Thursday, March 21, 2013

Just BELIEVE

For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed in (trusted in) God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness (right living and right standing with God). ~ Romans 4:3 AMP

Abraham BELIEVED! If you look back over Abraham's life, you will see what great faith he had. The Bible doesn't say he was perfect. It doesn't say he never made mistakes. Abraham is known most because whatever God said, he believed! He believed God and whatever God told him to do, he obeyed.

Many times things didn't make sense and God asked him to do things that seemed absolutely crazy. That didn't matter to Abraham because he trusted God. He knew that God was faithful and true to His Word and whatever God said would come to pass. It was as simple as that. His trust in God was far greater than the need to understand what God was doing. And because he believed Him no matter what, it was accounted to him as righteousness.

Do we have that kind of relationship with God? Do we really trust Him? Do we believe EVERYTHING He tells us? Or do we believe for a while but after we have to wait for any length of time we start thinking that maybe God didn't really mean it. Do we only obey when it makes sense and we think we can figure out what He is doing? Or do we step out full of faith no matter what it is...no matter how foolish it may seem...no matter what anyone thinks of us...no matter if we have no clue where God is taking us?

That's the kind of faith God wants us to have. He wants us to put more trust in Him than we do our natural senses. What He says should be more important than our emotions, how we feel, how things look, or what anyone else says. We should be known as people who BELIEVE God!

What has God asked you to do? Why haven't you done it yet? Why are you letting all the distractions stop you?

What has God said about your situation? Are you standing on His Word? Do you know that His Word will NOT return void? Are you placing more confidence in what He says about this situation or are you allowing everything and everyone else drown out what the Word says?

We have to start seeing through eyes of faith. The truth of God's Word is greater than how our circumstances appear. When He asks us to do something, it's not to make us look foolish. He has a plan! There is a purpose for everything He asks us to do. It may be for our benefit. It may be for someone else's benefit. Regardless of what the plan is, we are choosing to settle for less than God's best when we don't obey. We may be hindering someone else from receiving what the Lord has for them. We may be keeping our hands tied where we can't receive the blessings that God has for us. Don't be concerned about why He is asking you to do something. Simply obey and be an instrument He can use to carry out His plan on this earth!

Strive to be someone who believes God no matter what! Work on developing a personal, intimate relationship with Him. The more you get to know Him, the more you will understand that everything He does is motivated by love. You will know that He has a perfect plan for your life and He wants only the very best for you!


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

He is Our Strength

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self- sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]. ~ Philippians 4:13 AMP

What an encouragement to know that we are empowered by Christ! We are infused with inner strength that comes from Him! Our sufficiency is in Him!

I don't know about you but that changes my whole outlook on life! No matter what comes our way during our lifetime, He has equipped us to handle it and through His strength, we will come out victorious! That is a promise!

You know, we go through times when we know without a doubt that it's only by the grace of God that we're able to keep going. We get hit so hard sometimes and knocked down over and over and there are times when we just don't feel like getting back up. Our flesh is tired. We know we need to pray and cry out to God even more but we honestly just don't have the strength to do it. Guess what? God does not get surprised when we have those moments. Even when we can't "feel" it, He is infusing us with His strength! At our weakest and lowest moments, He is slowly filling us back up. He is sustaining us! The enemy would seek to destroy us in these moments, but God never once leaves our side! He is our Shepherd and He is right there with us protecting us from any harm.

Don't feel like God is disappointed in you or like you have failed when you get to these places. We are all human and have times where we have to stop and catch our breath for a moment. Be honest with Him and don't pretend to be a superhero. God is not impressed when we pretend to have it all together. He wants our honesty. He wants us to be real with Him and trust in Him to give us what we need to keep going. He doesn't want you to handle it all by yourself. He wants you to acknowledge that you need His help.

The key is to ask Him for help and to get back up. Don't get stuck in one of these places and accept defeat. It's ok to take a moment to catch your breath but remember that you still have work to do. Rise up in His strength and keep going! Let Him fill you to overflowing and go back out with a new determination and passion!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

He Wants You To Bear Much Fruit

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ~ John 15:5

How awesome and vital it is that we remain connected to the Vine! He is our source! He is our strength! He sustains us and gives us the provision we need to fulfill our purpose here on this earth! Staying connected to Him is the only way we will survive!

This verse tells us that if we abide in Him we will bear much fruit. I wonder sometimes if we have a misunderstanding of what fruit is. Often in our minds we have this beautiful picture painted. We are walking along with God and everything is wonderful. Everything is going our way. We're not being hindered in our work for the Lord and blessings are just overtaking us. We are being used mightily by Him to change our world and impact lives everywhere we go. We are full of strength and power and it just couldn't get any better.

Then we get out of bed and reality hits us. We're still dealing with sickness in our bodies. The bills are behind and we don't know where the money is going to come from to pay them. Our car keeps tearing up. We're in danger of losing our job because they are downsizing and closing our department. Our kids have run away and we don't know if they're ok. We're having problems in our family and we just don't know how much more we can take. We just received the news that someone very dear to us has gone on to be with the Lord. And on and on and on!

This looks a whole lot different than the beautiful picture we have painted in our mind. But we don't have to let these situations affect our final outcome! How we perceive things that come into our lives and the attitude we maintain in the midst of these storms have a tremendous ability for God's glory to be revealed through us! Some of the greatest fruit comes from the most difficult circumstances.

In our own minds we may think that we're a failure or that we just have no strength left but to others who are watching us, they see God's strength in us! They see Him carrying us and they know without a doubt that if it was not for Him, we couldn't survive! They see Him working in and through our situations and as we walk through the process, we are being changed in ways we can't even imagine! They are seeing what it looks like to truly walk with God, not just talk about Him on Sundays when we're at church. We're a living testimony of how real He is and how actively involved He is in our daily lives. We are impacting lives without even realizing it!

So as you start your day and you're still faced with that situation that just doesn't seem to go away, refuse to be distracted by it! Keep your eyes on Jesus and draw from His strength. Know that others are watching you and as you allow Him to work through you in the midst of this situation, their lives will be forever changed! You are showing them the true God that you serve! All glory will go to Him as you point others to Him!


Monday, March 18, 2013

Delayed is Not Denied!

Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ~ Genesis 21:5

Abraham is one of the great heroes of faith. It is so amazing to read the story of his life and to see how he kept believing no matter how long he had to wait for God's promises to come to pass in his life.

Abraham was 75 years old when God told him that He would make him a great nation (Gen. 12:2). After waiting on God to fulfill this promise for 10 years, they started getting impatient. Sarah decided to take things into her own hands and "help" God fulfill the promise. She sent Abraham in to be with her maidservant Hagar and she conceived Ishmael. However, this was not the son of promise. Isaac was the son that God has promised and he was not born to Abraham until he was 100 years old! Sarah was 90 years old! Can you imagine having a child at that age?

Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years for the promise to be fulfilled! Sometimes we get frustrated if we have to wait a week for something to come to pass and we start thinking that God has forgotten us. God's timing is everything. We have to trust in His sovereignty and know that He sees the whole big picture. He will not show up early and He will never be late. He is an on time God and He always keeps His promises!

Another great thing about this story is that God was still faithful to His promise even though they tried to get ahead of God and do things their own way. Doing things their way created problems that should not have been there, but it didn't cause God to turn His back on them and forget what He has promised them. God is faithful even when we mess up. We may get ahead of Him and try to take matters into our own hands. God is big enough to work with us even when we mess up. He's not limited by our mistakes. He can take those mistakes and use them to accomplish something wonderful.

If you've been waiting a while for your promise to come to pass, be encouraged! God has not forgotten you! He sees where you are and He will come through for you! Don't allow your limited vision to keep you from trusting in His faithfulness. You only see part of the picture but He sees everything. He is getting everything in perfect order and at just the right time, you will receive what He has promised you! Refuse to take no for an answer. Don't accept defeat just because you're having to wait for it. Delayed is not denied! He is faithful and true to His Word! Keep believing and never lose hope!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Get Back Up!

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. ~ Psalm 19:14

Today is a brand new day! God has blessed each of us with another opportunity to serve Him and to be a light for Him. What a joy to wake up each morning knowing that each of us have a purpose! We are on assignment! Who can we reach out to today? Who needs an encouraging word? Who is waiting on us to notice them and assure them that someone cares?

Oh how proud our Father becomes when He sees us excited about the work He has called us to do! We can be so effective when we get our minds on our purpose and off of our problems. Every single person is going through something. We all have problems. That is just part of life. Some people are going through some very serious things right now. No matter what we are facing, we can't get stuck there. That is what the enemy wishes to do. If he can afflict us with all kinds of junk and get us to stop dead in our tracks, he is being successful in keeping us from fulfilling the work God has called us to do. He will do whatever he can to stop us from advancing. He doesn't want us to conquer new territory. He has watched us a long time and he knows our area of weakness. He will continue to attack us in our area of weakness as long as he can get us to stop.

We have to make up our minds that we will NOT be stopped no matter how much the enemy attacks us. When he sees that he can no longer control us, he will stop attacking in this area and start looking for new ways to slow us down. We have to have determination and passion for the work God has called us to do! We must constantly keep our mind on the things of God. We must meditate on His Word and speak according to the Word. If not, we will become negative in our minds and then negative words will follow. It is very important that we think on the right things.

God has given us everything we need to defeat the enemy. We have His Word. We have prayer. We have praise and worship. We have the Holy Spirit. We are lacking nothing! The only way we can be defeated is when we don't use the weapons that He has given us. If we lay down and keep letting the enemy kick us around, we will continue to walk in defeat. But greater is He that is in us!

I encourage you today to rise above that situation. Get back on your feet and remember who you are in Christ! Pull out your weapons and refuse to listen to the lies of the enemy! You are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ! Stand in His strength and know that He will never allow the crashing waves to take you under. This thing will make you stronger if you work with God through it. What the enemy means to destroy you with is only building your character and accomplishing such a mighty work in your life that everyone who sees you will know that you are different...you have been set apart...you are HIS! You are a priceless treasure and He is so proud of the beautiful person that you are!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Seek Wisdom

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her And happy are all who retain her. ~ Proverbs 3:13-18

As we go through life, we will have countless decisions to make. We need wisdom to make the right decisions. We often feel like we don't have enough wisdom to make the right choices and we grow impatient because wisdom doesn't seem to come fast enough when we need it. Sometimes we may think that God is holding out on us and just doesn't want to show us the way.

The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom. In Proverbs 3:13-18, we are shown just how important wisdom is. The Amplified version of verse 13 says, "Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding [drawing it forth from God’s Word and life’s experiences]." As we read all in the book of Proverbs, it is very clear that wisdom is something that we should desire. It is also clear that it is God's will for us to obtain this wisdom. We would never be instructed to seek after something in God's Word if He didn't intend for us to find it.

Verse 13 says that we gain understanding by drawing it forth from God's Word and life's experiences. As we go through life and face all kinds of situations, we are then able to apply the Word of God. We learn. We grow. We gain wisdom and understanding that we never would have achieved had we not gone through this certain situation.

Think about it this way...someone is training you for a job and they show you every possible thing they can think of. However, a situation arises that they did not instruct you how to handle. When the situation arises, then you are able to go back to the person who trained you and ask them what you are supposed to do in that particular situation. Now you have gained wisdom and understanding. Had that situation never have come up, you never would have gained the knowledge of what to do. If this same situation ever comes up again, you will know exactly how to handle it.

As we gain wisdom, we are not only equipped to handle the situations in our own lives but we are also equipped to help others as they go through those same situations. Everything we learn in life can be used to help others. You may be facing a situation right now and don't understand why you're having to go through it. Maybe there's someone coming behind you that needs the wisdom that you are gaining right now. Don't get discouraged and don't think God has left you. In the midst of your darkest hour He is raising you up to help bring someone else out of their dark hour. Be patient and gain the wisdom that He wants you to get. This will be priceless information that will sustain you, as well as others, for the rest of your days here on this earth!