PRESS FORWARD, PUSH THROUGH & PERSEVERE BEYOND

“A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak.”

- Mark 5:24b-27 NIV

When life opposes faith sometimes the intensity of the adversity can erode the inspiration of hope for the greater, better and new. Even the bible teaches in the book of Proverbs that hope deferred makes the heart sick. Jesus is described in Matthew’s gospel in the Garden of Gethsemane, while under great duress and distress anticipating the tremendous burden of suffering for the sins of humanity, as being overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. An extended period of elapsed time abiding in the company of misfortune and grief will cause even the mightiest among us to question, ‘How long?’

The calamities of life that oppose my vision of where I desire to be and aspire to go can distract me and cause me to forget about my desired destination. Adversity has a way of diminishing my ambition for a future hope and belief in God for something greater, better and new. How grateful I am to God for the way He manifests Himself, reveals and makes Himself known to me that keeps me moving despite what I face that tries to turn me back from the direction of my destiny and away from God.

The life of the woman illustrated in Mark’s gospel is a constant reminder to me of what I need to do to step into the destiny of what God has promised me according to His word involving His future hope and plans for me. We are introduced to the woman in Mark 5 in the midst of her dilemma being sick for extended period of time and no matter what she did to get better, things progressively got worse. She could have easily resigned to the belief that her lot in life was to remain sick, depleted and without hope for something greater, better and new, but she didn’t. Hearing about Jesus aroused her and stirred her on a journey towards the fulfillment she always sought after and desired but appeared always out of her grasp.

The crowd that pressed around Jesus became another obstacle in her journey towards recovery, but she did not let it dissuade, dyer, or distract her from her ambition and goal. She pressed through the crowd, pushed through the obstacles standing between her belief and the manifestation of God’s promise and persevered despite any real or perceived challenges that got in the way of encountering the miraculous! She is but one of many who can testify to us about the principles of determination, initiative, persistence and the type of fortitude it would take to step into one’s destiny. The greater question is, “Does my life tell others about these principles too?”

May God bless you and help you to keep in step with His Spirit to step into the fullness of what Christ came for us to have.

 

 

YOUR FUTURE’S NOT WORTH LETTING GO

“No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

- Romans 8:37 NIV

Since the beginning of 2013 I have been blessed to receive inspiration from God, through His word and by His Spirit, that has become wind beneath my wings and the food that gives me life! Inspiration that has lead to the current mantra I strive to live by, ‘No matter what, believe.’ Whether it has been through the form of conversations with others, tv commercials, cable tv shows, devotional writings, gospel music, sermons, His written word, or the urging I feel from His Spirit that lives within me, they all point to the same thought that my future hope in Him is not worth letting go!

Operating from the personal theme of Excel in 2012 and Beyond, since the beginning of 2012, I rejoice in seeing how God has looked with favor upon me, opened doors for me and made a way for me. The better place I aspired to reach so many years ago God has been faithful to bring me to! Believing God for a better quality of life and learning how to experience His victory through the principles of surrender (humility) will consistently position me to encounter the fullness of life Christ came for me to have as I learn to trust God and believe Him to fulfill what He promises and perform what He speaks in His word!

God has shown me that His exceeding greatness will override my frailty, flaws and failures and He will use His grace to extend me beyond my limitations and exceed them to experience something greater, better and new! The greatest comeback story ever told: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ! It is God’s desire to retell the story of Christ’s resurrection through the life He provides us to inspire others to know the power of Christ’s resurrection! Let the redemptive regenerative work of His Spirit work in and through you so others will be a witness to God’s plan of redemption through your life and seek it for themselves.

May God bless you and help you to display the posture of humility and faithfulness so you may be in position to experience His grace to encounter the fullness of life Christ came for us to have.

FAITH SAYS, ‘GOD CAN DO IT!’

“But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

- John 11:22 NIV

It’s one thing to believe that God is able. It’s another thing altogether to believe God is able after time has passed, He has yet to respond and things have gotten worse! This is the predicament Martha and Mary found themselves in and countless others have encountered in their personal faith walk with God that challenges all of us who believe in Jesus Christ to remain faithful, hopeful and prayerful despite the reality of the current condition of our circumstances. Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus that their brother, whom they acknowledged that Jesus loved, was sick and they wanted Him to come and respond to their request (prayer) for help.

How difficult it is to hear, understand and believe that the One who loves me would allow time to pass and permit my circumstances to worsen without responding to my plea for help and assistance. When life opposes faith, it becomes even more difficult to endure and persevere when I have to wrestle with my thoughts and feelings about God’s love and His concern for me. I believe this is exactly what happened to Mary when Jesus arrived on the scene after delaying His response to her request to come and see about her, her sister and their brother. Mary knew Lazarus was someone Jesus loved. Surely, Jesus would respond. I am certain Martha and Mary heard the testimony about the Roman centurion who acknowledged that Jesus did not even need to come to his home, but just speak healing and because of His authority and power, Jesus would make his servant whole and well. Yet, after 3 days, Lazarus died and Jesus never came to see about him in response to Mary and Martha’s request. When Jesus did arrive, 4 days later, Mary didn’t come to meet Jesus as Martha did initially.

When she did go out to meet Jesus, after Jesus called for her, you can hear and feel the disappointment, discouragement, grief and pain in Mary’s words when she spoke to Jesus. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” – John 11:32b NIV The bible describes this scene by adding that Mary fell at Jesus’ feet. I interpret that as Mary being overcome with grief over Lazarus’ death and the great feeling of disappointment that Jesus did not respond when she called for Him to come. The irony of this dialogue between Mary and Jesus is that Martha started her conversation with Jesus the same way, but she added what she believed in spite of the condition of the reality of her current plight! “‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’” – 11:21-22 NIV Faith challenges us to believe God is able in every and all circumstances to bring life from death and make things better and new!

May God bless you and help you to believe beyond how you feel despite the reality of your current plight so you may experience the fullness of life Christ came for us to have.

WHEN LIFE OPPOSES FAITH

“Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’”

- John 11:40 NIV

 

How many times have the circumstances of life tried to convince you that you should just give up hope and quit believing in God, trusting Him to work everything together for good? How many times have you been tempted to or questioned whether God really cares, is He concerned, is His word really true, will He answer my prayers? In that same time frame, how often has your soul refused to believe anything other than what God promises in His word irregardless of what the circumstances of life may say? Despite the harsh condemning proclamations of misfortune, grief and injustice, how often did you hear the still, small voice of God whisper to you to keep believing?

In John 11, we encounter such a scenario in a conversation with Martha and Jesus. We are told in the 11th chapter of John that Martha and her sister Mary had sent a messenger (prayer) to Jesus to inform Him that their brother Lazarus was sick. “So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’” – John 11:3 NIV Jesus delayed in responding to their request (when God is silent) and Lazarus died. 4 days later Jesus comes to Martha and Mary. What transpired in Martha’s conversation with Jesus regarding Lazarus’ death reinforces to us the value of remaining hopeful, faithful to trust God, even when life opposes faith. When Martha heard Jesus had arrived, she went to Jesus and a dynamic conversation ensued. How I feel in my circumstances isn’t the issue as much as what I believe despite how I feel. Although Lazarus died and Jesus did not respond to her request for His intervention at the time she needed Him to, Martha still believed Jesus could do something about her circumstances! “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” – John 11:22 NIV Martha refused to believe that the condition of her current circumstances were beyond God’s ability to affect change!

I wonder what Jesus’ thought was when He heard Martha declare what she believed about Him and the power of faith. When life opposes faith, the believer in Christ is challenged to declare what they believe despite how they may feel because of the condition of their current circumstances. No matter how many times I read this passage in the 11th chapter of John it inspires me and resonates within me, because it speaks to the heart of how I should be as a follower of Christ in the face of life’s opposition. Even now, God is looking to see who is willing to acknowledge Him as the One who can affect change, even when it appears your situation is beyond working out! God raises the dead, makes all things new and calls those things that are not as they ought to be!

May God bless you and help you to grow in faith to stand firm against life’s opposition so you may experience the fullness of life Christ came for us to have.

BELIEVE ANYHOW

“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.”

- Job 42:2 NIV

Since the beginning of 2013 I have encountered this verse in a variety ways. Whether it was through the process of my private devotion time, through the devotional Our Daily Bread, or through a sermon, Job 42:2 has been a consistent source of encouragement and inspiration as 2012 transitioned into 2013. When I initially read it, what resonated within me was the reminder that what God has proclaimed in His word and whispered to me in my heart about what His plans are for me will not be deterred from becoming a reality!

When I take a moment to consider the source from which this passage was declared, I am reminded that Job was staring misfortune, injustice and grief in the face having lost all he possessed and was currently riddled with sores from head to toe. Somehow, despite the reality of his circumstances demanding of him to give up hope and give up on believing in God for something better; somewhere within him, deep within his soul, Job had the audacity to express his belief in God to do something on his behalf!

God has a plan of restoration, healing, renewal and deliverance for those who still hold out believing in His promise to do what He proclaims in His word. God’s plans are to make things new, better, whole and well! Despite what the reality of my circumstances may say, what the current condition of the challenges I face may declare, I must believe anyhow! Faith begins when things look bleak, when times are difficult and I am in the deepest darkness of my midnight hour! I was also reminded in the time I reflected on this verse from the book of Job that Job had no idea God had determined to give him double for all that he had endured and persevered through! God wants to reward those who are willing to remain confident in Him and continue to do His will!

May God bless you and help you to continue to do His will and remain confident He will keep His promise so you may experience the fullness of life Christ came for us to have.

EMBRACE GOD’S PROMISES

“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’”

- Genesis 12:1-3 NIV

At the beginning of the 2012 calendar year, I listened to a sermon preached on TBN with the title Excel in 2012. It resonated with me and I encouraged my sister and mother to embrace it as the new theme for our ongoing bible study (5 years running). Our theme became Excel in 2012 and Beyond! As the 2012 year comes to a close, I rejoice in knowing God has exceeded our expectations and extended us beyond ourselves to experience change in real, relevant ways that confirm for us God’s person, presence and power at work in us and through us for His glory! Though it was not always easy, the journey has been well worth the encounter!

Before Abram could experience the fulfillment of the promise God spoke to him in Genesis 12, Abram had to embrace and accept the commandment for change God required. Abram had to be willing to leave a place of familiarity and comfort in order to experience the fullness of blessing God had in store for him. Faith requires change and a transition from something old into something new. Change requires a transition, or paradigm shift, from the way things were to the way things God intends in order to encounter fulfillment, success and prosperity.

God wants to make us new and experience a new life that includes an intimate personal relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ. Careful inspection of the promise God speaks to Abram reveals that what God intends to do for us is not intended to be solely beneficial exclusively to the recipient of the promise, but also to everyone who comes into contact with the recipient. The world becomes a better place for the one who embraces and accepts what God requires in association with the promise of being a follower of Christ.

May God bless you and help you to embrace and accept His promises so you may experience the fullness of life Christ came for us to have.

THE POWER FOR CHANGE

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”

- 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 NIV

The power for change begins when I am willing to embrace enacting the principles required in association with the promise. For Abraham, it began by being willing to follow God’s word by leaving his family and place of comfort for a better place God had planned for him, but Abraham did not know where he was going. In the same way, change in our circumstances begins when we are willing to operate within the divine plan of God to do what He requires in order to experience the fulfillment of His promises.

God promised Solomon that His eyes and ears would be open and attentive to the prayers offered by His people and His heart would always be with them in the book of 2 Chronicles, but God proclaimed a requirement by which His people’s prayers would be answered. God promises to always listen, but if our desire is for Him to respond to our prayers, to experience the power for change in our circumstances, we must apply the principles associated with the promise.

Healing, restoration, revival, and change begins with emulating the posture of a sincere seeker. The posture of a sincere seeker is fueled by their faith in the One who promises power for change for the one who comes believing He can and will act on their behalf. Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah and Lott’s life was spared. God may not act in the way or time we desire, but it does not mean that God is not listening and will not act. Through faith in Christ, we are God’s temple, and God promised that the temple He chose and consecrated for His name to be there forever, His eyes and heart will always be there too! (see 2 Chronicles 7:16) Continue to believe and pray to experience God’s power for change!

May God help you and bless you to continue to believe and pray to experience His promises and encounter His power for change and the fullness of life Christ came for us to have.