Day 3: Today's A Good Day

There's an old saying that says, "Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today." We usually think of this in terms of the "stuff" of life that we have to accomplish that often falls prey to our procrastination. But today, in Proverbs 3, we are reminded that that old saying goes much further than folding clothes or paying a bill. In the midst of explaining the benefits of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, Solomon throws in this interesting set of verses that take the focus off of what wisdom can do for us and place it elsewhere...

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,  

When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
Do not say to your neighbor, 'Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,'When you have it with you."  (vs. 27, 28)

Today's prayer for you is that you will remember to do good for someone else today--that you will stop and pray for that person when they make the request or you will stop and ask (and really listen) to how someone's day is going. It doesn't take very much to serve another person and glorify God. We like to say "Service Is Simple" and today is as good a day as any to intentionally make someone's day. Today, take the challenge to look beyond your situation and circumstance and throw some good in someone's direction; and watch as the power of goodness makes all the difference in that person's world. 

Be encouraged to make a difference!
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

Day 1: Not Making Sense

I think that I would like to say that I'm becoming wise and seeking understanding. Time has a way of doing that to just about anyone who is willing to listen and learn from their life. You will, prayerfully, learn wisdom with each experience and gain understanding about life as a result. But the truth of the matter is that we don't always make sense. In fact, where God is leading compared to our circumstance can even be laughable at times.

But it's important to remember that the mere function of faith is that it doesn't make sense. Hebrews tells us that faith is about what you can't see and not what is clear. The pit we often fall into as Christians is wanting to live in spaces of clarity when faith has called us to see with some degree of blurred vision--we are called to live in the midst of a riddle. You may hear from God what He's going to do in the future but the how, what, when, where and who of the equation are often evasive--creating a filter that simply blurs that ultimate vision. What's more, trying to make sense out of our callings and our dreams to other people can be an even greater challenge and can leave them mocking us with disbelief.

"A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of 

understanding will attain wise counsel, To understand a proverb and an enigma, 

The words of the wise and their riddles."

Proverbs 1:5-6

As I read Proverbs 1, verse 6 jumped out as it said "the words of the wise and their riddles". The fact that there are things in life that God calls "riddles" reminds me that what I'm doing and where I'm going doesn't always have to make sense to others. What may look crazy and seem ludicrous to those watching me live out this life is merely a riddle of the wise. And so I wanted to encourage you today to live life in line with what God is saying to you and not what makes sense to the human mind. With godly and wise counsel, walk with courage today knowing that the things of the Spirit often confound (I like that word) those who are disconnected from our vision and from the Spirit of the Lord. When people say that your faith is not making sense, simply laugh with the knowledge that to them  it's a riddle while to God it's reality.

Keep living & Be encouraged,
MinD

Summer's Over!

With summer ending...so has our "prayer point" hiatus of the past 2 months, and the Lord is starting us off with a BANG! As the final quarter of the month is fast approaching, the Lord has called me to a journey in wisdom through the month of September. Join me daily as I walk through the Proverbs--sharing a piece of whatever wisdom God evokes for that day. It's bound to be an interesting month of revelation and refocusing as we enter make every effort to finish 2012 strong. I'm looking forward to it and I hope that you are too.

Blessings,
MinD

It's For Your Own Good

There are days when we look at our lives and wonder how it is that we are going through so much. We compare ourselves to others -- though we know we aren't supposed to -- and wonder how "they" are getting or experiencing what we hope and pray for while we struggle to get by. We question why God has allowed us to be moved or tossed around -- losing houses, cars, jobs, relationships, children, and more -- while those we perceive to not even be thinking about Jesus have the security and stability we desire. It's an easy trap to fall into. And the Lord has an answer that stretches even beyond the one verse many of us know (Romans 8:28... 'all things work together for our good'). God sent me today to add another bullet into your arsenal of favor. The Lord uses the metaphor of ripe and rotten figs to encourage his people in Jeremiah 24:5.

“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.

Things may not look like they are working out. They may seem to have taken a turn for the worse. You may even find that you feel like you've been ripped out of your comfort zone and out of your place of praise (I.e. Judah), but God wants you, His "good fig" to be encouraged that it's "for your own good". He's giving you an even greater heart for Him in the midst of your transition. He's reconciling your heart to His in an even greater way. This is an invitation to love from your Savior. If you allow yourself to relinquish control, you'll find yourself falling deeper and deeper in love with Him.

Nothing is greater than that. 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

When Is Enough, Enough?

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place." 

2 Corinthians 2:14

 
I recently have had a transition in my life. Like so many other unexpected blessings, I was a bit thrown off when my car broke down. She has taken me through some times and gotten me where I needed to go. I've spent alone time in her, quietly decompressing from the wiles of the world. She came at a time that blessed me so very much. I had named her "Promise" (every good car has to have a name, of course)--stating that she was a symbol and a placeholder for the promise of better and more luxurious cars to come. During a time of gas crisis, she has been one of those cars that hasn't taxed my pocket book. At 325,000 miles, she has seen better days but has been hangin' tough. What can I say? I love my car.

So the unexpected blessing the other week when she slowly came to a stop while I was driving definitely landed me in tears. At first, I had a difficult time seeing it as a blessing. When you are stranded on the side of the road trying to figure life out and overwhelmed by emotions, the "bright side" is often difficult to see. But after getting her home and resting on the issue for some time, I found the Lord using this time to minister to me in such a specific way.

As people would inquire, "what's wrong with it?" or "when are you going to get it fixed?", my reply of "I don't know...I'm praying about if I will" would visibly register shock for them. What do you mean, you don't know? Aren't you anxious to get this car repaired? During the first hour after she broke down, that answer would have been "yes!". But The Lord asked me two simple questions that have changed my whole outlook on this situation: "Why? Have you considered this may be Me?" Those simple questions spurred others in my mind and heart. At a time when finances are tight and every penny counts, where even a "sale" or a "hookup" on repairs would mean pulling from somewhere else essential to life, how could I justify to God using the resources He does send to revive something that has had a good run in my life?

You see, there are times when God lets things die in our lives in order to bring us closer to where He ultimately wants us to be. I am beginning to realize that the sidelining of "Promise" is only to make room for "Destiny". My car is merely a tool (one of many) that God uses to accomplish His will for my life. There is someone who is reading this who is desperately trying to revive something dead in your life. You've been trying to "make it work" while God has been asking you "Why?" and to consider that it may just be Him. Be it a broken car or home or relationship or job or...well the possibilities are endless, God sent me to remind you that even in the midst of this trial and what LOOKS like failure, there is triumph coming around the corner. He is THE God who "ALWAYS" leads us in triumph, but we must decide to follow His lead. Ecclesiastes reminds that everything has its season. The promise/blessing of one season can be a hindrance/hurdle for moving into the next if you hold on too tight. Don't get tied up in the comfort of what has done well for you in the past and miss God's shift in the spirit and in the natural. Get excited about the blessing in disguise! At some point you have to stop and say "enough is enough" and allow God to show Himself strong on your behalf.

Trust Him. He'll do it.

Be encouraged.
--MinD