Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, “God has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me”? Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? God doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind. Isaiah 40:31 MSG

Everyone complains! I believe it’s human nature to be focused on things we see in the natural realm. The reason this passage caught my eye was that the writer knows how to pull people up by the collar and get their attention off the bad and onto the good. He’s reminding the children of Israel that there is a God who is a greater force than the physical realm they live in.

People may come and go. Problems will come and go, but God, He lasts FOREVER!  Even when you feel like dropping out of life, throwing in the towel and walking away from it all, God puts fuel in your tank and causes you to burn again. All you have to do is focus on the good in God and not the bad in your business.

How do you do that? I always draw my example from David’s Psalms. He complained, was angry, vented, felt sorry for himself, but always refocused on God, the Rock of his salvation. The Lord his shepherd. His Strong Tower and Help in time of trouble. Deliverer, Fortress, Peace, Righteousness, Protector, Vindicator, Judge…….I think you get the picture.

I like to say it this way, “My Dad is bigger! He can take care of you!” Each time I find myself being dragged to the pit of discouragement, I remind myself that the outcome is in His hands, not mine. My job is to obey and His is to watch over me, protect me, provide for me and deliver me. If I worship Him and focus on Him, I will laugh again because my hope is in the Lord.

Father, when I think of Your goodness and what You’ve done for me, there are no possible words to express the overwhelming feeling I have inside of me. Forgive me for allowing circumstances to distract me from my purpose. I’m your daughter! You’ve empowered me to burn brightly in this world and be contagious in my burning. If I focus on You and listen to Your voice, I will continue to be affective for Your Kingdom and purposes. It’s in Jesus’ name and for Your glory, Amen.

Matthew 25:14-27 Message “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.

“After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

“The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

“The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’ 

“The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

“‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’

This parable speaks of us as Christians who refuse to do what Jesus commissioned us to do. In Mark 16, Jesus said, “These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues, they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well.”

So what’s controlling you? Fear? Unbelief? Why are you living a powerless and unproductive life when the power of the Holy Spirit is inside of you? Have you been convinced that these things were only for the disciples of old? Have we believed the lies of the enemy of God, rendering us unfruitful?

When Jesus returns, will He find we’ve invested the priceless oil that is in us or buried it in a safe place?  Will He know us by our fruit or will we go unrecognized and cast away? Lots of questions today, not meant to be condemning, because these words have challenged me as well. I’m not satisfied to live my life for me any longer. I’m His 100% or not at all. I will not have Him return and not find me doing something with what He’s given me.

Father, what you did for me cost you dearly.  I can’t imagine the pain you felt when Jesus died to bridge the gap that sin had caused. Nor can I imagine the pain you feel each day when you see those who believe in you but refuse to walk in the power Jesus gave us when he sent the Holy Spirit. Daily watching as we walk around with our heads down and our teeth in our pockets and our hands in our mouth. I’m so sorry for missed opportunities, unspoken words and lack of action.

“My child, you’re already forgiven because what Jesus did, took care of ALL your sins, past, present and future ones. I set before you an open door, will you go through it? I said I would be with you always, even unto the ends of the earth. Will you believe me? Will you be consumed with the fire of my Spirit and light others ablaze? Trust me to follow with the signs and wonders I promised. I only need your voice, your hands and your feet. Don’t bury your treasure any longer for I have need of you.”

When I became born again, God set up residence in me. Just as in a marriage, He became one with me.  God’s spirit in me births things and as I speak it, it becomes a seed that takes root and grows and produces. Unproductive words are worthless. But the Word of God is alive, active and powerful. It always hits the mark. It’s what holds the universe in place.

The Spiritual world is the father to the material world. The physical world seems real because it affects our senses (sight, touch, smell and hearing) so if you’ve been feeding your physical world, more than likely you’ll be affected by those senses. But the spirit world is more real because the things that are seen are temporary, but the things not seen are eternal. (2 Corinth 4:18) Renewing your mind exchanges your thoughts for Gods.

If things aren’t working for you, you can trace it back to the way you’re thinking about it. You have to agree 100% with the Word. No doubting, no wavering, just believe. The Word of God is a mirrored reflection of what I already have. If I don’t release it, nothing will happen.

Let me go a little deeper there; As God spoke the worlds into existence, so am I to speak things that be not, as though they already are.  Mark 11:22-24 says; So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

How many times have you been so focused on external things, seeking to solve internal problems? Or focused on people, drama, losses and failures that you’ve missed the truth that’s just beyond, that must be seen first in the spirit realm. We have so much power in us if we’d only focus on Him.

When you’re focused on Jesus, you can do the impossible. Matthew 6:33 says, Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. What does that mean? Turn your eyes on Jesus and all he accomplished for us. Turn your eyes on His way of being and doing things. Turn your eyes on HIS righteousness, not your own.

When Jesus said, “All these things will be added to you,” He was talking about the things you need for daily living; food, drink and clothing.  If you take care of His work, His kingdom, He will take care of you. When you take care of feeding your spirit, fanning the flames, so that you may be light in a dark world, so that people can find their way to Him, through you, life suddenly becomes exciting and fulfilling.

Oh Father, sometimes I think it’s all about me! I get to looking at what I don’t have and become dissatisfied in life. Please forgive me! I forget to look to You and rely on You. At times I become self-sufficient, when You created and designed me for You, for worship and fellowship with You. So this morning, I worship and give You praise. I thank You for the Word and the power that goes with that Word. May it continue to bring revelation and power and demonstration in my daily life and the lives of others. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

We are spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body. Many of us spend a whole lot of time investing in our body. We control what we eat and drink, what we wear and how much exercise we get. There’s nothing wrong with exercise, but if that’s where all your attention goes, you’re missing something. Some of us invest a lot in our soul (our mind, will, emotions and intellect). We educate ourselves about everything. We are so very knowledgable about everything, but our emotions are unstable, our passions are uncontrolled and although we sound good and look good, we’re left empty.

When we were born again, we became a new creature in Christ Jesus, but it wasn’t our flesh that was born again, it was our spirit. Many of our spirits are exactly as they were when they were born, infants, trying to eat food it can’t yet digest. It’s so important that our spirit be changed but the only way to do that is to renew our mind with Gods Word. Once we begin to feed our spirit, it will bear witness with the truth of Gods word.

Our soul craves information, but when we give it the Word, it feeds the spirit so our spirit supersedes our flesh and will make the body and emotions yield. It puts the spirit man in charge. In I Corinthians 9:27, Paul explains that he disciplines his flesh and keeps it under control, not so that he will look good, but so that his spirit is always in control. Paul was a very educated man, but he quickly learned that education couldn’t feed his spirit, that had to be done as God gave revelation of the Word that was already in him.

The more time I spend with God allowing the Holy Spirit to teach me and lead me into all truth about that Word, the more insight I have to share. But also the truth of that allows me to walk in faith and belief in the God who is in me.

That’s really the bottom line, isn’t it Father? Believing in You! If I don’t believe, nothing works. Belief holds everything together. If I don’t, everything falls apart. That is why the devil is so after me to make me doubt, because with that comes unbelief, and unbelief brings nothing. You created me to do impossible things, not apart from You, but with You. Help my belief to be something You can work with in the earth. Do in me, what You need to do so that Your power can flow through me. It’s in Jesus’ name, Amen

Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.  James 5:10-11 MSG

We’ve all been there, right? Or is it just me who has cried out, “Enough already!” You know, when it seems life is like huge waves, relentlessly crashing against the side of your boat, threatening to capsize you.  You’re too far from shore to make it back alone and what you’ve seen so far doesn’t look hopeful you’ll survive.

As I read these verses, I thought of the persecuted prophets, imprisoned for speaking what God said to say.  Or how about Hosea who obeyed God and married a prostitute who bore him children. Each child was named by God as a prophetic word to Israel, and not all the names were good! (Read Hosea 1)

We tend to question God about everything, and if it doesn’t make sense, we just refuse to do it. I’m sure Abraham had questions in his mind when God told him to take his only son Isaac, and sacrifice him on a certain mountain.  What made him obey God with such an contrary request? He believed God! He remembered Gods promises of being the father of many nations through his son Isaac. He believed God could raise him up again to keep His covenant promise.

Looking back at all the great men and women of God I see one thing in common; they knew God and believed Him. Dictionary.com defines the word believe; to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so. Believing God will do what He said in His Word is having confidence in the truth.

So next time you’re overwhelmed by the onslaught of accusations, the discouragement of pending promises, the distance of the finish line, instead of saying, “Enough already!”, just lift your hands and say, “I believe You are faithful! You promised and even though I don’t see it yet, I know I will if I don’t give up.”

Father, I lift my hands to You in surrender to Your will and worship for Your grace and mercy. You formed me in my mothers womb and filled me with Your Spirit that I may be Yours in the earth. It’s never been about me, but always about You. I will keep my eyes on You regardless of what my feelings try to get me to believe. YOU ARE FAITHFUL! I will focus on that. I will go where You send me, do what You ask me and say what You tell me, then trust You have purpose for everything. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”  Isaiah 26:3

Each day as we get up in the morning and dress for our day, we have choices to make. Greater then, should I wear the blue shirt or the brown one is, what will my mindset be? Will I keep my mind on Jesus and the amazing things he’s done for me or will I focus on all of my problems and woes. Will I look for opportunities to show his love or will I focus on how horribly selfish everyone else is.

Life’s all about choices and what we choose to focus on determines where we’ll end up. That’s what I’m going for this Friday. To be in a constant state of trusting God so that His peace will accompany me wherever I go and whatever I do. I can’t be responsible for what anyone else does, just me! My choice is to assess every thought with a question; Does this take my thoughts toward God or away from Him? If it’s away, I’m not going down that road. If it takes me closer to God, I’ll stay right there.

I want His peace most of all.  Regardless of what comes my way, tries to distract me or steal from me, I will hold fast to His provision of perfect peace-nothing missing or broken! It’s a challenge sometimes, well most of the time, but I will continue casting down vain imaginations and everything that tries to be bigger than God.

My heart is set on you, Lord. It’s set on listening to Your voice and obeying Your whispers. You lead me into all truth and my heart trusts in You. I trust You with my body, my mind and my spirit. I trust You with my children, my husband and my finances. I trust You to keep Your covenant promises because they are YES and AMEN! To You be all glory and honor Lord God.

I’ve never been so excited in my spirit before and trust me, I’ve been pretty excited there as well. It feels like I’m about to collide with multiple God moments all at one time. The body of Christ is coming together in ways we’ve never seen or heard and it’s about to get extremely messy in a wonderful way.

I hear the Spirit say, “Get ready! This is the day I’ve chosen for you to shine!”

My mind immediately went to the story of Esther. She was one of many young women who were captured and taken to the palace to be prepared for the king. According to Esther 2:12, Before a young woman could take her turn to go in before King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments—six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics.

Some of us have been through a lot of preparation to be ready for our time with the King.  12 years times 12! We’ve waited in the shadows, hoping to be noticed, only to be dismissed for another. We’ve asked, “What good am I to the Kingdom? Will God ever choose me?” But something on the inside knows I was created for more.

So we keep focusing on who is in us and refuse to listen to the voice of defeat. We continue searching in His Word for the truth to refute the lies being whispered in our ears. It’s not for us to know the time, only to be ready when the time comes. It’s what Jesus said in Mark 13:33; “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.”

But it will come! The time will come for you if you’re watching, listening, loving, attentive to His voice. And don’t wait for man to ask you. If God sends you, go! Be very sure of this, if it’s Him calling, you will recognize His voice and when you say YES, He will also confirm His word and open doors for you. God qualifies and equips those He calls.

Father, may my words encourage others to do what You’ve asked of them. May they accommodate the call, not when they feel their ready, for it would be them. But may they rely heavily on You to cultivate the gift in them. Most of all, Lord, may they bear much fruit. So much in fact, that others come and eat from their branches. It’s in Jesus’ name we call out, “Here I am, send me!”

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.  Psalm 34:19

Last week I posted this on Facebook and realized that you may not of seen it, so I’ve put it in my blog hoping it would encourage you as well. It’s a constant struggle and a current battle we all face and must stay on our toes. If you find yourself struggling for air, putting your arms up opens up your airways. Well in the spiritual realm, putting your arms up in worship helps in a similar way. It opens you up to hear what the Spirit has to say.

Spiritual warfare is not fighting to get a victory as humans do. It’s contending for the victory Jesus already won for us. It’s not begging God for what you need, it’s reminding your enemy what God’s already provided.

When your territory is being threatened, hold up the shield of faith, grab the sword of the spirit (Word of God) and remind the thing that’s threatening you that its a done deal.  ^“Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 ERV

If you own a home but someone came and told you its not yours, what would you do? More then likely, you would show them your title deed and be done with it. But what if they didn’t leave? What if they got a corrupt lawyer who had a sheriff in his pocket and they tried to evict you from your home? I’m sure you would think it was a nightmare, right? The thought of having to hire a lawyer and go to court for something you own is ludicrous.

Yet we have handed over our title deed of healing and provision. We just accept everything that Satan throws at us. We don’t know our rights because we haven’t read God’s Word. We won’t take the time to search for our promises. We get upset about it, we whine and complain about it, but we do nothing, too lazy to contend for what is ours. We’ve become easy prey for our enemy. I Peter 5:8 says; Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

It’s time to stop asking for what is already ours and take a different approach. When you’re very sure, your confidence level goes from 0 to 100. When you have proof, you can take it to your advocate, Jesus, who stands before Gods throne pleading your case, and God will uphold His contract with you. How do I know it works? Because it’s in my contract!

Father, help me to consistently speak what Your Word says and not allow the enemy to steal, kill or destroy what You’ve placed in me to do. You have purpose for me! I will no longer lay down and play dead, hoping the devil will just leave me alone. I will look him in the eye with the confident assurance that You will deliver me from the hand of my enemy. You are my shield, my strong tower, I run to You and I’m safe. No weapon formed against me will prosper and every tongue that rises against me in judgement, You will put it down. It’s in Jesus’ Name I pray this, Amen.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 NASB

I remember as a child going to the altar every week because I had lied during the previous week. I knew that lying was a sin, what I didn’t understand was the complete forgiveness of God for past, present and future sins. Why? Because I was never taught that. My mind was programed to be sin conscious, not God conscious.

The only way I can be transformed is to reprogram my mind. How do I do that? Through reading the Word, meditating on the Word until I have complete understanding of who I am in Christ Jesus. You see, I can have a clean glass, but if I dirt in it, it’s going to be a dirty glass. The only way to change that is to clean it and put in the glass what the glass was meant to carry.

When we believe that Jesus was the son of God and we receive Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, He has cleaned our glass! Praise God for that, that my friend is a wonderful thing. But if we don’t fill our minds with the knowledge of our new identity, and learn about His benefits, we will live our lives the way we did prior to being cleaned, because being clean just isn’t enough to stay that way.

There is so much more! It’s time we learned that our Father not only owns the bank, He’s the banker and He wants to give us everything we need to live life. He’s not just the banker, He’s the healer. He’s not just the healer He’s everything we need! But we can’t believe what we do not know.

Allow the Word of God to wash away false thinking. His Word says we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. His Word says we are healed. His Word says we have more then enough to give unto every good work. His Word says nothing will by any means harm us. His Word says that we will do greater works then Jesus did. His Word says we are to make more disciples, but we can’t do that if we don’t know who we are.

Father, I ask that You open the eyes of my understanding that I may know the truth of Your Word. Replace old thinking for new. Wash my dirty glass so that I may drink freely of the knowledge of who I am. As I read the Word today, may I discover more and more truth about You and the DNA that is in me. I want to show You off to others. I’m proud that You’re my Father. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray this, Amen.