Psalm 118:22

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 

Isaiah 43:18-19

Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to the things of old. Look, I am about to do something new, even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

We know the world, including the religious leaders of the day, rejected Jesus. He did not fit the mold of what they intended to build upon this earth. God, however, used the rejected stone as the cornerstone upon which to build His church – an everlasting institution and the ultimate bride of Christ. If the world rejected Christ, they will certainly reject us, too. Jesus explained in Luke 10:16 that those who reject the work we do in God’s will are not rejecting us but rejecting God. 

Yet, what the world rejects is very valuable to God. From Isaiah 43, we see that God creates new things and makes a way where there seems to be no way for the rejected to be used greatly for His purpose. He literally re-purposes us to be used in a new way.  For the new thing to come, we must let go of the old and remember it no more, allowing Him to re-shape, re-mold, and re-invent us with new desires, new dreams, new goals, and even new places if His will requires. We must focus on the new thing God places in front of us, trusting He will create a way for us in the wilderness as we set one foot in front of the other and begin to walk in a new direction. 

Dear friend, the new thing God is building in you and with you is far greater than the mold into which man tried to make you fit, or, perhaps, the mold in which you tried to fit yourself. Sometimes rejection has to come so we can be who God wants us to become and fulfill the true purpose to which He has called us. Let rejection become direction, and look for God to do something new that will totally blow your mind!

Have a blessed day!

John 16:23-24

In that day you will not ask Me anything. 

“I assure you: Anything you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be complete.

Does anyone else have a problem with this Scripture? Surely, I’m not the only one who grapples with this one. I’ve asked God for many things that He did not give me, and these verses have left me scratching my head on numerous occasions because this appears to be a promise from Jesus, Himself. I recently asked God to explain this one to me, and He gave me an answer – at least to my own prayers. Perhaps, the answer He gave me will minister to you, as well.

Jesus taught His disciples that He would die, rise again, and return to the Father. In that day, we would be able to ask God the Father anything in His name, and He will give it to us. He encouraged us to ask and receive that our joy may be complete. To ask in His name is to approach God as our loving Father based upon the relationship we have with Him through His Son, Jesus. We have no basis for approaching God in our own merit but by faith in the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. In other words, we have no right to ask God for anything, but because of our faith in Christ and what Christ did for us, we have grace to come before God and ask for anything – not because we deserve it but because of His great love for us as our heavenly Father. 

As I began to think of my most recent series of denied requests, all the feelings I’d experienced came flooding to my memory. “I deserved it. I’d worked hard for it. It wasn’t fair. It was unjust.” I quickly realized I had tried to approach God by asking in my own merit. Just tagging Jesus’ name on the end of a prayer does not ask in His name. I was literally asking for things I thought I deserved based upon my works, which are as filthy rags before the Father. 

To ask for something in Jesus’ name is to ask for something we don’t deserve, and we know it. In reality, it is much harder to do than we realize because we have to admit our own failure, our own weakness, our own inability, our own helplessness, our own sin.  It takes a releasing of pride and utter desperation to ask for what we want or need, knowing we are unworthy to receive but having faith in His love for us and being courageous enough to ask anyway. In fact, it is much like a small child coming before a loving Father and asking for something – with complete dependence upon His love and care. 

What would make your joy complete today? For what do you long that you do not deserve? What can you not do for yourself that you desperately need? Where have you tried and failed? In what area are you just not enough? What is just beyond your reach? Where has sin had victory in your life? Where has your pain intensified to the point of making you void of pride? In those areas we may approach the throne of grace and ask our heavenly Father who loves us for anything – in Jesus’ name. 

“Ask and you will receive that your joy may be complete.”   – Jesus.

Have a blessed day!

Matthew 9:20-21

Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years approached from behind and touched the tassel on His robe, for she said to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I’ll be made well.”

What we say to ourselves matters! If we think our situation is hopeless, it will be. If we think we just can’t do something, we won’t. This woman told herself that Jesus would heal her if she could just get close enough to Him to touch Him, and that gave her the strength and courage to press through the crowd to get to Jesus and receive the healing she desperately needed.

Please understand that her “issue of blood,” as some translations describe her condition, made her unclean. She was not worthy enough to be in the crowd, let alone press through in close contact to reach Jesus. Her “issue” certainly must have kept her isolated. In addition, she had spent all she had on doctors that could not help her and had even made her situation worse. She had nothing to give to Jesus in exchange. She just knew that if He had healed others, He could heal her, too.

The woman’s “issue” was a private one. She told no one what she was doing or what she hoped to gain. She simply told herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I’ll be made well.” Had the crowd known what she was doing, they would have pushed her back or discouraged her in some way from pressing through to her healing. She was wise not to tell them of her need or her faith and to continue steadfastly in her pursuit of Jesus.

What “issue” do you have today that needs healing? Where are you spent with nothing left to give and desperately in need of a miracle? What matter is so private that you can’t speak of it to anyone without fear of rejection, discouragement, or isolation? There is power in the presence of Jesus to make you whole!  No one has to agree with you for your faith to rise up and press through to your healing, restoration, or miracle. If God has done it for others, He can do it for you. Have faith for your issue, and watch God’s power overcome it!

Have a blessed day!

Genesis 41: 51-52

Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, meaning, “God has made me forget all my hardship in my father’s house.” And the second son he named Ephraim, meaning, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

I find the names Joseph gave his sons to be very insightful and profound regarding the work God did in his life. After 15-16 years of slavery and imprisonment, God finally promoted Joseph to the second highest position in Egypt, a true miracle produced from the gift God had given him to be able to interpret dreams. God’s timing and purpose finally intersected and propelled Joseph from the pit of a prison to the palace with a promotion to fulfill the divine purpose of God for the nation of Israel and all mankind. 

Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh, meaning, “God has made me forget all my hardship in my father’s house.” This tells me that until the birth of his first son, Joseph had remembered what his brothers did to him. I don’t think for one minute that Joseph actually failed to remember his hardship. The meaning of the word, “forget,” is more closely aligned with “forgive.” With the birth of Manasseh, God had blessed Joseph to the point that he could finally let go of the extremely harsh, cold, cruel, and unjust thing his brothers did to him by selling him into slavery. God blessed him beyond his pain, and that blessing was much greater that what had been done to him.

While Joseph was bound as a slave, the hurt from his brothers created a soul wound. Such a wound would have kept him bound, even after the physical chains were removed. With the blessings of promotion, a wife, and family, God did a healing in Joseph’s soul that freed him from the unjust loss of his father’s house (family). 

God didn’t stop with a healing alone. He gave Joseph a second son, which he named Ephraim, meaning, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Ephraim also means, “double fruit.” God promoted Joseph, gave him a family, and made him productive in what He called him to do. Because the road for Joseph to get where God ultimately wanted him to be was so extremely difficult, God blessed him beyond the pain it took to get there and accomplished great things through him.

If you are having trouble with a soul wound today, know that God sees and He cares. For whatever reason He has allowed you to experience such great hurt, He has a plan that far exceeds your expectations of what you thought life should have been. Trust Him in this pain, and wait for His promotion. He can bless you far beyond the pain that keeps you bound and give you something far greater than the hurt you’ve experienced. Then, He can make you fruitful in the vey place you have hurt the most. Trust Him. Trust Him. Trust Him.

Have a blessed day!

A Taste of the Promised Land

Joshua 5:12

And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

Once the circumcised males had healed in Gilgal, they observed the Passover. This recognition of how God had instructed the Death Angel to pass over the households of those who had the blood of the lamb sprinkled over their doorposts was significant because it reminded them of God’s power in delivering them from Egypt. God’s purpose for them became greater than their pain. With the wilderness behind them and the flesh – the sign of Egypt and slavery – cut away, they were now positioned to take their Promised Land.

After the Israelites celebrated the Passover, they ate from the produce of the land. At this point the manna ceased. Manna was God’s provision in the wilderness, and He did not allow them to store it. Manna ruined on the second day, so they had to collect it anew every day. Now that they had tasted the crops of the new land, God stopped providing the manna. He did not allow it to become excess. He gave them a taste of the Promised Land and cut off their previous supply so they would move forward and possess what He had promised.

Psalm 34:8

Taste and see that the LORD is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!

After we have experienced great pain from the cutting away of anything that has held us in bondage, God will allow us to taste and see that what He has waiting for us is good. He will cut off any supply in which we have become dependent so we will move forward and possess all He has for us. A realization that our purpose is much greater than the pain of the cutting away of our flesh combined with the taste of God’s goodness motivates us to conquer our enemies and take possession of His promises.

May this be a time in which our purpose becomes greater than our pain, and we are able to taste and see that what God has promised us is good. May we cross over into a place where new provisions are much sweeter and more fulfilling than the previous, and we are motivated to move forward to possess all God has for us. May we not look back but take new steps forward to possess our Promised Land in victory!

Have a blessed day!

Joshua 5:8

After the entire nation had been circumcised, they stayed where they were in the camp until they recovered.

Upon crossing the Jordan River to take conquest of the Promised Land, God ordered Joshua to circumcise the young men who were born in the wilderness. Most of the generation of men who left Egypt and had been circumcised died in the wilderness and were forbidden to enter the Promised Land because of disobedience. To take hold of God’s promises, those born in the wilderness had to bear the mark of God’s chosen people – circumcision of the males.

Circumcision represents a cutting away of the flesh from our most private and personal areas. When the procedure is done on infants, the pain is minimized and never remembered. When performed on an adult, however, the pain is quite real and intense, and one must heal in order to move forward. God required the hurt but allowed time for healing because His intent was for them to possess the land He promised them.

Once the young men healed, God called the place, “Gilgal,” because He rolled away the reproach or disgrace of Egypt, which represents slavery. The mark of circumcision identified them as His chosen people, no longer slaves. Gilgal means “to roll away,” and archeologists believe it is not the name of an actual city but a type of place. Archeological finds have revealed several instances of stones set in foot or sandal shape believed to be called Gilgal. 

The meaning of the foot shape seems somewhat significant. In ancient times, setting one’s foot on the land and walking around the borders of a particular area of land were ways of asserting ownership or control of that land. Feet were symbols of the defeat of enemies. God called the place Gilgal after they had healed from the cutting away of flesh that symbolized slavery, and He gave them a symbol which signified enemy defeat. 

Where have you been deeply, personally, and privately hurt? Don’t lose heart! Once you heal from this, God will roll away your reproach and give you a foot shaped promise to take the land! He is with you in this, and His intent is to see you victorious! Hallelujah!

Have a blessed day!

Ruth 3:11

Now don’t be afraid my daughter. I will do for you whatever you say, since all the people in my town know that you are a woman of noble character.

At Naomi’s instruction, Ruth submitted herself completely to Boaz on the threshing floor after he laid down to sleep. By placing his covering over herself, she was asking him to take care of her. He could have taken her as a wife, a concubine, or as a slave. Her act was one of complete submission to his will and to his care. 

I’m convinced this is exactly how God wants us to come to Him. In our relationship with Him, He wants to be the one to care for us when we have no way to care for ourselves. In complete brokenness and submission, He wants us to surrender ourselves to His care. When we do, we can expect the same response Ruth received: “I will do for you whatever you say…”

Submission draws out the obligation or responsibility of the authority to which it yields. We serve a loving, heavenly Father who wants to be a Boaz to us. When we submit fully to Him as our authority, His love for us moves Him to care for us and do whatever is necessary for us to be made whole. We walk in great power when we are completely submitted to the Father and His will for us. He will do for us whatever we say. John 14:14 tells us, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” John 15:7 states, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you.” Asking in His name and remaining in Him require full submission.

What do you need God to do for you? Submit to Him completely, and tell Him what you need. Trust Him to settle the matter, and wait for Him to do what no one else can do. He is your Boaz!

Have a blessed day!

Ruth 4:11

The elders and all the people who were at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is entering your house be like Rachel and Leah, who together built the house of Israel. May you be powerful in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.

I can’t help but think about the closest kinsman redeemer who had first dibs on this blessing. He wanted the land that belonged to Ruth and Naomi and would have gladly purchased it, but he was not willing to assume the responsibility of taking Ruth as his wife. He saw her as a burden to his own inheritance. He cared nothing about her well-being or her future; he was interested only in what her land could do for him. He failed to see that God’s blessing was with Ruth – not with her land.

God blessed Boaz because he did what was right by Ruth. From their first encounter, Boaz began providing and protecting Ruth. He knew she had left her family and her country to travel with Naomi, and he admired her loyalty and her courage. He made her well-being a priority. 

At Naomi’s prompting, Ruth reached out for more from Boaz. A kinsman-redeemer could procure her future, and she had the courage to ask for more. Boaz determined to do the right thing for her because it was the right thing to do. He had the means, the right, and the willingness to care for Ruth’s well-being, and God’s blessing followed. 

As a widow, you will encounter those who are not willing to do the right thing by you. You will encounter those who only want what you can do for them. God’s blessing, however, is with you. He will bless the one who cares for the widow. We have a Kinsman-Redeemer in Christ, and we can trust Him to procure a good future for us. God will still bless us through others. Look for His blessings in those who provide and protect because it is the right thing to do. You are a blessing and not a burden!

Have a blessed day!

2 Peter 1:20-21

First of all, you should know this: no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, moved by the Holy Spirit, he spoke from God.

Peter knew what he was talking about here. When Jesus took him, James, and John to the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter tried to insert his own will into the glory of what was happening before him, and God, Himself, spoke up to silence Peter. In short, God told Peter to shut up and listen to Jesus. 

Indeed, no prophecy came from the will of man. When God revealed things to his prophets, they were divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, and we can trust them. All through the books of the prophets we find many prophecies and promises. My favorite is the book of Isaiah, where we find promises of hope and restoration, as well as the coming of Jesus Christ.

Since we know for sure these prophecies and promises are from God, Himself, hang on to this one today:

Isaiah 55:10-11

For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth, making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and will prosper in what I send it to do. 

We can pray directly from the Scriptures and know we are praying the very heart and voice of God when we do! If we find a promise in Scripture that meets our current need, we should pray that promise back to God, knowing it will accomplish all He set it out to do. 

Here is an even better promise to celebrate today – verse 12 of the same chapter:

You will indeed go out with joy and be peacefully guided; the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Go out into the world with joy today, and creation will rejoice with you! 

Have a blessed day!

Judges 7:28

They [men of Ephraim] captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian; they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb, while they were pursuing the Midianites. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.

God raised up Gideon to be a deliverer for Israel during the days of the judges. Because of sin God had turned Israel over to the Midianites, who continually attacked the fields and stole or ruined the harvests in order to keep the Israelites in poverty. In many ways, one might compare the Midianites to modern day inflation, which steals from hard working wage earners to prevent them from prospering and to drive them into or keep them in debt.

After God gave Gideon’s army victory over the Midianite camp, many of the Midianites fled to other areas, and Gideon called upon the Israelites of those areas to pursue their enemies and defeat them. Gideon sent messengers to the men of Ephraim to gain control of the watercourses in order to cut off the water supply to fleeing Midianites. In their pursuit, the men of Ephraim captured two key sources of their pain – the very princes of Midian! As enemy authority figures, the only way to truly take authority over the enemy was to cut off their heads, symbolizing a permanent end to their reign and authority.

 Digging a bit deeper into names and symbolisms gives us greater insight into this story. Oreb means “raven,” and Zeeb means “wolf” in the Hebrew language. The raven and the wolf work together as a team. The raven has a much higher view point than the wolf and can spot a dead carcass from the air. The raven, however, cannot tear into a dead carcass to get to the meat. Ravens often find the prey and signal to the wolf so the wolf can tear into it, and they both feed upon it.  When you hear a raven’s caw, know a wolf could be nearby.

Ephraim means “fruitfulness” or “double fruit” in Hebrew. Fruitfulness defeated the raven and the wolf, which look for something dead or seek to kill that which is vulnerable. God expects us to be fruitful in His kingdom. When we are bearing fruit, we have the ability to avoid or overcome any attacks by the raven and the wolf.

What areas of your life seem dead or vulnerable? Has discouragement or hopelessness dominated your thoughts? Have you stopped praying for a need because you see no change? Do not accept defeat! Determine to be fruitful and cut off the head of your enemy in those areas! God has said that no weapon formed against you shall prosper, so believe it and get back in the game. Don’t allow dead areas of your life to attract predators. Speak life over yourself, and ask God to breathe new life into you. Rise up, oh mighty warrior! You have power over your enemy, and God has promised you the victory!

Have a blessed day!