Life lessons from the GPS: Trust her

**Don’t call this a come back…I’ve been here before lol (who knows that song? lol) **

**I was cleaning out my emails and found this short little post I wrote intending to put it up on the blog.  Never got around posting but it was too good to just throw away now!! I make no promises for regularity but if I find anymore gems you’ll surely see it here!!**

Today (actually 6 months ago) I learned a valuable lesson from my GPS.  Never go against her…You will fail LOL! Can we say the same about God?

I have a very long commute to work and although I know several routes (you need alternatives when it comes to I-95 lol!) I sometimes turn on my GPS just to check traffic.  Well this morning I did that and it was sending me on 295…I hate 295!! Its has only two lanes and ALWAYS slow so I didn’t listen.  I tried the alternative route button and my GPS was like NOPE no other routes…So I ignored it.  Passed the first 295 exit and turned the GPS on again.  It was still telling me to take 295…I ignored it again.  My GPS must have gone crazy! It knows how ridiculous 295 can be! But then….the traffic hit.

I began to say I will never doubt you again oh so great GPS!!! And then it hit me…This is how I treat God sometimes.  The GPS uses satellites millions of miles away that can see more and further down the road than me.  God is the same.

His ways higher His thoughts greater.

Just as the GPS sees further God sees further knows more but we still ignore Him.  We still think we know best

Even though the route might be a route you know to be troublesome, God always knows better! You may be hurt by someone/something but God sends love via another one…Will you just stick to past experience and avoid 295 just because it didn’t work out before?

The GPS figures out the best route and sticks to it.

God does the same thing.

“I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you” Jer 29:11 paraphrase

“The plans I have for you are exceedingly above what you could ask think or imagine!” Eph 3:20 paraphrase

The GPS always gets you there.

God does the same and even better.

All things work out for our good!! Romans 8:28 paraphrase

I think safe to say lesson learned.  Hopefully we won’t forget this lesson!

If We Only Knew …

Galatians 5:6 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision more uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”

When we are in Christ there is no law. But it is totally our faith working through the extent of our love and our understanding of God’s love for us. As we gain greater understanding of His love for us our faith will naturally increase. When we know someone loves us we work harder do more and seek after them more, right? 

The same is true with God! If we knew the true extent of His love for us and truly understood the power of what He allowed happen on the Cross for us…If we knew of all the promises He made and how adamant He is about keeping them we would stand much taller, go much further, and push to get in His presence!

Lord help me get a real understanding of ur love for me!!! I want my faith to be that of a mustard seed. The kind that truly moves mountains …mountains of sickness, lack, bondage, strife, death! Lord I’m frustrated with where I am and I want more! Give me a new revelation of You! A deeper one, wider one that will not be moved. A revelation that will change this world! Amen!

Declaration over my generation!

Psalm 24:6 “This is the generation of those who seek Him, who see Your face…”

I declare this over our generation. We will seek after You my Lord.  This is the generation that shall clamor after You, desiring holiness and righteousness. This is the generation who will call upon Your name and stand in Your power and might.  This is the generation that will perform miracles and healings.  This generation will lay claim to the inheritance You promised, for we will ask for the nations and wait in EXPECTATION for their deliverance.  This is the generation who will declare You reign in all the earth and see the power of Your right hand tear down false gods.  In this generation righteousness, holiness, love, peace, VICTORY, FREEDOM, hope, SALVATION, power and health shall PREVAIL.

This is THAT generation. 

1 Corinthians 13: The Love [God?] Chapter

While reading this chapter I couldn’t help but think of the verse in 1 John that confidently states that “God is love” (1 John 4:16)…and it got me thinking…What if I were to replace every instance of the word Love with “God” in this all too famous chapter of the Bible…

I believe I have stumbled on something amazing…I have stumbled upon a beautiful description of our Lord!!!

This chapter IS God…It divulges a little more of His character and our need for Him in every verse! Without Him (i.e, without Love) our prophesy means nothing, our tongues are mere noise, and our faith rendered ineffective.  Our good deeds come to nothing or even worse…filthy rags (Is 64: 6). 

He is kind and patient.  Forever loving us even in our sin.  He patiently awaits the right time to come because He desires every man to hear of their chance for salvation and eternal life in paradise…with Him

He is never jealous at all…Well  He is jealous for me, desiring exclusivity in my heart but He is no where near envious…For what do I have that He could envy???   He is God.  The Creator of this universe.  The God Most High, Healer, Deliverer, Miracle worker, Hope…. The One who displays His power among the people!

AND

“Love (God) NEVER fails.” (1 Cor 13:8) 

You NEVER fail, my God, my Love!  Everything will eventually fall and fade but You!!… You will never go away. And when Christ comes again, when the perfect comes we will be made complete.  Your perfect love manifested in Christ and His sacrifice makes the partial whole.  

Hallelujah

World, no thanks…I’m Full

WoW WOW wOw!!! Today I was beyond blessed at Church! Today at Destiny Harvest, we had an awesome woman of God present some awesome spoken word about fasting and the significance of it (sorry for all the awesomes, but it was awesome!! lol)! I had to get her permission to share these words because they were too beautiful to keep within the 4 walls of my church!  This is truly why we fast as Christians…To see our God…To be close to our God…To break down walls of despair…To see healing where no healing could happen…These words were refreshing and full of truth and I pray you feel the expression of love for the Father in them!  If you’re on this 21 day journey with our church (and even if you’re not), I pray these words encourage and keep you pressing for His glory!!! Hallelujah!!

So here you are! Feast on these beautiful and powerful words from my sister in Christ, Zai Samura!!!!

Fast. Find Abba’s steady truth. Remember Faithful adherence surpasses tribulations.

So I fast. “Starving” flesh so soul may feast from you. This discipline, an insane beautiful.
I fast. Stunting wants, so need may be only you. Jehovah Jireh, my provider.
“No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
So limb by limb, I will pull myself up to the challenge.
Tightly making sure mind is bandaged  taut on the Word.
Lust over food, or anything absurd will not infect your plan for  me.
For you have called me for something specific.
So I will fast, making my place near the alter.
Fast, knowing if I draw close, you will draw closer.
Father I will fast, so I may enlarge your territory.
Fast, to maximize this year, maximize your glory.  Believing that mountains will be moved. bodies healed. I fast
trusting that eyes will be opened.
Destinies sealed.

Have your way in my heart oh Lord,
And I will fast with gladness.
Oiling my head, washing my face, so it’s not obvious.
I will fast in secrecy.
For He who is unseen, has rewarded me plenty.
Father I will fast,  so hearts can see that your yoke is easy
Burden light.
You have trained these hands for battle, have made my way perfect, 
The end bright.

So I will fast for alignment to your will. 
Because my eyes can’t always perceive life the way you see things, still. 
In the hour after hour, in the day after day, I will fast for the spiritual warfare happening in the heavens. I will pray. When hallow stomach begins to ache, I will remember hunger pains are the body’s call for the scriptures 
Greater is He that lives within me, so I will sow that mustard seed. Grow that little bud of hope until it is the fruit for my gospel. I will let your words seep deep, and wait as your faithfulness sprouts revelations through my veins. I know the same blood that dripped on the cross of Calvery is the same blood surging through me. So Father when I fast, I will  remember that crown of thorns, remember how all of my sins have  been forgiven. Father i will remember how you said you have overcome this world, so I will take heart, converting convictions into energy. Through fasting, you received your assignment, that was the start of how you saved me.
Abba, I fast. Finding agreement with your steady truth.
You have given me the spirit of power, of love, and self-discipline.
So I will fast with boldness Father, I am serious. 

I know, that “man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
So I will “starve” the flesh, disconnecting from the world, soul feasts from you.
This discipline, some call it insane. I say it’s beautiful.
When tempted, I stunt wants so need may be only you. 
Father, I fast because I, because I remember you. I snack  on my salvation. 

World, no thanks. I am full. 

~ Zai Samura

Freedom through Worship??

Truly, freedom does come through our worship!!

Acts 16:23-26

“They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!“

This is also coupled with FAITH.  Paul and Silas had to have FAITH in the fact that God is real to still be singing and praising Him in their darkest moments.  And as they WORSHIPPED the chains of bondage fell off and the doors the enemy tried to keep shut opened wide.

We must be like Paul and Silas.  Our freedom from bondage and pain come through our FAITHFUL WORSHIP.  We must believe what the Bible says is true and that our God is real, and as we WORSHIP in that knowledge freedom will surely come.

Faith and worship?
Worship through Faith?
Faith through Worship?
Faith with worship? 

How ever you choose to look at it, it can’t be faith OR worship.  If we truly believe in the Living God we will be compelled to worship, even in our darkest bleakest moments.  And as those 2 things are combined freedom will not too long follow!  Lets worship in faith and truth and see what happens!

As I find You…

 

Proverbs 8:17 “I love all who love.  Those who search will surely find me”

I will continually search for You and love You with all my heart my Lord, for I know when I find you or better yet AS I FIND YOU I will see my destiny….

Jeremiah 29:11-14 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,”

When we search for where our God dwells we will find Him and our Destiny.  Good things are hidden in His presence and as we dig deeper we will find them…

Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings

I’m learning that as I search for Him, not for my dreams, not for my own wants, but as I search for Him, and ultimately find Him, my dreams and wants come right to me!  As a matter of fact, as I search for Him He gives even beyond my wildest dreams!

Ephesians 3:19-20 “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

 As I’ve continually looked for Him in His Word, in His people, and in His presence He has yet to disappoint…

Let’s search for God with all our hearts this year! There is so much more to find!!

 

Guarding you heart..How important is it??

Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart above all else for it will determine the course of your life”

Wow!! Such a true and poignant statement! How many of us have made life decisions based on what someone did to our heart!…and didn’t even know it!

This is so key for us women because we hold on to what men give us.  If they gave us grief and left us wit ha broken heart, broken spirit how much does that affect how we move and act in life!!! Lets be honest what one person did to us carries over to the next and the next and the next! How many people have we pushed away (romantically or otherwise) because of what some else did to us long ago!

We must protect our hearts and allow God’s love to surround it so that we can live a life fulfilling the grandiose things God has in store for us!  Lets let God cover our hearts with love so the course of our lives ends well!

The Last Day of the Year!!!

Wow!!! 2011 went by in a whirlwind and I wait in eager expectation for 2012! We are only 9 hours away!!!

As I was reading the last day of my Bible plan for 2011 a few verses from Job just jumped up and attacked me this morning! HAHA!

Job 42:7-9

“After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has…”

Wow.  What a fitting way to end this year.  I know you don’t get it yet but keep reading and you’ll see what I mean 🙂

Now if you’ve read the book of Job you know that for about 38 chapters all you saw was Job complaining and his friends telling him how bad he must be to be suffering the way he was.  But God was mad at the friends??? That makes no sense to me…well at first it didn’t.

Job complained and complained but then when God confronted him, and confronted him He did (check Job 38 out; hilarious!!!) Job backed up and realized his focus was all off and repented.  Job realized he was focusing on the problem but not on the power of the One who could fix it.  His friends never really got that.  All they could think of was clearly Job was bad, or wrong in some way shape or form.  The whole book of Job was focused on what Job must have did instead of focusing on how great God is.

Sometimes we’re like that in life.  We focus on the problem, the issue, the lost dream, the broken heart, the (insert bad/sad/hurtful thing here) instead of focusing on who our God is.  Instead of looking to the One who can turn our mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11) and longs to take our ashes and replace them with a crown of beauty (Is 61:3).

When our focus is on Him rather than our problem, that issue fades and we can receive all that God has for us…

2011 is 9 hours away from being total history.  Lets make 2012 the year we decide to focus on the One who has it all in His hands.  He has awesome plans for our lives.  Plans that He put into motion even before the beginning of time and we will never see them if we focus on the problems or the hurts that hold us captive.

Let our focus be on our God, the Lover of our souls, the Perfecter of our faith, our sure way to a hope and a future…

Now do you see how fitting these verses were??

See ya in 2012!!!!

Reflections: When I found Him…

I was listening to Kim Walker’s “I have found” this morning and I couldn’t help but reflect on what I’ve found for myself.  Here is my heart…

When I found Him…everything changed

My mourning turned to dancing
My sorrow to joy
My purpose was found and
My eternity secured
My healing proclaimed
My strength renewed
His love engulfed me
His peace surrounded me

Oh when I found Him

Focus replaced confusion
Insecurity fled
A steadfast heart became mine

Everything changed when I found Him

He is my lover, my friend, my peace, my Father, my air, my food, my everything…
He told me I was beautiful…I believed Him
He said you were made for such a time as this…I smiled
He whispered in my ear that I am just what I should be…I stood taller

My words became powerful
My praises, weapons

I stand in confidence knowing He’s all I need and has nothing but good for me!
I am secure because I am His and He is mine

He speaks a love song to all His children! Arise and hear Him! Listen and He will tell you the same beautiful things He tells me…

When I found Him everything changed

So what is God telling you today?