“Today, I Want to Be Me!”

August 5, 2023August 2, 2023Leave a comment

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well,” Psalm 139:14

Oh, the creative power that took place for you to be here today. From the moment of conception, and from the time cells began to divide within themselves, you were and are a product of beautiful design. Uniquely, you are made just the way God intended. And, since we know that He doesn’t make any mistakes, whatever we view as shortcomings in our lives may be there for a much higher purpose. Our so-called defaults are part of the plan that God has laid out in your life.

What would happen if every Christian really armed themselves with this beautiful truth? How would that personally make us feel? How would it affect the way we live, the way we walk and talk? More importantly, how would it affect the way we move in our Christian walk? How much more would we be apt to express our faith knowing the value He places in each and every one of us?

I believe if Christians really got a hold of this truth they would turn the world upside down. They would step out with a newfound faith knowing that they are something really special before God; knowing that their worth is not in how the world sees them; rather, how God sees them. What does He think about me?

Let me tell you what He thinks about you. Jesus said in Luke 12:6-7, “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” “Ye are of more value!” Humanity is the apex of all His creation. He made sure everything that was created was put in the proper place and in the proper order for us. We are the only part of creation where God claimed Himself, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion . . .” (Gen. 1:26). Not only created but we were created in “His image.” Not only in “His image,” but we are also created to have “dominion;” authority over all the earth including the thoughts that come to make us feel less than anything He said of us!

Today, I want to be me. I want to walk like I walk. Express me like only I can. I want to relish in the wonderful thought that when no one else is taking notice of me, He is. Because He designed me this way and I know the care that went into this design, I can rest and enjoy myself. I can love me some me. Even when it seems no one else does, I can love me, because He loves me.

If He says I’m good just like this then all I have to do is learn to work in what He gave me and just be me. “Marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Does your soul know that you are a marvelous work of God? Can you believe that today so that you can just enjoy being yourself? You are so incredibly special. Let no one rob you of the precious way that God sees you.

“Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us and not we ourselves. . .” (Ps. 100:3). I’m so glad I didn’t do this myself. That would be impossible because there is so much that goes into this that we will never figure it out. Then again, I don’t have to because He already did. He stepped back and looked at creation and said, “It was very good,” (Gen.1:31).

I am good! From the time that He has “covered me in my mother’s womb,” (Ps. 139:13), I am just the way He wants me to be. So, today, I can be me! Now, that’s something to 🙂 about!

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Powerless Flames!

August 4, 2023August 2, 2023Leave a comment

“And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.” Daniel 3:27

A lion without teeth and claws is no real threat and flames devoid of the power to burn and devour can do no real harm.

In Daniel 3, there is the very familiar story of the three Hebrew boys facing the fiery furnace. Although familiar, the story begs us to look further into it because the fire should have killed them. The fire should have burned every part of their being to ash with flames so high. The fire should have disintegrated everything about these men and there shouldn’t have been even anything left over to collect, but it was not given the power or the ability to do so.

What a miracle!

I must wonder, what did it look like for these men as they were standing in the flames and looking out without feeling the heat, just the safety of God covering them through it all?

Amazing!

Fire eats up and ravages things every day but when God is in the midst, it has no power!

The enemy was left astonished . . .

No parts of the fire or the furnace experience had any effect on them whatsoever . . .

The only effect it may have had on them was to increase their faith all the more!

Somebody needed to be reminded of this today. I don’t know what flames are trying to ignite against you today, but if He chooses, God can put it out or use it for His glory. Either way, one can never go wrong by trusting in Him.

He will cause the enemy to be astonished before you, amazed that you are still standing. Just like the three Hebrews boys, He will not only cause you to stand in the midst of the powerless flames, but He will allow you to walk around in it giving testimony to the power of the true God you serve.

Flames may be fierce, but God is fiercer! The enemy will try to burn you up, but God can use those flames to promote you (vs. 30) if you will just worship Him, believe, and trust that He has you in the midst of it all, because when you are on God’s side:

“THE FIRE HAS NO POWER!”

“God Puts Gladness in My Heart!”

July 29, 2023July 26, 2023Leave a comment

Circumstances don’t dictate a child of God’s joy.
Daily things can and will happen that will throw
us for a loop, but the joy we have in Him is real.
The joy that we have in God cannot soon be
shaken by the cares and the drama of this life.
The joy we have in Him will stand the test of
time.

Times of increase is wonderful. Times of
blessings are great. But, the greatest thing we
could ever experience is that gladness in our
hearts that God puts there because we have
experienced Him for ourselves; because we are
in a relationship with Him. No matter what’s
going on today, hold on and remember, “The
joy of the LORD is your strength,”
Nehemiah 8:10. What a great feeling!

“If God opened our eyes…”

July 27, 2023July 26, 2023Leave a comment

“Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them,” 2 Kings 6:16. (Read 2 Kings 6:8-17)

If God opened our eyes,
what would we see?
Armies of heavenly hosts
championed to defend me.

Armed and geared
in heaven’s glow and might,
commanded to protect
through the perils of the fight.

Unseen, yet seen,
through the eyes of faith.
Chariots of fire
to protect the way.

Real guards, by heaven’s charge,
stand at the ready.
Heirs of salvation to keep,
and help hold them steady.

In this fight,
we are never alone.
We see that God protects us
from His heavenly throne.

“And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17)

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Taking Care of House Mess

July 26, 2023July 25, 2023Leave a comment

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19

Some weeks can be like a crazy schedule gone wild. The rush from one thing to another can drain us of any free time and we fall behind in our daily upkeep. When that happens and you wake the next morning after all the rushing about, you realize the evidence of your busyness is staring you in the face. What in the world happened here! Do messes multiply at night while we are asleep because we really believe it did not look that bad the night before? It always amazes me how easy it is for things to get disorganized and cluttered when we’re not giving them the attention they deserve.

Disorganization throws me off big time. When I’m trying to concentrate on a task and I lift my head up to look around and am spattered with a mess, my mind keeps going to the mess instead of getting back to the mission. Clutter is its own monster to deal with because when schedules grow out of hand, and stuff gets tossed to the side, the clutter monster gets fed and continues to grow and grow. Then, I wonder, “Where did all of this come from?”

When I first got married many years ago, I used to be a perfectionist. While I’m not as uptight as I used to be about a messy house, I still like cleanliness. A place for everything and everything in its place. Calm. Peaceful. Quiet. Yeah, that’s how I like it! It’s an environment that supports what I want to do in life.

Our spiritual lives operate in much the same way. When we are going off in many directions and not taking care of our home, our “temples,” things become disarrayed. We become less focused on taking care of the “home” business, and in our pursuits, our spiritual house becomes a mess.

Inattentiveness will do that. There are so many things that can capture our attention in our day-to-day activities. We have to be diligent guardsmen of the temple that keeps everything running smoothly. Take a museum for instance. It is probably one of the cleanest and most orderly establishments I have ever visited. The stuff that it holds inside is very valuable and some of it could never be replaced. Because of that, there are guards posted everywhere to ensure that everything is kept that way. When the sign says no photography, the guard will make sure no pictures will be taken. Flash does something to some of the works. You will not eat, drink, touch, or sneeze on any artwork. Our local museum has a line around each item and you better be careful not to cross it, or else.

Being that the Spirit we have in us is of more value than any artwork, irreplaceable and priceless, ought we not to guard it with even more diligence? Shouldn’t we be concerned about any messes or clutter that could disrupt the Spirit’s flow of working within us?

Paul thought so. The concern is that since God’s Spirit resides in you, you have the responsibility to keep the house clean. This body is a rental. It’s not permanent. The last part of our above verse tells us, “And ye are not your own?” We don’t hold the deed: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s,” (1 Corinthians 6:20). But we are responsible for the upkeep of the property.

What mess of the spirit has us so cluttered and disorganized that we are less attentive to the things of God? When the spiritual house is a mess it’s hard to function and find peace to complete the task that God is leading us to. We need to respect this spiritual house as one does when visiting a museum.

How do we keep it in order? First, start by having a made-up mind to set priorities. Know that above all else your relationship with God has to come first. One way to do that is to find out what has been sidetracking you and make it fall into place. Then, change your focus of thought to allow the Spirit freer access to move. Unclutter your thought life from that which does not profit to something far better. The Bible advises us: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things,” (Philippians 4:8). Using this as a filter will help keep the clutter out and rampant thoughts under control.

In verse 9, Paul goes on to explain if they listen to this advice and follow his example, “the God of peace shall be with you.” That means the house is clean and uncluttered, free for Him to move!

If you feel like you are having a hard time connecting with God or you don’t feel the Spirit moving and leading like you once did, check the environment. If you find a need to pick some things up off of that spiritual floor and get things back in order, then do so. There is nothing more precious or powerful than God being able to work in a “house” unhindered, with no messes or obstacles in the way.

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“Watch What You Eat!”

July 25, 2023July 24, 2023Leave a comment

What we put into our bodies matters. The foods we eat can either help or hinder our health. Sometimes, in our house, we stop at fast food restaurants to eat, but it is not an everyday occurrence. I value what goes into my body. Is every food choice the best choice? No, but I try to make it a point to have the majority of what I eat be of nutritional value; to be something that will build me up and not tear me down.

Our spiritual lives work in the same manner. We are what we eat, spiritually. If all that we ever digest is the negatives of this world then we are robbing our spirit of the vital nutrients that can increase our awareness and spiritual health. The Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” (Rom. 10:17). What we assimilate in our being is what will be produced in our spirit and in our lives.

God’s word has everything we need. A daily diet of letting Him speak to us through His word, through His preachers and teachers will enrich our spiritual lives and make us stronger in Him. When adversity and the storms of life arise, His word, which has already been deeply instilled in us pops into action and carries us through to the other side.

We need God’s word every day. We need it to grow. We need it to learn. We need it to increase our faith. We will never be the healthy Christians that we need to be if we leave the word of God out of our daily routines. God’s word will build you up and make you stronger in Him. Many are diligent about their natural health but watch what you eat spiritually. It can make the difference between spiritual health and spiritual sickness.

A Cheerful Heart is Good Medicine

July 4, 2023July 3, 2023Leave a comment

Smile often. Be optimistic. Make merry. Laugh a little more. Find joy in the big and small things. Love intently, and remain cheerful in your heart for it is good medicine. – Proverbs 17:22

Enjoy your family. Enjoy your friends. Enjoy the life that God blessed you with today!

Happy Fourth of July!

“Little Stuff Matters!”

June 27, 2023June 26, 2023Leave a comment

“I don’t have enough in me.”

“My gift is not as great as theirs.”

“The anointing is me is not as strong as another.”

“I can’t do this.”

“I don’t have enough to work with.”

“I am too small.”

“I don’t have someone supporting me like that.”

Have you ever struggled with the idea of you don’t have enough in you to make a difference or a positive impact? Do you feel God pulling you into an area of faith but the fear that your “little bit of stuff” is not enough and it’s holding you back?

Many people struggle with thoughts such as these. If it’s not big, it won’t work. But God never called us into big things. But, what He did do was call us to step out in faith believing in Him, in where He wants to take us.

There is to be no inferiority complex among God’s people. We are not depending on what we bring to the table. Our dependence is upon Him and what He does with what we bring. God is the one that establishes the work of our hands (Psalms 90:17). God is the one who gives the increase off of what we do (1 Corinthians 3:7). Therefore, it doesn’t matter what we think of the size of what we bring because God is the one working behind the scenes; God is the one who works in it to outsize all.

All He asks of us is to step out in faith and work with what He gave us.

“For who hath despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10). Every great tree that stands tall in the forest started from a small thing; from a seed. Your “small thing” is the seed of your gift that God is waiting for you to plant so that He can cause it to grow. An unplanted seed will not flourish and neither will your gift.

Don’t shun it because you think it’s not big enough. Don’t toss it to the side because you think it’s not good enough and doesn’t matter. It’s not about what you bring; it’s all about what He does with what you bring.

Luke 16:10 tells us, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much . . .” God wants to see what you do with the “least” before He turns it into “much.” Won’t you plant your little seed today?

Little stuff matters. If you don’t think so, take encouragement from these little critters:

“There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:

The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer,

The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;

The locusts have not king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces,” (Proverbs 30:24-28).

You see, it’s not about size or strength, but the wisdom God gives to those who render their little bit of stuff to Him in service. Size doesn’t matter to God because He is the God of increase. What matters most with God is our faithfulness in rendering what we do have to Him and trusting Him to let it grow.

“Little things make big things happen” (John Wooden).

Especially, when God is in it. So, don’t cast it off. Work it!

Blessings.

“Please, Pray Me Through to My Deliverance!”

May 31, 20231 Comment

“For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer…” Philippians 1:19

There is so much hurt going on in the body of Christ. Saints are going through trials and tribulations like never before. As the days draw to a close, a time when our Lord Jesus Christ will come back to whisk us away to glory, the enemy has been on a vehement rampage against God’s people everywhere.

Paul, when he wrote his letter to the Philippian church, knew something of hardships. He was imprisoned and put in a place of affliction and hurt. So, when he writes of the faith he has, that the saints will help pray for his deliverance, he knew what he was talking about.

There is a wonderful bond in the body of Christ that is like no other. Unity, love, and compassion mean so much to our survival that our very witness to the world depends on it. There has been, over the past few years, an awareness of how we have hurt not only one another but our witness before the world through gossiping and the tearing down of one another.

Jesus Himself said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another,” (John 13:35). Having sincere love toward another means that we would want what’s best for them. Even if it means exalting somebody higher than yourself; putting the petitions of prayer that someone else so desperately needs above your own.

We often hear the encouragement that, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,” (James 5:16). To avail means that we have a God-given right to have the upper hand, through prayer, against any foe that would dare to rise up against one of God’s anointed ones. How are we using that advantage? Are we selfishly gleaning all the grapes off the vine of blessings for ourselves, or do we have enough Christian courage to let another feast off of your effectual, fervent prayers before you get a taste?

Paul openly admitted on several occasions how much he was dependent upon the prayers of those who had his back in ministry. Despite his supposed super saint/apostleship position, he realized that the sweet aromas of selfless petitions were being put up to God on his behalf. Because of that, he was assured that he would see deliverance.

How much care and emphasis do you really put on the body of Christ when you bow the knee to the Father? How much is that hunger in you to see the salvation of the unsaved of your family and friends being fed? Do you really believe that not only will your prayers move mountains in your life but also in the life of another? You may be their only hope, whether they are born or again or not, to draw near to God and receive deliverance.

Paul puts it best in 1 Corinthians 13:1 where he says, “Though I speak with tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” Are you just making a lot of noise when you pray or are you busting the gates of hell loose because your heart is hurting for another? It was Abraham Lincoln that was quoted as saying, “I am sorry for the man who can’t feel the whip when it is laid on the other man’s back.”

There are some “whips” being laid on others; some burdens that you can help someone else carry if only we would do as the Philippian church did and pray. Not just any prayer, but prayers that will let our brothers and sisters know assurance of seeing deliverance, too.

If you want to see true restoration in your own life, learn to put the needs of others before your own. Job 42:10 states, “The Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends.” We are to be a people who step in that place of praying for others and petitioning heaven on their behalf. It was not until Job prayed for his friends were his losses restored.

Let’s work today in hedging people in under the arc of safety, the covering of prayer, so they will finally see deliverance, too. There may be a hurting soul quietly pleading for someone to, “Please, Pray Me Through to My Deliverance.”

Keep praying for one another!

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“Your Anointing is Dangerous, but it’s Worth It!”

May 27, 2023May 27, 20237 Comments

A shepherd boy who had been forgotten when Samuel came to call, David was treated as a “less than” by everyone who knew him the most, except God.

God, looking past his outer array saw something special in him. He instructed Samuel to, “Arise, anoint him: for this is he,” (1 Samuel 16:12). Following God’s lead, “Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward,” (1 Samuel 16:13).

Not only had he been empowered and anointed by God’s Spirit on that day, but his life has never been the same since then. Because of the anointing in his life, David experienced ups and downs; he experienced victories, and he experienced times of loss. But in the end, he is still known as one of Israel’s greatest kings; as the bloodline through whom our Lord Jesus Christ came, and as a man after God’s own heart, Acts 13:22.

What David gained, Saul lost. As David became empowered by God’s Spirit, Saul was stripped of this anointed pleasure and replaced by something evil, 1 Samuel 16:14. This made David a continual target of hatred and adversity. What started out as a relationship of love (1 Samuel 16:21) quickly turned to envy and hatred after David returned from the slaughter of the Philistines because the women of the city sang, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands,” (1 Samuel 18:7).

Saul knew he was on a downward spiral and as a bird of prey perched to claim his next victim, “Saul eyed David from that day and forward,” (1 Samuel 18:9). Even when David was sent to relieve Saul of the distressing spirit that had come upon him, his life became an endangered treasure as the javelin of hatred whisked through the air intent on taking his life, 1 Samuel 18:10-11.

The LORD was with David. The people loved David. The anointing was on David, but that didn’t mean people wouldn’t try to squash what God was trying to accomplish in his life. David was at times a fugitive, constantly on the run, but he escaped time and again in what I am attributing to the providence of God.

At one point, in a dark cave in the wilderness of En-gedi, David had the opportunity to rid himself of the provocation of Saul once and for all. Yet, David refused to come against anything or anyone who had once been anointed by God, 1 Samuel 24:6.

This did not immediately vanquish Saul’s pursuit of David. Not until Saul perished in the battle against the Philistines did David become free of this enemy who pursued his life, 1 Samuel 31.

Hear this, we may not be aligned to be a great king of Israel or the like, but the Bible tells us, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people,” (1 Peter 2:9a). The anointing on your life makes you and me something and someone special before God.

The rest of 1 Peter 2:9 states, “That ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” Because God has poured His oil of anointing, through the power of His Holy Spirit, upon each and everyone that belongs to Him, we are designed to make a mark for Him in this world.

This anointing will bring enemies and battles, and yes, at times may seem dangerous, yet, “He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God,” (2 Corinthians 1:21). God is the one that has anointed us, and “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

Through Jesus Christ; through the power of His Spirit in us, we have been called and blessed to walk in the power of all God designed each one of us to be. Don’t let your circumstances dictate your anointing. Don’t let the Sauls of your life pierce through what God has divinely appointed for you. David ran for his life yet God’s plan for him never faltered. He was set aside for the Master’s use, and so are we.

There will always be adversity against God’s anointing, but if God anointed you choose today to walk in all that He has blessed you to be. Your anointing may seem dangerous at times, but in the end, it is well worth it. Just ask David.

Word For Life Says…

God's Word for Your Life Today!

Tag: Bible Verse

“Today, I Want to Be Me!”

Powerless Flames!

“God Puts Gladness in My Heart!”

“If God opened our eyes…”

Taking Care of House Mess

“Watch What You Eat!”

A Cheerful Heart is Good Medicine

“Little Stuff Matters!”

“Please, Pray Me Through to My Deliverance!”

“Your Anointing is Dangerous, but it’s Worth It!”

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