Faithful to Finish

For I am confident of this very thing, 

that He who began a good work in you 

will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 

(Philippians 1:6 NASB)

There are times in our lives when we become discouraged. There are days when we look up and around and begin to lose sight of whatever God has said for our lives. There are seasons when the promise of God seems so illusive--where the reality of our circumstance and situation makes seeing the possibilities of God's will difficult. We are weighed down by life and responsibility. We are distracted by the twists and turns of day-to-day living and begin to forget that God is a God who can make it all straight.

I am in such a season. If you're anything like me, you begin to think you must have dreamed it all. I have pouted and thrown tantrums with God. I had even made a decision the other day that perhaps I should simply start trying to convince myself not to believe. In the interest of being content or satisfied, perhaps I should simply decide that I'm not meant to be or do any more than what I'm currently being and doing. I began to think that if I lower my expectations of what God said was to happen, the process would somehow hurt or fatigue me less when/if things didn't move as I would hope. I'm a person who shouts "YOU MUST HAVE FAITH!" from the highest mountain tops, but was facing a crisis of my own--thinking that it was enough to have faith in how powerful I believe God to BE without fully investing my heart in the faith for what He said He would DO!

I went back and forth in my mind the last few days about weather to embrace this shift in mindset. BUT GOD (gotta love when He puts his "but" in things), the lover of my soul, wrapped His arms around me in the form of an emailed video from a friend today. My friend had done me the favor of digitizing the video from my initial sermon. (I have only watched this sermon once and that was some time after at the taunting of friends.) But TODAY, I needed to be reminded and God was faithful to send me that reminder. I remembered that being content and satisfied were not one in the same. As I listened God reminded me that wanting what He has for me has nothing to do with not being content. If He doesn't do another thing for me, I will be content. But I refuse to live satisfied with less than what was His original intent when He fashioned me in my mother's womb. The Bible tells me to press towards the mark (Phil 3:14) and not just float our way there. There is action and intention in walking out the promises of God and we cannot lose sight of the destination while we are panting through the course!

Just has He did for me, it is His intention for you to understand that He IS a Promise Keeper! You were starting to feel like you must have dreamed what God said or like He has forgotten, but He sent me today to remind you in love that He's not a man that He should lie! He sees you and knows your path! HIS WORD IS BOND!!! He's a FINISHER and will begin what He started in you. Beyond your tears and the realities of your circumstance lies your PROMISE. Today, be encouraged to keep your eye on the prize and keep pressing. He's well worth it!

Blessings,
MinD

P.S. I've posted this in my personal blog as well and have uploaded a clip from my initial sermon on YouTube (http://youtu.be/2E6hVj0Hotc). If you have 7 minutes, please take a look and stand in agreement with me for the promises that God is bringing to pass and be encouraged to share that encouragement with those you think may need a bit of a boost today.

Firm, Unshaken & Holding On

"For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." Hebrews 3:14 (NLT)

Fall is my favorite season. Nature's autumn colors serve as a constant reminder of how God is The Master Artist, and it always brings me such peace. In the midst of a life that is full of craziness, you can always count on a blue sky and a leaf turning ten shades of green, yellow, red and orange (not grey) and settling your mind if only for a moment. Today, I experienced that very peace as I drove through the mountains. My mind began to wander as I remembered a particular tree that I saw a few years ago around this time of the year. Most of the leaves had fallen from a tree and there was just one little leaf who was holding on for dear life in a position that was abnormal to a leaf. I walked away and came back to it still in position. It was like the leaf had sheer determination and refused to be parted from the very thing that had given it life for so long. Even when the stem was disconnected, the leaf was tenaciously hang on just a little longer. And, as I watched that leaf, I was reminded of the kind of fortitude that God expects from us. From the start of our season to the very end, God wants us to hang on for dear life. 

Hebrews 3:14 says that we have to be "faithful to the end". The Amplified translation says that we are to have "assured expectation firm and unshaken to the end". As life turns topsy turvy, as you even begin to feel like you may be disconnected from The Source (God), you need to remember this leaf, make some adjustments to your grip and don't let go. The God who so eloquently made millions of shades of greens, yellows, reds and oranges in ONE leaf, did so much more in us when He perfected us. And the Bible assures us that He will complete the work He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6). If we hold on, we will get to partake with Christ in His inheritance and that's a prize worth waiting on.

Be encouraged to stand firm, remain unshaken and simply hold on for dear life. He's got you!

Blessings,
MinD

Born This Way!

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

Psalm 139:13 

There’s a popular song sung by Lady Gaga that says “I’m beautiful in my way; ‘Cause God makes no mistakes; I’m on the right track, baby; I was born this way.” It’s a multi-million dollar selling song that has encouraged many folks both young and old around the world. They call it an anthem for the anti-bullying movement and is often discussed in the context of tolerance. As I sat one morning and watched the rain fall, I actually started humming it as sort of my own personal anthem while I was trying to be encouraged in a place of gloom. I don't know all the words but just that part seemed to stick. And then I was listening to someone preach that day. Their topic was something different but the preacher said something to the effect of "he was born to do what he was doing."

Instantly, I was encouraged. You see...though things may not go our way at all times...though we may find ourselves battling to keep our heads above water, one thing you can know for sure...you and I were born for GREATNESS! Your greatness may not look like mine or like Obama's or Gaga's or Oprah's or cousin Bookie or Uncle Buster. It's yours. God made you with a plan in mind and He's just the kind of God that see's everything through that He started. The Apostle Paul tells us that we can be "confident" in the fact that "that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6). Despite how it looks today, God didn't make a mistake. You can trust in Him because it is HE that "upheld you from birth" (Psalm 71:6) and will continue to hold you until your destiny is fulfilled. It also means that you were born triumphant. Don't let Gaga (a secular singer) be the only one who knows that God didn't make mistakes. Before you came on the scene, Jesus took care of it all for you and me. You were born in victory! You were born to have a peaceful spirit. You were born to persevere. You were born to give Him glory!

So be encouraged today, hum a tune and walk as though your soul knows well: You were born this way!

Blessings,
MinD