Category: Word of God

Uniquely His

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer. 1:5)

God is completely sovereign. He knows all things even before they happen, so He knew Jeremiah even before he was formed in his mother’s womb. God’s plan for Jeremiah was that he be consecrated, or “set apart,” for preaching God’s word. His ministry was to be a prophet to the nations, not just to Israel (Jer. 25:1-14; 46:1-51). God has a plan for each of our lives as well, (Jer. 29:11). He set us apart before birth as well, every person is a unique masterpiece, not a copy.

When you know you’re different and you are okay with it, God will cause you to be right where He wills you to be and you’ll find you haven’t been left out at all. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities; but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. (1 Cor. 12:4-6). There are several scriptures that speak of being “different” or a unique person-set apart from the worlds standards-it is essential for doing the work of the Lord. God uses diverse personalities and gifts to serve Him. And remember what the Word says in Colossians (3:22-23); what we do we do with sincerity of heart being to the Lord, not for eye service or people pleasing. Whatever you do, work heartly as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord. So be different, be the unique individual God created you to be.

Reflection of Yesterday

So, teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Ps.90:12)

In this Psalm, number of days: This is more than just having mortality; it means valuing the time we do have by using it for eternal purposes. Our life is but a vapor. (James 4:14) “whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” The Bible consistently describes life on Earth as temporary, short, and fleeting, comparing it to a passing breath, shadow, or mist to emphasize the need for eternal perspective. (Psalm 39:4-5): “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered-how fleeting, my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” This life here is not our permanent home. We have a temporary assignment here and it would be wise to find out what that is. I have spent half my life living like tomorrow would never come, wasting the days away. When suddenly, I realized how many were gone. I now have more days behind me than in front of me. It makes for an urgency to do what I am here for. I need to use what time I have left wisely, serving God, and focusing on eternity. The little girl is now old and gray. My husband and I were just talking about this very thing today. What we would like for our last years here to look like. What would bring fulfillment to each of us and as a couple. Yes, our focus should be on serving God, witnessing to those who do not know where they are going to spend their eternity, but it also means enjoying life with your family and friends, playing, working and resting. Balance. We don’t neglect our duties or our hearts desires, whatever they may be. Spend some time ruminating on your days. What does that look like to you?

What State Are You In?

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content. (Philippians 4:11)

Paul shares that he learned to be satisfied in any circumstance-hungry or plenty-through Christ’s strength. When I look back on my life, I can see all the times I was discontent and when I look deeply at those times it all comes back to, I was trying to do things in my strength. What can I do about the situation? How can I help this person? What am I to do about this broken relationship? How will I be able to come up with the means for this …? Never was I looking to my Source, God. Instead, I allowed fret and worry, mounds of anxiety and a lot of sleepless nights to take over my life. I am still a work in progress and will be until the return of my Lord and Savior, but I am also learning just like Paul did. I am learning to praise God in the valley. No matter the period of time of the intensity of my struggle, nor how dark, deep or difficult it is, I am thanking Him for He is there overseeing the things I cannot. He has a plan way higher than mine, a perfect plan. [Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So, we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear, what can man do to me?”] (Hebrews 12:5) This is trusting God’s presence! He is there with me! [And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distress, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.] (2 Cor.12:9-10) Again, we see we are weak and we need to look to the Lord who is our strength and He provides the power by His grace. Paul isn’t just boasting about his weaknesses, he said he actually takes pleasure, meaning “to think good,” this is an area I am intentionally working on as well as; To say that “I am well pleased” in them, I’m not quite there yet either. But, like Paul through this he was making it known to others the power of Christ and in the end like all things we want it to bring praise to the only One who deserves it, Jesus Christ. This lesson is not just for us. We are setting examples for others, what it is like to trust in God and to be content in the process. So go ahead and try it, Praise Him now, for what He will explain later.

Mount Up

But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

To “wait” on God entails confident expectation and active hope in the Lord. Mount up …run …walk, depicts the spiritual transformation that faith brings to a person. The Lord gives power to those who trust in Him. Eagles: the eagle depicts the strength that comes from the Lord. The strength of people who are nourished by God is compared to the strength of the eagle. Sometimes we find ourselves weary, running on empty, no fight left in us, flat wore out. Maybe we have been trying to figure things out in our own mind/strength, to no prevail, feeling hopeless and exhausted. I recently was put into a battle that could have been all of those things. I have to say, the Holy Spirit has been such a great friend, that I have been able to lean into God, trusting just the right Words to stand on in faith. Even though I do not know the outcome of this particular situation that I’m currently in, that has no bearing on what I’m doing, I’m MOUNTING UP! It makes me think of the scripture in (Hosea 4:6) (My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.) Y’all, seriously learn your Bible, you need it more than you realize. It’s the infallible Word of Good. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) says, (All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.) This scripture verse in (Isaiah 40:31) promises if we will wait on the Lord we will be renewed in our strength and able to soar above the challenges we are being faced with. Divine empowerment! The Word requires us not to lean on our own strength, instead we are relying on God. That means we are trusting and hoping in Him. So, Mount Up! and SOAR.

Standing On the Rock

And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.” (Exodus 33:21)

Isn’t is amazing that Moses would experience the Lord who is the Rock, while standing on the rock. Moses was known by God and found grace in His sight (Ex. 33:12-13). It’s almost like reading a love story. First Moses sees and talks to God as one would to a friend. From a distance, the people saw the pillar and recognized the presence of God, but only Moses could come near the pillar, God’s Prescence. “My Presence” means literally in Hebrew, “MY Face.” God’s promise of His Presence with His people was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, which is where we get “On the Rock, I stand” (1 Cor. 10:4). Christ is the Rock on which I stand. He provides me with stability during the rough times in my life when I don’t think I can stand anymore (Matt. 7:24-26) He is my refuge, shelter and source of strength when I am feeling weak and scared. (Ps. 18:2) In times of temptation He has made a way for me to escape, that I may be able to bear it (1 Cor. 10:13) Here is a promise for you; He will give every believer the grace and power to endure. If you are feeling stress, fear, anxiety, uncertainty, lack of direction, instability, weak or unloved; He’s your Rock. Stand in Him, His Word, His truths, His love. His Love never fails (1 Cor.13:8 ) “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:2) That’s not just scripture; that’s what He did for me! He is not a respecter of persons, if He did it for me, He’ll do it for you.

Being Radically Obedient

Try me now says the Lord, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10)

There is so much to be taken from this testimony, but what I really want to hit on, why I believe God brought it to my mind this morning, “Radical Obedience.” In 1998 my husband I made a move from Texas his home state, to Arkansas. We came here on a job transfer which at the time the pay was only $8 an hour and I was going to be taking a job at the minimum wage of $5.25 an hour once we got here. We came here with a lot of baggage as well and not just the kind you take on vacation, if you know what I mean. Times were tough, for what seemed like a very long time, but we loved God, we trusted Him and we were being obedient to His Word in Malachi. There were days we literally had to believe God for our next meal, via the cousin who was retired and now a vegetable peddler, who would be coming by our home that we were renting at the time with his left-over veggies that he didn’t sell that day at the market. Neither of us had ever lived so scarcely before, yet so intently about our finances and our faith that God would provide just what we needed at just the right time. Standing on the verse (Phil. 4:19) “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” We truly were relying on divine provision through our faith and trust in His Word. Because we were new Christians and we still didn’t really KNOW God, you know, really know Him! Was His Word something we could actually take to the bank? It wasn’t long now until we were about to find out and we found out, through “Radical Obedience.” One of the troubles we had been facing during those tough times was vehicle issues. We had two and they both went out of service at the same time and left us stranded for transportation, how were we going to get to work now? With what money do we have to purchase another vehicle while we fix these? Just like how God is using me right now to share about Him and His goodness, little ‘ole housewife me, he provided a person who we would not have seen coming, to loan us the money for another used vehicle. We are now back on the road because of His provision and our faithfulness and trust in His Word. Now my husband would spend countless hours and hard labor to fix these broken vehicles on his off hours from his job. I thank God for the gifts that He has given each of us, because one of the many He gave my husband was the ability to know the mechanics to fix the vehicles. Money saved is money earned! Now we begin to move forward. We have three vehicles all running and we only need two, but we want to purchase a home of our own and we are going to need some money for a down payment. So, naturally we had the idea we would sell the car we purchased to hold us over while fixing our other two and that would give us “some” of the money we needed. Meanwhile, a lady from our church and her two daughters were going through the same situation we just came out of with three of them, no way to get to work, church, store, etc. I remember it was a Wednesday night and during fellowship hearing their story, I could definitely relate being we had just gone through this same thing. The next day I heard this voice saying, “give them your car.” What? Surely, NOT. We need that money to buy a house. But all day it just kept nudging at my heart, so finally I said, “God, if this is REALLY You, then tell my husband the same thing you are telling me and then I will believe you.” A little time passes and I am getting antsy, I ask my husband, “hey, have you been hearing anything from God?” His reply was, Yeah, I have. I have been thinking about the lady at church, and I know it sounds crazy, but we have this car…. yep, he said it! So, I asked him, “so what do we do?” he replies with, “give her the car.” We really didn’t know what we were doing at the time, all we knew was, if God said, do it! So that next Sunday we went to church with title to the car in hand and gave it to her. First, watching her and her daughter’s reaction was grander than anything I could have imagined. I thought my heart was going to explode. Then, suddenly, the windows of heaven were about to open up and pour out a blessing! We received a check in the mail for three times the amount we were going to sell that car for, and it was EXACTLY the amount we needed to put down on the home we wanted to purchase. Might I add, the money also came from a source only God could have orchestrated. This testimony, like I said in the beginning has many different facets of God that I could touch on, but today I believe it was all about “Radical Obedience.” I would like to add as well, “You cannot outgive God.” You know the Israelite’s once said in (Exodus 24:7)”We will do everything the Lord has said, we will obey.” “Whatever God commands we are in!” that was repeated twice because they finally knew God. Even if we don’t completely understand what the Lord is doing, if He speaks it, just do it. Small acts of obedience are just as important; they will bring your soul satisfaction by knowing you are pleasing the Lord and don’t ever think little things don’t matter to God because nothing goes un-noticed by Him. He delights in His children’s obedience.

The fear of God will result in Obedience to God (Haggai 1:12)