ENJOY It

"...Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it..." Joshua 1:15b

I was talking to a gentleman a few weeks ago, and he accused me of something odd. He called me a dreamer. And, with some condemnation to his tone, he said I put too much stock in daydreaming. It was enough to give me pause and wonder if I was simply living in a never-never land and needed to wake up. He came to this conclusion because several times over the course of the prior two weeks, I had sent him beautiful scenic photographs in the name of taking a "mental vacation". I suppose that I sent him one too many because that's when I received my indictment. And, as I pondered on his accusation, I considered making a change. I thought about limiting my perusal of beautiful photographs in the interest of going somewhere different (if only for a moment). But then I read two little words in my devotional one morning that kept me on the right track. The verse said "enjoy it".

Now, the context of the verse does not relate to mental vacations of fancy or daydreams. However, the mere thought that there was an element of joy and enjoyment included after the fight was encouraging to me. The children of Israel were being tasked with going into the Promised Land and fighting for what was promised to them; and then those who would be residing outside the Promised Land would get to then go back home and enjoy their promise. Fight then enjoy. That seemed to be the edict given.

There's no place that says we must live stoic lives of complete lack (physical, spiritual, and mental). Though the faces (and constant negative testimonies) of many modern-day Christians would suggest otherwise, we were not meant to live in the midst of our pain. We were meant to focus on the possibilities of our PROMISE. I'm sure that I'm not alone in saying: It's been quite a journey! The past few years have been fraught with so many moments of challenge and tribulation that it's been hard not to become jaded by the heart break. It's been difficult to maintain joy when bitterness is so much more enticing. It's been a challenge to reminisce on the positive instead of reflecting on the negative.

Parasailing in Jamaica...a joyful memory

 

But then I'm reminded that "the JOY of the Lord is my strength" (Neh 8:10) and that "weeping may endure for a night but JOY comes in the morning"(Ps 30:5). We have a choice to make. We can live in frustration or freedom...in judgement or JOY. And so, with that in mind, I have chosen to live with constant reminders of God's GOODNESS and BEAUTY. On cold and rainy days, I choose to be reminded that the rain makes the flowers bloom. On nights of frustration, I choose to think of the possibility of a moment of rest and relaxation. In moments where I feel weighted down by the world, I choose to focus on memories of a day when I was flying high in the sky without a care in the world. My "mental vacations" may be moments of fancy, but as I make the decision to cherish the moments of my life, I have to intentionally take moments to smile and remember that God is bigger than my situation and greater than my moments.

God said we don't have to bear our own yokes/burdens. So won't you join me on my mental vacation and ENJOY (Entrust Now Jesus with Our Yokes) a brief moment away from your pain and consider the possibilities of your future? Be encouraged...trouble don't last always...

Blessings,
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.

There's A Point

But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel...and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Philippians 1:12, 14

Sometimes I think that we miss it. We forget that there's an ultimate point to our presence on this earth. There's a reason why we are here that goes far beyond our personal desires and grievances. In the end, it should be our desire that the gospel moves forward. It should be our desire that the "chains" of our life are mere tools God is using to make others confident and bold. We lose sight of the fact that, it's not about us. And so, today's prayer point is pretty simple and to the point. As you go through this day in meditation and prayer, silence the complaints for your suffering and elevate the praise--knowing that there IS a point to all you are going through and that God will get the glory in the end.

Hang in there and be encouraged!
Blessings,
MinD

Grace Could Abound (If You Let it)

I have been struck over the course of this week at the power of the human spirit to be rigid and operate outside of the power of grace. I have been struck by the need for each of us to exert our power in life in some small way or another that generally comes out in exerting control over another person. How many times are we presented with the opportunity to be lenient to another or to provide others with grace, but we choose the road more traveled of control and legalism? How many chances come our way to smile instead of frown or speak a kind word instead of persecute? How often do we have the possibility to forgive another instead of holding a grudge? How many opportunities are we presented with on a daily basis to live out one of the greatest responsibilities of a Christian--to represent Jesus Christ on this earth and extend our hands in love and grace? How many times do those opportunities come and we let them pass away?

Unfortunately, the number of missed opportunities is great. As you go through your day, week, year, I want to challenge you to remember grace. We remember grace when it's convenient for us...when we are praying for God to forgive us. But the model prayer in the Bible asks God to "And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors." (Matt 6:12) That means, we are asking God to use the same measure of grace with us that we use with others (which is often not a large measure). What kind of world would we live in if we truly lived out that request and dished out the grace we so desperately want from God? So the challenge is to take the time to remember God's daily blessing of grace and mercy. Remember the grace He extends to you when you don't deserve it and when He should throw the book at you. Remember how much your life has been changed because of His grace, and make a decision to be intentional about extending grace to your brothers and sisters on this earth. Whether that is to let someone go first in a long line or to overlook a mistake someone made or forgive someone for not meeting your expectations, what we know about who God is is that He overlooks so much for us. How then can our rules for one another be more stringent than that of The Most High God?

Choose this week to forgive, release, and move forward in grace.

Blessings,
MinD

It's Not Automatic

I woke up this morning with a thanks to God on my mind. But, just as quickly as I said "thank you", my mind began to wander--thinking about that guy I was talking to last night or the bill I need to pay this week or the tasks I need to accomplish today. I had to keep bringing it back in so that I could get through my morning devotion--reading verses multiple times in order to really absorb what it was saying. I was frustrated with myself for my lack of focus (which happens often). And, if I'm being truthful, many days, it's the other way around. I wake up with my mind already going at full throttle, preparing for the day or recapping the dream I just awoke from once the fog of the new morning lifted from my brain, and then I think "Oh shoot! Thanks God!" As guilt floods my spirit, I begin my devotion for the morning intertwined with trying to get to wherever it is that my schedule is dictating. At some point, I settle down and have some REAL quiet time, but what I've found to be true for me is that it's not automatic. My afterthought of praise often gives me a gut check. I really want to automatically wake up speaking in tongues and singing old spirituals. It just doesn't always happen that way.

As a young Christian, I used to believe that I would come to this day when it would--when my brain would suddenly switch from manual to automatic and fall in complete sync with my personal commitment to Christ--and I would roll out of bed everyday with an automatic praise and prayer. But today, I got some freedom as I read Amos 5:4, 14 where it says,

“'Seek (God) and live...Seek good and not evil, 

That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts 

will be with you, As you have spoken.'" 

The key for me was in that word "seek". I thought of the key verses of faith like Matthew 6:33 that says "Seek first the Kingdom of God..." or  Colossians 3:2 telling us to "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." The mere fact that the Lord uses an action word in His instructions to us is poignant. Seek. Set. DO something. They both imply that God understands that our worship and praise and prayer are NOT automatic. They imply that God knew that when we were "shaped in iniquity" (Psalm 51:5) we would have to approach Him with intention and purpose. Even the 12 disciples asked Jesus to 'teach them to pray' (Luke 11:1) and they were with Jesus in the flesh!

No. It's not automatic, but that means that in this day as with every day, we have the opportunity to expressly look for God in new and astounding ways. We have the opportunity for greatness in each and every day. We have the opportunity to take action and turn on our Jesus switch with purpose. And what we know in the end is that, He will meet us there, He will be with us and He will guide us through and through.

Be encouraged to manually turn on your Jesus switch and seek Him in this day. He's got something waiting just for you!

Blessings,
MinD

Help Is Here

Today, we (Lifted Hands Ministries) spent some time ministering to the homeless in our city with blankets and bibles. As we began to head out to our service site, I had some devotional time--preparing for all that God could and would do as we were obedient and served others for Him. I wanted God to prepare my heart as we were going to touch the lives of our forgotten neighbors. I found myself wondering what I could possibly impart into the life of someone I may encounter who was hopeless on this day. As I read, this verse in Hosea 13 jumped out at me:

 “O Israel, you are destroyed, But your help is from Me. I will be your King..." 

(Hosea 13:9-10a NKJV)  

But I realized as our day ended that, we are not unlike the people who we encountered on the street. Therefore, Hosea's words are not only relevant to them, but are also a word for us today. So many of us have been like the Children of Israel--asking for a "king" (that one thing that we want to save us or help us). We look everywhere but up when the time comes for us to tap into a source of help. In those times when we have reached rock bottom or when we feel forgotten, there's one thing that remains constant--God has promised to be your King. You thought you needed that job or that relationship or that child or that home or car, but God wants to remind you that He is willing and wanting to be your Source.

Just as it was for the homeless we encountered, it is my prayer today that you will turn to God alone to be your help and your King. Whatever your need or desire of your heart, He is truly capable and I promise He can be trusted to carry you through if you let Him. There are several people we met on the streets who I'm sure could cosign on that statement. For on a day when they were down and destroyed, the Lord sent someone with a reminder of His Word that help is in the way to wipe their brow, say a prayer or pass along the gift of His Word and warmth. And so I pass the same message along on to you.

Remember ...Help is here. Be encouraged and allow God to be your King.
Blessings,
MinD

New Year...New Word

Well...we made it out of the "outstanding" year that was 2012 and are now shifting into 2013:  A year of bold steps and still small voices. You will be called to make faith decisions that will shift the trajectory of your life and the lives of those around you. You will be challenged to make the steps without knowing for sure the details of every part of your decision, but instead trusting God to fill in the gaps with his "still small voice" as the year progresses. And so that every bold step is grounded in His Spirit, you will need to spend some serious time in quiet spaces...listening to hear His urging in the smallest of ways. He will not hit you over the head this time but will be looking for you to be sensitive to the ebbing and flowing of His Spirit.

and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. I Kings 19:12

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ² For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. Hebrews 11:1 

Be encouraged!
MinD