Let God be in the details!

November 1st, 2010

I wanted to share with you a little secret about myself. Please keep this between the two of us okay? During my high school and college career, I loathed writing research papers. I distinctly remember receiving an assignment to write a term paper. I believe it was to be three pages in length – not long at all. Nonetheless, I kept putting the assignment off for days and then weeks; eventually, I missed the deadline. Boy was I relieved! But my English teacher kept pressuring me to turn something in to avoid getting a zero. So I did what most lazy, unenthusiastic high school students do…and I plagiarized. Needless to say I received a BIG FAT ‘F’ for my work. Yes I know… I am beyond ashamed but I just had to release this secret to you as a means of internal cleansing. lol

I never imagined that I would be a writer someday. I’ll tell you what this experience taught me though. God is very passionate about planning and preparation. He will never place us in a position for which we are not qualified for. While I was working for Caterpillar, God was placing me in editorial positions where I could further hone the skills that were already there. I worked as a reporter, writer, and I even filled a position as Editor In Chief. As I take the time to reflect on my past experiences, it simply amazes me how the Master Strategist works. While working on the job, I was anxious, unfulfilled, agitated, and passionless. I thought God was simply working patience on the inside of me but now I can see that there was more taking place behind the scenes. God was busy building my repertoire; He already knew what was ahead of me. I can honestly say that I am grateful for the time spent.

Maybe you’re asking, “When God when?!” You just know that the time is now for you to execute the plan. You feel that you’re ready but He has you waiting. Have you ever heard the saying the “devil is in the details”? Well I believe that “God is in the details” if, of course, we allow Him to be. He doesn’t want to leave one string untied. He will not overlook the minutest thing. When we wait for the Lord’s timing, things will have a divine flow. When we get a step ahead of the Father, the devil will get in the midst of our detailed plan. Trust the Lord’s leading and wait. Isaiah 30:18 says, “The LORD is waiting to be kind to you. He rises to have compassion on you. The LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him.”

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Kingdom building

October 1st, 2010

Recently, I sat down and meditated on the last time I won someone over to Jesus. My parents and I had a serious conversation about the role of the church. So often, we receive the Word in church and do nothing about it. But it is time for us to take what we learn outside of the four walls of the church. People are dying. Their soul is at stake and it is the church’s responsibility to wheel people in.

In these last and evil days, our focus should be on kingdom building. Together, we must work to grow (multiply) God’s family. In the beginning, God commanded us to be fruitful and multiply. – Genesis 1:22 Jesus is our avenue for bearing fruit because He is the true Vine. When we recognize the Lord as our source, then our gifts and talents will enable us to bear the necessary fruit. Our gifts will plant seed in the hearts of others and empower them to bear fruit. And the cycle will continue… When God commissioned us to multiply, He wasn’t just referring to increasing the world’s population count. With more people, come more problems (ex: limitation on nonrenewable resources, space constraints, shortage of food and etc.). I believe the multiplication had a lot to do with the “new earth’s” population count. When God creates the new earth, He looks forward to having many, many sons and daughters inhabiting this eternal place. – Revelations 21:1 And He has elected us to help Him get there!

As you make plans to fulfill God’s purpose for your life, determine if your work will have an impact on the kingdom of God – numerically. Even if you are called to work for a company, ask God to bring dying people across your path so that you may minister the Word of the Lord to them. People do not realize that they are in desperate need of a Savior and it will take God’s true sons and daughters to show them the way.

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Keep striving and believing

September 1st, 2010

It is said that you should treat your purpose like an addiction. Give it all your time and energy. However, do not neglect God in the process. I stay up to the wee hours of the night writing and creating but it can be overwhelming at times. Sometimes the destiny you are pursuing seems hopeless and futile. It appears all of your work amounts to nothing. My encouragement to you is to keep striving and believing.

Successful people have a few things in common. They are diligent, determined, and hopeful. People of God should know more about this than the people of the world. The Bible clearly tells us the key to riches is diligence. – Proverbs 10:4 The Bible also says that the key to victory involves exercising our faith. – 1 John 5:4 Faith is easy to talk about but actually walking through it is tough. I believe God brings us to a place of stagnancy just to surprise us. Remember we are the bride of Christ and He is always thinking of spontaneous ways to maintain the spark between us and Him.

When the Lord finally brings us to our destination, we are astonished at what He has in store. We say to ourselves, “Lord, you did this for me? You are too much!” It pleases God to please you. The benefit of the whole scenario is it deepens your relationship with the Lord. Your eyes are stretched wide regarding God’s capabilities which enables you to trust Him more the next time around.

Do not become disheartened when things do not pan out in accordance to your liking. God is strategically planning a future for you and every obstacle you undergo is preparing you for what lies ahead.

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Losing faith in faith

August 1st, 2010

I recently read a book titled, Why I became an Atheist. The book describes the spiritual journey of Dan Barker. Once a preacher of the gospel, Dan suddenly “lost faith in faith”. He is now a leader of the largest organization for atheist & agnostics – Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). He now expends his time “preaching” against true theology. I was compelled to read his story because I wanted to understand why someone would leave such a gracious, merciful, and forgiving God to serve nothing.

The Bible says in 1 John 5:4, “And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.” In other words, we can’t make it to eternity without faith. We can’t establish a relationship with Jesus until we confess our faith. We can’t fulfill our divine destiny in life except by way of our faith.

To lose faith in faith merely tarnishes a person’s very existence because remember we are nothing without God. The worst outcome of all is it alienates a person from God. God takes no pleasure in people who lose faith in Him or draw back. I want to encourage you to protect your faith. Don’t let the enemy of your soul lead you to believe that God can’t or He won’t or He refuses. Satan would love for you to turn your back on God and to submit your ways to him. Tell this enemy that he chose the wrong candidate. Those other candidates may have denied their faith in God but you WILL NOT.

God has been too good to us. Even if you can’t see God, know that He is working things out for you. Our trials should produce change on the inside of us. God loves us too much to keep us conforming to the status quo. God seeks a character metamorphosis to change us from glory to glory to glory to glory…

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Expectations in God

July 1st, 2010

I know I have been hammering home the definition of faith but it is simply because I am literally walking by faith in this season of my life. I am expecting God to do great and mighty things not only in my life but in yours as well. Statistics say that divorces are brought about because of false expectations. When you first meet that special someone, they strive to paint this fairy tale picture of how things will pan out between the two of you. They cook dinner, buy flowers, open doors, compliment you all the time, and communicate openly with you. But some time after the vows are recited, things drastically change. Everything you expected your spouse to do suddenly comes to a halt. You decide that you have had enough. And since things aren’t working out in accordance to your imagined plan, you quickly file for divorce due to irreconcilable differences.

In our relationship with the Lord, we too, will have expectations. We expect the Lord to provide for us. We expect the Lord to direct our paths. We expect the Lord to make a way when there seems to be no way. Contrary to what many assume, God wants us to have expectations in Him. The Bible offers an innumerable list of expectations that God will meet for those who trust in Him. Jeremiah 14:21 says, “For the sake of your reputation, LORD, do not abandon us. Do not disgrace your own glorious throne. Please remember us, and do not break your covenant with us.” I don’t know what your need is but I encourage you to search out promises from the Bible and remind God of it. Tell God to remember you. God upholds His Word (Bible) far above His own name. This means if He fails to fulfill His promises, He violates the covenant between you and Him. And guess what?? GOD IS NOT A COVENANT BREAKER! Tell God what your urgent need is. Back it up with scripture. And repeat this process over and over until He comes through for you. I will guarantee that your faith will increase and God will eventually show up on your behalf. Why? Because His promises are on the line. Don’t rush to divorce God because you feel He is not fulfilling His end of the bargain. We are the ones who falter in God’s expectations of us. As long as you are remaining true to the covenant, God will remain true to you!

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Do it quickly!

June 1st, 2010

My son recently shared with me that he admired the go-getter in me. He said, “One thing I know for sure mom is if you say that you are going to do something, then you do it.” He told me that he could see me going far in life all because I take action on my ideas and not just sit on them. One day, he said, I will hit the mark! His words were so encouraging to me. God will use whomever He will to uplift our spirits!

My encouragement to you is to stop dreaming, hoping, and wishing. If you are not walking out the plan of your dreams, then develop action steps to move closer toward that direction. Many of times, the dream that you meditate on the longest is the one which God has given you. Just step out and start walking out God’s plan for your life. Do not wait until you reach 80 years old and say, “I wish I had of done ___.” Do it now because time is dwindling. When the Lord returns, do you want Him to tell you how proud He is of the works you performed on earth? If so, then get busy my friend!

You may sense great passion in my writing but it is simply because I care about you and your future. My prayer for you is that you take advantage of all that God has for you. John 9:4 (NLT) says, “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.” God is a God of action and he desires for His people to be action oriented as well. If God has placed a specific task upon your heart, then do it “quickly” because there will come a day when you will not have the opportunity.

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Waiting on the Lord

May 1st, 2010

When I schedule an appointment with the doctor, I find myself in the waiting room anticipating a call from the nurse. The waiting time seems to take forever. I often wonder what the doctor is doing behind closed doors. Doesn’t he know that we have an appointment? If, in my anxiousness, I were to exit the waiting room I would likely have to reschedule my appointment for a later date. All of us feel the same anxiety while waiting on the Most High.

While waiting on the Lord, we can become antsy. We presume that He has forgotten all about our urgent need and He is busy servicing other people. The Bible says in Isaiah 64:4, “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” This is to say that when we wait on the Lord it causes Him to MOVE. He gets overly excited when we wait. And His excitement is not just triggered by waiting alone but we must have FULL CONFIDENCE in Him that He will intervene on our behalf.

I would like to encourage you to maintain your appointment with God. Don’t cancel the appointment in an effort to fulfill your own agenda. Wait on Him because help is readily available for you around the corner. God is waiting for the right time to dispatch His angel (nurse) to open up the door of opportunity for you. The key is to wait patiently, full of faith and with great expectation. He will eventually call your name!

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If you trust Me, prove it!

April 1st, 2010

You really don’t know how much faith you have until you put it into motion. It is quite easy to tell God how much you trust Him but you and I know that these are mere words. In response to your faith declaration, I can picture God saying something like, “Oh yea…Prove it!” And right around the corner is the ‘test’. The Lord tests our hearts to determine if the words we say are, indeed, true. He wants to ensure our words and actions are in synchronization.

Is there a person in your life whom you possess full confidence in? If there is such a person, the bond of trust compels you to shut down ever accusation and lie muttered about your friend. It is God’s hope that we would treat Him the same and ignore all lies of the evil one. Satan wants you to curse God and quit but tell the devil his strategies are weak and will not prosper for the true sons and daughters of the Most High God.

No matter how your situation appears, know that God can turn it around in a split second, in a twinkling of an eye. If He was able to send a raven to prepare a meal for the prophet Elijah… If He was able to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego out of the fiery furnace… If He was able to deliver Daniel from the lion’s den… If He was able to split the Red Sea for the Israelites… If He was able to create the heavens and earth in six days… THEN surely He can intervene for you and make a way out of no way. The key is to TRUST Him. For when we don’t, it displeases Him.

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I’m ready for More!

March 1st, 2010

Matthew 25:23 reads, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” You may be in a position where you are doing all that you know to do to serve God and man yet you still remain stagnant – as if you are going nowhere. But this is your opportunity to trust God even more. When we do, it causes God to move on our behalf. God is testing you to see if you have the endurance, willpower, and capability of working with greater resources in order to accomplish His plan for your life. Don’t become weary and give up when it appears as though God isn’t moving because the truth is… He is. He is placing you in arenas so that you can make the right connections to enable you to fulfill the call of God for your life! And I am not just referring to ministry. Everyone has a divine plan. You have been designed to accomplish something that no one else can do but you. Therefore, do not get bored with the monotony of your existing tasks. God will expand it after you have proven your faithfulness!

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You are my Valentine!

February 9th, 2010

Dear Valentine,
You have always been there for me even while I was being formed in my mother’s belly. (Jeremiah 1:5)

You formed every part of my being. (Psalms 139:13)

You know me better than I know myself. (Psalms 139:1-4)

You comfort me during my time of need. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Your love runs so deep that nothing and I mean nothing can separate me from it. (Romans 8:38-39)

Your presence saturates my very being with peace. (Exodus 33:14)

You are always thinking of me. (Psalms 139:17)

You protect me from all evil. (Psalms 121:7)

You are faithful to me. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

You always fulfill Your promises to me. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

You have an answer to all of my problems. (Proverbs 8:14)

You are omniscient – all knowing. (Isaiah 46:10)

You are my confidante. (Psalms 40:4)

You are my guide. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You are the pinnacle of all of my friendships. (Proverbs 18:24)

Sweet Valentine, you mean the world to me. I wouldn’t trade You for riches or any other material thing because Your value far exceeds things created and/or manufactured here on earth. You treat me so much better than I treat You. And You continue to put up with my faults and my shortcomings. Even on my worst days, Your love doesn’t change for me. Everyday, You manage to wrap Your loving arms around me to tell me how much You love me. Even though You share your love with others, You have a unique way of making me feel like I am the only one. How sweet this is! I love you my Valentine.

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