It’s my opinion that one of the best stories in the bible is that of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. God really did it up big on that one! This morning as I read in Exodus 14, I noticed that there’s a pattern to Gods deliverance; He always does it when there’s absolutely no other way so that no one will ever get credit for it but Him.

So after many plagues ending with the death of all the first born sons in the kingdom, Pharaoh finally relents and tells them to take their things and leave. Later he realizes that all of his free labor has left and who will build his city? So he gets all his troops together and pursues them and as the people see the great army approach them, they turn on Moses, griping and complaining that he brought them out to die. I love what happens next; verse 13-14 MSG 

Moses spoke to the people: “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you’re never going to see them again. God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!”

Yes he did say that, “Keep your mouth shut!” Why? Because when you’re facing your enemy, what you say with your mouth determines your victory. After all they saw in Egypt, the children of Israel still didn’t know what God was capable of.  Hear what happened next; Verses 15-18

God said to Moses: “Why cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites. Order them to get moving. Hold your staff high and stretch your hand out over the sea: Split the sea! The Israelites will walk through the sea on dry ground. 

 “Meanwhile I’ll make sure the Egyptians keep up their stubborn chase—I’ll use Pharaoh and his entire army, his chariots and horsemen, to put my Glory on display so that the Egyptians will realize that I am God.”

How do you know it’s God? I’ve asked this question and had it asked of me many, many times and this is what I’ve personally discovered. If it’s God, you can’t rationalize it, figure it out or make sense of it. It will be birthed through prayer and the Word and will come in a quiet moment with him.  It will seem totally impossible and nothing you can do in yourself. It won’t be anything you’re ‘gifted’ for. It’s usually so far outside your comfort zone that you need a bus to get there and the countryside is scary. If you make the mistake of sharing it with anyone that is not ‘way out there in the faith zone’, they will laugh and tell you, ‘You’re crazy, God doesn’t work like that anymore!’

Don’t try to make it happen, Gods just letting you in on a part of His ginorous plan. Call it an advance warning that your life’s about to be flipped upside down in a big way. Think of yourself as Gideon; the least of all his family, totally unqualified but called to do something great that won’t make a lot of sense and you won’t have to really do much of anything but walk in faith, believe and trust in a God that you can’t see.

Sounds easy, right. It’s all messed up! Over the span of time when you hear the call and the implementation of the plan, you will be on the most amazing journey of your life. You will get multiple prophetic words from various people you don’t know and who have no idea what God has told you. You will go through things and wonder if you heard right. By the time you reach your destination, you’ll be bruised, busted and disgusted but possess a faith in God that you’ve never had before in your life. You will no longer care about what people think, and what they say won’t faze you. You’ll have a resolve to keep your eyes on Jesus for as Paul said in Philippians 1:6 CEV “God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.”

Everything you go through is just part of the process, bringing you out of faith in you, to faith in God. Be of good cheer, my friend. You heard right! Don’t you worry about a thing. Just don’t give that another thought. Suffice it to know that you’re a part of His plan. Make yourself available for any and all He has for you along the way. It’s part of the process to grow you into the person he needs you to be to accomplish his purpose.  Remember that the you serve the same God who split the Red Sea and He still likes to do things in a big way.

So I asked the Lord, what makes my words so effective in the Spirit realm, because I know my words contain power and I don’t want to use them in error. He took me to Mark 11:22-24 GW “Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God! I can guarantee this truth: This is what will be done for someone who doesn’t doubt but believes what he says will happen: He can say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will be done for him. That’s why I tell you to have faith that you have already received whatever you pray for, and it will be yours.”

The focus He showed me was in the very first part of verse 22, “Have faith in God!” and he ends it the same way in verse 24, “have faith” that you’ve already received it when you say it. Why is it we say, ‘seeing is believing’ but God says you won’t see it in the natural until you see it in the spiritual realm. Did you catch that. Who are we to have faith in? God. It’s never about our ability, it’s about His.

Wait, so he’s asking us to trust him completely even when we don’t see it for years? Correct! What does it matter to you, you’re merely a servant of the Lord sent to do his bidding, the rest is all on Him. It’s not ‘positive speaking’ I’m talking about here. This is about spending time listening and speaking what God tells you to speak. If we are to be His voice in the earth then we must speak His Word to the earth. Did you catch that? The Word spoken over the earth in your closet has power, you don’t have to be heard by anyone but God.

Faith doesn’t come any other way but hearing (Romans 10:17). Let me say it this way, faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing, but if you never open your mouth to speak it, you will never see what you say come to pass. Faith without works is dead (James 2:20), faith without proclaiming can’t activate the end result. What else do the angels have to do but listen for the Word of the Lord. It only takes a little yeast to cause the bread to rise and it only takes vision of who God is to speak with authority and expectation.

So nothing has happened yet. What are you doing focusing on what you want? Jesus walked away from the fig tree fully knowing that God had heard him. When he returned, it was done. Let he who has an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the Bride. No more selfish prayers! No more ‘I want, I want, I want!’ He said to believe you receive when you pray and you’ll have it. Stop trying to figure God out, he’s God! No matter how well you know Him, you’ll never know all of him until He reveals himself to you. Just seek him, thats all he asks of you, ‘Seek me and you’ll find me if you seek me with all your heart.’ He’s not hiding from you. He said if we knock, he’ll open the door and have fellowship with us.

I recently heard someone say, “Stop doing things the same way expecting different results!” Well I would say, stop looking at the problem and look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He set the example, we must follow. Have faith in God!

Exodus 33:19 “Then the Lord answered, “I will show my love and mercy to anyone I want to. So I will cause my perfect goodness to pass by in front of you, and I will speak my name, Yahweh, so that you can hear it.”

Yahweh, the One who is. Last night after we finished our prayer meeting at church, everyone began to shout out who God is to them. I have a picture in my head of God leaning down to listen to the sweet things we said. I could tell it pleased Him, everything that was called out; Healer, Deliverer, King, Peace, Redeemer, Lover, Provider, Protector, Father and so many more. Isn’t it beautiful? As I sit at my desk this morning, my heart is overwhelmed that He is all these things to me each and everyday. 

How can His perfect goodness pass by in front of us if we don’t take the time to sit in his presence and wait upon him? He’s not in our busyness. He’s not in our agenda. He’s not in our T.V. or our radio. He’s in the stillness of your morning before the noise around you threatens your peace. He’s in the quiet cuddle time with your children and grandchildren as you tell them stories of the Good Shepherd. Before your mind gets crowded with what needs to be done, do life with Jesus. You can only give out of what’s inside you, so stop what you’re doing, close your eyes and invite Him in.

Holy Spirit, invade our lives with your great and mighty rushing wind. Fill us with the knowledge of who God is and what your plan is for us.  Cause us to crave you from the very depths of our soul. May we cry out with a loud, bold voice, “This is our God! He is everything to us and we are His people, commissioned to do anything for Him.” May our love and compassion magnify and consume others so that they too may know you through us as Healer, Deliverer, Provider, Protector and Lover. In Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen

2 Samuel 22:29-31 ESV,  “Lord, you are my lamp. You bring light into my darkness. With your help I can attack a troop of soldiers. With the help of my God I can climb over a wall. “God’s way is perfect. The word of the Lord doesn’t have any flaws. He is like a shield to all who go to him for safety.”

I remember visiting some caverns in Tennessee once and being led deep into the center only to have the lights turned off. Our guide used this time to explain how the earth looked at the beginning of creation. Ok, it was a bit spooky to say the least, but what a great illustration. The recorded voice boomed out, “And God said, ‘Let their be light! and there was light.’ Trust me, when that light came on, there was a collective sigh of relief.

I’ve experienced times in my life when I seem to stand in total darkness, not knowing which way to go and answers seem to allude me. It’s not a comfortable place at all. Should I go left? Should I go right? Should I change jobs?  Sometimes the hardest thing to do is the right thing; wait on the Lord. In the darkest moment, God is waiting for you to say, ‘You are my lamp! You bring light into my darkness!’ Waiting was never meant to be a comfortable place, it’s a place of pressure and fire, a place where our warrior skills are honed. A deciding place, a hiding place, a trusting place. It’s that place we learn where our allegiance lies. Will we fight for ourselves or for God? Will we stay true to His cause or continue walking with the masses?

Psalm 27:1 ERV states, “Lord, you are my Light and my Savior, so why should I be afraid of anyone? The Lord is where my life is safe, so I will be afraid of no one!” So my dear friend, if you find yourself in darkness, wait for the power to come back on. Unplug from your old sources and plug into Jesus, He is the light. Don’t fear the darkness, trust the Light. 

Hebrews 4:12 Amp “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”

This morning as I was reading the Word, I saw the words on the page move as if they were alive. I checked my glasses, rubbed my eyes, looked back and they began to dance on the page. This verse popped into my head so I looked it up in the amplified. Wow! Seriously! I did not expect that this morning. Perhaps thats why so little happens in our lives…..we don’t expect.

Everything that lives, moves, thats just a fact of life. Why shouldn’t the Word of God also move since it’s alive. Until we see it as living, we won’t expect it to bring life when we agree with it and speak it. I’m getting very excited in my spirit here. As a child, I was always accused of having an overactive imagination, making things up, some of you know what I’m talking about. What if I wasn’t making it up? What if God had placed in me the ability to see things that weren’t here yet but no one recognized that so it wasn’t encouraged or developed.

How many of you had a dream? Was it something God placed in you and did the enemy try to steal, kill and destroy the dream? Shoot, I still dream. I still have visions of things that haven’t happened yet. Does it mean I’m making it up? I don’t believe so. God is always looking for people who will step outside the boundaries this world places on them, those who will believe for impossible things, those who aren’t afraid to speak the Word over situations and circumstances of life and death with bold expectation of the supernatural appearing. I still see my paralyzed friend leaping out of her wheelchair. Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.

Time does not restrain God and we would do good to remember that. So the next time you read the Word, let it come alive to you. Let it dance the dance of the supernatural. Dream big! Dream long! Let the Spirit of the Lord work freely in you today. He’s watching for those he can trust with a dream bigger then their own. A dream that He laid out before the world was formed full of children who will believe and trust in His ability and not their own. Are you that dreamer?

Romans 12:2 GW “Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.”  

I’ve always loved the saying, ‘Think outside the box!’ Walt says I don’t just think outside the box, I live there! Well, I guess I’d rather live in a realm where there are few then in a crowded mess. If I merely want what the world wants all I’d have to do is follow aimlessly and just fit in, but we are admonished to be different or separate from the world. As children of the King, we have purpose that doesn’t fit with the purpose of the world. How do we do that? We can’t just hang around other Christians and be separate. Gods not talking about our dress or physical appearance. It’s not even keeping the big 10. No, it’s not the works we do but the words we say that make us different from the world. It’s not the rules but how we love that makes us unique. It’s being a giver instead of a taker. Being a part of something bigger then myself by finding my part in the body of Christ and acting and speaking like His sister. It’s not my appearance or education, but what I am is someone who dares to be different and who’s purpose is to make a mark on others that can’t be erased (in a good way, I hope!). I want to use my words to bless, not curse and encourage others to live a life of faith as well. I don’t see things like most folk, I try to gain heavens perspective and speak like my Father.

You can’t follow me around and imitate me! That would not be good, one Sandy in the world is MORE then enough. You must read Gods Word and follow after him. There’s no shortcut to being a Christian! You simply state, ‘Jesus, I acknowledge your sacrifice for my sin and make you Lord of my life. Be my teacher, I will be your willing student. Show me how to walk and talk like you.’ Then get out the text book (The Bible) and begin reading. I recommend getting a translation you can easily understand and read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John until you get the picture of who Jesus is, what he did and what he asked us to do. The more you know him, the more like him you’ll become.

Get ready for life outside the box! Lose your old way of thinking and speaking because in the Kingdom of God, we carry our sword (His Word) and know how to use it to change the world, one life at a time.

Psalm 19:14 GW “May the words from my mouth and the thoughts from my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my defender.”
Had me a little talk with my Father this morning about something near and dear to his heart. Words. It’s something we do everyday but don’t generally think about how they affect us, our world or the people around us.

I recently made a short trip to Michigan to visit Stacy and her family. While there, the kids were watching an episode of Dr. Who and although I tried not to watch (I despise sci-fi), there was a part toward the end that God brought back to my attention. It was toward the end and everyone in the world began saying the same thing and suddenly good prevailed.
I just can’t see Jesus saying something he didn’t mean. I’ve never read anywhere in the Bible where Jesus said, ‘Just kidding! Lighten up!’, but I have. I think Jesus had fun with people, but he knew the power of his words and he spoke accordingly. He made sure that what he said measured up with his Fathers Words.

What if everyone began saying what God says? What if our words brought healing to the sick, raised the dead, opened blind eyes and unstopped deaf ears? Not just while we’re praying, but at home, at work, at the store, everywhere we live daily. What if we began speaking to our children and grandchildren, our neighbors what the Word says instead of what we see and feel? What if we stopped agreeing with our feelings and placed our faith in what the Father says?

Words ushered in the world and words will usher in the return of Jesus Christ. I want to my mouth to be a powerful force in the lives of those close to me and far away. I want my prayers to be an effective weapon against the enemy. When I speak and declare a thing, I want my words to be established, set in stone just like my Fathers. So I confidently and boldly decree, I overcome by the word of my testimony! Signs will follow me wherever my words go because they are HIS Words and he brings life.

The difference between just speaking words over declaring a word is the power behind it. Mark 11:22-24 “Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. The truth is, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, mountain, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, then God will do it for you. So I tell you to ask for what you want in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours.” Having faith that God will back you up is the key to this whole concept that Jesus was trying to show us.

We don’t think twice about sitting in a chair. Why? Because we have faith that chair will do what it was made to do, it will hold us up. We have confidence that our power company will provide power to our house as long as we pay our bill. We place our trust in the chef at our favorite restaurant to prepare a fine meal for us. Yet when it comes to trusting God to back us up when we speak his Word, we hesitate.

Trust comes from knowing someone deeply and intimately. I have 37 years of trust built with Walt. I know him deeply and intimately. I trust him completely even though he’s human and makes mistakes, he’s a humble, servant-hearted man who loves and honors God by loving and honoring me. We don’t trust what we don’t know. Do you know God? I know God deeply and intimately, even though I’m not perfect, my Father is and he constantly covers my faults with his great grace and mercy. I trust him when I see and when I don’t see. I trust him with my life. When I get slammed by circumstances I can’t control, I simply do what I’ve always done, trust him. He’s never failed me, never left me alone, always gives me peace and joy in the middle of my mess. He’s stronger then Godzilla. Gentle as a lamb. Mighty defender of the weak. Do you know him?

He gave his only son to die as a one time sacrifice so that I could be restored to fellowship with him. He’s more then a quick fix, he’s a constant presence in my life. There’s no reason for anyone to not know him unless you’re just not doing what he’s called us to do. Be filled with His light so that we can be light to the world. Do you know him? 

Kings 18:41-45 ERV “Then Elijah said to King Ahab, “Now go eat and drink. A heavy rain is coming.” So King Ahab went to eat. At the same time Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel. At the top of the mountain, Elijah bent down. He put his head between his knees. Then Elijah said to his servant, “Go up higher and look toward the sea.”
The servant went and looked. He came back and said, “I saw nothing.” Elijah told him to go look again. This happened seven times. The seventh time, the servant came back and said, “I saw a small cloud the size of a man’s fist that was coming in from the sea.”
Elijah told the servant, “Go tell King Ahab to get his chariot ready and go home now. If he does not leave now, the rain will stop him.” After a short time the sky was covered with dark clouds. The wind began to blow, and a heavy rain began to fall. Ahab got in his chariot and started back to Jezreel.”
     Where are our men and women of faith? Faith to believe that God is a God of his Word and will do what he’s said he will do. We have lost our ability to really see. We look only in the natural and have become lazy in developing our faith. We must not lose hope! Faith is knowing that what’s been promised will without a doubt manifest, not in our timing, but when God gets the most benefit from it. We see only our own needs, He sees the multitudes.
     Lets look at Elijah in the story above; He declared to the king that rain was coming. When we hear from God, we hide it, not speaking of it for fear people will think we’re crazy, but declare it we must. That is the first key to realizing the promise. Secondly, he got on his face before God and prayed. He didn’t send his servant once, then get up and say, well then, guess I missed it. NO, he sent him 7 times until his servant came back with a report of a very small cloud. Last but certainly not least, he sent his servant to declare to the king that he needed to leave before the rain stopped him. He didn’t say, ‘Let’s wait till we see a few more clouds and then tell the king,’ no, he was that sure of the Word God had given him. He declared it in the beginning what would happen, prayed, then declared it again at the end.
     Some of us are holding on to a promise, wondering. Well wonder no more. Scoop up your faith in God, if you’ve lost it, begin to read stories like this one and tell yourself that God doesn’t do for one and not for another. It’s the enemy that tries to steal, kill and destroy. Hold on tight to your confidence in Gods ability to do far more then your tiny mind can imagine. He’s a faithful Father. What He says, He will do!

John 12:23-26 ERV, “ Jesus said to them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to receive his glory. It is a fact that a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die before it can grow and produce much more wheat. If it never dies, it will never be more than a single seed.  Whoever loves the life they have now will lose it. But whoever is willing to give up their life in this world will keep it. They will have eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me. My servants must be with me everywhere I am. My Father will give honor to anyone who serves me.”

Did you catch that? If it never dies, it won’t ever be more than a single seed. Ever wonder why things don’t work out like you think they should? Ever wonder why your dream has seemingly died? It’s a process to be more than just a single seed. It’s such a huge truth that I almost missed it.

You remember Joseph? You can find his story in Genesis 37. He had a dream, but after he shared it his brothers threw him in a pit and sold him into slavery. He went through a series of detours, accused of rape, imprisoned and forgotten until Gods plan was ready to unfold to save a nation. Sometimes we just think way too small. We’re ready for the big promise to unfold, we just don’t understand why it’s taking so long. We cry, we pray, we quit then repeat the cycle multiple times.  

How many times will we dig up our seed in an effort to see if it’s still there? Don’t we understand we’re only prolonging the end result? We must trust God! He has a plan that we can’t see or understand with our frail human thinking. It’s a matter of time and trust and seriously, we’re not very good at either of these. 

So next time you’re tempted to dig up the seed, perhaps you should look up and say these words: Father, never-the-less, not my will but yours be done. Hey, it’s what Jesus prayed in the garden when his flesh struggled with what he’d have to go through. He knew Gods plan was perfect even though he’d have to endure extreme suffering to bring it about. You haven’t been asked to hang on a cross yet! You’ve only been asked to pick up yours and carry it. 

So if your arm is tired of carrying your cross, look again. It’s a sword (the Word of God) that you can use daily to speak over every situation you face, every enemy you encounter to gain victory in your race. His Word is a seed and a weapon. Those who use it wisely will win.