My Grace Untold – Page 14 – My story His Glory

Erase The Gray Areas

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 10:5

We are living through trying times. There is so much evil, chaos, confusion, and uncertainty all around. So we try to accept everything and nothing at the same time.

Some believe in a upper Being, but not in God. Scientists molded the theory of evolution to align with the knowledge of man, but refute the knowledge of God.

So much ideals that have obstructed our vision along the way. We stray from the Spirit but come back to its safety when it’s convenient. We walk into sins for the momentary pleasure and satisfaction, but return to the altar because God forgives. We worship God in the privacy of our homes, but do not stand up for His name amidst a crowd of unbelievers.

Friend, it is time to erase the gray area. Time to erase the ifs, buts, or maybes.

From corruption behind the pulpit, to uncleanliness inside the altar, the gray areas see to have grown among God’s people even in his House.

When you come before God, know that every shade of you has to bow at His throne of mercy. Your thoughts, your words, and your deeds. It is time to surrender all.

Perhaps you steal, lie, or keep malice sometimes. Perhaps you are sleeping with destruction, nurturing habits that make you feel unworthy to come to the Throne.

God still wants it all – every single part of you. The party animal, the promiscuous one, and the best-dressed church goer in you must all come together to erase that gray areas.

I can imagine how many ‘church folks’ have looked at you in disdain or disappointment because of the life choices you have made or are currently making, causing you to walk even further into temptations and away from the place of worship.

I also wonder what imaginations creep through your unguarded mind that tells you that you have strayed too far from grace to be welcomed again by the Most High.

Do you know that the power of God has stricken down imaginations and every high thing or person that exalt itself against the knowledge of God?! God knows you and He still wants you, so how can anything or anyone tell you different?

The Lord knows that the enemy is counting on your hopelessness and loneliness. The enemy wants you to shade in that gray area that makes it okay to accept everything but commit nothing.

But God says you are still His! And He still knows you by name!

May God in His infinite wisdom help us erase the false notions of man that we have long embraced, and may He that still sits on the Throne also grant us the will to bring every area of our lives to Him willingly in Jesus name. Amen.

Still Anchored In Deep Waters

“These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.”

Psalm 107:24

If you haven’t already, READ THIS FIRST

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by popular christian band, Hillsong United, resonate with so much truth as I walk through the deep during this time. And I pray it speaks to you as well friend. It sings,

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior…

I know it feels like there is just so much going on at the same time that demands your attention. You may feel as though you cannot afford to fail in any dimension because there is a weight of obligation on your shoulders.

But “keep CALM and be anchored,” says the Spirit. The sovereign God will guide you as you call on His name.

It is God’s promise, that you shall survive this stretch. You shall realize the glory of God in the grace of capacity and courage as you stand and walk through these deep waters. God’s wonders are best visible in the deep friend.

Remember that your placement by the Lord your God is no ordinary thing. So will you please trust in God as He carries your feet to a place that only He can?

May Jehovah grant you the spirit to trust in his word and promises especially in the deep. May the Lord your God also enlighten you to see His glory as He draws you deeper in Jesus name. Amen

Anchored In Deep Waters

“When he established the clouds above; when he strengthened the fountains of the deep.”

Proverbs 8:28

I’m visiting my family in New York this week. Something about flying in just in time for a snow storm adds to the weight on my mind. Along with disconcerting matters here and there, it truly feels as though God has called me into deep waters.

I’m in a place where I feel like my feet may fail me but the anchor of God will keep me.

So much little worries.

Nothing paramount like a health crisis or a death in the family, or even a pending court case. Just little worries here and there gnawing at me and evoking an air of uncertainty from time to time. I thank God for His favor.

Furthermore, it seems those that are close to me have their own mount of little worries and its starting to feel more and more as though the power of prayer for everyone of these people lie in my unsteady hands.

Not that they aren’t praying for themselves (those that can at least). But it feels like I am being led by the Spirit to pray certain prayers for them, on things they are not yet aware of, or about things that they acknowledge but are yet to reach a state of obedience and complete trust in God.

I wonder if you feel a weight of a sort pulling you deeper and deeper, calling you to an unknown place, making you feel as though you really could sink this time around…But God…

But God calls those He has already equipped and divinely anointed for that walk of solitude, to first come far enough into the deep, so that they alone can behold the glory of He who is the ruler of heaven and earth. And through them, others can behold that Great glory as well. You are the anchor for so many people and you don’t even know it.

Friend, God has called you into deep waters to anchor you THERE so that you can be the anchor to others.

Being anchored by faith is a position that God set specifically for you. So, He will not let you sink. He will keep your head above the waters. He will carry you through. The Lord your God is no sinking sand for He is the eternal rock of ages. You shall live and not die in Jesus name.

The above scripture remind us that even the fountains of the deep are strengthened by the Most High God. So, if He has called you into deep waters, and has strengthened the fountains of where He alone can call you, how then can weakness ever be your portion in a place of strength?

CONTINUE HERE

Are You A Killer Of God’s Children? Chapter 4

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof”

Proverbs 18:21

The officer now asks you to imagine what would happen if Jesus came back today and asked you what you did with the life He died for?

Do you consider the dishonor it would do to the Holy One to hear you admit that you have been killing his children for a long time but only got caught a few times?

There is death and life in the power of the tongue. Friend, why not choose life?

Why not intercede a lie with God’s truth on behalf of others?

I mean imagine what seeds that alone could sow in your field of life. Imagine the blessings that would follow when God readily fulfills his promises to you because you adhere to his Word wholly and in truth.

You know, one of the most powerful social media platforms in the world right now is Facebook. Facebook is worth $1.5B dollars! Did you know that your attention to a platform is worth that much? Did you know that the flames you fan in terms of an opinion or support to a situation or idea via Facebook is worth a billion dollars?!

Can you imagine using that influence that we all have to perpetuate hate and evil, to rather encourage forgiveness, love, and righteousness?

I am not saying that standing on some public forum and proclaiming God’s love is the only way to go. Nevertheless, our little acts of forgiveness, encouragement, and interceding with prayer, are all ways that can stand in place with the Messiah’s truth and defend it to those who do not see, hear, and feel Him on the realm we do.

Let’s not forget that it wasn’t for grace…

Yes. It can be hard to be the voice of descent in a world that often appears to be going in one direction – chaos and indifference, for it often seems that a lack of humanity and compassion has become the norm.

But could it be that the enemy is only making it appear to be so?

Why not make the devil out to be a liar and stand by God’s truth no matter the opposition? God’s truth already won. What do you have to lose by defending that truth?! Friend, victory is already ours.

A now remorseful and wiser you, stares apologetically at the officer of Law as he proceeds to let you know the options you have for the crimes committed.

You. Are. Coming. Out.

“According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.”

Micah 7:15

This morning, God put a word in my spirit as I listened to Jonathan McReynolds’ Coming Out. From the soothing voice of the musician, to the passionate words of encouragement in the lyrics, I was compelled to share the spirit that coursed through me as I myself internalized the message I was receiving.

Friend, God says, “You Are Coming Out!”

You’ve been in this state of ‘getting by’ for so long that the enemy has started to convince you that this is where you belong, or this is where you’ll stay, unless.

But the devil is a liar!

I need you to understand today that the Lord your God is not lost on the struggles that have plagued your journey for some time now.

That job you wanted and felt so qualified for did not fall through. That opportunity you longed for skipped your doorstep. That relationship you put so much effort and heart into fell short. That person you trusted so much betrayed you. So you have been in this place. And you have stayed in this place.

Depression, fear, uncertainty, discouragement, sorrow, sadness, and hopelessness can no longer contain the spirit of God. You are coming out.

The spirit of the living God has declared today as your day to break out and break free of the chains of what felt like failure but was really fulfillment of God’s divine purpose for your life.

The Word proclaims to us that the Lord has set his people apart for his glory. Friend, don’t you know that depression cannot glorify God? Sadness cannot glorify God. Discontent cannot glorify God.

The Lord tells us in Psalm 50 vs 15 to call upon him in the day of trouble and He will deliver us for his glory!

Have you been calling on everyone else but God? And even if you have been calling on God, have you been listening to his response?

The Lord is not silent to the cries of his children. When it was time for the people of Isreal to leave Egypt, the Lord declared to Moses that it was time for Pharaoh to let God’s people go so they could serve GOD!

Friend, the Lord has declared to the chains in your life that is is time for them to let you go so you can serve and glorify HIM!

You. Are. Coming. Out. Because you are more than a conqueror in Jesus name!

I declare it in the name of Jesus, in the power of God, you will come out today out of this place and glorify the Lord your God for what He has done and has been doing. May strongholds be broken in the mighty name of Jesus. May you rise up and heed the call of glory of your Father in Jesus name. Amen.

The Lord Is Your Shepherd – part 1

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul: he leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. “

Psalm 23 vs 1-3

When I was first instructed to learn to recite this bible chapter as a little girl, I was eager. Then as a youth, my mother often reminded me that this was a psalm to remember through the journey. I thank God for the memory of his sweet word.

Recently, I became more attentive to every single verse of this psalm and just how powerful it was as a message from our Most High God.

The Lord is my shepherd.”

Aside from the more common definition of a sheep-herder, a shepherd is someone who guides or directs in a particular direction. God is your shepherd. He is the almighty One who guides and directs the footsteps of your life according to His divine purpose for your being. As a shepherd, the Lord knows when you need to eat, drink, sleep, and more importantly, when you need to stop. God knows all that you need friend because He is your shepherd.

I shall not want.”

There is nothing you need or could ever need that your Father in heaven will withhold from you. In other words, friend, if you do not have it, you do not need it. For God is purposeful in granting us the blessings that He alone deems fit. This is why we must lift our worries about tomorrow to God and trust in His word that promises us that we shall not want for anything.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures…”

When green pastures come to mind, it is easy to consider the tranquility of an environment that feeds you both literally and figuratively. This place, this state, is where the Lord your God makes you to lie down. Not to stand anxiously, or bend without grace in one same spot, nor is it in chaos, agony, or deception, but in green pastures where the grass is full, is where God lies you down.

He leads me beside still waters.”

Still waters connote even more the idea of God’s gentle way of dealing with us as his children. Regardless of what the enemy tries to say or do, it is God who leads and goes before us until we are brought to a place of stillness and serenity. It is not wonder we all crave a little quiet time from time to time. Perhaps when the noise of the world is tuned out, we are able to hear God better and feel His leadership for it is He who leads us and feeds our soul along the journey.

He restores my soul.

We serve a God of restoration. The Lord restores your soul as He guides and leads you in life. When we feel as though we have lost time and effort in the endeavors that don’t pan out like we hoped, we have to remember that God restores. There is no loss so great the Lord your God cannot restore. And the wonderful thing about God’s restoration, is He gives you so much more than what was lost.

He leads me in path of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Because Righteous is He who made us, we ourselves become followers of righteousness as we draw nearer to our heavenly father in our walk with him. With God as our leader, we are led in the path of righteousness amidst the temptations that surround us, seen and unseen.

Friend, being your shepherd is the cap of what God does out of his unconditional love for his children, for you and me.

May God grant us the faith to trust only HIM as our shepherd in Jesus name. Amen

The Friendship Exam – No Pens Needed

“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against him.”

Psalm 41:9

Take a moment to remember all the ‘best friends’ you have ever had; the ones you had since childhood, since youth, or the ones you just met in adulthood but feel as though you have known them all your life.

What exactly qualifies them as a friend? What makes them your best friend? Have you had some conflicts in the course of your friendship that threatened the bond shared? Have you gone through tough situations that challenged your value of friendship?

The vulnerability of trust in man lies in the inevitable. The flesh will surely fail for it is weak. The carnal sense of self is not trustworthy because the flesh walks by sight and not by faith. Thus, man will succumb at one point or another to the pressures and circumstances of the world around him.

This is why stability, loyalty, consistency, reliability, integrity, and responsibilities are all traits that are fervently nurtured. It takes building up. And what has been built by man will crumble by chance because man is not God.

Friendship with man is not friendship with God. Friendship with a man of God is still not friendship with God because we have to know God for ourselves and not just through others.

So, would you give your last to a friend?

Would you forgive a friend’s betrayal no matter what it was?

Would you open your arms to a friend who walks away from your friendship over and over again?

Would you bless a friend that curses you?

Would you comfort a friend who dwells amidst those who hate your name?

Would you give your life for your friend?

That is the kind of friend that Christ is to us.

What A Friend We have In Jesus is truly one of my favorite sacred hymns.

The beauty of this friendship with Christ is that it is ours eternally. No matter how unkind we are to it, no matter how much of a stranger we are to our Great friend, Christ abides with us through it all.

There is indeed no friend like Jesus Christ.

Think about it, Who comforted you in your most broken times? Who intercedes with God on your behalf? Who blesses you continually no matter how unfriendly you are or can be? Who forgives you endlessly? Whose Spirit guides you in a world of chaos and confusion? Nobody but Jesus.

The love of Christ the Lord is more than enough.

Don’t you ever forget that this is the same Love that graced us with salvation when He came to the world solely to die for your sins. Christ is the friend who took all your burdens and bondage and carried it with him to the cross to die.

Friend, the enemy will continue to test the bonds of this divine friendship but God the Father has washed us thoroughly with the Blood. May we be given the grace to trust wholly in our friendship with His Only Holy Son in Jesus name. Amen.

Are You A Killer Of God’s Children? Chapter 3

“Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.”

Psalm 34:13

The officer reminds you that you were at place X on day X with a few unnamed persons. He asks you if you recall. You nod in agreement that you do. He proceeds.

On this day, one of the persons whom you keep company with, is indeed known by most as a gossip. This person is the one who knows everyone’s secrets with and without their knowledge. There is no discretion code for this individual. And you have been okay with it, as long as your secrets are not the subject of discussion.

So on this day, this person shares some intimate details about victims B, C, and D. You never confirmed whether these statements were true or not. You simply assumed that the source of the story is reliable so you chose to believe it.

Later that day, you felt the need to share your opinions about the matter with another person, who then shared it with others.

The next day, victims B,C, and D were still a hot topic, so you did not hesitate to talk about what you heard with others.

Two weeks passed before you found out that several parts of the story you helped pass along about victims B,C, and D, were fabricated. Some parts were also half-truths.

But the damage was already done. Their characters and reputations had already been tarnished by lies, ones that you helped generate. Sure you did not start it. You did not start it when it happened to victim A either.

But you did not stop it, and you even gave life to the guile initiated by another. In this, you certainly helped fan the flame of the gossip and you bore false witness. Little did you know that the shame and condemnation that evoked from this matter weighed heavily on the hearts of the victims.

So here you were, a true believer, who would never say anything evil against anyone. You believed yourself to be a genuinely good person. But you did not know that your tongue could be so fatal. You did not know that the same lips you use to praise God in worship and prayer, was used to destroy his children.

You did not tame your tongue with the spirit. And now, you are in trouble for it.

If you had known how serious a few words added to a lie could be, and how much it could deter your own blessings, perhaps you would have kept your mouth closed. Perhaps you would have departed from the company of evil. Perhaps you would have prayed for the fallen rather than condemn their fall.

God Gives Even When He Takes Away (2)

“Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.”

Proverbs 25:4

The lady’s testimony over the radio was amazing to me. The strength that coursed through her voice was God’s own strength.

God gives even when he takes away.

As I think about the young lady who I am currently praying for, I can’t help but praise God for what He has given her through her short pregnancy, and what more He is about to give her through her healing.

Friend, God restores. And He does so bountifully. Psalm 23 vs 5 testifies to that overflow when it says, “my cup runneth over.”

I wonder if your cup feels empty right now because of the loss or losses you have endured overtime. God says to remind you that He will give you beauty for ashes, because He that made heaven and earth is capable of giving you so much more than you can ever imagine.

Take a minute to absorb the beginning scripture above.

Could it be that the losses you feel are only remnants of the dross that God is taking away to present the finer vessel within you?

The glory of God will surely shine through you for the world to see, you just have to keep standing, sitting, kneeling, and living in faith. No matter what you’ve endured, no matter how bad it hurt you, no matter the discomfort, I pray over your circumstances in Jesus name that the Lord your God will restore you abundantly.

Friend, I give God praise over your life and the doors He shut for you even when you tried relentlessly to pry it open. God knows it all. He sees it all. He alone is God and He is God alone. He knows your wants and needs even before you utter a word of request to the heavens.

When God takes away, He still gives.

You may not see it or feel it, but I know that our merciful God gives and gives. We just have to believe that He is more than able to heal our broken hearts over what we think we lost and open our spirits to receive what He knows we need.

May the Lord almighty touch every broken piece within us over our losses and put it back together for His glory. I pray that our Father in heaven restores our joy and faith in Him to give him praise for the blessings that we have and not yet see, and the ones that we see but don’t recognize, in Jesus name. Amen.

God Gives Even When He Takes Away (1)

“Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.”

Proverbs 25:4

Someone I know recently suffered a miscarriage. Though young like me, she desperately wanted the child. She was in her first trimester and had been enduring several painful and discomforting symptoms while pregnant, but she hoped for the best. God had different plans.

When I heard of her loss, I was shocked and hurt by the news because it came up abruptly in a conversation. With no coincidence, God had placed this young lady on my heart a few days before I heard the news. I was unsure then what prayer course was ahead, but now I knew.

My compassion for her loss went deeper than I expected. I was going to reach out to her the day before I heard the news, but decided against it afterwards. My prayer for her healing and restoration would have to do for now. This was about a week and a half ago.

Yesterday morning on my way to church, I heard a lady share a similar story of loss over the radio. She and her husband found out about 18 weeks into her pregnancy that her unborn child had a rare condition and would not be alive for long after birth.

It was truly heartbreaking hearing her story of strength to take in such devastating news. But God was speaking through her to me.

The lady further proclaimed how the journey brought her family together. She chose to carry the child to term anyway, taking her unborn child to places it would not live to see, and counting on God’s love to bring them all through the pain ahead.

When she gave birth, she named her daughter River. River died about 45 minutes after she saw the world. This lady’s story tore at my heart in the five minutes she recounted her experience. However, the gratefulness she professed of how God gave her a courageous partner spoke louder than her pain. She gave God glory for what He gave her family through River. She thanked God for the faith that kept her standing through the heartache and ordeal since the moment they received the devastating news about River’s fate.

I can’t imagine the strength it takes to go through such a storm. But God… CONTINUE HERE