Press Forward

Every week I strive to bring you a word from the Lord to encourage your spirit and it’s usually pretty lengthy. Today, the Lord just said, “Press forward”. That was it. After a long period of prayer and waiting, that was all He said. And so that is what I will share with you.  I know that life has been stressful lately. Bills have been piling up, kids have been going through, and the job has required a lot of you. People have disappointed you and your regular fixes haven’t worked like they usually do. But in all of this, you must press forward. I’m reminded of when Paul & Barnabas were travelling and preaching and making disciples. There was a point where they looped back to some of the people they had previously ministered to in order to strengthen them. Acts 14:22 says, “They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” Even the saints of old needed someone to tell them that they could make it and keep going despite circumstances and struggles.

You see, this road will not always be smooth but you have to know that the outcome will be worth it. You have to remember to keep your focus on Jesus who cares for you, for there is value in knowing and trusting in Him. Be encouraged by the words of Paul in Philippians 3: 12 – 14. “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”(NLT)

Press forward, saints! Don’t allow the expectations of man or the stresses of this world keep you from reaching the goal that God has set before you. He has purposed you for greatness and set before you a future and a hope. It’s amazing what the enemy will do to try and distract you from that. He will use people that you love. He will throw distractions in your path that that will try to throw you off course. He will speak doubt and fear into your spirit. But I’m here to encourage you today to stay the course and continue to press forward. I leave you with the words of Peter in 1 Peter 5:10 and pray that you remember that you serve a God that is faithful and present. He is with you every step of the way as you make your way to victory. “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you.” AMEN.

Jesus Joy!

“Jesus, you’re the center of my joy! All that’s good and perfect comes from You. You’re the source of my contentment, hope for all I do! Jesus, you’re the center of my joy!” Don’t you just automatically feel good when you hear Richard Smallwood sing that? If you’ve never heard it, I recommend you hit YouTube immediately! I remember belting that song away and really feeling it before I even knew to really seek relationship with Him. It was that perfect joy that he talked about, that Jesus joy and I connected with it. As I’ve looked around this week, I’ve seen a lot of people missing that joy. Churches don’t seem to have it and the world certainly seems to be lacking it. But where did it go? Today, God is challenging us to put Jesus back at the center of our joy. Truthfully, some of us just need to put Jesus back at the center and the joy will follow.

When the Lord put this in my spirit this morning, He immediately sent me to John 16. Jesus is talking to the disciples as His death looms before Him and He is trying to prepare them for life without Him. He explains the sadness that they will feel when He is no longer physically with them but then a “wonderful joy” will come.  ^“It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.” (John 16: 21-22 NLT) Saints, we can have that joy right now! We already know that He has died and risen again with all power in His hands! So why do you not rejoice?! Why do you allow church folks to steal your joy? Why do your let co-workers drain you of your excitement? Why do you let the cares of this world dampen your spirit? It’s time to get back to the place where you live in the joy of knowing who Jesus is in your life. The Word says that no one can take that joy away from you.

So many of you are living in a sort of spiritual haze, trying to find your place, understand your purpose or answer your calling. I have been in that place and it’s not an easy place. But the Lord reminded me that Jesus is the star on the map. He’s the answer to every question. He’s the final stop and when you stop searching for answers and just tap into Jesus, the rest will follow. I love what Hebrews 12:1-3 says in the Message Bible about keeping Jesus at the center of your mind in order to make it. “Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” This is the key, saints! Keep Jesus and what He did for you in the forefront of your mind. If you do, there is no way that you can’t find that joy!

I encourage you today to intentionally take your joy back! It’s time to put Jesus back at the center of your heart, your worship, your schedule, and your life. It’s not about the good deeds, or money, or even church because none of those things work without Jesus. From this moment on, it is no longer acceptable to just exist and survive. It is time to LIVE! It is time to celebrate Jesus in your everyday life and let that be reflected in everything you do. Richard Smallwood explained it well when he wrote, “You are why I find pleasure in the simple things in life, You're the music in the meadows and the streams. The voices of the children, my family, and my home, You're the source and finish of my highest dreams.” Remember the Jesus you fell in love with in the first place, the One that made you feel like that! If you do, I promise you will see & feel a joy that can never be taken away. AMEN

 

 

 

He's still there...

This morning I had a block. I prayed and meditated. Sat and waited. And waited. And nothing. It was a struggle to hear anything. People were talking to me and I just couldn’t hear anything from God. So, I went outside and walked around until I found a quiet spot and I sat down. As I sat with my eyes closed, I started to hear the birds sing and felt the wind blow across my face. In that moment, I heard the Lord say in a quiet voice, “I’m still here.” I almost wanted to cry at the sweetness of those words. Sometimes, the distractions of life, of ministry, of family can get you to a very dry place. It can be very lonely and frustrating because you know who God is and what He can do but you can’t feel Him. It’s not about a lack of love or even relationship with God, it’s about your joy and your zeal. Today, God is speaking to those of you that are struggling to find your “get up & go”, your motivation. He is saying very simply to you, “I am still here.”

I thought of Elijah and his cave experience when I heard God say that. He was at a point of giving up and wanted to die. You’ve probably read this story many times but there was one part that spoke to me. In 1 King 19 verses 10 and 14, Elijah repeats something I think tells of his frustration more than anything else. He says, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with You, torn down Your altars, and killed every one of Your prophets. I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me too.” Sure, he was scared of Jezebel coming for his life but it seems that he was more upset because he had done all that he was supposed to do and still he had to face a terrible consequence. Have you ever felt like that? Frustrated because you have done your very best and given your all but it just doesn’t seem good enough. It happens often to mothers and leaders but God gave Elijah a word that I believe will help you find your strength again. He says in verse 15, “Go back the same way you came…”  God tells Elijah exactly what to do from that point but that phrase stood out to me. “Go back the same way you came.” Sometimes you have to go back and remember who God really is in your life in order to get going again. You have to remember why you fell in love with Him in the first place. You have to remember where He brought you from. You have to remember what this journey is really about. You have to remember how real He was to you when you first met God in your cave. He’s still here!

When I asked God how to drive the point home, He immediately sent me to Ezekiel 37. There’s no story in the Bible that so beautifully illustrates restoration like Ezekiel’s experience in the valley of dry bones. I mean, it doesn’t get any drier than bones scattered across a valley. The Lord explains in verse 11 that the bones represented the people of Israel. They were in exile and hopeless. Do you know how that is? To feel out of place but know God has a purpose for you. To know you need to press on but your desire is low? These bones were DRY! God told Ezekiel to speak the Word to the bones.  “Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (Eze. 37:5&6 NLT) Suddenly the bones came together but had no life. Then God told Ezekiel to speak to the winds. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’ So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.” (Eze. 37: 9&10 NLT)  Here’s my point. God showed Ezekiel in the spirit the spiritual state of Israel and He gave Him the Word that would bring them back to life. God has a Word that will bring you back to life too. He has the Word that will call you out of your dry place, out of your grief, out of your frustration. He told Ezekiel to tell His people, “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord have spoken and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken.” He will bring you back to yourself and when you have come out you will know that He has done it. He’s still here!

I know what it is to struggle with a lack of motivation and joy. I know what it is to be disappointed in people and have to fight to get back to yourself. But more so, I know that God is the God of a comeback. He is one that can restore the joy of your salvation. He is one that can breathe life back into your very soul. You just need to trust that He is still in the midst. That even if you can’t trace Him as the old saints used to say, He is right there watching over you and waiting to give you a fresh wind. Sometimes you just have to take a quiet moment and listen so you can hear that still small voice. May the joy of the Lord be your strength today! May you be encouraged to take back your joy and your fight! He’s still here…AMEN 

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