Mark 11:22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus said.

I’ve read this teaching of Jesus so many times. It’s where he shares with his disciples the power of their words by showing them if they say to this mountain, be gone, be cast into the sea and don’t doubt in their heart but believe, they will have it. But the key to this whole concept is found in the 22nd verse; Have faith in God. Unless you believe that you are Gods child, created in his image and likeness with his ability to create with your words, you’re like a light bulb thats turned off and you don’t know where the switch is.

I recently heard a pastor state that God is like a power company and we are the consumers, without the transformer (Holy Spirit), the power can’t get to the people.  Direct current to the house would blow all the appliances because it’s just too much raw power. The Holy Spirit was sent to lead us into all truth. What truth is that? Truth of who God is and what is available through him. Transform means to change in form, appearance or structure. In the light of power, it’s to change it into a usable form so that we can cook with our stoves and use fans to cool us in the evenings. II Corinthians 3:18 NASB says it like this, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” He’s transforming us into usable power to touch the world around us. Thats why it’s so important to know God because if you don’t know God, you won’t have faith in him and without faith, it’s impossible to please God.

I love reading about how Jesus healed the sick, delivered those bound and raised the dead, but I want to participate in those same things today. I want to be meet the needs of those around me regardless of who they are. The only way I can do that is having faith in God to transform me into usable power.  I need to be a conduit of the power of God. Raw power is to be feared. Never touch a live wire or you’ll be electrocuted for sure! But you’ve been wired for Gods power, the Holy Spirit will transform you to use the power of God in you wisely and correctly. Gods power changes lives. It heals, saves, delivers or sets free those who are bound. It’s nothing you can do in and of yourself, have faith in God. Keep your eyes fixed on him and go where he leads you, do what he tells you, touch who he wants to and be a power-house for God.

Philippians 4:6-7 “ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” 

Be anxious for nothing; don’t worry about it, don’t wring your hands wondering if, when or how it will happen. But in everything by prayer and supplication;  a humble prayer. With thanksgiving; the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, especially to God. Let your requests; the act of asking for something to be given or done, especially as a favor or courtesy; solicitation or petition. Be made known to God; to have established or fixed in the mind or memory; to have knowledge or clear and certain perception, as of factor truth. And the peace of God; that word peace means completeness, wholeness, nothing missing or broken, which surpasses all understanding (that’s because the peace of God is so vast, we as humans cannot comprehend it completely). Will guard; to keep safe from harm or danger; protect; watch over, through Christ Jesus.

Wow, there is a whole lot more to that verse than meets the eye, right? This little portion of scripture tells us we don’t have to worry about anything. We ask in humility, giving thanks and acknowledging that he is faithful to watch over His word to be our provider in every sense of the word. And during the waiting time, you know, the time between the asking and the show up, the time when you’re tempted to give up, to quit, throw in the towel, when the pressures on you to speak what you feel instead of what you know are trying to push you to say, “I don’t understand why God didn’t hear me! I don’t understand why it takes so long! I don’t understand!” Yeah, that time. When you’re forced to stand on the limb thats being separated from the tree knowing that your God is well able to hold the limb on it’s own. THAT peace. THAT assurance. Knowing who God is and what he’s capable of.

For years I’ve spoken favor over my children and my grandchildren. I proclaim things over them that they’re not even aware of but things that God has ordered me to declare. Yesterday at work, a doctor who works in the next building came over to ask if I had any resume’s for receptionist because hers had just quit. I told her that my daughter had experience working in a doctors office and had in fact covered for me on occasion. I just happened to have her resume on my computer and quickly printed it out.  When she glanced at it, she noticed Shannon was from Michigan and mentioned she had attended M.S.U.. I responded that we too were from Michigan and that my children were born at Sparrow Hospital. Her children were born there too. As we chatted, we discovered that she lived in the subdivision I used to ride my bike in as a child. Small world, we agreed. 

An hour later she had her office manager contact Shannon and set up an interview for that evening. Last night Shannon called me to say that she got the job, got the money she wanted and starts this morning. For two years we’ve held fast to the promises of Gods provision but in the mean time, even though the pressures were overwhelming at times, she held fast to the confidence that God would take care of the details. In those two years, I’ve watched in wonder as she grew in her walk and confidence that God would provide. It wasn’t easy, it never is. You don’t just instantly trust someone, you must get to know them, walk with them, talk with them, do what they ask, be available, willing, watchful. 

Her journey has taken her from the unshaped, dark lump of coal the world saw, to the beautifully multifaceted diamond that God saw. There are many who are in this process; we have all been there or are in some part of that period of pressure, buffing and forming. It’s not easy, but its worth it. Who is God getting you ready to be and are you willing to stay in the game to the end, unwilling to quit in the middle of your mess. Are you willing? Are you ready? Will you give into the pressure and say I can’t do this anymore or will you wait a little bit longer. God wants you to be at the right place at the right time because he has big plans and you’re a small part of that big plan. He knows your end from the very beginning, allow his peace to protect his promise to you.

John 14:12-14 GW This is a part of what Jesus said to us, his disciples: “I can guarantee this truth: Those who believe in me will do the things that I am doing. They will do even greater things because I am going to the Father.  I will do anything you ask the Father in my name so that the Father will be given glory because of the Son. If you ask me to do something, I will do it.”

There are some keys here that we need to see: 1. This is a guarantee, defined; to make oneself answerable for (something) on behalf of someone else who is primarily responsible. 2. We will do the things Jesus was doing and even greater things. This includes; walking in unconditional love always; forgiving and letting things go; compassion that moves us to give of ourselves without complaint; no murmuring; forfeiting your own will and desires for the good of the Kingdom. 3. We can ask anything of the Father in Jesus Name that will give the Father glory. WHAT? We can’t just have anything we want? We can’t ask for a million dollars and have it drop magically in our account? According to this it can have no selfish ambition attached to it at all. Jesus did everything he saw the Father do, it was all for HIS purpose.  Jesus went about doing good and healing ALL, how many of us live our lives like that? How many can really say that our minds are SO toward God that we never think of our own needs or wants because we know the Father will take care of us.

I must admit that I’m not there yet. I find myself still looking at the problem and glancing at God instead of focusing on God and glancing at the problem.  Father, forgive me. I’m so not like Jesus. My eyes are still glued to my bills. I still want for wrong reasons. My faith is still so small. The more I read about you, the smaller I feel. So this morning as I sit in your presence I ask one thing; be big in me. Bigger than every noise, bigger than my circumstances, bigger than my problems. Help me to just hunger and thirst for your presence. To overflow onto others the love and compassion that Jesus had for the lost you love. May I not be critical of others and their motives because I don’t know what their motives are! Open my eyes to try to find the good in ALL those around me, not just those who are nice to me. Only then will you be able to break through the walls they’ve formed from rejection and hurt. Only then will my own walls come down so that you can touch them through me. Jesus, give me your eyes. I’m broken, please fix me.

Have you every needed a vacation? Just to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and watch the waves lap up on the shore. To let your mind rest, not have to solve problems, perpetually clean the house, do the laundry or take care of anyone else. What would THAT be like! Some of us are so weary that even the thought of planning a vacation is a chore. Well, what if I were to tell you that you can take vacation each and everyday right in the privacy of your own home. Yeah, right! Sandy, you simply don’t understand what my home is like. I have small children, the only time I have any peace is when they’re asleep. I remember those days all too well. My mom spoke these words of wisdom to me back then; “When your kids nap, you nap, it’s the only time you’ll get rest. The house can wait but YOU need your rest.”

Beyond that, even as our children grow or leave home, life gets so busy and we lose our ability to really rest. Don’t forget that there is only one you and you are no good to anyone if you don’t take care of you. We know we can’t vacation everyday and sometimes an hour is too much of a sacrifice so whats the solution to this stress we carry with us? I loved how Jesus said it in Matthew 11:28-30 MSG; “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Did you catch that? “Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. Walk with me and work with me-watch how I do it.” When I first began carving out time for the Lord, I had to examine my day and where I would have the most quality time of fellowship with Him. That time for me was mornings because for me, that was my best time and I wanted to give God my best. Perhaps for you it’s evenings when everyone is in bed and you’re alone, or when the kids all leave for school and you can grab 20 minutes before dashing out the door. Maybe your time is in your car on the way to work, whenever you choose to do it, take time to ‘learn the unforced rhythms of grace.’  If we don’t take time to learn His rest, we will have nothing of value to give out to those around us.

We will always find time for fun things, vacations, lunch with friends, etc., but the thing we need the most we just can’t seem to fit in our busy schedule. Jesus invites you to learn how to rest in him, follow his example but we can’t do that until we sit with him, read his story, be his friend. Grab your cup of coffee, glass of tea or water and just sit with him for awhile. Allow him to pour into you what you need to make it through your day. I ask God to show me what I need today, sometimes a word or verse comes to my mind and I search for it, read it and close my eyes and think on it. Sometimes I write it in my journal and put down my thoughts or make it into a prayer for the day. Then something wonderful happens; the sweet fragrance of Grace washes over me like the waves on the shore and I come away feeling rested and refreshed. Try it. Once you experience it, you’ll do it everyday. The presence of the Lord has a ‘more taste’ to it. Once you’ve tasted, you’ll just want more and more and more. 

Isaiah 54:2-6 “Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep. You’re going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family. You’re going to take over whole nations; you’re going to resettle abandoned cities. Don’t be afraid—you’re not going to be embarrassed. Don’t hold back—you’re not going to come up short. You’ll forget all about the humiliations of your youth, and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory. For your Maker is your bridegroom, his name, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! Your Redeemer is The Holy of Israel, known as God of the whole earth. You were like an abandoned wife, devastated with grief,  and God welcomed you back, Like a woman married young and then left,” says your God.

This reminded me that I serve a BIG God who has BIG things planned for me. What he dropped in my spirit this morning was this; I think too small. What I’m believing for will not accommodate the plans God has for my future. I thought I was thinking big! I mean, Lord, we’ve had this conversation before and I DID enlarge my vision. It’s way out there, isn’t that big enough? Evidently not. If your vision doesn’t measure up to Gods vision, it’s time to upgrade your vision. Gods plans will never be something you can do by yourself. If He shows you something you measure ‘impossible’ take a deep breath because He’s going to show you how to ‘clear the land’ and ‘gather the supplies’ so that building may begin. Don’t shake your head an walk away because you don’t feel qualified. God qualifies who he chooses and trust me when I say this, he just loves to use those with no building experience to oversee the largest construction projects. Why you ask? Because He will get the glory, not you.

Perhaps God has asked you to lay hands on someone who needs healing but you’re not a ‘pastor’. You’re qualified through the blood of Jesus to lay hands on the sick and they WILL recover. Maybe God asked you to give $1000 and you don’t have it, perhaps he’ll provide an extra $100 a months for 10 months, he’s simply waiting for you to commit to his plan. How about committing to pray every morning for your pastors because of what God has instructed them to do? Thats big for some folk, especially if mornings are not your coherent time of day. I think you see where I’m going here, don’t you. Each of us are asking for God to use us in some way so don’t balk at the request. If God asked you, he will show you what to do and give you the faith and resources to do it.

When God gave Noah instructions to build and ark, it had never rained. It took him years to complete it, but rain it did and who remained safe in the ark? The man and his family who obeyed Gods plan. I may not quite get what God wants from me, but I’m willing to put my faith out on a limb to believe for it. I will begin to clear the land by interceding for those in my city, my neighborhoods, binding principalities and every evil spirit that would hold back the plans of God. Thats what we’ve been doing at our church for years now, clearing the land, making room for God to bring His Kingdom plans to our part of the nation. 

I just don’t want to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, I want to be Gods ‘go-to’ woman, who listens to his voice and proclaims his plans to the atmosphere. I want to move when he says move, stay when he says stay, be what he needs me to be in these final days before he returns. I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful daughter, enter into the joy of the Lord. Task complete!” Obedience requires sacrifice, what are you willing to give up for Him?

Is your life a struggle sometimes? All the time? I was reading in Galatians this morning and realized the reason we struggle is because we trust in the law not in grace. We think that if we do everything right we’ll be blessed, that our obedience in keeping the commands of God will gain his favor. WRONG! Read Galatians 4:28-29 “And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.” We are born of the Spirit, made free by what Jesus did on the cross. Our obligation is to believe that what He did was enough. Enough to make us free and keep us free. Enough to heal every disease, meet every need, take away our yoke of bondage once and for all.

Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-9 that its a gift that we must receive by faith, not works. Man can’t boast or get the glory for such a freely given gift. A gift is something given with no ulterior motives and it’s usually thought out to bring joy to the receiver.  That was Gods plan all along.  He planned to redeem us from the curse brought on by the fall of Adam and Eve at the beginning by freely giving his only son to buy back what was lost. You can’t buy whats been purchased! He gifted you the ability to come into His presence and talk with Him anytime you want. Not timidly but boldly! When we walk into the Throne room of God, we go in knowing we have the right to be there, we’re children of the King. The most awesome thing about this is that God has a way of making you feel you are the most important thing on his agenda at that moment you enter in. 

I declare! I will not struggle anymore! I’m made perfect because HE is perfect. I’m special to my Father. I know who I am and I know whose I am. I will come boldly to the throne of Grace and will walk in the authority as a child of the King of Kings. It doesn’t matter that I’m adopted, that only makes me more special because I was chosen out of many. Who do you see looking back at you when you look in the mirror, because who you see yourself as is what others will behold.

Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” When I cry out in desperation, when my heart is heavy and my peace is disturbed because of some external situation, He hears me. How comforting to know we matter to the Lord. When my children were in trouble and they would cry out to me, I heard them, their voice was not lost in a crowd, I searched for them and found them and took care of them. If I, being less than a perfect mom would do that for my own, how much more would our heavenly Father search us out and deliver us? My dear friend, I want you to know you’re not alone. God has heard your pleading, your moaning, your cry for help and He wants you to know that He has sent angels to surround you and deliver you (Psalm 91:11).

I was doing some research on the word ‘peace’ this morning. It has been aptly defined as; completeness, soundness or safety, welfare or prosperity. As one pastor put it, nothing missing or broken. That is the place he longs for us to rest, its where our deepest longings are fulfilled, where every provision is positioned. Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Perfect peace, nothing missing or broken is only found when our minds are stayed or settled on God. You couldn’t change it if you tried, so don’t frustrate yourself by continually trying. Your job is simple but profound; think on God, do what He asks, trust His plan.

Most Holy and loving Father, here you go, I place it all at your feet; my bills, my pains, my cares, my worries, my children, my grandchildren, our home, our vehicles, every need, every burden, I lay it all down, Lord. It’s too much for me to carry, you didn’t make me for this. I was made to worship you, to commune with you and trust in you. Remind me throughout the day as I try to pick it back up that you have this. Thank you.

Your daughter

I am no stranger to hard work! My dad didn’t have a son until we adopted my brother Brian when I was 12 but he had 3 daughters and we helped do exactly what you see in this picture. We helped carry cement blocks, lumber, washed the car, mowed the lawn because being a girl didn’t exempt us from doing what needed to be done. I’m thankful for those lessons in life, they instilled a good work ethic and a strong value of the inner strength we possessed. I also learned that what seemed impossible to me was NOT impossible for my dad, therefore it was NEVER an option for us to disobey.  To say no to my dad always led to a trip to the bedside with a paddle, therefore, NO was not an option. If I was going to get paddled, it was going to be for something I enjoyed doing, like talking! 

We had a healing service yesterday at church and many people were touched by the power of God. Not just physically, but emotionally healed and set free from bondages and hopelessness. This morning when I sat at my desk, I was reminded of what God showed me yesterday: Faith was designed to work, not lay on the couch and watch tv. Don’t allow your faith to get lazy. If you won’t use it for yourself, use it to connect with what someone else is believing for. Work it,  because faith without works is dead and dead things stink.

You see, faith is the active ingredient to your end result but if you don’t use it, it becomes lazy. Faith was meant to work. I remember listening to a physical therapist explain to a patient about muscles that remain unused, lose their ability to function the way they were intended. In other words, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Funny how when we need something desperately, we work hard to get it but if there’s no need, we get lazy. James 2:26 says it best;  “A person’s body that does not have a spirit is dead. It is the same with faith—faith that does nothing is dead!” You can believe for something all month long, but if you don’t spend time with God and do what he tells you to do, you just have your faith. Working faith means different things to different people, it’s called a ‘personal’ walk with God for a reason. Abraham had a personal relationship with God that began with God asking him to leave his home and family to go on a journey with him. Trusting God for that journey developed a working relationship; God spoke, Abraham did it. Even though he couldn’t see the end result, his doing was the work needed to create a trust or faith in God by walking in obedience. That trust in God gained him great wealth and established him as the father of many nations. 

What has God asked you to do? Did you brush it off as silly, foolish because it didn’t make sense? My friend, your faith will always look foolish to the world! Who takes his people to a seemingly dead end then splits the sea so they can walk through? God does. Who allows someone to die just to raise them up on the third day? God does. We need to stop questioning the why’s and start doing the what’s. There is nothing that stirs your faith greater than obedience to God. The result may not look like what you’re asking for, but it will have far reaching results for the Kingdom of God. So work those faith muscles! Ask that daring question as you talk with God this morning, ‘What would you have me do?’ Whatever he asks of you, please do it. Using unused faith may leave you sore and tired but press through, soon your faith muscles will be large enough to support the big things you’re believing for. 

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!