Tag: #beboldbebraveandkeepyourgodfocus

JUST A CLOSER WALK

 “Just a closer walk with thee….Grant it, Jesus is my plea…Daily walking close to thee…let it be, dear Lord, let it be.” The old hymn has a sentiment that many Christians share.  Our desire is a closer walk with God.  On one hand, I would say we can’t get any closer, he is inside us.

But I understand the sentiment of the feeling.  I often feel I could do more to build my relationship with Him. He wants time with us. I often get busy doing all the Christian things and must remind myself to slow down, sit quietly, and wait for Him to fill my cup back up.

As we go out and try to be Jesus to the world, we often pour out and pour out until we have nothing left to pour. Sitting quietly and meditating on His Word is a good way to refill our cup. As we meditate on Him and the Word, He will pour into the emptiness of our vessel.

When we ask to be stronger and have a closer walk, we are really telling Him to allow trials and tribulations in our lives. How else will we draw closer to Him? How else will we become spiritually stronger? How else can our lives be a testimony unless we are tested?

It is kind of like praying for patience.  It seems like if you ask for patience, the whole world is determined to do things that irritate you beyond belief.

James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;  3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Romans 5:3-5 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

The trying of our faith helps us to be patient. Being patient builds experience that gives us hope.  In the darkest times of life, we need hope that things will get better. Hope helps us to have faith that God will see us through whatever we face. It doesn’t matter how big the mountain or deep the valley is; we never walk alone. That is the greatest comfort we have as children of God. That we are never alone. We also have the comfort of knowing that God will take care of it all. We have no reason to fear.

Isaiah 43:1-2 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.   2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

As we face our Red Sea, our lion’s den or fiery furnace, we have comfort knowing God can handle it. We will not drown, be torn apart or even smell like smoke from the fire. God has it all planned out and will lead and guide us every step of the way. He will deliver his people; we have this hope in the depths of our souls that he is with us. If we walk with Him and pray, “Just a closer walk with thee.”

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

KNOWING OUR IDENTITY AND GOD’S

At times in life, we occasionally get stuck in a rut. Personal catastrophes can get us sidetracked from our God focus.  Other times, life kicks us in the gut and all we can do is cling to Jesus to survive and draw our next breath. After a period of time in that rut, we need to look for a way to climb out and get our focus again.

I find that life often throws things at us that we do not expect, but rest assured, it is not a surprise to God. He knows how each situation is going to mold and make us. God understands our every thought and the motivation behind the thought.

PS 139: 1-3 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.  3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.

He knows everything about us, so it stands to reason that He would want us to know all about Him. God is wise and understands what we have need of before we even ask. We are defined by God and not our situations.

I often write about one of my go-to verses, 2 Cor 5:7 – (For we walk by faith and not by sight). That is so important in our walk with God. Many things are not as they appear. The enemy often tries to twist things to make them appear to support his agenda.  Satan wants to destroy us, so he will try to twist and distract us from our path.

God set us on a path when we chose to live our lives for him.  The enemy doesn’t care if we attend church.  He doesn’t care if we say we are Christians. It doesn’t bother him if we carry a bible everywhere we go, (as long as we don’t read it). It is when we get in the Word and realize who we really are that he gets nervous.  There used to be a phrase used on Saturday morning cartoons when I was a kid that said, “Knowledge is power.” This phrase is so very true in the life of a Christian.

The more we dig into the Word, the more we realize who we are in Christ.  We see the triumphs and mistakes of those who have gone before us.  This helps us face our obstacles in life.  The word teaches us that we must walk by faith. We do this by relying on Jesus, even when it looks like there is no way to fix our problems.  We believe He will be there to help us fix our situation.  He will lead and guide us.

The more I study the life of David, the more impressed I am with his relationship with God. David had many triumphs and many mistakes.  He committed sin and fell down a few times.  But we must give the people under the old covenant a little credit.  God walked with them, not in them. God would guide them, but the Holy Ghost had not been given. So, God’s Spirit did not live within them.

We have the ability to walk closer to perfection because God lives within us. I am not saying I am perfect or you are perfect, but we can strive to be as close as possible. Because we have His Spirit, we can walk by faith. Our guide lives inside of us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (6) In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.

This verse is often quoted, but it is great advice.  If we trust in the Lord with all our heart. Then, we will not be distracted by the enemy. Because God will have our whole heart.  There will not be room for us to listen to the enemy or our human understanding.  God surpasses our realm of knowledge and understanding. If we acknowledge Him in all our ways, he will always guide us.

I want to encourage you to walk by faith and not by sight.  Do not allow the enemy to tell you how bad your situation appears.  Tell him that you walk by faith and that you don’t look at how it appears. God can turn a situation around in the blink of an eye.

Take some time to dig into the word. Find a deeper understanding of your identity in Christ. Always remember that we walk by faith and not by sight.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

WHAT IS IN YOUR BOX?

All the accounts of the gospels tell of the woman who anointed Jesus with precious ointment. This was for Jesus’ burial, even though she didn’t realize it. All she knew was that she loved Jesus and wanted to honor him. The oil was very expensive, but she didn’t care about the cost; she wanted to give him her best. It has been said that the alabaster box was a one-time-use vessel.  It had a narrow neck, and to use what was inside, it had to be broken. Once broken, the contents could spill out.

God is wanting us to give him the precious ointment of our worship.  He desires us to spend time with him and give him the contents of our hearts.  His presence will break our hearts and cause us to spill out everything hidden inside. He is there to bring healing to our broken hearts. 

Worship is more than a song or lifting your hand in praise. It is an act that shows God your love for him. Like the woman with the alabaster box, this was an act of worship. Many things can be seen as worship. Simply taking a walk in the woods and thinking about God’s amazing love. Thanking and praising him for who he is and what he has done.

I sit quietly and ponder what I have that I can pour out to God?  What has he given me that I can give back to him? What is the valuable oil that he wants from me? He desires our willingness to give our all. He wants us to pour out our whole hearts to him in a sweet ointment of worship.  He will pour out the presence of his anointing on us in return.

Psalm 29:2  Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Psalm 99:5 “Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.”

Take a little quiet time to think about the gift we give God in worship.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

TRANSFORMATION

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. How do we renew our minds? We pray for God to keep us strong and to fill our lives with the things that he needs us to know. We must study the word of God. You can never have too much of the word in you. They can’t confiscate what’s in your heart. That’s why we need to hide the word.

I got wrapped up in a project and missed writing a blog.  What I am working on will be of great benefit to the ministry that God has given me to do.  I am excited to be turning a spare bedroom into an office/prayer room. I cannot wait until it is finished. When I told one friend, they said, “Oh, a war room.” I loved that way of thinking.

I have started to study the Psalms. I used to think it was all about praise, which a large portion is about worship. Worship is important to the life of a believer. That is how we make a connection to God. The Psalms are filled with David’s regrets, concerns and possible fears.  However, he looks to the Lord in good times and bad.  When life is good and when he is surrounded by his enemies. We can learn a lot from David. The more I study God’s word, the stronger I feel in the spirit realm. We need to be transformed so that we can be strong enough to stand for righteousness in the times that we live.

Have a blessed rest of your weekend. Thanks for your patience and support.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

Saying Yes

God sometimes asks us to do things that to us seems impossible. Often, it seems like a monumental task. And we often feel that we’re too small to accomplish what he’s asked us to do. There’s nothing impossible for him. We need to learn to lean and trust him, even when he’s asked us to do something that to us seems impossible. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

It’s possible with him because he will open the doors to make a way. He qualifies those he calls. Whatever he’s called you to do, he will give you the tools necessary to accomplish it. Because why would he set us up for failure? He wants what is best for us. God is a loving God and he wants us to accomplish great things.

We ask him for miracles every day. But when he asks us to step out of our comfort zone, we hesitate. We ask God, do you really want me to do that? Do you really want me to go there? Do you really want me to talk to that person? God gently nudges and pushes. Think about all he has done for us. Why do we hesitate? He will make a way and he will open doors for us to accomplish what he has asked us to do. But here we go again, back to the key thing. Learning to lean and learning to trust. God honors the bold.

I don’t want to be measured and found lacking. I don’t want to run from the task he has asked ( like Jonah) only to end up in a mess. Then we end up doing it anyway.  I want to be able to simply say, “Yes.”

There is a big world full of spiritually dead people who need us to be a light in their darkness. What will we do?  Will we run?  Will we tell God not yet? Will the answer be “Yes, I will go.”

BE BOLD, BE BLESSED AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

LET PRAISE GO BEFORE YOU

Lazarus had died, the mourners were with the family. In a normal situation, this was the end.  He had been buried.  But Jesus came on the scene. He didn’t make a big production.  Jesus asked that they roll away the stone that sealed the cave where Lazarus was placed. He simply said a prayer for the sake of the crowd that had gathered, then said, “Lazarus, come forth.” Soon, Lazarus came walking out of the tomb.  He was still bound in his grave clothes and had his face covered with a napkin.  It took others to set him free of his grave clothes.

To look at the modern church, one might say we were all but buried.  Jesus is calling us to come forth. He is calling for the warriors to arise. He is calling for the army to be who we must be in this day. Every day, we need to put on our whole armor and go to battle.  Satan is after the body of Christ.  If he can keep us depressed and stressed, we cannot focus on our task. 

Many are still bound by their grave clothes. It is up to us to help set them free. We can overcome and set them free if we get down to the business of serious prayer.  The enemy is not going to be defeated with a ten-minute prayer in the morning and a ten-minute prayer at night. These are serious times, and it is going to take serious warriors.

Are you a prayer warrior? It doesn’t take any special skill to pray.  It just takes an investment of prayer in a quiet place. The biggest enemy of a full prayer life is distraction.  The enemy will do all he can to distract us.  But we will not be defeated.  We will overcome because the power of God is within us.

Take time to be an encourager, reaching out to someone struggling and helping them get free of the grave clothes of fear, anxiety, depression, distraction and being overly busy. We can win the battle if we go to fight.  All God requires is for us to show up with worship and prayer.

I often use the story of Jehosophat.  He was in a horrible predicament. He had three armies coming against him at one time.  It looked like, in the natural there was no way he could win.  But God told him to go out to fight and that the Lord would fight for them.  Jehosophat sent his worshippers in the front to go before them with praise.

We can fight the enemy better, if we enter into God’s presence with praise and worship.  This will get God’s attention and he will fight our battles.  He only wants us to lean on Him.

2 Chr 20:15-18 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.   16 Tomorrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.  18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. 

I love this story because it shows how good our God is to deliver those who trust Him.  We, too can trust Jesus to deliver us from the things the enemy has planned. We have to stand strong, stay in the word and pray like we have never prayed before now.  It is almost time to march out against the enemy. Make sure you go to battle with your praise and worship in the forefront.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

WAIT

What to do in the transition? This is a major question many Christians find themselves asking often of the Lord. If you have been a Christian any period of time, more than likely, you have been through a transition. The big question is, what do we do in the wait? This is the hard part to walk through. One door has closed, but the next one has not opened.  We find ourselves in a hallway with several possibilities and we ask God, which door?

He answers, wait. That is a word we do not want to hear.  But in God’s amazing timing, He is working out all the details behind the door, he will eventually unlock for us. I read a quote that says, “If God shuts a door, praise him in the hallway.” That is a good place to start. Prayer and praise is something we need to do every day, even in the waiting.

It is in the “wait” that we learn to trust. We learn to stand still and know that God works things out for our good.  We gain strength in our Christian walk when we “wait” on the Lord. The main thing to remember is to keep talking to God about it.

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

God is not nervous about our situations in life. If we can get to the place where we fully and completely trust him, we will not be nervous either. God will give us peace that is beyond anything we can comprehend if we learn to lean on him in the “wait.”

LEAVEN

Paul wrote letters to many different churches. The church in Galatia was one of them. Each church had its own issues. The church in Galatia was having problems with legalism and false teaching. Paul wrote that there is only one gospel.

Gal 1:6-9  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:  7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.  8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

How do we know what is right? How would those followers have known?

Gal 1:11-12 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

There is only one gospel, one body, one Lord, one Faith and one baptism. Man has, through ignorance or blatant deception, twisted the gospel into what the church looks like today. For us to be effective, we will have to find unity in the Word.  If we would all sincerely ask for God to search our hearts and our theology, we may find that God would start removing some things from our ideas of what it means to serve Him.

I pray often, “Empty me of me and the ideas that I have which are not from you Lord. Fill me with the things I need to know. Guide me to do what you have created me to do.”

Gal 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.  When baking bread from scratch, you need to make sure you have the right ingredients. There has to be yeast to get the bread to rise. Paul used this analogy to explain a little bit of false teaching can change the whole body of Christ.

In Mark 8:15 Jesus warned them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Hearod. In other words their false teachings and ideas.  Jesus came to change the world. Just as a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump of dough, what we would consider a tiny sin or little bit of false teaching can have an extensive influence.

If we walk in the Spirit, He will lead us into all truth. Then, we will be wise enough to not fall for false teachings. He went on to explain that we will reap what we sow. That is an entire study alone.  But in summary, if we sow good things and follow God’s word, we will reap good things.

It is up to each of us to study to know the word and understand our role as Christians. II Tim 2:15-Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

It is our responsibility to pray for guidance to walk in God’s love.  We are in times when lines are being drawn in the sand.  We need to be sure that we stand for the truth of God’s word. Do not allow the leaven of the world to ruin what we need to be for the cause of Christ.

God’s Desire

There are days when the words flow so quickly that I cannot type fast enough. God inspires me in the smallest ways.  Other days, like today, I stare at a blank page and ask God for revelation. I always depend on him to pour into me, something that will bring you encouragement.  Sometimes, I stare for a while, like today.  I have had random thoughts and do not see the connection. Nothing I read in the Word today inspired an article.  I sat with worship music in the background quietly.  It is a sweet melody. I recognize and think of the words in my head.

Jesus are you there? Are you going to give me inspiration? I feel him say not yet.  I ask why Lord, you know I am doing this all for you? He says, “Your fellowship right now is more important than what you do.”  So, I sat quietly in worship. “Open the floodgates of heaven…let it rain.”  His presence filled the room, and I was refreshed. He is never far away. But He wants our undivided attention. More than anything, we say or do for him.  He just wants us to love Him. To slow down and sit with Him. 

In the quiet, I was reminded how much he loves me and wants only good for me. He reminded me, as I often do you, to keep my God focus. I am a very goal-oriented, to-do list kind of person. It is hard for me to slow down and sit quietly. In the quiet, we realize how much we need His sweet presence. It is awesome to worship with our church family. But there is something special about the one-on-one time.

Matt 5:6-Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

If we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we are actually wanting God. Because He is righteous.

I Chr. 16:10-11  10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. 11 Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.

Without God’s anointing, anything we attempt is just our ability. Any message, song, lesson, any type of ministry is just earthly understanding. But God can take our effort, add a little anointing and that same lesson, song etc. can change the world.

I heard a preacher say that when God fills your cup, it’s for you. But, when it overflows, it is for others. May the overflow of my quiet time today (that you will read tomorrow) fill your day with inspiration to sit quietly and listen.  He wants to tell you he loves you, too. I ask that you take today’s lesson of remembrance to heart and find quiet time to just love Him and listen for his thoughts concerning you. May we never get too busy to stop and have alone time with our Heavenly Father.

Until next time, BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

ARE YOU IN THE BOOK

Many of us have a treasure box of things from our past. Trophies from a contest or sporting event that we won. Grade cards and awards from school. Tiny things that were given to us by friends or a first love. A seashell we picked up on our first beach trip. More important than any of these treasures, we have friends and family that we can really truly rely on to be there in times of crisis. (If your family is not like that, I am truly sorry; I know some aren’t.) But the family of God should be that way. We are to treasure one another.

There is a treasure that far exceeds any memory or knowing how much you are loved by close friends and family. The biggest treasure is to be a child of God. Many say, “We are all God’s children.” Referring to mankind, but that is not true. We do not become his children until we are born again and have received His Spirit. The work He did on the cross gives us the right to be called the “children of God or sons of God.” But unless we accept what he did to redeem us. He will say, “I never knew you.”

It is nice to go to class reunions and relive our youth’s “glory” days. Looking through old photos and treasure boxes can be fun. Looking at our old yearbooks and seeing who all signed it is always bittersweet. But the best treasure is to know that our names are written in the “Lamb’s Book Of Life.”

Have you ever thought about the name of the book, “Lamb’s Book Of Life.” It is a book that lists all those who are born into the kingdom, those who have passed from death of sin to life in Christ. That is one book to make sure our names appear, the book that the Lamb of God owns that lists all who are alive in Him.

Luke 10:19-20  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

We need to be determined to see that the book doesn’t have any space left to write one more name. The harvest is ready. Jesus has the ink pen ready to write the names, all we have to do is go out and share his words.

BE BOLD. BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS