Choosing Character over Reputation

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.~Romans 12:9-10

Have you ever been in a situation where you found your foot or perhaps witnessed another put their foot in their proverbial mouth?   Depending upon the context of the situation it can be humorous, but more than likely it can be uncomfortable for all parties involved.

What do you do when that happens?  What do you do when one’s reputation is overshadowing the possible well-intentioned motivation perhaps inappropriate timing?  You remember to lead with love and share grace.  Only God knows the heart and it is not what man says about a person  that counts, it what He, the creator of all humanity , knows about them.

I have been recently challenged by His Word and Spirit to take care of the bride.  The bride being all of my fellow believers; my brothers and sisters who have answered the call of Christ in their hearts.   We believe.  We believe in His death, burial and resurrection done out of love for you and me.

We “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” ( Romans 12:16).  Meaning, we don’t think it couldn’t happen to us or that it has never been us.   We seek peace and reconciliation. We seek Christ and His love in them.   

We remove the shadow of the reputation and choose the better thing.  We seek to remove the “shame” and ought by going to them directly.  His word says, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.” ( Matthew 18:15).

Therefore, we don’t judge the foot, but rather help each other, in love, the part we all play.  We pray rather than criticize.   We offer a better path in humility and sincere love; devoted to the growth and the beauty of the bride. 

Father, you know I don’t always do this, but it is my desire because it is your desire.  Lord, let me see in others what You see and honor them in love.  May I extend grace to myself and others, caring about character, Yours, rather than what men think.  In Jesus name.  Amen

Love yourself

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.~Psalm 139:13-14

I generally associate this verse with “girl power”. It’s a motivational boost to look in the mirror and like what I see, rolls, budges, zits and all because I am His child.   I am His creation and His work is flawless.  Transparency, I question my looks all the time. Especially, when a crown in my mouth comes out.   Lol.  But serious, God does marvelous work.   I know this and you need to know this too.

However, today something else in this scripture stood out to me.  “You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”  God didn’t just form my outer man or woman.  He created the me that makes me who I am.  The quirks of my personality.  He created my sensitive heart and compassionate nature.  He also created my fiery spirit and gave me the tools to use them for His glory.

So yes, I praise Him.  I praise Him when I feel beautiful on the outside, but more importantly because He has made me beautiful within by the creative work of His Word made flesh, Jesus.

Hug yourself today.  Give a shout of praise to God and know who you are in Him.

Lord, I thank You for speaking to my heart today and bringing joy to my inner man so that it may shine to the outer.  In Jesus name. Amen

Even in the valleys

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.~Psalm 23:4

I do not recall being afraid of the dark as a little girl, but I do I fondly remember my lamp with a little girl with praying hands at its base.  When we are young, at least for me, darkness was just a physical occurrence.  It was not overwhelming because you knew it could always be dispelled with a flick of a switch.  

However, as we grow and learn more, the darkness becomes shadows that can linger.  The light is there because, as many wise men and woman have shared, a shadow needs light.  Yet, sometimes understanding that the light is present does not make the journey through those dark valleys any less harrowing.

I am a child of God, the true and living King.  And I am in the shadows.  The shadows of depression, anxiety, and disease.  I actually prefer the physical darkness to try to hide away from the heaviness of the dark clouds, but His Word is true-It doesn’t matter where I go- HE IS WITH ME. ( Psalm 139:8)

Perhaps you are walking through a valley experience right now.  Maybe it’s due to the loss of a loved one, marriage woes, single woes, financial difficulties, or just plain disgust with the evils in this world.  If you are there, turn on your lamp, His Word!Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.~Psalm 119:105

Cry out to the our Great Intercessor, Jesus( Romans 8:34).  He is is there with open arms and and open heart.  Listen to the truth that He brings as He soothes your soul and eases your heartache ( Psalm 34:18). Know that you are walking through the valley.  He didn’t say that we would stay there, but walking through to another side.  A side where our table is prepared by Him.  A table where the enemy’s mouth will gape wide open as He sees the goodness of the Lord and His favor all over us.

It seems so hard to wait.  I know it’s hard.   Sometimes I just want to I’m done, but my Father has the final day and He tells me that His goodness and mercy shall follow me all my days and I will dwell in His house forever.  ( see Psalm 23)

So speak life over yourself:

“God, my God, is with me.  I am not alone.  He is my comfort.  The Lord is my protector.  God is good and He is good to me. And in the mighty name of Jesus I will not fear. No weapon formed against me shall prosper.   I will not worry and fret.  I am His and He loves me. “

Father, You are God in every situation and circumstance.   Help us to trust You in the valleys.  Lead us through the shadows and be mindful of your precious light.   I love you Lord.  In Jesus name. Amen 

https://youtu.be/zgvV_iQW4O0

Dealing with self-righteousness

Have mercy on me, O God,according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.~Psalm 51:1-2

Have you ever been filled with righteous indignation only to discover that you were actually full of self-righteousness?  Righteousness is being aligned to God’s will, putting aside one’s need for justification and realizing that He is the only One who is Righteous and it is through Christ alone that I am justified.  Self-righteousness is based on pride.  You get tunnel vision and the only thing you see is your pain. Your thinking gets misconstrued and you think it’s up to you to fix things, you hold up the mirror to everyone else but yourself.  Frustration begins to rule and good intentions will have you thinking that are you are doing the right thing, but you end up in a place of destruction ( Proverbs 14:12).

I wound up in this place recently.  I was so intent on doing His work; committed to fight the good fight and not let the trials I face prevent me from answering the call.  I was frustrated that others could not recognize my effort.  I could not see any one else’s struggles, just my own.  I had leaned to my own understanding and gotten lost.  

Things spiraled into anger and angst because I was listening to the wrong voice, self.  His voice is peace.  His voice is love.  His voice says be still.  His voice does not condemn ( Romans 8:1).  Self-righteousness will have you hearing the voice of the “accuser” and if you listen to it will set you on of course of struggling to prove yourself rather than resting in the grace of God.  It leads to self pity and despair rather than the hope that Christ brings.

Self-righteousness will have you speak too soon rather than really listening to the heart of God.  But all is not lost because of our faithful and loving God; His unfailing love says that I can go to Him and confess my sin.  I can ask Him to blot out my transgressions and wash me from my iniquity and my sin ( Psalm 51:1).  I can come to Him with confidence knowing that if I confess, He will forgive me.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness ( 1 John 1:9). 

I can also take another step in grace by humbling myself and going to my brothers and sisters who I have transgressed in my self proclaimed indignation and ask for forgiveness because of the truth. The truth being that His truth sets me free to do this without fear.  For in Christ I have liberty. The accuser is silenced.  Bitterness cannot take root.  Frustration can no longer choke love.  God wins as always!

Father, thank You for showing me the error of my ways.  Thank You for grace to ask for forgiveness and allowing me to receive your mercy.  You are so good Lord and I love.  I thank You for Your Son who covers me in His blood and washes me.  Forgive me for my pride and self-righteousness.  Keep me humble Lord and my heart aligned to Your Word and my ears attuned to only Your voice.  Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit in me that I might not sin against You or my fellow man. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me to do your will.  It is You who will get the glory Lord.  In Jesus name I do pray. Amen

A Revelation from the Lord

 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ~Revelations 3:11

In full transparency, even though a passage from the book of Revelation is read in my hearing every Sunday, it has not typically been one of the books that I study.  When I was younger in age and in faith, I feared it.  For me, the last book in the Bible symbolized finality, the end of things that I knew and held close.  However, as I have grown older and matured in my walk with the Lord, I have come to understand that Revelation is not just about the end, but the beginning.  

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”- Revelation 21:1-5

In Revelation, He reveals His majesty and power to us.  He shows us a glimpse of heaven and allows us to visualize what it will be like once the cares of this world have ended and a life of eternity with Him begins and His Kingdom reigning and ruling on earth as it in heaven (Mathew 6:10). 

It is a book of sacred communication of God to us, a message of hope.  He is treating us as friends and making things known us (John 15:15). He is speaking to us, correcting us and encouraging us to hold on.  Yet, in order to hear, we must have hearts that are opened to His Spirit.  There is a crown for us, one that He has given us, but we must hold on (Revelation 3:11) 

He tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”.   It is hard to hear a rebuke, it feels uncomfortable.  But we must remember that the rebuke is not rejection from God, but rather chastisement because He loves us.  He wants us to share in His holiness and so that we can produce and enjoy the fruits of righteousness and peace (Hebrews 12:5-11).  

The Lord has been calling me to the letters to the Churches in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3 and given me a word for the Church that I can’t let go of. It is a message for me and for those whom He has ordained to receive it. 

Lord, let it not be my words, but Yours alone.   Empty me and fill me with your Spirit for I am only a vessel an instrument to be used for your glory.  May it blessing and received in love.  In Jesus name. Amen

For many months I have been wrestling with God.  It’s been a difficult season, but in this period of trials and tribulations He has told me consistently three things.

1.     Remember your first love ( Revelation 2:4)

2.     Strengthen what remains ( Revelation 3:2)

3.     Hold on to what you have ( Relations 3:11) 

Remember your first love.  Think about that moment when the light bulb came on and you realized the love of God.  Think, for a moment, about the joy you had in knowing that you were His and He was yours. In the beginning you soaked Him up.  He was a center of your worship and not the things you did or deeds you performed.  Yes we are co-workers with God (1 Corinthians 3:9) by His grace.  God knows the works that we have done, but He desires our devotion not just busyness.  He wants our worship; to acknowledge that He is worthy of all the honor glory and praise. We must take it back to the beginning where it was Him on a Cross for You and me and empty tomb declaring victory from the sting of death (1 Corinthians 15:55). That’s love! 

Then we must wake up and strengthen what we remains.  We have been working for a long time, so long that it had becomes a routine. If we are not careful what we think is worship has turned into religion.  A check list of things to do. Read my Bible, check! Pray, check!  Go to church, check! Tithe, check!   Give to the needy, check! A lot of doing and a lot of checks, but are we living for God?  Are we really alive in Christ?  Have our hearts been moved?  Is there an urgency to continue to grow in the Lord or have we just become complacent? Are we walking around like this is all there is, as if we do some work once and we’re good?

God says different.  He says “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.”  That means there is more to be done and we cannot do it in our own strength.  We must have His Spirit!   That is where our power comes.  That is where we will effective in whatever ministry He has called us to.

Acts 1:8 -But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Finally, we must hold on to what we have.  This is very personal for me, all of it is.  But it is especially important to agree with and encourage all who are tired and weary with a word from the Lord.  He sees you!

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name! Revelation 3:8

It feels so good to know that God sees me.  To know that my labor is not in vain.  He sees us, pressing our way through with the strength that we have.  Sometimes you don’t think you have any at all, but His word tells us that He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the week ( Isaiah 40:29).  

You are faithful and He is true so keep holding on to the author and finisher of your faith. Don’t let anyone take the crown that has given to you.  God has opened the door for you and no man can shut it. No disease, nor sickness, circumstance, situation can shut.  No one weapon formed against you shall prosper in the name of Jesus.  You will walk in victory.  You will be dressed in white and your name written by the One who holds the pen.  

Let this revelation sink in.  Remember the love of God.  Keep Jesus at the center and lifted high in your life.  Keep moving in the Lord from glory to glory.  Don’t become complacent, there is a work to be done.  And don’t give up.  You are loved and known.  Hold on to what you have and do not let anyone take your crown.  In Jesus name. Amen

His light shines even in the dark

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.~2 Corinthians 4:6

Sometimes it feels like I am surrounded by darkness.  As if, by design, someone is trying to draw me deep into a cave of despair.  Truth, it is by design, the design of the enemy.  Make no mistake, the enemy is seeks to kill and destroy (John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8) but Jesus came that we might have life.  And not just any life, but an abundant life ( John 10:10). Therefore, when I see the truth of God, when I hear Him declare that the light shine out of the darkness ( 2 Corinthians 4:6), my hope is renewed and my faith strengthened.  It is renewed because His light causes the stars of truth to shine bright in the dark places.  I am able to see His good works and glorify Him.

I am encouraged because the depression and diseases are being used to shatter this jar of clay so that His power may be revealed.  ( 2 Corinthians 4:7).  It is His power that conquers the enemy.  His power that illuminates that dispels the darkness so that I can see His face.  His power that draws me out of the isolation of the cave of self-pity and despair.  His power that causes me to see the tactics of the enemy, to get up and put on His Armor.

It is His power that keeps me from being crushed when I pressed on every side ( 2 Corinthians 4:8).

It is the power of His love that does not consume me and offers me brand new mercies each and every morning. Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.~Lamentations 3:22-23

His love causes me not to lose heart even when I want to just say I am done.  His light in me spurs me forward and keeps my hand at the plow.  His light shines in the darkness moves my my heart to look beyond these momentary afflictions. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.(2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Father, I thank You for your open arms of love and grace.  I thank You for meeting me where I am.  I thank You for the victory over every sickness and disease.  I thank You Father for not abandoning me as I walk through this shadow of life.  Thank You for being that constant light and for your light that shines through the body of Christ; all the many women and men who pray for me. Those who comfort me as You have comforted them.  I thank You for your precious Son Jesus and the Spirit that lives within.  Write your truth on my heart.  May I meditate on it so that flame shines bright in the darkest of times. And Father I pray for others who battle with depression and disease.  By your stripes we are healed.  In Jesus name. Amen

In the dark seasons

Hello.  It’s been a while.  I would love to say that I have overcome the battles with depression and disease, but my struggles still exists.  I am fully aware of the warfare that enemy is engaged in.  I am under attack.  The enemy is frightened by my potential and purpose in the Kingdom.  I know this, yet, this season remains.  I still have a sone steps to take on this journey.  Some demons that need to be defeated.  I stand here today declaring the truth. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed ( John 8:36).

I know what my emotions say, but I choose to stand on what God says especially now when it is so hard.  Before I began writing this blog today and I posted a declaration about faith on Facebook.  What my flesh wanted to do is point a light to my pain, but my Spirit led me to use my pain to aim the light where it should be, Christ!  His goodness,  His grace.  His mercy!

How I get through these days when the darkness is so thick is beyond me, but never beyond Him.  Thank You Lord for GRIT.  God Reaching In and Taking Over.  God bring my strength.  God capturing my tears.  God covering me under His loving wings.  I am learning a lot about faith through these trials and tribulations.  I learning what perseverance really means and how to walk or crawl if I have to.  One thing is sure.. I refuse to let go of His hand.  So, in reality no matter what it looks like I have already overcome through the power of Jesus.

Faith, trusting that the sun will come out again and until then you hold on tight to the Light that shines in the darkness.  Sometimes that means moving those boulders that try to keep you deep in a cave of pity and despair.  Faith is continuing to look for the cracks and crevices where His grace shines through. Faith is trusting what you cannot see when every emotion is screaming at you to do otherwise.  Faith is a gift from God.