Tag: Hold on to your promises!

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Right thing, Wrong time

Grace and I were on our way to visit a church. I punched in the address in the GPS and we set off. According to the GPS, the journey should be about 26 minutes, that is, it should take us about 26 minutes to get to our destination. About 6 minutes into the journey, Grace asked, “Mummy, are you watching the map?” I then looked at the GPS, sighed and said, “I just added 3 minutes to our time.”

I missed a turn! I was distracted; I was engrossed in thought. I was not concentrating on or paying attention to the journey because my mind was preoccupied with what the Lord had revealed to me that morning during my time with Him. I was doing a good thing, a God-thing but at the wrong time. 

The consequence of my inattention was additional stops and ultimately delay. The initial route from the point where I veered off required 6 traffic lights stops but the route I ended up taking had over 15 traffic light stops. As I drove and waited at each traffic light, I fought the feelings of frustration that the wait invoked. I told myself there was nothing I could do, at this point, but stay the course and remain focused going forward so I can make it to my destination sooner than later.

As I talked myself into remaining calm, I pondered on how the delay meant that we would miss what was ministered to the congregation within the first 5 minutes of the 1-hour service as well as whatever else the Lord had prepared to release into our lives at that time. I saw how delay not only makes the heart sick but it robs us of some of what was rightfully prepared for us, while bringing into our lives unnecessary interruptions and the frustrations that accompany them.

I thought of my current journey and wondered:

  1. Could it be that the frustrations that I am experiencing is because of a delay?
  2. Could it be that I am doing the right thing but because of lack of focus I have fallen behind schedule and am no longer in sync with the timing of God?
  3. Could it be that the delay or setbacks I am blaming the adversary for are a result of my failure to be intentional or give keen attention to my journey?
  4. Could it be that I am doing the right thing but at the wrong time?

I am reminded of the five foolish virgins in the parable Jesus taught in Matthew 25. The reason they did not experience their expected end (Jeremiah 29:11, KJV) was because they were doing the right thing at the wrong time.

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut” (Matthew 25:10, NIV). 

These virgins were doing the right thing: “going to those who sell oil and buying some for themselves” so that they could complete their assignment of lighting the path for the bridal procession. They ended up at the right destination: the wedding banquet but were denied access. Why? Although they were doing the right thing and were at the right place, they had missed the right time. Their lack of focus and attention during the journey opened the door to a delay that caused them to be out of time and to incur unnecessary sufferings.

Similarly, we are told in Luke 19:40-44 that Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they missed their time of visitation and the price they would pay was untold sufferings.

On the other hand, the Shunnamite woman understood that it was not enough to do the right thing; the right thing must be done at the right time. 2 Kings 8 1-4 (NIV) tells us , “Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven years.” The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years. At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines and went to appeal to the king for her house and land.”

She moved in the timing prescribed and “It so happened that as Gehazi was telling the king the story of the dead person brought back to life, the woman whose son was brought to life showed up asking for her home and farm” (2 Kings 8:5, MSG). The king ordered, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now” (2 Kings 8:6, NIV).

My dear friends, when we do the right things at the right time, we intercept the things that God has already prepared for us. But we must be mindful that it is possible to be following the leading of the Holy Spirit and still fall behind schedule. How? If we are not vigilant about distractions, especially those that stem from within – internal distractions- we can propagate a cycle of delay in our lives, limiting ourselves from being and doing ALL that the Lord God has fashioned us to be and do. In this year of recovery, let us be intentional about being on the lookout for distractions, staying focused, and endeavoring not only to obey but to be in time as well.

Let us pray: O Heavenly Father, please grant me the grace for discernment that you gave the sons of Issachar so I can understand not only what you want me to do but the right time at which it should be done. I break the cycle of delay over my life, in Jesus’ name, and receive strength to be vigilant as I follow the leading of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Exactly as He said!

“So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith (complete confidence) in God that it will be exactly as it was told me…” (Acts 27:25, AMPC).

“Even in tumultuous times, the garden is still working.” These are the words my husband, Thad, spoke as he came in from outside, with an almost perfect green tomato in his hand. My thoughts were, “That garden puts us to shame.”

Here is a garden defying what the season is saying to it, and still bearing fruit. We had given up on it, thinking that it had borne all it could for this year. Thad had not been paying any attention to it for months now; he had not been tilling the soil, adding nutrients, or watering it. Yet, the garden persevered and brought forth fruit. The fruit was not in abundance but it was fruit nonetheless. 

As I write, I am reminded of Hebrews 10:35-36, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (NIV)

Friends, as you look back over this year and begin to look forward to the New Year, I would like to remind you that there is still more in you for that goal, that vision, that seems to have borne all that it could. What you need most right now is to hold on to your confidence in God and be patient. Encourage yourself to “have faith (complete confidence) in God that it will be exactly as it was told [you] …” (Acts 27:25-26, AMPC)

I declare over you that your faith will not fail. Confidence is rising in you now and you are receiving strength to hold on to that confidence. As you hold on, it will provide you with the fuel that you need to be patient and to persevere in doing God’s will. Amen!

Let us pray: O Holy Spirit, please help us to cast away everything that will erode our confidence: every lie, every doubt or unbelief, and every fear. We cast them all away today and hold on to your promise, in Jesus‘s name. Amen.

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Who told you that you were naked? – Genesis 3:9-11

I was fine until he said, ….

I was sure that I had heard from God but then she asked me, ….

Sisters, we are living in perilous times. Deceptive spirits are on the rise with the agenda to lead us away from the truth. We are constantly being bombarded with knowledge. Every other type of knowledge except the knowledge of God seems to be magnified in our society and if we are not careful we will be led astray. Just like he did in the garden of Eden, as recorded in Genesis 3, that old serpent, our adversary the devil is seeking to cause us to lose our identity. He does this by injecting knowledge (information) that would tempt us to doubt or question what God said about us and to us.

If there ever was a time for us to identify the source of the knowledge that we live by, it is now. Why? Whomever or whatever we allow to inform us has the power to influence our concept and perception of who we are and ultimately our destinies.

Mother Eve gave her ears to the serpent, received and acted on the knowledge that he provided her, and her life changed forever. Not only her life, but the life of those connected to her as well. Her husband listened to her voice and his subsequent actions changed how he viewed himself and her. Before the introduction of that new knowledge, they were naked and unashamed – Genesis 2:25 . A chapter later, we see them hiding, naked and afraid – Genesis 3:9-11. This new knowledge changed how they viewed each other and how they viewed God. It changed their relationship with each other and their relationship with God.

God, after observing their behavior, knew they were listening to someone other than him. He asked Adam, “Where are you?” Adam’s reply was, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” The Lord God asked, “Who told you that you were naked?“

Does that sound similar to you? You used to ….. But not anymore. Your behavior has changed. You give all sorts of excuses for your changed behavior but you know deep on the inside, the change was the result of something you heard. Your pastor told you…. Your spouse told you…. Society told you …. Circumstances told you…. That sickness told you …. Your thoughts told you …. Then you started to doubt and walked away from the truth: you walked into deception.

But today, the Spirit of the Living God has come to remind you of the truth and to set you free. You are not naked! You are not disqualified! You are not rejected! You are not insufficient or incompetent! You are God’s creation, made in His image and likeness – Genesis 1:26. You have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus – 2 Corinthians 5:21. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength – Philippians 4:13.

Knowing the answer to the question, “Who are you?”, frees you to be greater and do greater. It steers you on the path to fulfill your purpose, your assignments here on earth. Do not allow anyone or any circumstance to cause you to lose your identity. Embrace who God says you are and reject all the lies of the enemy!

Prayer: Lord God, forgive me for giving my ear to the voices all around that sought to drown out your voice. I reject any counsel or knowledge that does not align with what you say. Please work in me to desire and act out truth concerning who you say I am and embrace it without fear, in Jesus’ name, AMEN!

DIG DEEPER:

Bible Study 1: Who told you that you were naked?
Bible Study 2: The Power of Knowledge

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It WILL SURVIVE & THRIVE

Yesterday, I received a text message from one of our spiritual children, “We are having the baby! Mrs. has been admitted to the hospital.” Sometime later, another message followed with a host of pictures, “5lbs 10 ounces 18 1/2 inches long.” My heart was overjoyed for this young couple who had recently been launched into church ministry. I responded to them, “A new chapter of your journey begins now. Go WITH God!”

Throughout the evening, my thoughts would drift back to them and settle on their newborn daughter. I was reminded that, with this new birth, a new potential soldier was born into the kingdom, another arrow in the making. I was reminded of the level of warfare that will be surrounding this innocent child and the necessity for vigilance and sobriety on the part of the parents. The knowledge that within each new life, God has hidden a part of His plan for this earth, weighed heavily on my mind and the urgency to, like Joseph with Jesus of old, do what is necessary to keep that child safe. Eventually, I stopped what I was doing and began to pray for that family.

I awoke this morning, and the memory of this new birth came to mind. As I reflected on the time I spent in prayer for this family, I began to think of those of you who may have also recently given birth to something new or are in the process of carrying a vision. In many cases, we plan for the arrival of the new with much joy and anticipation and forget that, for the new to survive and fulfill its purpose within this hostile environment, the optimal atmosphere must be created. Apostle Peter cautions us in 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV), “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Prior to Peter’s epistle, Jesus had taught His disciples, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10, NIV).”

As I write, I am also thinking of those with “children” (visions) that have been birthed some time ago. Some may be thriving on their way to bringing forth fruit of their own. Others may be parched and near death’s door. I pray over all of our children/visions today. I pray that no matter the condition of their physical environment that an atmosphere conducive for growth and development will envelop their lives right now, in Jesus’ name. I call on heaven for angelic assistance to stand guard over and around our children/visions. By the mighty name of Jesus, I rise and disarm every weapon that was fashioned against them and declare, although they have already been formed, they will not succeed in that which they were formed to do (Isaiah 54:17).

That which God has buried within them as hidden treasure to bless this world will come forth, in Jesus’ name. They will execute ALL the will of God in their seasons, in their generation. All that they need to prosper is provided now, in Jesus’ name. May the Holy Spirit breathe fresh life into them and bring them into alignment with that which the Lord is doing in this season. I speak over these children/visions, “Hear ye the word of the Lord. You were sent to earth not to be a failure, not to be a statistic but to accomplish what the Lord has desired and to achieve the purpose for which you were sent” (Isaiah 55: 11, NIV). YOU WILL ACCOMPLISH! YOU WILL PROSPER! You will not only survive but thrive. Go WITH God.

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He Kept His Promise!

Merry Christmas 2020!

With all the gift buying and giving, amidst the laughter and joy of family coming together, I stop to reflect on what Christmas means to me. As I reflect on the Scriptures, my mind lingers on the thought that our Lord God is a PROMISE KEEPER.

I mull over the fact that Christmas is the celebration of the fact that God kept the promise that he made to the serpent, Satan – that old dragon, deceiver, and adversary of God and God’s children. God promised Satan that the seed of the Woman would bruise the head of the serpent and the serpent would only bruise the heel of the woman’s seed. – Genesis 3:15

Christmas is a reminder that “God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?” – Numbers 23:19 (AMPC)

Christmas reminds us that what God promises “awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, [we should] wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” – Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV)

At Christmas, we celebrate that “when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because [we] are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” – Galatians 4: 4-6

Christmas reminds us that, although the Woman was deceived, the Lord God did not cast her off forever, but used women to participate in His plans to bring what He promised to pass. Women like Eve, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathseba – all women with a tainted history – were include as participants just as women like Elisabeth, Mary and Anna – women viewed as pious and God-fearing.

Christmas teaches us that the Lord God used women of all ages and of diverse educational, socioeconomic and religious backgrounds to be involved in His plan. He was inclusive of all of us because, He loves Woman and wanted her to not be excluded from His promise and act of redemption. Finally, Christmas reminds us of God’s love for His creation, His love – “not willing that any should perish, but that all (both male and female) should come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)

Amidst all of the hustle and bustle this Christmas, I pause to remember that there is nothing that I have done that can separate me from God’s love. His promise still stands. If I would just turn to Him and confess my sins, He is faithful and just to forgive me and will cleanse me from all unrighteousness – 1 John 1:9 (KJV). If I would just “believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Him, [I] shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life; abundant life – John 3:16; 10:10b (AMPC).

Friends, this Christmas, be encouraged that what the Lord God has promised you WILL come to pass. He has not forgotten you. He is working all things, all circumstances, your joys and sorrows, your pleasures and pain, and your successes and failures to bring about that which He has promised. Lift your eyes to the heavens and lift your voice declaring, Glory to God in the Highest! You do all things well! You are my Promise Keeper and your promises are yea and Amen!

Now go and have a cheerful and lively Christmas 2020!!

DIG DEEPER:
Bible Study – God Keeps His Promises
Prayer Room – Christmas Prayer

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W.O.M.E.N. – Catalysts of Change

Watchers

Of

Ministry

Empowered with

kNowledge

Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said. Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother.  – Exodus 2: 1-8

Genesis 1:26-28; 3:1-6 In the beginning, it was our desire for knowledge that caused us to use our God-given power (influence) to change the world; to birth forth change.

Genesis 3:15 The Lord God did not remove our power (influence) but instead prophesied that He would use our wombs to change the world; to birth forth change.

Galatians 4:4 Throughout time, God continually used our wombs to bring forth numerous change agents. Then, “in the fulness of time”, God fulfilled His prophesy using one of us to birth forth THE CHANGE AGENT Jesus Christ, again changing the whole world.

Revelations 12:1-6; Isaiah 11:1-2 Now in the End of Times, our assignment has not changed. We are facing that original serpent in battle but, this time, we rise as W.O.M.E.N. using our power (influence) equipped with the knowledge that comes from God, with the seven-fold spirit of God resting on us – the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

Do not be deceived! Do that which you were born to do! You are one who births, discerns, covers and protects. Your assignment is not about you. It’s about your caring for and watching over another.

You are anointed to love, to see, to wash the feet and wounds of …., to provide comfort and care. Arise, take up your mantle and walk out your destiny. Lift your head high knowing that you were born for this. Your sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and acquaintances will call you blessed.

You are W.O.M.E.N. – Watchers Of Ministry Empowered with kNowledge. Walk circumspectly…eyes are on you!

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Journeying through the Wilderness

“Because I did not know our purpose for being THERE, my expectations were wrong and, I unknowingly frustrated God’s purpose for our lives.”

These words can be found penned at the top of one of the pages of my journals. It was written at the turn of a new year some 4 years after we had been in the USA. My family had migrated to the USA in 2013 as the result of a prophetic word spoken about 10 years earlier. We came to the USA for ministry and with the expectation that ministry would birth forth and blossom quickly. We never bargained for a wilderness.

The journey through the wilderness lasted a few years, during which time I battled with and often found myself under the influence of spirits of discontent, dissatisfaction, and discouragement. My attitude and outlook during those years left much to be desired.

You see, the problem for me was that the Lord had directed us to another ministry during this wilderness time, until He would separate us for the work that He had sent us here to do, like He did with Saul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2-3 ). However, I found myself like the children of Israel, lusting after what WAS (our ministry back home, PFEM). I kept comparing what WAS with what “IS” and kept looking back.

What I did not realize at the time was that whereas PFEM was my place of growth in salvation and training for ministry, this new place was my place of testing, my wilderness. This was where God would humble me and prove me to know what was in my heart. This would be the place that God would use to stir and challenge our faith, teaching us how to survive in what might seem as uninhabited and barren places.

I really felt like I was in a bad place. I felt that somehow we had missed God, but as the Holy Spirit ministered to me, He showed me that it was not a bad place and we had not missed Him. He brought me to study the following two verses.

Exodus 13:17-18 (KJV) – 17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (KJV) – 2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

And this is what He shared with me.
1. The wilderness is not a bad thing or a bad place. The wilderness represents God’s love for and mercy towards us.
2. The wilderness is our place of transition before we enter and posses the Promised Land.
3. The wilderness is the place where God will develop our faith to be able to take possession of that Promised Land.
4. There is no need to be discouraged because the wilderness is not our destination, rather a part of the journey, a part of the process to get us to the Promised Land.

Friends, when we left Antigua, we felt like we were ready to possess the Promise. But God said, if we went directly the wars we would see/encounter would discourage us and cause us to repent (change our minds) from the “Yes” that we had said to this assignment. So, instead, He provided for us an alternate route that would take us through the wilderness, spending time THERE. How much more I could have learned? How much further we could have been? If I had only understood our purpose for being THERE.

I share this experience with you all today because I don’t want you to frustrate the purposes of God as a result of the navigational route that He has chosen for your journey. I don’t want You to waste Your time looking back at what was and miss what God has prepared for you now. Please remember that He is faithful and will perform what He has promised, but He may need to take you on a journey through the wilderness so that you can be sufficiently prepared for what He has promised.

Dear Holy Spirit, please help me not to resist Your wisdom in taking me through the wilderness. Help me not to resist Your training in developing my faith. May I rise in my faith believing truly that You are not a Man that You should lie, nor a son of man, that You should repent or change Your mind. May I be fully persuaded that if You said it, You will do it and if You spoke it, You will make it good. Father, I cast off the weight of every spirit of discontent and discouragement right now and receive the oil of joy and garment of praise. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

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Something Worth Fighting For

“I live in a patriarchal society. I should leave the fighting, conquering, and building to the men. Nevertheless, I can’t ignore the legacy that pumps within my veins. While I was in the loins of my ancestor Joseph, I received an anointing as a ruler and preserver of nations. Additionally, while I was in the loins of his son Ephraim, I heard the prophetic utterance of greatness to found many nations. My father, brothers, cousins, and uncles are not the only ones to whom this blessing of favor belongs. I am Sherah, a near kinswoman, and I will seize that which was promised to us by God.”
– Sheerah, ~1400BC

The first nine chapters of the book of 1 Chronicles is a compilation of lists of genealogies or historical records of the family lines of the Israelites. Occasionally, the chronicler interrupts the lists of family names to elaborate on an individual in a family line. One such interruption occurs in 1 Chronicles 7:20-24. The author zones in on a tragedy that transpires in the family of Ephraim, during the pre-exodus time period. Then he fast forwards generations later, to the time period of Joshua’s conquest of Canaan and zooms in on a daughter (descendant) of Ephraim, Sherah, also known as Sheerah.

Sherah would have grown up hearing stories about her (many times over great grandfather) ancestor Joseph and also of her many times over grand uncles, Ezer and Elead. On one hand was a story of triumph over impossible odds and, on the other hand, a story of defeat that led to tremendous despair, depression and discouragement.

Which story should she allow to inform her future, to shed light on the path before her? Should she choose to sit in the sidelines and let life happen or should she grab hold of her legacy; that which God had promised her family? Were God’s promises worth fighting for?

I read the story of Sherah in 1 Chronicles 7:20-25 and imagined that the self-talk above might have been the thoughts running through her mind as she watched her kinsman, Joshua son of Nun lead the conquest of Canaan. I imagined that this reflection on who she was motivated her, a woman in a patriarchal society, to fight for her legacy. The story she wrote with her fight was recorded in verse 24 –

“And his daughter was Sherah, who built Bethhoron the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.”

This was unheard of in these times; a woman being the foundress and builder of not one city/town but three, one of which was named after her. For generations after her death, one of these towns, Beth-Horon would be strategic in many battles fought in and by Israel. I am sure if I could sit with Sherah today, she would tell me, that all of that, though difficult, was something worth fighting for!

Do you have something worth fighting for?

DIG DEEPER:
1. Devotional – Hold on to Your Promise!
2. Bible Study – Sherah: Daughter of Ephraim