Month: April 2014

“For I know the plans I have for you…” (Jeremiah 29:11)

May people can quote it, but how many people really trust it. I mean believers here…Bible reading, church attending, ministry serving believers. Often times when faced with “hallway” scenarios we start to stumble. Faith really is a muscle. When you don’t work it, it atrophies. Let’s look at it this way, when we get comfortable in a certain place and start eating the fat of the land…there are consequences. Is your faith obese? Have you started taking God for granted? Or is it weak? Have you forgotten who GOD is? Have you lost sight of the character of God, of what He’s done already?

I know I just lost ten followers with the truth. Sometimes we have to admit and confess our short comings. The key is to TURN FROM THEM. Do not wallow around with heavy faith that is comfortable and cushioned by the past. Mercy is new every morning, and there in an unlimited supply of grace, but even Jesus said there would be no miracles where there was a lack of faith (Matthew 13:58).

Here’s the simplest part of the whole ordeal. IF we KNOW that the Lord has plans to prosper us. We also KNOW that all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Our schedules, calendars, next steps, careers, families, health, finances, and whatever else you want to entered concerning you and those whom you love, are COVERED.

Let that bring you peace when the world is crumbling around you. God is a MASTER at creation. That includes remodeling and clearing out the rubble. Amen?

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Ivy Out

Very often, the very thing I ask God for overwhelms me. I know humor is a human characteristic…but I truly believe that the Father has a sense of humor. Really, I do. I also know that He is sovereign and I am not. I am flesh and bones. That qualifies me for error. No one will ever have to remind me, I am aware of it every day. I am also aware that when I relinquish control, that I never really had, to the Divine King of Kings life seems to be more delightful. Life without God is not living…its hell.

Today I had a revelation while looking for peace. If I can’t find it, it usually means I’m already there. That means I have to adjust something within me to recognize it. Most of the time what’s required is a shift in perspective. Now that may be a simple combination of eleven words, but the reality is MACK TON TRUCK HEAVY. Why, you ask? Think about the last time you had a brain that was racing. INDY 500 thoughts zooming in front of your psyche at a million miles per minute. Nonstop configurations of to-do lists and unfinished business piling up like dirty laundry and colorful monthly planners. Now in this scenario, you are also juggling connections with people. Some connections feel awesome and comfy like a wool sweater on a cold day. Others, like the glass plate being juggled by a clown on a pogo stick, they bring angst. Now these are beneficial connections in transitional emotional places. Paired with the original image, you can imagine why peace is a goal. I mean, I am human. In ADAM ALL FALL. That’s why I am soooo grateful for the second Adam – Jesus Christ. Had the second Adam not come and provided grace, mercy, favor, saving, comfort, and direction, that picture of hectic chaos would be my final image.

But God.

I began to blast Christian music in my ears and quieting my mind by focusing on the word Jesus. In my mind I kept repeating the word Jesus. I needed to focus on the solution and not the problems. In reality, nothing that disturbed my peace really had power over me. I just forgot. I forgot who I was. I forgot what I had come through in the past. I forgot what I had already been strengthened to perform. I forgot how many seeds I’d already sown. Nothing I was stressing over was bigger than the ever present GOD that I serve. I was searching for peace, and it was all around me. I really just had to center my thoughts. Today, I had to talk it out. Once to my cousin, my prayer partner, my God-logic when I have these memory lapses, my fellow visionary. But even greater than that – I talked to God. Audibly. I got in a quiet place and talked to the One Who Saves. I gave Him the Word He left for me. I reminded myself that TRUST IS A VERB. Say it with me: TRUST IS A VERB. Within the hour, I began to notice that my chest was a little lighter. My breathing was little deeper. I read the Word earlier today, and my theology textbook, and it began to play in my head. JESUS IS THE CHRIST.

At the end of the day, I found my peace. It was already here, I just needed to focus on the right thing. (Have you ever tried to focus on a dot, far away, when your eyes were out of focus? It is not fun!)

Do you also need to shift your perspective? Let’s pray:

::Almighty God! You ARE love. You ARE greatness. You ARE ever present. You are the reason why we breathe. Lord, sometimes we forget to focus on You and not our confusion. Employ the Holy Spirit to comfort us when we lose sight of what’s important. Push the Paraclete to bring joy back to our remembrance. Remind us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. We trust You, Elohim. We rest in You. We love You and thank You. We leave this place lighter than when we came. Amen.::