Created... On Purpose

You know why people don't like to acknowledge God, His Son, the Holy Spirit and His Word? Because acknowledging God requires a response. Accepting the knowledge of God makes you accountable to that knowledge. It is much easier to accept a Higher Power that doesn't require relationship and expectations for that relationship. It is much easier to choose to serve and pray to inanimate objects and things that don't speak back or demand like the universe. It is much easier to look at a tree believe it came from nothing and when you die it is just over. It's easier because you don't have to think about the fact that Someone created all of this on purpose; even you.

"And He has made from on blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation," Acts 17:26

You didn't just get here because of procreation. God used procreation to put you here, for this time and for this place; on purpose. Because He is God, that means not only you, but every person ever born or will be on this earth is on purpose. Things done on purpose are FOR purpose. So, what's your purpose? Why are you here in this place, at this time? To tithe? To go to church? To witness the gospel? To give God glory and worship Him? 

Yes, but those things you could do at any time in history and any place. You have specific purpose for this time and place for the way you were created that will bring the greatest impact than it would at any other time and place. If you don't know, humble yourself, repent, get before your Creator and ask Him to lead you there. In this stream you will stop limping through life and begin to leap. He is not going to leave you in the dark ask Him, He will answer, He will reveal it to you. And, He will make it happen. Believe it!

Priceless

I love my wedding ring. It is precious to me because of its meaning, who I received it from and I know the cost. A small token of my husband's love is a huge deal to me. This beautiful gift I look at often, clean often and show off to others who notice it. In addition, I keep it with me all the time, always.

Do you really understand, know, how much you cost? There is no way Jesus is going to take His eye off of you. He purchased you with a currency called 'crucifixion at Calvary.' You can't put a number on it. YOU are expensive. He loves you with an eternal, unconditional love. He wants to keep you clean so you shine brightly that others will notice. He wants to show you off for His glory and credit. So, He's not leaving you, ever.

1.              "I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen." - Matthew 28:20b

“Always” in the Greek means daily, the whole day. Every day, all day Jesus is with you. When you get dressed in the morning, get in your car, grab a Starbucks coffee or grab a cup at work; He is right there. The Word tells us that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us. Take comfort that whether your day is good, great, bad, slow or sad He is standing next to you and He will never walk away.

An Awesome You!

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" - I Peter 2:9

It amazes me how much we want what someone else has. The woman with thick lips wants thin ones and the woman with thin wants thick. In Western Civiliazation, we are constantly comparing ourselves to others; especially people with celebrity status. We look to a person of our choice or something they have as someone we need to be, look like and/or have what they have. It's time to end that. It is high time that we embrace everything God made us to be, have what He means for us to have and look the way He designed us to look.

Look in the mirror. If you don't like what you see, begin with the Word. Declare the affirmations of Christ over you. Write those out and put them on your mirror. Allow His Word to renew your mind and the spirit of God to minister to you about you. Embrace the you He has made and planned for from the foundations of the earth.

I am convinced that knowing and embracing who you are in Christ is imperative to being a successful Christian. You are chosen. You are royalty. You are priests. You are holy. And, yes! You are special! This is what the Lord sees when watching you from Heaven. Lay hold of these traits that are God given. Bind them to your heart knowledge like your name and home address. Each day walk into your place of employment with the full understanding of your identity in Christ. Allow it to empower you to walk with purpose, carry His message with confidence and live in total peace... with yourself.

Prayer that Produces Results

My husband was owed almost $30,000 by one of his clients. For over a year, we prayed for the Lord to move on the client to release the money and saw no result. It was time  to change the prayer. We began to ask God for the prayer that would produce the result we were seeking. He was faithful. In my women's bible study, the Lord provided the prayer that would cause Him to move on our behalf.

After reading the following verses in the study, I shared them with my husband. We knew these verses were God's answer. In prayer, we proclaimed them over my husband's client. Led by the Holy Spirit, my husband took a daring step. He put them at the bottom of his next bill to them. 

"...The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning." - Leviticus 19:13b

"Indeed, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cries out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth." James 5:4

"And I will come near to you for judgement... against those who exploit wage earners... says the Lord of hosts." Malachi 3:5 

There is nothing more powerful than wielding the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God, when you are in a battle with the enemy. Within a week, my husband received $27,000. Less than a month later, he received the remainder. 

Prayer is powerful as long as it isn't prayed amiss. However, God is faithful. If you ask, He will give you exactly what you need to be victorious in battle. Your Father in Heaven is all powerful. He loves to demonstrate that power through you, your life circumstances and answered prayer.

The Lord's Supper

The ministry of Christ began with the miracle of water turning to wine. At the end, prior to be taken in the Garden, he gave the instructions for Communion and stated He would not drink of the cup again until the fulfillment of His Father's Kingdom; in other words the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. He put great emphasis on the meaning of the bread and the wine and asked us to partake of it often in remembrance of Him. The depth and importance of the Lord's Supper was again stated in Corinthians 11 by Paul.

The weight and severity of taking Communion with the wrong heart is important for all believers to know so here is the scripture. I believe it is something we should all read and meditate on prior to going to our services where communion will be served. God bless you and keep you.

I Corinthians 11:27-32

"Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgement on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgement. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned by the world."

Time to Change the Script

A conditioned answer is not always a true one. For example, someone may see you in the store and greet you with, "Hi, how are you?" Usually the expected and given response is, "Fine, thanks. How are you?" With each expected greeting and salutation, people are forced to lie about how they may really feel. From birth, we are told not to cry, be angry or frustrated but to smile, say "please," "thank you," and "hi, how are you." Manners. They have the potential of being the polite poison that leads a person into despair or depression. They are the accomplice to masks and destroyer of opportunities for empathy, sympathy,  a caring or loving touch.

The Bible teaches that we are in the world not of it. We are taught to be truthful; meaning don't lie. As believers we are supposed to be the most real, transparent people on the planet. But as long as everyone is "fine, thanks," we have little opportunity to "be" love. We have got to get off the script and be completely real with those who do not know Christ and those who do. Those who do not know Christ will bear witness to the fruit of joy and peace when (by the world's standards) we should not have it. Those who do know Christ can partner with us in prayer, encourage us to press on and cheer for us when we make it through the storms and trials of life.

The challenge for the day is to be honest or allow someone to be honest with you. Our cues can no longer come from the curtains of society. They need to come from Christ. We are on the stage called the world. Every line we deliver should be dripping with the wisdom of God, anointed by the Holy Spirit and backed by His word. Manners are nice, but being meaningful is powerful.

How's Your Run

I had an absolute blast yesterday with some of my friends. We decided to go walking and running to get some exercise on the trail. We reached a water station and ran into one of my friend's fiancee, Jorge. Now... this guy is the real deal. He is an athlete. Four of us girls come to the water station and we are laughing and having a good time; not really serious about the work out. Roxanne's fiancee notices that none of us have broke a sweat and challenges us to run the rest of the trail. "Hey," he says in a coach like manner, "We should all reach the mopac bridge at the same time."

DANNNNGGGG!!! So, we all start makin' excuses of why we won't meet Jorge at the same time he would get there. So, he takes off one direction and we take off. Okay. As soon as Jorge is out of sight we start walking. We are having fun with each other and talking and laughing; just having a great girl time. We decide to start running when we get to the bridge. I'm thinking good plan. Jorge will at least see we ran. Before we get to the bridge, guess who is standing there on the side of the trail looking at us disappointedly? You got it, Jorge. BUSTED!! 

This scenario reminds me of how we run our race when we feel the Lord is not watching. We have a tendency to forget that His eye is on us ALL... THE .... TIME!! Unlike Jorge, the Lord is omnipresent and sees all things.  So, how's your race this morning? Do you just have the outfit on or have you broke a sweat? If others saw you on the trail would they see a true runner or a poser? The Lord has called to run the race of the gospel until he calls us home. That takes perserverance and endurance. Run your race knowing that our Coach is present. His eyes are locked on wanting you to do and finish well. Like Jorge, at the end He will be at His water station waiting to reward you with a job well done.