Isaiah 8:22

They will look toward the earth and see only distress, darkness, and the gloom of affliction, and they will be driven into thick darkness.

Although Isaiah describes a time of darkness that happened over 2,000 years ago, the same may be said of our current day. Indeed, we live in a time of great darkness with a failing economy, rapidly rising crime rate, and extensive government corruption. If you watch the news at all, you may find yourself looking for some glimmer of hope for this dark world. Thankfully, Scripture does not end with Isaiah 8. The next chapter gives a prophetic word of God’s answer to such great darkness.

Isaiah 9:2-7

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of darkness, a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people have rejoiced before You as they rejoice at harvest time and as they rejoice when dividing spoils. For You have shattered their burdensome yoke and the rod on their shoulders, the staff of their oppressor, just as You did on the day of Midian. For the trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over His kingdom to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.

God had an answer for the darkness. He would send a light in the form of a Son that would bring justice and righteousness to a sin-filled world. This Son would reign on the throne of David, bringing peace and prosperity that would never end. Jesus is still the answer to our darkness, but we must consider His first coming in order to fully understand our current darkness and how to trust Him for the answers we need.

Luke 2:16

They [shepherds] hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the feeding trough [manger].

God’s provision was first sent as a baby. How could a newborn baby solve the massive problems of a dark and sinister world? The baby would have to grow, develop, and mature to adulthood, but the answers for this dark world lay inside Him. Consider these facts:

It would still be 30 years before He would ever perform His first miracle, teach, or begin His earthly ministry.

It would still be 33 years before He would become our sacrifice on the cross and rise from the dead as an atonement for sin.

It would still be more than 2,022 years before He would come again and reign over this world with justice and righteousness. This is a promise we have yet to see.

Yet, Jesus is still our answer. So, how do we navigate this dark world in which we live when our circumstances remain the same and still have hope? Look to the shepherds’ response when they first found the answer lying in the manger.

Luke 2:20

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told.

The correct response to God’s revelation is always worship! Our circumstances may not change immediately, but worship is always appropriate. We may not understand how His provision will work, but He is worthy of our worship. A stance of worship demonstrates our faith in Him, and God responds to faith. He is able to work through and for a heart that trusts Him. His provision may need to develop before we see a permanent change in our circumstances, but we can trust His work to grow in that area as we release our faith to Him. He works silently, secretly, and consistently in the dark places of our lives until we can fully see the revelation of His Son. That is the hope of Christmas!

May the great hope of Christmas shine brightly in your darkness today as you worship Him.

Have a blessed day!

Mark 9:23

Then Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ Everything is possible to the one who believes.”

When a desperate father brought his demon possessed son to Jesus’s disciples, they could not drive the demon out. They had been able to help others, but their efforts to help this poor man’s son were not effective. As Jesus approached the scene, this anguished father turned to Jesus to ask if there was anything He could do.

Jesus sensed the desperation and instructed him that everything was possible to the one who believes. The father’s cry revealed his doubt. Jesus, however, responds to faith. The father confessed a sliver of belief and asked Jesus to help increase his faith. Since faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains and uproot trees, Jesus cast out the demon, which left the son appearing dead. Jesus, however, took his hand and raised him to life. I can only imagine just how much this father’s faith must have exploded in joy as he watched his son – now healed and whole – rise from his lifeless posture to new life in Christ.

To anyone who has a loved one who seems completely lost or beyond hope, everything is possible for the one who believes in Jesus. Verse 29 of that passage reveals to us that this kind comes out only by prayer and fasting, which is why the disciples could not cast the demon out. Our prayers combined with fasting are powerful tools to penetrate the darkness and bring God’s power into our lives. Prayer and fasting will increase your faith as you totally submit the matter to God. When we cease our feeble efforts, rely completely upon Him, and believe Him to do what we cannot, He becomes strong where we are weak. We learn to rely upon ourselves less and upon Him more. In effect, our faith grows and matures.

Believe for your impossible situations today. Ask God to help your unbelief. Exercise some prayer and fasting, and expect God to do what only He can do. Everything is possible for the one who believes, so dare to believe.

Have a blessed day!

Matthew 1:18-19

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

Joseph and Mary had made plans. They were engaged and certainly awaiting their marriage ceremony with eager expectation. I’m sure each had ideas of how their lives would be as husband and wife and were looking forward to building a family together. All of that changed when the Holy Spirit came.

Disruptions are often hard to fathom. I’m sure you all have experienced things that just were not a part of your plan for life. Joseph had decided this particular disruption was too much for him to handle, and he began making plans secretly to change his commitment and begin to find another way to fulfill his dreams. This disruption, however, was a part of God’s plan for Joseph’s life that he could never imagine or contrive on his own. Great moves of God often require changes to our plans, but such changes are always worth the alteration of our dreams.

Joseph would still have a family and a faithful wife. He would still continue his career and carry on his business. God simply asked him to raise His Son. To do so, Joseph would have to believe in miracles, look past his own feelings of pride and rejection, and accept a woman and a baby that had nothing to do with him. God did everything necessary to make sure Joseph knew the truth of the situation, including sending an angel to speak to him. God never expected Joseph to take a blind leap of faith; He made sure Joseph knew and understood His plan. Joseph submitted to God’s plan and obeyed.

If God causes a major disruption to your life, know for certain that He will speak to you. When things just aren’t as you’d planned, God will give you clear direction on what He wants you to do. He may require you to accept His plan, rather than your own. If He has caused a disruption in your life, expect Him to speak to you.

Which is more important to you – your dreams or your plans? Dreams are what you want to happen; plans are how you intend to get there. If you are determined to get there your own way, you are looking to take credit for the dream or achievement in some way. God given dreams are always underwritten with God prepared plans, where He gets the glory. While it is perfectly acceptable to make plans, you must submit them to God. He will either bless your plan or change it. Trust the changes or disruptions He makes. He is working out His purpose on this earth, and He lets us be a part of it. When we can celebrate this fact, we are ready for our own miracles.

Have a blessed day!

Romans 12:1

Therefore, brothers by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

As I read this passage this morning, I glanced over to the Message Bible’s translation to see what it said, and that translation really spoke to me:

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him.

Wow! When we simply embrace the blessings God has given us, we are blessing Him in return. I don’t think that means we hoard God’s blessings all to ourselves; His word makes it clear that we are blessed in order to bless others. God wants to work in our everyday lives, and He will bring opportunities to us in what we consider to be the mundane. When we embrace those opportunities and appreciate what He has done for us, we are serving Him in the best way. We are making our bodies a living sacrifice so He can use us in our everyday life as He sees fit.

Give your everyday life to God. Let Him love on you and bless you. Embrace everything He has for you each day, and extend your blessing to someone else. Let God fill you with His love so it overflows onto someone else who really needs a touch from Him. Love is contagious. Catch it, and pass it on.

Have a blessed day!

Luke 1:46-48

And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed.

God’s work in Mary must have taken a little while to sink into her mind as she realized the greatness growing inside her. Elizabeth, her own cousin, felt honored that the mother of her Lord would come to her during her own pregnancy. Elizabeth’s humility caused Mary to ponder even further. As she proclaimed the greatness of the Lord, her entire perspective on her life began to change. She began to see how big God was and how small she was in comparison.  When we stop to consider the way Mary did, our own perspectives will change, as well.

During the hustle and bustle of this busy season, stop to consider the greatness of God. None of this would happen if it weren’t what He did in Mary over 2000 years ago. Whatever problem you may have is small in comparison to His greatness. God honored Mary with the opportunity to be the mother of His own Son because of His favor upon her. His favor upon you will bless you beyond your imagination. Consider the greatness of God, let your spirit rejoice in Him, and remember how very blessed you are to be His child. You will find yourself with a new perspective when you say, “Merry Christmas!”

Have a blessed day!

Galatians 5:13

For you are called to freedom, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.

God gives us free will to make choices. In this verse Paul instructs us to use our free will to serve one another through love. In this way, relationships reflect the love of Christ because He came to serve, rather than to be served.

Those who take and never give become a burden on those who do give. We should never take for granted what is given to us and should always have a thankful heart. By giving out of love, we become a valuable resource to others. We gain respect and promote goodwill. For this reason, we learn that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

I’m blessed to be among the company of women who give generously of their time, talent, and resources. I commend you, PHOEBES, for your giving spirit and willingness to share this ministry with me. I’m always blessed by your presence. Life truly isn’t about what you can get out of it; real life is measured more by what you can give.

What is God calling you to give today? Who needs your help? Who is hurting or needs a word of cheer? Whose Christmas could be brighter because of you? Who just needs a smile or word of encouragement? Somehow, the voids in your own life are filled when you begin to give. The answer to your problem is not in what you can receive from God but in what you have to give to Him. Give out of love today, and be blessed.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 62:5-8

Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken. My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock, my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah

We cannot control the storms of life, but God has complete control of them. Hard as we may try, we cannot always create the outcome we desire, but God can take any outcome and use it for our benefit. Certain struggles may seem imminent, but God can see us through them and bring us out victoriously on the other end. We must place our hope in Him. He is the strength by which we stand, and if we fall, He is the strength that will help us rise again. 

Our hopes are disappointed when we place them in the wrong thing. If we are hoping for extra income and expect it to come through a new job, our hope is in the job. We become disappointed if the new job doesn’t happen and lose hope that the additional income will ever manifest. If our hope is in God, that extra income can come from any place He chooses.  Our hope must be fully established in Him. If our hope is in God, even when the worst happens, we still have hope to overcome. 

Notice that word at the end of the Scripture passage. Selah. This is a musical rest. We can rest knowing that our hope is in God, and He can work in the places we can’t. He has complete control over the things we cannot control, and He is on our side! He wants our victory even more than we do. He is intervening for us to make everything work for our benefit and His glory. That is the assurance we have as His child. We can rest in Him as our strength.

If strong to severe storms happen today, rest in God as your strength. Selah. If your desired outcome doesn’t happen, rest in God as your strength to overcome. Selah. When you can selah, you will never be shaken by this world because God is your stronghold. Keep holding on to Him!  What this world needs is a revelation of selah.  You can be an example of one today. 

Have a blessed day!

Matthew 1:22-23

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:  See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel.

The virgin birth of Christ was necessary; otherwise, He would have been merely a man. He was not just any ordinary man but much more. He was the Son of the living God. He was man through the birth of the woman, but He was God through divine conception. When two sinners come together, they give birth to another sinner. God overshadowed the woman, however, and gave birth to the Son of God, who was also the Son of Man. 

As the Son of God, Jesus had all power and authority given Him by the Father to heal the sick, raise the dead, and perform miracles. As the Son of Man, He was the sacrificial Savior who gave His life as a ransom for ours. Such a man could not have inherited the sinful nature, lest he, too, would be in need of a Savior. The Son of God as the Son of Man was, indeed, Immanuel – God with us. He was God living in human flesh and living in our world so that we might one day live eternally with Him. 

Joseph’s pain and dreams of a future with Mary were changed because all this took place.  When the greatness of all this is compared next to Joseph’s disappointment, letting go of a little hurt seems trivial. God still works all this in our lives today. He still has greater plans for us than we can imagine for ourselves if we can only let go of the pain and unmet expectations long enough to catch a greater glimpse of what He is doing. Jesus is still Immanuel – God with us – and He has not abandoned us. He is the reason all this has happened in your life, and life with Him is worth all this! Embrace it, and look forward to this life all this has purposed for you!

Have a blessed day!

1 John 3:16-17

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but shuts off his compassion from him – how can God’s love reside in him?

Jesus fully displayed God’s love for us on the cross. He gave everything He had in order for us to have a relationship with the Father and inherit eternal life. There was nothing more He could give, nor was there anything else necessary that He could not give. After experiencing this kind of love, how can we not give lesser things to those around us in need if we have truly felt the love of Christ?

I’m blessed to see many giving individuals this time of year. Most people I know want to help in some way, and some have the ability to give more than others. God never expects us to give more than we can, but He fully expects us to do what we can. When we have nothing to give, at least we can pray or encourage those who can to give. When the love of Christ is within us, we can’t help but want to give and meet the needs of those who are hurting. To completely shut off compassion to those in real need reveals a cold heart and one that desperately needs Jesus. In fact, the cold, compassionless heart is in greater need than one who cannot purchase groceries but has Jesus. In Christ, we should give to those in need and pray for those who have no heart to give at all.

I know the month of December is rough on the pocket-book, but let’s not ever forget, just how much Jesus gave for us. We can never out-give Him, and we should learn to lay our lives down for our brothers. Jesus also taught us that it is more blessed to give than to receive. He knows what you need and what you give, and He is certainly able to make up any difference you sacrifice for the sake of someone else. He can multiply whatever you give to Him and make it go farther than you ever imagined! ‘Tis the season for giving and the season for blessing, and ’tis the season to remember what Christ did for us. That is why we call it CHRISTMAS!

Have a blessed day! 

Matthew 1:22-23

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated “God with us.”

God arranged all the events that took place during our Savior’s birth. They happened just as He said they would. He knew the end from the beginning, and He told us ahead of time just how it would be. He always holds true to His word.

During this time of year when life can become more hectic than joyful, let us remember the meaning behind His name. He is Immanuel – God with us. Regardless of the difficulty of your circumstance, remember that God is with you. He has arranged everything in place so His purpose will be fulfilled, and all those things that seem to frustrate you are only bringing His perfect will into place. Trust the God who is with you in the moment. Rejoice in the fact that He is here, and nothing is impossible with Him for those who believe!

Believe that God is with you. He has not left you alone to figure things out for yourself. He is right there with you. Through the pain, He is with you. Through the aching and sorrow, He is with you. Through the excitement and glee, He is with you. He is as close as your prayer and wants to communicate with you. Don’t forget Him during this special season that is really meant for Him. He is with you, so be sure to include Him in all you do.

Have a blessed day!