Bigger...

The lesson in bible study last night was about David and his run in with Goliath. It was an awesome teaching by my sister and as I reflected on it, I kept coming back to those giants. I thought about the giants that loom high nowadays – debt, grief, cancer, anger, marital issues. You name it, the enemy tries to blow it up so much that it blocks out the Son. That was poetic, right? But seriously, the enemy takes things that you can overcome and makes them look impossible to defeat. Isn’t that what happened with Goliath? He came out before the Israelites every day for 40 days and talked just long enough to keep them in bondage to their fear of him. I kept hearing it over and over in my head – giants, giants, giants! It seemed endless. But after this had gone on for a little while, God said one line that shut the whole party down! Ready for it? I’m bigger. He said it just like that…matter of factly. It was actually pretty funny, almost like God dropped the mic and walked off the stage. I loved it! So I want to say this to you today, whatever you are facing, whether it is foreclosure or unemployment, grief or heartache, fear or worry, God is bigger than all of it. He is the great I AM! Then just to make His point, He began to remind me of His word.

Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord. “No, I am far away at the same time.  Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 23: 23-24)

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. (1 John 4: 9-11)

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 38&39)

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2: 9&10)

Are you getting the picture? Giants are going to come against you and they are going to have a whole lot to say. But at the end of the day, they can’t win. Every name is subject to the name of Jesus and no matter what the enemy tries to do, he can’t get around that. God is near and far at the same time and well able to fight your battles for you. He loves you and therefore, He will do what is necessary to protect you. He is Jehovah Nissi, the God who waves the banner of victory. Can the Goliaths that you face, stand under the power of that waving banner? Nope! So let’s stop playing with the devil and calling him champion when the great strategist, warrior, and victor has already assured your win! Stand up, Giant Killer! You’ve got this! Don’t just stun those giants with halfway prayers and fading faith! No, stand up strong and tall, pull your stones and aim high! When it falls, make sure you chop its head off so that when the other giants see it,  they recognize that they won’t have a chance either. **drops the mic**

 Amen

Morning is coming!

I stayed home all day yesterday! My body wasn't cooperating with me and I needed a day to get myself together. It’s been a rather hard trust week with the enemy’s voice talking louder than the Lord’s. Anybody had one of those weeks?  I struggled with hearing from Him and hoped that if I could just rest for the day that I would hear something. I got in the bed early but it always seems like when I do that something or someone wakes me up! Last night was no exception when a big storm came through. From that point on, I kept clock watching. When I finally got to sleep, the alarm was not on my side. Isn’t it amazing how quickly the morning comes when you don’t want it to?  But when you are going through a stormy time in your life, whether it’s physically, financially or spiritually, the night feels like it goes on forever, doesn’t it?  As I have gone through 2016, God has taken me on a journey. He’s allowed some things to happen that I never imagined for myself both good and not so good. At times, the journey has been extremely lonely and at others I’ve felt my “great cloud of witnesses” as Hebrews 12:1 refers to, cheering me on. Even as I’ve been moving forward, the devil has been on the attack and I’ll tell you, the night has seemed mighty long this year. But God keeps drawing me to Psalm 30:5b “…weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning!” Is anybody else waiting on the morning?

Sometimes people assume that because you are a Christian and serving God that your life should be easy. For some reason, they think that you don’t ever go through anything. But God never promised that a life of serving Him would be easy. People will talk about you. Your family may condemn you and the enemy will definitely attack you.  As a matter of fact, Jesus says in John 15:20 that “A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” Times will not always be easy. But today I want to remind you, that even if you are in the midst of a storm, to praise God right now for the morning. Psalm 30:5 is not a conditional statement. He didn’t say weeping may endure for a night and joy might come in the morning. NO! He says joy COMES in the morning! It’s coming, friends! You just have to hold on. My uncle used to tell me that ‘the night is always darkest before the dawn.’ So if it seems like everything is coming against you and you can’t even imagine a way out, remind yourself that your morning is on the way!

 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18 in The Message Bible ministered to my spirit this morning and I hope it does something for you. It says, “So we're not giving up. How could we? Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.”  Isn’t that good news?!

There are good times coming, my friends! Keep pressing forward towards the joy! Remember David’s reminder in Psalm 16:11 says in the presence of God there is fullness of joy. When the enemy brings his best shot, declare Hebrews 10: 39, “But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.” (MSG) We will win, family!

I don’t know about you but even though I can’t quite see it, I’m excited about my morning! Joy comes in the morning! New mercies come in the morning! God awakens my ears to listen and be taught morning by morning! Psalm 5:3 says “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation!” (NIV) So, I encourage you today to look towards your morning with excitement and expectation.  Make this your prayer today, "God, I ask that you restore everything in the morning that was lost at midnight! In the name of Jesus!"  Come on, saints, your morning is coming!

 

AMEN

 

It's your turn!

Today I celebrate 5 years of writing Rhema! What an amazing God I serve! He is faithful and consistent! I don’t have words enough to say how grateful I am to Him for not only trusting me with the assignment of sharing encouragement with His people but HIS WORD! I’m so unworthy of it. I’ve had days where I wanted to give up. Days that people said the word was just for them. Days where I didn’t want to write anything. Days that He met people right where they were through what I wrote. Days that I thought it was pointless because no one was reading them. But every week, God gave me a word for me. Every week, He showed up. Every week, He forgave me for my attitude and my flesh. What a mighty God I serve! As I think about the last 5 years, the only thing I keep hearing God say is… it’s your turn.

I know some of you are looking at the screen crazy and wondering what in the world I am talking about! “How can it be my turn?”  Yeah, I hear you! But you know what? It is! It’s your turn to stop hiding the gifts that God has given you. It’s your turn to step out on faith and share what He’s told you. It’s your turn to own who you are. Every week, I’ve had to be transparent with you and tell you when I’m frustrated, sad, and struggling. But I still had to do it because that’s what God called me to do. I couldn’t stay in my quiet place which is what I wanted to do. You know why? Because you needed me. You needed me to say get up, you can make it, keep pressing. And guess what? Someone is waiting on YOU! Someone needs YOU to pray for them. Someone needs YOU to visit them and speak an encouraging word. Someone needs YOU to write that book. Someone needs to hear YOUR voice.  It’s your turn!

Today is about encouraging you to do what God has been telling you to do. It’s about releasing fear and stepping into power, love, and your sound mind. It’s about the greater works that Christ told you about in John 14:12. I’m serious…it’s time! You have such a gift to share with the world. And don’t get caught up in comparing gifts. If He called you to be the best hugger in the world, you need to start hugging! My whole spirit has been lifted by a powerful hug. If He called you to be a pastor, you need to get in position and do what He has told you to do. People are dying in this world because they haven’t had the shepherding that they needed. Come on! This is serious! Don’t talk yourself out of it! Don’t try to figure it all out in 2 seconds. “You have an anointing. You received it from Him, and His anointing remains on you. You do not need any other teacher. But as His anointing instructs you in all the essentials (all the truth uncontaminated by darkness and lies), it teaches you this: “Remain connected to Him.”(1 John 2:27, VOICE) It’s your turn…

Rhema has been life changing for me. It has challenged and matured me. It has connected me to God in ways that I never imagined. He has spoken life to me through Rhema and He has pushed me towards purpose and destiny. He wants the same for you. People are waiting for you to move and obey. I know that it’s scary. I was terrified to put myself out there for people to judge what I had written. But I couldn’t let fear stop me from doing what He said. And that’s my ending word for you…Don’t let what might happen, keep you from doing what He has told you to do. It’s your turn…blessings and rewards come from obedience…

Amen…

You've got work to do!

Can I just be honest with you today? I didn’t have anything to give you. I prayed and listened, looked at the Word and prayed, stared into space and prayed. But nothing…I just didn’t have anything. I asked God, if perhaps I should just skip this week. No one will miss one week of Rhema, right? But God reminded me that someone would. It’s not about how many readers I have each week but rather that it blesses who it is supposed to. So here I am in my stuff. Here I am in my tiredness and my frustration. Here I am in my press and my waiting. Here I am to tell you that I still have work to do and so do you.

You see, the enemy’s very mission is to stop you from achieving your purpose. He will do any and everything that he can to distract, detour, and distance you. That’s his job. That’s what he sets out to do when he roams the earth like a lion seeking whom he can devour. He wants you to give up. Sometimes, he scores points. He makes you stay in your house and mope. He attends your pity party and keeps the music playing. He even confuses your plans and cheers your failures. But you know what he can’t do? He can’t win, if you don’t let him. You see, he is a defeated foe. You know how I know? Revelation 19: 19-21 tells me so. “I saw the Beast and, assembled with him, earth’s kings and their armies, ready to make war against the One on the horse and his army. The Beast was taken, and with him, his puppet, the False Prophet, who used signs to dazzle and deceive those who had taken the mark of the Beast and worshiped his image. They were thrown alive, those two, into Lake Fire and Brimstone. The rest were killed by the sword of the One on the horse, the sword that comes from his mouth. All the birds held a feast on their flesh.” (MSG) Is that clear enough for you? He will not win in the end.

I say all this to say, don’t stop. Don’t give up or throw in the towel.  No matter what your current situation looks like, keep working. No matter what your husband is or isn’t doing, keep praying. No matter how your bank account looks, keep giving.  No matter what is happening at your church, keep praising. You have a mighty work to do. There are some things that God wants YOU to do. Don’t forfeit the assignment because the enemy tried to trick you. Don’t cast off your purpose because it looks too hard or people aren’t doing what you want them to do. Nope! You keep going. God took me to the story of King Asa in 2 Chronicles 14 and 15. Asa was a good man and did what was pleasing to the Lord but he faced some huge challenges and the Lord kept Him through it. I encourage you to read his story but what the Lord highlighted to me was a prophecy that Asa received from the prophet Azariah as he returned from a huge battle. It reminded me to stick with the Lord and press through towards whatever God has for me to do. I encourage you to do the same!

The Spirit of the True God gave a prophecy to Azariah, the son of Oded, who relayed it to Asa and his people. Azariah:  Asa and all of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, listen to me! God responds to you as you respond to Him: If you are with the Eternal, then He is with you. If you look for Him, then He will let you find Him. But if you abandon Him, then He will abandon you. So learn from the mistakes of your ancestors. For a long time, the tribes of Israel were without the True God, His priests, and His laws.  But when they were distressed by wars and oppression, they returned to the Eternal One, the True God of Israel. They sought Him, and He let them find Him. In those times before the monarchy, no one traveling had a peaceful life. Everyone in the lands had numerous difficulties; nations and cities fought back and forth, destroying each other again and again. Because of their disobedience, the True God troubled them constantly.  But you, who are devoted to being with God and searching for God, be strong and do not lose courage because your actions will reap rewards. (2 Chron. 15: 1-7, VOICE)

The chapter goes on to say that Asa responded with courage and strength and did what the Lord said through the man of God. In return, the Lord gave them peace. So much so, that there was no more war until the 35^th year of Asa’s reign. Do you see what I'm saying? No matter what is happening in your life, keep doing what God has called you to do! Not only will your work be rewarded but He will give you a peace that goes beyond your understanding. Now get moving...you've got work to do!

Amen

If you want to be kept...

Let me apologize in advance for all of the back and forth that you are about to read but this is literally how it happened. This morning I woke up giving God praise for being a keeper! I can’t even write all of the ways that God has kept me and my family. He is truly amazing! As I was talking to Him about being a keeper, He gave me what I thought was the oddest response. I heard Him respond “if you want to be kept.” I felt my face starting to look crazy and He said, “I will keep you, if you want to be kept.” I was convinced at this point that I was hearing a voice other than God. So I said, “God your love is unconditional! So how can you add that condition to being a keeper?” I was going crazy, y’all! But God’s response shut it down. Ready? He said, “There are benefits to meeting the conditions.” Whew!!! He broke it down to me and immediately started giving me examples. So let me give you what He gave me…

So many of you want God to be on automatic. When you’re sad, you expect Him to give you joy, even though you lock yourself away in your house and mope. When you’re broke, you expect Him to give you provision, even though you refuse to give back to Him or others. When you’re broken, you expect Him to fix you, even though you don’t want to use any of the tools that He’s already given you. Do you see what I’m saying? When I was thanking God for being a keeper today, I realized that I had to actively seek out His presence and His word to keep me. What about you? Are you meeting the conditions?

You see, the Bible is full of the promises of God but if you notice, there is often a condition that goes along with it. Do you want peace in your mind? The word says if you keep your mind stayed on Him, He will keep you in perfect peace. (Is. 26:3) Do you want to prosper? The word says, if you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land! (Is.1:19) Do you want to have breakthrough in your life? The word says if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain, move and it will move. (Matt. 17:20) Do you want to have what you have been praying for? The word says if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. (Matt. 21:22) Do you want to move forward from your past? The word says, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17)

God wants you to live a SOZO life! That means saved, delivered, and set free…WHOLE! So stop living a half life! Stop saying one thing and doing another. Stop missing the blessing because you don’t want to do the requirements. Stop waiting for God to do everything when you aren’t doing your part! Do you remember when you got saved? There was even a condition to that! IF you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9) It’s not always comfortable or easy but God says that if you meet the conditions, you will reap the benefits! I know that I want ALL that God has for me. How about you?

 Amen

He's enough

This was one of those mornings when I couldn't hear a thing. I'm out of town and therefore off of my normal schedule and routine. Even though I got in a quiet place and prayed, I just couldn't seem to hear what God was saying. The only thing I kept hearing over and over was a line from a Charles Jenkins song, “Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God.” The problem was that I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to get from that. There was no instruction or catchy phrase that came along with it, just that line on repeat. I’ll admit it, I was starting to get a little stressed. Finally, I heard the Lord say, “That’s enough.” What do you mean, God? That’s enough thinking, praying, trying to figure it out? What are you saying to me? Then I heard that still small voice say, “My name is enough.” And there it was! I was looking everywhere for a deep word to come when the name of Christ was and is enough.

The Lord took me to John 20 and it all came together what God was saying to me. He showed me the section when Mary Magdalene was at the tomb mourning after discovering Jesus’s body was not there anymore. She is in great distress when the angels speak to her. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).”(John‬ ‭20:13-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Sometimes life can distract you so much that you miss what is right in front of you. It happened to me this morning. I was looking for God to give me this amazing word for you and He did but I let what I'm used to distract me from what God wanted me to see and that was Jesus. I don't care what is happening in your life, Jesus is enough. He is present and He is willing. He is your great Advocate and your constant Intercessor. He bore stripes for your healing and took on death, hell and the grave so that you could live. His Name causes demons to flee and everything to bow in worship. He is right where you need Him to be. Mary Magdalene was so caught in the distress of her current situation that she failed to recognize the answer to her needs hen He was right in front of her. I want to encourage you today to know that Jesus is enough. He is present and He is willing. Don’t miss Him because your situation looks impossible. Don’t miss Him because you're expecting something else. And please don't miss Him because you’re so distracted that you don't recognize Him when He shows up.

Isn't it good to know Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God is enough for everything you face?

Amen

Even when you can't see...

I have one sentence playing on loop in my head. “He’ll make everything alright.” I’m not sure why but I can testify that it’s the truth. God can turn your mourning into dancing and your sadness into joy. He can make what looked to be disaster turn into one of your greatest victories. He can take your little and create much. He is a limitless and all powerful God. He is quite simply and yet complexly everything. And maybe that’s at the root of what I’m supposed to tell you today. Your life may be a complete jumble of circumstances and situations that you haven’t quite figured out how to navigate through but God is the answer and the key. He is, in the words of Christ Himself, “the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Rev. 22:13) I say all of that to say, trust Him.

I’m not sure why but God brings me back to the idea of trusting Him every few weeks or so. Maybe it’s just me, but I need reminders. Sometimes I will get so caught up in what I see that I forget that God is in control of it all. I forget that as Colossians 1:16 says, “He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see.” I take that back, I don’t forget, but rather I allow what I see to get in the forefront. Have you ever been there? You know when the stress says give up and the frustration says quit? Yep…that’s why He has to remind me to trust Him. That’s why He has to tell me that He can make everything alright and to share it with you! He knows His people! He knows that you are a control freak that wants everything to line up perfectly. He knows that you are a worrier that replays everything a million times before moving forward. He knows that you can’t let go of that anger because you’ve had it so long that you can’t separate it from your real personality. He knows you and so He says “Trust Me!” He says trust him in your vulnerable place. Trust Him in your weary place. Trust Him in your sad place. Trust Him!

Friends, this life is always going to have challenges. There will always be things that attempt to distract you from the path that God has laid for you. But can I just remind you that God is the Master planner and everything starts and stops with Him? There is no battle that He can’t win because He is Jehovah Nissi, the God who waves the victory banner! There is no sickness that He can’t heal because He is Jehovah Raphe, the God who heals you! There is no storm that can overtake you because He is Jehovah Machseh, Our Fortress and Refuge! The problem is that we tend to put conditions on those titles. If He doesn’t use the battle plan that you would have chosen, you aren’t satisfied. If the way that He chooses to heal is through death, you are mad. If the shelter is not in the place that you like, you sulk. Tough, huh? I know! I’ve had these thoughts. I’ve had these struggles and conversations with God about why He took me down a particular path or didn’t answer the way I wanted Him to and He always replies the same way. TRUST ME!  

And so I say to you, trust Him. Please don’t let what you see mess up where you’re going. Please don’t give the enemy room to slow down your process. You see, God has such an amazing and well thought out plan for your life. He has divine connections and opportunities down the path that looks awkward and uncomfortable. He has revelation and wisdom stationed in places that are outside of your tradition. He even has provision stored up in dry places. So when He sends you…Go! When He calls you…Answer! And when He speaks…Listen! “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”(Rom. 15:13 NLT)

Amen