No matter how simply Jesus explained what God was doing, there were some who would just never comprehend. To this day, there are some who will not receive what God has for them. Two people can be presented with the gift of eternal life but only one will perceive that it is a gift and accept it.
People scorned what Jesus had to say because they felt as if they knew Him. They said things like “Oh, isn’t that Mary’s son, the carpenter? I knew that boy since before he could talk – how could He be the Messiah?’
Some of those people were so busy being skeptical that they completely missed the blessing of who He was or the message that God the Father was sending through Him. They prayed for a Messiah but refused Him when He arrived because He wasn’t packaged the way they thought He should be.
Fast forward to right now, this second. How many times do we pray the same prayer and wonder when God will answer? How often have we come to the end of a situation and realized that God was speaking to us and pointing out the way the whole time?
The red flags that we ignored – God. The friend who warned us six months before it happened – God. The doors that kept closing and we wondered why until a better way was revealed – God. The times where everywhere we turned we kept hearing the same thing – God!
Be encouraged today – the Lord really does hear you when you pray. He also answers the burning questions that we have – but not always in ways that we expect. When you go before Him be confident knowing that He hears you and He will answer. Keep your eyes and ears open for Him. He may respond to you in a dream, in the words of a friend or acquaintance, a book or an article or any number of ways. If you miss His still small voice, don’t worry, His voice will continue to echo. If you have ears to hear Him, you will hear Him.
If your heart is willing to receive what He has to say, you will hear Him. You may not hear what you want or expect, but He will never steer you wrong.
Matthew 13:15-17 (New International Version)
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
Dear Lord,
I am coming before you right now on behalf of myself and all my brothers and sisters who are feeling overwhelmed right now. In times like these I feel like my knowledge, my strength, my wisdom is not adequate for the situations I am facing. I want to be sure of my actions. I want to know exactly what the outcome will be. I want to know that the vision I saw will come to pass.
I know that the past and even the present do not alter the plans that You have for me. No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and that goes for me and my entire family.
I know that even now, You are right here with me, holding me in Your arms and pouring Your love over me. I know that You are working out every situation that concerns me. You are reaching into the places that I cannot reach and making them right. You will put everything in the proper order in the proper time.
Thank You for being my Lord, my Savior and my Heavenly Father. Thank You for illuminating the areas of my life that You are fine-tuning for Your glory. Thank You for holding me close and being my strength. I remain completely surrendered to Your Will because You know what’s best for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Psalm 18:35-36 (New International Version)
35 You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.
36 You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.
The Lord is still showing me that I am complete in Him, that He is perfecting me with each and every trial I endure. He gave me yet another illustration of this yesterday. I had a dress custom-made for a special occasion, but when I received it, it was not what I paid for. I took the dress to a skilled designer to see if it could be fixed and she said it would be better to start over from scratch. I agreed with her, because I must have the dress that I chose, the one that I paid for.
That imperfect dress reminded me of the issues in my life that I didn’t feel like dealing with. The ones that I have never conquered because instead I would avoid them. I realized that God wasn’t going to let me out of it this time. He wanted me to complete the process. If I do not see this thing through, I will be like that dress – incomplete and poorly constructed.
I will have to endure the rough parts this time so that I can become whole. I may have to be taken apart and properly sewn back together before I look like what Christ paid for with his life – His glorious Bride, spotless, without wrinkle and dazzling like a thousand Swarovski crystals.
Lord, it is my prayer today that You would make me over. I have cheapened my own design with materials that don’t belong on me like negative thinking, fear, doubt, worry and old patterns. I don’t want to be a poor imitation of the original You created me to be. You design only the finest and that’s how I want to see myself. Thank You for investing only the best in me. I love You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Ephesians 5:25-27 (New King James Version)
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
I am determined not to suffer or go through anything in vain. If there is a lesson I can learn, teach me Lord. If someone else will be delivered as a result of me talking about it, send me Lord. I am not a victim cowering in the corner because the “devil” attacked me or my family. If the enemy decides to rush in like a flood, then he’s late because I am already soaked in the blood of Jesus.
I will push back by being obedient to share what I am going through because someone else may need the same encouragement. I am a very protective, divorced mother of a young son. Try as I might to shield my son from pain and disappointment, it is impossible at times. It is stressful at times for me to be the sole parent providing care 24/7 and it is heartbreaking to have to be the bearer of bad news when the other parent doesn’t follow through on their commitment to the child.
As I cried out to the Lord this morning it was my heart’s prayer that my son would not internalize these things – that he would not carry rejection, resentment, bitterness or any of the ill effects that can come when a child does not understand the behavior of the adults in his life. I prayed that his thoughts would instead gravitate toward all the love in his life, especially the love of God. I asked God to fill in all the gaps and He simply said, “You are complete in Me.”
That was my release. The burden was lifted. I desperately wanted to erase the pain but that is not my job. God said we are already complete. This is a place in my son’s life that he will be able to minister out of one day – so I will leave that between him and God. I will continue to cover him in prayer but I will trust that God will heal and protect his heart and help him understand why things are the way they are.
Whatever that thing is in your life that makes you feel like you are not enough, hear the Lord saying to you right now, “You are complete in Me.” He has got you covered. You do not have to know all things, be all things or provide all things. He is the Lord Strong and Mighty, the Alpha and Omega, Protector, Healer, Waymaker and best of all, He is Love. Release those feelings of inadequacy to Him right now and remember, the Almighty God sees you as “Complete.”
Psalm 24:7-9 (New International Version)
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Dear Lord, I come before you now thanking You for another day and also asking that You would help me manage the day’s activities. My head is spinning with everything that is going on and I need Your wisdom and peace to settle in and take over.
Please be my internal clock and calendar giving me extra reminders of the things I need to do. Thank You for sending the resources that I need to complete every task. Thank You for being there to help me with every decision. Thank You for reminding me of the vision whenever I get discouraged.
As You continue to restore me and fill in the gaps, I will keep my eyes on You. I need You now more than ever, and I pray that I will stay in the center of Your Will. Thank You for keeping me, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Psalm 121 (King James Version)
1I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
My friend’s cellphone was stolen recently. The thief was not satisfied with gaining a new phone, he also took it upon himself to send me an email with an outrageous proposition. The good thing is that even though I was unaware that my friend’s phone had been stolen, I knew immediately that the email was not intended for me. I doubted that my friend was even the author of the message,which had been sent from his corporate email account.
The whole thing was so strange that I tried to get in contact with my friend to warn him because I believed his email account had been hacked. When he later called me and told me he lost his phone, I told him what happened which confirmed his suspicion that the phone was stolen. Thankfully, he had turned off his wireless account as soon as he realized it was missing.
This whole incident is such a violation and reminds me of what we are up against every day. The enemy of our souls is constantly trying to steal something from us, constantly trying to get his foot in the door of our lives, constantly trying to impersonate a friend or a voice to be trusted.
We must guard our hearts and be watchful. We must tune our ears to the voice of God so that we are not tempted by the propositions of the enemy. When we know God’s character we cannot be fooled by anyone who does not come by the Spirit of the Lord. The thief can come to steal, kill and destroy, however he will not get very far with his plan when we keep our spiritual eyes and ears open.
Lord I pray that I might increasingly know You more intimately so that I might never be fooled by the voice of another. I pray that Your Word is deeply rooted in me so that imposters are immediately exposed by the light of Your Truth.
John 10:27-30 (New International Version)
27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”
Dear Lord,
I am starting this week with my spiritual eyes open so that I may see all that you need me to see. Thank you for alerting me to the things that I should be praying about and the things that I should pay extra attention to. Lord may I not be too distracted to hear Your Voice when You tell me to go or to wait.
I pray that I will not stumble over any obstacles in my path because I have paid attention to what You showed me. I pray that I will not become dismayed by what presents itself as a challenge this week, because I remember that You have everything under control.
When situations arise that make my outlook appear less than positive, remind me of the vision Lord. Make it plain before me so that I can focus on what is ahead rather than the past and present distractions.
Finally Lord, please prepare me for the warfare that is certain along my path. There are forces in this world that do not want me to walk out my destiny in You Lord. They will try every sneaky way they can to thwart the plan You have for my life, but I am not willing to stray from Your Will.
Strengthen me, cover me and present me with the strategy necessary to make it through this round victoriously. Thank You Lord, I pray these things in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Psalm 9:2-4 (The Message)
I’m thanking you, God, from a full heart, I’m writing the book on your wonders.
I’m whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy;
I’m singing your song, High God.
The day my enemies turned tail and ran,
they stumbled on you and fell on their faces.
You took over and set everything right;
when I needed you, you were there, taking charge.
Sometimes I have to just throw up my hands and say “I can’t!” Superwoman has left the building for today. No I can’t read another word, type another sentence, listen to another voice or do anything else. I cannot solve another problem or make another decision right now. I simply can’t. I can’t, because I have been trying to do all of this in my own strength.
I have been charging full speed ahead at everything life throws at me without stopping to mount up on the eagle’s wings that the Father has for me. If I stopped and allowed the Father to equip me and instruct me I would understand that I don’t have to tackle all of those things today. I don’t have to make all those decisions on my own and I don’t have to solve everybody’s problems today either. What makes me think I can be anybody’s hero anyway? That’s God’s department.
So Father right now I am putting the brakes on. I am admitting that I can’t do all of the things I set out to do without You, but with You, I can do all things. Some things are better left untouched by me anyway, so I am backing off. Do Your thing Lord and show me where I fit in with Your plan. Thank You for the resources You send to help me in this journey. Thank You for making up for the areas where I am lacking. Thank You for filling in the gaps.
Philippians 4:13 (New King James Version)
I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
This week we have identified hidden sin in our lives, we have checked the windows and doors where temptation enters in, we have prayed concerning the sins of our fathers and the roots of iniquity in our lives.
Right now, we are gleaming, shiny and brand new in the sight of God because we have repented before Him and been washed by His blood. The question now is, how do we stay clean in such a dusty, dirty world?!
I am convinced that the only way to live righteously is to stay close to God in prayer. No amount of memorizing scripture, formal theological training, church meetings and the like can stand in the place of true, intimate relationship with God.
Head knowledge doesn’t work when you are presented with the sweetest temptation in your weakest moment. However, when you form an intimate relationship with God and learn His heart towards you and begin to feel Him close at all times, He renews your strength and shows you that you are able to stand.
Talking with God honestly about our faults and allowing Him to minister to us in those areas transforms our weaknesses into strengths. When you allow your sinful nature to drive you into His arms, you are covered and protected. Sometimes we run and hide from Him because we are ashamed of our desires, even though that is when we leave ourselves the most vulnerable and exposed.
Pray without ceasing! Talk with God throughout your days, present Him with every little thing that is on your mind and listen as He shares His heart with you. Be encouraged!
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 (New International Version)
12May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
Earlier this week, I wrote about a vision I had in which God showed me how sin infests someone’s life by slowly entering through a rip in a screen and a slightly cracked window.
The cracked window is the opportunity for temptation that we allow in our lives by meditating on impure thoughts encouraged by things we see and hear. I also wrote about how the company we keep can encourage sin. People who share our weaker tendencies come along and push the window all the way open like a floodgate for sin to abound.
To remedy this sin problem, we can be careful about what we see, hear and read. We can also spend our time with people who will edify us and encourage us in our Christian walk. Doing these things will decrease the opportunities for temptation in our lives however, they do not resolve the root of the problem – that rip in the screen.
The ripped screen represents sin that has been passed down to you through generations, other people you have spiritually bound yourself to or actions and judgments you have made that have taken root within you because of life’s circumstances.
Perhaps all the men in your family are abusive and you are too. Maybe all the women in your family are alcoholics and somehow you find yourself struggling with the same problem. Your father may have abandoned your family so you judged that men are no good and you spitefully use them. You fear rejection because of your childhood so you toy with people’s emotions then leave them before they leave you.
These scenarios indicate that you need God to come in and repair that rip in the screen so that you no longer have to worry about unwanted patterns of sin in your life. You need Him to come in and remove the negative things that have infested your life. If you want to begin the path to healing, pray this prayer and study God’s Word concerning the thing that you struggle with:
Lord I pray that You would reveal hidden areas of sin that have taken root in my life. I want my life to be pleasing to You and I repent for things I have done that hurt You. Lord, I forgive those who have hurt me in the past and I release them right now. Lord please break any emotional connections I have with people that have become windows to sin in my life. Please burn away every wicked desire in me and make me brand new. I pray these things in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Matthew 13:24-30 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Weeds
24Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28” ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29” ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ “
