Empty Prayers…

Empty Prayers may be considered an oxymoron but they are quite possible. Praying requires action. It’s more than getting down on your knees, pacing the floor, writing in the journal or whatever method you may utilize. It requires believing in their content.

A comic once said, “do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” Today, consider that same question, consider the content of your prayers! Do you believe in what you are saying to God?

Do we believe the promise of 1 John 5:14-15?

One way to examine your prayers is in your reaction to the threats of the world. If you’ve prayed for protection, will you trust in your Protector when fiery arrows are sent your way? If you prayed for healing, are you walking in your healing? Will you believe God for the provision you’ve prayed for? We should walk away from our prayer time relieved and free. We believe God, right?!

The Lord tells us that His words won’t return to Him void. Our prayers shouldn’t be void as we send them to Him either. We must believe in the words we pray. We must believe in the God to whom we pray. We must believe Him for His promises. We must believe in who He is! As we pray His will, as we pray His word, as we pray His promises, He will respond!

Do you believe the prayers you are praying?

Fill your prayers with faith!

Peace and Blessings

HIStory…

The books of Chronicles are pretty interesting. It features a recount of Israel’s history and it highlights the actions of the kings of Israel. For some, it highlights their love for the Lord, their victories, and challenges that they had to overcome. For others, it highlighted their evils, their struggles, and their fall and demise. Why some stories are shape a specific way and why others are not is just the way the Holy Spirit pressed upon the writer of the books.

Their stories became shaped by HIStory.

Typically, those who “did right in the eyes of Lord His God” often times had their strengths highlighted and their victories noted. Those who did not, did not.

How will your story be penned? This is an important consideration. While our stories won’t be featured in the Holy Word, our stories will be recalled as we approach our Savior. Our children and grandchildren will hear the victories and challenges, the triumphs and the trials. Just as the kings of Israel, our stories will extend beyond our lives. How will your story be told?

Did you overcome? Did you tear down the high places that tried to place themselves above the Lord? Did you fall before the Lord to praise and worship Him? Did you know the commandments? Did you live them? How will your storyteller tell your story?

Will HISTory prevail? Consider the exhortation from the Word of God:

He has a story written for you already! In His story, you are the victor! In His story, you are more than a conqueror. In His story, you are fearfully and wonderfully made! HIStory features a Savior who loved you so much that He died for you! HIStory features your purpose, your mission and His plans for your life! And when it is all over, HIStory features your eternal resting place. HIStory positions you for a powerful legacy and lasting influence.

All of our lives will be chronicled, how will yours be told?

Peace and Blessings

Order My Steps…

Have you ever given a child a set of instructions? Only to realize that they have no idea how to do what you’ve asked them to do. Perhaps it’s cleaning up their toys or putting away their shoes. If they have never done it before, they have to be shown (probably multiple times) how to do so.

We should rejoice that we have a Father who will provide us with detailed instructions, guidance and wisdom on how to do what He has called us to do. When Solomon was instructed to build the Temple, he was provided with instructions from his father David and from the Lord. The Lord ordered his steps. Not only did the Lord establish his steps, He provided the natural and supernatural things needed in order to complete such as a monumental task.

As we approach any task that He has created us to do, we must allow Him to order our steps according to His Word:

When we allow the Lord to guide our steps, we are allowing Him to take control of our purpose and mission. When we seek His face for the appropriate method, we are filled with wisdom and discernment. The Lord is needed for success, we cannot do it without Him! Having the Lord order our steps requires for us to decrease so that He may increase.

With ordered steps, we can fulfill the plans of the Lord. It is only His plans that will prevail: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

Peace and Blessings

Training Ground…

Any form of training can be quite tedious and difficult. When you are new to a position, you feel a multitude of feelings while attending orientation and training: anxiety, excitement, boredom, and the list goes on. While being trained, you are becoming equipped for the assignment ahead. The training is necessary.

This is proven true for the spiritual: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The anointing is needed but you also need to have a training period. If you are not rooted in the Word of God, how can you preach it? If you are unable to connect with children, how can you teach in children’s ministry?

This walk of faith requires equipping. While we may all be the recipient of the prayers of our mothers, fathers, and grandparents, there comes a time when we must train ourselves up. Training requires getting on our knees and crying out to the Lord. Training requires time in the Word. Training requires us to learn how to praise God on the mountaintops and in the valley lows.

The training ground prepares you for the biggest challenge of your life, which is the battle for your soul. Not only does the Lord want you to commit to Him, so does Satan. How will you successfully combat your enemy if you do not study the Word of God which tells you how to defeat? We must value the spiritual training ground.

It is the training for godliness that builds your weapons arsenal. It is the training in the spiritual that equips you for your life’s mission. Continue to pace that floor with prayer. Continue to sharpen your sword by studying the Word of God. Your very life, not the physical body, but your soul, depends on your training ground.

Peace and Blessings

Small beginnings…

It’s amazing what can be birth from a small seed: apple trees, oak trees, and beautiful willows. What about the babies that are born prematurely? Perhaps at one point they could fit into the palm of your hand because they were born early, but now they are taller than you and eating enough for two. The first page of a book can turn into a masterpiece.

It’s amazing what God can do with the small things and we cannot despise small beginnings:

It all begins with one step. We can complete a 5K with one step. We finish the website by simply starting. When we honor and complete to the small things, God can turn them into major things. It’s the consistency to the blog, that turns into a devotional. It’s the prayer call with one person that turns into the revival. It’s preaching to the one that can lead to the salvation of the 99.

Look at what David accomplished with simply a sling and five smooth stones. David was able to kill Goliath with a slingshot and a stone. That small weapon, that one moment in time led David to the throne and set the stage for Christ the Savior. Christ came through the line of David by way of the Holy Spirit.

As you launch out, as you start the journey: no matter what it may be: school, weight loss, or a relationship with the Lord, stay the course and keep pressing forward. And while you are managing the small, you can hold tight to this promise:

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much...” Matthew 25:23

It’s in the small things that greatness is born.

Peace and Blessings

The Power of No…

Perhaps you have or had a toddler or know of one. Remember the first time they said “No”? Remember how tight you may have felt and you looked at them like they were crazy? You may have asked them to do something or stop something and they shook their head no or said the actual word. In response, you may have raised your voice, got down on their level, or even laughed at their sass. Little ones get very comfortable with that word and for a while, it becomes their favorite response. They may not know the weight of the word or maybe they just enjoy getting a rise out of us.

Perhaps as adults, “no” should become our favorite word. We must understand the power of “no”. No carries weight and by itself, it is a complete sentence. Try it out: No. The word by itself can stop someone in their tracks.

No can stop Satan in his tracks. Imagine this, the enemy approaches you and asks you to compromise what you believe for a million dollars? No. That friend asks you to cheat or steal? No. The man you are in a relationship with wants to sleep with you and you all aren’t married? No.

No has power! Saying no to something is saying yes to something else. We say no to compromise so that we can say yes to integrity. We say no to sex outside of marriage so that we can say yes to purity. We say no to stealing and yes to honoring the will of the Lord.

Say your no with confidence because you know that God’s way is best. Say your no with power because you know that the Lord is with your every step of the way. Say your no with authority because you are governed by the Holy Spirit.

Say no because you are more concerned with pleasing the Lord rather than pleasing others:

So learn about the power that you possess to say no. Learn about the strength you have in being able to say no. You don’t have to compromise, you don’t have to lie, and you don’t have to settle. Refusing to agree with the enemy’s plan positions you to agree with the Lord.

Simply say: No.

Peace and Blessings

The Power of Yes…

Yes can be life-changing.

We say “yes” to jobs, “yes” to relationships, and “yes” to those whom we love. Those agreements lead to careers, marriage, and connections. Saying yes can also lead to heartache, disappointment, and frustration.

No matter the reaction, saying yes can and will change your life.

However, when we agree with God’s will for our lives, that agreement with Him will impact our life here on Earth and in Heaven. Saying yes to the Lord will indeed change our lives. Saying yes to the Lord will move mountains. Saying yes to the Lord will break strongholds. Our yes will set us free.

The yes to the Lord is bigger than saying yes to that new job, yes to that man whom wants to marry you, and yes to your loved one who is seeking your support.

There is power in your agreement with God:

Saying yes with another believer in prayer produces a response from the Lord. Agreement yields peace, brings forth joy, and is a response of love. There is much power in yes…

Will you agree with God today? What promise has He been speaking over you? Will you receive that promise? What direction has He been telling you to go? Will you go in that direction?

Your yes to the Lord will change your life and those to whom you are connected. The yes you have for God will produce fruit that will extend beyond this lifetime. The Lord has said yes to us when He gave us His one and only Son whom is Jesus Christ. May we continuously be led to spending the rest of our lives saying yes to Him.

Peace and Blessings

The Road to Damascus…

For Saul, eventually Paul, the road to Damascus was dark, filled with hunger, and filled with thirst, but it was life changing. Perhaps you are able to relate to Paul’s story? He met the Lord in the middle of his mess. He encountered the Savior right after he finished doing his dirt.

Have you ever heard from the Lord right after you did your dirt? In the middle of your mess? As followers of Christ, we have all had or will have our Road to Damascus. But fret not! Even in the middle of our mess, the Lord still bless!

God’s guidance: They led him to Damascus (Acts 9:8). You are not alone! The Lord always gives us natural assistance to get us to our supernatural destination! They will take us by the hand and get us to where God wants us. Look at your circle, maybe they are still with you or maybe they are not but God has placed guides in your life so that you are able to get to Him!

The beauty of God’s strategic plan: The Lord was not leading Saul/Paul idly. He knows the end from the beginning. He placed Ananias at the end of his road because He knew that Saul/Paul would need to be strengthened and encouraged. Ananias was strategically placed to lay hands on Saul, eventually Paul. He was there to feed Saul, spiritually and physically.

The scales fell: As we encounter the road to Damascus, there are things that blind us from what God wants us to see. Maybe it’s tradition for some. It was for Saul/Paul, he was blinded by tradition. For some, it could be a relationship. For others, it could be the trouble of our past. With so many distractions, we have to be intentional about ensuring that we remove the scales that can sometimes find their way to our eyes.

Perhaps the most powerful lesson about our Road to Damascus is what happens after:

For Saul, who was also called Paul, the Road to Damascus placed him in the Lord’s will and he became a notable figure for the kingdom of God. Because of his journey, generations came to know Christ.

This is true for your Road to Damascus. Your name will change, your position will change, and your journey will serve as a conduit for others to know Christ. You will receive God’s guidance, you will become a part of God’s strategic plan, and you may enter blind but eventually you will see.

Peace and Blessings

Death to Tradition…

The upcoming Independence Day celebrations are going to look a little different for many people. Some states are still restricting large gatherings. Many areas have canceled fireworks. And many people of color are opting out of celebrating the holiday as July 1776 did not offer freedom for enslaved African Americans. Traditions will take on a new face this holiday and others to come.

Traditions can help us feel some sort of normalcy. When our traditions are disrupted, that can make us feel uneasy. We tend to hold on to traditions, simply because that is what was always done.

However, we must be willing to explore the traditions we hold dear. Is it beneficial? Is it biblical? Is it what God wants us to do? The Word of God echoes that while traditions are permissible, they are not always beneficial.

What traditions of men are you treasuring more than the Word of God? It is the commandment of God that must prevail over traditions! We can not compromise what the Lord says simply because it has always been done that way. Examine your order of service. Examine the way you may feel about those who wear jeans instead of a long dress to church. Examine the way you feel about those who opt out of church. Examine the leadership positions, the celebrations, and the anniversaries.

We must be sure that we are not confusing tradition with the commandment of God. His command comes first and the rest falls second.

Jesus defies tradition by eating with taxpayers and prostitutes. Jesus defies tradition by healing on the Sabbath. Jesus defies tradition by permitting salvation for the gentiles in addition to the children of Israel.

His defiance towards tradition led to our salvation! You were healed, delivered, and set free by the commandment of God and not tradition. So death to tradition as the commandment of God through our Lord Jesus Christ reigns on!

Peace and Blessings