The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s family. Go to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation.
    And I will bless you.
I will make your name great.
    You will be a blessing to others.
I will bless those who bless you.
    I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you.
All nations on earth
    will be blessed because of you.”

So Abram went, just as the Lord had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Harran. Genesis 12:1-4 NIRV

Abraham left his family and country to pursue the promise of a God he had only just met. Noah built a giant sized boat on the Word of an unseen God who said it would rain in a land that had never known rain. For 120 years he endured ridicule. David was anointed king but was hunted for years before he took the throne.

Who does that? People whose focus remains intentionally unwavering regardless of the time involved in the process.

We live in a society where waiting 3 minutes at a stoplight causes anxiety attacks and heaven help us if the drive thru window attendant is too friendly to the person in front of us.

When what God has promised doesn’t manifest in the time we’ve allowed Him, we tend to toss our faith away and assume God could care less. We couldn’t be more mistaken! He is more then faithful to a faithless generation.

There is NOTHING impossible to those who believe. Absolutely nothing! Don’t throw away your confidence just because it doesn’t show up when and how you think it should. Every story in the bible began with a promise. The length of time is determined by unwavering faith regardless of the odds and unchanging words.

Abraham got his son. Noah got his rain. David took his throne. You too will have what you’re willing to wait for. Just keep pursuing the presence of God and continue doing what He says.

Holding My Ground,

Sandy G

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Until Tomorrow,

Sandy G

The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith greater.” The Lord answered, “If you had faith as big as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Pull yourself up by the roots and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it would obey you.“ Suppose one of you has a servant who is plowing or looking after the sheep. When he comes in from the field, do you tell him to hurry along and eat his meal? Of course not! Instead, you say to him, ‘Get my supper ready, then put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may have your meal.’ The servant does not deserve thanks for obeying orders, does he? It is the same with you; when you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty.’” Luke 17:5-10 GNT

I used to think that Jesus just randomly put the story about the servant in here, but as I read it this morning, I realized He was referencing faith as a servant. Let me take it a step farther, He was referring to the role words have in conjunction with faith.

Let’s put it in todays terms; Let’s say you hired a maid to clean your home and cook your dinner. You would first communicate your expectations and expect that the tasks assigned would be completed prior to paying for the services. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, the end result of services rendered is payment.

Words were used in this transaction, and faith in their ability to do what you say is also a key factor. Jesus was saying that you must say what you expect before you get what you say. It may take time to complete the assignment, but your expectations can’t change because of the time factor. Just as God spoke and created, He gave us the same ability to speak and create.

Father, we say we want to be more like You, but we are speaking spirits just as You are. When we worship You, it’s in spirit and truth that we do so. The entire universe is held together by Your Words. Wow! Your Word can’t fail or the whole world would fail. I believe! Even when I don’t understand it all I still believe. Put a muzzle on my mouth today until I think out the path my words will take once I release them. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

Think About Your Words Today,

Sandy G

God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears—it’s my voice you’re hearing! Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers. Psalm 141:1,2 MSG

As I still my heart this morning to discern Your sweet Word I am undone. There is not one word that I speak that You do not hear. You are always aware of me, my words, my longing, my dreams, they are all written down. Like there is a transcriptionist recording the thoughts that I have and transmitting them directly to Your ear.

I am more precious to You then all the jewels in your throne. Your head turns when I sing praises to You. I make You smile. I have heard Your laughter a thousand times when I do or say something funny and make others laugh. I’ve seen Your concern when I fall down and felt Your kiss to make the hurt go away.

You surround me with Your glory and clothe me in Your righteousness. You have transferred to me everything I need for life and godliness. You teach me how to withdraw from Your limitless account. My heart is set on You.

Regardless of what I face today or the unknowns of tomorrow, I will place my trust in what I know, for You are my hope. I place my hand into Yours, knowing that You will not let go of me. You have walked through hell to gain back my rightful place.

I Am Forever Grateful,

Sandy G

So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. Exodus 34:30 & 33

This morning I was thinking about Moses and the time he spent before the Lord and I wondered, is the time I spend with God visible to the world? What is it that people see when I’m at my desk at work? When I’m visiting the hospital? Do I reflect His glory?

On Monday as I sat checking patients in, an older woman stepped up to my desk. We exchanged pleasantries with a smile when she asked, “How are you doing?”

“Well,” I replied, “God is forever faithful!” Then on a whim, I jumped to my feet began to sing the song I learned years ago, “If God has been so good to you you ought to praise Him. If God has been so good to you you ought to praise Him. If God has been so good to you you ought to stand up on your feet, and praise and magnify the Lord for He’s the one who set you free, Praise Him! Praise Him!”

Tears came to her eyes as she mentioned that when she came in, her heart was heavy and as she lifted her hands up in the air she said, “Thanks for reminding me of what I need to do and reminding me that God is faithful. Keep singing, sweetie!”

I didn’t need to tell her about the crappy weekend I just had or the amount of sleep I was missing, or the trial I was in at that particular moment. No, she needed to know that God, the only true God saw her in her current state of affairs, that He loved her and always would.

It seems that many of us think we can have that same Glory Moses had without spending time in Gods presence. It is simply impossible! The more time you spend with someone the more you are like them. You cannot be clean unless you take a shower first and use soap. Time in Gods presence changes who you were. Old things are gone and all things become new.

It’s time to burn with passion for the presence of the fire we were created to carry. Time to flip the switch and go from powerless to powerful.

Set a fire in us, oh God. We want those around us to catch fire from the burning. Its our desire to be more like you, but that will only happen when we are with You more then the world. It’s all about You Lord.

Let’s Burn,

Sandy G

The way I love you is like the way a servant wants to please his master, the way a maid waits for the orders of her mistress. We look to you, our God, with passionate longing to please you and discover more of your mercy and grace. Psalm 123:2 TPT

I cannot get through one day without the grace of our Lord on my life. Grace means unmerited or undeserved favor. That’s what the sacrifice of Jesus did for me! It’s deserving death but receiving pardon. It’s walking to the gas chamber then being walked out of prison because someone took my place. That’s what Grace is.

I am in debt forever to the one who gave it all up for me. No excuses! I will live my life as He asks me to. I’ll go into all of my world and be a living light of love to everyone, even the challenging ones! I’ll await my orders and happily comply.

Father, I cry out for opportunities to love. May your mercy and grace never become familiar and meaningless words to me, but may I always remember it was a costly word for you. I love you Lord! I love you! May my light shine so brightly that it may glorify Your good works.

I Am Yours,

Sandy G

Does God leave things undone? I think not!

Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

God finishes what He starts, perhaps not like you imagine it will happen, but he does get it done. Paul was clear when he said, “until it’s finally finished on the day when Jesus returns.” That tells me I’m a work in progress and He will continue working on me.

Is anything too difficult for our God? If He can bring a valley of dry bones together to become a mighty army, will he only do a partial healing? A partial provision? A partial miracle? There is nothing that God cannot do. I know God, and God will never change. He always will be God and there’s nothing you can do that will minimize His position.

It’s time to stop limiting the limitless power of the mighty God that lives inside of you. NOTHING is too difficult for Him. If our deliverance had anything to do with us, we’d all be in deep trouble. Be desperate after the heart of God and watch as He shows up and deliberately sets you free and finishes what He began to do in you.

I’m Ready!

Sandy G

Let them sing their celebration-songs for the coming of the cloud rider whose name is Yah! To the fatherless he is a father. To the widow he is a champion friend. The lonely he makes part of a family. The prisoners he leads into prosperity until they sing for joy. This is our Holy God in his Holy Place! But for the rebels there is heartache and despair. Psalm 68:4-5 TPT

Lately I haven’t been sleeping well so in the night, I try to meditate on who God is to me. I’ve known God since birth, but I formed relationship with Him 2 years after my father died. I was a lost, confused teenager when I was invited to a Pentecostal type service. After asking forgiveness and being baptized in the Holy Spirit, I became a totally different person. I began reading my Bible and getting to know Jesus for myself.

I’d spend hours out in the field across from our house, sitting on a log, crying and talking to God. At first it was a one way conversation, but soon I began hearing Him speaking back, answering my questions, assuring me of His love. It wasn’t how I was raised, this interaction was something birthed of the Spirit deep inside of me.

Over the years, He’s become a trusted confidant, a wise counselor and intimate friend. He’s comforted me so often when I cried in the night. He’s chastened me when I was wrong and walked with me when I was alone. He’s my best friend, one that never leaves me, even when I’ve done something stupid or been just plain stubborn. He’s so patient with me. Much more patient than I am with others or even deserve.

I must tell Him how much I love Him, that He alone is Holy and that each and everyday, I’m thankful for His touch on my life. I know where I would be without Him–lonely, a rebel with heartache and despair. I will sing a new song to Him! He’s worthy to be praised!

Until Tomorrow,

Sandy G

Rise up and help me, Yahweh! Come and save me, God! For you will slap them in the face, breaking the power of their words to harm me. For the Lord alone is my Savior. What a feast of favor and bliss he gives his people!
Pause in his presence Psalm 3:7-8 TPT

Continuing on with the remaining part of this Psalm of David fleeing from Absalom, the last part in this translation is entitled, The Secret of Strength. It took me a few minutes to figure out just how they came up with that, but if you’ll allow me to share my thoughts.

First of all he cried out for help. Regardless of what you’ve been sold over the years, it is not a sign of weakness to ask for help! In fact that is by far the most important lesson we can learn. When you cry for help, you’re relying on your covenant partners strengths and abilities, not your own. Somehow we’ve bought into the notion that we must figure it out and do it on our own, that God created us to rule and reign and by cricky, we must do it! But the bible says we rule and reign with Him and that, my friend, is partnership.

Strength also allows God to deal with our enemies and the words and deeds they’ve hurled at us. By allowing your partner to do His part, you become more focused on what He is able to do, and less focused on your inabilities.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Then David gives all glory to God by proclaiming that He alone is my Savior. Again, it takes the focus off of us and places it where it belongs–on Him. All through the Psalms and in every situation David faced, even in his rantings about his enemies, he always shifted to phrases highlighting Gods ability to save and deliver. Talking about what a mighty deliverer God is.

He closes with the benefits of leaning into Gods strength, His favor and blessings. Can you just take a moment and thank Him for that? To tell Him how eternally grateful you are for all He has done for you. In the middle of your mess, tell Him how thankful you are that He is strong even when you are not. Tell Him how much you trust Him and love Him, that regardless of the supposed outcome, He always causes ALL things to work together for your good because you love Him.

Today I’ll Leave It All To Him,

Sandy G

So now I’ll lie down and sleep like a baby—then I’ll awake in safety, for you surround me with your glory. Even though ten thousand dark powers prowl around me, I won’t be afraid. Psalm 3:5-6 TPT

What are you going through that has you so afraid? When this Psalm was written, David was forced to flee from his own son, Absalom. His very existence was threatened by a son he had loved and cared for his entire life. Bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh had risen against him to take over his kingdom. An act of treason to be sure, but your own son?

How troubling this must have been for David. How do you sort through all of those emotions? Betrayal, hurt, unbelief, grief must have flooded his heart each time he thought about it. Like the time I tried to walk into shore just to have wave after wave knock me off my feet. It weakened me to the point that I almost drowned. That’s how I see David at this time.

It takes a special kind of relationship in spite of the torrent of feelings and emotions to proclaim, “I think I’ll lay down and sleep like a baby now! When I wake up, I’ll awake in safety, for You surround me with Your glory. I won’t be afraid!”

But Sandy, you don’t know what I’m going through! You don’t know the pain I feel or the uncertainty of my next step. You’re right, I don’t! I can only imagine how hard it is for you right now, but He knows. And like David, He wants you to experience the same kind of relationship and intimacy with Him. The same confidence that you can lay your head down tonight and sleep like a baby, knowing you’ll awake in safety because He’s with you. Let that knowledge be enough.

Hush Now! Sleep Well!

Sandy G