Hi everyone!
I wanted to share the new link to my blog. I decided to change it because its no longer about me...but about my life as God has so desired to direct it. I share with you what He lays on my heart, based on my personal experiences. I do hope they bless you and help you in some way. I encourage you to share them with whomever you please as I just want to let people know what God is doing in my life. Love you all and be encouraged!
Marquita
New link: http://lifeinspiredbygod.blogspot.com
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Daily Devotion
When He Calls You to Act
"If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land;" Isaiah 1:19
Good evening!!! Well really morning haha! As the observance of the birth of our Lord and Savior nears, I feel myself being overcome with joy. I have a lot to be thankful for and I'm just glad to be where I am, at this very moment. I got a very special blessing tonight, and it served to remind me just how unworthy I am of God's favor. God has really, truly been good to me. Even in the midst of so much, God continues to favor me. Shout of praise!!!
Anyway, I felt lead tonight to share with you the importance of obedience. Of course, I have my own personal testimony to attribute to it. Two nights ago, I was up reading the Bible and this book on how we should live according to the Bible "God's Psychology" (I have been greatly blessed by it, and I think everyone should read it.) I had to call my mom--mind you it was 1:22 am. So in doing so, I had one of the most beautiful experiences of God in my life. I have no doubt of who God is and what ways He can manifest in your life. More importantly, I can trust that God does speak to and through us. Real testimony time: I went to Chicago Dec 3. God instructed me that week that I needed to mail out my Christmas cards but especially one to a very dear friend of mine. In that card, I was to put some money for her. I was like God, can I do it next week? No! I had the card in my car for a few days after I got the money out because I couldn't find a post office mail box to drop it in. I wanted to personally be sure I mailed it and not someone else. So I believe I finally mailed it last Monday, which was December 13 (I waited until I had gotten paid to put the money in the card.) The very next day, she posted a status about what was going on with her and it made my heart leap to know that God was using me to bless to be a blessing to her. That same day, one of my devotions I read spoke of being blessed in order to be a blessing to someone else--God has a way of confirming things. TODAY she finally got the card. And today, God used her to humble me and realize how truly blessed I am. I have never gone without something I really needed because of God. That was truly my Christmas present and I am grateful to God and my friend for restoring perspective to my life. My obedience will not only help her, but God always gives more to us than we do to Him! My taking one step opens the door for God to take more on my behalf.
God always, always provides for His children. All throughout the Bible, God directs us to be obedient to His instructions. All we have to do is consent and obey. We obey the law of the land in order to maintain our freedoms. Why not obey the One True God that can provide ways of escape in the midst of danger, the God that can make money manifest out of the air seemingly, the God that protects you from daily harm each and every day?? If we simply obey Him, we will eat the best, we will have the best. Simply read Deuteronomy 28 to know what God does for obedience. Psalm 37:4 says "Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart." Translated it means seek your happiness in the Lord--how do you do that? Be obedient!! Do what He asks of you, and He will give you the desires of your heart--not only your needs, but your desires, the things you ask of Him (which, if you are obedient to God and His word, become aligned with His word, thus fulfilling His will for your life).
Everything I asked of God during the time surrounding my transplant, He provided. He made sure I did not have a single thing I was without. He opened the windows of heaven to me and rained on me every single need I had. But I had to take that first step of obedience. And being that God is not a respecter of persons--which means He doesn't care who you are, where you are from, who your mom, dad, or grandparents are--that He can and will do the same for you if you are obedient! Try God out and see if He won't do it for you! Be blessed my loves and keep listening for God's direction!
"Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions." Isaiah 3:10
--
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com
"If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land;" Isaiah 1:19
Good evening!!! Well really morning haha! As the observance of the birth of our Lord and Savior nears, I feel myself being overcome with joy. I have a lot to be thankful for and I'm just glad to be where I am, at this very moment. I got a very special blessing tonight, and it served to remind me just how unworthy I am of God's favor. God has really, truly been good to me. Even in the midst of so much, God continues to favor me. Shout of praise!!!
Anyway, I felt lead tonight to share with you the importance of obedience. Of course, I have my own personal testimony to attribute to it. Two nights ago, I was up reading the Bible and this book on how we should live according to the Bible "God's Psychology" (I have been greatly blessed by it, and I think everyone should read it.) I had to call my mom--mind you it was 1:22 am. So in doing so, I had one of the most beautiful experiences of God in my life. I have no doubt of who God is and what ways He can manifest in your life. More importantly, I can trust that God does speak to and through us. Real testimony time: I went to Chicago Dec 3. God instructed me that week that I needed to mail out my Christmas cards but especially one to a very dear friend of mine. In that card, I was to put some money for her. I was like God, can I do it next week? No! I had the card in my car for a few days after I got the money out because I couldn't find a post office mail box to drop it in. I wanted to personally be sure I mailed it and not someone else. So I believe I finally mailed it last Monday, which was December 13 (I waited until I had gotten paid to put the money in the card.) The very next day, she posted a status about what was going on with her and it made my heart leap to know that God was using me to bless to be a blessing to her. That same day, one of my devotions I read spoke of being blessed in order to be a blessing to someone else--God has a way of confirming things. TODAY she finally got the card. And today, God used her to humble me and realize how truly blessed I am. I have never gone without something I really needed because of God. That was truly my Christmas present and I am grateful to God and my friend for restoring perspective to my life. My obedience will not only help her, but God always gives more to us than we do to Him! My taking one step opens the door for God to take more on my behalf.
God always, always provides for His children. All throughout the Bible, God directs us to be obedient to His instructions. All we have to do is consent and obey. We obey the law of the land in order to maintain our freedoms. Why not obey the One True God that can provide ways of escape in the midst of danger, the God that can make money manifest out of the air seemingly, the God that protects you from daily harm each and every day?? If we simply obey Him, we will eat the best, we will have the best. Simply read Deuteronomy 28 to know what God does for obedience. Psalm 37:4 says "Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart." Translated it means seek your happiness in the Lord--how do you do that? Be obedient!! Do what He asks of you, and He will give you the desires of your heart--not only your needs, but your desires, the things you ask of Him (which, if you are obedient to God and His word, become aligned with His word, thus fulfilling His will for your life).
Everything I asked of God during the time surrounding my transplant, He provided. He made sure I did not have a single thing I was without. He opened the windows of heaven to me and rained on me every single need I had. But I had to take that first step of obedience. And being that God is not a respecter of persons--which means He doesn't care who you are, where you are from, who your mom, dad, or grandparents are--that He can and will do the same for you if you are obedient! Try God out and see if He won't do it for you! Be blessed my loves and keep listening for God's direction!
"Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions." Isaiah 3:10
--
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com
Monday, December 20, 2010
Daily Devotion
Refuse to Go Backwards
"But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed," Romans 6:17
The events of the past two weeks of my life served to remind me of what God delivered me from. The devil sought so hard to take me back to where I was earlier this year: an angry, bitter, broken, and callous woman. God delivered me from a lot, and I do not want to go back to where I was, to who I was at that time. Sometimes God's ways of cleansing us are harsh; if anyone had asked me this time last year where I would be and what would no longer be in my life...I know I couldn't have said the things I've been delivered from. What has God delivered you from? Who? And ask yourself the more important question: why?
For me, I know God could not use me as I was. I was very naive, I was very impressionable, still even at that time. I was still carrying around so much hurt, and truthfully, God could not use that person to do His work. Now don't get me wrong, I still have a great ways to go, but I am moving forward. I have become obedient, in many areas, to what He is molding me for. I have truly learned that resisting God is much worse than obeying Him, because some of the consequences are worse than one can imagine. Looking at the scripture above, God has called us all from a life of sin--from a life without Him. How can we dare go back?? How can we turn back to a life of certain death--a life without His favor, His grace, and His mercies? How can you turn back to a life that damns you to His wrath? Going back to things you had once done, to a way you once lived, to something that leaves you without hope separates you from God. It dawned on me how God has favored me--it took something one of my best friends said--look at how God has blessed you. I refuse to turn back, to go back to that person I used to be. My life is so much better now, to abide everyday in God's presence, to be filled with His joy, peace, and love is like no other love I have ever felt. I ask you tonight to look at your life and be cognizant of where God has brought you from. Look at the areas that the enemy tries to attack you in and ask God for strength to stay on the path He has laid before you. Even if that life separates you from people you once knew, go in the footsteps of the Lord and keep walking on your journey. He has blessed my life with new friends, family, and loved ones so that I do not turn back. He will give you WHATEVER it is that you need to keep you going to that prepared place He has for you.
"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." Romans 6:22 NIV
--
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com
--
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Daily Devotion #3
Forgiving and Forgetting
"For I will be merciful regarding their wrong deeds, and I will never again remember their sins." Hebrews 8:12 ISV
God tells us He will forgive us and forget our sins. He tells us that we are to do the same--well explicitly with forgiveness. But why is it that we can forgive things, but but there are some things that we seem incapable of forgetting?
There are many small indiscretions such as someone stepping on your foot are easy to forget, or someone bumping into you, but those more personal attacks against your heart are more difficult to throw away. I've learned that it is easy to forgive once you actually make the decision to do so, but it is much more difficult to forget because God equipped us with a memory. The sad thing is though, we seldom remember all of the sins we have committed against God, but don't forget when so and so said those hurtful things to you or about you. I've forgiven those who have hurt me, but there are just things that have been said and done that I must take a conscious mental note of.
The importance of remembering some things rang out to me in simplicity--the old saying "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." You don't want to be made a fool of. However for those things that attack the core of your being, your heart and your character, they are much more difficult to simply cast off and with reason. I myself prayed that God help me forget a very painful situation from my childhood and I have not been able to do so yet. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough, maybe I have not fully let go, or maybe I haven't fully forgiven those involved...and I do pray to God for that. But there is an importance of remembering certain things; maybe that is part of your ministry and calling here. I know that I am supposed to encourage others, teach and break down the Word, and among other things, help others heal through my own pain. The relevance of that situation is that I can minister to a group of people that not many others can because of my suffering. I have forgiven those involved, but I can now give healing and encouraging words through my own experiences. Be cognizant of that, because by you dwelling on that situation and not looking for the opportunity to minister to someone, you miss that chance to heal for yourself and you miss out on working for God!!
Sometimes God allows us to completely forget a situation in which forgiveness has played its part. Now don't misconstrue suppression or repression of the past for forgetting--you are simply ignoring the event and not operating in forgiveness. Pray to God for the path He wants you to take. But most of all remember that your pain is never your own; it is for you to share with others as a ministry. The tests we pass equip us to guide someone else through their own test. We are all here to help one another get into the Kingdom, even if it is through your own pain. Love y'all!
"He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:4 GWT
--
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com
"For I will be merciful regarding their wrong deeds, and I will never again remember their sins." Hebrews 8:12 ISV
God tells us He will forgive us and forget our sins. He tells us that we are to do the same--well explicitly with forgiveness. But why is it that we can forgive things, but but there are some things that we seem incapable of forgetting?
There are many small indiscretions such as someone stepping on your foot are easy to forget, or someone bumping into you, but those more personal attacks against your heart are more difficult to throw away. I've learned that it is easy to forgive once you actually make the decision to do so, but it is much more difficult to forget because God equipped us with a memory. The sad thing is though, we seldom remember all of the sins we have committed against God, but don't forget when so and so said those hurtful things to you or about you. I've forgiven those who have hurt me, but there are just things that have been said and done that I must take a conscious mental note of.
The importance of remembering some things rang out to me in simplicity--the old saying "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." You don't want to be made a fool of. However for those things that attack the core of your being, your heart and your character, they are much more difficult to simply cast off and with reason. I myself prayed that God help me forget a very painful situation from my childhood and I have not been able to do so yet. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough, maybe I have not fully let go, or maybe I haven't fully forgiven those involved...and I do pray to God for that. But there is an importance of remembering certain things; maybe that is part of your ministry and calling here. I know that I am supposed to encourage others, teach and break down the Word, and among other things, help others heal through my own pain. The relevance of that situation is that I can minister to a group of people that not many others can because of my suffering. I have forgiven those involved, but I can now give healing and encouraging words through my own experiences. Be cognizant of that, because by you dwelling on that situation and not looking for the opportunity to minister to someone, you miss that chance to heal for yourself and you miss out on working for God!!
Sometimes God allows us to completely forget a situation in which forgiveness has played its part. Now don't misconstrue suppression or repression of the past for forgetting--you are simply ignoring the event and not operating in forgiveness. Pray to God for the path He wants you to take. But most of all remember that your pain is never your own; it is for you to share with others as a ministry. The tests we pass equip us to guide someone else through their own test. We are all here to help one another get into the Kingdom, even if it is through your own pain. Love y'all!
"He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:4 GWT
--
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com
Daily Devotion #2
Blurred Focus
"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:11-13
I used to complain so much. I complained about how hard life was, complained about being sick, complained about just how unfair things were. That was before I started really understanding what I would read in the Bible. I was like the seeds that fell on the thorns because I would hear something powerful but it would get choked up by all the anger, hurt and bitterness I had inside; I might even say it a few times. Not to say I am completely delivered from this, because I still slip up from time to time. I just thank God for the discernment to catch myself now. I'll complain and say something crazy and usually before I get it all the way out of my mouth, I say that's a lie and God forgive me. I am not whatever I was complaining about or confessing.
Too many times in our flesh we complain or point out some difficulty we are facing. We pine over it and just mull it over, meditating on that thing. And that is where we lose the battle. We focus on that thing negatively instead of remembering what God can do. We do the exact thing God tells us to do with His Word except with a thought sent from the enemy! Isn't that funny??? Well I think it is, because I recognize that we throw in the towel in our minds before we ever use our hands! It is disheartening to realize that. But its never too late to change!
I am all for acknowledging the things we face. Like, I am vertically challenged, lol. I had a kidney transplant. I have a family predisposition to high blood pressure. All true statements. But I'm not going to complain about or dwell on being short, or having had a kidney problem, or that I can't eat too much salty foods to prevent high blood pressure...nope I won't. I'll just get a stool, make sure I take my meds regularly, and check the sodium levels on my foods and drink lots of water. Or if I'm in a trying situation, I will find scriptures to align my mind with what God says and make sure that I reach out to other believers for prayer. Now I don't always immediately think of scripture, I want to complain!! But I pray to God for the strength and focus. Like Isaiah 54:17--No weapon formed against me shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. The power God gives us is in our tongue!!!! We can confess scriptures, we can pray and Lord knows that is a mighty weapon within itself, we can declare our own victory in very situation. In Mark 11:23 Jesus tells the disciples this: "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him." You have to speak--speak to cast out doubt, speak to lift up praise, speak to confess the Word.
We too often focus on the negative or the obstacle we face. And if you've been doing that for a long time, you have to break through all the crap that has been planted to truly plant the Word. We fight against the manipulation of our mind!!! Our minds are inclined to go against the Spirit. But don't you know Jesus has given us the keys!!! In Matthew 16:19, He said "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." So bind up defeat, right now and loose your victory, because through Christ we already have won!!!!! Know the tools and weapons God has for you so that you can win.
"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com
"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:11-13
I used to complain so much. I complained about how hard life was, complained about being sick, complained about just how unfair things were. That was before I started really understanding what I would read in the Bible. I was like the seeds that fell on the thorns because I would hear something powerful but it would get choked up by all the anger, hurt and bitterness I had inside; I might even say it a few times. Not to say I am completely delivered from this, because I still slip up from time to time. I just thank God for the discernment to catch myself now. I'll complain and say something crazy and usually before I get it all the way out of my mouth, I say that's a lie and God forgive me. I am not whatever I was complaining about or confessing.
Too many times in our flesh we complain or point out some difficulty we are facing. We pine over it and just mull it over, meditating on that thing. And that is where we lose the battle. We focus on that thing negatively instead of remembering what God can do. We do the exact thing God tells us to do with His Word except with a thought sent from the enemy! Isn't that funny??? Well I think it is, because I recognize that we throw in the towel in our minds before we ever use our hands! It is disheartening to realize that. But its never too late to change!
I am all for acknowledging the things we face. Like, I am vertically challenged, lol. I had a kidney transplant. I have a family predisposition to high blood pressure. All true statements. But I'm not going to complain about or dwell on being short, or having had a kidney problem, or that I can't eat too much salty foods to prevent high blood pressure...nope I won't. I'll just get a stool, make sure I take my meds regularly, and check the sodium levels on my foods and drink lots of water. Or if I'm in a trying situation, I will find scriptures to align my mind with what God says and make sure that I reach out to other believers for prayer. Now I don't always immediately think of scripture, I want to complain!! But I pray to God for the strength and focus. Like Isaiah 54:17--No weapon formed against me shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. The power God gives us is in our tongue!!!! We can confess scriptures, we can pray and Lord knows that is a mighty weapon within itself, we can declare our own victory in very situation. In Mark 11:23 Jesus tells the disciples this: "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him." You have to speak--speak to cast out doubt, speak to lift up praise, speak to confess the Word.
We too often focus on the negative or the obstacle we face. And if you've been doing that for a long time, you have to break through all the crap that has been planted to truly plant the Word. We fight against the manipulation of our mind!!! Our minds are inclined to go against the Spirit. But don't you know Jesus has given us the keys!!! In Matthew 16:19, He said "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." So bind up defeat, right now and loose your victory, because through Christ we already have won!!!!! Know the tools and weapons God has for you so that you can win.
"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com
Daily Devotion
At the Edge of Breakthrough
"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:9
In the last few weeks, I have heard so many examples of tried patience. Even in my own life and family, we have been pushed to the edge of ending faith...and by ending faith I mean there seems to be very little left to keep going. Because it is Christmas time, many families are struggling and having difficult times making ends meet so that they can share of themselves with their loved ones. But people are not just suffering financially; the battles I am hearing of are spiritual. Have you been to the place where it seems you just don't have the strength, courage or faith enough to keep going? It seems like every obstacle known to man is testing your patience, and trying your faith. Have you gotten to rock bottom where your only options are to give up or just stand still? Are you at the place where there is little that you can do but wait on the Lord? You get to that place, that critical point, and you are in the place where you can grow your faith or overthrow it.
James 5:7 says "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains." I take this not only to mean waiting on the Lord's return, but waiting until He acts on your behalf. Wait until God moves that mountain you are believing to be moved. Wait until He moves all of those people you used to hang with, wait until He clears all the obstacles from your view so that you can see clearly. In these situations it is most certainly hard to believe and it is difficult to trust in Him. But this is what you know, you're supposed to trust and wait on God. The question is how. And my answer to how is based on not knowing a particular solution, but just staying in God's presence in prayer until He did something.
Well I will recount the last 15 months of my life to you. In September, I lost one of the cousins I loved most. She had a beautiful spirit about her, and I had the pleasure of growing spiritually with her. So I was distraught and heartbroken after her unexpected passing. Then I had a very difficult relationship I was in--it seemed like everything I did could not help the situation. Next my dad's health began to rapidly decline. Every weekend I went home my dad was getting sicker. I was having difficulties at work, and could not get it worked out for me to work from Columbia to spend more time with my family. Then on New Years Eve, my mom is told my dad had less than 2 months to live. Talk about a way to start the New Year...and the sermon focused on New Beginnings. The 10th year is supposed to be a year of new beginnings. Well so that relationship went south, and then as I am on travel, my dad is put on hospice, saying that he would pass away soon. I am broken in every area, with no one to talk about my feelings but God, who seemed to have left me or at least was not answering my voice mails, lol. My dad survived his 2 month death sentence and lived past the death sentence issued by his brother...gosh I miss my dad. But imagine this, every area of your life, failing--oh not to mention my own health woes, I had just had a transplant the year before. Then to culminate that: my family acts ignorant around my dad's death, my supervisor puts me on leave --WITHOUT PAY (yes I still have bills and work), and many of the people I thought I could count on become flakes or issue out ignorant statements that just simply shouldn't be said at this point. I was there. I just was so fed up. I asked God why, why, why me. All I can say is thank God that He reminds us of His many blessings. Throughout all of that, I was delivered from an unhealthy relationship, things worked out at work that I had enough donated leave, I was able to spend time with my dad and get closer to him before he passed, and God definitely showed me my family's true colors and the people I no longer needed as a part of my life. Furthermore, He revealed to me why; I had to be stripped of all that hurt and past hurts to be able to heal whole. And today, without a single doubt, I know that God can do anything if you trust Him to do so.
Your why may be different from my why. I had to experience those things to be sensitive and supportive of others in that situation. I had to experience that so that I can minister to others who have lost someone they loved. I had to be purged of some things and people. And that was a breaking down process so that I could receive what God had next for me. God is so amazing, and I thank Him for that experience because He grew my faith. I never thought I could get through that, because I felt dead inside. I felt as I was just going through the motions of life, not feeling anything because emotionally I had been battered by everything you can think of. But little did I know my breakthrough sat right in front of me. If the devil would have had his way, my life would be over. Think of your most stressful moments and how they have negatively affected you. Stress kills!! And yes I was weary...I was so tired. But God loved me enough to take my hand and guide me through it. He reminded me of the blessings I have received and that He has the final say.
God is not a respecter of persons. Your situation could be much worse than my own, and He will do a mighty, great work in your life. Hey, look at Job!!! God restored him way beyond what he originally had. He gave him a full reward. If you will keep your eyes on Him when you get to the edge, He will let you walk on water, like Peter, and take you the rest of the way. Trust Him, and stretch your faith. God can do far beyond anything you imagine. Our suffering is not our own, but to help someone else. Press through it so you can be rewarded in the end.
"Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:3
"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:9
In the last few weeks, I have heard so many examples of tried patience. Even in my own life and family, we have been pushed to the edge of ending faith...and by ending faith I mean there seems to be very little left to keep going. Because it is Christmas time, many families are struggling and having difficult times making ends meet so that they can share of themselves with their loved ones. But people are not just suffering financially; the battles I am hearing of are spiritual. Have you been to the place where it seems you just don't have the strength, courage or faith enough to keep going? It seems like every obstacle known to man is testing your patience, and trying your faith. Have you gotten to rock bottom where your only options are to give up or just stand still? Are you at the place where there is little that you can do but wait on the Lord? You get to that place, that critical point, and you are in the place where you can grow your faith or overthrow it.
James 5:7 says "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains." I take this not only to mean waiting on the Lord's return, but waiting until He acts on your behalf. Wait until God moves that mountain you are believing to be moved. Wait until He moves all of those people you used to hang with, wait until He clears all the obstacles from your view so that you can see clearly. In these situations it is most certainly hard to believe and it is difficult to trust in Him. But this is what you know, you're supposed to trust and wait on God. The question is how. And my answer to how is based on not knowing a particular solution, but just staying in God's presence in prayer until He did something.
Well I will recount the last 15 months of my life to you. In September, I lost one of the cousins I loved most. She had a beautiful spirit about her, and I had the pleasure of growing spiritually with her. So I was distraught and heartbroken after her unexpected passing. Then I had a very difficult relationship I was in--it seemed like everything I did could not help the situation. Next my dad's health began to rapidly decline. Every weekend I went home my dad was getting sicker. I was having difficulties at work, and could not get it worked out for me to work from Columbia to spend more time with my family. Then on New Years Eve, my mom is told my dad had less than 2 months to live. Talk about a way to start the New Year...and the sermon focused on New Beginnings. The 10th year is supposed to be a year of new beginnings. Well so that relationship went south, and then as I am on travel, my dad is put on hospice, saying that he would pass away soon. I am broken in every area, with no one to talk about my feelings but God, who seemed to have left me or at least was not answering my voice mails, lol. My dad survived his 2 month death sentence and lived past the death sentence issued by his brother...gosh I miss my dad. But imagine this, every area of your life, failing--oh not to mention my own health woes, I had just had a transplant the year before. Then to culminate that: my family acts ignorant around my dad's death, my supervisor puts me on leave --WITHOUT PAY (yes I still have bills and work), and many of the people I thought I could count on become flakes or issue out ignorant statements that just simply shouldn't be said at this point. I was there. I just was so fed up. I asked God why, why, why me. All I can say is thank God that He reminds us of His many blessings. Throughout all of that, I was delivered from an unhealthy relationship, things worked out at work that I had enough donated leave, I was able to spend time with my dad and get closer to him before he passed, and God definitely showed me my family's true colors and the people I no longer needed as a part of my life. Furthermore, He revealed to me why; I had to be stripped of all that hurt and past hurts to be able to heal whole. And today, without a single doubt, I know that God can do anything if you trust Him to do so.
Your why may be different from my why. I had to experience those things to be sensitive and supportive of others in that situation. I had to experience that so that I can minister to others who have lost someone they loved. I had to be purged of some things and people. And that was a breaking down process so that I could receive what God had next for me. God is so amazing, and I thank Him for that experience because He grew my faith. I never thought I could get through that, because I felt dead inside. I felt as I was just going through the motions of life, not feeling anything because emotionally I had been battered by everything you can think of. But little did I know my breakthrough sat right in front of me. If the devil would have had his way, my life would be over. Think of your most stressful moments and how they have negatively affected you. Stress kills!! And yes I was weary...I was so tired. But God loved me enough to take my hand and guide me through it. He reminded me of the blessings I have received and that He has the final say.
God is not a respecter of persons. Your situation could be much worse than my own, and He will do a mighty, great work in your life. Hey, look at Job!!! God restored him way beyond what he originally had. He gave him a full reward. If you will keep your eyes on Him when you get to the edge, He will let you walk on water, like Peter, and take you the rest of the way. Trust Him, and stretch your faith. God can do far beyond anything you imagine. Our suffering is not our own, but to help someone else. Press through it so you can be rewarded in the end.
"Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:3
Friday, December 3, 2010
Daily Devotion
Get Over Yourself!
"For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you." 1 Corinthians 15:31
I reread this scripture over and over again the last few days and could not see the relevant connection. But when I couldn't fall asleep until I wrote down this title and part of the scripture, I knew it had a purpose beyond my expression. Many times as we walk on this road of life, we have our battles, struggled and difficulties. There are hurdles to jump over, mountains to climb, and bridges to cross. We get those "bumps in the road" or those big nasty potholes along the way...like the ones that can mess up your alignment, lol. Yet, a lot of the time, we don't recognize our own hand in the situation. We don't see how if we had prayed about that decision or asked God what to do in that situation, how things may have turned out completely different. We fail to wait on God to move in our spirit man and go ahead and make a decision based on the flesh man's impulses.
I had to read a few commentaries to get the revelation of this scripture. Prior to today, I had always thought that this referred to dying to your own desires. Yes in a sense it does. But the greater meaning of this scripture is in the simplicity of the words: "I face death daily." In the literal sense, the apostle Paul was willing to die in the name of Jesus Christ. He was willing to lay down his own life, as Christ did, in order that he fulfill the calling on his life. He was willing to be stoned to death, hung, whipped, beaten, stabbed and cut up, even crucified, in the name of our Lord and Savior for the purpose of spreading the Good News to the Gentiles. The greater part of this scripture is that Paul gave up everything, even his very life, in the name of God. When we give all to God, we must let go of everything, even the lives we live to truly gain. We cannot have any sort of motivation towards our own personal gain in our hearts when we say we are working for God. You cannot truly expect Him to move on your behalf if you are working for yourself. You cannot expect God to elevate you and you definitely cannot expect Him to truly use you. Get over yourself--meaning stop looking for a way to get over or a way to misuse whatever gifts and talents God has given you for personal gratification. Get over yourself and truly willing to die for Christ, because after that point, nothing can separate you from Him!
"Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."' Romans 8:36
"For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you." 1 Corinthians 15:31
I reread this scripture over and over again the last few days and could not see the relevant connection. But when I couldn't fall asleep until I wrote down this title and part of the scripture, I knew it had a purpose beyond my expression. Many times as we walk on this road of life, we have our battles, struggled and difficulties. There are hurdles to jump over, mountains to climb, and bridges to cross. We get those "bumps in the road" or those big nasty potholes along the way...like the ones that can mess up your alignment, lol. Yet, a lot of the time, we don't recognize our own hand in the situation. We don't see how if we had prayed about that decision or asked God what to do in that situation, how things may have turned out completely different. We fail to wait on God to move in our spirit man and go ahead and make a decision based on the flesh man's impulses.
I had to read a few commentaries to get the revelation of this scripture. Prior to today, I had always thought that this referred to dying to your own desires. Yes in a sense it does. But the greater meaning of this scripture is in the simplicity of the words: "I face death daily." In the literal sense, the apostle Paul was willing to die in the name of Jesus Christ. He was willing to lay down his own life, as Christ did, in order that he fulfill the calling on his life. He was willing to be stoned to death, hung, whipped, beaten, stabbed and cut up, even crucified, in the name of our Lord and Savior for the purpose of spreading the Good News to the Gentiles. The greater part of this scripture is that Paul gave up everything, even his very life, in the name of God. When we give all to God, we must let go of everything, even the lives we live to truly gain. We cannot have any sort of motivation towards our own personal gain in our hearts when we say we are working for God. You cannot truly expect Him to move on your behalf if you are working for yourself. You cannot expect God to elevate you and you definitely cannot expect Him to truly use you. Get over yourself--meaning stop looking for a way to get over or a way to misuse whatever gifts and talents God has given you for personal gratification. Get over yourself and truly willing to die for Christ, because after that point, nothing can separate you from Him!
"Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."' Romans 8:36
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Mercy of God
Hey everybody!!! I just had to share this devotion with all of you today bit brought me to tears and reminded me of where God has brought me. Please READ!!
Click on the link below:
http://www.streamingfaith.com/index.php/prayer/devotionals/the-mercy-of-god/
Love y'all!!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Daily Devotion
Guarding Your Treasure Box
"Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." 2 Timothy 1:14
All day long, I have been getting reassurance about being careful who comes into my company. I had a conversation a while back with my spiritual mother about the anointing. I realized that lately quite a few people had been draw to me, and truthfully I talk to anyone. I just love people--disclaimer, in moderation and when I feel like socializing. I have major mood swings and sometimes just don't feel like being bothered.... Anyway, I have learned that we have to be careful when we are working for the Lord, everybody that comes up to you is not going the same direction as you. When we decide to live right and walk with the Lord, there will be all sorts of obstacles to come along to distract and ultimately take from you the gift that God has given you...even people. Yes, God calls us to share the Good News for the salvation of the lost souls, but He does not tell us to tell everybody His purpose and plan for your life, nor does He say that you have to lose who He created you to be in that process.
I used 'treasure box' because it symbolizes many things. God has put into all of us special talents, gifts, passions, dreams, goals and His Good News to share with the world. He has also given us all a unique purpose. However, along the way, due to the circumstances of life and our own disobedience, things are taken out of our box and replaced with despair, disappointments, discouragement, fear, failures, anxiety, doubt, and many more tools of the enemy. One of them that is the worst to reside in our box is bitterness. If we are not careful, we can allow our reactions and interactions with life and the people that come along the way to set up shop in our treasure box and ruin the rest of the gifts remaining in the box. We put emotional baggage in that box, lack of trust, and everything that comes along and instead of getting rid of these things, we hold on to them, tighter than the more important gifts like patience, honesty and love.
The only way to see through these things is to use the Holy Spirit!! Ask God to help you discern the meaning of things, and people's purposes in your life. Sometimes we linger on a nice face or a seemingly nice opportunity which sets us back 5, 10, even 20 years. We were not made for these things!! Just think about what stress, bitterness, and unforgiveness do to your body...its a clinically proven fact that forgiving releases us and helps us heal! Think of the benefit of letting go of the dead weight that you've been clutching. Think of what things you can gain when you clean out all the garbage...you can get the dreams back. You can get the natural talents and gifts back that God has given you.
"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith." Romans 11:29
You can read more at:
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
"Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." 2 Timothy 1:14
All day long, I have been getting reassurance about being careful who comes into my company. I had a conversation a while back with my spiritual mother about the anointing. I realized that lately quite a few people had been draw to me, and truthfully I talk to anyone. I just love people--disclaimer, in moderation and when I feel like socializing. I have major mood swings and sometimes just don't feel like being bothered.... Anyway, I have learned that we have to be careful when we are working for the Lord, everybody that comes up to you is not going the same direction as you. When we decide to live right and walk with the Lord, there will be all sorts of obstacles to come along to distract and ultimately take from you the gift that God has given you...even people. Yes, God calls us to share the Good News for the salvation of the lost souls, but He does not tell us to tell everybody His purpose and plan for your life, nor does He say that you have to lose who He created you to be in that process.
I used 'treasure box' because it symbolizes many things. God has put into all of us special talents, gifts, passions, dreams, goals and His Good News to share with the world. He has also given us all a unique purpose. However, along the way, due to the circumstances of life and our own disobedience, things are taken out of our box and replaced with despair, disappointments, discouragement, fear, failures, anxiety, doubt, and many more tools of the enemy. One of them that is the worst to reside in our box is bitterness. If we are not careful, we can allow our reactions and interactions with life and the people that come along the way to set up shop in our treasure box and ruin the rest of the gifts remaining in the box. We put emotional baggage in that box, lack of trust, and everything that comes along and instead of getting rid of these things, we hold on to them, tighter than the more important gifts like patience, honesty and love.
The only way to see through these things is to use the Holy Spirit!! Ask God to help you discern the meaning of things, and people's purposes in your life. Sometimes we linger on a nice face or a seemingly nice opportunity which sets us back 5, 10, even 20 years. We were not made for these things!! Just think about what stress, bitterness, and unforgiveness do to your body...its a clinically proven fact that forgiving releases us and helps us heal! Think of the benefit of letting go of the dead weight that you've been clutching. Think of what things you can gain when you clean out all the garbage...you can get the dreams back. You can get the natural talents and gifts back that God has given you.
"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith." Romans 11:29
You can read more at:
http://enterthemindofmarquita.blogspot.com
--
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Daily Devotion
Blocked by Fear
"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7
Have you ever had the feeling that you are stagnant? Or that the things you are praying for aren't happening? Have you considered whether you are operating in the spirit of faith or in fear?
Fear is the roadblock when you don't have your license and registration on you, it is the big spider in the middle of the floor, it is rollercoaster that you have always avoided riding. It's there, ugly as ever, staring you in the face. And why? Because you have acknowledge that it is stronger than the faith you think you have. In your mind, its bigger than anything you've ever done, and its bigger than GOD. That's right, it is because you gave the same power to it that you could give to God. The same power that you could give to God to activate that little faith you have could have changed any situation for you. Your fear can block your progress, and ultimately block God's flow in your life. It can block you from hearing from Him on a particular situation because you allow your mind to feed on that thought you should have killed, I'm too weak or afraid to do this. I'm too afraid to go forward or a personal favorite of mine, there are too many unknowns for me. Well if the same prayers you prayed for a friend worked, won't your own prayers work for you? If the same faith you are operating in on the behalf of another worked for them, why can it not work for you? After all, it is your faith.
When I attended World Changers, whenever Dr. Dollar spoke on fear, he would refer to it as negative faith or perverted faith. He said it was meditation on the wrong--the negative. And that is exactly what it is. If you spend so much time believing and focusing on what you will not get, I'm pretty sure you won't pay attention to the opportunities for you to take a step in the positive direction. You will miss the opened door or window of opportunity for you to move forward. Fear is a crippling, paralyzing thing, a tool of the enemy to keep you bound to the belief of 'you can't' forever. Well if you use the tools that God has given you to overcome for the right things, you can allow yourself to move forward. I didn't realize that I was blocking my own blessings until I started listening to what was playing in my head. The tape recorder is real, and if you don't change what you are listening to--which is ultimately what you believe, you will be blocked in every area of your life.
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." 1 John 4:18
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7
Have you ever had the feeling that you are stagnant? Or that the things you are praying for aren't happening? Have you considered whether you are operating in the spirit of faith or in fear?
Fear is the roadblock when you don't have your license and registration on you, it is the big spider in the middle of the floor, it is rollercoaster that you have always avoided riding. It's there, ugly as ever, staring you in the face. And why? Because you have acknowledge that it is stronger than the faith you think you have. In your mind, its bigger than anything you've ever done, and its bigger than GOD. That's right, it is because you gave the same power to it that you could give to God. The same power that you could give to God to activate that little faith you have could have changed any situation for you. Your fear can block your progress, and ultimately block God's flow in your life. It can block you from hearing from Him on a particular situation because you allow your mind to feed on that thought you should have killed, I'm too weak or afraid to do this. I'm too afraid to go forward or a personal favorite of mine, there are too many unknowns for me. Well if the same prayers you prayed for a friend worked, won't your own prayers work for you? If the same faith you are operating in on the behalf of another worked for them, why can it not work for you? After all, it is your faith.
When I attended World Changers, whenever Dr. Dollar spoke on fear, he would refer to it as negative faith or perverted faith. He said it was meditation on the wrong--the negative. And that is exactly what it is. If you spend so much time believing and focusing on what you will not get, I'm pretty sure you won't pay attention to the opportunities for you to take a step in the positive direction. You will miss the opened door or window of opportunity for you to move forward. Fear is a crippling, paralyzing thing, a tool of the enemy to keep you bound to the belief of 'you can't' forever. Well if you use the tools that God has given you to overcome for the right things, you can allow yourself to move forward. I didn't realize that I was blocking my own blessings until I started listening to what was playing in my head. The tape recorder is real, and if you don't change what you are listening to--which is ultimately what you believe, you will be blocked in every area of your life.
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." 1 John 4:18
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Daily Devotion #3
Believing the Lie
"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44
We get victory in our testimony...so here goes part of mine. Growing up I had to be one of the most insecure, lack of self-esteem having young girls. I sought validation from peers and friends...and when I didn't get it, I was crushed. Many times I was picked on (I now think largely in part of me being so smart, yep it ostracized me a bit) and I would cry because I didn't understand why, and yep I was a crybaby. Even as I write this I start to tear up. I have to thank God for my friend Camisha (smile) 
. I will never forget this but in 8th grade there was a girl who will remain nameless that always had something negative to say about me (and in her case she had NO room to talk, looking all manly herself oops sorry lol :p ). She wrote something like "Marquita Priester-worst dresser" and Camisha made sure I didn't see that...she instead wrote "Best Dresser". We all go through that period of finding ourselves and I thank God that she was there to intercept that...who knows what would have happened then because by that time I had developed a smart mouth and had no problem fighting since I never got in trouble at school.
For a long time even into my adult years, I believed the lie that I had to compare myself to other people, on essentially everything. School was almost the one area that I did not compare myself because I had always been exceptionally smart. But as a young woman, I lacked the belief that what I saw in the mirror was acceptable and nagged myself about everything I could find wrong. So when I got sick in college, it served as a wake-up call to the falsehood of the lie I believed and the key to walk out of the prison of self-hatred.
The devil is the father of lies. A lie in definition is the opposite of truth, an un-truth. It is also withholding, twisting words around (as he did with Eve in the Garden of Eden), or a gross perversion of the truth. The devil perverts everything. He plants that one thought, and feeds it with another thought, until we are so far gone (if we don't have the fortitude to catch it) that we believe whatever he said. Its not okay to compare yourself to others because God created us all with unique purposes...we all have a different place in His grand plan. We may have similar stories, similar roles, but when all those things add up under your name it becomes something different. All of our stories are different, although we may be on parallel roads. Stop believing the crap the devil tells you, like you aren't good enough--counter thought "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13, I will never get well--counter thought "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers them out of them all." Psalm 34:19, I'm too weak--counter thought "But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world."
Remember that!!! YOU belong to God so stop giving yourself over to lies and be victorious. Use your authority!!!! Christ has already defeated the devil so act like you know!
"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." 1 John 5:4
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
Daily Devotion #2
Living with Expectancy
'and said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?"' Matthew 11:3
Jesus tells us in John 14:14 "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." I think sometimes we do not ask because we do not believe it will happen. You think, well, it probably won't happen anyway so why waste my time. I've learned lately that we have to expect great. The Jews did not expect Jesus to be the Messiah, which caused them to doubt His miracles and His being the Messiah and so after His death, it was left up to the Apostles to preach the Good News. One of my new favorite chapters is the 23rd Psalm. Verse 5 says this: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Do you get the promise at the end of that verse? Our cup overflows! Here's another scripture: Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Malachi 3:10 God promises to open the windows of heaven with blessing upon blessing for you. Of course with these promises, they are in conjunction to your obedience in the principle, i.e, being holy, repenting (doing a 180 from sin and sinning no more), tithing, etc. But as a child of God we can expect God to be faithful to His Word even when we find it hard to believe.
If you are struggling in some way, lacking in something, it is because you aren't expecting (or maybe you haven't tried God yet, meaning been obedient to His call, because He does call us all for unique and individual tasks as a part of the Body of Christ). We walk around as Christians complaining about what we don't have but as the scripture says, you don't have because you don't ask! And you don't overflow because you don't expect it.
As my spiritual godmother says, we have to expect God to blow our minds on a daily basis. At first I did not grasp the brevity of what she was saying, why because I was barely believing or expecting the promises of the Word to come true for me. But guys we must step out and trust the Lord. Expect those mountains that you want moved to be gone because we are to believe in the things that are unseen. Turn whatever is the roadblock in your life over to Him and expect it to be moved. Yes, every person can remind you of the things that you are dealing with, but until you get before God and expect Him to do what He says, wholeheartedly believing in Him for what He has said...you aren't really living.
"I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing." Ezekiel 34:26
Daily Devotion
The Power of Our Song
"I will praise the name of God with song And magnify Him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30
God loves to hear us sing to Him. Have you ever been in church and saw the effects of singing praises to God? If you haven't I pray that God allows you to see it. His Spirit flows and moves the masses; yokes are broken and handed over to Jesus. Bonds and chains are destroyed and we are free to give God all the glory that is due to Him. But its not just for entertainment as most use it for. God gives us many things when we sing out to Him. He comforts us, gives us victory, peace, joy, and freedom.
"Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody." Isaiah 51:3 One of the things I did to get through this year was sing and cry out to God for His comfort. Only in singing and crying was I able to get the comfort I needed from all the pain I had experienced. God promises to comfort us because we are His children!
"Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, there was an earthquake so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken. All the doors immediately flew open, and everyone's chains were unfastened." Acts 16:25-26 In this story, Paul and Silas were wrongly imprisoned...but God! But God freed them and save thousands. He saved the soul of their jailer by them not leaving when they were freed. "At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves." 2 Chronicles 20:22 This is just one of the stories where praising the Lord with song led to victory over enemy armies.
"And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away." Isaiah 35:10 Peace is the gift God freely gives to us, and His joy is our strength. (John 14:27, Nehemiah 8:10) When we sing, we realize both of these gifts.
"God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." Psalm 68:6 God frees us! When Jesus died on the cross for our sins we WERE freed. Not waiting on some other act or miracle, but it has already happened. We are freed (even if you may be physically bound by something) from the weight of our sins. We are free from condemnation, we are free from death as long as we are in Christ.
Just think about it though, we have the God-given power to speak and decree over situations...by singing praise to God, it moves Him on our behalf. Why equip us with such a powerful tool if we cannot use it to glorify Him? Don't stop singing! Watch Him move heaven and earth for you.
"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16
Monday, November 15, 2010
Daily Devotion
Transparency
O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. Jeremiah 20:12
Growing up, when I was in my elementary through high school grades, my teachers used transparencies for our notes and sometimes quizzes. They would prepare the notes for the class and put them up on the screen for all to see. This was before school got all high-tech with the smart boards, which I did not see until college.
Much like those transparencies, with the notes on them that could be wiped off with water, but dried on over time is our mind and heart. The notes we have taken from the past on how to deal with people often cloud our judgment, and can prevent us from receiving a blessing or blessing someone else. Our pain has become smudged with bitterness and we refuse to wipe it away. Thank God for His healing waters, His Word, and His love that can erase anything! Just like God casts our sins away forever, we can cast away unforgiveness, painful memories, guilt or shame. We can make the choice to walk with God so that He can teach us to forgive...so that like in the verse above He can impact vengeance. Once we give things over to Him, we are no longer stained by our hatred, we are washed and renewed--transparent in His love. Whenever it was my turn to write a problem, I always hoped to get the new transparencies that were untarnished and clear...not weathered with age by time. Don't let your hurt and pain leave you tarnished or worse yet, permanently scarred. God sees through us into every nook and cranny, let His love heal you and then shine through to others.
"So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." 2 Corinthians 3:18
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Daily Devotion
Forsaking All Others
"If people come to me and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as their own lives, they cannot be my disciples. So those who do not carry their crosses and follow me cannot be my disciples." Luke 14:26-27
I'm sure everyone has heard the traditional wedding vows during a wedding or marriage ceremony, right? Well just in case, here they are: I, (Bride/Groom), take you (Groom/Bride), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. Well after you and your love are officially married, you no longer see yourself without that person. You forsake all others in the name of your marriage. In some marriages (and as is the natural order as God intended from scripture--my personal interpretation) no person comes above your spouse but God himself. For the unmarried people like myself, that space is currently filled by my mother and immediate family. I do not think there is anyone I love more than them other than God. In the scripture above, Jesus tells us that we have to be ready to abandon all to follow Him--really meaning we are supposed to love Him more than anything. And why shouldn't we? He died so that we will not have to spend eternity without Him--in the true death of the soul.
There is a song I absolutely LOVE hearing and singing--Lamar Campbell's More Than Anything. The lyrics of the chorus say: I love you Jesus, I worship and adore you, Just want to tell you, Lord I love you more than anything. This is the kind of love Jesus is calling us to. We are supposed to love Jesus more than our fathers, more than our mothers, more than our spouses, more than our children, more than our siblings, more than our own lives. I think the last part of that scripture is the most critical. You see, all of those people comprise our lives. Our jobs and careers, our travels, our salary, even our physical bodies encapsulate our lives. We have to put loving God above that. Luke 17:33 says "If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it." So...what are you waiting for? Don't you want a real love, a true and pure love? God wants us to love Him with every ounce of our being...and don't you know that He will give us everything we desire, even more as long as it is within His will?
"If people come to me and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as their own lives, they cannot be my disciples. So those who do not carry their crosses and follow me cannot be my disciples." Luke 14:26-27
I'm sure everyone has heard the traditional wedding vows during a wedding or marriage ceremony, right? Well just in case, here they are: I, (Bride/Groom), take you (Groom/Bride), to be my (wife/husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. Well after you and your love are officially married, you no longer see yourself without that person. You forsake all others in the name of your marriage. In some marriages (and as is the natural order as God intended from scripture--my personal interpretation) no person comes above your spouse but God himself. For the unmarried people like myself, that space is currently filled by my mother and immediate family. I do not think there is anyone I love more than them other than God. In the scripture above, Jesus tells us that we have to be ready to abandon all to follow Him--really meaning we are supposed to love Him more than anything. And why shouldn't we? He died so that we will not have to spend eternity without Him--in the true death of the soul.
There is a song I absolutely LOVE hearing and singing--Lamar Campbell's More Than Anything. The lyrics of the chorus say: I love you Jesus, I worship and adore you, Just want to tell you, Lord I love you more than anything. This is the kind of love Jesus is calling us to. We are supposed to love Jesus more than our fathers, more than our mothers, more than our spouses, more than our children, more than our siblings, more than our own lives. I think the last part of that scripture is the most critical. You see, all of those people comprise our lives. Our jobs and careers, our travels, our salary, even our physical bodies encapsulate our lives. We have to put loving God above that. Luke 17:33 says "If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it." So...what are you waiting for? Don't you want a real love, a true and pure love? God wants us to love Him with every ounce of our being...and don't you know that He will give us everything we desire, even more as long as it is within His will?
Friday, November 12, 2010
Daily Devotion
In Prepared Soil
"If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit." Leviticus 26:3,4
When I was a little girl--and my momma can attest to this--I loved to grow things. One of my teachers gave me a Chia bunny because she was my secret Santa in middle school. We had a flower bed in our front yard with some flowers in it. I would help my daddy pull up the weeds and prepare the ground. I would take the flowers out of their temporary pots and plant the flowers, six inches apart like the directions said. I watered them, and pruned the weeds with my daddy. One time, I bought a pack of cucumber seeds and planted those. I watched over those things like a mother hawk I tell you. Sure enough, they started growing and growing until one day when I came home, the birds had been eating them! and of course, I was devastated...but that's another story.
The purpose of this devotion is to focus on the preparation of the soil. There are several key players involved in growing crops. First there is the soil--your heart and soul! You need a good plot of soil (a willing heart) with direct exposure to the sun (Son ah ha!!). Next it says to mix in "soil amendments and fertilizer"--I take this to mean the words of wisdom from other mature Christians, wisdom that God has given you, and wisdom that He has imparted to you through the Word--spoken, written and preached. It says to always maintain no more than half amendments and half native soil--I venture forth to say that this means that God never wants us to lose sight of who He created us to be in the words of others. Many people nowadays base their faith and their relationship with Him on the words of others. Cultivate that relationship so that you can rightfully discern the truth for yourself. This part is very important: till the soil with the amendments. Mix it up! Break up those dirt clods and remove the rocks out of the soil. Remove any unnatural thing--branches, weeds, stones, brambles, anything that can choke your faith and stunt your growth. I'll stop here because now you have been prepared. The only thing that is left is to plant that Word, that vision, that dream, whatever it is that God has given you and let it grow.
In prepared soil you can do so much. You can plant flowers that bring beauty, you can plant vegetables that sustain life, you can plant wheat and oats and barley that are used to make bread, you can plant vines, bushes, and trees that produce such good fruit! I'm going to share my journal entry for this evening here. I realized that I have been in a planting season. For the last few years, my life has been in seeming to me constant turmoil and dishevelment at all of the upsets I have experienced. Kidney failure and transplant, other illnesses, losses and deaths--all have served to till my soil. I needed these things to break up all the hurt, pain, and suffering that I have experienced, to uproot all the negativity and things that were stealing the life out of me. But God I have been sowing the Word in my heart. I have had good, sound Christian counsel to water and fertilize my ground. I have rejected all negative thoughts, words, and people from my life. I have been guarding my heart. I am ready to grow. I am ready for all the seeds God has planted to grow. I am ready to reap the bounty that awaits me.
I encourage you to stand strong in the midst of your trial because it is for God's glory. I cannot describe the feeling of utter brokenness, but I know that I feel better now that God has pieced me together. If God is breaking down those strongholds--those rocks--if He is uprooting those people, ideals, and past bitterness and negativity from you--those weeds, then embrace it and let God work. Get some sound, mature Christians who can sow back into you and feed yourself on the Word. Get prepared because God's word and will cannot take root unless you are willing!!! I love you and good night!
"The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest." Psalm 85:12
"If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit." Leviticus 26:3,4
When I was a little girl--and my momma can attest to this--I loved to grow things. One of my teachers gave me a Chia bunny because she was my secret Santa in middle school. We had a flower bed in our front yard with some flowers in it. I would help my daddy pull up the weeds and prepare the ground. I would take the flowers out of their temporary pots and plant the flowers, six inches apart like the directions said. I watered them, and pruned the weeds with my daddy. One time, I bought a pack of cucumber seeds and planted those. I watched over those things like a mother hawk I tell you. Sure enough, they started growing and growing until one day when I came home, the birds had been eating them! and of course, I was devastated...but that's another story.
The purpose of this devotion is to focus on the preparation of the soil. There are several key players involved in growing crops. First there is the soil--your heart and soul! You need a good plot of soil (a willing heart) with direct exposure to the sun (Son ah ha!!). Next it says to mix in "soil amendments and fertilizer"--I take this to mean the words of wisdom from other mature Christians, wisdom that God has given you, and wisdom that He has imparted to you through the Word--spoken, written and preached. It says to always maintain no more than half amendments and half native soil--I venture forth to say that this means that God never wants us to lose sight of who He created us to be in the words of others. Many people nowadays base their faith and their relationship with Him on the words of others. Cultivate that relationship so that you can rightfully discern the truth for yourself. This part is very important: till the soil with the amendments. Mix it up! Break up those dirt clods and remove the rocks out of the soil. Remove any unnatural thing--branches, weeds, stones, brambles, anything that can choke your faith and stunt your growth. I'll stop here because now you have been prepared. The only thing that is left is to plant that Word, that vision, that dream, whatever it is that God has given you and let it grow.
In prepared soil you can do so much. You can plant flowers that bring beauty, you can plant vegetables that sustain life, you can plant wheat and oats and barley that are used to make bread, you can plant vines, bushes, and trees that produce such good fruit! I'm going to share my journal entry for this evening here. I realized that I have been in a planting season. For the last few years, my life has been in seeming to me constant turmoil and dishevelment at all of the upsets I have experienced. Kidney failure and transplant, other illnesses, losses and deaths--all have served to till my soil. I needed these things to break up all the hurt, pain, and suffering that I have experienced, to uproot all the negativity and things that were stealing the life out of me. But God I have been sowing the Word in my heart. I have had good, sound Christian counsel to water and fertilize my ground. I have rejected all negative thoughts, words, and people from my life. I have been guarding my heart. I am ready to grow. I am ready for all the seeds God has planted to grow. I am ready to reap the bounty that awaits me.
I encourage you to stand strong in the midst of your trial because it is for God's glory. I cannot describe the feeling of utter brokenness, but I know that I feel better now that God has pieced me together. If God is breaking down those strongholds--those rocks--if He is uprooting those people, ideals, and past bitterness and negativity from you--those weeds, then embrace it and let God work. Get some sound, mature Christians who can sow back into you and feed yourself on the Word. Get prepared because God's word and will cannot take root unless you are willing!!! I love you and good night!
"The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest." Psalm 85:12
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Daily Devotion #4
God Don't Like Ugly
"If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." 1 John 4:20
I know that everyone's grandmother or great-aunt has said, "You know God don't like ugly now" or something along those lines. I just read the book "God Don't Like Ugly" by Mary Monroe, and it had to be one of the most depressing stories I ever read. It was about as depressing as "Precious" or "For Colored Girls" were. But these movies depict the ugliness of humanity in the depravity these people experienced. And truth be told, these movies and books are not fiction because life is like that. Mothers hating their children and abusing them, people so cold-hearted that they cannot feel the pain of those around them. God calls us to love each other as we love ourselves--but how can you truly love another human being when you were never taught to love yourself? I aim to love myself more each day and turn that around and share it with others because that is what we are all called to do. You want to see God--learn to love like He did! The problem with the world is that it has been poisoned by hatred. Any sign of difference serves as fuel for injustice. God don't like ugly y'all and that means He doesn't like anything that will toxify your heart towards any outpouring of His love. Have you ever noticed how all it takes to make a mean dog nice is love? Sadly it takes the same to rehabilitate a mean person. If you just keep on loving on that person, they will eventually have to see God for themselves and only He can and will bring about a change in them. You can't repay evil with evil. When you look into the mirror, what do you want to see--God, who is love, or the ugly reflection of a person scorned? Reflect love!
"If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." 1 John 4:20
I know that everyone's grandmother or great-aunt has said, "You know God don't like ugly now" or something along those lines. I just read the book "God Don't Like Ugly" by Mary Monroe, and it had to be one of the most depressing stories I ever read. It was about as depressing as "Precious" or "For Colored Girls" were. But these movies depict the ugliness of humanity in the depravity these people experienced. And truth be told, these movies and books are not fiction because life is like that. Mothers hating their children and abusing them, people so cold-hearted that they cannot feel the pain of those around them. God calls us to love each other as we love ourselves--but how can you truly love another human being when you were never taught to love yourself? I aim to love myself more each day and turn that around and share it with others because that is what we are all called to do. You want to see God--learn to love like He did! The problem with the world is that it has been poisoned by hatred. Any sign of difference serves as fuel for injustice. God don't like ugly y'all and that means He doesn't like anything that will toxify your heart towards any outpouring of His love. Have you ever noticed how all it takes to make a mean dog nice is love? Sadly it takes the same to rehabilitate a mean person. If you just keep on loving on that person, they will eventually have to see God for themselves and only He can and will bring about a change in them. You can't repay evil with evil. When you look into the mirror, what do you want to see--God, who is love, or the ugly reflection of a person scorned? Reflect love!
"Although you have never seen Christ, you love him. You don't see him now, but you believe in him. You are extremely happy with joy and praise that can hardly be expressed in words" 1 Peter 1:8
Daily Devotion #3
In The Quiet
"This is what the Almighty LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me. But you don't want that." Isaiah 30:15 GWT
I don't know about you, but I go to bed in complete darkness and quiet. Why you say, I don't really know lol and maybe this has not a single bit of relevancy in the title haha. But I do know that God calls out to us. I do know that if we just be quiet sometimes, we can actually hear His voice. We can hear the plan He has to deliver us and we can bask in His glory. We can get our breakthrough at those quiet times at night. God can reveal and make things plain that we would otherwise not see or hear.
"This is what the Almighty LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me. But you don't want that." Isaiah 30:15 GWT
I don't know about you, but I go to bed in complete darkness and quiet. Why you say, I don't really know lol and maybe this has not a single bit of relevancy in the title haha. But I do know that God calls out to us. I do know that if we just be quiet sometimes, we can actually hear His voice. We can hear the plan He has to deliver us and we can bask in His glory. We can get our breakthrough at those quiet times at night. God can reveal and make things plain that we would otherwise not see or hear.
In the verse above, God is speaking through Isaiah to the children of Israel. If only they would have turned from evil and been obedient to God's voice, what they could have avoided! If they would have been quiet and trusted the same God that delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh, the same God that fed them every night with the bread of heaven and quenched their thirst from a rock. Sometimes...all it takes is for us to be quiet and reflect on God's greatness and the things He has done in our lives. If we would only think on the blessings we have! I admit, I had to do that today because I had been thinking of all the reasons why I shouldn't do something. But then I remembered who I am in Christ and what God continues to do for me every single day...all of that in a moment of quiet time. It is in our quiet praise and worship, in the quiet times of reading and meditating on the Word that God can show us the way. Think about it, can you really hear God with a lot of foolishness going on around you? Can you really hear His voice? Or do you even want to? I had today off, and did not do a single solitary thing other than catch up on my reading and spend time with God today. And I feel better than I have felt in a long time. No worries and no cares, all because I got quiet. So start getting quiet, set aside time first thing in the morning and in the evening to spend with God, read the Word, listen to praise and worship music so that you can get a word from God. In quietness and confidence is your strength...why, because in quietness you can gain the confidence through a divine revelation from God.
"This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it." Isaiah 30:15 NLT
Daily Devotion #2
Birth Your Gifts
"Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives--especially the ability to prophesy." 1 Corinthians 14:1
God has given each of us as believers special gifts and talents. I know some of my gifts. Because of my personal life experiences I can relate to people and give them an encouraging word or advice. But that was not something that I wanted to do or asked God for. I asked God to tell me what He wanted me to do and that I would do it, and sure enough, I received the recognition of His gifts and talents within my life...things that He wanted me to use to bring glory to His name.
Sometimes life causes us to experience what is similar to childbirth. The trials I have had thus far have cause me great pain, with some still hurting. But in the midst of that, God has allowed me to birth being able to minister to many different people. You see, we are as different as night and day sometimes, yet just alike. We all experience trials and tribulations--that's LIFE people. Life is not always easy. In those situations, God calls us closer to Him. He wants to use us, if we are willing. In 1 Corinthians 12:1, Paul calls away from being ignorant about spiritual gifts--because each of us have a purpose in the kingdom. We are all a part of the body of Christ with a unique purpose and plan that we are to fulfill. Walk forward in whatever God is calling you to, birth your gifts even if it hurts because it is all for God's glory. Remember physical difficulty and mental suffering is only a temporary thing when you are in the will of God because we have a greater reward awaiting us!
"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence." 2 Peter 1:3
Daily Devotion
Lest We Forget
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
Hi everyone!
I've been getting a swift kick--dose of reality--lately for not being obedient to what I have been called to do. But thank God for Jesus that He forgives me! God knows that I will fall and He has definitely picked me back up time after time. I was thinking today of all the times God has literally saved my life. Most of you only know about my kidney transplant--but God has kept me from the grasp of the enemy many times before and after that. As the scripture above says, it has been through the grace of God that I am alive. I have had my spirit man murdered and revived, my soul and intellect assassinated, and experienced many a near-death situation. But if it had not been for the grace of God--as the Amplified version puts it, that unmerited favor upon my life, I am sure I would not be here.
I think about this today because recently in the lives of those close to me and my own life, there have been many losses of life. For me, this last year has been tumultous, with the death of my cousin to kick it off, following with the decline in health and passing of my daddy, to the death of my cousin's fiance', to now my mom's best friend and my aunt. I recognized that God is a just God and I do not question His plan. But instead, these things cause a reflection and remind me of all the blessings, the grace and mercy that He has shown to me. Even when I don't deserve it, God has favored me. I say this today because we live in a difficult world, where things closely mirror the wickedness illustrated in the times of Noah, where it is unrealistic to reach out to your brother or your sister and get love from them. But lest we forget those personal struggles that God has delivered us from, lest we forget how we survived days, weeks, months, even years for some without ever having to want for anything. Lest we forget, that ultimate sacrifice, the one that assures that we will see His glory someday. I know after having a successful--wait, miraculous--kidney transplant, having survived near car crashes, near plane crashes, misdiagnoses, discouragement and doubt--I know that is nothing but God's grace; it is only His favor that keeps me going and covered in the midst of so much that hopes to see my failure. Nothing that I have done can earn that grace; it is truly a gift! Just as is being alive to live another day.
Remember who sits on the throne and don't forget what God has done for you. You could so easily not be here tomorrow.
"So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it." Romans 9:16
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Daily Devotion
Saying is Believing
"Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him." Mark 11:23 NASB
Hey everybody! Y'all know I am sincerely apologetic for not being consistent. That is one of the things I am working on...being consistent. And wouldn't you know that consistency goes hand in hand with what I am writing about today! I know everybody remembers being told "Believe only half of what you see and none of you hear" right? Well I have figured out that it has helped to condition us to not to be people of faith (well only the latter half).
Many pastors and gospel singers speak of the Law of Confession. This law states speaking the Word, the Biblical Word of God that is, and confessing it as the Truth and Law--and quite simply believing it! So if you take the famous quote to heart and "believe...none of what you hear" you will most definitely miss out on God's blessings. By not saying and speaking the Word, you are not growing your faith. Saying and thus "hearing" is believing. We must continue to speak it until we do not doubt. The great thing about speaking and saying the Word is that this act within itself has the power to build our faith and to bring forth what we are believing God for! So say it and believe it! For if you believe, as Jesus Himself said--NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO YOU.
"And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." Matthew 17:20 NASB
"Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him." Mark 11:23 NASB
Hey everybody! Y'all know I am sincerely apologetic for not being consistent. That is one of the things I am working on...being consistent. And wouldn't you know that consistency goes hand in hand with what I am writing about today! I know everybody remembers being told "Believe only half of what you see and none of you hear" right? Well I have figured out that it has helped to condition us to not to be people of faith (well only the latter half).
Many pastors and gospel singers speak of the Law of Confession. This law states speaking the Word, the Biblical Word of God that is, and confessing it as the Truth and Law--and quite simply believing it! So if you take the famous quote to heart and "believe...none of what you hear" you will most definitely miss out on God's blessings. By not saying and speaking the Word, you are not growing your faith. Saying and thus "hearing" is believing. We must continue to speak it until we do not doubt. The great thing about speaking and saying the Word is that this act within itself has the power to build our faith and to bring forth what we are believing God for! So say it and believe it! For if you believe, as Jesus Himself said--NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO YOU.
"And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." Matthew 17:20 NASB
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Daily Devotion
A Depraved Mind
"And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper," Romans 1:28
How many of you can agree with this: every time you watch the news there is a report of a robbery or murder? You read the newspaper the next day about a big suicide bombing in a major middle eastern area, or about the high school-er carrying a gun into school to kill the people that picked on him, or even the next lustfully obsessed man that slays his former girlfriend in a bitter domestic dispute. You turn on the radio and they announce yet another depressing headline and then it dawns on you (prayerfully it does anyway) there is really something wrong in the world today. People are more violent, more evil, more fleshly led. It even causes Christians to ponder, is there really a God out there? Does He see what's going on? If He does, why isn't He doing anything about it??
When I was still in Atlanta, my pastor there gave reference to the passage in Romans 1 from where the scripture above came. Then my eyes opened. I then realized that due to man's own extreme disobedience and the progression of the world towards sin, God could not do anything. We were only saved when we opened our mouths and made the confession--it involved a physical act. Ask yourself, if someone is ignoring you, can you make them listen? Well I haven't been successful at that--unless you have mind control or some type of hypnotizing powers. In Lutheranism, they speak of a concept supported by scripture called "Total Depravity." Depravity is defined as moral corruption. Thus the "Total Depravity" concludes that as a result of the first sin, every person born thereafter into the world is born into the state of sinfulness and cannot choose to do good except by the grace of God.
But I think what makes this much sadder, is that we within the Body of Christ, who have been extended God's grace and mercy, who have been delivered from sin, do not share that Good News. We are too afraid of what others may think and say because of our "religious beliefs". We shy away from conversations that talk about God or that would require us to make an in-depth confession of our personal faiths. Here is the resounding factor: souls are at stake. Even our very own souls are at stake. God didn't come into our lives just to be there. He did not make the greatest sacrifice for a single person--He made and orchestrated it for us all. We allow ourselves to reside in depravity because we do not want to be different. We all were born into sin, but thank God for the blood of Jesus! Thank God for the opportunity to save those around us, with the words of our testimonies! Thank God that by an act of His will for our lives, we are saved! Don't be afraid to be different, because your difference is what saves you from eternal damnation--the result of a depraved mind.
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:1-9
"And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper," Romans 1:28
How many of you can agree with this: every time you watch the news there is a report of a robbery or murder? You read the newspaper the next day about a big suicide bombing in a major middle eastern area, or about the high school-er carrying a gun into school to kill the people that picked on him, or even the next lustfully obsessed man that slays his former girlfriend in a bitter domestic dispute. You turn on the radio and they announce yet another depressing headline and then it dawns on you (prayerfully it does anyway) there is really something wrong in the world today. People are more violent, more evil, more fleshly led. It even causes Christians to ponder, is there really a God out there? Does He see what's going on? If He does, why isn't He doing anything about it??
When I was still in Atlanta, my pastor there gave reference to the passage in Romans 1 from where the scripture above came. Then my eyes opened. I then realized that due to man's own extreme disobedience and the progression of the world towards sin, God could not do anything. We were only saved when we opened our mouths and made the confession--it involved a physical act. Ask yourself, if someone is ignoring you, can you make them listen? Well I haven't been successful at that--unless you have mind control or some type of hypnotizing powers. In Lutheranism, they speak of a concept supported by scripture called "Total Depravity." Depravity is defined as moral corruption. Thus the "Total Depravity" concludes that as a result of the first sin, every person born thereafter into the world is born into the state of sinfulness and cannot choose to do good except by the grace of God.
But I think what makes this much sadder, is that we within the Body of Christ, who have been extended God's grace and mercy, who have been delivered from sin, do not share that Good News. We are too afraid of what others may think and say because of our "religious beliefs". We shy away from conversations that talk about God or that would require us to make an in-depth confession of our personal faiths. Here is the resounding factor: souls are at stake. Even our very own souls are at stake. God didn't come into our lives just to be there. He did not make the greatest sacrifice for a single person--He made and orchestrated it for us all. We allow ourselves to reside in depravity because we do not want to be different. We all were born into sin, but thank God for the blood of Jesus! Thank God for the opportunity to save those around us, with the words of our testimonies! Thank God that by an act of His will for our lives, we are saved! Don't be afraid to be different, because your difference is what saves you from eternal damnation--the result of a depraved mind.
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:1-9
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Daily Devotion
Give Me Directions
"It changes direction, turning around by His guidance, That it may do whatever He commands it On the face of the inhabited earth." Job 37:12
I am one of those people that prides myself on having a good sense of direction. That's right fellas! Not all women are directionally-challenged! I have a good sense of direction and I can usually explore my way back home even if I am lost. I can find my way back home after visiting some place only once and usually I can make it back there too. I even learn from examples!!! In school when I learned something new, I only had to see an example after being taught to know and grasp the concept.
If only that were the case with LIFE!!! I cannot tell you how many times I wished someone would have just told me of their experience in a particular situation and I could have learned from it rather than having to experience it for myself. And true enough those were the most painful lessons I had to learn. If only God could have pulled me to the side and said "Marquita, for this situation, here is what you need to do..." I would have simply been like "Okay God!! You know best and I do not want to be hurt or get in trouble..." But hey there is that thing called Free Will that He gave us...that forces us to make some decisions in life on our own, that allows us to make bad decisions but allows God to ensure that we can learn from it. Nowadays we have GPS systems that we can use to get us from a known point A to unknown point B and back. Ahem, ahem....the GPS for life is called the Bible and prayer and we must make sure that we have volume on the speaker turned up so that we can hear God as He speaks to us through them!!!
How many times do you enter a situation and come out on the other side thinking "Dang, I wish I would have listened to that" or "I wish I would have heeded that advice"? How many times do you pray about something, get an answer or lack thereof and move forward with no peace only to realize that you should have waited or avoided that situation? How many times do you ignore that gut feeling? I used to do that like clockwork. Taking a test I would always go with my second guess. Even in life, I have doubted myself on things only to end up angry with myself for not trusting my own instincts. We have an inner GPS that if we are a part of the Body of Christ, is always with us. We have to learn to listen to Him because He will not lead us wrong. Trust in that internal system, the Holy Spirit that is, that He is God's appointed representative to make sure you get where God is leading you. A car does not often make it from a road trip scratch or dent free--on the contrary, there are sure to be dents and dings that get picked up along the way. Trust that God will not allow harm to come to you--but there is no guarantee that you will not make it through unscathed. Trust God and trust the Spirit within you to get you to the right destination. On that note, good night people and be blessed!!
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;" John 14:16
"It changes direction, turning around by His guidance, That it may do whatever He commands it On the face of the inhabited earth." Job 37:12
I am one of those people that prides myself on having a good sense of direction. That's right fellas! Not all women are directionally-challenged! I have a good sense of direction and I can usually explore my way back home even if I am lost. I can find my way back home after visiting some place only once and usually I can make it back there too. I even learn from examples!!! In school when I learned something new, I only had to see an example after being taught to know and grasp the concept.
If only that were the case with LIFE!!! I cannot tell you how many times I wished someone would have just told me of their experience in a particular situation and I could have learned from it rather than having to experience it for myself. And true enough those were the most painful lessons I had to learn. If only God could have pulled me to the side and said "Marquita, for this situation, here is what you need to do..." I would have simply been like "Okay God!! You know best and I do not want to be hurt or get in trouble..." But hey there is that thing called Free Will that He gave us...that forces us to make some decisions in life on our own, that allows us to make bad decisions but allows God to ensure that we can learn from it. Nowadays we have GPS systems that we can use to get us from a known point A to unknown point B and back. Ahem, ahem....the GPS for life is called the Bible and prayer and we must make sure that we have volume on the speaker turned up so that we can hear God as He speaks to us through them!!!
How many times do you enter a situation and come out on the other side thinking "Dang, I wish I would have listened to that" or "I wish I would have heeded that advice"? How many times do you pray about something, get an answer or lack thereof and move forward with no peace only to realize that you should have waited or avoided that situation? How many times do you ignore that gut feeling? I used to do that like clockwork. Taking a test I would always go with my second guess. Even in life, I have doubted myself on things only to end up angry with myself for not trusting my own instincts. We have an inner GPS that if we are a part of the Body of Christ, is always with us. We have to learn to listen to Him because He will not lead us wrong. Trust in that internal system, the Holy Spirit that is, that He is God's appointed representative to make sure you get where God is leading you. A car does not often make it from a road trip scratch or dent free--on the contrary, there are sure to be dents and dings that get picked up along the way. Trust that God will not allow harm to come to you--but there is no guarantee that you will not make it through unscathed. Trust God and trust the Spirit within you to get you to the right destination. On that note, good night people and be blessed!!
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;" John 14:16
Daily Devotion
What Season are You Residing in?
"He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers." Psalm 1:3
This is actually one of the things I have on my prayer list, that God reveal to me what season I am in. It is important to know what season you are in because then you will know what you need to do. There are many kinds of seasons--seasons for weather, seasons for growing food, seasons for procreation. I'm going to focus primarily on seasons for growing food or simply seasons of harvest. There is the planting season--where you plant seeds. You dig the hole, drop the seed in, cover it with soil and fertilizer, and you water it. You repeat this process until you have seeded the entire field. Then next you need to water the seeds--the seed receives the nutrients it needs to grow and take root. It has to have sunlight too. So the seed is watered on a regular basis, followed by sunlight and even re-fertilized. This cycle continues until it is time to harvest. Your plant has to have those particular conditions in order to thrive. Sometimes plants are faced with difficult weather or neglect, which can potentially kill it. Yet all in all, when its time to harvest, you will see the fruits of your labor. During the harvest, the plant is dug up or picked and taken to be processed. It is in the season of harvest that all the work, the water, the sunlight, everything that is put into that seed is realized. The seed undergoes a transformation of breaking from its former shell to become something new during the growth season in which it is tended to. And the process repeats itself.
We all have seasons in our lives. Sometimes that growth phase is long and ugly, where we have to weather monsoons and hurricanes that come at us for no apparent reason. Sometimes we are in the planting phase, where we need to stock up on a much of God's word and promises as we can. We need to plant the word deep in our hearts so that we can reap its benefits whenever we are under attack. We must meditate on the Word so that we can produce harvests of spiritual, physical, mental and emotion, and financial prosperity. We must read the Word every single day so that we can keep that seed of faith alive during periods of dormancy. But like a perennial plant that keeps coming back, once we sow in God and His Word, it keeps on producing in our lives. We will continue to reap bountiful harvests as long as God resides in our hearts and we nourish what has taken root within us.
"You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours." Psalm 128:2
"He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers." Psalm 1:3
This is actually one of the things I have on my prayer list, that God reveal to me what season I am in. It is important to know what season you are in because then you will know what you need to do. There are many kinds of seasons--seasons for weather, seasons for growing food, seasons for procreation. I'm going to focus primarily on seasons for growing food or simply seasons of harvest. There is the planting season--where you plant seeds. You dig the hole, drop the seed in, cover it with soil and fertilizer, and you water it. You repeat this process until you have seeded the entire field. Then next you need to water the seeds--the seed receives the nutrients it needs to grow and take root. It has to have sunlight too. So the seed is watered on a regular basis, followed by sunlight and even re-fertilized. This cycle continues until it is time to harvest. Your plant has to have those particular conditions in order to thrive. Sometimes plants are faced with difficult weather or neglect, which can potentially kill it. Yet all in all, when its time to harvest, you will see the fruits of your labor. During the harvest, the plant is dug up or picked and taken to be processed. It is in the season of harvest that all the work, the water, the sunlight, everything that is put into that seed is realized. The seed undergoes a transformation of breaking from its former shell to become something new during the growth season in which it is tended to. And the process repeats itself.
We all have seasons in our lives. Sometimes that growth phase is long and ugly, where we have to weather monsoons and hurricanes that come at us for no apparent reason. Sometimes we are in the planting phase, where we need to stock up on a much of God's word and promises as we can. We need to plant the word deep in our hearts so that we can reap its benefits whenever we are under attack. We must meditate on the Word so that we can produce harvests of spiritual, physical, mental and emotion, and financial prosperity. We must read the Word every single day so that we can keep that seed of faith alive during periods of dormancy. But like a perennial plant that keeps coming back, once we sow in God and His Word, it keeps on producing in our lives. We will continue to reap bountiful harvests as long as God resides in our hearts and we nourish what has taken root within us.
"You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours." Psalm 128:2
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Daily Devotion #2
The Law of Undulation
"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1
Hey there!!! I suggest that you read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Rise and fall, sunrise and sunset, undulation is described as the movement in waves. A book I read called "The Screwtape Letters" in which a demon was instructing his nephew on how to torture the human he was responsible for, described this law as when we as humans have peaks in our faith where we feel that God is right there by our sides. We feel like we have a direct line of communication to Him and that everything is peaches and cream. Our valleys include where God seems distant from us, where we have sinned and turned away from His presence, and we feel lost and alone. The goals of the enemy during the valley experiences and the trough of the waves is to tempt us and lead us away from God. How he does this is by anticipating our reluctance to listen to God when we are suffering or being tested. We are more inclined to react to whatever our flesh wants in times of strife rather than yielding to whatever it is God is asking or expecting of us.
What I've learned is that God is always there, regardless of the situation. There will be highs and lows--that is life as our day to day experiences vary like the weather. Just like seasons change, so do we and how we deal with things in our life. Sometimes we think that we have experienced enough that we are able to endure on our own, and in actuality we ignore God and His presence in our lives. Sometimes we get caught up in the world and we sin--as is our natural inclination, and we separate ourselves from God. Sometimes God gives us a little space to see if we will be loyal and stay faithful that regardless of the test, He is always there for us and will lead us through the situation. Don't give up the faith or the focus because God is faithful. Sometimes you have to remove all of the distractions so that you can hear from Him in the midst of tribulation because every additional noise there is impacts your ability to hear God's voice to lead you through the difficult times. Sometimes it is okay to do a particular thing, but ask yourself, is it really helping you get through your test? Is it what God wants you to do, right now?
"For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man's trouble is heavy upon him." Ecclesiastes 8:6 NASB
"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1
Hey there!!! I suggest that you read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Rise and fall, sunrise and sunset, undulation is described as the movement in waves. A book I read called "The Screwtape Letters" in which a demon was instructing his nephew on how to torture the human he was responsible for, described this law as when we as humans have peaks in our faith where we feel that God is right there by our sides. We feel like we have a direct line of communication to Him and that everything is peaches and cream. Our valleys include where God seems distant from us, where we have sinned and turned away from His presence, and we feel lost and alone. The goals of the enemy during the valley experiences and the trough of the waves is to tempt us and lead us away from God. How he does this is by anticipating our reluctance to listen to God when we are suffering or being tested. We are more inclined to react to whatever our flesh wants in times of strife rather than yielding to whatever it is God is asking or expecting of us.
What I've learned is that God is always there, regardless of the situation. There will be highs and lows--that is life as our day to day experiences vary like the weather. Just like seasons change, so do we and how we deal with things in our life. Sometimes we think that we have experienced enough that we are able to endure on our own, and in actuality we ignore God and His presence in our lives. Sometimes we get caught up in the world and we sin--as is our natural inclination, and we separate ourselves from God. Sometimes God gives us a little space to see if we will be loyal and stay faithful that regardless of the test, He is always there for us and will lead us through the situation. Don't give up the faith or the focus because God is faithful. Sometimes you have to remove all of the distractions so that you can hear from Him in the midst of tribulation because every additional noise there is impacts your ability to hear God's voice to lead you through the difficult times. Sometimes it is okay to do a particular thing, but ask yourself, is it really helping you get through your test? Is it what God wants you to do, right now?
"For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man's trouble is heavy upon him." Ecclesiastes 8:6 NASB
Daily Devotion
Diarrhea of the Mouth
"Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut." Proverbs 10:19 NLT
When I was a little girl, I talked a lot and very fast (at least that's what I was told, not sure how true it is). I found it very hard to listen to other people intently and retain what they were saying at times. However surprisingly I was able to pay attention in class and get very good grades. I heard this "ailment" I had be referred to as diarrhea of the mouth. A person with diarrhea of the mouth just talks and talks and talks about any and everything. (Of course this did not fully apply to me because I talk, but not about everything.) I frequently told other people growing up that they talked too much.
Now as an adult, I realize that there are things that I told that I should not have told. You cannot tell people everything. You cannot tell all the bad in your life, nor can you tell all of the good and blessings you have received. Lets face it, there are two very true things in the world: misery loves company and there are some bitter and hateful people in the world. So if you tell a miserable person all of your bad, they will say any and everything to make you stay in your pity party. If you tell even the most happy person about your good, there is a chance a slight tinge of jealousy may strike them to say something negative about you. Even if you are just a motor mouth that likes to gossip--well that's the sin right there.
I had to learn to be quiet and that not everyone has my best interest at heart. Some of the people I have confided in have hurt me beyond belief and it has always been some variation of the truth. It caused me to learn about people and to simply keep my mouth shut. I've learned that you have to be mindful and inclined to follow your spirit of discernment as to who, what, and when you should share with people. I have since learned to actually focus and listen...or to pour my heart out to my journal and God.
"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." James 1:19
"Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut." Proverbs 10:19 NLT
When I was a little girl, I talked a lot and very fast (at least that's what I was told, not sure how true it is). I found it very hard to listen to other people intently and retain what they were saying at times. However surprisingly I was able to pay attention in class and get very good grades. I heard this "ailment" I had be referred to as diarrhea of the mouth. A person with diarrhea of the mouth just talks and talks and talks about any and everything. (Of course this did not fully apply to me because I talk, but not about everything.) I frequently told other people growing up that they talked too much.
Now as an adult, I realize that there are things that I told that I should not have told. You cannot tell people everything. You cannot tell all the bad in your life, nor can you tell all of the good and blessings you have received. Lets face it, there are two very true things in the world: misery loves company and there are some bitter and hateful people in the world. So if you tell a miserable person all of your bad, they will say any and everything to make you stay in your pity party. If you tell even the most happy person about your good, there is a chance a slight tinge of jealousy may strike them to say something negative about you. Even if you are just a motor mouth that likes to gossip--well that's the sin right there.
I had to learn to be quiet and that not everyone has my best interest at heart. Some of the people I have confided in have hurt me beyond belief and it has always been some variation of the truth. It caused me to learn about people and to simply keep my mouth shut. I've learned that you have to be mindful and inclined to follow your spirit of discernment as to who, what, and when you should share with people. I have since learned to actually focus and listen...or to pour my heart out to my journal and God.
"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." James 1:19
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Daily Devotion
Take It Off Repeat
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8
Hi everyone! Late night I know...I'm working on that. Anyway, I wanted to share this with you. I've actually had this title on reserve since about August haha. But for some reason I just couldn't find the words to write for this. For the last few weeks, it has been drilled into my mind that I need to change my thinking. I know, it seems like an easy task...but ask yourself, is it truly easy to change how you think? I mean, have you realized how difficult it is to get rid of a bad habit? Or how hard is it to redirect your thoughts after someone has ticked you off? Lets face it, it is not easy to think positive about something we have conditioned ourselves to think negatively about.
Negative thoughts, ideas, and hangups are things that usually have been embedded in our minds from childhood. Like insecurities about one's looks and appearance, comparing yourself to other people, believing that you will never amount to anything--these are all lies that the devil wants us to believe about ourselves. DO YOU UNDERSTAND--the devil HATES YOU and he does not want YOU HAPPY or JOYOUS. He wants you to play this tape of self-destruction over and over and over and over again! He wants to use every possible tactic he can to make you doubt who you are in Christ Jesus.
In the scripture above, Paul tells us to think on the truth. The truth is that God loves you so much that He is willing to do everything to save you. Paul says to think on things that are honorable, right, pure, and lovely. What is right is that we are the children of the Most High God. What is pure is His love--because God is love. Paul says to think on things that are admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. What is admirable and excellent and worthy of praise, every single thing God has done for you. He wakes you up, keeps you healthy, makes sure you are functioning in your right mind, that you can eat, walk, talk, and do whatever else it is during your day. Everything God has done for you is worthy of praise--from your job, your family, your relationships, to the small things. Take that track off repeat and think on the truth of God's word.
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." Romans 8:5
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Daily Devotion
Are You Willing?
"As he was going along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come, follow me! I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish." They immediately left their nets and followed him. As Jesus went on a little farther, he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat preparing their nets [to go fishing]. He immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee and the hired men in the boat and followed Jesus. Mark 1:16-20 GWT
As I'm learning now, it is not a matter of can God use us and our lives, but better yet, are WE willing to be used by God. I'm sure you can relate to this. When I was growing up it was not necessarily "cool" to be really smart or different from everyone else. Really smart people were ostracized or the target of rumors and bullies; the artistically inclined or people who wore what made them feel great not the current trend were the people that were ridiculed. Or to relate to the scriptures above, those that had calls on their lives, calls from God to stand out and away from things of the world, now they were really picked on. The apostle Paul prior to his conversion was one of those people that picked on the early Christians, and was responsible for their deaths. Ask yourself, are you really willing to yield to whatever God is asking of you and why not? Because there is no one to believe in you, no one to encourage you. Or is it because you think you're too young or some tradition says that its out of the norm?
In the scriptures above, it does not tell you why the disciples simply followed Jesus. But it tells you that they were willing because there is no sense of hesitation noted here. They willingly went with Christ. I'm sure it was not easy walking with the Lord because so many people wanted to kill him--anything that is different and rubs people the wrong way is the accelerant to a volatile situation. I find myself struggling daily with embracing the things God wants me to do, primarily because I do not want to stand out. But I know better than that! From the way that I dress to the way that I talk and think, I know I wasn't made to blend in. I know that I have to take on the character of the Disciples and willingly go wherever God leads me. Do you think you can reap the full benefits of God's plan for your life by simply ignoring Him, turning away from Him, or ignoring those things He put in you? I'm sure you don't want to have a Jonah experience--feeling that you are in the pits of hell because of your refusal to do God's will. It is much easier to give God His way.
"Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me" John 12:26 NLT
"As he was going along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come, follow me! I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish." They immediately left their nets and followed him. As Jesus went on a little farther, he saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat preparing their nets [to go fishing]. He immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee and the hired men in the boat and followed Jesus. Mark 1:16-20 GWT
As I'm learning now, it is not a matter of can God use us and our lives, but better yet, are WE willing to be used by God. I'm sure you can relate to this. When I was growing up it was not necessarily "cool" to be really smart or different from everyone else. Really smart people were ostracized or the target of rumors and bullies; the artistically inclined or people who wore what made them feel great not the current trend were the people that were ridiculed. Or to relate to the scriptures above, those that had calls on their lives, calls from God to stand out and away from things of the world, now they were really picked on. The apostle Paul prior to his conversion was one of those people that picked on the early Christians, and was responsible for their deaths. Ask yourself, are you really willing to yield to whatever God is asking of you and why not? Because there is no one to believe in you, no one to encourage you. Or is it because you think you're too young or some tradition says that its out of the norm?
In the scriptures above, it does not tell you why the disciples simply followed Jesus. But it tells you that they were willing because there is no sense of hesitation noted here. They willingly went with Christ. I'm sure it was not easy walking with the Lord because so many people wanted to kill him--anything that is different and rubs people the wrong way is the accelerant to a volatile situation. I find myself struggling daily with embracing the things God wants me to do, primarily because I do not want to stand out. But I know better than that! From the way that I dress to the way that I talk and think, I know I wasn't made to blend in. I know that I have to take on the character of the Disciples and willingly go wherever God leads me. Do you think you can reap the full benefits of God's plan for your life by simply ignoring Him, turning away from Him, or ignoring those things He put in you? I'm sure you don't want to have a Jonah experience--feeling that you are in the pits of hell because of your refusal to do God's will. It is much easier to give God His way.
"Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me" John 12:26 NLT
Monday, September 20, 2010
Daily Devotion
Revive Your Faith
This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." Romans 1:17
I apologize for the hiatus...as life goes on, many are the road blocks. In my case, much of my own problems were caused because of my own "busyness". I hope you all enjoy! Be blessed and I plan to bring you more soon!
Marquita
Revive means to restore life, to bring back from the dead. Because God through Jesus Christ is life to us, a "revival" is the restoration, the return, the bringing back to Christ. How is a person revived? By a confession of faith in Jesus Christ's sovereignty. Without faith, we cut ourselves off life support--we pull the plug on how God could have changed the situation. Without faith, you cannot know God, you cannot please God, and you cannot walk with God.
"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17
We must learn to trust in God's promises. You see, this was what I have been suffering from. My faith had been choked like the seeds among thorns (Luke 8:14) by every little obstacle I encountered. I somewhat cut myself off from God by not daily reading the Word. I would be drained by giving advice, wisdom and divine insight to everyone else, and I would not use the resource I needed to refuel. I would still spend time praising and worshipping God--communicating in a one-sided way to Him--which is not communicating! So all the while my faith is withering away, because I am not using all of my lifelines to God. Yep, I was in desperate need of revival. God laid it on my heart that much like I cultivate friendships with others by spending time with them and talking to them, I needed to spend time with Him and talk to Him--but more importantly allow Him to talk back to me.
We need to revive our praise, our worship, and our communication to God. All of these things are essential to developing our faith. But the most important thing I learned is that we cannot do only one or two of them and not the other. We must give them all to Him: all of the praise, all of our worship. We must communicate with Him else the lines of communication get warped and we turn away from Him. Go back to God because He wants it all. Let the love of God within you revive your faith in His works and restore you to life.
"But taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child, arise." And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat." Luke 8:54-55
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." Romans 1:17
I apologize for the hiatus...as life goes on, many are the road blocks. In my case, much of my own problems were caused because of my own "busyness". I hope you all enjoy! Be blessed and I plan to bring you more soon!
Marquita
Revive means to restore life, to bring back from the dead. Because God through Jesus Christ is life to us, a "revival" is the restoration, the return, the bringing back to Christ. How is a person revived? By a confession of faith in Jesus Christ's sovereignty. Without faith, we cut ourselves off life support--we pull the plug on how God could have changed the situation. Without faith, you cannot know God, you cannot please God, and you cannot walk with God.
"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17
We must learn to trust in God's promises. You see, this was what I have been suffering from. My faith had been choked like the seeds among thorns (Luke 8:14) by every little obstacle I encountered. I somewhat cut myself off from God by not daily reading the Word. I would be drained by giving advice, wisdom and divine insight to everyone else, and I would not use the resource I needed to refuel. I would still spend time praising and worshipping God--communicating in a one-sided way to Him--which is not communicating! So all the while my faith is withering away, because I am not using all of my lifelines to God. Yep, I was in desperate need of revival. God laid it on my heart that much like I cultivate friendships with others by spending time with them and talking to them, I needed to spend time with Him and talk to Him--but more importantly allow Him to talk back to me.
We need to revive our praise, our worship, and our communication to God. All of these things are essential to developing our faith. But the most important thing I learned is that we cannot do only one or two of them and not the other. We must give them all to Him: all of the praise, all of our worship. We must communicate with Him else the lines of communication get warped and we turn away from Him. Go back to God because He wants it all. Let the love of God within you revive your faith in His works and restore you to life.
"But taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child, arise." And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat." Luke 8:54-55
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
Friday, August 6, 2010
Daily Devotion
Bloodied But Unbowed
"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
God never ceases to amaze me. Tonight I had the favor to watch the most powerful testimony I've seen in a while. You see we all go through things--willingly and unwillingly. We experience things at our own hands and at the hands of others. Sometimes we inflict these troubles upon our selves or we appear to be the target of a random act of violence. Sometimes we faithfully endure these situations hoping and praying that God will miraculously deliver us from the oppression that we are experiencing while at other times we muster that last bit of courage and make whatever decisions God instructs to turn the situation around. But most times, we do not ever leave the battle unscathed.
Bloodied but unbowed...taken from a very inspirational poem; now taking an additional meaning because of the scriptures above. Everyone who followed Jesus' teachings during this time was persecuted. Having had the favor to see what they lived in while trying to spread the message, I am humbled and truly know what they mean.(I went to Turkey in 2006 and in Cappadocia are the Underground Caves that made the Underground City where the persecuted Christians lived.) Nowhere in the Bible does it say that life will be pain free; in fact, it often says the exact opposite. As Christians we will suffer. But we must not give up and surrender our power to the enemy. We must not succumb to the attacks he brings against us. Why? Because Jesus already defeated Satan. Our job at this point is to glorify God by keeping the faith. Keep on believing and being steadfast. Do not bow in defeat. We are not crushed! We are not driven to despair. We are not destroyed.
'"Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.' John 15:20
Here is the link from the video and I most definitely think you should look at it and give God all the glory.
http://www.tbn.org/watch/files/index.php?file=2010_8_3_300k.wmv&show=85
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Daily Devotion #2
Change the Channel
"They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2 Timothy 4:4
You've got to change the voice that you are listening to. Change the voice that is talking in your head. What kinds of things are you listening to? What people are you listening to? What are you feeding yourself? Are you poisoning yourself with words that go against the word of God?
When I go to sleep most nights, I play gospel music or the Bible as my lullaby. When I heard someone say to me for a 50+ time the importance of guarding my eye-gate and ear-gates, I realized that a lot of the music I listened to promoted things that did not speak to me the way I needed. I needed to hear praise and worship, I needed to hear the word constantly. Now I am sensitive to complaining, self-pity parties (well almost immune to my own), and anything that does not speak life into a situation.
Our minds are like computers. If you a write a program to solve some problem, that is what is will do. If you tell it to print xyz every minute, that is what it will do. Likewise, with your mind, if you program it with negativity, complacency, complaining, and self-hatred programming, that is exactly what will be produced in your mind and eventually your life...everything involving you. If you were raised to by a nagging, negative mother/father that only pointed out your faults, that is all that you will see. Honestly, I think that all of our problems are a result of some negatively programming. You have to be strong enough to recognize that within yourself. Stand up and recognize these things. You cannot expect to progress and produce anything positive if you are too weak to change it. Only you can decide once and for all to put an end to it and allow God the freedom to change the channel for you. Stop believing the lies before it starts coming out of you.
"Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'" Mark 7:14-15
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Daily Devotion
Adding To Your Testimony
'Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, "Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed."' Luke 5:14
Every situation and circumstance you face adds to your testimony. Testimonies are like resumes, detailing your experience, your skills, and your triumphs. They tell where you have been, what things you have overcome, what you are capable of dealing with. Like in Romans 8:28, "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God-those whom he has called according to his plan." (GWT)
Now so that you know, God does not cause bad upon us. John 10:10 says that "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." God will use that bad situation or that diagnosis to make it all work out for His good. You never know, He may put someone in your life that can use your insight or learn from how you overcame a situation.
I'm not gonna sit here and act like I want to go through bad things. Quite frankly, I can most definitely learn from the experiences of others. (And for clarification, your testimony does not simply highlight the bad, but every single blessing God has laid upon you....and if you try to count all of those I am sure you'd stop complaining.) I don't! And if I remember correctly, that was not God's intent for us. But where there is a will, there is a way...hence the fall of man. But God saw fit to save us and redeem us through Christ. He calls some of us to suffer or go through more difficult things than other people. Just know that it is for the benefit of another...not just you. Everything you go through adds to that testimony--and truthfully to your life! Can you imagine where you would be without some of those experiences? Can you be honest with yourself and identify the lessons you learned in the midst of the storm? Be like the leper in the scripture above and be a public testimony of the magnificence of God. To truly show Christ we have to endure in sufferings as He did.
"But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me, even from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles; straightway I conferred not with flesh and blood" Galatians 1:15-16
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
Daily Devotion
Looking Through Dirty Lenses
"Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness." Luke 11:34
I just spent that last few minutes looking at some pictures from the last few years...actually almost 4 years ago. My first instinct was to cry (which I did) and ask God why did He allow me to experience the pains associated with the face that stared back at me from the picture. Why did He allow the prednisone and other medicines to ravage my body and pull out the inner ugliness caused by the deterioration of my kidney function; I still barely understand why I had to experience that. Then it dawned on me that instead of focusing on the pain, hurt, frustration and anger that I remembered from that point in my life, I should instead thank God for deliverance from that place. At first I only saw the pain--the hatred I felt towards myself and how I looked, the pain I felt walking back and forth to class, the inability to truly look at myself in a mirror. Then I realized that God used it to make me stronger, the very same situation that the enemy intended for my defeat.
The scripture above tells us what its like to have bad eyes. Its the same when you look through dirty glasses or sunglasses. Everything you see will be distorted, cloudy, or warped. Like eyes inclined to darkness, dirty lenses warp our view of reality with whatever imperfections within the lens. My eyes during that time in my life were warped by the reality of my declining health, being in school, and the one thing I felt I had control of--myself--being turned against me. Rather than looking at the fact that I was alive in spite of the hurt and pain, the fact that God kept me alive for some reason beyond my own understanding, I cried daily at my own hatred of my outer appearance, the confused stares and questions, and the uncertainty things would ever be the same. My situation is much like those of us whose eyes have been conditioned to see the way of the world as correct and that it is impossible to live life in obedience to the Lord or in the way of the Word. Their eyes have been darkened and until they turn back to the Lord, they cannot see properly. Until God reminded me of my deliverance (because I don't even look anything like those pictures of me), I looked through dirty lenses or bad eyes. God had to take me from my physical self into the supernatural to see the blessings He has given me.
Are you looking through dirty lenses, lenses warped by pain, sin, and lies? Until you ask God to clean them and reveal the truth to you, you will always find fault with whatever you are looking at.
"Therefore, be careful that the light in you isn't darkness." Luke 11:35
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
"Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness." Luke 11:34
I just spent that last few minutes looking at some pictures from the last few years...actually almost 4 years ago. My first instinct was to cry (which I did) and ask God why did He allow me to experience the pains associated with the face that stared back at me from the picture. Why did He allow the prednisone and other medicines to ravage my body and pull out the inner ugliness caused by the deterioration of my kidney function; I still barely understand why I had to experience that. Then it dawned on me that instead of focusing on the pain, hurt, frustration and anger that I remembered from that point in my life, I should instead thank God for deliverance from that place. At first I only saw the pain--the hatred I felt towards myself and how I looked, the pain I felt walking back and forth to class, the inability to truly look at myself in a mirror. Then I realized that God used it to make me stronger, the very same situation that the enemy intended for my defeat.
The scripture above tells us what its like to have bad eyes. Its the same when you look through dirty glasses or sunglasses. Everything you see will be distorted, cloudy, or warped. Like eyes inclined to darkness, dirty lenses warp our view of reality with whatever imperfections within the lens. My eyes during that time in my life were warped by the reality of my declining health, being in school, and the one thing I felt I had control of--myself--being turned against me. Rather than looking at the fact that I was alive in spite of the hurt and pain, the fact that God kept me alive for some reason beyond my own understanding, I cried daily at my own hatred of my outer appearance, the confused stares and questions, and the uncertainty things would ever be the same. My situation is much like those of us whose eyes have been conditioned to see the way of the world as correct and that it is impossible to live life in obedience to the Lord or in the way of the Word. Their eyes have been darkened and until they turn back to the Lord, they cannot see properly. Until God reminded me of my deliverance (because I don't even look anything like those pictures of me), I looked through dirty lenses or bad eyes. God had to take me from my physical self into the supernatural to see the blessings He has given me.
Are you looking through dirty lenses, lenses warped by pain, sin, and lies? Until you ask God to clean them and reveal the truth to you, you will always find fault with whatever you are looking at.
"Therefore, be careful that the light in you isn't darkness." Luke 11:35
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Daily Devotion
Exceedingly and Abundantly
"Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, To him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" Ephesians 3;20
Sometimes we get in the midst of a situation and do not realize who our Creator is. We doubt, fear, get anxious, and assume a defeated stance. But that is not who God created us to be! That is not who God sacrificed His Son to save! He wants us to believe in Him and on Him in every situation or circumstance. I took some scriptures where the word exceedingly is used to share tonight.
1 Chronicles 29:25--"And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel." In the case of Solomon, he humbled himself before God and asked only for the wisdom to righteously lead the children of Israel as their king. God, in return, gave Solomon the wisdom and the riches because..why wouldn't He! Why would God not bless someone that sought wisdom--not worldly wisdom or traditional wisdom, but divine, God-ordained wisdom to make the right decisions.
Genesis 17:2, 6-- 2: "I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly." 6:"I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you." To Abraham, a childless but obedient man, God promised to make him the father of all nations. Abraham listened and obeyed God when He told Abraham to leave his native country and go to the land of Canaan. Of course God kept His word!
1 Timothy 1:14--"And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." The apostle Paul received grace--he himself was one of early Christianity's most prominent persecutors. People all across the middle east had heard of some of his acts of cruelty against Christians. But God saw fit to use him right? God extends that same grace to us in the same abundance.
God is always in the business of exceeding our expectations with abundance. He is waiting on us to call on Him and remind Him of His word. You see, God wants us to trust Him, depend on Him, wait on Him, and love Him because He loves us. He loved us so much that Christ died and is risen for us! We do not have to fight the battle alone--better yet at all because as the word says the battle is the Lord's! Expect that He will win it for you, that He will slay the dragons and beasts you face. Trust Him and His word!! They are not like man's words, empty promises--but no, they are proven fact. Have exceedingly abundant expectations of what God can do in your life.
"Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
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