Goodbye Winter...HELLO SPRING!

Hallelujah! It’s Resurrection week! Do you have a celebration in your spirit? Do you have joy in your heart? If you don’t, let me tell you something. God is amazing! He continues to work miracles and show His resurrection power over 2000 years after He raised Christ! This week, I have looked in the faces of people that could have been dead. I saw what doctors had given up on. But God is faithful and kind and He has a timeline that doctors have no say in! As I prepared for this word, I thought I was going to write about something completely different when I heard one question. How long has your winter been? My, my, my! Some of you have gotten so comfortable in your long johns and fleece that you refuse to see the springtime knocking at your door. Well, saints, it’s time to open the door and walk into your spring!

Winter is the coldest season of the year. According to Wikipedia, it is caused when the axis of the Earth in a certain hemisphere is oriented away from the sun. Hmmmmm…dare I say, that the coldest time of your life is when you are positioned away from the Son of God? Perhaps, your mind and your mouth has been saying that you trust Jesus but your spirit and your heart are not in agreement. It’s become so easy in the church to say words that sound good but that actions don’t back up. It’s become easy to speak life and believe death but today, God is calling you into spring. He is challenging you to pack up those heavy, burdensome winter clothes and put on light and airy attire. It’s time to walk into your spring!

You may be asking me why I would talk about winter during Resurrection week but this is exactly the right time. You see, when Jesus died on the cross, He took the power that a winter season can have on your life and defeated it. He rose again with the keys to death and the grave in His hands. He brought restoration, rebirth, and renewal with Him. If that doesn’t describe spring, I don’t know what does. It’s why I love this time of year so much! Whenever I think of what Jesus Christ did for me, I feel a fresh wind. I feel a fresh start. I feel the warmth of renewal.  The Song of Solomon is a beautiful book of love poems. In chapter 2, the young women says to the young man, “Look, the winter is past, and the rains are over and gone.  The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air.” (v. 11-12 NLT)Saints, that’s how the love of Christ feels after you have been through a long winter season in your life. When you encounter Him again after what seems like the quietest and bleakest period, there is a fresh wind and a new beginning.

As you go through these next few days, remember the amazing power of God. Remember what He did on the third day when He resurrected Christ. Remember that what man has decided is your end, God can make an opening! Remember that what winter has frozen over and killed, God can renew and restore. Winter is over and so are the burdens, the time lost, and the struggles. You are at the edge of your spring and it’s time to walk in it! It’s resurrection time! It’s spring time! Join me in celebrating what the Lord has done!

Amen…

He LOVES you!

This is a pretty stressful week for me! I have a big program at work, juggling home responsibilities and lots of church activities as Resurrection Sunday quickly approaches. Sometimes I close my eyes and think about being transported to a quiet island with no other inhabitants other than me and my favorite barista at Starbucks. It’s been that kind of week, y’all! But as I drove into work today, I kept hearing Casey J singing “love of God overflow, permeate all my soul…” over and over. It reminded me that in the midst of a crazy and distracting world, God’s love is an anchor. It is a stabilizing, strengthening and powerful force that can keep you like nothing else can. It is because of that love that we can celebrate the resurrection of Christ. It is because of that love that you can face whatever comes your way.

Sometimes it seems that the church has become too casual about God’s love. It is taken for granted and sometimes spoken of lightly. Think about it! How many times have you heard John 3:16 just thrown out without any passion or conviction. Many of you can say that it was your first scripture that you memorized. The question is was it the first scripture that you really put in your heart. Let’s read it! ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” That’s how I learned it…in the King James! Do you feel the depth of love that is being expressed here? If not, let me give you the Message version so you can really feel it!  “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.” Do you get it now? Imagine giving up your only child for the sake of a bunch of broken people. You would have to watch your child die so that others could live. That’s what God did and that’s how much He loves us.

I would encourage you to read 1 John 4 to really grab hold to what God’s love means. The whole Bible is a love letter but I believe this chapter really speaks to the concept of God’s love. You have to know that God is love. If you feel love, you feel God. If you don’t love, you don’t know God. I mean, this chapter is powerful! “God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love – not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us.” (1 John 4: 9 – 12 NLT)  I love that! This is how you hold on in the midst of struggle and confusion. You remember who lives in you. You remember that you are an expression of His perfect love. So therefore, fear can’t live there! Because God’s perfect love, “expels all fear.”(1 John 4: 16, NLT)

As you go through these next few days, remember who you belong to! Remember what He did for you! Do not let circumstances, fear, depression, anger, confusion or anything else distract you from experiencing the perfect fullness of God’s love. Let it overflow in you. Let it cover those sins and restore you back to Him. Let it carry you through grief. Let it carry you through transition. You can overcome, progress, and win because He loves you. “For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then My faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken, “says the Lord who has mercy on you. (Is. 54:10, NLT) Now THAT’S love!!

Amen.

God's got your back!

If God be for you, who can be against you? Have you reminded yourself of that lately? I heard it so clearly in worship this morning and I had to share it with you. I think so often, the cares of this world can distract you from this very powerful truth. You see, the enemy would have you to think that you just can’t win. He will put constant attacks and distractions in front of you until you don’t know whether you are coming or going. “But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ…” (2 Cor. 2:14a NKJV) In other words, the enemy cannot lead you to defeat because with God, you always win! I felt so strongly that some of you need to be reminded that God is on your side. I know how it is to be tired, and frustrated, but today, God wants you to rest assured that He is there and He has your back!

Sometimes writers and preachers work so hard to find the right way to explain a concept when all that is really needed is the Word of God. He led me to share the Message version of the Romans 8 scripture so that you can get this encouragement down in your spirit. Look at what Paul tells us…

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. (Rom. 8: 31 -39, MSG)

Did that stir up something in your spirit?! God wants you whole and ready to move forward. Yes, the struggle has been real but God is BIGGER! Doesn’t it comfort you to know that you have a big God on your side? Doesn’t it uplift you to know that nothing can get between you and Christ’s love? Do you see? You are more than a conqueror through Christ! You WIN! So, I challenge you to get that word in your spirit. If you’ve been looking for a job for months and still nothing, look depression in the eye and say I WIN! If you’ve been sick and you haven’t seen evidence of healing, look that diagnosis in the eye and say I WIN! If you’ve been frustrated in your calling and all you’ve felt is stuck, look at that dry bone and say I WIN! God is on your side, saint! Be encouraged and reminded that if God be for you, who could ever come against you.

Amen…

He has need of you!

If you have been a reader of this blog for any length of time, you will know that I put on my running shoes and did a full sprint when the Lord called me to ministry. I wasn’t having it! I wasn’t interested in preaching or being in front of people in a spiritual sense. I didn’t want people to say words to me like anointed, called, gifted. I just wanted to do Ebony. But God didn’t leave me alone! He kept putting me in situations where I had to face what He had told me. I remember when I finally accepted what He was saying to me. It was Good Friday and I was at Duke Chapel for service. The preacher was giving a powerful but quiet word and all of a sudden, he seemed to stop and look directly at me and said “It’s time to stop running. I have need of you.” My mouth fell open and I looked around to see if anyone else was as shocked as I was. It appeared that no one else had even seen this little moment between the preacher and I. I know! It sounds crazy but I knew it was God speaking to me and that it was time to end the chase. I said yes that day but continued to struggle with how God could use me. I stressed myself out worrying about how I could be what God was calling me to be. It delayed my process and kept me from fully walking in my purpose for a long time. Well, this morning God told me to speak to those of you that are questioning what God has been telling you. He told me to speak to those of you that have been held back by fear. He told me to speak to those of you that are wondering if He can still use you in your brokenness. The Lord said to tell you that He has need of you.

It’s always challenging to face the unknown. It requires you to step out on faith and trust and do something that you may not be comfortable in. I think the first thing that you have to acknowledge is that you cannot do anything in your own strength. You must let God do the leading and the equipping. Because trust me, if He called you to do something then He has prepared you to do it. Think about David and Goliath. Goliath was almost 10 feet tall and was dressed for battle. He had all of the Israelites terrified at the thought of fighting him. Do you think David in his own strength could have defeated that giant Philistine? Absolutely not! David went forth with 5 smooth stones and a sling and slayed the giant. God positioned David for the battle and equipped him with exactly what He needed to complete the assignment. Why would He not do the same for you? I know, I know, we aren’t talking about a battle. But sometimes how big our assignment is can hold us hostage and make us think that we don’t have what it takes. But God shows us in this story that He will be right there with you to defeat the obstacles that might try to get in your way.   “And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and He will give you to us!” (1 Sam. 17: 47 NLT) He has need of you!

Is there anyone like me that thought God must have you confused with someone else? Surely, He meant this message or assignment to go to Sister Jane or Brother Jack and they just weren’t listening! I’m sure Moses thought that too!  Do you remember his response to God calling him? “But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”  God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”  God replied to Moses, “I am who i am. Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.” (Ex. 3:11 -14a NLT) Isn’t it amazing how God sees you as you will be? He spoke to Moses in such a way that he knew God believed in him. Notice that God used phrases like ‘when you have brought’ and ‘you will’. Those imply that He knew Moses would get the job done. So that means if God called you to something, He knows that you can do it. He knows your whole story from beginning to end. So if He knows the outcome, shouldn’t you trust Him in the process? He has need of you!

As I close out, I just want to encourage those of you that struggle with whether God can still use you if you’ve been broken or made a mistake.  He can and He will! Romans 3:23 reminds us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Some of the greatest men in the bible had done horrible things. Moses was a murderer, Peter cut someone’s ear off, and Paul was the worst persecutor of Christians. But Romans 11:29 says “For God’s gifts and His call can never be withdrawn.” (NLT) God is merciful to us and He renews it every day! If He can forgive the Israelites over and over again, why would He not take your struggle and turn it into strength? Why would He not take your test and transform it into your testimony? Why would He not use your calling to bless His kingdom? The Lord has need of YOU! There are some people that only you can reach! There are places that only you can go! There are messages that only you can deliver! Don’t let fear or your past keep you from walking in the purpose that God has for you. The Lord has need of YOU and I’m excited to see what you do for the Kingdom!

 God bless…Amen

Silent Trust

I want to be able to write a powerful word today. I want to be able to encourage you to push forward to higher heights and deeper depths. The problem is I don’t have anything to share. I just hear silence. I’m not sad or depressed, I’m just waiting. Have you ever been there? Have you ever been in a place where you know that God has something awesome in store for you or powerful for you to do but it just hasn’t been shared? It’s weird, isn’t it? Even more than that, it’s uncomfortable. I like having the answers. I like knowing what’s coming next and what the plan is to get there and when that isn’t available, I feel a bit shaken. I may be alone but I get the feeling that I am not.

This morning as I was praying, God showed me a vision of a line of school lockers. They were decorated on the outside, some had balloons, some were painted but they all had locks on them. I didn’t try to get in them but I could just tell that the contents were not available to me. I remember that I didn’t feel concerned about that, I just acknowledged it. I asked God for understanding and He didn’t immediately give it to me.  But as I began to write just now, He told me that there are things that He is working on in me that I’m not ready for but they are for my good. The decorations on the outside of the locker was about the expectation and the anticipation but the lack of concern that I felt represented peace that at the right time, the locks will fall open.

Why did I share that? I don’t know! But what I do know is that God has His own timing and sometimes you get to a place where you aren’t sure which way to go or what He has in store for you. It’s easy to panic when that happens because you want clear direction and steps to follow. But I believe that God is trying to get you to a place where you can trust Him enough to wait on Him to unlock the locks. He wants you to be able to trust Him enough to keep listening when all you hear is silence. He wants you to trust Him enough to answer when He calls. Some of you have been asking God some tough questions. Why am I still without a job? Why did you give me these people to lead? Why do I have to get all of the hard assignments? Why can’t I move forward from this grief? Why? Why? Why? Sometimes the answer lies in simply trusting God enough to ask the question and being open enough to hear the answer. I am just crazy enough to believe that God is waiting on you to engage with Him so that He can walk you through the process to get you where you need to go. I think I hear a lock opening…do you?

A friend reminded me that there can be power in silence. Sometimes God is using that time to prepare you for the next battle. Sometimes, He is giving you time to rest. Sometimes, He just wants to see if you will trust Him. A closed door is not always a negative answer. In many instances, it is God’s way of protecting you. I’m sure that if I had access to some of those things hidden inside of those lockers, I probably wouldn’t handle them right. So I believe God can protect you even from yourself. I was reminded of a few powerful verses in Psalm 62 that I want to close with. They reminded me that even in times of uncertainty and silence, God has ensured your victory. “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. 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.” (Ps. 62: 1, 5-8 NLT)

May God give you the strength to wait expectantly even in the silence…AMEN

 

The Sweet Spot...

I woke up this morning with a line from Tamela Mann's new song playing on repeat in my spirit. "There's a place in God where we can all be free. A place where God can get the best out of me. There's a secret place in God where He covers me." I tried to move on but it was almost like I was caught in the middle of the Grand Canyon and the feeling of getting to that place was echoing all around me. You see, it's not the lyric that took my breath away as much as the idea of being in that place with God. I look back at the last 2 or 3 years of my life and I see a series of hills and mountains that I had to climb. I see battles that I had to fight and assignments that have come and gone. But today, God reminded me about the place that lies in knowing who God is and trusting Him instead of helping Him. It's that place where you know that you can't do it without Him so you stop trying. It's that place of being wrapped in security and peace, knowing that in spite of you and your insecurities and weaknesses, God both has you AND has use for you. It's your sweet spot.

I wish I didn't have to always talk about myself in these posts. It would be so much easier to shine the spotlight on someone else. But alas, that's not the way it's going to work today. When you write something like Rhema, people can be fooled into thinking that you have it all figured out. They expect you to have a word ready in all situations or that you are hiding your halo in your pocketbook. Ha! I wish that were true! The fact of the matter is, I can write Rhema because the opposite is true. I struggle with some of the same things that you do, but God has brought me to a place where no matter what I go through, I have to face it. A lot of my friends can attest to the fact that I would love to hide from those things but God doesn't let me. He brings them right to my face and I have to deal with them. Doesn't sound very sweet, does it? But, in actuality, it is! I've lived and seen how damaging avoidance can be. How about you? Are you an expert at not dealing with things? When you hide things so deep and pretend they don't bother or affect you, it builds walls that are hard to climb. It either hardens your heart or breaks it but what it doesn't do, is help. It's time to find your sweet spot.

The term "sweet spot" is generally used in sports for that place on a bat or on the court where everything is working in the athlete's favor. When God led me in this direction, I thought He was going to have me focus on Philippians 4:12 where Paul says that he has learned to be content regardless of his circumstances. I mean, that's pretty sweet when you are cool wherever you are. But nope! God sent me instead to James 1. "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." (‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2-4‬ MSG) Ummmm what?! God, how in the world is this anywhere near SWEET?! He responded with shifting my perspective. When you are in the middle of a test or struggle, that's when He is molding you. When the grief is overwhelming you, that's when He is stripping everything that shouldn't be there. When your marriage is shaky and you are looking for stability, that's when He is upholding you. And when you get to the end of all of that, you will find that He has made you complete and whole.  Suddenly, it all came together! It's in the fire where you learn to trust and when you trust, the shift comes and the favor becomes evident. It's the sweet spot.

Remember that in the presence of God, there is fullness of joy. There is peace that is hard to understand and there is freedom that cannot be contained. In your most difficult times, God is a present help. He is all that you need and more than you could ask for. I've found that the sweet spot isn't necessarily about where you are at your happiest but rather where you are most in tune with God. If God is shifting you, He's also preparing you. Sweet spot! If God is testing you, He's also healing you. Sweet spot! If God is challenging you, He's also elevating you. Sweet spot! Don't look at the pain, look at the process. I bet you will find that the end result is sweeter than you  ever expected.

Amen...

What's Coming is Better!

I woke up today to 12 degree weather and the news that it won’t even make it to 20 degrees. I asked myself what in the world I was supposed to do with that. Come on! This is North Carolina, the average temperature for mid-February is in the 50s. Why are we looking at weather in the teens?! I was not pleased at all. But then I scrolled down the screen on my weather app and saw something exciting! It’s going to be 55 on Sunday. It was in that moment that I heard a phrase echo in my spirit…what’s coming is better. There’s a song by Deon Kipping with this very title and I love the song but it’s something entirely different when you hear the Lord whisper that in your ear. There’s a level of comfort and peace that comes that is incomparable to any other voice. So, today, I want to remind you that what is coming for you is so much better than where you currently are.

Recently, I’ve seen some strong people struggling to find the strength to move forward after devastating life blows. Have you been there? The death of someone you love, the loss of a job, the breakup of a marriage, these are all things that you know are possibilities; but when it becomes a reality, it can upset your whole view of life. Perhaps you have asked yourself some tough questions. Why did this happen to me? What is the lesson that I am supposed to be learning? When will things change? I’ve been there. But eventually, the questions stop and you start looking for answers. God wants to remind you today that He is Jehovah Roi, the God who sees. But you know what else? He has plans for you. According to Jeremiah29:11, they are plans for a hope and a future. Last year, God encouraged me to read beyond that one verse and see what He told the people of Israel during their Babylonian captivity. Today, He sent me right back to that same spot in Jeremiah. Look at what God says in verses 12 -14.  “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree. “I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—“bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.” Do you see what I see? God is promising restoration and peace after the struggle and bondage. He is promising better!

Sometimes, it is hard to see better when your circumstances are screaming WORSE! You are praying, fasting, serving but yet you can’t see breakthrough. You might even be asking God if you are worthy to serve in the midst of your tiredness, your frustration, or your humanness. Can He even use you like this? But let me tell you something, God is beyond faithful and He wants you to be at your best. He wants you to be whole! He wants you to see beyond your right now to what is coming. I love what Paul tells the Church at Corinth to encourage them when circumstances seem overwhelming in 2 Corinthians.  I believe God has this very same reminder for you today.

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.  Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.  So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.  But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.  That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Cor. 4: 8 – 18 NLT)

Be encouraged, saints! God is working on your behalf and the outcome that He has for you is great! So, I challenge you to take a stand and get a praise in your heart and mouth. Look at grief and tell it that joy is coming! Look at anger and tell it that happiness is coming! Look at frustration and tell it that peace is coming! Look at lack and tell it that provision is coming! You, sir, are on the brink of your better! You, mam, are on the edge of your breakthrough! Don’t let any of those heavy burdens weigh you down for one more day. What’s coming is better and you need to be ready!

 AMEN