Psalm 8:3-9 ERV  I look at the heavens you made with your hands. I see the moon and the stars you created. And I wonder, “Why are people so important to you? Why do you even think about them? Why do you care so much about humans? Why do you even notice them?”  But you made them almost like gods and crowned them with glory and honor. You put them in charge of everything you made. You put everything under their control. People rule over the sheep and cattle and all the wild animals. They rule over the birds in the sky and the fish that swim in the sea. Lord our Lord, your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!

He made us rulers, yet we know so little about ruling. Rulers utter a decree and it’s law, but we don’t know the value of our words and speak as though they mean so little. A king commands with authority, yet we have convinced ourselves we have no authority, or try to use it in the natural rather than as God showed us to use our words. James 5:16b AMP says; The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].

Where are the prayer warriors who stand in the gap? Those who intercede for our missionaries, our children and our land? Who will declare the Word of the Lord over children and grandchildren, this next generation who have lost vision of right and wrong? Willing to rise early to call out, willing to get up in the night and pray.  We long for the return of Christ, but he won’t return until the great harvest of souls. Who will call out for the lost? Who will put down the desires of their flesh to fast and pray? II Chronicles 7:14 says; if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Father, I cry out to you, forgive my sins, those known and unknown. Give me a heart after you, one that loves like you and wants no one to die in their sin. Help me to cry out in private so that I can see a harvest of souls. It must start with me. I must humble myself and seek your face. ME! Most of all, help me to walk in the authority you created me to have. That I would not disappoint you. May I be your faithful, obedient servant until you return to take me home. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

There’s nothing that makes you appreciate what you have more than when you’ve been in a season of lack.  Like the 3 years I spent in Haiti when I first moved there, we lived in a small town (much larger now), rented a four room house for 6 people with no electricity or running water. There was no indoor plumbing, only a two seater outhouse located just outside the back door. It was extremely inconvenient, especially when the whole family got dysentery. Trust me, all pride went out the door in a hurry when that urge hit you. No cold water to drink, no air conditioning, no fans, no turning on the faucet to fill a pan with water.  We hired ‘water boys’, young neighborhood boys who would carry buckets of water for 2 pennies each from the common faucet at the city market 1/4 mile down the street to fill our 55 gallon drum so we could do dishes and laundry by hand.  Every evening, we’d drive the van or walk to the spring which was located 1/2 mile away, bathe in our swim suits after dark and then go back home, climb into bed and try to go to sleep in unbearable heat.

I hope that makes you feel better about your current situation, whatever it is. I will tell you this, I seldom complain about what I go through because I realize that somewhere in the world, someone is far worse off than I am.  I’ve learned to be thankful! Our central air went out 2 years ago in the middle of summer but we had the money to buy a window unit that keeps the house around 78 in the summer, but best of all, keeps the humidity out. I’m thankful. Running the central air, our power bill was twice as much as it is right now so we’ve decided we’ll just keep it the way it is. We’re thankful.

Walt used to call me a hopeless optimist, but it’s merely a thankful heart. I choose to look at the bright side of things.  I talked with a homeless woman who looked like such a stately woman and asked her story. She had a great job as an executive in a local company when they downsized and she lost her job. When her money was gone and no one would hire her because she was older and over qualified, she lost everything she had and ended up homeless. Everyday she put on her best clothes and heels, walked to the bus stop and looked for work. She wasn’t a quitter, regardless of what had happened in her life, she didn’t allow it to redefine her into a ‘homeless’ person. She looked at where she was as a temporary setback.

How are you looking at your test, your trial? Are you so focused on the bad that you overlook the good in it? Are you setting up house in your current situation, trying to get comfortable cause you know you’ll be there the rest of your life or are you leaving your bags packed, watching and waiting, positioning yourself for promotion? Where you are today is not where you’ll be tomorrow. Keep your eyes open, your ears open, watching for opportunities to share the love of God. When this is over, you’ll probably face more trials. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but if you’re hungry for God and long to be used by Him, that transition and shifting will not always be uncomfortable but necessary to place you where He needs you to be.

Ephesians 6:10-13 ERV; To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 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. That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.

“The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back! No turning back!”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But those who trust in the Lord will be blessed. They know that the Lord will do what he says. They will be strong like trees planted near a stream that send out roots to the water. They have nothing to fear when the days get hot. Their leaves are always green. They never worry, even in a year that has no rain. They always produce fruit.”

Wouldn’t you love to be productive regardless of the season? I love the picture these verses give. My mind instantly goes to Psalm 1:1-3 where David sings of the benefits of choosing God: Great blessings belong to those who don’t listen to evil advice, who don’t live like sinners, and who don’t join those who make fun of God.  Instead, they love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night.  So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream—a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful.

See the similarity? Jeremiah says; Those who trust in the Lord are blessed and they know their God, they know he will do what he says. They will be strong, deeply rooted and productive even when there’s no rain. David says; They love the Lords teaching and think about them all day and night, thats how they grow to be so strong, like a tree that produces when it should and it’s leaves never fall. Everything they do succeeds.

And that my dear friends, is how we grow in trusting the Lord regardless of what happens around us. We are so focused on Him and doing what He instructs us, we barely notice the storm. I’m learning that if my focus is right, my outcome will be productive. There is one truth and that is His truth. If I really know Him, I trust Him. What I see going on around me is subject to change by the Word thats in my heart and comes out of my mouth. If I don’t use the treasure that’s in me, it won’t benefit me. If I overcome by the blood of Jesus and the word of my testimony, than I must activate the Word that is in me by speaking it into the atmosphere. I can only say what is in my heart.

Psalm 19:14 says it this way; “May my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock—the one who rescues me.” Even David had tried and tested God’s Word and His ability to rescue him. He knew that the key was his thoughts and words. What are you saying? What is coming out of your mouth? Is it produced by fear of what’s happening in your body, or have you found the Father to be healer and restorer. Than declare that with your mouth; Father, you are my healer and just as the leper who came back to thank you, out of my worship, I too will be restored. You are the God who heals me. Nothing is impossible for me because I trust in your Word.

Whatever you face, regardless of the domino affect you see in the natural remember this; God is waiting for you to believe His Word over everything you see. Mark 11:24 in the words of Jesus himself; “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Can’t get much clearer than that, can you! He wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it. Regardless of how long the battle, believe you receive and you will have it. Daniel stayed in prayer for 40 days before his answer came! We want it NOW and refuse to wait in the presence of the Lord for instructions. If it doesn’t go away immediately, we go straight to another source. No wonder we’re in the mess we are today, we have yet to learn to wait on the Lord and learn that His Word never fails. Productive means bearing fruit. Are you?

Joshua 5:13-15 ERV;  When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man had a sword in his hand. Joshua went to the man and asked, “Are you a friend to our people or are you one of our enemies?” The man answered, “I am not an enemy. I am the commander of the Lord’s army. I have just now come to you.” Then Joshua bowed his face to the ground to show respect and said, “I am your servant. Does my master have a command for me?” The commander of the Lord’s army answered, “Take off your sandals. The place where you are standing is holy.” So Joshua obeyed him.

Interesting insight here; respect and honor is always required before instruction is given. Perhaps if the children of God would respect and honor the Word of God, they would get the instructions they need to get victory over what they face. Joshua’s predecessor experienced a similar thing when standing in the valley and saw a burning bush, remember? He was told to take his sandals off because he was standing on holy ground. Once he complied, the Lord gave instruction. 

Let’s continue in Joshua 6:1-5: The gates of the city of Jericho were closed. The people in the city were afraid because the Israelites were near. No one went into the city, and no one came out. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I will let you defeat the city of Jericho. You will defeat the king and all the fighting men in the city.  March around the city with your army once every day for six days. Tell seven of the priests to carry trumpets made from the horns of male sheep and to march in front of the priests who are carrying the Holy Box. On the seventh day march around the city seven times and tell the priests to blow the trumpets while they march.  They will make one loud noise from the trumpets. When you hear that noise, tell all the people to begin shouting. When you do this, the walls of the city will fall down and your people will be able to go straight into the city.”

There you have it! Instruction following respect and honor. What was the next step? He delivered the message to the people with authority, they obeyed and God gave them the city exactly as He said would happen. What can we learn from such a great story? Regardless of how absurd the instruction is, we must follow it to the letter if we want to see victory. We keep expecting God to deliver us but refuse to do the most important part; read the Word, listen and obey. We must learn that when we act, it shows we trust Him to deliver. 

You may say, “Sandy, I’ve done this and nothing happens.” Oh, something is happening, trust me! Wars are won in the spirit realm before we see it in the natural realm. Thats why Paul said in Ephesians 6:12-13; 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.  That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.

God is training an army who will not flinch or be distracted when facing their enemy. An army that trusts their Commander, honors and respects His orders enough to follow instructions to the letter and never give up. To leave family and earthly comfort, go through boot camp and learn that their life no longer belongs to them, it belongs to Him.  Are you one of the remnant of believers? The laid down warriors who are sold out, signed up and ready to serve to the end? Well? This is a call to those who are a part of that great army of lovers; Take up your cross, the great Word of God and follow Him. We are one large army blended into a single unit of believers that look like Christ, act like Christ and follow Christ’s leadership.

You normally cannot see the root of a thing but you can see the effects of it. You have to go into the unseen to affect the seen. Speak to the root. Bill Winston

What a simple but profound statement. You have to go into the unseen to affect the seen. Jesus demonstrated this picture in Mark 11:20-24 when he spoke to the fig tree or prophesied it’s end, this is what happened: 

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”  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 did Jesus go into the unseen to affect the seen? With his words. You will find this one thing about Jesus as recorded in the gospels; there was always purpose for his words.  Not one time do you hear him say, ‘You’re killing me, Peter!’ or ‘That will be the death of me’ or ‘I can’t eat that, I’ll end up in a diabetic coma!’ Our problem is that we use our words for whatever we feel like, thinking there will be no affect on us, when the Bible clearly states that life and death are in the power of our tongue and those who love it eat the fruit of it. Basically it’s telling us, you’ll live or die by what comes out of your mouth.

Father, may my words be measured, watching what I say, knowing that there is indeed power in them. I can bring life or death to others based on my words. I can encourage and build up or carelessly tear down and destroy. Make my words count for your Kingdom, for your glory. May I be a life giver, speaking what you say. Any bad root that has been formed by my careless words, either in me or others, I curse them to dry up, wither and die.  May they be replaced by words of love, peace and joy. May your Holy Spirit do a lasting work in my heart and the heart of those who would perhaps read this blog. Help us to practice speaking good things over others and ourselves, even in private where we think no one will hear it, may we never open our mouths to speak our own judgements but believe the best of everyone. We can only do this with your help, so we ask it in Jesus’ Name. Amen

Jeremiah 42:4-6 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard. Indeed, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and it shall be, that whatever the Lord answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.”  So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the Lord your God sends us by you.  Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”

When I read this, there were a couple trains of thought; People trusted the voice of the prophet. They knew he heard Gods voice and that what he said was an echo of God himself. Secondly, the choice to obey is always ours to keep or break, but if we obey, all will be well with us.

How do we know a true prophet and if he hears from God? Well, the words he speaks will line up with the words God speaks. You see, there is responsibility on our end to know the Word of God well enough and have the Spirit of God in us to discern between right and wrong, good and evil. A Prophet is not a fortune teller. He isn’t there to speak a ‘feel good’ word to you. There will always be a witness in your spirit as to whether that word was indeed for you or not.  I have hung onto a typed prophetic word and tucked it in my bible since 1986. Today, so much of that word has been fulfilled in my life that it amazes me each time I look at it. That word was for a specific time for me and I sensed that.

There have been men and women of God who have spoke into me and the phrases they used, God had said to me that very morning. That’s confirmation of something God has been speaking into your spirit. Don’t overlook those voices in your life. Prophesy will exhort and not tear down. It will confirm and not confuse.

The last part of this has to do with something we all struggle with; obedience. “Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.” Obey or disobey, that is the question. We want to hear, to know, but obey…….These men seriously knew that whatever they heard, they had to do it because God had spoken it. Many of us just keep asking until we get the answer we want to hear, than we do it. That’s NOT how this works. All throughout the Bible you hear phrases that state, ‘If you will obey, I will bless or all will be well with you.’

We have a mindset that a sacrifice would be better, but God doesn’t want that, he wants obedience. It’s like when we instruct our children to wash all the dishes, dry them and put them away and they only wash them. They didn’t obey, did they. They did what they wanted rather than what they were asked. What do we do? Make them go back out and finish the job. Why? Because that is where they learn obedience. If you do it for them, they learn that when they do what they want, someone will pick up the slack. That is not obedience.  We must be example of obedience and teach it to our children so that they value the importance of obedience.  Don’t just be an enforcer, be a model.

Father, first I’d like to repent for any and all disobedience. I know that no one suffers like me, but also the example I am to others suffers as well. I know that you always love me, just as I love my own children, but I don’t want to leave something undone that you’ve asked me to do. I want to finish well not just crawl across the finish line. Remind me again why I’m in the race; it’s to cross the line with a crowd, not be a solo winner. I don’t have to understand my marching orders. Mine is to do what you ask of me. I thank you that I hear your voice and another I will not follow. My heart is set on you both to will and do your good pleasure.

My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy.  You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering.  If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be. James 1:2-4

I can’t remember the last time I did the happy dance when trouble came my way, but according to James, we should be happy because the testing of our faith causes us to be patient. My take on this is that at some point, we stop focusing on the trouble and set our resolve to continue doing and trust God with the outcome. Not only that but he goes on to say that we will be mature and complete. Wow, I’d settle with just mature, but evidently, mature and complete speaks of something better. Dictionary.com defines mature as; completed, perfected, or elaborated in full by the mind. Complete on the other hand is; having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full; thorough; entire; total; undivided, uncompromised, or unmodified: a complete victory. WHEW! I’m thinking a bit different now. Complete is definitely an added bonus.

This takes me back to the vision I had a very long time ago where Jesus spoke to me and said, “Keep your eyes on me!” My comment to him was, “If I’m watching you, I’ll run into things.” His response as he smiled was, “I’ll direct your steps. Trust me!” Very good and simple lesson but so hard to do. We sometimes trust in ourselves more than we trust in God because it’s easier to trust what we see than what we don’t see.

Don’t believe me? When was the last time you were sick? Did you believe the Word of God that says, by His stripes I am healed and tell the symptoms to take a hike? Or did you run to the doctors? How can we develop faith and have patience for it if we’re unwilling to trust and believe that His Word is more real than the symptoms on our body? I’m not saying don’t go to the doctor, hopefully you’ll see the point I’m trying to make here. We have a tendency to do what we can do before we go to God and that’s not what He wants. He said, “Take my yoke on you and learn of me, my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” James said that the testing of our faith (so we know it will be tested) works patience. So let patience have her perfect work. Lets learn to trust God more than we trust our senses because He is bigger than all of that.

Such a journey you’ve taken us on, God. Sometimes we just don’t get it right, other times we do, but all in all, you’re so patient with us. Your love never fails, your mercies are new every morning and your faithfulness, oh my, never ends. We’re so grateful for life’s lessons and that you are not just leaving us with maturity, you’re completing us. Our trust in you is growing as we spend time in your presence every day. I declare my love for you and appreciate what you’re doing in my life. Mature and complete, I will stand before you to hear you say, “Well done! Enter into the joy of the Lord.” I look forward to that day.

Matthew 22:37-40 GNT ³⁷ Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the most important commandment.  The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.  The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

I John 4:19-21 GNT  We love because God first loved us.  If we say we love God, but hate others, we are liars. For we cannot love God, whom we have not seen, if we do not love others, whom we have seen. The command that Christ has given us is this: whoever loves God must love others also.”

Love. A simple 4 letter word that changes us and everything around us. I believe that if all of the churches would teach this simple but profound truth, it would change the world. But how can we love if we don’t know Love. God is Love. People have such a twisted and perverted concept of what love is. It’s been left out of our homes, churches and schools for so long that we’re seeing a generation of believers who have no idea of what love looks like. It’s God. We’ve been taught about a ‘mean’ God, one who sits on his throne just waiting for us to mess up so he can zap us with his scepter, but that’s not God because God is Love. 

So we continue our search for love, looking to this thing and to that thing hoping that someone will love us, only to be disappointed each time, coming away feeling empty and lonely once again. When we were created to love God with all our hearts, to sit in his presence and allow him to lavish his love upon us, to infuse us with his DNA which is LOVE. He called us to be like him, LOVE. Jesus said to follow him and learn of him and he would show us the way to have relationship with God, the exchange of love, the demonstration of love. Our response, “I’ll find my own way! Your way is too hard! I just want to be like the rest of my friends!” You want to be like the rest of your friends who are empty, longing, searching for this love that has been freely given to you? My dear, we are commanded to love and people around us are waiting for that love we carry inside of us. 

Christ in me the hope of glory. What is that glory? Love and the power of love that changes us and the world around us. We must learn to love. Nothing I ever do will be effective for the Kingdom of God without it. 

I Corinthians 13:1-3 GNT says; I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.  I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains—but if I have no love, I am nothing.  I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned—but if I have no love, this does me no good.

I don’t know about you, but I HAVE to love. I have to get up every morning and drink of Love, commune with Love and fill my tank up with Love. I cannot run on empty, sputtering fumes and hoping that I make some sort of difference in the world. I must be Love. More of Love, less of me. My desire is to show this God to the world. He has so much to teach me about Himself, I have to come away and be with my Love. I cannot love you, my husband, my children, I cannot love my neighbor or myself without this deep abiding presence of Love. It draws me, woos me, ‘Come away, my beloved, learn of me. I love you with an everlasting love. My love is so deep, an endless supply. Drink of me and when you do, you’ll never thirst again.’

Matthew 7:13-14 GW  “Enter through the narrow gate because the gate and road that lead to destruction are wide. Many enter through the wide gate.  But the narrow gate and the road that lead to life are full of trouble. Only a few people find the narrow gate.”

At work, there is a narrow ‘half’ door that goes from the waiting room to the reception area. I usually go down the hall, to my office which leads into the reception area because the narrow door is awkward to go through. I’m sure there was a purpose for that door, but it’s rarely used because of it’s size. It is however a fast track to turn off the alarm system in the morning. Still, it’s easier to go the longer route, put my bag and purse in the chair, then go turn off the alarm. Perhaps if I weren’t carrying so much on my arm in the morning, I could get through the door easier.

Funny how God shows things to me. It seems that what hinders me from entering the narrow door are the things I carry with me. Less of me, more of you, Lord. We get into habits sometimes that hinder our effectiveness in the Kingdom of God. I know, it’s just a silly demonstration but when you compare it to the things we do daily, things we carry that we shouldn’t, attitudes, feelings, emotions, religious ideas, all things we’ve carried for so long that they have become a part of us. 

The Lord has recently shown me some areas I have been harboring unforgiveness in. I thought I’d let that go, forgiven them, but God showed me that ‘forgetting’ doesn’t mean forgiven. The only way that happens is when you pray blessings on them and mean it. I was simply glad to not have them in my life anymore as a reminder of that hurt but God wasn’t satisfied with that. He wanted me to bless them. Narrow door. So I lay hold of the very root of offense that had stubbornly stayed in my heart and poured the Love of God on it. Now when I remember, I bless with the freedom that only God can give.

Father, I don’t want to be restricted by what I carry anymore so I lay it down. I’d rather enter the narrow gate bruised and broken than take the long way buried beneath a weight I was never meant to carry. You said that the way to life is full of trouble, but if there’s only room for one on that path and you’re in me, I will travel there gladly, in the light of your glory and grace. Your love for me causes me to overflow with love to others, so here we go! Crossing the threshold of that narrow gate that leads to you, my final destination and my prize.