What are you willing to be in order to have the life that you want?

 For years I said I wanted to be married and have a family but I was unwilling to be committed. I also wanted peace and happiness in my life yet I was not obedient to the will of God. I formed this belief that God was somehow angry with me and wondered if I would ever please Him.

Have you done this? Have you wished for your life to be different, yet failed to do what was necessary to bring forth the change?

Jesus told a wealthy young man that it was easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. I suspect that it is not the riches that prevent someone from entering the kingdom of God, but their unwillingness to give up their way of doing things.

You can be loving and have the relationships that you want. You can be creative and have the businesses that you want. You can be compassionate and make a difference in your world.

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Matthew 19:23-26 (New King James Version)

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

 

This note is to encourage all of my brothers and sisters who have been putting action to their faith, for those who have been diligently working at the tasks given to them by God even in the face of obstacles and difficulty, for those who have cried out to God because of the pain of birthing that thing, for those who have prayed long and hard so that they can get it right, for those who have considered quitting or giving up because the burden seems too heavy at times – I am writing this for you.

Thank God for those of you who catch His vision and run with it! You spread the love of Jesus with the passion of your heart and the work of your hands. You may never know how many lives you have positively affected but God knows. This is why He sent you. He knew that you would be obedient and answer the call. He knew that you would be able to endure the tests and trials. He knew that you would trust Him on the darkest days.

Today may even feel like it is your darkest day, but He wants you to know that the Son is still shining on you. He loves you and He is here to hold up your hands when you are too tired to lift them. When your eyes start to glaze over from long hours at the computer, when you fall asleep with your fingers on the keyboard, when the to-do list seems to extend into infinity and you think you can’t take it anymore; He wants you to know that He is so very proud of you and great will be the blessings you receive from the seeds you are sowing now.

I want to personally thank you for putting your hand to the plow, because I would not be here had it not been for some of you who pressed on in obedience against all odds.

Lord right now I pray for those who are laboring in Your Name and enduring all the tests and trials that come along with it. Thank You Lord that those trials will not be in vain, for they are being tried in the fire and will come out as the purest gold. Father, You never leave us or forsake us so I pray that my brothers and sisters will feel Your presence very close as they do what You called them to do. Strengthen them Lord and give them peace of mind because You are working it all out for their good. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Philippians 1:21-26 (New International Version)

21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.

Yesterday I was involved in a discussion on Facebook about who Jesus is, whether He is God or a mere prophet as religions other than Christianity profess. I usually don’t engage in such discussions because it does not matter what man says on the subject, it matters what God says. In my mind floated the question, what does God say about who Jesus is and I recalled one of my favorite passages from the books known as the Gospel.

In Luke chapter 4, as Jesus fasted and prayed, He was tempted for forty days and nights in the wilderness but He did not give in to temptation. After that, He was released into ministry and returned to the synagogue in His hometown where He announced to the congregants what He was sent to do:

Jesus’ Mission Statement: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

I think this passage causes me to fall deeper in love with Jesus every time I read it! He did everything He said He would do, and for that, there can be no other God but Him. He has captured my heart with His Love! Because He lives, I live. Because He was anointed to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom, to bring healing and recovery, I am anointed to do the same. Because He is God, I can be transformed so that I might be more like Him. (John 14:11-13; Romans 12:1-2)

So who do you think You are? Is it who man says you are? Or do you accept the words that the Living God has spoken over you? Do you accept the identity He created in you? Thank God Jesus accepted His Identity, because otherwise we would be in a world of trouble.

Luke 4:17-21 (New King James Version)

¹⁷ And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
¹⁸ “ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,^[a]
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
¹⁹ To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”^[b]

²⁰ Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹ And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Beautifully engraved and placed into your hand is a key. This key will unlock your potential for greatness. What are you going to do with it?

The key in your hand is love. Love will unlock the treasure chest within you. Without love, the Bible says your gifts are useless! Your talents were not placed inside you simply for your enjoyment or for the entertainment of others, but to carry the message of God’s Love in the world. You were made to love Him and to worship Him with your life.

Do you understand that God has a plan for your life and that plan is good (Jeremiah 29:11)? Have you embraced the fact that you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)? That means you are beautiful, exquisite, unique, fabulous!

Begin to see yourself the way God sees you and thank Him for what He has blessed you with. Determine to serve Him with your life and your talents. Give back to Him what He has given to you. Practice your gifts. If you are a writer, write. If you are a singer, sing, if you are an artist, create!

Even if you start out doing it for an audience of One, that is the greatest audience you will ever have. Express your love for Him with your gifts. Worship Him with your talents, serve His people with special skills that He has given you.

Love is the key to unlocking your potential today. Use it!

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 (The Message)

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. ^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

It’s funny how we doubt God’s decision-making skills when He appoints people to certain positions. We don’t see what He sees, even in ourselves. For years I felt led to write but I said to myself, “no one wants to read what I will write”. Where did I get that conclusion? If God gave me the words, wouldn’t He make sure the people read it?

When God called Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, He told Moses he would have to go before Pharoah to make the case. Moses had fear of public speaking and told God he couldn’t do it. I imagine God’s eyes getting big as He observed the lack of trust Moses had in Him. He asked Moses (paraphrased):

“Who gave you a mouth? Who can make you deaf or mute? Who can give you eyesight or make you blind? If I tell you to talk, Talk! I will give you the words.”

But Moses still said he couldn’t do it and pretty much begged God to send someone else. Now God was angry! I imagine His jaw-dropping and His head shaking in disbelief at Moses’ complete lack of trust. God knew Moses did not need anyone to speak for him, but He still allowed Moses to have Aaron as his mouth-piece.

It is amazing how Moses questioned God’s wisdom and authority yet God still saw it fit to use him in ending the captivity of His people. Moses isn’t unlike many of us. We question the gifts God placed in us, we think we are not good enough and we try to hide our talents because we are afraid to fail.

Every time we refuse to act because we doubt our own ability, its like we are insulting the Creator. We are telling Him that something is wrong with His product, there’s a major defect and it needs to be sent back to the manufacturer. God knew what He was doing when He created every one of us. What you think is a defect is really a special feature in God’s hands.

You are God’s mouthpiece. Why not trust Him when He says “Go.” He knows what skills are needed and He has placed them inside of you for such a time as this.

Exodus 4:11-12 (New International Version)

¹¹ The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? ¹² Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

I’m sure you know the story well. It was Noah’s destiny to build an Ark that would save the human race from being wiped off the face of the earth. Noah was instructed by God to build an Ark, which was unheard of, because of the coming rain, (also unheard of), that was going to flood the earth! It had never rained before, yet Noah was building something to protect from a rain so deadly that it could kill every living creature.

You know if the equivalent of this happened today you would be talking about Noah like he was crazy! We have all been guilty of passing judgment at times, especially when it comes to things we do not understand. Noah was walking out his destiny, yet he was ridiculed and regarded as a fool.

Have you ever felt that way as you followed your destiny? Or have you been on the side of ridiculing someone for following their purpose?

If you are on either end of the spectrum I pray that you will remember that God has a plan for your life – a unique purpose and destiny that no one else will fulfill the way that you were intended to fulfill it. That being said, the unique purpose of someone else may be the very thing that brings your deliverance. You walking in purpose may bring the healing that is needed in your realm of influence.

If others do not understand the road that you are on, the Spirit-led choices that you make or the things that you believe, it is ok. It is Your destiny, not theirs. You are the one receiving instruction in the dark of night or wee hours of the morning concerning your direction. Continue to seek Him and trust Him to complete the work He has started in you.

Today, more than ever, I am determined to walk out the Destiny the Lord has for me.

Ephesians 1:11-12 (The Message)

^11-12It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

I recently started working out with a personal trainer because I want to get in shape and adopt a healthier lifestyle. I was tired of going through phases of activity and inactivity. I wanted someone to coach me into making this a permanent part of my life.

I am amazed at how in a few short weeks I am already seeing results. Honestly I sometimes hate the pain involved as my body is being conditioned. However, I do not hate the resulting muscle definition and smaller waistline! When it hurts I try to think about the end-result and how that pain means I am getting closer to my goals!

What helps is that working my body consistently yields immediate results. There is no waiting to see if the work is paying off, it is quite evident in the way I look and feel. I understand how what I affectionately call “torture” is actually sculpting me into a healthier and stronger person.

My trainer is skilled in knowing exactly what to do transform my body and make it better, therefore I trust his instruction. His work is related to how our Father God, the Almighty Potter molds and shapes our lives. I am trusting the Lord every day to sculpt me into a better person. There are times when it hurts as He molds me and takes out the impurities, however the positive results are immediate!

I look back at my life and I don’t recognize the lump of clay that I used to be, dull, lifeless and seemingly without purpose. Now my life has taken shape; I’m a vessel fit and ready to be used for His glory as the Designer continues to work out the imperfections.

Thank you for molding me Lord, for breathing life into the formless mess that used to be me. I love You and I will praise You forever!

Isaiah 64:8 (New King James Version)

But now, O LORD,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.

Do you believe that the desire of your heart was placed there by God? Do you believe it is part of your purpose and destiny to receive what it is that you are waiting for?

If you’re like me, you may have become impatient and tried to make things happen in your own timing – only to find that you should have waited on God. I have often wondered why it is that when God places a desire in our hearts and shows us part of the plan for our lives, we feel it is up to us to make it happen.

Think about Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 15-18). The Lord told Abraham that he would have a son and his children would be like the stars in the sky. When it didn’t happen, Sarah told Abraham to have a child with her maidservant, Hagar. When Ishmael was born, Abraham thought the blessing would be with this child. Does this really look like God’s way of doing things? Why do we think He needs our help in accomplishing His vision?

However, God’s plan was still in progress. He told Abraham, who was really old at this point, that he would be a father of many nations and Sarah would be the mother of nations. Abraham laughed, he couldn’t understand it. When Sarah received the news, she laughed too. Sometimes we look at ourselves and do not understand why or how God could use us, but He does. Even though they took matters into their own hands for a moment, the Lord still had a purpose and plan for their lives. He did not toss them away; He reassured them that He still had a purpose for them in His kingdom, and at the right time, Isaac was born.

A man of God once told me, “Don’t worry about how it will happen, God will help you.”

It is such a simple statement, but it is so true. Why would God have this grand plan for your life then dump it in your lap for you to figure it out? He loves us too much to leave us hanging like that. He can see the entire picture and all the intricate details. He knows the right timing and He knows where the resources are. When we submit to His plan, we don’t have to spin our wheels, because the Lord is the one driving it and keeping it in motion.

Be encouraged today, you are not forgotten! The Lord is working behind the scenes on your behalf, just trust Him.

Isaiah 30:18 (Amplified Bible)

And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!