy and hard thing when God didn’t intend that for you. That’s when the bearing of burdens becomes obligation and then leads to your struggle.

You see, Christ died on the cross for all of your struggles. “He was beaten so that we could be whole” (Is. 53:5b NLT) If you believe that, don’t you think He would want you to enjoy this life? Don’t you think He would want you to be a blessing to others without making yourself sick?  This is a hard thing for a lot of you to receive because you are wired to be a helper and intercessor but you are not called to be everyone’s trash can. You are not called to be the dumping ground for everyone’s issues and you never release them but rather carry them for years as you slowly breakdown. God is reaching out to you today and asking you to release them now. Let Him carry them. You don’t believe He wants that? Read what Christ says in Matthew 11:28 – 30, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (NLT)

This is not an easy word to share with people because it feels uncomfortable. I know because I have been there. I have a burden on my heart for people, sometimes my heart will get so heavy with the weight of people’s issues. But The Lord had to help me learn to release and it’s still a process. I had to learn to pray for people, listen to their story, do what I could for them or what I was lead to do for them and then release it to God. He is equipped with the strength and the power to carry it. He is not asking you to be Him. You can’t be Him. You will wear yourself completely out trying to carry what isn’t yours to carry. Let Him do it. I challenge you today to lighten your load. I challenge you to take those things or people that are weighing heavily on you and giving it to God. Ask Him to show you where your responsibility ends and His begins. He is willing and able to help you! Remember that a couple of verses down from “bear one another’s burdens”, it says “for each one shall bear his own load.” (Gal. 6:5 NKJV) At some point, everyone has to listen when God says, “Let Me carry it”. The challenge is obeying.

May God lift every burden that you are not equipped to carry and lead you to a place of peace and assurance that He has it all in His hands. God bless you! AMEN…

Deep Calls to Deep

“I want to go deeper, Lord, in you” has been the cry of my heart this week. I have been singing those words over and over since Monday. The Lord answered my song by saying, “Deep calls to deep.” My heart leaped. I felt the welcome in those words. I felt His desire to receive me into a deeper fellowship and communion with Him. You might be wondering what my request has to do with you. But really it has everything to do with all of His people. God wants your worship. He created us to worship and praise Him but we have fallen woefully short. We have gotten so comfortable with our tradition and our routine that we are missing wonderful and intimate opportunities to really worship God. He has been talking to us about restoration and today He said it starts in your worship. Are you ready to go deeper?

When the Lord said to me “deep calls to deep”, it led me to Psalm 42. It is the cry of a believer who has been discouraged and is trying to get back to the joy. “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.  I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!” (Ps. 42:1-4) Have you been there? Thirsty for God, wanting more and more of Him but no strength to get there? You know how it is. When your circumstances have overtaken your worship. Finances are shaky, relationships are a struggle, job not meeting your passion, kids all over the place. Or maybe you’ve hit a rough patch in ministry, not feeling it like you usually do, no zeal, no desire...but yet your heart is yearning for God. The enemy hasn’t stopped telling you God doesn’t care and you know what it is to worship because you have been there. What to do? Go deeper…

“My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for the salvation that comes from his presence. My God, when I feel so downcast, I remind myself of you from the land of Yarden, from the peaks of Hermon, from the hill Mizar. Deep is calling to deep at the thunder of your waterfalls; all your surging rapids and waves are sweeping over me.  By day Adonai commands his grace, and at night his song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life.” (Ps. 42: 6-9 CJB) Sometimes you have to remind yourself of who God is to you. Remember how he brought you from point A to point C, when you weren’t even worthy of point B. His love is so deep and so full that it can carry you from the struggle to life. His grace truly is sufficient for you. You see, our circumstances and struggles are surface. We have to go beyond them for the answers and for the joy. We have to press pass what has tried to enslave us and grab hold to the freedom that lies in God. Remember, “…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Cor. 3:17 NKJV) The Holy Spirit lives inside of you so that, in itself, tells you that you must press beyond your physical limitations.

It’s time to go deeper, folks. It’s time to leave the shore of tradition and dive into the intimate realm of worship. In that place, there is renewal and restoration. There is reconnection and revival. In the deep, you can leave the guilt and the shame of your past and find rest. In the deep, you can leave the weight of trying to survive and find freedom. In the deep you can leave the struggle of other people’s expectations and find grace. Don’t be afraid of the deep. It’s the place where God waits to give you revelation and wisdom. It’s calling out to you and waiting to receive you. I can already see the burdens lifting as you sink deeper. May the warmth of the deep waters restore and strengthen you for the journey that lies ahead…AMEN

Stone by Stone

This morning as I meditated and prayed, God began to show me people standing by a low wall that had been knocked down. I could see them pick up a stone to put on the wall but this big mass would get in the way. They would keep trying but it seemed that the mass just got bigger and bigger.  Then the mass showed itself to be a huge man and he was deliberately stopping the people from rebuilding. But then the mass disappeared and I could see the wall be rebuilt stone by stone. You see, there are many of you that have been struggling. You have gone through loss, heartache, disappointment, and frustration. You have tried your best to get back to your old self or be an improved you but some new issue always seemed to stop you from moving forward into your season of restoration. Folks, God is not playing! He is ready to bring you to a place of newness if you will trust Him and believe what He is saying to you. Today, the Lord instructed me to tell you that it’s time to rebuild and the enemy can’t stop you!

 I have been reading the book of Nehemiah for various reasons but early this morning God had me in chapter 4. I was obedient and read it but it didn’t immediately become clear to me why until God showed me that vision. The book of Nehemiah is about Nehemiah's journey to rebuild Jerusalem after the city has been ruined and the walls destroyed by fire.  I encourage you to read the early chapters of Nehemiah because they will help you to see how Nehemiah gets back to Jerusalem through the grace and favor of God. Fast forward to chapter 4 and Nehemiah has gathered various families and groups to work on rebuilding the walls. They have taken on various portions and gates and are making great progress. And then the enemy starts making noise.  “Sanballat was very angry when he learned that we were rebuilding the wall. He flew into a rage and mocked the Jews, saying in front of his friends and the Samarian army officers, “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing? Do they think they can build the wall in a single day by just offering a few sacrifices? Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?” (Neh. 4: 1-2 NLT) Sanballat was a Horonite official and he did not want Israel to prosper. Sound familiar? The enemy does not want you to make progress and he will send folks and issues to mock you and attempt to throw you off track. But God is always aware and He will allow you to see the attack coming.

 

Sanballat had that tantrum in front of the people as they are working but they kept going.  Nehemiah prays and the people continue working with enthusiasm and are able to get the wall halfway up around the entire city. This infuriates Sanballat! “But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the work was going ahead and that the gaps in the wall of Jerusalem were being repaired, they were furious.  They all made plans to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw us into confusion. But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.” (Neh. 4: 7-9 NLT) Sanballat and Tobiah did not want God’s people to be restored and they worked tirelessly to disrupt the rebuilding of the wall and confuse the people. You see, the enemy has all sorts of plans to disrupt your rebuilding process but he can’t stop you. They key is being ready. You have to stay in prayer and guard yourself on all sides so that enemy cannot infiltrate your gates. The enemy attempted to stop Nehemiah on many occasions but he determined that the only voice he would listen to was that of the Lord.

Throughout chapter 4, Nehemiah strategizes and arms the people so that the enemy does not take them unaware but in verse 14, he says the key thing that you can stand on as you fight for your restoration. “Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the nobles and the rest of the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” You do not have to be afraid of the enemy! You serve a God that is great and awesome and if He is on your side, you have the power to fight and to win! It’s time out for giving up and leaving your gates open to attack. It’s time to take a stand and take back what the enemy has stolen from you. Proverbs 6:31 tells us that if a thief is caught, “he must pay back seven times what he stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house.” Satan is a thief and he has built his kingdom with things he has stolen from us! But now he has to give it back. He can no longer stop you!

It’s time, saints! You have been attempting to rebuild your wall for a long time but your own strength could not get the job done. It’s not easy and the enemy will still be working and trying to confuse you. But the Lord is telling you today that He is your strength and He wants to see you totally restored. Let Him help you lift the stones. Let Him fill the gaps in. Let Him take the lead. You see, God sees long range. While you might be seeing an unrepentant husband, He sees the restored marriage. While you might have your eyes on the diagnosis, He sees a whole and healed body. While you might be focused on a negative pregnancy test, He sees a fruitful and productive family. Your results are dependent on who is allowed to lead your restoration. There is nothing impossible with God and there is nothing that the enemy has stolen that you cannot retrieve. Mourning can be turned to joy. Loss can be turned to gain. Death can be turned to life.

It’s time to rebuild, my friends and the enemy cannot stop you! AMEN…

Morning is coming...

This morning when I went to the gym, it was dark. I was facing the window on the treadmill and I watched as the sun came up and light chased the darkness away. It was an amazing transformation from shadows and low street lights to full vision and light. Things that I couldn't identify slowly became clear and easier to understand. As I continued to walk, The Lord said to me, "There's always another day." Immediately, the scripture in Lamentations came to my mind. "Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning;Great is Your faithfulness." (Lam. 3:22-23 NKJV) On a day when the world is celebrating darkness, God wants you to remember that there is always light.

The thing about darkness is that it cannot last. No matter how much it may want to stay around or you want to stay in it, light immediately dispels it. As I watched the sun rise this morning, I thought about how long yesterday was for me. I mean it seemed like it would never end. But it did. Sometimes, we look at our situations and feel the same way. It can seem very dark when your marriage is in recovery, your finances in bad shape, or your child is sick. It can be overwhelming to not be able to see your way out but I'm here to remind you that God looks at you everyday and makes new mercies available to you. He showers His light on you and chases the shadows away.

Here's the thing though, you have to open your eyes to see the transformation. You have to be paying attention and expecting the change to happen. When I was working out, I could have kept my eyes on the things going on around me in the gym and I would have missed watching the sun chase away the darkness. But I knew that something was going to happen and I waited for it. If you are going through a difficult time right now, I encourage you to expect God to do something new for you everyday. Look at the verse that follows in Lamentations. It says, "The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“Therefore I hope in Him!” (3:24 NKJV) The Complete Jewish Bible makes it even clearer and says "Adonai (The Lord) is all I have," I say; “therefore I will put my hope in him." With everything you have, believe that God wants His light to shine in your life. He wants you to prosper and be in good health. He wants your light to shine so that He will get the glory. He wants you to live.

Today, I pray that God's love and light overtake any issues or struggles that you face. I speak an end to your nights of weeping and welcome your morning of joy. "Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing your restoration and the power of a new life shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God shall go before you conducting you to peace and prosperity, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am." (Is. 58:8-9a AMP)

Amen...

Growing at the Door...

Life is an interesting thing. We go through ups and downs, times when we get it right and times when we get it wrong, joys and sorrows. In all of those things, God is speaking and He wants us to listen. It’s amazing, almost unbelievable, how many times we miss His voice. Over the last couple of weeks I have really been in conversation with the Lord about a lot of things but mainly with what He wants to do with me. I’ve been struggling with what it means to say yes to God. Actually, it’s more what to do after saying yes. In the midst of this conversation, God has confronted me with my biggest enemy…me! Sure, Satan has his role to play but how I deal with my own fears, faults and doubts is on me. I’m wondering if anyone else can relate. Have you ever been at a stage in your life where you slowed yourself down? Have you ever been confronted with your own choices and realized they weren’t the best? Have you ever missed the mark? It’s okay. The truth of the matter is everyone has but the key is how did you move forward?

This morning while I was in prayer, I had this interesting vision. I saw a door and the view zoomed in to the doorknob and then widened back out. There was a little girl trying to open the door but every few seconds the little girl would grow until she was a grown woman. I could only see the back of her but could clearly tell from how her size and hair changed that she was growing. But eventually a larger figure came to the door and helped the woman with the door. I asked the Lord what that meant. He immediately brought a scripture to mind that I had read last night. “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)

You see, there’s a time when we walk up to the door and we struggle to open it because we aren’t ready. We want God to speak to us and we want to be in fellowship but our ears and our hearts are blocked in a way. So, we stand at the door and go through different things and the blockage gets smaller and smaller. Until one day, through different experiences and lessons, you get to a place of maturity in Christ. You reach a point where you are ready to hear His voice and you ask the Holy Spirit to help you, even if there is a price you will have to pay. The Lord has been at the door the whole time but perhaps you weren’t ready for dinner. Maybe you wanted a snack or some water but not the full meal.

Friends, I’m here to tell you today that The Lord wants to come in and completely fill you up. He wants you to understand that the fellowship He will provide is worth more than the things you might lose. Everything that you have experienced has been for a purpose and if you ask the Holy Spirit to make it clear for you, you can see it too. On the other side of the door, there is a fullness of joy, there is restoration and there is strength. I encourage you to bind up the voices of anything else that isn’t God. You need to hear His voice with clarity and be able to know for yourself that it is Him. Nothing your flesh or Satan has to say to you will encourage or renew you but God will. Right now you are growing at the door, now you just need to sit down and eat!

Amen…

He's already got it under control!

My youngest daughter, Kennedi, turned 3 a couple of weeks ago. It is truly amazing how quickly time passes. Kennedi is small in stature so people often think she is younger than she is and though I am biased, she is really cute. For those reasons, I find myself wanting to help her do things that, at her age, she can start to do on her own. So ding ding...revelation! She doesn't need my help all the time! She would say to me, "I can do it, Mommy" but I just couldn't seem to let go and let her. So recently, I had laid her clothes out and was getting ready to help her put them on and she said "I'm gonna do it." Well I immediately started thinking that I could do it faster and without messing up her hair, etc even though I knew she could do it. Long story short, she did it and looked fine and because I trusted her to do it, she was excited by what she had done. Cute, right? Yep but what's the point? Do you ever find yourself doing what I did to Kennedi to God? Have you had an instance where God has told you that He would handle something but you thought of all the ways that you could do it better? It's time for your revelation moment! He doesn't need your help!

This morning as I prayed, I heard that very phrase. I then heard "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9 NLT) I didn't really get the connection because I knew that wasn't the context in which that scripture was used. Then he gave me that example of Kennedi and I was really confused! But then I got it, it's all about recognizing your role in the relationship. God is in control and has all that you need but you can get caught up in the intelligence that He has given you . So you try and run ahead and end up in a mess. True, He is a loving and great God but He is also the all knowing and all powerful God. Just because you see Him in His love does not make Him incapable. He has given you all the signs that He will do it but your flesh says "I can do it faster, smarter and it will turn out fine." I am here to tell you that your situation will turn around much quicker if you take your hands off. Because you see, once you let go, you are showing your weakness, and that welcomes God's strength and grace. He doesn't need your help!

One of the first bible verses we are taught is "Trust in The Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." (Prov. 3:5&6 NKJV) We learn it and then we seem to immediately forget it. This is the key and we are missing it. Stop trying to figure this thing out on your own. Your understanding of your situation is most likely not what God sees. There is a purpose and a reason for everything. Where you see defeat, God has purposed victory. Where you see lack, God has ordained provision. Where you see failure, God has prepared success. However, in your rush to see the end of the situation, you are missing the path. You are missing the signs of light. Read that scripture again. He says to trust with all your heart and not your understanding. Your understanding will not get you where you need to go, only God will. The instruction is not to help God by doing this or that. Your instruction is to trust and acknowledge. That's it! He doesn't need your help!

Believe me, I know how hard it is to wait! I know the temptation to add your opinion or move to what you think is a better position. I have been there and at times still give in to that but it is not the answer. Nothing you or I can do can come close to the perfection that God will achieve. Right now, God is speaking to His people and He is telling you to take your hands off. He had the plan worked out before you knew there was an issue but you slow things down when you interfere. Every word in the Bible has a purpose. So in Romans 8:28 when Paul says "And we know that ALL things work together for good of those who love God, and are called according to His purpose." I believe him! God is working on everything for me because I love Him and am called according to His purpose. How about you?

May God encourage and remind you that He is working on your behalf. Amen...

Streams in the Desert

If you have been reading Rhema for awhile, you may have noticed that for a few months, it seemed like everything I was writing was about making it through or surviving the struggle. It was and is a very real season for a lot of God’s people right now. The enemy is running rampant and the world is getting crazier by the minute. But God is calling us to restoration, if we are ready to receive it. This morning as I was praying and waiting for the Lord to speak, I saw the phrase “streams in the desert” and it literally jumped off of the page. It seemed to sum up that struggle to get to the place of renewal and rejuvenation that we all want so bad to reach but can have a hard time getting there.  I kept waiting for God to tell me what I was supposed to say but all I heard was silence. The longer I waited the more real it became. I couldn’t hear a thing and yet I had to keep going, functioning and waiting. I went to Isaiah 35 where the phrase is found and it began to make sense. You see, sometimes the drought and the trial seems like it will last forever but God has already prepared your green place. The key is recognizing where you are and that God is more than able to restore.

In order to really understand, God took me back to Isaiah 34 for a minute and it began to be clear. If you read this chapter, Isaiah is prophesying to the nations about the judgment and tribulation that is coming. It is filled with vivid images of death and blood and it is guaranteed to come. It’s desolate and it’s chaos. “It will be called the Land of Nothing and all its nobles will soon be gone. Thorns will overrun its palaces; nettles and thistles will grow in its forts. The ruins will become a haunt for jackals and a home for owls.” (Is. 34:12-13 NLT) Doesn’t sound very promising, does it? As I read this chapter, I could see some of you. I could see how you have been living in familiar places that have turned to ruin. They have changed so much that you hardly recognize your surroundings or the people.  The turmoil has taken its toll on you and your faith to the point that you are crying out for water and for life. I was then reminded that Jesus told us that we would suffer as he suffered. There was no promise of an easy or free ride but there was a promise of redemption.

And so we find ourselves back in Isaiah 35. This chapter is the homecoming celebration after the war. It is the vision of God showing off his glory for us. You see this is what God wants you to look towards. This is His message to those of you that are reaching for restoration but are not quite there. “Energize the limp hands, strengthen the rubbery knees. Tell fearful souls, ‘Courage! Take heart! God is here, right here, on His way to put things right and redress all wrongs. He’s on His way! He’ll save you!” (Is. 35: 3-4 MSG) This chapter is a vision of the ultimate restoration. “And when He comes, He will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf.  The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.  The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.” (Is. 35:5-7 NLT)Can you grab a hold of this? Can you see that God is a present help and that He wants nothing more than to see you walking in joy and life? I love the visual of water breaking through dry ground. It is a symbol of life after death and rejuvenation. It also tells me that where you may be at this present time is not your destiny. And once God does it, once He brings you out, it’s yours and you won’t have to face those same giants again because He won’t allow it. “There will be a highway called the Holy Road. No one rude or rebellious is permitted on this road. It’s for God’s people exclusively— impossible to get lost on this road. Not even fools can get lost on it. No lions on this road, no dangerous wild animals—Nothing and no one dangerous or threatening. Only the redeemed will walk on it. The people God has ransomed will come back on this road. They’ll sing as they make their way home to Zion, unfading halos of joy encircling their heads, welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness as all sorrows and sighs scurry into the night.” (Is. 35: 8-10)

My prayer for you today is that you receive what God has for you. That strange land is not your permanent home. That place of discouragement, exhaustion and fear is not where you are purposed to be. You are destined for watered and satisfied ground.  So if you are starting to tire out and feeling like you won’t make it, have no fear, I see the streams sprouting up in your desert. Get ready to thirst no more…

AMEN