Follow through!

It’s late but I wanted to share a quick though with you. A little over 2 years ago, I had a dream. It was early morning and it played like a movie. The Lord told me to write a job description and ask for a new position. He told me what I should ask for and how to do it. I was shocked! I asked a few people to tell me if I was crazy to put myself out there when I had a perfectly good job but the consensus was to go for it. So I went into work that day and started working on the proposal. I thought it was crazy but I went with it. Long story short, after a few months of waiting, I got what I asked for. I was nervous and uncomfortable but I pressed through the waiting. What’s my point? Today, I celebrated the successful completion of the 1st year of a grant funded program that was at the heart of my “dreamproposal”. I realIzed today that I had to step out in faith for the 22 young people that finished the program today. I had to be obedient because they needed someone in position to offer them an opportunity. I had to leave my comfortable place so they could have what seemed impossible for some.

Let me encourage you today! You may not understand why you have had to take the path you have or why your journey has had so many ups and downs. But I can tell you that someone will benefit because you overcame and kept pressing. Someone won’t have to suffer as long because you took the hits. What has been so challenging for you is going to be the foundation for someone else’s next level. Please don’t give up too quick! Please don’t cancel early and forfeit the promise! God is faithful and His plan accounts for your issues and setbacks. Be sure that you don’t leave someone hanging because you won’t answer the call. Don’t prolong their blessing because  There is purpose, there is victory, and there is surely reward in your obedience. You just have to trust Him with the follow through…

Amen.

NEXT!

Ever since I entered into year 8 of Rhema, I’ve felt this sense of NEXT. I’m not sure what to do with it yet but I recognize that God is doing something new in me, my worship, and my prayer life. I’ve decided to just go with Him and His will. But I recognize that He is the type of God that can take what I consider to be over, and revitalize and refresh it. Today, I want to encourage you to tap into who God is. Tap into the majesty and depth of who He is. It’s time for you to look through fresh eyes and encouraged hearts, understanding that the God you serve is willing and able to do what you can’t, to take you where He wants you to be. That was a whole long sentence to say, He is ready to take you to your next, if you are willing to let Him.

As I was in prayer this morning, the Lord reminded me that He is big and that my expectation needs to match that. He reminded me of Philippians 4:19 and it truly blessed me. “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (NKJV) Come on, somebody! But as I sat down to write He sent me to the VOICE translation and it  reads like this, “Know this: my God will also fill every need you have according to His glorious riches in Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King.” So often, you miss what God wants to do in and through you because you start at your capability and your bank account and your strength. However, this verse is a reminder that what He wants to do is according to HIS riches, His Son. His ability. I want to shift your thinking today to a realm of NEXT. I want to reshape your expectation to a realm of POSSIBLE. I want to upgrade your plans to a realm of DESTINY.

You see, Philippians 4:19 lets us know that the way in which God meets your need is through His riches. He doesn’t meet you at your limit because you would never have enough. You would never be able to achieve the purpose that God has laid out for you because you, in your own strength and wealth, are not big enough. But if you start from “His glorious riches”, the possibilities are endless. I know that His riches are big enough to not only be about money but rather a supply of love, power, strength, comfort, energy, creativity, innovation, freedom etc. He wants you to understand that what He asks you for, He has given you the supply to accomplish it. You know that ministry He birthed in you, there is enough people, provision, and power to take it where it needs to go. You know that book He gave you, there’s enough creativity, words, and impact to take it where it needs to go. You know that compassion He gave you, there’s enough souls, love, and strength to take it where it needs to go.

It’s time for you to start looking at your assignment with the expectation of a giant God. He promised that He would meet every need from the starting place of His riches. You have to get in the position and posture that you expect Him to exceed your vision. I am convinced that many people are not living their best life because their expectation starts with them. He is too big to be limited to you! Will you make this verse part of your life song? Will you let it remind you that He is willing and able to take you where He has called you?  I am just crazy enough to believe that when you begin to walk, talk, and live like you believe who He is, you will begin to see an upgrade in your life.

Amen

Don't cut out too quick!

There have been many times in my life that I have asked the Lord, “why me?” Anyone else? Why did I have to fight that battle? Why did “they” have to do that to me, say that about me, treat me that way? Why did my marriage break up? Why did I never have a baby? Why have I struggled to find love? Why did I get sick? All of these questions on one side and yet on the other side, there was promise. You will affect nations. You will bring the Word to people. You will change lives. You will feed the hungry and clothe the naked. You are necessary for this place or that place. You have life in you. All of these things to balance in this life and often no direct answer or response to your questions. Over the last several weeks, the Lord has placed Psalm 105:16-22 in front me and I realized today that it was the answer.

Psalm 105 is a song about the experience of the Israelites. These particular verses are about Joseph and how his life impacted the story of God’s people. Right before Joseph is introduced, the psalm tells how the Lord sent famine to the land. “He ordered famine to grip the land and cut them off from their supply of bread.  But long before, He had sent a man ahead of them: Joseph, who had been sold into slavery.” (v.16 VOICE) Do you see that highlighted phrase – “but long before”? Well that is the intro to your answer. In His infinite wisdom, the Lord knew that famine would be needed and He had a person in mind that He would use to bring the provision in response to the lack. Ok…hold that in your spirit.

‘At first, his masters shackled his feet with chains,  placed his neck into a collar of iron. That was until the Eternal’s promises came to pass; His word tested Joseph and proved him worthy.” (v. 17 -19) So the Lord then allowed Joseph to go through slavery and struggle so that he would be in position both physically and spiritually for that moment when His time would come. He allowed Joseph to go through times when His promise would be questioned.  He allowed him to be in bondage when He had told Him that He was the favorite. The Lord allowed Joseph to feel the heat of hurt so that He would be worthy of the glory. Do you see that? On the way to the promise, the Word tested Joseph but he was proved worthy! Come on, verse 19, speak to the people! Do not forsake the promise because you don’t want the testing. Take joy in the fact that you will be proved worthy for your assignment. You will be prepared for your next level.

Can you just take a moment and think about the fact that you are the answer to someone’s problem. All of the hard places that you have faced and may be currently facing have future impact. Your response to your challenge can prove you worthy of the promise. Come on! I can look back on my life and see that what I have been through has prepared me for today. Those places that hurt like crazy have been broken up for God’s glory. Can I suggest to you that God is aware of your struggles and challenges? Can I remind you that He is the Master Planner and He knew LONG BEFORE what you would go through because He knew where you were going?

“The king sent out the order to release him from prison; the ruler of Egypt liberated him from the chains.  Then he put Joseph in charge of the royal household, made him ruler of all the royal possessions, allowed him to imprison the royal officials whenever he saw fit and impart wisdom to the elders in the land.” (v. 20-22) The Lord’s plan works! He brought Joseph back to the promise…back to the favor. He will do the same for you! Do not give up in the test when God’s plan brings you squarely back to the promise. I know it has been hard and you have wanted to give up and cry but please don’t! Your part in the plan is important. Don’t cancel it before you’ve gotten to the end!

Amen.

Stay on assignment!

Here I am in the last minutes before midnight and no Rhema. Nothing! No deep advice or metaphors…just silence.  Oh wait…there was also me and the assignment to write. I decided that I wouldn’t panic or stress or worry about the time but instead, I would just do the assignment. You see, sometimes we complicate the issue by trying to find the answer to our problems floating off in space, when in fact, the answer is a misplaced assignment. Think about Joseph, despite everything that was done to him, he stayed obedient and open to what the Lord said from the beginning and he was blessed. Brothers and sisters, be found doing your assignment. If He said write, please write. If He said love, my God, show some love to someone. What is saying to you?

Remember Ruth? Yeah, Boaz found her working but the real story is how she stayed on assignment. She knew she was to stay with Naomi and in order to do that, she had to work. “But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!””(Ruth‬ ‭1:16-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬) She was on assignment! The fact that Boaz found her working was a byproduct of being in position and on her assignment.

Listen, God doesn’t make mistakes nor is He taken unaware by the enemy’s schemes. Don’t miss the blessing because you are doing something other than your assignment. Don’t waste time worrying about someone else’s assignment while yours lies dormant. Don’t throw your assignment to the side because of your circumstances or the opinion of man. It’s time to walk out the assignment that He gave, whether great or small.  It’s time to get in position NOW! Please don’t disrespect the faith that God had in you when He gave you that assignment by ignoring Him. He knew what He was doing and trust me, His plan always works.

Amen

Stay the course!

I had a whole lot that I wanted to say today. A whole lot of observations and opinions that I, Ebony, wanted to share. But every time I started writing, the Lord would only let me get so far before shutting me down. You see, the great thing about God is that when you allow Him to be in control, He won’t let your flesh win. He will ever so sweetly or abruptly, set you straight, depending on how hard headed you are! Today, He asked me to step aside so that He could share a simple thought with you. Ready? Stay the course. Do what He has told you to do and don’t get distracted or tricked into going a different way. Please don’t do it! You see, the enemy works in the familiar. I mean, look at how many people in the Bible were thrown off by people that were close to them. But here’s the thing! What God says about you supersedes any trick or trap that the enemy tries. But you have to remember what He said! If He called you leader…LEAD! If He called you teacher…TEACH! And if He called you to be still…my God, BE STILL! It is OK! Our instructions aren’t always these huge, intricate plans. Sometimes, they are “go” or “sow” or “love”. Whatever your instruction, stay the course. Don’t let the opinion of man or their interpretation make you stop. Stay the course!

“You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by GOD. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, GOD, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me.” (Psalm‬ ‭119:1-8‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

My prayer for you today is that you will stay true to God’s Word concerning your life. I pray that you will be so confident and secure in what or who He calls you that no one can throw you off. I pray that your relationship with Him is so deep that a hiccup in the road or even a big boulder won’t change what you know to be true. Stay the course, man of God! You have breakthrough in your mouth and provision in your hands. Stay the course, woman of God! You have power in your prayers and victory in your vision. Don’t lose it and don’t fall off. If He said it, showed it, input it, He will surely finish it. Don’t miss your destination because you got off on the wrong exit. Stay the course!

Amen.

Go!

The last couple of weeks, Rhema has flowed pretty easily. They haven’t been easy words but I heard them clearly. This morning…not so much! I did what I normally do and waited but nothing. Then I sat down at the computer and just started tapping my fingers on the computer keyboard as though I was typing. The screen remained empty but I put a demand on my fingers to do what God called me to do. Eventually, words began to appear on the screen as the Lord began to speak. I realized that I was waiting when I should be acting. He met me when I started doing what He told me to do. Now…don’t get me wrong! There are many times that the Lord says not to move until He says so but sometimes He has done the instructing and He is waiting for you put into action what you know He said. I wonder how many of you have been stuck on the instruction but haven’t moved to the action? Today, I want to challenge you to GO!

This morning, the Lord took me back to just after the Resurrection. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb to visit when there was a great earthquake. The angel of the Lord appeared and rolled the stone away. The guards that were on duty fainted in fear. “Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” (Matt. 28:5-7 NLT) Okay. Did you see the instructions?

Ok…here’s the good part. “The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him.” (Matt. 28:8-9 NLT) This is the meat of what God told me to tell you today. Even though the women were afraid, they went. Even though they were completely overwhelmed, they had joy because they knew Jesus was in the instruction. AND AS THEY WENT, Jesus met them! He met them in the midst of their obedience. They had not even completed the assignment yet but because they went on His instruction, He met them. He allowed them to see Him and worship Him on their way.

And then do you know what He did? He confirmed the instruction. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.” (Matt. 28:10 NLT) Listen, saints! Go, where He sends you. Just go. Just obey. If He is in the instruction, He will give you what you need to get to the end of it. Before their fear stopped them from getting to the end, He met them and cancelled it. He rewarded their obedience with His presence and assurance. He let them know that they didn’t hear wrong. He let them know that He would follow through with what He had instructed.  AS THEY WENT!

Man of God, if He told you to do it, He will keep you through it. Woman of God, if He showed it to you, He will encourage you through it. Fear has no power when Jesus is in it unless you allow it to. Jesus trusted those women to obey. He didn’t give anyone else the instruction. He could have easily had the angel appear to the disciples but He was building the women’s faith. He was reminding them that He was still there. Don’t forsake the trust He put in you. Don’t let fear keep you from fulfilling the assignment that is uniquely yours. I promise you that as you go, He will always show up!

Amen.

Double for your trouble...

The Lord spoke to me this morning about shame. As I prayed, He said that there are some of you that are trying to identify the cause of your delay. You have been wondering why you can’t seem to get over the hump and feel completely well, whole and equipped. This won’t be for everyone but it will be for some. I have never written about shame but the Lord put it heavy in my spirit today. So I want to declare a freedom from shame in the atmosphere. I want the power of that freedom to jump out of this blog and into your spirit as you read. So let’s go to work.

According to the dictionary, shame is a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. It is an emotion brought on by guilt, shortcoming or impropriety. It is something that brings censure or reproach. It is a condition of humiliating disgrace or disrepute. In other words, it is a powerful tool of the enemy to hold you still, quiet, and sick because of your past, your experiences, or your mind. It’s the spirit that reminds you of who you used to be and what you used to do whenever the Lord gives you an instruction. It’s that feeling in the pit of your stomach that won’t let you worship freely without crying because you aren’t sure that you are worthy to be where you are. It’s the highlight reel that plays in your mind whenever you try to move forward. It is quite simply a trick of the enemy. He uses it on pastors, leaders, parents, children, whoever has something inside of them that will help someone else to get free. He uses it on you.

Today, the Lord told me to tell you that He loves you. He loves you because He created you and planned for you. He loves you because He knows you, the real you. He knows what you did, who you did it with and when you did it. And guess what? He still loves you. He told me to tell you that every experience can be used for His glory. If you have acknowledged, forgiven, and/or repented, you don’t have to carry the burden of shame any longer. Think about Christ! When He went to the cross, He was made to be a public spectacle. He was beaten, talked about, and humiliated by those who were supposed to love and welcome Him.  The Bible says in Hebrews 12:2 that “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” When Jesus died, He rose above the power of your shame. He literally defeated it with His blood. Your responsibility is to stop carrying something that was already destroyed.

It’s a powerful thing to stand up to your past. Whether things were done to you or you did things to other people, your freedom is worth more than the weight of your shame. Your past does not get to hold you hostage anymore. The Lord has a word for you today and it is this. “Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” (Isaiah 61:7 NLT) It’s time to break through the barrier of your shame into the joy that awaits you. You deserve this joy…it’s your inheritance!

Amen.