Life Can Feel Crowded

We have good intentions, don’t we?

Connect with God, write that book, call a friend. We may even begin, yet distractions left and right keep getting in the way.

When God is  trying to reach us, trying to teach us, it seems life gets louder, and our connection becomes muffled.

The phone rings, the doorbell rings, texts are coming in, messages are dinging, dishes begin rising in the sink like the tower of babel.

Family needs, work needs, ministry needs…

Sometimes we can feel crowded, even by the good things; and important messages become diluted. Worse yet, forgotten.

We don’t need to feel guilty if we push away from the crowd.

Sometimes in order to reach out and teach others what God has bloomed in our heart, we have to push back from the crowd and sit down.

Jesus did. He got into a boat, was pushed off the shore, sat down and preached to the crowd on the beach.

At a distance.

So they wouldn’t crowd Him and push through and distract from the message He was sent to give.

And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. Luke 5:3

Jesus was hands-on for healing and breaking bread and reaching His hand to pull others up.

Yet, He needed to pull back so His message could be heard without distraction. We need to hear that message too.

He sat down to teach, as was His custom; and then He passed His message to us and He sat down again, at the right hand of the Father. And now it’s our turn to sit down and teach. But in order to reach, we may need to retreat.

Because sometimes we have to step into the boat and push off the shore of crowded,

so when we return, those in the crowd will know we have been with Him.

What will you do today to guard your time?

Photo by: Kirvan Valipa

Who Will You Invite?

I think we might be spoiled.

Flowing water from faucets, lights by flipping a switch.

I don’t like to admit I take things for granted, but honestly, I kind of do. It’s not that I’m not thankful,

it’s just that blessings I routinely receive can slip under my thanksgiving radar. Do you find that to be true?

Things like flushing toilets, and setting the air at the optimum temperature.

In a moments notice and without warning, we can lose those conveniences we feel our life depends on.

Water pipes break, fuses blow out, storms come through.

During our many hurricane adventures in Florida, we’ve lost power for up to ten days; talk about roughing it. The “it will be fun like camping” experience wore off after day two.

We did buy a generator, but that requires gasoline, and whipping out a debit card doesn’t work when the power goes out.

It comes down to this: Security. Have we placed our security in the conveniences of life?

Because we need not worry if the power goes out, or if we run out of gas, or if the water goes off. Because our living water never shuts off, and His light is always shining. God meets our needs. He replaces food that spoils and He gives us light by fire.

Our true security is in the Lord, and He doesn’t send us a monthly bill. Can I get a hallelujah?

The living kind of water flows freely and it’s free, and it quenches thirst like nothing else can.

And we want to shout it from the rooftops, don’t we?

Yet, we can become overwhelmed with all the thirsty people out there.

But we need not be overwhelmed about a thirsty world bigger than us, because it’s not bigger than God.

Let’s be overwhelmed by His amazing grace, and His faithfulness. When we ask in prayer, He will direct our steps and give us the words.

So we have this conversation. We share how our life has changed, how we’ve been made new, and from our heart flows rivers of living water, and when they ask us how, that’s when we tell them this:

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37

Jesus spoke of the Spirit, whom all those who believe in Him will receive. We tell them it’s free, but it came at great cost.

And we invite them to the Kingdom, and tell them the Parable of the Marriage Feast in Matthew 22.. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

And we can lead them to the water, but we can’t make them drink. The Holy Spirit will do that work, so remain calm. And If they choose thirst, we have not failed because we are not God.

So the Spirit and the bride say come; all who are thirsty, come.

I love that kind of teamwork, don’t you?

Do you struggle with sharing your faith? Share your thoughts…

Storm Tracker to Strong Tower

Living in Florida, we have five seasons: winter, spring, summer, fall, and hurricane.  June 1 officially ushers in the 2014 hurricane season. Here we go again, from now through November all eyes will be watching the Atlantic for developing storms. Each storm is named, oddly enough, as if it were a child forming in the womb. Ironically, these storms have a few things in common with birth. In early stages of development, they are small and weak, there are showers, and they continue to grow larger and stronger.

Thankfully, the last few hurricane seasons have been uneventful, but that wasn’t always the case. When the storms do come, we evacuate or hunker down, and inevitably we lose power.  The power can be out for hours, days, or even weeks. When the power goes out, there’s not much we can do but pray for it to come back. We are thankful for the convoy of power trucks, many from out of state answering the call for help.

When storms come, they aren’t always the kind meteorologists track. Storms in life can be just as devastating as a hurricane. Our storms have names too, don’t they?  Worry, anxiety, fear, addiction, sickness…

When we release and surrender our storms to God, He pulls down the strongholds, there is change within us.  The storms may wreak havoc, but they cannot crush us.  The storms may feel threatening, but God will never abandon us. Storms can be destructive, but they will not destroy us.  When we are weak we are strong in Him. He is greater than a convoy of power trucks. He dispatches Angel Armies.

So what can we do? We can:

• Pray for the courage to surrender all to God.  It’s time to be free.
• Turn off our inner Weather Channel, and tune in to God’s Word.
• Trust not in man or circumstances; trust in God He Is our Strong Tower.

These jars of clay we are in contain Power and Light and no storm can destroy what God has planned for us.

EMERGE~From Invisible to Unstoppable

When I was a little girl, my favorite super-hero power was invisibility. I thought it both adventurous and advantageous to wander around totally undetected, spying on friends, and listening in on conversations. Don’t judge, forgive me I was ten.  Besides the obvious advantages, my favorite benefit of being invisible was protection. I could step out and explore, day or night without fear, because evil couldn’t see me. I’m sure I’m not the only child who dreamed of becoming invisible.

So when did we go from childhood fantasy, to actually believing we’ve acquired the super-hero power of invisibility?

If you are feeling invisible today, I have an important message from God. You’re not.

I have another important message; the only thing that matters, is God sees you.

The God of the Universe sees you. The One true God has many names, and El Roi is one of them.  El Roi, “the strong One who sees me.” Even if we were invisible to everyone else on earth, God sees us, and He is the only One who matters. His plan for us is not to remain unseen and unheard, and here’s why…

I don’t usually do the “word of the year” thing, but God gave me a word this year:

“EMERGE”

What does it mean? Here’s a tidbit from Merriam-Webster:

• move out of or away from something and come into view
• to rise or appear from a hidden or unknown place or condition : to come out into view
• to become manifest :  become known  

Sounds quite the opposite of invisible, doesn’t it? God is calling us to emerge into the light and be the light. It’s time to step out and explore adventurous faith without fear, not because evil can’t see us, but because God can.  We may not be invisible, but we are protected by Him.

Let’s be careful we are not thinking more of ourselves than we ought. We can get locked up in pride when we are focusing on why we aren’t being seen, acknowledged. All we need to know, is God sees us. Did I say that already? No matter, we all need to hear it again. I’m right there in it with you.

Did you know, in the Bible God is referred to as being the invisible God? Satan has devised a plan; a lie he whispers into our ear: we are invisible and invisible means insignificant.  Well, that’s impossible if the word invisible is used to describe God. Can I get an Amen?

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”  Colossians 1:15 (NKJV)

Jesus is the image of the invisible God; and we are made in His image. It’s time to emerge from feeling invisible, to trusting God and becoming unstoppable. Are you ready?

 

 

Are We Bandaging our Bondage?

While reading through my Facebook news feed, I saw that a friend had posted a scripture verse from Romans.  After posting it, she caught an error.  Instead of using the word “bondage,” the word “bandage” was used.   How strikingly similar these two words are in form, while strikingly different in meaning.

A bandage is used to cover, dress, or bind up a wound, while bondage is the state of being a slave to something. So in essence, bandages bind wounds, while bondage causes them.

How many times have we slapped a bandage on a sin that keeps us in bondage?  We’ve tried binding it up, covering it up, dressing it up pretty, hoping no one will notice.  Instead, it winds up looking like torn off toilet paper stuck to a shaving wound that won’t quit bleeding through.

Addiction, depression, abuse, loneliness,…..

Pain is real; bondage is real;  a bandage won’t fix it.

Let’s stop wasting bandages on our bondage, and instead do this:

• Surrender it to God through prayer
  

“He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.”  Psalm 147:3

“Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him,
 if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
 then, free of fault, you will lift up your face;you will stand firm and without fear.”                                                                                                                     Job 11:13-15

• Submerge yourself in the WORD

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  John 8:32

• Surround yourself with trusted, godly friends:

“As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”                                                                                 Proverbs 27:17

 

I’m glad I didn’t miss my friend’s post.  God can use even a wrong word at the right time to speak truth to our hearts.

What truth has God spoken to your heart today?

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Is True Success?

Ah success.  What does that word mean anyway?  Ask a hundred different people, and you’ll  hear a hundred different answers.  But what does it mean to you?

I loved English in school; it was by far my best subject;  “A’s”, praise, and amaze. Then it happened…

Mrs. L., my new English teacher, handed back our first assignment of the semester.  Smack-dab-center, a bright red “F” stared back at me; I hadn’t seen that much red since Christmas.   Appalled, I glanced top left.  Yes, there was my name, written neatly in cursive and tarnishing before my very eyes.  This grade I concluded, must be some horrible mistake.  It was no mistake.  Everyone received an “F” that day.  Smart teaching sends a loud-and-clear message: set your goals higher.

Eventually, I received an “A” in Mrs. L.’s class.  It was the sweetest grade I’ve ever received.  Ah, success.  But one good grade does not define success, does it?  No it doesn’t.  Runners train for a 5k, and achieving that goal is success; but does it stop there?  Usually not.  A true runner sets new goals, higher goals; whether it means another 5k, or training even harder for a 10k.  The bar continues to be raised.

One would think working toward a goal and finally attaining it, should make us feel successful. So why do we sometimes feel deflated?  Why don’t we feel accomplished?

We don’t feel accomplished, because we’re not finished.   Here’s why:

   Every goal achieved resets the starting line.  Tweet that

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes success this way: “favorable or desired outcome; also :  the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.”

Interesting but not surprising.  We all know the world measures success by wealth, status, and square footage of our house; but what does God say about success?

                          “He stores up success for the upright;
                                He is a shield for those who live with integrity.”  Proverbs 2:7 (HCSB)

Success in God’s eyes is not measured by titles; fame; or fortune.  These are not the goals to set our eyes upon. True success and sound wisdom comes to those who walk upright.  Set higher goals for moral rectitude. That is our favorable and desired outcome. That is true success.

Finding Joy in Our Calling

Praise the Lord!  On October 12th I was very humbled and privileged to speak at a women’s event, Bagels & Blessings at Edgewater Alliance Church.  This season’s theme is JOY, and it was just that to bring God’s word to a room filled with beautiful sisters in Christ, and perhaps some that were searching for answers.

I was super blessed to have my mom, sister, and niece in attendance.  My family used mom’s cell to video tape most of the message, just missing the first segment.  There were two stories not captured on video, “The $5 Bank Story”, and “The Peggy Story”, of which I pray I will have another opportunity to share those again.  The $5 bank story tied into how Awesome our God is; our Jehovah Jireh, Our Provider, and El Roi, the Strong One Who Sees Me.   Next we explored “wrong doors” after the Peggy story.  How sometimes we stand in front of wrong doors, doors that look attractive and inviting, only to find they are not the doors God has for us to walk through.  If the door has been shut, stop looking through the window!  That we can trust Him to open the right doors; He opens doors no man can open, and shuts doors no man can shut.  Praise God!!

The video picks up with a word about wrong directions.  “A change in direction begins with our reflection” We were made in His image; are we living a God-focused life?

I truly LOVE speaking, and know that it is not me but The Holy Spirit who inspires and delivers the message; I am but a willing vessel, and boy am I willing!!!  I so love speaking, I have no fear of it at all.  I pray God opens more doors that allow me to speak wherever He calls and according to His will.

You can find an excerpt from this message on my speaking page. Just click on the tab. I pray God speaks to you through this message as you walk in His will for your life.  There is power in the Name of Jesus!!  Amen!!