No human reason...

I read this today and it really spoke to my heart, I hope it helps you too.


“[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah’s [deadened] womb. No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised.” ~Romans 4:18-21 (Amp)


“When I am in a battle, knowing what God has promised but still experiencing attacks from doubt and unbelief, I like to meditate on Romans 4:18-21.

When God tells us something or asks us to do something, the faith to believe or do it comes with a word from God. It is ridiculous to think that God would expect us to do something without giving us the ability to believe we can do it. Satan knows how dangerous we are when our hearts are full of faith, so he attacks us with doubt and unbelief. It isn’t that we do not have faith; it is just that Satan tries to destroy our faith with lies.

…God places dreams and vision in the hearts of His people; they begin as little “seeds.” Just as a woman has a seed planted into her womb when she becomes pregnant, so we become “pregnant,” so to speak, with the things God speaks and promises. During the “pregnancy,” Satan works hard to try and get us to “abort” our dreams. One of the tools he uses is doubt; another is unbelief. Both of these work against the mind.

Faith is a product of the spirit; it is a spiritual force. The enemy does not want your mind to agree with your spirit. He knows that if God places in you the faith to do something, and you get positive and start consistently believing that you can actually do it, then you will do considerable damage on his kingdom.

I encourage you to be assured in your faith that God will follow through with what He has promised you by His Word. Get His promises into your mind; think about them; and let your faith increase.” ~Joyce Meyer, The Everyday Life Bible, p1809


Doubt and unbelief are our enemies. Another one of these enemies is fear. We cannot allow them to have control in our lives. Their goal is to keep us from fulfilling the destiny God has for our lives. It is not worth it to allow them to speak into our lives. Too much is at stake! It Is not only about me and my own life, or you and your own life; it is about possibly millions or billions of people who God has planned for you or I to influence by His power.

Did you notice that even though Abraham could see the facts that he and his wife were beyond childbearing years and he had no human reason to hope, his faith didn’t weaken? He didn’t doubt God’s promise but he was completely confident that God was big enough and strong enough to keep His word and do what He had promised. What an example for us!

We too can be completely confident in God- He will do what He has promised to do. Is there something that God has told you in His Word? You can stand on it. You can believe it. Follow Abraham’s example.

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” ~2 Corinthians 1:20 (NKJ)

“For with God nothing will be impossible.” ~Luke 1:37 (NKJ)

There is no situation beyond God’s help. There is nothing too hard for God. Nothing.

“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” ~Deuteronomy 31:6 (Message)

Hang on!

“I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit. You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you]. Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:1-5)

I cannot escape this idea of abiding in God…so this is a continuation. God keeps telling me to abide in Him. This is an excerpt from my journal that I believe could apply to you as well.

“Abide in Me and I in you- fruit just naturally come forth. You never see a grape being forced into existence- it all happens easily and naturally because of the connection between the vine and the branches. It’s not a difficult thing. Even so, when you just simply abide in Me and I in you things happen easily and naturally- without strain. So, don’t concern yourself with what others think and with pleasing them. Seek to please Me- obey and abide. If I tell you to let go of something, let Me prune it off and don’t try to hold onto it. This pruning will allow more fruit to come forth. If I graft something into you life, don’t resist it. Let My Spirit flow through you to bring life and fruit to that area as well. I know the amount you can handle and how to bring forth the most fruit. I desire fruit, in it My Father is glorified. So, abide in Me and let My words abide in you. Meditate on My words. Speak My words. Let them produce life in those around you, and in you. Abide and bring forth fruit. As simple at that. I have much for you to do, but you first must learn to abide in Me. Without that essential element, you won’t produce the fruit you and I desire.”

Field Training...

This past week I was on a trip that could be called field training. For me this training was allowing God to flow through me to minister to other people. My specific situation often put me in a place of not really knowing what was going on as far as what was previously planned. So beyond the normal flexibility of plans, I had to go with the flow and be ready to do anything. However, before I got to the outreach location God told me I could do anything I was asked to do- relying on Him. So, I found myself many times right in front of a ministry opportunity silently telling God, “I’m relying on You.” My goal was to fix my eyes on Him and just let Him flow through me. And I found a new boldness inside me- a lack of timidity. I know it was from the Spirit of God in me.

So, let me just say- God is More-Than-Enough for anything you need in your life right now. Rely on Him. Fix your eyes on Him. He is strong enough and BIG enough to hold you- He won’t let you fall. Rest in Him, even as you go about activities. Rest your heart in Him. He is More Than Enough!

Do you know God?

God has been revealing Himself to me as More Than Enough. A few months ago I asked God to reveal Himself to me as El Shaddai, which means More Than Enough, in a certain area of my life- and He has been, and is still, showing me more of Himself. It is a wonderful journey of getting to know God better every day.

Who do you need to know God as right now in your life? Your Healer? Your Provider? Your Peace? Your Strong Tower? Your Father? Your More-Than-Enough?

Ask God to reveal Himself to you. He will. He loves you.

May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do super abundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]- to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).” Ephesians 3:17-21

“I can’t! I have to…”

Recently the topic of being diligent and faithful has been brought to my attention several times. As I’ve been thinking about things that have been said, the Holy Spirit has been reminding me of different verses from the Bible. So, here we go…


“The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.” (Proverbs 12:24)

“The hand of the diligent will rule.” Does that sound like something you would like in your life? It is an amazing thought to me because it may seem that you’re just plugging along doing what you’ve always done, because you just do what you’re supposed to do, but that diligence somehow prepares or positions you to rule!


“Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings, he will not stand before obscure men.” (Proverbs 22:29)

How about that! Standing before kings because of diligence- that’s pretty powerful stuff. What an opportunity!


“And he said to him, Well done, excellent bond servant! Because you have been faithful and trustworthy in a very little [thing], you shall have authority over ten cities.” (Luke 19:17)

Here’s an example of someone who has been faithful and trustworthy in little things. Because of that trustworthiness this person was put in authority over ten cities! That is a big responsibility to be given! Yet, it’s because of the faithfulness in the little things that this person was placed in that authority!


“He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the [case of] unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions), who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not proved faithful in that which belongs to another [whether God or man], who will give you that which is your own [that is, the true riches]?” (Luke 16:10-12)

So then, if you’re faithful in the little things you will be faithful in much. It’s like because you’ve developed the pattern and habit of being faithful in the little things, you’ll just keep being faithful in the bigger things. The habits you develop in your private life then will affect your public life. Habits of faithfulness, even in the small things that no one sees except God, develop you to be faithful and trustworthy in the spotlight.


“Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].” (1 Corinthians 4:2)

For someone to trust you with something valuable of theirs they want to find you faithful. If they’ve seen that you’re trustworthy then they can feel confident giving their possession into your care. They know that you’ll take good care of it because they’ve seen your faithfulness.


“His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys.” (Matthew 25:21)
May we each be found faithful by God Who has entrusted us with so many things. May He be able to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” to each of us when we stand before Him.

Help!

Have you ever felt like you can’t handle or fix a situation that you’re facing? Some people respond by ignoring the whole thing in one way or another and stuff all their emotions down deep inside. Others explode and everything comes out all over everyone, or whoever is closest.

This past week, especially the beginning of the week was a hard one for my family. As the week went on it improved; Monday, however, was very hard. I couldn’t do anything about the situation myself, actually none of my family could. I found that the only thing I could do that would actually help in anyway was to completely rely on God and pray. God was the only one who could intervene in the situation…and He has and is at work in the situation!

[Added note: I am very grateful to all the people that have and are standing with me and my family in prayer in this situation.]

There was another situation recently where I felt so inadequate- completely unable to do what was before me to do. Have you ever felt like that…totally inadequate, unequipped, useless in the situation, ready to give up and let someone else take over, maybe even that you’ve already messed up the situation. I felt like that.

As I thought about the situation and began to cry out to God that I was unable to do this without Him and how I felt like I’d messed things up, He spoke to me. It wasn’t an audible voice, but He spoke all the same. At the time I was in the kitchen. We have random pieces of tile with pictures of different things on our backsplash…and as I cried out to God I looked down and saw this one tile that is a picture of clusters of grapes. The picture sparked something in me and God reminded me of some verses in the Bible, and I looked them up:

“I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned. If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves as true followers of Mine. I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love [continue in His love with Me]. If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commandments and live on in His love.” (John 15:5-10)

In my Bible there is a comment by Joyce Meyer about these verses, I’ll include part of it:

“God wants us to depend entirely on Him. He wants us to lean on, trust in and rely on Him. Actually, that is part of the definition of faith. We are partners with God, and that means we both have responsibility. But we must lean on Him in order to do the things that are our part. God called me into the ministry and He anointed (enabled) and gifted me to do what I need to do, but I still have to trust Him and remember how much I need Him at all times….When the Lord says we can do nothing apart from Him, He means things will not work properly in our lives unless we invite Him into everything. His presence can eliminate much of the struggle we experience in life. It makes impossible things possible, hard things easy and frustrating things peaceful. Do not ever be afraid to say, ‘Help, Lord, I can’t do this without You.’” (The Everyday Life Bible p1716)

After reading that I looked over at the cabinet door and saw this on a piece of paper:

“Do not, therefore, fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward. For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised.” (Ephesians 10:35-36)

Through these verses I saw the answer to my situation. Really, it’s true, I can’t do the things that are before me on my own. I need God. I must abide in Him, completely rely on Him, to be able to accomplish anything meaningful. My confidence must be in God alone. He will keep me from tripping as I go along this journey.

If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t know what to do, or things look overwhelming, call out to God. He is waiting for you with arms open wide to receive you. He loves you and accepts you. He has the answers you need. He is the answer. Abide in Him. Call out to Him. Throw yourself at His feet in complete dependence on Him. He is able to do amazing things in your life.

I’ll leave you with this:

“May He [the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ] grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth of it]; [that you may really come] to know [practically, through experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the rich measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]-” (Ephesians 3:16-20)

If you didn’t understand this post reading it the first time, try reading it again. If you have questions, leave a comment and let me know. I’ll do my best to explain.

Longing...

There is a longing in the heart of God…and it’s for you!

All Prepared

Have you seen My bride?
Has she come by here?
I’m ready.
The place has been prepared.

Are you ready, My bride?
My heart longs for you.
I desire to be with you.

Are you ready, My bride?
I can’t wait for our wedding day to come.
All has been made ready.
Are you ready, My bride?


Jesus Christ is longing for His bride. Do you take the time to stop and feel your heart aching for Him? That really is the deepest cry of your heart, whether you recognize it or not. It sometimes seems like a desire for something else- food, friends, music, or entertainment- really any number of things. Yet, the real cry of your heart, if you take the time to hear it, is for God.


Aching for You

I look into the clear night sky,
and I yearn for You.
I see the trees silhouette,
and I yearn for You.
I gaze at the moon,
and I yearn for You.

My heart is aching,
and when I’m still I feel it.
I’m aching for You.
There’s no place I can go,
no place to fill this desire,
only in You, I am satisfied.


God really is the only One who can fill the deep longing of your heart. Only He can fill your deepest desire. Do you feel the longing? Let it out- cry out to God and let Him fill you and satisfy that longing. He is waiting and longing for you too.