Psalm 25:16-18

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am alone and afflicted. The distresses of my heart increase; bring me out of my sufferings. Consider my affliction and trouble, and take away all my sins.

David was lonely and hurting. He was a mess, and many enemies pursued him. While he knew he didn’t deserve God’s grace, he couldn’t survive without it. He asked God to consider his terrible predicament and to take away his sins.

Our current predicaments are no different than David’s. Quite often we may find ourselves lonely, hurting, and in a mess of trouble. The good news is that Jesus has already taken away our sins! God does not hold them against us; He has already judged them at the cross.

David went to God in his brokenness and waited for God to put him back together. He was also known as a man after God’s own heart. We have the same privilege as David had of taking all of our broken pieces to God and asking Him to create something new.

The Message Bible has a beautiful translation of verse 21:

Use all Your skill to put me together; I wait to see Your finished product.

God can rescue you from your current suffering, take all your brokenness, and put everything back together in a way that glorifies Him. Cry out to Him today, and let Him rebuild you. He can restore you to new life and even re-purpose you if needed. God never wastes anything; He sees value in you. Turn to Him, and let Him use all of His skill to put you together once again. You will love the finished product!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 68:35

God, You are awe-inspiring in Your sanctuaries. The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people. May God be praised!

As women, we often feel the need to be rescued. Indeed, we were raised from little girls with fairy tales of the damsels in distress who await the handsome prince on a white horse, and we wait for ours to save us and make us his princess. Frankly, I’m still waiting, and my prince is very late! I’m afraid if he showed up now, I wouldn’t have much faith he could do anything in a timely manner! God gives His people power and strength. This means we are expected to fight. He’s not as concerned about rescuing us from the enemy as He is empowering us to defeat the enemy.

As long as we live in this earth, we are at war with an enemy. God never promised to prevent us from attack; He equips us for battle. At some point, you are going to have to pick up your sword and fight. Your sword is the Word of God, and the more familiar you are with it and know how to use it, the more dangerous you are to the enemy. That is why daily Bible reading is so very important. When Satan plants negative and defeating thoughts in your head or has the audacity to speak them to you through others, you have the power to combat him with the sword of God’s Word.

In whatever battle God allows you to face, He will give you the power and strength to overcome. When you are victorious, He is to be praised. There is no battle you win that He is not the source of your strength. The very moment we begin to think that we have won anything by our own merit, we are defeated.

Determine to read God’s Word every day, and use what He shows you to battle the enemy. Praise God for the strength and power He gives you through His Word. He may not rescue from the enemy, but He will empower you to defeat him. In Christ, we are more than conquerors; we are His children and heirs with Christ.

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 32:20

Happy are you who sow seed beside abundant waters, who let ox and donkey range freely.

Where you sow your seed is important. If you sow seed into dry, parched areas where there is no irrigation, it will most likely die or be carried away by birds unless someone is there to tend it. To reap a harvest, you need to plant in good soil that can easily receive moisture unless you are willing and able to work the ground where you have planted.

At times, it is important to take a close look at where we are sowing seed. God recently spoke to me that sowing is the biblical equivalent to investing. Where do you put your time and resources, and what kind of return are you getting? If your investment is unproductive, you might want to consider moving your investment to a place where your contribution can more likely take root and grow.

Investment involves more than just money. Relationships need the investment of time and care. Our homes need repairs and remodeling to suit our life changes. Our work in ministry should focus where God is leading us and should move away from places where God is no longer calling us to invest. If you invest in complaining about your current situation, your situation will not change. If you take small steps to change a negative situation, you will eventually see a desired result. Carefully consider what you are pouring into your life and what is coming forth. Are you speaking life or death into your circumstances? Is your contribution making a positive difference in your life and in the lives of others? If not, consider what you are sowing and where you are sowing it.

As we begin 2024, take an inventory of the things in your life that require time and resources. If they are not producing good fruit, look for more fertile ground. Life is too short to worry about the things we can’t change and not redirect our focus to the things we can change. What you have to contribute is very valuable, and God wants to use it somewhere. Find that place where you can make a difference and invest. God will surely give you a harvest!

Have a blessed day!

God Declares New Events

Isaiah 42:9

The past events have indeed happened. Now I declare new events; I announce them to you before they occur.

God had announced former prophecies that had come to pass, but He still had plans for a future for His people. They went into bondage because of sin, but God brought them out and established a new covenant of grace through Jesus Christ. While we all have had a past, whether good or bad, God still has plans for us. He does not give up on us or forget us because of failure. He will use our failures to strengthen us, teach us, and lead us into the very plan He has designed for us. Are we ready to hear new plans?

If we dwell on the past and believe the best days are behind us, we won’t be able to accept new events that God wishes to declare to us. If we allow failure to define us as an individual, we will never see ourselves as the success God created us to be. We must realize that we are a work in progress and believe that God is still working in us. Otherwise, we will never move forward; we will be stuck in the pit of unmet dreams and goals with no hope of getting out.

God has new plans for you. He will announce them to you ahead of time, but you must be willing to forgive yourself of your own failure in order to receive His new promises. He still has faith in you because He created you, and He knows what He plans to bring forth in you. God judged your sin on the cross, and your submission to Christ gives you new life. You are born again not only spiritually but emotionally to start again. You are truly a new creation and can believe and hope again, despite failure. The beauty of the cross is found in its finality. No more sacrifice is needed. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” it truly was finished. You can have new life – new hopes and dreams – because Christ died for you. The past did indeed happen, but God has new events for you. Listen carefully as He announces them to you, and believe.

Have a blessed day!

Luke 15:20

So he (Prodigal Son) got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.

The parable of the Prodigal Son is a beautiful story of a young man who asked for his inheritance so he could spend it on wild living. Just asking for his inheritance was an insult to the father, but his intentions were much worse. He chose to waste his fortune on temporary things that satisfied the flesh and were blatant sins to God. Who among us is not guilty of such living at times or have loved ones who have who have wandered?

The young man is a son – already a member of the father’s family and an heir. He is best seen as a Christian who has been foolish and wandered from the safety of the Father’s care. Through his riotous living, the Devil consumed his fortune. Any time we turn to something for comfort or satisfaction other than God, we run the same risk of being consumed because dependence on anything other than God is idolatry. Satan uses idols to deplete us of what is rightfully ours and literally send us to the pigs.

Fortunately, this young man came to his senses and realized that he would be fed in his father’s house. We would be wise to do the same. If the Devil has consumed us in any area, we need only to turn toward our Father and start finding our way back to Him. When we turn from our idols and dependence upon other things, God sees us and comes running out to meet us. We don’t have to earn our right to be blessed back from Him. He has compassion on our emptiness and immediately begins to bless us by meeting our needs. His heart is toward us and not against us!

Many of us come to God with a mindset that we have to earn our way into His heart again, and this young man was no different. He asked to come back as a slave. The Father, however, wanted his son back, and He immediately began treating him as a son. The Father will do the same for you. Expect Him to meet you with blessing and continue to bless you as His child.

Such grace and favor seem contrary to the system of the world. God’s ways are higher than our ways, and we are the beneficiary of His great wisdom. Somehow, when we receive freely what we do not deserve, His grace is the very thing that keeps us faithful to Him. Grace – real grace – does not give us a license to sin; it helps us overcome sin, never to return. Find wholeness in His compassion today. God’s grace is more than sufficient to meet every need you have, and there is no reason to turn elsewhere. God is your Father!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 24: 1-6

The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the LORD; for He laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers. Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not set his mind on what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

                                                                                                                        Selah

Welcome to 2024! While we enter a new year full of new beginnings, new promises, and fresh new starts, let us not forget that which does not change. We live in a time when deceiving voices are trying to distract us and re-write our standards of right and wrong. Our challenge for 2024 is to look upward and live above the chaos and confusion. We gain clear perspective by focusing upon God’s word and declaring His truth, rather than the lies and fear that shout loudly and challenge our peace.

The truth is that the earth and everything in it belong to the LORD. He is our creator, and we can trust that, ultimately, His will prevails. Deceiving voices must answer to Him, and we have the power to reject that which does not align with His word by using our own voices to deny the lie and declare the truth. Praying God’s word daily over our lives, our needs, and our country will establish His truth in us, enable us to stand in difficult times, and manifest God’s truth and His promises in our lives.

Hearing God for ourselves will be key to navigating the confusion and chaos of these times. The best way to learn to hear His voice is by developing an intimate relationship with Him –  one that ascends this earthly realm and sits in heavenly places to gain a higher perspective and to experience the presence of God, Himself. In fact, staying in His presence and developing intimacy with Him is the greatest and most effective weapon of spiritual warfare.

Notice what is required to ascend the mountain of the LORD to hear from Him:

            Clean hands

            Pure heart

            Choosing not to believe falsehood

            Not swearing deceitfully

Such a person will be blessed by God. We must remember, however, that the presence of God is a holy place. Settling these matters is the first step in approaching God and being able to hear from Him. The righteousness of Christ through the blood of Jesus is the only way we can enter. We must surrender our will and our failures to Him while learning to lean upon the mercy and grace of God to forgive us and grant us favor.

The enemy cannot conquer where intimacy with God is strong. He can gain a foothold only when he can drag us back down that mountain, further from the presence of God. Be on high alert that dragging us down the mountain is Satan’s strategy, and he may attack in full force to try to distract us into seeing things on his level.

Grumbling and complaining never bring God’s blessing and drive us from His presence. Anyone can see what is wrong, but we have to ascend higher to see the truth of God’s word in a situation. Our challenge for this year is to seek God’s word and His will over our lives and pray that word into our situations. Staying in a place of intimacy in His presence will enable us to continue to decree His word, even when things don’t appear to be aligning in the natural.

When things get tough in 2024, ascend. Should lies try to steal your peace and ignite fear within you, ascend.  If your vision is unclear and you don’t know what to do next, ascend. When God answers your prayer in a way you never expected and gives you victory, ascend. By learning to ascend, we manifest God’s promises and receive the abundance that Jesus came for us to experience.  

Have a blessed day and a very happy New Year!

Acts 2:46-47

Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.

In the formation of the early church we find a very strong sense of community where everyone was united, and they held all things in common. The very foundation of this community was daily worship, and they came together in fellowship to share their belongings as each had need. They gave sacrificially out of love for Christ and each other. Everyone belonged and participated. God blessed their unity and added to their community those who were being saved. This was a place where He could bring new believers to be nourished and grow in Him.

I’ve often heard it taught that close fellowships like this happens in small groups. When we get larger than a certain number, the fellowship breaks. I’ve even known church members who wanted to keep their church small because they enjoyed the unity and sense of community a small church provided, and they feared that would dissipate if the church grew too large.

Verse 41 of Acts 2 dispels this belief. After Peter preached at Pentecost, 3,000 people were saved and became a part of the early church! That number is much greater than the membership of most of our churches. In fact, we might even consider it a megachurch. Yet, somehow, there was unity, a sense of community and belonging, and a fellowship so sweet that God continued to add to the number. People wanted to be a part of what was happening. The members of the early church continually praised God and had favor with all the people. God was clearly moving among them.

I think there is a deep hunger today among believers to be a part of something like this. We need to experience a move of God. This all began when the disciples gathered together in a room to pray, just as Jesus had instructed them before He ascended into heaven. The 12 came together in one accord, and the Holy Spirit fell upon them. If we want to see a move of God that draws people to Him in unity and creates a strong sense of community, we should begin the same way – in prayer.

I can think of no better way to end one year and begin another by inviting the Holy Spirit into our midst so we can experience His presence. We need Him to fill us to the point He spills out of us and onto those around us, just as the Jews experienced at Pentecost. All great moves of God begin with prayer, and He moves by the prayers of His people. Let’s all begin to ask for revival and the outpouring of His Holy Spirit. He did this for the early church, and He is still the same God. He can still move beyond our imaginations and dispel our earthly concepts. Wouldn’t you like to be a part of a great move of God? It is coming because He is coming.

Have a blessed day!

Genesis 32:27-28

“What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob!” he replied. “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” He said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Jacob had struggled with God and prevailed. He did not defeat God; he just didn’t let go of him in the process. Through his struggle, Jacob engaged with God, although God challenged his flesh. God was fighting the sinful nature of Jacob’s flesh; He was not fighting Jacob’s spirit. Something inside Jacob wanted to follow God in full obedience, but his flesh wanted to do things his own way.

Paul described a similar battle in Romans 7. While his heart wanted to follow after God and do the right thing, his flesh was not always willing. Fortunately for Jacob, Paul, and us, God sees straight through the sins of our flesh to know our heart. He will often fight our flesh to get to our hearts just so He can bless us. For this reason, we must always remember that God is for us and not against us. When it seems He is against us, He is really fighting the fleshly nature that is harming us in some way so He can bless what He has placed in our hearts.

Jacob’s blessing may seem rather strange. God changed his name from Jacob, which means “deceiver,” to Israel, which means “Prince with God.” Jacob’s former blessings came as a result of his deceitful and conniving character that sought to take advantage of others for his own gain. After his struggle with God, his identity was changed to that of a prince with God – heir to the eternal greatness and riches of our heavenly Father. Israel – God’s chosen man and eventually His chosen nation – came from a deceiver’s wrestling with God and refusing to let go because his heart desired to be blessed, although his flesh prevented it. Jacob struggled through his flesh to find grace. Paul recognized the same grace in the form of Jesus Christ, whom many Bible scholars believe to be the man who wrestled with Jacob. I agree.

At the end of your struggle with God awaits a blessing. Don’t give up the fight. He will grant you a new identity in Him that will change you and give you the blessing of a rightful heir. God sees your heart, and He intends to bring out what He placed in you. He may fight your flesh to do it, but you are blessed in the end. You can wrestle with God and hang on to Him at the same time. This fight won’t just change your situation; it will change who you are. You are His.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 35:1-3

Oppose my opponents, LORD; fight those who fight me. Take Your shields – large and small – and come to my aid. Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers, and assure me: “I am your deliverance.”

These verses are such a great comfort to widows and to other single women who do not have a man for a protector. This appeal by David to God to oppose his opponents is a cry with which we can all relate. Sometimes it just feels like the whole world is fighting against your efforts to move forward, and you need the strength of the Almighty to take one more step. Be assured that He is there, and He does oppose your opponents.  One of the Devil’s greatest tools is discouragement, and he will bombard you on every front to try to convince you to give up the fight. God, however, is with you in the battle, and He will deliver you!

David asked for help in both large and small matters. If the man who killed a giant with a stone needed God’s help in even the seemingly insignificant issues of life, so do we. God cares about the large and the small opponents who oppose you, and He will come to your aid. You have a protector and a defender, and He is Yahweh!

If you never have opponents, you will never see your need for God. I’m convinced that is why so many of our children desert Him when they leave home. They’ve never had to fight any real battles because we, as parents, have always fought for them. They head out the door invincible, and before long they have a fight they had not expected as God begins to draw them to Him in relationship.

As I study this passage closely, I see that David was really seeking assurance. Sometimes we just want to know we are not alone in the fight. Ask God to assure you that He is your deliverance, and trust Him to come through for you. This whole process of crying out to God, praying the matter through to completion, and trusting God to act is how we build relationship with Him and learn to trust Him. He is your victory! Watch Him deliver you and be amazed at His love for you!

Have a blessed day!

God is Faithful

Deuteronomy 7:9

Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands.

1 Corinthians 1:9

God is faithful; by Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:24

He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

God will be faithful to you. Enough said!

Have a blessed day!