#248 - The Christian or The Government?

Question: Whatever you are doing, whatever you are pursuing in your life right now, if you could ENSURE the Lord would bless & prosper it, would you want to know how? 

Question: If you could have your business blessed, would you want to know how to ENSURE the blessing of the Lord? 

Question: If you could have your finances blessed, would you want to know how to ENSURE the blessing of the Lord in this area?

Question: What about your relationships, would you want to know how to ENSURE the blessing of the Lord in this area? What about the dreams you have of being a successful writer? A cook? A teacher? A model? A realtor? An entrepreneur? Would you like to know how to ENSURE the blessing of the LORD on whatever it is that you are pursuing? Then today, this devotion, is for you!!  

Let's begin...

Deuteronomy 15:7-10 - If there is among you a poor man, one of your kinsmen in any of the towns of your land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your [minds and] hearts or close your hands to your poor brother; ⁸ But you shall open your hands wide to him and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.....¹⁰ You shall give to him freely without begrudging it; because of this the Lord will bless you in all your work and in all you undertake.

Proverbs 22:9 (NIV) - The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. 

Proverbs 31:20 - She opens her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind, or spirit]. 

James 1:27 - External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.  

Have you ever heard it said, 'The two things that you should not talk about with people are this: Religion & Politics?' In all actuality, those are the two most important topics. Today's post is not about whether you are democrat or republican, but today's post is about what YOUR RESPONSIBILITY is as a Christian, as the church, as the Body of Christ. Today is about you! Today is about stacking the cards in YOUR FAVOR to accomplish your goals & dreams. Today is about getting the WORD of God & God Himself working on your behalf!

This message is unsung! I've never really heard ministers talk much about it. I've never heard anyone emphasize it's importance. As Tyler & I sat this morning, drinking our coffee & having our respectable quiet times, he continued to interrupt my time with a statement like this, "Ooooh, this is good." Now, what do you say to that? :) "No Tyler, keep it to yourself, I don't want to know what is so good over there!" No, I definitely welcomed him to share, and he did. Then a minute later, "Oooooh, this is good." - "Alright, come on. Bring it," was my response.  So, he proceeded to share verse after verse after verse. And.... oooooh, it was good! I wasn't planning on writing a blog post this morning, but this was all just too good!

Whose responsibility is it anyways? With politics, debates, bumper stickers.... all in full swing shouting for one political candidate or another, where does the Lord fit into all of this? As believers, if we all have the same Bible, the same God, the same Holy Spirit, shouldn't our views be the same? Because my God, is the SAME God as the Baptist or Methodist down the road. Right? We serve the SAME God. So, I return to the question, "Whose responsibility is it anyways?" Is it the responsibility of the government to help the widow? Is it the responsibility of the government to help the poor? Is it the responsibility of the government to help the orphans? No, it is the responsibility of the Believer. It is the responsibility of the church. It is the responsibility of the Body of Christ.

Wait! Don't turn me off! Keep reading.... if you, like me, are thinking, "Oh great... one more responsibility to pile on my plate." And literally, it's like you are beginning to turn the nob to "off." Just wait... THERE IS SOMETHING IN IT FOR YOU!!!

WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME? So... what IS in it for you? Why should I be excited about yet ANOTHER responsibility? I know, you are a busy mom. Maybe a single mom, going to school, working full time, making dinner, doing laundry, and still trying to spend quality time with your kids... I get it! I get it! WHY should we be excited about this word, that in our busy lives, sometimes seems like a dirty word because we don't want any more of it.... you may have even said this, "If only I could go back to being a kid, being in elementary school when I had NO responsibilities!" I have definitely said that comment before. :)

OK... let's get into the GOOD news! WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU?

When you give to the poor, when you give to the needy, when you, the believer, give to the orphans, THIS is what happens:  

THE LORD WILL BLESS YOU in ALL your work and in ALL you undertake.

Hey guys! I'm not making this up! I didn't come up with that statement! It came straight from the Bible.
And....we're not talking about greed here. We're not talking about being "greedy" because you are doing the right thing. It's OK to be excited about GOD HIMSELF blessing ALL of your work & ALL you undertake! It's OK to be excited about that. You SHOULD BE!

Look at the string of events...

• A. You Bless the poor or needy by giving them some money... maybe helping with some monthly bills... a house payment, a car payment... maybe buying some Christmas presents for their children...
• B. You are a teacher, not making a ton of money to pay your own bills.... but wouldn't you know it, THE LORD lays it on the heart of the administrator at your school, they take notice of you & what a great job you are doing and Whaaa-Laaaaa.... you get a raise at your job! You receive INCREASE! 
• C. With your INCREASE, not only do you tithe off of it (give the top 10%)... but you also decide to sow some MORE money into the Kingdom of God... maybe a ministry that is having a great harvest in seeing people saved. 

Do you think GOD is OK with you being EXCITED about your INCREASE? I would say a hearty, ABSOLUTELY! :) 

As a Believer, as a Christian, it is OUR responsibility to help the poor. It is not the governments responsibility to raise taxes, implement more policies to get more of our money to put it towards this or that. It is the Christians responsibility to help the poor. The guy standing on the side of the road with a sign, it's your responsibility to help him. It's my responsibility to help him. Sure, we can't determine... is he just a "con-man." Once that money is out of our hands, we can just commit it to God. God, I did my part. I saw someone in need, and I gave. 

What's good for you? Check this out, Deuteronomy 15:11 says, "For the poor will never cease out of the land." The poor will always be here. What does that mean to you? According to the Word of God, there will NEVER be any shortage of blessings available to you. Do you need to be blessed? Do you want God to help in the current thing you are undertaking? Give. Reach into your wallet, roll down your window, the guy holding the cardboard sign... yah, him... today, choose to give. Or like my dad did... take him into McDonald's, buy his lunch. When you do that, when you GIVE, you put into affect this principle! You put into affect, GOD blessing YOU in all you do! And God's Word works, it does not return void!

What about the church? What about America? It's not the governments responsibility... but so many Christians aren't doing their part. Well then, let it start with you! Let it start with you. Remember & get excited about this....

THE LORD WILL BLESS YOU in ALL your work and in ALL you undertake.

Then, if you have a need in your life, put God in REMEMBRANCE of His Word! "Lord, I gave!" Stand by and watch Him work on your behalf!

Getting YOUR Prayers Answered!

Psalms 37:4 - Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

Isaiah 43:26, 62:6 - Put Me in remembrance [remind Me of your merits]; let us plead and argue together. Set forth your case, that you may be justified (proved right)... you who [are His servants and by your prayers] put the Lord in remembrance [of His promises], keep not silence...

Isaiah 55:11 - So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 

As I sat this morning as I began my Quiet Time with the Lord, I just wanted to hear what was on "His" mind. I don't do this all the time.... but have you ever thought, "Lord, what are you thinking this morning? What's going on with you?" :) Not like He doesn't have the WHOLE world praying to Him... and it's "awake-time" somewhere in the world all the time! Well... this morning was one of those mornings where I was curious. :)

In the still, quiet moments, sitting on my couch with my coffee, Pandora worship music streaming from our 'smart TV' in the background... I just sat & listened.

... I am here to accomplish My Word! ... Most do not pray My Word so these promises are not working for them.  

I took a few moments and decided to look up the word petition. Petition. According to the dictionary, it calls petition a formally drawn request , a request made for something desired, especially a respectful or humble request, as to a superior or one in authority. Petitions are most often known for being made in a court of law. A formal, drawn up petition/request. If you take a moment to think about a "petition" in a court of law, if you are like me, you would maybe think of something like this: 

• Something that has been researched & drawn up.
• Something bulleted or numbered off so that I can prove my point accurately and thoroughly. 
• Something that I can include examples or stories with in order to further bring home my point. 

If I were petitioning for something in a court of law, I would MOST DEFINITELY have my ducks in a row so that the judge would see that I am serious. If I really wanted to win, I would walk in there with my stuff together, if you know what I mean, right? Wouldn't you? 

So, why don't we do the same thing with God...when it comes to our life? Our dreams? Our goals? The desires of our hearts? 

Isaiah 55:11 reminds us to put GOD in remembrance of HIS Word! To remind Him WHAT He has said, WHAT His promises are in His Word. He said Himself that the Word was put in place to ACCOMPLISH that which it was made to accomplish. So, with your dreams & goals, your wants & desires.... DO SOME HOMEWORK! 

If you were going to PETITION in a Court of Law, you wouldn't walk in there with NOTHING! Right?! You would have your stuff together, you would probably be in your nicest, most professional business suit. You would have your legal pad. You would have your evidence. You would have the facts. You would have it all! And, it should be the same when you come to God in prayer to petition a request. God has placed His Word here for us to USE IT to get what we want. Let me give you a few examples. 

Tyler & I, for our last two vehicles were believing God for them. Our first one was in 2009, we had believed for a Nissan Murano, and the 2nd one was earlier this year, we were believing for a Honda Odyssey. We found exactly what we wanted, we SOWED a financial seed for them, and we DAILY thanked God for them. We also put God in REMEMBRANCE of His Word. 

"Thank you Lord that according to Deuteronomy 6:11, you tell us we are to RIDE PROSPEROUSLY. We thank you Lord for our Honda Odyssey. We thank you for our swagger wagon, leather seats, a built in DVD player & Navigation would be really nice, but I could do without it."

Well... guess what we got? God outdid Himself! We got BETTER than what we were believing for! We got a 2012 Honda Odyssey Touring ELITE. Fully loaded. Heated seats. Tinted windows all the way around. A 16 INCH DVD player. 8 passenger. A built in COOL BOX to keep drinks cold. Several other extras ...and it DID have Navigation! :) I waffled on what color I wanted.... and was not specific on that. I kinda wanted dark grey, but never got real specific. We got a white one that Tyler drove right off the show room floor! :) Which... I never knew this, but driving a vehicle off the show room floor was always a secret petition he had. 

But the point.... we did our homework. We test drove it. We got pictures of it. We sowed financial seed for it. We found scripture, GOD'S WORD, to back up what we were believing for... then we put GOD in remembrance of HIS Word. And do you know what, His Word works every time! If you don't believe me, check out what HE says about it!! "My word (THE BIBLE/SCRIPTURE) be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Do your homework. Send forth God's Word. Make your petition known to God, but have your homework to back it. Have "proof for your case." Pictures, Scripture, Seed sown towards your dream, goal or need. Present it to God and then STAND YOUR GROUND! Continue to THANK HIM for the desired result you are waiting on. You get serious about your dreams and goals, and God will help them come to pass! :) 

And friend.... Do not grow weary in well doing, because in due season you WILL reap if you faint not. Stand your ground until your petition comes to pass. We have proof sitting in our driveway. It does work.... and if it worked for us, it will work for you!

Timing or Toil

Good morning!! :) It's been so long that I've logged in, I forgot my password for the first round of "tries." Anyways... here I am... excited to share some good Word with you. Why? Because ALL the Word is good! God's Word changes things. God's Word brings peace where their may be toil in your mind. God's Word and Voice brings clarity where their may be confusion. Praise the Lord that we ALL have access to God's Word for our life!

Eccl. 3:1 - To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven

Let's try this on for size....tell me, have you ever found yourself having this conversation with God? "But God, when? When are you going to bring this to pass? When are you going to do it? How long do I have to wait to live my dream, to accomplish what I have been working towards? Pleeeeeeeease God! Will you please help it to happen now?" 

Have you ever found yourself having this conversation? Maybe you are going along through life, working towards your dream or goal, and one day you just get frustrated. You aren't seeing the results that you think you should be seeing.... or it appears that God is SLOW! "God! What is taking you so long?" :)

I'm sure Joseph may have thought this in his journey to seeing his dream become a reality. In Genesis 37, we see that Joseph was 17 years old when he had his dream. The dream? His brothers & parents bowing down to him. In Genesis 41:42, 46 we do see Joseph ascending to the #2 position of leadership in ALL of Egypt. Notice, he is 30 years old at this time, but even this success still is not fulfillment of his dream:  Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt.

In Genesis 42, we see that the 7 years of plenty in the land of Egypt had come to an end. At this point it had been 20 years since Joseph had had his dream. 20 years! In verse 6 we see final fruition, Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. 

As I sat this morning in my quiet time, basically whining to the Lord, I was reminded of God's perfect timing! Like Ecclesiastes 3:1, there is a season for everything, timing for everything! Just as there was a season for Joseph's dream, there is also a season for my own dream/s. God has perfect timing for my dream. God is not late. 

The Holy Spirit reminded me this morning that the greatest thing that I can do in the pursuit of my dream is to do two simple things. 1) Listen. 2) Obey. If I do those two simple things, my dreams will surely come to pass. THOUGH, the fruition of my dreams coming to pass are still based upon God's timing. I can toil, and try to force my dream to come to pass on my own time, or I can listen & be obedient in the process of my dream coming to pass. I've toiled. That is no fun. I've tried to force things, only to be frustrated in the end. 

What if I want my dream to come to pass NOW? How can I accelerate it? ACCELERATE listening and obeying the Voice of the Holy Spirit! It seems so simple. Proverbs 3:6 tells us, In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 

How are you doing in that area? Acknowledging Him in ALL your ways? "Where should I go today Lord? What should I do? What should I work on? Do you want me to call someone? Drop a note in the mail? What should my day look like? How can I be 'God-Productive'? How can I be productive in the areas that YOU want me to work Lord?" 

Acknowledging Him. It means fine-tuning that LISTENING EAR. He will direct you and me to be in the right place at the right time. He will set up the divine appointments. And while HE is bringing to pass the dreams that you have, you can ENJOY LIFE knowing that you are listening & obeying. You can continue to be obedient to His direction WITHOUT toiling and actually enjoy each day. Enjoy each day with your children, spouse, friends, family WHILE pursuing your dream. 

Listen. Obey. He will tell you what to do. Just as Noah received very SPECIFIC instructions in building the ark, God will give you specific instructions too!

Will you practice listening today?

Need Bravery? Need An Invincible Army?

Good Morning!! It's going to be short & sweet this morning... but I have a feeling that there are some people who need this verse this morning!

Habakkuk 3:19 - The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!

Everything you need lies in your reach! As a believer, you have EVERYTHING you need.... and this little hidden verse here in Habakkuk encompasses a lot of what most believers need today. To operate in the day to day, to move forward, to accomplish, to walk in their calling, here it is for you. Grab hold of it and allow it to continue to push you, to pull you, to conquer the hill you are about to reach.

Do you need personal bravery today? Access the Lord God.
Do you need strength today? Access the Lord YOUR God!
Do you need an invincible army? Do you need someone to fight a battle you are going through? Enemies? Cancer? Financial struggle? Debt? Problems in a relationship? Do you need an invincible army to pull you out?? Access the Lord YOUR God!

It says in this verse that HE will make you to WALK! Not to stand still! He will make you to WALK! To move forward! When it seems hard, when you don't seem to have the words to say, your bravery is at an all time low. When you don't know what to do or say, it says that the Lord YOUR God will help you to keep moving!!! He will help you to GAIN GROUND! In the area of responsibility. Do you need to take responsibility for something? Your weight? Your finances? Improving a relationship? Your house? Your schedule? Your job? When you grab hold of the Lord YOUR God, it says that HE will help you PROGRESS in these areas!!

I encourage you today.... take some time... access this invincible army that you have at your fingertips. Access this personal bravery that can emerge from you if you will just ACCESS IT! The Lord YOUR God is there to be all that you need! He is there to help you to succeed! To help you to win in your business. To help you move forward. To help you start a family. To help you beat cancer. He is there to help you to WIN ANY battle that you are facing!!! ACCESS HIM!

Have a blessed day!

The Holy Spirit CAN Help...Will You Listen?

Hello! :) I know it has been awhile since I have posted! This morning I felt led to post something and feel that it will really help some people. Hope this finds you well. Life here is good! Tyler Jr continues to be a hoot & Trinity is as beautiful as ever! She is coming up on 10 months old! It is hard to believe. Praise the Lord for blessed, great & healthy kids!

Let's get started!

Habakkuk 2:4b - ... the [uncompromisingly] righteous man shall live by his faith and in his faithfulness.

Joshua 1:8 - This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

Pulling out of our subdivision do I go right or left? Which way should I go? This is just one of the simple decisions I have to make each week when Tyler Jr goes to his "MyGym" class. Should I turn right or left? I am sure you have similar decisions that you make daily. Simple decisions... but decisions that can make all the difference. Maybe not "life-changing", but in some cases, they COULD BE life changing!


The Book of the Law... The Word... The Bible. Allowing these Words to constantly be inside of us. The "Word" is also often referred to as God Himself. God is the Word and the Word is God. The Bible talks about how the Word is inerrant, God-breathed. Since the Word is God.... meditating on the "Book of the Law" shouldn't be as hard as we often make it. Earlier in my Christian walk, I would read this verse, Joshua 1:8, and think, This is impossible! I can't just sit around reading the Bible all day! I have things to do! Over the years as I have grown in my Christian walk, as I have drawn closer to the Lord, as my relationship with the Holy Spirit has continued to go deeper and deeper, this verse popped out this morning in my spirit and it made sense!


As I sat on the couch, with my cell phone on the table next to me, my never-ending conversation continued. "This is why I told you not to bring your cell phone into this time with us. It is very distracting. You keep doing things on your phone & it interrupts our time," the Holy Spirit said as He rebuked me for the simple distraction.


Meditating on the Word day & night. Since the Word is God, aside from reading our Bible, meditating on the Word can also be simply CONTINUING in an ongoing conversation with the Holy Spirit. As believers, He does reside within us. Before ascending to heaven, that is the very reason Jesus left, so that the Holy Spirit could be WITH US always! Daily! In each decision be our guide! Check out what Jesus says in John 14:14, 26: And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever.... But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.


The disciples didn't want Jesus to go. They didn't want Him to leave them. They simply did not understand the magnitude and importance of Jesus leaving. Aside from allowing Jesus to defeat death, hell & the grave, AND allowing people of all time to accept Jesus as their Savior.... by Jesus leaving allowed us to KNOW the answer to the question, "Do I turn right or left?" When we get saved, we then give the Holy Spirit a home inside of us! We become the temple of the Holy Spirit. And then, all we have to do to know the answer to questions, is simply quiet ourselves, acknowledge the Holy Spirit & ASK the question. Sure.... if it is not something you are used to, if it is not something you have done much or at all, it may take practice learning to HEAR His Voice.... but friend, I assure you, the Holy Spirit is there, like it says in John 14, to be your Counselor & Helper.


So... in the morning... on my way to MyGym... inside, in my head, in my spirit. I get to the stop sign where a decision has to be made.... I quiet myself after asking the question until I hear the answer. "Go right today. It will save you from some traffic." 


Similar conversations happen throughout the day as I acknowledge the Holy Spirit in my life. He continually answers simple questions.... and even hard questions in our ongoing, never-ending conversation. Praise the Lord that Jesus DID ascend to heaven so that EACH ONE of us can have a Counselor & Helper. Jesus was a man. He was flesh. He could only be in one place at one time. Praise the Lord that the Holy Spirit can help ALL of us, even at the same time! 


Today.... I encourage you... take the time to quiet yourself and listen to that still small Voice who is just waiting to talk to you!

A Call to Greatness

1 Kings 4:22-23 - Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, sixty measures of meal, Ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides harts, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl of choice kinds.

Have you ever stood in awe of someone. Have you ever thought, "Wow, to be that great!" Have you craved to have the success of someone else. If only I could be as good as ___________. If only I could accomplish what they have accomplished. If only I could make it to where they have. If only..... If only.... 

I spent some time this morning actually studying on 1 Kings 4:22-23. The word "provision" really caught my attention. I was astounded to read about what King Solomon needed for only ONE day, surely I could at least get to a fraction of that one day (a larger fraction than I currently contribute too...aka... us having provision for more than just our household).

Anyways... here are some of the numbers that I did the math on....

King Solomon needed for the Month:

• 310 fat oxen

• 620 cattle

• 3100 sheep

• 1 Cow = 1,600 servings of 4 ounces (1/4 pound)

• 1 Sheep = would feed 70.5 people at 1/2 pound serving each.

• 1 Ox = approx. same as 1 cow (maybe a bit more since it was a fattened ox) 

• 10 fattened oxen = 16,000 servings of 4 ounces

• 20 cattle = 32,000 servings of 4 ounces

• 100 sheep = 14,100 servings of 4 ounces

• Grand TOTAL: 62,100 servings of 4 ounces/day OR 31,050 servings of 8 ounces/day.

SO... IN ONE DAY.... How many people was King Solomon feeding.... well, let's just look at some of the numbers. 

According to WebMD, averaging out men (56 grams) and women (46 grams), we should get about 50 grams of protein/day. That is equivalent to 8 ounces of meat. 

SO... if all the meat alone was used for taking care of King Solomon's household (I'm sure maybe some of the cattle was allotted towards milk... but let's just say it was all for eating), King Solomon was given that provision to feed HIS household of 31,050 people PER DAY! That is pretty amazing!

I got to thinking... "Wow...if I could only be a fraction of that great. That would be pretty neat." I could not even fathom how great King Solomon was. As I sat and thought, I couldn't even fathom the great responsibility he had. Then, as always, the Holy Spirit was quick to correct me. 

His responsibility was extremely great and totally different than yours. A few things to consider... EACH has a different calling in life. Do your best not to compare your calling to someone else's. I have put seeds of greatness in everyone. YOUR gifts are different than the next person. YOUR goal should be to MAXIMIZE your OWN gifts & calling. It should NEVER be; "to be as good as ________," or "to accomplish as much as _____________." What if MY desire is for you to accomplish more than say ________________. If you set your goal merely on where you see them today and where you want to be today, you will miss it! You will miss my best. Focus on MY best. Focus on MY calling for your life!!

As we look at the greatness of King Solomon, we may have never desired to be "that" great. But... what about your neighbor? Your boss? The Joneses? Your best friend? Your uncle? A business associate? Are your sights on what they have accomplished? I challenge you today, reset your sights. Set your sights on what GOD would have you accomplish with your life? He did say in Ephesians 4:20 that He, is at work within us, is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams. 

Today.... allow your imagination to run! Can you focus on the calling God has for YOU to accomplish.  Because if you can, your highest prayers, desires & dreams can come to pass on this earth. He would not have placed them in your heart if they couldn't. YOU, my friend, were called to greatness! Your job? Seek HIM and find out exactly how you should accomplish the assignment that HE has set out for your life! 

"Little" is the Doorway to Much

Good Morning! I am still "out here." :) I know over the last 6 months, my 4 time/week blog has dwindled to maybe once per week....sometimes once per month. Well... let me just assure you... I'm still out here, and I am still spending daily time in the Word. I just wanted to let you know I haven't fallen off the deep end! :) It is an interesting and new season for me. I'm very excited about that, but at the same time, much change has been and continues to come. With a change of season requires a change in activities, schedule and a continual reevaluation that I am indeed on the right track. My goal, as I'm sure yours is, is to not miss ANYTHING the Lord has for me. Thankfully my husband has "cast me onto the Lord" (which he did a long time ago, PRAISE THE LORD!) and allows me and the Lord to work out what "AMY" needs to be doing.


Anyways... with all of that said. I believe I have a good Word for you today. The Lord continues to give me incites as I dig into His Word. It is so good! Constantly new.


Let's dive in...

Psalm 40:5,6b - Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; no one can compare with You! If I should declare and speak of them, they are too many to be numbered....You have given me the capacity to hear and obey...

God's thoughts towards you. Did you know that they are HUGE! Did you know that as the SON or DAUGHTER of the Most High God, that His Plans for you are great! The "greatness" or "legacy" that you leave here on this earth are in direct proportion to your ability to hear and obey. What could that mean? Maybe that means "hearing once" and fulfilling one specific calling with greatness. Maybe that means "hearing daily" and accomplishing a lot in many venues.


In Psalm 40:5, it talks about God's thoughts towards us being too many to be numbered. Imagine a room filled with all the things that you are suppose to accomplish. Maybe it's developing witty inventions, as Proverbs 8:12 says. Imagine in this room, there are shelves full of your inventions. Great inventions, not just one, but MANY. Really, cool, great ideas, just sitting there on the shelves. Multi-million dollar products. Products and inventions that really help people. Just think about peanut butter alone. George Washington Carver invented peanut butter in 1876, and went on do invent 300 other products using the peanut. A devout Christian, Carver considered his laboratory "God's Little Workshop." Maybe in your "room" there are books that you have written, great books. Maybe there are products you have sold. Business' you have started. Engineering firm, photography business, a marketing company you've expanded, a restaurant or chain of restaurants. Maybe it's a dessert you've made famous, or a sauce? Maybe it's your artwork, work and designs that are so exceptional that they are known worldwide for how extraordinary they are. What is in your room? God's thoughts of you are too many to be numbered. That includes that great plans He has for you! His plans for you are for you to prosper! (Ps 1:3, 35:27, Proverbs 16:3, 16:9) There are SO many places that talk about how the Lord's plans for YOU, as His child, are for YOU to SUCCEED!!!!! For YOU to WIN! For YOU to be PROSPEROUS! Healthy! Wise! Wealthy! Third John 1 verse 2, Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.


THE KEY HERE? Psalm 40:6b. You have the CAPACITY to HEAR AND OBEY! If you don't feel like you have been able to "HEAR" the direction or Voice of God (the Holy Spirit)... then guess what? That hearing ear can be developed! You can begin the process of practicing to listen! You will be amazed that as you pursue God, as you seek out Him & His treasures, He WILL make Himself known to you! Your life, your direction, your calling does not have to be a mystery to you! It is not suppose to be a mystery! He has HIDDEN TREASURES for YOU! They are HIDDEN for YOU to find them! They are HIDDEN from the enemy FOR YOU! But you have to seek them out, listen and obey! 


So... in your room.... in this room that has "all God has for you".... what is going to come to fruition here on the earth that is in YOUR ROOM? Are all the inventions, business', churches that you help build, books that you write....are they going to be left on the shelves? Or are they going to come to fruition here on earth? I believe that your capacity to RECEIVE those inventions, ideas, successes are based upon your ability to be obedient with the FIRST ONE! If you don't take the first idea, or the first business or the first book and do anything with it, WHY would God give you the next one? When you have not been faithful with the little, the ONE, why would he give you the rest of the AWESOME ideas? 


It begins with 2 things. Listening & Obeying. 


Can you do that today? Can you Listen? Can you obey? Can you take the first step to being obedient to what God has called you to pursue? Just like the story we've heard many times. The servant who was faithful with little, was given much. 


Servant. Child of the Most High God. Will you be faithful with the little He is trying to give you today? That "little" that you are faithful to is the doorway to much. Will you be faithful?

#247 - Is the Sin Worth It?

Proverbs 31:18b - ...her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust].

1 Peter 1:14-16 - [Live] as children of obedience [to God]; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires [that governed you] in your former ignorance [when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel]. ¹⁵ But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living. ¹⁶ For it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.

I sit and reflect this morning on the greatness of our God. As I began to journal this morning, I began to just thank Him for the sacrifice of Jesus. As words poured out into my journal, I'm sure there was a look of pain on my face as I thought in greater depth about what the word "sacrifice" actually meant. I decided to look it up. A Hebrew "Piel" form of the word "sacrifice" means to press or squeeze. The "Piel" form of  a word is intensive & active. Sacrifice is greater than just a non-chalant "offering" to our Father.

As I sat, I pictured my Jesus on the cross. The vision of Jesus' body from the movie "The Passion of Christ" flashed in my mind. I saw his torn flesh. I saw the blood dripping from His brow. I saw the pain He suffered as he was beat. As I envisioned all of this and wrote my thank you's to my Father, I know an expression of pain wore across my face. To imagine that MY sin put Jesus on that cross. For a split second, in my mind I tried to justify that Jesus died for all mankind, not just me... so it was not just MY sins that put him on that cross. BUT my selfish justifications were quickly wiped away when I reminded myself that if I were the only person on the earth that had sinned, God would have still chosen to send his Son, Jesus, to the cross for me. It is hard to conceive.

To bring it even closer to home, I wanted to personalize it. I wanted to make it real to myself. Not just a story, or a neat concept that "Jesus died for me." I wanted the depth of the realness to really sink in. It took me but only a brief moment when I pictured my son, Tyler Junior. I melt just at his hug. My heart melts when he cries because he falls down and hurts his toe. To see his face so sad, and tears streaming down his face, and there is only one person he wants when he gets hurt, Mommy. Mommy can hug like no other. Mommy can cuddle, coddle, kiss it, lay hands on it and remind him what we say when we have a hurt, "Healed in Jesus Name." And through Tyler Juniors tears, he says "Healed. Healed Mommy." I think of how my son has a way of melting my heart and I hate to even see a stubbed toe, let alone putting him in the place of Jesus on the cross.

The word "sacrifice" takes on a whole new meaning. That great of a sacrifice would be extremely painful.  I can barely even allow my mind to go there to picture MY son, Tyler Junior, in the place of Jesus. The beatings, the torture, the blood, the pain. My Father sacrificed and WATCHED His Son go through that for me!! When I thought about it, even if I knew that Tyler Junior were going to die & be raised again in 3 days, I still don't think I could stand to watch him being tortured.

All of these thoughts bring "sin" into a whole new perspective. I think of a sin I committed last week, would I really have allowed myself that moment of living in the flesh if the consequences would require the sacrifice of my son? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Then the verse, "Live holy as I am holy," comes to life in a whole new light. Placing MY SON in the place of what God sacrificed with His ONLY Son makes me think completely differently.


Is strife worth it? Is immorality worth it? Is coveting worth it? Is gossip worth it? Is ugly thoughts or words worth it? Is ANY sin worth it? NO! NO! NO! The sacrifice was so great. The sacrifice was so heavy. And we are given the charge to "Live holy as I am holy." As Ephesians 5:1 reminds us also to, "Be imitators of God (copy Him, follow His example)..."


I ask you, is the sin in your life worth such a great sacrifice? Is the few minutes of pleasure or living in the flesh really worth it?

What is Your True North?

Psalm 67:2 - That Your way may be known upon earth, Your saving power (Your deliverances and Your salvation) among all nations. 

Psalm 68:3 - But let the [uncompromisingly] righteous be glad; let them be in high spirits and glory before God, yes, let them [jubilantly] rejoice!

I sit here this morning with a great realization of how much I do not know! After spending the last four days with family and celebrating the life of Tyler's grandfather, I am beginning this week with a lot of things I've learned. As we sat in the funeral on Saturday, I marveled at how great this man was. I marveled at all the many things this man quietly did for the Kingdom of God. The lives he helped, served & invested in. The ministries he impacted because of his generosity and love for the Lord. The obedience he displayed in following the calling that God had specifically on his life. I still sit and marvel.

As I reflect on the simplicity of this great man, I realize how much I do not yet know and the qualities I still have yet to possess. I reflect on the areas God has to mold me, twist and turn, change and recreate, but all the while realizing that it still begins with me. Me. It begins with my willingness to SEE myself. It begins with my willingness to be open to the areas that I need to change. It begins with ME being willing to open my heart, and as difficult as it may be, open myself up to rebuke, to facing the ugly areas in my life that I have been hardened to.

Why? Because the #1 purpose of myself and each believer should be Psalm 67:2. That HIS way may be known upon the earth. That HIS saving power, HIS deliverances and HIS salvation my be known among the nations! How easy it can be to lose sight of the greater importance in life. It is not about the houses, the cars, the money, the trips, the clothes, the jewelry, the purses, the experiences. I learned from a man who was indeed blessed with all of those things, BUT I learned where his heart remained all of these years. I learned that his #1 focus was allowing the saving power of Jesus to be the greatest legacy he left on earth. Through the increase he received, he did not lose sight of his calling. He did not lose sight of blessing the Kingdom of God. He lived out HIS PURPOSE on this earth. With humility, he lived out his calling.

Praise God that we have something to jubilantly rejoice in! Psalm 68:3. We can be in high spirits and glory before God. We can JUBILANTLY rejoice! Why? Why can we be jubilant? Because the end of the story says that WE WIN! The end of the story says that we, believers, win! We will be walking on streets of gold with the King of Kings! We will enter through pearly gates and glory for eternity with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

What about you? Do you have any areas that need to be refocused? Like me, do you have any areas in your life that need to be tweaked? Has "true north" moved off course just a few degrees? I challenge you to take a few minutes to check your true north. Check your direction.

The Windows of Heaven

Proverbs 10:22 - The Blessing of the Lord makes rich & He adds no sorrow with it. 

Malachi 3:10 - Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 

I've been reading a great book lately which has solidified some of my thoughts about sowing & reaping, about "the blessing"... about finances.... and several other things.

God has allowed us the opportunity to partner with Him through tithing. What a GREAT opportunity. Through tithing, we have the ability to allow the windows of heaven to open over us. The windows of heaven open in a variety of ways.... but many ways they open I had not ever thought of before. Have you ever gotten an awesome idea, and later found that idea on store shelves? I remember getting the idea several years ago for "plastic re-freezable ice-cubes." I thought it would be a really great idea, certainly a great, usable invention. Wouldn't you know it... a few years after I got the idea, I saw the product that I had thought of, right there in front of me, on the shelf!  THAT is a great example of the windows of heaven being open. The windows of heaven opened and rained down an idea. A witty invention. A concept. A product that God knew would sell. He gave me the idea. I did nothing with it. And... most likely, as He saw I was going to do nothing with it, He gave the idea to someone else who would. That witty idea made someone money, just not me.

The Blessing allows us not only to meet our own needs via the Lord providing, but The Blessing, when in abundance, pours out in an overflow so that WE, God's Children can bless other people. LACK & poverty is not a part of the Kingdom of God. Otherwise, the streets of heaven would not be paved in gold. The "pearly gates" would be rusty gates instead. "On earth as it is in heaven." Through being a faithful tither, we open up the WINDOWS of heaven to pour down ideas, ways of increase directly to us. God knows if He can trust us with the TITHE, 10%, He can most likely trust us with more. What was the beginning problem in the Bible? The ONE tree. Adam & Eve were not willing to leave alone just that one tree. Let's say that one tree represented the "tithe".... if we can be good stewards of the tithe, I do not doubt that the Lord would be happy to bless us, you & me, with more. We see another example of the wicked servant who buried the masters money. In Matthew 25:28, So take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.


God wants to bless you. Will you be faithful to give AND faithful when you receive? Money. Ideas. Inventions. Concepts.