Expectancy!

Psalm 85:8 - I will listen [with expectancy] to what God the Lord will say...

At times... I'm sure we are all guilty. Guilty of what? Guilty of falling into the trap of the mundane routine, specifically when it comes to our time with God. Hopefully, you have a regular time that you spend each day with God, preferably morning, allowing your day to be fueled with the Word. Thankfully, it is a routine that I have been pretty consistent with, not perfect, but consistent.

This morning, as I read, I was convicted of how often my time previously was spent without expectancy. My routine of reading and journaling, at times, left out the true fervor of seeking, reading, listening with expectancy to what the Lord was going to tell me or reveal to me.

So my question to you (and me), do you need to revamp your quiet time? Do you need to make an alteration? An adjustment? In that time when you quiet yourself to just listen, tune in to that still small Voice, do you need to increase your expectancy? An hour or two hours in the Word, pales in comparison from hearing ONE WORD or ONE SENTENCE from the Lord about your exact situation.

When you get in that place next, I encourage you to listen with expectancy. There are hidden treasures for you, hidden for you, not from you. Listen, really listen. EXPECT that what you are going to hear next from that still small Voice is going to be EXACTLY what you need!

#158 - A Pursuit of Fervor!

Good morning to you on this wonderful day! It has been a blessing, these rain showers at night... washing away some of the yellow pollen that covers everything. In Jesus Name, no allergies or pollen formed against me shall prosper!!! Nonetheless, the rain has been a welcome blessing at night! I have an extremely full morning... and lots of traveling this afternoon... so we best get into some Word. We are taking a visit back to our regular reading schedule. :)

Proverbs 31:25 - Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]!

Psalm 25:3-5 - Yes, let none who trust and wait hopefully and look for You be put to shame or be disappointed; let them be ashamed who forsake the right or deal treacherously without cause. ⁴Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. ⁵Guide me in Your truth and faithfulness and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You [You only and altogether] do I wait [expectantly] all the day long. 

First of all, I find it interesting that here in Psalm, we have David... King David praying for US, you and me! Those of us who trust in the Lord, David is asking the Lord for us not to be disappointed. I thought that was pretty cool.... David, way back, was praying for ME and YOU!

Waiting. Have you ever just wondered, When will I get there? When will I get to my goal? When will this happen or that happen? When will be my time? When will this dream come to pass? When will the 'waiting' be over? When will I arrive? Well, I know that at times, I have found myself asking those very questions in certain areas of my life. Tyler even reminded me of it this morning. I met Tyler in July of 1998 on a mission trip. On that very trip, God told me I was going to marry him, God told me specifically that he was going to be my husband. After the trip, we both separately went back home and carried on with life. I, in Indiana, Tyler in South Carolina. For the next YEAR AND A HALF, every day I pleaded with the Lord! "Lord! When are you going to let Tyler know that I am supposed to be his wife? When is he going to call? When is he going to write? Email? Anything? LORD!!! WHEN!?!? Please Lord, just let him know that he is supposed to pursue me." What seemed like the longest 18 months of my life, at the time, I was waiting. I was expectant, but nonetheless, I was having to wait. What a time that was. BUT... what is interesting.... now, I have been married to Tyler for over 10 years! Looking back, though I remember the pleading with God, I remember the sleepless nights, looking up at the stars just wondering when the time would come. I remember it all very clearly. But today... I have Tyler EVERY day! Every day of my life, I have him.

Things that could have made the time go faster? I believe it I would have been more focused on the Lord, seeking and pursuing the Lord, seeking and pursuing my calling at that time in my life, I believe time may have seemed like it would've went faster. Instead, every day I was just moping around, pleading and longing to be with Tyler. Every day! My happiness was determined by the rush to the computer lab at college.... would I have an email from him today?!? Logging in to the campus computer, within minutes I would either be on a cloud of bliss, or my head would hang in disappointment.

What's the message? Look at the Proverbs 31 woman! Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure! WHY? She rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]! She already knows the outcome! Our Proverbs 31 friend is not standing as I was, head hanging low, sad, disappointed. She is standing just like I COULD HAVE been standing, in STRENGTH & DIGNITY. Her shoulders pulled back showing her position of STRENGTH & SECURITY! She is SOLID! She is CONFIDENT! She is EXPECTANT! She knows the outcome is good! And do you know what, I spent 18 months of waiting and it was miserable. It was such a hard time. I could have changed perspectives. God already told me Tyler was going to be my husband, I could have just rejoiced over what the future held instead of longing every day in my present. 


God's timing is perfect! We all have dreams & goals. We all have things we desire. Maybe we are looking to find our joy. Maybe we want the dream marriage, happy & fulfilling. Maybe it's a bigger house. To be out of debt. To have a new vehicle. Maybe it's to retire from your job. Whatever it is, your days are numbered and your VICTORY is at hand. But while you wait out those numbered days, STAND like the Proverbs 31 woman in strength. Like our Psalm, KNOW that your outcome will not bring disappointment, but as a CHILD OF GOD, it will bring VICTORY! The Word WILL come to pass in your life! The desire WILL BE fulfilled! And while your waiting, PURSUE your FATHER with FERVOR! Pursue your calling with FERVOR! I know sometimes "moping" is the easiest thing to do, but choose to PRESS IN! PRESS IN to your gifts, talents and abilities! Press in to what GOD has called you to do RIGHT NOW! Maybe you are called to be a blessing to someone else right now. Pull yourself up. Take your eyes off the "consuming desire", and be consumed with the Lord's will for your life today! What are you called to do TODAY? As you complete your calling, you will be shocked when you turn around and your desire has COME! It is here! You are walking it out! You are living in it! What a blessing. But don't miss today while you wait. 


Have a great weekend! :) 

#144 - EXPECT GOD!

A blessed and beautiful day! I heard it was supposed to get up to 77 here today! If you live in the cold north, my apologies.... hopefully you will experience some warmth trickling in too! As far as for us southerners, I must say... other than an act of God, I believe I will most likely remain a southerner! The warmth sure is a welcomed joy. 


Well, let's get started on today's devotion.... FIRST.... please, join me in a quick HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday to my awesome Father-in-Law, Dwight! He's an amazing man, such a blessing, a heart so big and full of God's love. I must say, I married into an amazing family... so I'm truly blessed on both sides! My family and my in-laws! Dwight, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Join with me in AGREEING in prayer:

Heavenly Father, I ask that you would BLESS Dwight today on his special day! I praise you for his life and for him raising up such a godly man in my husband Tyler. Thank you for Dwight being a godly leader of his home and leading Tyler to meet Jesus as a 9 year old. Father I pray that today and EVERY day you would BLESS the works of Dwight's hands. That he and his business, and employees would prosper. I pray an abundant blessing upon his business, that they would experience amazing growth, blessings and abundance of jobs despite the economy. I thank you we can live by YOUR system Father and not the WORLD'S system! So right now, we CALL IN the jobs and the money to their business. We thank you that you are FAITHFUL and JUST and that you bless your children! Protect them as they go about their work today and every day. We pray a Psalms 91 hedge of protection around every man or woman on every job site. We call Dwight blessed in Jesus name!

Happy Birthday Dwight! :)

James 1:2,5,6a,8  - Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort...If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally ..... and it will be given him. Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering .... [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].

Well, as I re-read James 1... I'm just letting it sink into me. I'm meditating, dwelling on, learning from the words. Letting the Holy Spirit reveal more to me each time I read over it again. The whole chapter is so good.... and so many good things we can take away from it.  


Consider it wholly joyful when we encounter trials? For real? Are we really suppose to do that? - That was my question. My self, my flesh, does not want to "count it joy." Most parts of me wants to get over the trial, get to the victory. Don't most of us want that? Well, in verse 3 says that the trial and the PROVING of our faith in the situation we are experiencing will bring 3 things: Endurance, Steadfastness, & Patience. Verse 4 encourages us to let those three things have their FULL PLAY, to do their THOROUGH WORK. Let those things WORK out in us what they need to work out! Let those things mold and develop us to be what it talks about in the second part of verse 4, PERFECTLY & FULLY DEVELOPED, with NO defects, lacking in nothing! 


Lacking in nothing sounds like a good answer! Don't you think! Are you lacking in anything right now? Time? Money? Friendships? Spouse? Freedom? Are you lacking in anything? Well.... as we learn to walk these verses out, it tells us that the outcome will be us LACKING IN NOTHING. Us being FULLY supplied in every area. 


As I was reading verse 8, I almost immediately realized that I want to be the OPPOSITE of everything that it talked about. I want to be exactly the opposite. As a woman of God, my desire is to be firm and solid in my relationship with my God. To be not doubting, wavering, lacking of joy. Let's look at verse 8 again, and then let's reword things to see what we SHOULD want to become....

For being as he is a man of two minds, hesitating, dubious, irresolute, he is unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything he thinks, feels, decides.

The GOAL? - The dictionary coins "dubious" as "doubtful & wavering." Irresolute? - Not firm, not determined, not set in opinion or purpose. So... with our new phrases, let's revisit this verse:

For being as he is a man of ONE mind NOT hesitating, NOT doubtful or wavering, RESOLUTE! Solid in his purpose and opinion. Firm and determined. He is stable and reliable and certain about everything he thinks, feels, decides. 

Man... that sounds like SUCH a better place to be doesn't it?! FIRM! SOLID! Really in a position that you KNOW you are blessed despite the situation or circumstance! You know, as a CHILD of God, that GOD is working on your behalf ALL THE TIME! Sure... we may go through some of the time where we are having to allow the WORD to work itself out in us. To PROVE ourselves responsible. But IF we continue and allow the WORD to have it's FULL WORK in us, we will be LACKING NOTHING! 


Now, that is a good word! Do I hear an Amen out there?! 


I caught the tail end of the Daytona 500 yesterday. What a Victory for Trevor Bayne! He just turned 20 on Saturday! He's barely out of his teenage years! Wow! What a victory! The youngest person ever to have won the Daytona 500. Well, I caught part of an interview after he won and he said something like this: "Well we pray, and we expect God. This just was a great opportunity to show how big God really is."


EXPECT GOD! We pray and we EXPECT GOD! BE FIRM! BE RESOLUTE! Solid in your purpose! STABLE. Determined! EXPECT GOD! God is in the business of bringing our EXPECTATIONS to pass, AND THEN SOME! Congratulations Trevor! What an awesome win! What an awesome victory! What an awesome testimony to how great of a God we serve!


Expect God! Walk in belief, not doubt, not wavering. KNOW that GOD is on YOUR SIDE and desires for YOU to prosper! 

#134 -PROVISION BABY!

Rapid fire! It's coming at ya! Get ready for this, it is good. And.... good morning... blah blah... hope you are doing good! I'm jacked!!!


Again, we are veering off path of our reading schedule, but the Lord is allowing me to share some revelations while they are fresh and just JUMPING out of my head and to my fingers!! For those of you out there who have a dream, THIS is going to set you FREE!!!!! This partnered with FREE FROM DOUBT is a FREEDOM combination! PRAISE GOD! Are you ready?? 


We're going to visit Exodus 16:12-30.... stick with me on this, it may seem long, but go with me! I'm going to include the highlights here:

Exodus 16:12-30 - I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites; speak to them, saying, At twilight you shall eat meat, and between the two evenings you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God.
    ¹³In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay round about the camp.
    ¹⁴And when the dew had gone, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a fine, round and flakelike thing, as fine as hoarfrost on the ground.
    ¹⁵When the Israelites saw it, they said one to another, Manna [What is it?]. For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.^{(A)
    16}This is what the Lord has commanded: Let every man gather of it as much as he will need, an omer for each person, according to the number of your persons; take it, every man for those in his tent.
    ¹⁷The [people] did so, and gathered, some more, some less.
    ¹⁸When they measured it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack; each gathered according to his need.
    ¹⁹Moses said, Let none of it be left until morning.
    ²⁰But they did not listen to Moses; some of them left of it until morning, and it bred worms, became foul, and stank; and Moses was angry with them.
    ²¹They gathered it every morning, each as much as he needed, for when the sun became hot it melted.
    ²²And on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each person; and all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses.
    ²³He said to them, The Lord has said, Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake and boil what you will bake and boil today; and all that remains over put aside for you to keep until morning.
    ²⁴They laid it aside till morning, as Moses told them; and it did not become foul, neither was it wormy.
    ²⁵Moses said, Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you shall find none in the field.
    ²⁶Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there shall be none.
    ²⁷On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
    ²⁸The Lord said to Moses, How long do you [people] refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?
    ²⁹See, the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day the bread for two days; let every man remain in his place; let no man leave his place on the seventh day.
    ³⁰So the people rested on the seventh day.

OK... PROVISION. I don't know what provision that YOU need for your life, but praise God I received a revelation on this for ME! Whatever God has called you to do, He has also PROVIDED the PROVISION for you to accomplish it! Now, don't get me wrong, the Children of Israel on the exit from Egypt should NOT have taken 40 years to get to the Promise Land! Why did it take them 40 years to get there? Because they had a BAD ATTITUDE! They murmured, they complained, their hearts weren't right! What should've been a TEN DAY journey took them 40 years! Isn't that ridiculous?!?! That's why Tyler doesn't especially like this analogy, but it works for me. God provided what they needed EVERY day. They walked out of their house, and GOD provided food for them! All they had to do was bend over and pick it up! 


What did they gather? According to their need! Up to an omer of food, but they gathered according to their need! Maybe the tiny skinny mom, or child, did not eat an omer of food, so they did not gather up that much, but they did not lack. They gathered WHAT they needed! So, let's take for example ME.... my husband and I are in a PEOPLE & PRODUCT business. We work with the best people across the US, and we work with 1500 companies & the best PRODUCTS that are available on the market. So... how does this story apply to me? Man, what freedom! This is how it applies, GOD has provided the PEOPLE that are suppose to be in business with us. And like the MANNA God provided for the Israelites, they WALKED OUT THEIR FRONT DOOR and there it lay, on the ground! They did not have to TOIL to pick it up! They just bent over and picked it up! Their need was met! Food for their body. Their need was met. (Now, if they wouldn't have been complaining, they would've had a whole lot more than manna and quail to eat because they would have entered into the land flowing with milk & honey in 10 days! BUT, because they had to complain and murmur, quail & manna was what was on the menu for 40 years!) Nonetheless, they ate. They did not TOIL to collect their food. The manna came to them, the quail came to them. For me, ALL I have to do is LEAVE MY HOUSE to collect MY MANNA! HOW MUCH??? HOW MUCH DO I COLLECT? I collect as much as I need! How big is my dream? BIG! How many lives to I want to affect? 100's of thousands of millions of people in my lifetime for the Gospel of Jesus! SO, my PROVISION is there and is exactly what I need! 


Now.... HOW LONG does it have to take me to collect my provision and get this train where it needs to go? Let me tell you, NOT 40 YEARS! With a GOOD ATTITUDE & the RIGHT EXPECTANCY, my 40 year journey can dwindle down to 10 DAYS! 10 DAYS! It doesn't have to take long! It IS a journey nonetheless, but it doesn't have to take forever! People don't have to die off in the wilderness on my trip, like the children of Israel. 


They gathered for 6 days, on the 6th day, they gathered enough for the 7th day and guess what??? The children of Israel have a DAY OF REST! Every week they had a DAY OF REST! HELLO! They collected enough for 7 days in 6 days and they RESTED! Whatever your goal, whatever your dream, you don't have to go so hard that you get burnt out! That day of rest, whatever your 7th day is, that day will renew and refresh you. On my day of rest, if I wake up and there are dishes in the sink, guess what happens to them? They STAY in the sink until the next day! I don't clean, I don't fold clothes, I don't usually cook anything extravagant. Hello pizza! Or hello "let's go out to eat!" It's a day where EVERY part of my being gets to get refreshed! Guess what that does for my 6 days? It makes my 6 days MORE PRODUCTIVE than if I worked for 7! 


SO. Provision. Do you need people? Go out and collect the people without toil. Like the Israelites just bent over to pick up their manna, you can just as easily go out and pick up your provision. Go out, GOD has put the people right there, you just need to collect. Do you sell products? Go out and sell your product. Pick up the phone, sell your product. God has put the people out there who WILL buy it! Do you need ideas? Open your mind and allow God to pour in the ideas you need. Collect your INVENTIONS! Whatever you need, God has ALREADY provided for you, and his GOAL for you is for you NOT TO TOIL along the way! 


10 DAYS BABY! 10 DAYS! Has it always looked like it would take FOREVER for you to reach your destination? NO MORE! You get a GOOD ATTITUDE! Get an attitude that EXPECTS to walk out and COLLECT your provision. You open your mouth, and collect your provision. You say HI to someone and you just collect! You get a GOOD ATTITUDE, get an attitude of EXPECTANCY, GO OUT (you can't stay in your house to collect your provision, God put it OUT in the marketplace, it's not going to rain in through your roof), GO OUT & COLLECT IT! The combination of your ATTITUDE of EXPECTANCY & the revelation that IT IS ALREADY DONE, GOD has already provided everything you need, that will get you to YOUR PROMISE LAND! All you have to do is WALK out your 10 day journey! Not your 40 YEAR journey, your 10 day journey!


The GROUND is WHITE! THE HARVEST is READY! There is enough MANNA for ALL OF US!!! Go collect YOUR PORTION of what God has set out for you! IT'S THERE!


Dude... I know. This was good stuff! Life changing revelations in these words! Now, go out with confidence! Change your life. Change your families future. Show the World what God can do, that you & everyone, "... shall know that I am the Lord your God!" Ex. 16:12b

I'M JACKED!!!!!!!!

Make sure you read FREE FROM DOUBT!!!