DAY 19: Again I Say...Don't Worry...

As I got ready for church this morning, I was reminded of our dress code that urges for women to wear closed-toed shoes when in formal and/or church settings. As I dressed,I felt this little tug of something as if to say "don't wear them today". When I arrived at the site of the church, I was amazed as they shuffled me up the stairs to a half-built building where seats were reserved at the front and a puddle lined the front of this open air room.

The normal church building was under at least a foot of rain water--flooded after two days of rain in here in Madagascar. The people had relocated with high praises going on from the second floor of the building just in front of it that they are currently building for a new sanctuary. The word God gave me for them in that moment is the word I pass along to you right now...DON'T WORRY. Worry is a useless emotion/behavior. In fact, I appreciate a quote I read that said that "worry is a misuse of imagination".

But we have a God on our side whose imagination is supreme. He is the ultimate Creator and he doesn't miss a beat. The Lord that we serve is detail-oriented. He has every detail of our lives in his sight. That means from the top of our heads to the soles of our feet, he is interested in all that we do...so much so that what I now know was the Holy Spirit would nudge me to do something as simple as not wear a certain type of shoes.

As I read the words of Matthew 6 to this congregation, I was amazed that God would say these words to people who, from the outside looking in, seemed to have plenty to worry about. The church and the house that shares its courtyard it was knee-deep in water like so many homes in the city. There are people around the world still mourning the loss of the Malaysian airline one year ago. There are people in Sierra Leone and Guinea sick and dying with Ebola. There are nations and people around the world at war. Yet, in the midst of it all--come hell or high waters...literally--God says "don't worry". If he tells those in the midst of spaces like this not to worry, then how much more would he expect those of us with concerns of what shoes to wear or what job to take or what people to befriend to walk boldly in TRUST and faith. This is not to devalue what you're going through as much as to encourage you that you can trust in this powerful God who would do as little as make sure my shoes were right for the times I was preaching in. Just like the scripture says, "how much more would he do you, oh you of little faith?"

Selah.

Blessings,
Pastor Andrea

Build To Order

"So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it:...And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him...But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded."

Genesis 6:14-15a, 7:5, 8:1

The other day, I was assisting with the process of organizing chairs in a conference room. The conference room was average size and the chairs enough to sit approximately 350-400 people. As the process began, one of the ladies in charge began to explain to me their way of doing this. It would not be enough to simply "eyeball" the chairs and line the backs up in lines. The precision that the process demanded literally boggled my mind. She explained that we had to have at least 3 people to make the process work--two to hold ropes at either end of the room and the third to arrange the actual chairs in line. I stood there with my brow a bit furrowed as she and the others explained the process, on the edge of protest to say that it didn't have to be this complicated. Until the Lord began to deal with me. 

As He pierced my spirit, I tempered my tongue and simply fixed my face and followed instructions. While I couldn't truly grasp what the point was for the complicated process, I knew that it was an order that had been handed down from the leader of the organization. This was the way it was to be done. And as we completed our task and stood back, it became increasingly clear that the level of excellence that they demanded was well worth it. It was almost breathtaking to seek the whole room in such a state of order. While I would have been satisfied with approximations of lines, they were striving for consistency, excellence and obedience. I thought of all the times in the Bible where we read instances where God spoke and people obeyed--Solomon with the temple, Nehemiah with the wall...but Noah was at the top of my mind. When God said "this is how you do it", Noah did not respond "well why?" Instead, he moved forward in obedience down to the very cubit. And God remembered him in the end and "the waters receded."

Do you ever wonder what if things in the Bible had gone another way? What if Noah had not been as righteous? What if he had questioned God? Or what if he had proceeded but changed the measurements of the wood or only brought one horse instead of two? How many times do we have the opportunity to submit our will to that of others and/or God and we either do it reluctantly with questions of "why" along the way or we simply don't do it? How many times has God unctioned our spirits to proceed in one direction and we have turned to the other? How many times have we had supervisors who have given us instruction that we have grudgingly walked out when we could have simply submitted our spirits to authority with a smile? If you're anything like me, I'm sure you can point to a number of opportunities that you missed. So I'm here today to encourage you not to miss your next chance. Something or someone will come your way in in the coming week (or just came at you recently) and I want to challenge you to proceed in pure, uncontested obedience. Perhaps you are waiting for the waters (things that are overwhelming you) to recede but haven't built the boat to order. Imagine the "floods" of life that God will keep you from and bring you through if you simply obey. Selah...pause and think on this.

Blessings,
PastorA

Why So Surprised? HE IS GOD!

I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

Psalm 89:1

When I left home yesterday morning, I have to admit to being a bit blue. The previous couple of days (more than that if I'm being honest) had been particularly "heavy". There was no major event to explain why that was the case but it was more about the season I have been in weighing on my shoulders and simply trying to maintain my faith. Like so many other days before, I had had a bit of a melt down the previous day about my transportation situation--crying out to God that I was still waiting for the promise of a car that He had given me and that my fortitude in the wait was wearing thin. And so as I began my trek that morning to the bus stop, a small speck of white on the sidewalk caught my eye.

As I looked down, there was a small bead with the letter A inscribed on it. This random little speck made me stop, back track and take a picture. There was something about it that made me feel like God was whispering directly to me that morning that I was on His mind and that He hadn't forgotten me. Feeling the way I had recently, I could use every piece of encouragement I could get from God so I snapped the picture and kept on moving--this time with a little less weightiness dragging me down. As I made my way up the road, I was still a bit down but just that much more encouraged that God hadn't forgotten me. I took one bus then stood waiting on my connecting bus feeling worn out and the day had not even really begun.

The ringing of my phone would next change the trajectory of the entire day as a friend called to tell me that she and her husband wanted to bless me with their "old" (yet new to me) mini-SUV! I thought I was hearing things. Tears began to overwhelm me as she explained how I had been on her heart to do this for me the last three months and basically how God made a way for it to be possible. Her husband had blessed her with a new, bigger truck for Mother's Day and was in agreement that they should give the old one to me instead of using it as a downpayment on the new one. My prayers had availed and God's promise had been manifested just that quickly. When I shared the news with one of my friends last night, she almost made me feel stupid saying 'duh...you SAID He was gonna do it!' and I told her that my awe was not in the belief but because I was overwhelmed by His faithfulness.

As I awoke this morning, God reminded me of the scripture in II Kings 4 where the prophet told the Shunamite woman after her being barren for so long that "this time next year" she would hold a son. True to that prophetic word, by the time he returned the next year, she had had her son. Last year the weekend of Mother's Day, my old car died and God told me to get rid of it. He also told me that he would replace it (though I did not know when). So this time last year, God was telling me to trust Him and this time this year He is reminding me that that trust is never misplaced. As "crazy" as prophesy sounds at times, He was very specific in putting a small SUV in my heart and said that something I did in ministry would be result in someone blessing me. When my friend gave me the news yesterday, she expressed those same thoughts.

When we move in obedience and do what He tells us, He remains faithful to take care of us. Period. Though our obedience should never be about earthly rewards, we have to keep in mind that God uses us in life plants seeds and unlock our own blessings. And it's not about what we are going to "get" as much as it about the potential for lives to be impacted for God's glory. In the end, I'm going to nickname this car "Faith" as a constant reminder to me of how God is faithful. The car is a "little" thing in God's sight. The promises He has given me are much bigger than my transportation, but God in his infinite grace and mercy saw fit to throw me a bone and lift some weights yesterday and simply remind me that He is God. I couldn't leave my house this morning without "singing of the LORD's great love" (as it says in the Psalm above) and encouraging you in this season. We can believe Him. There's no need to be surprised when He makes good on His promises both big and small.

Be encouraged that you are on God's mind and He has not forgotten you.

Blessings,
Pastor A

P.S. Some of you remember that I even wrote about my car before. You can see that entry at http://lhmdevotional.blogspot.com/2012/06/when-is-enough-enough.html.

Hail to the Victors (Day 5 - Freedom Week)

For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”...Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

2 Chronicles 20:12b, 15b

 

I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for the overtime game of the NCAA game to end. My team had been the underdog. They'd been down for the count and simply not as much on their game as their competitor. With virtually no time left on the clock, they tied the game and the competitor missed a shot--sending the game into overtime. My team came out fighting and never gave up. It seemed as if the call for OT was almost a refreshing for them and a defeating call for the competition. They stepped up their game. The five minutes of overtime where equally as tense as with 23 seconds left on the clock and no time outs left, the officials stopped the game for a time clock adjustment. But alas, my team pulled it out in the end.

The team couldn't hear me and I was alone in the room, but I along with so many others celebrated with bursts of school/alumni pride, singing along with the marching band as it played "Hail to the victors valiant. Hail to the conquering heros...Hail! Hail to Michigan..." And as the excitement subsided about the game, my excitement about that song began to bubble over. You see, these days, I've been feeling a lot like the underdog in the game. There have been some points where I feel as though the enemy has simply out-played me--moments where I could practically hear the commentators of my life shaking their heads and asserting what move they felt that I should have made.

But, at the end of the day, Good Friday...my relationship with Christ...my walk of faith all remind me that the victory is already mine. The victory is already yours! I am reminded that there was a "trick play" made thousands of years ago on my (and your) behalf on the cross at Calvary. A play that takes our game into overtime where we are renewed and look like whole new competitors. When Jesus died on the cross, he brought a refreshing to the game that is destined for VICTORY. So even when you feel like everything is against you, when you feel like you've been down on your game, when you feel like the commentators of your life have doomed you with their tongues, the Bible reminds us that "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment (God) shall condemn." (Isaiah 54:17) You simply cannot give up and need to step up your game. The enemy would have you believe that the game is his, but inevitably, he always misses a shot and underestimates the renewing power of Christ in our lives.

Plain and simple: The competition has already been won. He has delivered the competitor into our hands. And for as many people who are "commenting" against you, there are others silently watching on, ready and waiting to burst out and celebrate with you when the True Victor is revealed--when God's Greatness shines through. Because of this, we can shout now. Because of this, you can strike up the band and play your own victor song. "Hail to the victors valiant. Hail! Hail to <<Insert Your Name>>..." You may be in overtime, but not to worry: It's already done. It's already won.

Be encouraged,
MinD

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

Day 10: Waiting For Whirlwinds To Stop

I don't know about you, but this season of my life has passed me by like a whirlwind...one thing happens after the other. So many parts of my world have felt like they're in the air, whizzing by my face with no hope of slowing down. I feel as though I haven't been allowed the moment to even catch my breath despite all of the air around me. In some ways, the control I'd like to assert on my life has been taken out of my hands and my trust in God tested to the hilt. I'm like so many of you who wear many hats (and more than one at any given moment); and the weight of the hats seems tremendous as we juggle all of the other parts of life. It can be overwhelming, to say the least. But even while the wind is whipping, the Lord has sent a reminder of what His protection looks like. His Word says:

"When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation."

Proverbs 10:25

Can you imagine that the Lord has us in a supernatural bubble. Though we can feel all the wind, it doesn't have the power to truly take us out. Though it feels like it may destroy us at any moment, God assures us that our foundation will be in tact once all of the winds still. And so all that's left to say at that point is...Praise God for his peace that persists in the mean time. May it guard your heart and mind while you stand with diligence and righteousness through the whirlwinds of your life.

Be encouraged,
MinD

Day 2: The Treasure Within

As a minister/teacher, I often get the question "how do you hear from God?" The answer to that question may vary depending on who you ask, but I can tell you that I always answer that there are two main keys to hearing from God: 1) searching His Word and 2) recognizing the peace within. It's not rocket science. We make it far more complicated than it has to be. Yes, there are times when the audible voice of God comes to us. There are times when He speaks through other people even. But those two (Word and Peace) are the cornerstone.

Reading Proverbs 2 provides just that reminder that those two things are the center of our connection to God. It begins with the words, "My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you," (vs. 1) it is then that your understanding will be sealed and God's wisdom prevail in your heart. We often think it's bigger than that. So we go from preacher to preacher and church to church in search of "what thus said the Lord" when the voice we should be seeking and listening to the most is right there in our hearts. You have a treasure within you that you simply need to trust. Stop the running! The search is over! When you accepted Christ into your life, you got the greatest prophet in the world by way of the Holy Spirit who is there to constantly guide you. If you get quiet (Psalm 46:10 says "be still and know that I am God") and slow down for a moment today, I promise you will find that the answers are right there before you. It's up to you to receive what He's saying and treasure that gift.

Be encouraged,
MinD

You Must Show Up!

You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

2 Chronicles 20:17

The other day I was following what has now become somewhat of a routine on public transportation and transferring from the train to the bus that would take me to my final destination. As I exited the train station to the awaiting bus, a woman sat on the bench and asked if I had money for her fare. Not thinking I did, I gave my apologies and entered the bus where I was joined by two other women.

Fishing in her bag, one woman summoned the waiting woman to the window and handed her a portion of what she would need to make her fare. Not to be outdone, both myself and the other lady on the bus began straining to the bottomless pits of our bags hoping to find random spare change that we didn't previously know we had. Between the three of us the woman's fare was covered plus a little. And as the woman walked away from the bus to purchase her ticket, one of the ladies said something poignant, "She just had to show up, dressed and ready for work and her way would be made."

I could've shouted Hallelujah! right there on the bus! For I knew instantly that the situation was simply a reminder of how God works with us. Blessings come your way often and by various methods. There are times when it is instantaneous. And then there are times when you have to do your part. Sometimes that part is a large starring role and at other times, God just wants you to come ready and simply show up ready to work. I was reminded that this is how He did in Bible days, reminding His people, that their job was simply to position themselves, stand still, and watch Him work!

You may feel like you are in a holding pattern. You may be wondering which direction your next victory is coming from. You may not fully understand how the financial, relational, spiritual, emotional blessing you are needing will be delivered to your doorstep. But God wants to remind you that it's not your job to understand (Remember Proverbs 3:5-6?), it is simply your job to show up ready to work...in position, with the fortitude to stand, and the vision to watch God get all the glory through your deliverance.

Trust Him. It's coming.

Be encouraged,
MinD

Cliffs of Refuge

"The high hills are for the wild goats; 
The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers." 
Psalm 104:18 NKJV

Taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk

When you think of hanging from a cliff, what imagery comes to mind? Somehow or another, for me cliffs never really bring calming thoughts unless I imagine being behind carefully crafted guard rails and walls. So as I did my devotional one morning, it struck me odd that a cliff would be a place of refuge. For many, cliffs would typically be connected with feelings of fear and anxiety, excitement and danger. The image of being on an unrestrained cliff is not of peace and serenity. So it seemed odd as I was reading that God would highlight that this particular animal, the rock badger, chooses cliffs as a place of refuge.

The question lingered in my mind as I read on in the verse. You see, I had started my morning in prayer and seeking salve for my wounded heart. I awoke to the feeling I fell asleep with--discouragement--and was turning to my Word for solace. In a matter of words, I was feeling as though I were hanging on the perpetual cliff of life--not understanding fully how to hold on and how to get to a place of safety/security.
 
So it seems only fitting that the Holy Spirit would point me towards this odd verse. In the midst of all the words I read that morning, the Holy Spirit began to shower me with peace as I meditated on this verse. This space of doubt and discouragement that clouded my spirit was the perfect time to be reminded that God is in control especially when I feel most out of control. Even when I feel like I'm dangling from a cliff, I have the option to reach up and find refuge. In situations like these, we need to tap into our "inner badger" and instead of trying to flee from it, we can burrow deeper in the knowledge that we remain safe in His arms.

I don't know about you, but I've decided to be like a badger today and find refuge in my cliff!

Be encouraged,
MinD

STILL STANDING...Good Enough...

I haven’t been writing, because I feel this obligation to have some redeeming quality about what I write. It can’t be all doom and gloom. It has to, in some way, encourage someone else out there. But, to be quite honest, I haven’t been feeling encouraged. I was finding hope in the Scriptures that I was reading, but every time I have thought to write, the words have been blocked by the enemy’s whispers in my head that the victory I was writing about, I wasn’t experiencing; or the authority I was speaking of seemed elusive to me; or the confidence and esteem I pronounced didn’t match how down I was feeling about myself.

So as another week began to slip away without having written, I was doing my morning devotional and read the words: “For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, That I may walk before God in the light of the living?” (Psalm 56.13) I shook my head at the fact that I’d allowed the enemy to silence me for the last month or so. All I could do was praise God for the mere fact that I’M STILL STANDING! No, things aren’t rosy and the spiritual battle I’m in is the battle of my life, but I’M STILL STANDING! No, I’m not sure how this month will be taken care of, but I’M STILL STANDING! Yes, my heart is still healing after the bashing it’s taken over the last two years, but I’M STILL STANDING!

A new year…a new opportunity to praise Him…and I’M STILL STANDING…And THAT is good enough!

Be encouraged.

Blessings,

MinD