Have you ever stood in faith for a promise that God made to you only to have people try to talk you out of it? I call them ‘naysayers’. They are constantly trying to inflict doubt and unbelief into every promise of God. ‘Are you sure that’s for you? Perhaps God doesn’t want you to have it? Healing isn’t for everyone, you know. Did God REALLY say that? You’d better get to the doctors cause that sounds very serious! God doesn’t give out money, you have to earn that!’ The list goes on and on, doesn’t it? We all have them in our lives, don’t we. The sad thing is, these are most often ‘believers’ who say these things.

What voice will you listen to? God’s voice or theirs? Psalm 89:34 says, “My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.” Philippians 4:19 says He’ll supply all our needs; that can’t be altered. Psalm 103:3 says He’ll forgive all our iniquity and heal all our diseases; that can’t be altered. Unless you open your mouth and refute the voice of doubt and unbelief with the Word of God, you’ll become unstable, wishy washy, undecided and doubtful and easily discouraged. 

You can’t expect good things to come out of corrupted mind. If you have a well for your drinking water and discover that a dead animal is in the water, it’s corrupted and if you drink from it, you will get sick and die. It’s the same with your thought life. If you allow dead thoughts to sit in your mind, entertain those thoughts long enough and you’ll die.  Proverbs 23:7a says; As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.  

If you’re standing in faith for something, keep away from the naysayers! Don’t let the words come in to your mind. Don’t dwell on them, cast them down. II Corinthians 10:5 says, “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” There it is right there. We must be convinced that God is God and every man a liar. We must be sure of the promises of God, that they are yes and amen. We must shut out the voice of the enemy that comes to steal, kill and destroy. We must be fully persuaded that He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond anything we can imagine, according to the power that works in us.

Father, I ask that you purify my mind, cleanse me of every contrary thought that would cause me to doubt your promises. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. I will hold fast to the promises you’ve made to me. I trust in you!

I love it when you’re just reading along and suddenly you see something that jumps out at you, a reminder of what a well thought out plan God made so that we could walk with Him and talk with Him daily as Adam did in the garden. A story of redemption, one that bridged the wide gap between God and man and restored us to our rightful place of communion with Him.  He made us to be rulers of everything on this earth, that sin would not have dominion over us anymore. A long awaited sacrifice driven by the love He had for humanity, His creation. He wanted us to rule over sinful desires, not let them rule over us. He even gave us His Spirit to lead us into that truth just as Moses led the people from Egypt, yet we deny Him that leadership, thinking we know a better way.

Romans 8:5-8 states;  People who live following their sinful selves think only about what they want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about what the Spirit wants them to do.  If your thinking is controlled by your sinful self, there is spiritual death. But if your thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace.  Why is this true? Because anyone whose thinking is controlled by their sinful self is against God. They refuse to obey God’s law. And really they are not able to obey it.  Those who are ruled by their sinful selves cannot please God.

Following our own way leads us into deeper despair and darkness where following God’s way leads us to life and freedom. Our way leads to hopelessness, a sense of circling the same mountain over and over, wondering if there’s a way out. Following God’s way brings peace and hope, safety and ease. 

Verse 9;  But you are not ruled by your sinful selves. You are ruled by the Spirit, if that Spirit of God really lives in you. But whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ.

What does that mean to have the Spirit of Christ? Well, it clearly states that Jesus was the Son of God and that Gods Spirit was in Him, so when we accept Jesus as our sacrifice for sin, we die to ourselves and freely give ourselves in service to Him, God. A free slave of right. A laid down lover of the ways and purposes of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Jesus came to do the will of the Father, now it’s our turn. We lay down our plans, hopes and dreams so that HIS plans, hopes and dreams may come to pass on the earth. 

Verse 14-17; The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba, Father.”  And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children.  If we are God’s children, we will get the blessings God has for his people. He will give us all that he has given Christ. But we must suffer like Christ suffered. Then we will be able to share his glory.

‘Now Sandy, you were doing real good until you included that very last verse. I don’t want to suffer like Christ suffered. I don’t want to end up on a cross being crucified for things I didn’t do. I don’t want people to ridicule me, accuse me, kick me out of church. Can’t I just skip my way through life like everyone else, not making waves, just being ‘normal’?’ Sure you can! No one is forcing you to follow after God. But if you want the blessings God has for His children, you must get out of the boat and learn to walk on water. You must allow the Spirit of God to speak to you and you must be willing to obey. 

I encourage you to read the entire book of Romans because Paul shows so clearly what this journey is all about. From the beginning, God had a plan and that plan will soon be revealed. I don’t believe that everyone will be on board with His plan. There will be those who just will not give up their desires and plans for Him. Let me close with these verses just to give you something to think about, verses 28-30; We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. These are the people God chose, because that was his plan.  God knew them before he made the world. And he decided that they would be like his Son. Then Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters.  God planned for them to be like his Son. He chose them and made them right with him. And after he made them right, he gave them his glory.

Though the cost be great, O God, I will work for you. This world is not my home, you’ve purchased my freedom with great cost to yourself and your Son was the ultimate sacrifice. If He who knew no sin could die for me, I who sinned greatly and was forgiven can live for you. 

Friday morning after I had my time of prayer, I asked the Lord if he wanted to say anything specific to me. This is what I heard Him speak; “Watch your words. Judge every thought against my Word, if it’s not of me, cast it down. It’s crucial that you hear me and do as I say. If it doesn’t line up with my Word, don’t speak it out of your mouth.”

This morning as I was meditating on that, I heard Jesus’ in Mark 11:22-24; 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.

I realized something, how many times have we believed bad things would happen to us and because we believed it and didn’t doubt, they came to pass? How many times have we allowed fear to be the foundation of our words, the motivation of our thoughts? We fear something is wrong, we speak our fears, we go to the doctor and have our fears confirmed then we pronounce the diagnosis and tell it to everyone we meet. Then we go to church and ask for prayer to get rid of the thing we feared, spoke and received. Do you see the foolishness in all of that? We even blame God or say that ‘healing isn’t for everyone’ or ‘I tried that and it didn’t work’, when it was clearly not God nor His will, it was simply what we chose to think on and speak out.

We need to be looking for what God’s Word says about the situation we face, have faith in God, stand on His promises and let His Word do it’s perfect work in us. Is anything too difficult for God? Is anything impossible with God? One drop of the blood of Jesus is enough to cover all sin, sickness and disease. Jesus died for that. Jesus ROSE for that. Anything else is heresy, a lie and need not come out of our mouth. What are we thinking on? What are we speaking out?

Psalm 19:14 is my prayer today; Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. May I think on your Word so that Your Word comes out of my mouth. You are my strength when I’m weak, you have redeemed me from the curse of sickness and disease. You’ve redeemed me from poverty and oppression. You’ve set me free from wrong mind sets and old fears. You came to bring life and not just life, but abundant life. My life is rich because of you, Lord. You cause me to daily walk in your ways because I set my thoughts on you. May my words be Your Words and may you be exalted in what I say and do today, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Sunday morning as we were listening to the Word, getting ready for church, the Holy Spirit showed me something that I can’t get out of my head. A few years back, we decided to plant a tree in the front yard to help shade the house. The morning sun just heats the house up so quickly and we felt that eventually, our power bill would go down a little it we did this. We decided to purchase from a local woman who had her own business and stopped to talk with her about which tree would be the best choice for us. After hearing that the oak tree grew fastest down here and would provide the best shade, we made our selection and placed it in the back of Walts truck. What she said to us before we left is what the Lord brought back to my mind. “Be sure and water it everyday for a month, that’s what causes the roots to go deep. If you don’t, the roots will grow shallow and the first big storm that comes along will blow that tree over.”

Psalm 1:1-3 says; Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers. Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord and reflects on his teachings day and night.  He is like a tree planted beside streams—a tree that produces fruit in season and whose leaves do not wither. He succeeds in everything he does.

Ephesians 5:26 “ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” When we read the Word, it cleanses us but it also deeply roots us. Who doesn’t want that? I don’t want the first storm that comes, blow me over! I remember at age 15 when I was saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit, I was hungry for the Word. I couldn’t read it enough. Perhaps that’s why I’m deeply grounded in my faith, I watered everyday.

After I got married and had children, I got out of the habit of daily reading the Word. Stuff happens in life to distract us but we don’t have to stay there. I’m thankful for our pastors wife who encouraged, no, made it part of our homework in her class, that we read the Word and journal everyday for 30 days. After that, we could do with it what we wanted. Needless to say, I’m still doing it. Don’t think that because you’re older that your roots can’t still go deeper. Don’t think, ‘it’s too late for me’, that’s a lie from the pit of hell. It’s never too late to grow. Ask your body, it’s constantly gaining or losing weight based on what you consume. Shouldn’t your spirit man grow as well?

End result; bearing fruit and leaves that don’t wither. Success in everything we do. With long life He will satisfy us and show us His salvation. What a wonderful promise, the promise of fruitfulness. Everything that’s planted and watered takes root and grows. The amount of watering determines the depth of the root system and the fruit that it bears. 

I pray for you, my friend. That people will be drawn to partake of your fruitfulness. That you will provide them shade and rest, encouragement and peace. That you will lay hands on the sick and they will recover simply because you’re rooted and grounded in Him. May the beauty you reflect draw all men to Jesus. 

Philippians 4:6-9 ERV; Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable.  Practice what you’ve learned and received from me, what you heard and saw me do. Then the God who gives this peace will be with you.

So often, satan tries to convince us that what God has promised will never come to pass, but we are not to do that. Paul said to never worry about anything. Why? Because worry produces doubt, which gives way to fear, which negates our faith. In other words, we have to manage our mind. That’s right, we must control what we think on and what we talk about because what we think on determines the outcome of our situation.  We must agree with what the Word says, not with what our circumstances dictate to us.

I love Proverbs 24:5; A strong man knows how to use his strength, but a person with knowledge is even more powerful.

Why do you think that is? Because if I know the Word, have knowledge of what it says about me and the authority I have through Jesus Christ, I will be more powerful than a physically strong man. Spirit trumps flesh every time. What? Yes, that’s right. Abraham was fully persuaded that what God said, he would do (Romans 4:21). He continually meditated on the promise of God and trusted in God’s ability to do what He’d promised. You know what that did? It built his faith. You never hear one time of Abraham telling his best friend that He just couldn’t believe anymore, it had just been too long, he’s too old. No, he had given birth to that promise in his spirit when God took him outside his tent and told him to count the stars. He knew that whatever God promised, he would do it.

Proverbs 30:32 GW; If you are such a godless fool as to honor yourself, or if you scheme, you had better put your hand over your mouth.

That means if you honor or think more highly of your self, have more confidence in your words rather than God’s Word, you’d better watch yourself or shut your mouth. No one can top what God says. He has the final say about your past, present and future. When you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, He washed away your sins. Gone. Done deal! When you bring up something that’s under the Blood, you are telling God that the Blood was just not good enough to cleanse you from all unrighteousness, you dishonor God. Either trust Him and His Word or walk away because you can’t do both. 

If you’re reading this right now and are thinking it’s just too hard, you need to get back to reading the Word more than you do anything else because you can’t trust in what you don’t know. You’re allowing the cares of this world to choke out the Word and make it watered down and ineffective. You can’t walk by faith focused on the problem, you must focus on the promise. You can’t focus on the promise if you don’t KNOW the promise and you can’t KNOW the promise if you don’t read the Word. It can’t get much more simple than that!

Father, give us a hunger for your Word. It is the bread of life to our spirit and flesh. We suffer from spiritual malnutrition if we don’t feed on your promises and daily build faith and confidence in your ability over all else. Give us deep roots, so that the storms of life don’t cause us to topple over. You are our hope and our foundation. We trust in you.

Ephesians 3:16-19 NLT; I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  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.

Isn’t it wonderful to have unlimited resources at our disposal? To tap into a love so powerful that makes everything you go through, only deepen and strengthen that love? Makes sense that if God is love and we are his children, that our very foundation, our DNA is love. If we truly want to draw closer to God, we must also draw closer to love. When we trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives, we invited love to be our primary response to everything and everyone around us. 

I’ve watched marriages change before my eyes when men and women experienced the deep love of God. It’s dissolved years of hate, bitterness and strife, irreconcilable differences, division all because of this God like love. It springs up from deep within, like a geyser of cool, clear healing water, leaving nothing behind but joy, peace and freedom. Gone is self loathing. Gone is self centeredness. Gone is manipulation and control. Paul said it best above, “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.”

Our pursuit of power is a waste of time and effort when it’s all found in trusting the gift of the Father, LOVE. What a priceless gift. John 15:13 says; “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” That’s just what Jesus did, he lay his life down so that in planting that great love, a huge harvest of deep lovers would be grown in the earth. You, me, we were made to love and love deeply. Our love should not need words.  Our love should be evidence of who we are and WHOSE we are. Our love should reach out to everyone our lives touch so that we leave traces of love on each heart, each life. When they ask why we’re doing these things, our response should simply be, it’s what our Father told us to do, love others and you are loved.

Hebrews 12:1-4 NLT; Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.  Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.  Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

Since this is Passover month, I was reminded last night of the intense struggle with Pharaoh to free the children of Israel. Even after God heard their cry and sent them a deliverer, Moses, who He had set up to be a spokesman for the people. Even through all the plagues that God sent onto the Egyptians and the repeated refusal to let the people go. When things went from bad to worse for the children of Jacob and the demands for production went up until they couldn’t physically keep up. All these things happened so that the mighty wonders of God would be seen in Egypt. How else would the people of God trust to know God was able to do exceedingly more than they could ask or imagine?

So while you’re running your race and your life looks hopeless, your finances look hopeless, your job situation looks hopeless, nothing seems to be working out right, your family and friends think you’re crazy, there seems to be no end in sight, remember this my dear fellow runner; God is setting you up for the greatest season yet, your deliverance is fast approaching. Get ready to move forward, no looking back. Stay in your secret place with God. Get familiar with His voice. Listen and obey even if it makes absolutely no sense at all. God wants to show off big time in your life where He alone will get the glory. There will be no mistaking that He’s kept you from disaster. There will be no wondering who is responsible for THIS blessing. 

Remember that Jesus is now seated in a place of honor with all authority and power in his hands. He didn’t get there by God waving a magic wand, he ran his race. So I encourage you, keep running. Don’t keep looking back or wondering how far you have left to go, keep running. Ask God to strengthen you along the way because that is what He does. You’ve come this far by faith, leaning on His arm, trusting in His Word, He’s never failed us nor will He. The finish line is in sight now. You can do this.

I pulled up Biblegateway this morning and found this scripture as the daily verse, but what drew my attention was the announcement at the beginning: 

For the Third Time Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life

Matthew 20:17-19 When Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he took the twelve apostles aside and said to them privately, “We’re going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to foreigners. They will make fun of him, whip him, and crucify him. But on the third day he will be brought back to life.”

Whats with the 3rd time? What significance does that have? I’m not a biblical scholar by any means, just a lover of the Word and a deep thinker, but seriously, odd that it was his 3rd time telling he would be raised on the 3rd day. So I looked it up and according to Rabbi Dr. Hellil ben David;

“The number 3 is used in the Torah to mediate between two opposing or contradicting values. The 3rd value mediates, reconciles and connects the two. Time is divided into three portions: The past, the present, and the future. The position in time that is most expressive of the non-physical is the present, because it is so fleeting and instantaneous. The function of that time, the present, is its service as connector. The number three expresses connection. According to Jewish law, once something is done three times it is considered a permanent thing. This is called a “chazakah“. Once we have done something three times, we have connected to it and connected it to this world.”

Isn’t that interesting? What Jesus was doing by saying it 3 times was making the connection between past, present and future. He was making it permanent thing. He connected himself to it and connected it to this world. OMG! That gets me so excited! Thats what I love about the Word of God, it’s so rich and full and purposeful. I’m so glad I didn’t miss this nugget of truth this morning. 

More than anything, I want my words to have purpose as well. I want to connect myself to the promises of God and have those promises connected to me. That’s why it’s so important to speak the Word over your life over and over again. Job 22:28 says, “You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.” Shine on me, Lord, that I may see the way you want me to take and say the things you’d have me to say.

Technology is great, isn’t it, especially when you take a trip to an unfamiliar city. You can pull up GPS, give your phone an address and it will direct you right to your destination.  Not sure where you want to eat? You can say, “find restaurants” and there they are on your screen. Want to find out what’s showing at the movies? You can do that sitting in the car because there’s an app for that.

What I REALLY love is the Bible app. Wherever I am, where ever I go and need direction, I can consult the Word on my phone and find out what God says about any situation at any time, anywhere. Psalm 119:133 says, “Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.” Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” Psalm 119:105, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path.” 

I love what Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” When was the last time you allowed the Word to wash your mind, to renew your thoughts? What controls your mind? The news report you watch on T.V.? The chaos in the lunchroom at work? You were created to make a difference in the world but if you don’t exchange your thoughts for His thoughts, you won’t offer the world any hope of anything other than what the see around them. 

I’ve seen people receive a diagnosis from the doctor and go online and research it until they are so focused on the disease that they’ve forgotten that God has the final say and He says that Jesus took all their diseases on the himself so they don’t have to. They haven’t washed their minds with the Word. It’s like an after thought when it should be the first thought. What does the Word say about that?

I don’t know what you’re facing today, but if you’ll do this one simple thing, renew your mind in His Word, you’ll find the hope you need and the assurance that God has an app for that. You can apply the blood of Jesus to that problem, that disease, that lack, because His Word is alive, powerful and like a surgeon, cuts out the bad so that the new can live. I trust Him over any doctor, banker or employer. I trust Him over our president, financial adviser or real estate agent. I trust Him over my bank account, my paycheck, my bills. Though I’ve failed Him many times, His Word never fails and He never leaves me or forsakes me. Every promise in that book is mine and I claim it by the blood of the Lamb.

You may be directionally challenged as I am at times, but you have a compass that is always true; God’s Word. His Spirit leads you into all truth. Open up your heart to Him and allow the peace and presence of the Lord to fill you up to overflow, spilling out onto whatever you’re facing today.  There is always a better way, sometimes you just have to look for it.

There’s just something about the stillness of the morning, the whisper of my Father, inviting me to come and sit with him. How can I refuse such an invitation. His presence washes over me like refreshing water on a hot, humid day. He brings such hope, such joy. I sit with a smile on my face, basking in the sunshine of his love. For so many years I rushed through my morning getting the kids ready for school and myself out the door for work that I ran past the secret place, wondering how on earth I could ever fit one more thing in my morning. Don’t misunderstand me, I was mindful of the Lord. I’d have Creflo Dollar or Joyce Meyer playing as I got ready for work and it was in my head during the day, but this, what I do now is like WOW!

At first, I didn’t think I could get up any earlier to set apart before my day began. I hated the very thought of ‘routine’, thinking it would turn me into my husband who is nothing BUT routine. Afraid of the ‘box’ it would put me in, not realizing that God always keeps it interesting and never takes me to the same place in the same way. Now I wake up wondering, what will He show me today? Where should we read? What do you want to say to me and teach me?

This morning I distinctly heard the words from Psalm 46:10; “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” What I hear in this is, “Let me take care of all this. I don’t need your help with any of it. I will be big in the whole earth and everyone will know that it was me. Just lay back in my arms and watch. Enjoy the view! Things always look differently from up here.”

I don’t know what you’re facing, but I needed to hear that. I love that God cares about everything we face. He never intended for us to stress about anything, he simply says, “Be quiet and know I have this!” We try so hard to fix everything ourselves only to make such a mess of it and us, then we want Him to clean it up. Lets just take our hands off it and trust his very capable hands to do it for us. He said he’d direct our steps so how about we just take time to listen and obey. 

Psalm 91 NIRV is my prayer today: The person who rests in the shadow of the Most High God will be kept safe by the Mighty One. I will say about the Lord,“He is my place of safety. He is like a fort to me. He is my God. I trust in him.” He will certainly save you from hidden traps and from deadly sickness. He will cover you with his wings. Under the feathers of his wings you will find safety. He is faithful. He will keep you safe like a shield or a tower. You won’t have to be afraid of the terrors that come during the night. You won’t have to fear the arrows that come at you during the day. You won’t have to be afraid of the sickness that attacks in the darkness.
You won’t have to fear the plague that destroys at noon. A thousand may fall dead at your side. Ten thousand may fall near your right hand. But no harm will come to you. You will see with your own eyes how God punishes sinful people. The Lord is the one who keeps you safe. So let the Most High God be like a home to you. Then no harm will come to you. No terrible plague will come near your tent. The Lord will command his angels to take good care of you. They will lift you up in their hands. Then you won’t trip over a stone. You will walk all over lions and cobras. You will crush mighty lions and poisonous snakes. The Lord says, “I will save the one who loves me. I will keep him safe, because he trusts in me. He will call out to me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in times of trouble. I will save him and honor him. I will give him a long and full life. I will save him.”

You are my home, Lord. I will be quiet and rest in your peace. You have this!