A few weeks ago I was driving to work and fear and doubt and worry were getting to me. It was announced at the end of January that our company was closing down. God had been preparing me for this. I knew it was coming before it happened but there have still been difficult days walking it out.

 

It’s been amazing watching what God does and how He works. That day, a few weeks ago, I had the local Christian radio station on. That alone was odd for me because I usually have music from my phone running through the Bluetooth.

 

This particular morning I decided to listen to the radio. I took my usual route which includes a back road that runs along the river and the golf course.

I only have about a five minute drive to work but if you knew my struggle with the inability of other drivers to follow general road rules, you would understand why I take the back road instead of the straight shot to the office. To top it off, it’s a pretty drive and makes me smile.

 

So there I was, 7:55 in the morning, fear and worry stressing me out already for the day. There was a song on that I didn’t recognize and really wasn’t paying much attention to until part of the lyrics caught my attention. It was a song by Ryan Stevenson called “Eye of the Storm” and the part that caught my attention…well…

 

I was praying (complaining) to God with my worry and fear and trying to make a game plan for worst case scenario doomsday type situation – I lose my job and never work again, they repo our cars and bill collectors are calling our phones non-stop but that’s okay because those are shut off too from not being able to make the monthly payment and we have no health insurance  so we can’t even catch a cold but we will because our diet will consist of carb filled mechanically pulled apart foods that make us sick (we follow a ketogenic diet) and then…and then…and then…and then I was angry because of how foolish I was being and letting fear and worry get to me because I know better.

And then God slapped me in the face with these lyrics:

 

“When they let me go

and I just don’t know

How I’m gonna make ends meet

I did my best,

now I’m scared to death

That we might lose everything…”

 

The radio station cut out and a different one came on. I’m. Not. Kidding. It was a man’s voice and it had an old 50’s commercial sound to it. I looked at the digital display and it didn’t change, only the sound itself coming out of the speakers. I’ll get back to this in a moment.

 

The station went back to the regular radio station and the song was still playing:

 

 

“My only hope is to trust You

I trust you Lord…”

 

“In the eye of the storm

You remain in control

And in the middle of the war,

You guard my soul

You alone are the anchor when my sails are torn

Your love surrounds me in the eye of the storm”

 

I started laughing and crying and shouting all at the same time. God knew what I needed at that moment. I knew I was being irrational and I knew it was ridiculous to worry about such things and he reached down into that car and scooped me up and comforted me at the exact moment I needed it.

 

There’s so much more to this story that I wish I could share and in due time I will be able to. The fear and the worry stem from this: God has not released me to submit my resume anywhere yet.

 

Do you know how hard it is not to look for work when you know you need to look for work? When you have bills that occur monthly and need to be paid? When you know the position you are in is coming to an end and you have nothing lined up? When you are well able and you have seen positions that you are qualified for, that would pay well and when you think of submitting your resume, you hear God say, “No.”

 

I could have went ahead and secured another job. I could have done that last October when God told me this position was coming to an end. I could have done it back in January when it was announced our company was closing. But God said, “No,” each time. I will get to see what I would have missed out on when all is done and said because I’m listening to Him. I will get to look back and say, “If I had gone ahead and applied over here or there, I would have missed THIS. This is what God had planned for me!”

 

I’ve told God I don’t understand but I trust. I trust Him. I know He has a plan and if I follow His instruction, I will be blessed beyond anything I could do for myself. I have found my joy in that these last few weeks and especially last week when I was told this coming Friday would be my last day.

Who gets happy about that? I do! I have joy in it because I TRUST and KNOW that God has something great coming for me that will fulfill the desires of my heart – to be able to write full time and work in our ministry full time. Being told Friday would be my last day puts me one step closer to what God has for me! Who wouldn’t be excited about that?

 

Will the next season be another stepping stone towards those heart desires or will I be able to do those things next? I don’t know but I trust God. I trust He knows what I need and when I need it.

 

Yesterday, driving that familiar back road, I was reminded of what He did a few weeks ago and I could not remember the song or what I heard on the radio. I was aggravated that I couldn’t even remember the song lyrics or what it sounded like. It was a defining moment in this walk and I couldn’t remember anything except I heard a song, God spoke to my heart and the radio station freaked out and jumped back and forth. I couldn’t even remember what it was that I heard when the station switched and the man was talking and I know it was important.

 

I knew I had journaled about it but I have no idea what journal I put it in or if it was something I typed up and saved on a random thumb driver or did I text it to myself? No clue where I recorded it. For all I know, I’ve already blogged about this. I got to work though and completely forgot about it until this morning.

 

Today I was driving in to work and as I started down that back road, the song came on the radio and I immediately recognized it. I smiled and thanked God for it. It was perfect timing. He always has perfect timing and I can always trust in that.

 

I still can’t remember what the spoken word was but I’ll be reminded at the moment I need to be.

 

I am so excited about the next season in our lives. My husband and I have been walking a tight-rope of faith for the last few months and we are almost across this gorge. I don’t want to wait until I get to Heaven to hear God say, “Well done my good and faithful servant,” I want to hear him say it now. I want to be faithful in our walk now. I want my Heaven here on Earth. I want God to smack me in the face when I need it. I want Him to be a light at my feet and direct my ways.

 

I love God. I love Jesus. I love the Holy Spirit. I love everything about God. His grace, His mercy, His comfort, His peace, His compassion, His direction, His correction, His guidance…it all makes up who I am because He is the great I Am. This world is like a giant boxing ring sometimes and I like having Him in my corner.

 

 

Matthew 25:23 (KJV)

His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

 

 

I am so excited about what God is doing in my life. The last few months have stretched my faith, grown my faith and brought me out of a comfort zone. A comfort zone is okay, but only for so long. A comfort zone allows us time to rest, a time to learn, and a time to reflect. It is not a time to be lazy.

 

I have watched for the last seven years how God has been preparing me and my husband for what He has next for us. Seven years! If you knew how impatient of a person I am, you would know that seven years feels like an eternity to me.

 

God knows me though and gave me just enough in my impatience, to let me know that He has it all under control and has all along.

 

I thought about all that has taken place over the last seven years and it’s amazing:

 

• My dad passed in December of 2009 (the catalyst)
• I graduated college with a B.S. in Interior Design at the age of 31 (May 2010)
• My husband and I came out from under a spiritually abusive “church” (4.5 years ago)
• My husband and I found a church that teaches Truth and the Word and have flourished because of it. They represent what the Church should look like and we are thankful to God each day for a good church home.
• God advanced my career in design almost four years ago providing greater increase financially
• God advanced my husband’s career with financial increase due to His favor
• Through our church home I was able to obtain my Associates in Theology through In Christ International Bible College (May 2015)
• My husband graduated with his B.S. in Geology (December 2015)
• My husband was considered “in remission” of sarcoidosis by his doctor as of May-“ish” 2015. You would think we would know the exact date but we already knew he was healed when he was diagnosed in 2008. We just had to wait for his body and the doctors to catch up 😉
• I have published the first two, of many, Bible study workbooks. The third will be up soon!
• I have finished my manuscript for my first book. Editing in process.
• I have started a 365 devotional and already have plans for a second. All God-given topics and direction.
• My husband was healed of herniated discs without surgery.

 

These are just things I can think of off the top of my head at the moment. There is so much more God has done in our lives. So much He has in store for us. Now, through all of that there have been trials. There has been trouble. There has been doubt and fear and uncertainty. It was in those times we sought Him out. We countered the negativity with His Word, His promises, His Truth.

 

There are times over the last seven years we have known the difficulties we were going through were times we needed to pay attention. God used those times to train us, to teach us, to grow our faith.

 

He showed us how to stand strong in His Word, how to let Him be our strength, how His promises are His promises and He is a God that cannot lie.

 

Even in times of silence He showed us He did not leave us. He did not forget us. He was always watching over us. In His silence we learned to watch. We learned to trust. We learned who He is. We learned how magnificent He is. There are no words to describe Him and do Him justice. He simply is the great I Am.

 

This coming Friday is my last day at my current job. I was just informed last Thursday of the specific date. I knew it was coming, God prepared me for it. My boss is in the position to retire early and the business is closing. God has put things in place according to His timing and His plan. I do not know what my next position is. He has not directed me where to apply or look. But I trust Him. I can say that because I know the God I serve. My last position ended due to the economy and lack of business coming in. When it ended, I had a new position in less than 24 hours. It would have been in less than 6 hours but I didn’t have a cell phone number for the person I knew to call. I had to wait until the next morning to call their office. I was hired on the spot and here I am almost four years later, knowing God will provide again.

 

If God did it then, He can do it again. His Word tells us not to fear or worry and I can honestly say I haven’t. God knows the desires my husband and I have in our hearts because they are God-given dreams. I believe this next season will be us stepping into those roles.

 

I knew the day I was hired into this company that it was for a season, that God had a plan for me. I wasn’t sure what that reason was but I trusted Him.

 

I have asked every day for the last four years as I looked at the front door, “God, is today the day?”

 

Each day when I asked, He would respond, “Not today.”

 

A month or so ago my coworker came to me and said “Misty, I need you to pray.”

 

She went on to tell me about her six-year-old grandson and how his doctor had found a lump that was growing and they had been monitoring it for the last three months. They had ruled everything else out so now they were going to send him for a biopsy. They were going to check for cancer is what they meant.

 

I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, “This is why you are here.”

 

I told her I would pray but I also was able to show her in the Word of God how He says we ARE healed. I taught her how we can speak the Word of God and it must come to pass. I instructed her on how to speak it out, don’t call him sick but call him healed. I told her to have him say it as well. He had to say he was healed. He had to speak the words no matter what the physical looked like and no matter what the doctors said. They had to believe and have faith the size of a tiny little mustard seed.

 

Last Thursday morning she came in from lunch and stopped at my desk, stared at me and said, “I’m only going to say this. My grandson went to the doctor. They couldn’t find anything.”

 

I said, “Praise God!”

 

Then I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, “Now you are free to go.”

 

We’ve talked some more about it since then and she told me how her grandson told the doctors that his grandma said he was healed and he believed he was healed so it didn’t matter what they said, he was healed and he wasn’t sick. She said over the weekend her grandson looked at her and said, “Grandma, you told me I was healed and I knew I was healed but I think there was someone/something else out there.”

 

Jesus gives life and life more abundantly!

 

His regular doctor felt a lump. He felt the lump grow for three months. He was sent to another doctor for the biopsy and that doctor couldn’t find anything. That doctor called a second doctor in and the second doctor couldn’t find anything! They didn’t do the biopsy because there was nothing to do a biopsy on!

 

Some will say those two doctors don’t know what they are doing  and they should keep looking and some will say evidently the first doctor didn’t know what he was doing. It doesn’t matter what they say, what matters is what the Word says and the words that come out of our mouth. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Those doctors may have very well known what they are doing, I have no doubt, but God knows what He is doing.

 

I don’t share this to boast. I am humbled by God’s great power. I did nothing in the matter but be obedient to God and His instruction. I could have left a year ago. I could have left two years ago. I didn’t have to take this job at all. I could have left last November or this past January. I chose to listen to God though. I stayed in this position for four years, I was obedient to Him for four years, and the fruit of my obedience is life renewed in a six-year-old child because of HIS Word, not mine. I only taught what is already written.

 

How many times do we let our emotions control us and miss out on the things of God? Not only could we be missing out on things for ourselves but we may be preventing someone else from receiving from Him. The four years I have been here are all worth it to me because that little boy was healed. That little boy, for the rest of his life, knows that when trouble comes, he can speak against it and stand on God’s Word.

 

That doesn’t mean I have been perfect in my walk these last four years either. There are days I have failed miserably and went home with tears in my eyes. There are days I repented for my words and actions knowing the next day was a new opportunity to try again and learn from my mistakes.

 

I am so thankful to the people in my life who sacrificed and who stood on God’s Word. They have taught me invaluable lessons, their testimonies have grown my faith, and they have blessed me beyond my biggest dreams.

 

Don’t beat yourself up over the times you haven’t followed His direction. Repent, move on. He forgives and remembers our sins no more. Today is a new day and a new opportunity. Today you have the choice to stop, be still, and listen for the Holy Spirit. You have the opportunity to ask Him what He would have you do and walk in it.

 

He will answer. He will show you. He will not leave you. He will not forsake you. He’s in everything we do if we only let Him in.

 

He is faithful. He is I Am.

 

 

Hebrews 10:23 (KJV)

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

 

Proverbs 18:21 (KJV)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

 

 

I am a 38-year-old woman who owns three guinea pigs. My husband and I do not have children, these are our guinea pigs.

 

I’ll let you soak that in for a moment. I know it seems odd to many that we would own guinea pigs. I’ve always thought they were adorable and I never had any when I was younger so a little over a year ago, we bought some. If I had known then what poo machines they are and how often I would be washing fleece bedding, I may have thought twice about it. Nonetheless, they are adorable and I love them and they are worth all the effort for the joy they bring me.

 

I have them in a 2×5 C&C cage, which you can kind of see in the picture below.

 

Yesterday evening as I stood over their cage looking down on them, I was thinking about the best way to protect them. We had threats of severe weather in our area and after the tornadoes in April of 2011, we make sure we have a game plan in place. Well, the guinea pigs were a new factor in our game plan. We don’t have a basement and the closet at the center of the house is barely big enough for me, my husband and our 5 pound Chihuahua, Spaz. Trust me, her name fits.

 

I have a small pet store cage that I use to temporarily hold the guinea pigs when I am cleaning their big cage. My thought was, if necessary, to put them in the small cage and set that small cage in the bathtub, no water of course.

 

Then I reminded myself of what I prayed yesterday and how I rebuked the storms and realized I wouldn’t need to do that because I was standing firm in my prayer.

 

But as I stood there, looking down, it occurred to me how helpless they were and they didn’t even know it. I looked at them running around in their 2×5 home with the storage area underneath, their “basement”, so to speak.

 

Just follow along for a moment with me. Yes, I know they are guinea pigs. If they knew a tornado was coming that had the potential to destroy their “home”, that 2×5 cage, their best course of action would be to hide in the storage area underneath. From my perspective however, I knew they wouldn’t be any safer in that storage area underneath than upstairs in their “home” if a tornado ripped through.

 

The only thing that would keep them safe was me. I’m their keeper. I’m their master. I’m their protector. I would have to scoop them up, put them somewhere else that I knew to be safer for them, like the bathtub, statistically speaking.

 

I pictured this and realized that was equivalent to us, as humans, hiding in our basement during a tornado. From God’s perspective, are we any safer hiding in the basement than sitting in the living room?

 

I know God is my Keeper. I know He is my Master. I know He is my Protector. I had revelation in this moment, staring at three stinky guinea pigs, exactly what that meant and how important He is in my life.

 

It doesn’t matter where I am, He protects me.

 

We as humans are little poo machines who God loves regardless. He may have thought twice about it after creating Adam and Eve when they went and messed up but He loves us regardless. He watches over us as we bring Him joy. Did you know YOU bring God joy? You do. Ask Him how.

 

I realized I brought joy to Him earlier that day when I prayed against the storms and stood on His Word. I smiled knowing who protects me. I rejoiced in the fact that I have a good Heavenly Father who looks over me, protects me, feeds me, gives me water and guides me.

 

I was reminded of my favorite Psalm which is Psalm 91. I thanked God for his protection and we spent the evening as we normally would. The wind didn’t blow much, the lightening was nothing abnormal, there was no hail and the rain was heavy but soft. There were no tornadoes, the lights didn’t go off and I slept good last night.

 

 

 

PSALM 91:1 (KJV) www.biblegateway.com

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Feed your faith, not your fears. Speak it out loud. Use your words. Use your faith. Use the authority given to you.

 

We live in an area prone to severe weather in the spring and the fall and kind of any other time as well, or so it seems. I do not like sever weather of any kind unless it’s snow. My fear is stirred up when I hear reports of impending severe weather and I know better. Fear is not of God.

 

I see other brothers and sisters in Christ whose fear is also stirred up. I become angry. Not at myself or at them, but at the enemy. When I get angry with the enemy, I’m ready to fight.

 

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

How do we fight the spirit of fear? With our two-edged sword, same as we fight any other battle. The Word. The Bible. God’s commandments. God’s Truths. The things we were given through Jesus Christ. The prayer below is spoken out specifically against the storms in our area, from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf coast, and rebuking them as we have authority to do. This can be applied to any “storm” you see approaching. It doesn’t have to be a literal weather report. It can be against any storm the enemy tries to blow your way. I cannot stress enough how important it is to read your Bible and know what authority you have in Christ. We perish for our lack of knowledge. You have to feed your faith constantly. You must devour the Word each time as if you haven’t eaten in months.

 

Print this off, keep it with you. Fill in the “storms” that threaten you and pray this, out loud. It is so important that we open our mouths and pray. Speak the Words OUT LOUD. God spoke with world into existence. Stand up! Be bold! Claim your inheritance! Satan is a liar and can have no stronghold on you!

 

If you are reading this, I ask that you pray this specific prayer and be in agreement with me today. Where two or three are gathered He is amongst us. There is power in prayer. Let it glorify the Father and be a testimony of who Jesus is.

 

Father, we thank You for Your sovereignty and for the power given to us through your son, Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice He made on our behalf as a testimony of your love for us. We use the authority given to us according to John 14:12 and rebuke any attack of the enemy including severe weather. We know four things:

 

1. Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20, Luke 17:6)
   2. Jesus calmed a storm (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41)
   3. Jesus himself told us we could do what He does and greater things even (John 14:12-14)
   4. You are a God who cannot lie so we stand on Your Truth (Numbers 23:19)

 

I have faith of a mustard seed and greater. I believe Jesus was your Son and calmed the storm. I believe Him when he said I can do the same and I rebuke the attack of the enemy and command peace to settle over the land and over your sons and daughters. I command the winds to be calm, the hail to melt and the rains to be soft. I command the trees to be rooted firmly in the ground and not give way. I command the rain to drain off as it should. We rejoice in Your protection and we rejoice in Your greatness. Amen.

 

All verses are (KJV) taken from www.biblegateway.com

 

Matthew 17:20

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

 

Luke 17:6

And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

 

Matthew 8:23-27

And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

 

Mark 4:35-41

And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

 

John 14:12-14

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

 

Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

People will mock small beginnings because they can’t see beyond the end of their own nose. Hand them a tissue and move on.

 

Let’s use the following example.

 

A church starts with a vision given to a pastor by the Holy Spirit. That pastor may share the vision with his wife and they pray about it together as they develop the vision. Now there three involved: God, the pastor, the pastor’s wife.

 

They may set up their living room and invite a few people over and begin their Sunday service. One person they invited might show up. Now they have four involved.

 

They don’t let the fact that only one person showed up stop their vision. They continue in it. Eventually that one person invites a couple they know to go with them to a Sunday service. Now there are six involved.

 

That couple knows two other couples who have been looking for a church so they invite them. Only one of the couples shows up the following Sunday. Now there are eight people involved.

 

Getting the picture yet?

 

We have to stop viewing success as the end result.

 

We have to view success as walking out the vision. Success is accomplished in the beginning by taking the first step. Success is accomplished in the follow-through.

 

Success is achieved through the process.

 

When we view success as the end goal, we will be disappointed along the way. View every step as a victory and be thankful for even the smallest of accomplishments.

 

My husband and I have a certain goal in regards to finances we are working towards. We count the pennies. Literally. A found penny goes towards our goal. When he texts me a photo of coin he found, I text back the amount of our goal less the amount of that coin. Yesterday he found a dollar blowing across one parking lot and a dime in another. Today he found a penny. I texted him back the amount of our goal, less the penny. It’s one step closer to our goal. We count it all joy and all victory.

 

I know what God has spoken to me through the years in regards to my writing. He told me I would reach the world. I looked at the yearly stats for just my blog last night. In 2017 alone, I have reached 9 countries. There are a total of 196 countries. I have 187 to go.

 

I’ve already had to fight off the words of the enemy and doubt such as, “Really? You think that counts? You posted your link and they clicked on it, how does that count? Look, you only reached one person in New Zealand and one person in Singapore. How does that count?”

 

I had to look the devil in the face and “spit-talk” at him…”It counts because it’s fulfilling a God-given vision!”

 

That one person in Singapore may have been encouraged enough by something they read, that God gave me, to go and share with a group of 100 people. Or not. It’s not my place to know.

I can say when I read your comments of how you have been encouraged, I give God all the glory for it! I see His purpose being carried out and I get happy over that.

 

My obedience to the vision God gave is simple: write and share.

 

He told me I would reach the world. I see it happening. It may be small beginnings but I am victorious in the vision already because I am running the race. I am obedient to Him. There is more to the vision that God gave me and I am walking it out. It’s not arrogance or haughtiness when you follow His direction knowing that He works all things out for good. It only takes one person to change the world. I may not be that person but I may reach the one who can. I may encourage the one who does. We weren’t meant to live this life alone.

 

Be faithful in the visions and dreams God gives you. Walk them out no matter how slow or fast they seem to come to fruition. If it’s of God, then it’s worth the walk.

 

Don’t let the mocking tones, looks or words of doubt from others deter you from what God Himself instructed you to do. Don’t join them either. Keep your faith. Keep your words of victory.

 

Pray for those you see walking their vision out. God honors that. Brothers and sisters in Christ should pray for one another and lift one another up. Encourage each other in ministry even if their ministry is set apart from yours. They have people they can reach and you have people you can reach. Keep on keeping on.

 

Philippians 2:2-4 (KJV) www.biblegateway.com

Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

 

It was an interesting weekend. God is moving. His silence has stopped.

 

There are some people you can sit in a car with and drive along with no words spoken and it is completely comfortable. There are other people, you can sit with in a car, drive along and it is the most awkward ride of your life. I’ve had a few of those rides.

 

My husband and I can ride for long stretches of time in the car and not say a word. Not because we don’t have anything to say to each other but because we are comfortable enough with each other to where every moment doesn’t need to be filled with sound.

 

How comfortable are you with God?

 

Can you be quiet in His silence and know that He is working things out for good on your behalf? Or do you become like Abraham and Sarah and create an Ishmael?

 

I was reminded of the story told in John 8, the story of the adulteress and scribes and Pharisees who wanted to stone her. The Holy Spirit pointed two parts of this story out to me that I hadn’t paid much attention to before. The scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus to be instructed. They could have just stoned the woman and been done with it. According to the man-made laws they had every right to. That was the first thing the Holy Spirit pointed out to me. They went to Jesus first. They wanted justification for what they were about to do.

 

He was silent.

 

Here is the second thing the Holy Spirit pointed out. The woman who was accused was standing there while they talked about her. When the scribes and Pharisees asked a question which hung her fate in the balance, Jesus was silent.

 

He was silent on her behalf. To the unbelieving eye, it would seem that he left her to defend herself. I could only imagine the thoughts going through her head. I’m sure she was in fear for her life. His silence may have confirmed in her mind that she was about to be stoned. Everything seemed absolute for a moment, not only for her but for the scribes and Pharisees as well. Everyone in the situation thought it was going to go as planned…they still had rocks in their hands and she was still standing there.

 

But then He spoke.

 

She was set free. The scribes and Pharisees were convicted (not condemned) of their sin. They were given the option to drop the rocks and walk away which they did. They recognized the sin in their own life. She was given the opportunity to go and sin no more. Jesus saved them all in the situation.

 

When He is silent it is on our behalf. Sometimes we may be the harlot, sometimes we may be the scribe or Pharisee. Either way, it’s because there are things in our life that He wants to save us from. Situations may seem as if the worst possible outcome is going to happen but we must wait upon Him and not lose faith. It is during the silence He is growing us in our faith to stand on the Word and His Truth. He never leaves us though. He does not walk away. He may be silent but He is still there.

 

Be quick to repent and be quick to forgive.

 

John 8:1-12 (KJV) www.biblegateway.com

Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

 

 

I have found the easiest way to get my eyes off of issues in my life is to pray for others. When I focus on God, my issues have a way of working themselves out (God).

 

I remember praying as a young child and not really knowing how. I would just talk to God.I kept it pretty simple. As an adult, I hear other adults say all the time, “I don’t know how to talk to God,” or “I don’t know how to pray.”

 

I get that. I completely understand it. If you are new to talking to God or haven’t in a long time, it can be intimidating. It shouldn’t be, but it is.

 

I could easily respond with, “Just talk to Him!”

 

What instruction does that give? It doesn’t. I’ve developed in my prayer time with God. I’ve received revelation in His Word continually as I grow in my faith. I don’t pick and choose what I’m going to talk to God about either. I talk to Him about EVERYTHING.

 

Luke 12:6-7 (KJV) says:

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

 

If he cares about a bird, he cares about you. He knows the number of hairs on your head. I don’t even know the numbers of hair on my own head, though they are becoming less and less. I had a little chat with God about that…

 

So how do we pray? Some people think they aren’t worthy and go to him with their head down, beg him for something miniscule because they think they don’t deserve anything more. They pray for the very least because they feel guilty asking for more. They will pray, “Whatever be Your will, God,” thinking it’s His will that they stay sick/beat down/suffering.

 

Really? You think God wants you sick?! I know I shouldn’t use a question and exclamation point together at the end of a sentence but, really?! You think God WANTS you sick?! You think it’s His will that you be sick?! You think it’s HIs will that you be beat down or suffer?!

 

Show me the scripture that says He wants you sick or any of those other things. I can show you scripture that you are to be healed and whole. I can show you the scripture where He sent His son to sacrifice his LIFE so that you can have yours. You have to read the Word and you have to know what His will is. His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. If you are suffering because you think it’s God’s will that you suffer, you are being destroyed for your lack of knowledge. That doesn’t mean we won’t go through trials and all that jazz, we just have to understand that it’s not His will that we suffer through anything. If we think it is His will, we then have no hope. He is always our hope. It opened an entire new world to me when I got a hold of this revelation of who He is.

 

So back to, how do we pray?

 

First, let’s look at how we should approach His throne: with BOLDNESS. What? You mean I don’t have to tiptoe up to God and peek around the corner at Him to see if He has the time to hear my silly prayer that I may or may not have the guts to ask about?

Hebrews 4:16 says: Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

 

His Word tells us to come before him with boldness. Wow. Imagine that. What is boldness though? It’s not haughtiness. It’s not arrogance. Boldness is understanding what you have access to and utilizing it.

 

I call it BOLD P.P.T.

 

PRAISE

PRAY

THANKS

 

1. PRAISE – Psalm 100:4 says: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

 

You have to enter into His court if you want to talk to Him. Imagine this scenario. You are a king/queen sitting on your throne. You have a large court before you (big open floor space). People are allowed to enter in to your court. They can walk onto your court. Now what if in the midst of all these people shuffling back and forth, head down and moping around afraid to talk to you, one person comes busting up into your court with a smile on their face, dancing and praising your name telling you how awesome you are. They are surely going to get your attention. You may view it differently but this is how I picture myself busting up into God’s court. Sometimes I’m the “shuffler” though and then I have to remember to be bold.

 

2. PRAY – John 14:13-14 says: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

 

ANYTHING. Jesus says ANYTHING. That means you can talk to God about ANYTHING. If you don’t know what ANYTHING means, I’ll pray for you. So once I have His attention I can put my requests before Him. The thing is, by then, my attitude is already better in regards to those situations after I’ve praised Him, maybe did a little dance before Him, sang a tune for Him, so now I can more clearly articulate what it is I am in need of because I’m not clouded with thoughts of doubt and fear any longer. All that praising got that stuff out of the way.

 

 

3. THANKS – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says: In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 

EVERYTHING. If we can ask him about ANYTHING we should thank Him for EVERYTHING. Do you see what that verse says? Do you see that it tells us what God’s will is? What did I talk about earlier? Get in the Word and see what His will is…He hides it FOR us, not from us. This scripture says it very plainly, “for this is the will of God…” Sometimes, I skip #2. Sometimes I praise Him and then just go on and thank Him for the things I was going to pray about. That’s called having faith. If I need healing, I praise Him first and then thank Him for my healing. He already knows and I know His will so why not thank Him for it?

 

Be bold. Have big faith. Enter into his courts and stand out amongst the crowd. Let Him hear your voice, it’s one of the sweetest sounds to Him. Dance before Him. Sing for Him. King David did. King David ugly danced before God and God loved it. Go ahead, get your ugly dance on! Get happy in the Lord!

 

 

JOHN 10:27

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

 

Do you ever have those seasons in life, a day, a week, a month, maybe longer, where it seems that everything you say or do makes your situation worse? You can’t say anything right and realize each choice you make should have been the other option instead of the one you chose?

 

I watched an episode of a medical drama a couple of weeks ago and I was reminded of a scene from it this morning. A patient had been brought in who was all wrapped up in razor wire from head to toe. She had fallen into a pile of it and became tangled. She was unconscious when she was brought in and the doctors started to carefully work on her by clipping the wires into smaller sections so they could remove it piece by piece. She came to but was in a state of confusion and began moving and flailing, as much as she could, which only made the situation worse. It caused the sharp edges to cut her more than they already had and areas of the wire wrapped tighter around her. It was difficult to watch. The doctors stood there not sure what to do other than talk to her, loudly, trying to calm her down.

 

Finally, one of the doctors pursed his lips and grabbed hold of the woman to hold her still. In return, he received cuts from the wire himself. He sacrificed his own flesh, endured pain and bleeding, to save her. Once she stopped moving, he told her everything was going to be okay and he meant it.

 

Now, had the woman just lay there and not move, the doctors could have gone about their work and remove all the wire, stitch her up and send her on her way. Instead she freaked out and caused herself more damage and hurt the one closest to her.

 

Sometimes I fall into a pile of it and become tangled. Sometimes I find myself waking up in a confused state (not literally), and I start flailing about making the situation worse. In the process, we end up hurting those closest to us even though we don’t mean to. We do this with our words, our worry, our fear, our choices made out of haste.

 

I thought about that woman in the episode and the doctor who sacrificed himself to save her. It reminded me of what Jesus did by choosing to follow the path God put in front of him.

 

He looked out and saw a sea of people bound up in wire and sacrificed himself, endured pain and bleeding, to save them.

 

That’s the God I serve. That’s the Jesus I love. That’s the Lord who loves me.

 

When we find ourselves in situations where we are flailing about and our heads are down, everything we touch turns to a pile of garbage, our faith walk is looking more like a newborn cow than a man/woman of God…be still.

 

Be still.

 

Be still and know who He is.

 

Be still. Be quiet.

 

Listen for His voice.

 

He already jumped in and sacrificed Himself on the cross, now we have to listen to, and for, His voice so He can explain what happens next and hold us as we have the wire taken off and our wounds stitched up.

 

As the necklace in the picture shows, believe, have strength and don’t look back because that’s not where you are headed. No need to beat yourself up over your mistakes. Each moment is a new opportunity to take hold of the promises of God. Snatch them up like a kid on Easter on an egg hunt!

I encourage you to challenge yourself to only speak positive things for a day. Only speak good things for a day. If you start to speak negatively about anything, stop, even if it’s mid-sentence. Try it for one day. Here’s a shocker, you may not be able to do it. Here’s another shocker, you might just be able to.

 

Either way, make the effort! Effort can change your course. Effort separates you out from the ones not making any. If there are 10 people lined up to start a race and only one person makes the effort when the shot goes off, they are the ones ahead of the game while everyone else is still at the starting line. They are one step closer to the prize. They are the ones advancing around the track. They are ones in a different place than where they were.

 

 

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.