Subject to Authority

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.~Romans 13:6-7

So when I received this scripture in my inbox this morning I was not exactly shouting “Amen” and Hallelujah”.  Rather my thoughts immediately jumped to our current leaders and I thought seriously.  I read the Word through a lens of judgement by way of pride and God quickly corrected it.

Just because someone else is not following through with instructions of God does not mean that I don’t have too.  God told me to submit to those in authority over me( Romans 13:1).  They are in a position of authority because He has allowed them to be there.  My job is not based my willingness to obey based on what they do or don’t do.  The “what about them” rationale is not going to satisfy what God has instructed me to do. 

Therefore, I must give to everyone what I owe them because God demands it.  I can not usurp my thinking or opinions for His word.  I don’t get to pick and choose what commands I will follow.  I must surrender all to God.

Applying this in practical terms means that I don’t argue my my boss or supervisor.  I don’t disparage their name behind their backs.  I am not critical of ministry leaders in my church.  I don’t choose politics over the truth of God’s word.  I pray for those who govern and trust that He is working it all out for my good.

Father I thank You for your Word that governs every aspect of my life.  Forgive me for wanting to cherrypick the parts that I think are good.  Keep me humbled and surrendered to your will.  In Jesus name. Amen

When Your Spirit is Crushed

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.~Psalm 34:18

It would be absolutely fantastic if every day was full of sunshine and roses because on those days you feel like you can conquer the world.  Your emotions are in check and nothing is bumping your happy. 

Unfortunately, this view of life is a misconception that many have.  We assume because we are connected with Jesus that everything will just fall into place.  However, the reality is that in life we experience the rain and clouds along with the sunshine.  

Some days will be more challenging than others.  You may feel like nothing is going right.  It might be hard to understand or accept why this “dreaded” thing had to happen to you or to someone you love.  There are days when your heart takes a beating and your spirit is crushed.

Today was a spirit crushing kind of day for me.  I felt misunderstood, dismissed, and lost.  Sometimes it seems like the Lord is testing me on the very things that I am in the midst of studying.  So as I reflect on my day, I seek the lesson that God is trying to teach me and I reach for the comfort that only He can bring.

Today He taught me that my labor is not in vain and that who I am is not based on what others think I am.  My heart might be bruised, but He truly is close to me. He whispers His love and guides my steps.  He is teaching me how to stand in the midst of adversity so that I am able to withstand the larger battles that are coming.  He is preparing me for my next phase of life.  Most importantly He is teaching me to remain in His love.

Father I don’t always like the rain, but I thank You for the growth that it brings.  I cast my cares and concerns onto You Lord and ask that You give me the will to endure.  In Jesus name. Amen

Shake the Dust Off Your feet

If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.~Mathew 10:14

In Mathew 10 Jesus sends the disciples out to proclaim the message that the Kingdom of Heaven was near.  They were to drive out demons, raise the dead , cleanse lepers, and heal the sick.  What they had freely received they were to give ( Mathew 10:7-8).  Jesus knew that everybody would not receive them or want to hear the truth, but He sent them anyway.  They were to handle rejection by shaking the dust off of their feet.

I imagine the rejection and even possible taunting has to sting, but they had a mission to proclaim the good news.  It wasn’t their task to make others believe, but rather to present the opportunity of knowing Christ to others.  

Christ has also sent us out.  We are to proclaim the good news of redemption and restoration through the life, death and resurrection through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Some will not want to hear it.  They will try to silence you or minimize your relationship with Christ to mere religion, but it’s okay.  They are not rejecting you, they are rejecting Christ.

I am so happy in the Lord. He is a good and loving God.  Faithful and true and I know this for myself.  Jesus turned my life around.  I know He is the answer and I want everyone to know Him like I do, especially my loved ones. However, things don’t always turn out like I want them too.  Sometimes rejection is inevitable.  I felt that rejection recently and it took a lot not to recoil from the pain of it all.

It is difficult to watch and hear others deny the truth of who God is.  It’s breaks my heart to witness the rejection and denial of the only One who can save and heal the broken places.   I desperately want them to know and receive the love of the Father.  They want no part of it.  They don’t want to hear me talk about God. So what do I do? 

I stand firm on my faith, continue to love them, and turn it all over to God.  I shake the dust off my feet.  I don’t yield to the temptation to let my emotions dictate my response or diminish my faith.  I love harder, but I refuse to leave God out my conversation.  I can’t separate myself from Him, not even for those I love.   I watch and I pray  that their eyes will be opened to the truth.  I take up my cross and continue to follow Him and go where He sends me.  I ask Him for help and walk in peace.

Father,  please soften the hearts and minds of those who are lost.  May they come to You before it is too late.  Lord, please pierce their hearts so that they will come to realize just how much You care for them. Give me the wisdom needed to minister to the unsaved and a heart of love.  Save them Lord and keep  me close to You. In Jesus name. Amen

Confidence in God

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.

Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?~Deuteronomy 23:19

We can trust that God is going to do what He says He will do! He will fulfill every single promise  that He has made to us.  Just knowing my this truth settles my soul because it reminds me to trust Him.  I can believe with confidence that whatever He has spoken or declared over my life will come to pass because He is not a man.  God is above all and can do all.  He is not bound by human frailty.  What He speaks is already in existence.  He doesn’t have to strive to make it happen, He just speaks a word.

So if I know these things to be true I must begin to operate in that truth.  I have to take the head knowledge of who God is and transfer it to my heart; walking in faith.  I must move and act with the assurance that whatever God has planned for me will happen.  I must trust that whatever He has called me to do, whatever mission He has set before me will happen because He has said so.  He has spoken it.  Therefore my job is to trust Him and to abide in Him.  

I must give up control.  Just because He called me doesn’t mean I call the shots.  I have to learn to wait on His commands.  You called me to do “this” Lord, how do you want me to do it?  I ask the question and then I must wait on His answer.  I must trust that He will act on my behalf for His purpose.

Father you know your daughter.  I twist myself in knots over little things.  I struggle with trying to do everything right instead of just trusting that what You have declared over my life will be done.  I want to see how, but God just help me to trust You.  Help me to wait on your instructions.  Let your word shine a light in the path that You want me to take.  Thank You for being God.  Thank You for being all that I need.  In Jesus name. Amen

Tossing Out Guilt

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.~ Psalm 138:8

I am a very analytical person by nature and sometimes I am my own worst enemy.  I beat myself up over not doing the "right thing" all of the time.  I set unrealistic expectations and allow my thinking to be thwarted and misconstrued.  I begin to condemn myself rather than repent and simply receive God's love and grace.  Maybe you can relate?

There is nothing wrong with seeking righteousness, but I must guard my heart against self-righteousness.  I must rebuke the thinking that I have to be perfect.  Yes, God tells me to be holy;to live a life that is set apart, but for His glory and for my good.  He is not expecting me to be perfect, but to long for His righteousness.  

He wants me to trust Him with all that is me, the good and the needs improvement pieces.  He wants me to trust Him to perfect that which concerns me.  He just wants me to continue to yield to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to transform me.  Guilt is not what He desires for me because He is merciful and kind.  Guilt is a trick of the enemy.

I am the work of His hands and He will never leave me nor forsake.  The enemy wants me spinning my wheels, beating myself up, operating in false humility, and trapped by pride. He wants me to feel defeated.  He wants me stop moving forward in Christ and to give up. 

But I am a conqueror in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37)and MY Father just wants to hold me and say that it is okay. " Slow down.  You don't need to leap, just take life one step at a time.  I will get you where I need you to be.  Relax.  Breather.  Trust me."  ( Psalm 46:10)


Father I thank You for your word that reminds me to be encouraged and to trust You.  Thank you for allowing me to cast my cares and concerns upon your shoulders.  Let me not seek to live a life or "perfection", but rather one of excellence that seeks to please only You.  May I take one day at a time and rest in the knowledge that You will guide me on my journey and take me where I should go.  Let me not fret, but trust.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Breakthrough not out!

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.~ James 1:2-4

I recently had a conversation with a old friend.  We were catching up and they shared with me some of the struggles they were having.  They expressed how they felt stuck, almost trapped by the situation.  They could see their dreams, yet when they reached out to grab hold on to it, it always felt like it moved further away.  

I recognized this dilemma.  My friend is not alone.  There are so many who are weary from the struggles of life.  So many who feel confined by their circumstances and just want to be free.  I wanted to help my friend, give them a word to chew on, but it couldn’t come from me.  So we prayed before I spoke and God provided this message.  Maybe it will help you too.

You can’t get your breakthrough by trying to breakout.  Struggling within our strength and trying to lose the chains through our thinking only ties us into more knots.  The handcuffs get tighter.  But when you do what Peter and Silas did in prison and begin to pray and praise the doors of the prison will be opened and the shackles will fall away (Acts 16:25-26).  

Sometimes you have to through something to get where you need to be. But if we spend up our energy focusing how to escape it all, with being angry about why we are there,  or even bitter towards who who put us there( even if it is ourselves) we will miss what God has for us in that moment.  The truth of the matter is when we walk with Jesus we walk in liberty ( 2 Corinthians  3:17).  

I don’t like struggles, trials, pain or suffering but I can’t escape them. However I get through them with faith in Jesus Christ.

Father bless your people.  May those who are afar off draw near to You.  May those in bondage be released and walk in the freedom of You.  Give us courage and your strength to be patient in trusting You.  In Jesus name. Amen

Noun or Verb

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, ~ 2 Peter 1:10

According to the dictionary, a noun is a word than identifies a person, place, thing or idea.  Whereas, a verb is a word that is used to describe an action or state. This morning as I was reflecting on some reading, the Spirit convicted me because I have been treating my calling as a noun, rather than a verb.

Yes, I am an unabashed sold out sister for Jesus.  I will tell everyone and anyone I know about His goodness and great love for me and them.  I love to share His word with others. I am a Christian and grateful to be a follower of Christ, but when it comes to the specific calling He has now placed on my life I have viewed it as a noun, a label to identify myself.   I have allowed myself to be distracted by the joy of just being called and have forgotten to start putting forth the ACTION that is required to make my election or calling sure ( 2 Peter 1:10). 

Isn't God good!  I was about to trip over a crack in the pavement, but He steadied my foot and made my ankles firm.  I am not being condemned, but God is shining a light on some of the darker spaces in my path. He wants me to see things clearly so that I can go where He is sending me.  There goes that verb again. Go! In order to get to my next destination I must move. This journey, this race, is not like formal education where you take all the class required and then graduate.  In God's school, learning never stops.  My brain and heart have so much more of Him to absorb.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8)

While it is important to know who I am and who I identify myself with, I can not settle for just the title. The noun is not enough. I must make the effort. I have more stairs to climb. While, I wish I could simply levitate to the next level in Christ or blink my eyes and arrive at the next place,  I have to face the truth of my humanity. I must realize that in order for me to be effective and productive in the knowledge that He has given me I must continually put my faith in action.  I must persevere and continue to grow in Christ.   I crop of the spiritual fruit is not enough to sustain me for a lifetime.  I gotta keep sowing and laboring in the season He has me in now (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Father, I hear what You are saying to me.  Forgive me for being for arrogance and pride.  I don't want the title Lord, but I do desire to do your work.  Show me the next steps.  Help to live in obedience to You and your calling.  May I make my election sure.  Help me to put away the distractions and just dive into the work.  show me how.  Prick me Jesus.  Please order my steps Lord.  May I be a woman of action and keep Your charge.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen