faith – My Grace Untold

Why Not Expect Prosperity?

“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

I wrote my last post exactly six months ago today and I am grateful to return to it.

God is faithful.

It is now February and the year is flying as quick as I expected but recently, I had to sit with God to remind me what His vision for me was. It is often too easy to forget the amazing image of prosperity that faith gives us as we hope in the Lord.

I must admit, I have forgotten. Even now as I blog, I am waiting on God to put the pieces of that prosperous future image back in my mind.

Indeed, you must see it to believe it.

What is faith if we have nothing in mind of the evidence to be seen? Seeing in the spiritual must happen in order for hope to take root in our hearts as we wait on the Lord on His promise.

So I sat with God for a while today.

I asked Him to remind me again, what I am supposed to envision when I think of my future. In this exercise, it occurred to me that I had become accustomed to the rigid idea of numbering my days so much so that I stopped seeing what was ahead.

I think sometimes we are subconsciously easily crippled by the idea of unexpected disappointment or even tragedy that we relent on the vision of a future not too far from now. I recognized that misplacement of faith today. I wonder if you have been setting aside a hope for the future because you are afraid it may not happen or that it seems too far away.

Faith tells us to wait expectantly. Faith decrees that we pray without ceasing. Faith says to hope in the Lord. But enduring the present times and a heart of perseverance is no easy feat.

That is why we cannot shy away from coming to God as much times as it takes, conversing with God, and pleading that His Spirit continues to fill us up with the hope and expectancy that our faith deserves and that our future needs.

So why not expect prosperity tomorrow? And the day after that? and the day after that?

Why not seek God to reconstruct the future that He promised so we may yet hope for it as we walk toward it?

I pray for you as I pray for myself today. May the Lord of hope continue to fill your mind with the prosperous visions and words of goodness that you need to keep faith alive. I speak life onto the dead bones of our hope and joy in expectancy in the name of Jesus. Amen.

His Will, His Way

“God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good purposes.”

Philippians 2:13

Although uncomfortable by some things in this real of faith, I am humbled to be a witness to all that God is doing in me and all around me.

God is faithful.

I see many Christians today chasing after the will of God as though it were a goal that they themselves came up with.

I see unwise strategies and godless tactics being molded together to attain the will of God for our lives, but all to no avail.

It seems as though many of us want God’s will and promises, but we think we can get it our own way. In fact, some of us ascribe those thoughts and ideas to God even though we know that the Spirit of God in us oppose our ways.

I can personally attest that whatever God wills already has His way attached to it. His Will, His Way!

When God wants you to do something for His name and His purpose, He has already created His Way to align with His Will.

I have heard it said often that, “God is a gentleman.”

As powerful and mighty as He is, we serve a gentle God who is merciful and loving toward us. God may permit your way because you have chosen to exercise the freewill He has given you, but God will not permit you to dishonor His Will.

His Will, His Way!

What God says will be, is already as He said, we are just yet to see it.

I find that we often try to place the Will of a timeless God in the confines of our own limited time here on earth. When God tell you to do something, He will always tell you How to do it. He may not show you “How” but He will tell you. God is particular about the How.

It is in this ‘How’ that you and I see the hand of God. It is in this ‘How’ that we come to revere His majesty. It is in this ‘How’ that we find intimacy with the Maker. It is in this ‘How’ that our faith is stretched to the capacity of the fulfillment of God’s promise.

So I urge you today to pay attention to ‘How’ you are living your life and going about getting to promise. I pray you take a moment to reflect on whether or not you are after His Will, His Way.

May the Lord of Hosts continue to lead us in His Way as we seek after His Will in Jesus name. Amen.

Confidence In God – part 2

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”

Hebrews 10:35

Friend, Christ is our CONFIDENCE!

We can have CONFIDENCE in God because He gave us Christ! If we believe in Christ, if we believe that He is in us, then we believe that He that resurrected after death, that defied EVERY odds, that conquered every impossibility, that defied ALL limitations, HE, THAT CHRIST is in me and you!

This is our CONFIDENCE.

Our CONFIDENCE in God is the CONFIDENCE in us as believers.

That is why man cannot take it away from us. That is why the situation cannot take it away from you. Your confidence is yours to give away or throw away. So what have you done with yours?

Better yet, how do we keep or take back our confidence if we have lost it?

The Word says to look back for a moment. Look back and remember where you were. Look back and recollect what God has brought you out of time and time again. Look back on the you that was when you did not know Christ. Look back and remember what grace and God’s power has enabled you to do to push through to this place you are in now.

Now ask yourself, do you not serve a faithful God who has been mighty to save over and over and over and over again?

Ask yourself, is HE not worthy to be praised even in your current predicament?

Friend, your CONFIDENCE in God is your reminder that HE that did it back then can and will do it again. He that got you out of that one will get you out of this one. HE that did this, can do that. HE that created the world can create a new opportunity, a new perspective, a new heart of worship, a new way!

Take the limits off of God! HE can do anything! We know that HE can because HE already did! Christ already came down! Heaven already appointed you for your calling and you need your CONFIDENCE in God to reach it.

I pray for you as I pray for me.

May your confidence begin to come back to you now! May your CONFIDENCE in God cause you to trample upon doubts and the enemy’s lies. And may your conscience be renewed in righteousness again in Jesus name. Amen.

Confidence In God – part 1

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”

Hebrews 10:35

As a child, many of us were told to be confident in ourselves, to believe in ourselves and our ability to do anything we put our minds to.

Childhood naivete does not yet receive the fullness of those messages. Then we learn what faith is. We learn who Christ Is. We grow and learn who God Is. We become familiar with the Holy Spirit of God. We become confident in the knowing of our Father, the Creator.

Then life happens, so we lose confidence.

Friend, God said to get your confidence back! Not the confidence that relies on your abilities, your flesh, and your capacity, but the confidence in HIM!

Are you confident in God?

I know many of us believe in God and we believe that He can do anything, but are you CONFIDENT in God?

When the situation looks as bad as it does, and your heart is as broken as it is, and you are as confused as you are, are you CONFIDENT in God?

When the bills are more than the money, and the foes are more than friends, or the friends turn out to be the foes, are you CONFIDENT in God?

When the deal does not go through, and the relationship ends, and the lying voices come against you to tell you that you were never good enough, are you CONFIDENT in God?

I know all too well how easy it is to lose confidence in the gap between who you are and who you are called to be. I am in that gap now. That gap that separates what God promised and when the promise is in your hands.

But as the scripture above reads, we are not to throw away our confidence. We are not to give control of it to the current dilemma or even the past. Friend, do you know that your confidence is not in the hands of man, but inside of you???

FINISH READING HERE

Stop Forgetting That God Remembers

“Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you…”

Deuteronomy 4:23

When I was younger, there was an old African Hymn at my church that urged God to remember us in our ‘lack’ and to remember HIS promises to us. Although the hymn was often sung as worship, looking back now, I wonder if God chuckles at our prayers that seek HIM to remember us.

As if God could ever forget His own.

Friend, God remembers all. Aren’t we the ones who continue to forget His word? His promises? His commands?

Are we not the ones who fail to remember that we serve a God who never sleeps nor slumbers? A sower who knows where He has planted ever seed? A rainmaker who knows when to let the rain pour on the seeds He planted?

God is God! He remembers every single word you ever uttered since you learned to speak. He remembers every heartbreak you have endured since you learned to feel. He remembers every promise that He made to you, your mother, your grandmother, your great-grandparents, and even to their parents!

He is God – The Alpha and Omega!

Often times, we let our worries, our human mind, our human understanding, our human analysis get the best of us and we forget how Great our God is! We forget the miracles of old that we read in the Old Testament. We forget the miracles that fell for our eyes only when no one else was watching! We forget how amazing God is!

So we become bothered, we get discouraged, we let our thoughts overwhelm us, we let the events of today distract us from yesterday’s promises, and tomorrow’s harvest. Allow me to remind you that God still remembers! He never forgot and He never forgets!

We serve a good good Father. One whose mercy and grace is new every morning. I dare you to awaken your mind to the limitless possibilities of a limitless God! I dare you to remember how certain His word Is! I dare you to encourage yourself to keep believing for that miracle that the enemy wants you to forget because of what it looks like right now!

Friend, God remembers! In due season, in due time, His word will surely come to pass!

I pray for a reviving spirit to come over your mind today. May a refreshing wind from heaven overwhelm your soul today. May you be lifted up again, expecting again, believing again, remembering again, that the Lord your God is for you and has not forgotten you. Your seed is still right on time in Jesus name. Amen!

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The Work Of Your Hands – part II

“I will destroy all your idols and sacred pillars, so you will never again worship the work of your own hands.”

Micah 5:13

How often do we consider that the work that we do, the job we commit all your time to, and the creative expressions of our God-given visions, all belong to God?

It is easier to say that God is ruler over our lives than it is for us to give God rule over our lives. So again I ask, do all your works reflect God?

If you are a Christian actor, do you commit to acting in movies that edify other Christians or non-believers with messages about God’s truth?

Or like many God-fearing artists of today, do you wait to receive an award for your dramatic role in a violent or vulgar masterpiece that connotes nothing about God’s word or His kingdom, to ‘thank God’ for His mighty hand over your blossoming career.

Yes indeed, we are favored. We are graced time and time again with God’s favor and goodness when we gain opportunities to prosper. And I thank God for that. But when I see the number of Christians who acclaim their fame and success to God but do not speak words of God, sing words of God, project the image of God or perpetuate messages of God through the work of their own hands, I am paused.

Friend, can you see the work of your own hands? Because if you cannot see it, how then do you expect others to see it?

Are your endeavors led by the purpose of God inside of you?

That thing that you have your hand on, that project you are building your career on, that platform you are boldly claiming as your own, does it reflect Christ and His purpose in our life, in your heart?

Now more than ever, in this season of intentionality, in this realm of manifestation, in this year of breaking forth, we must pause and consider ALL the works of our hands because destiny cannot be formed by hands that lie.

I pray for you as I pray for me. May the Lord of Hosts renew our minds today. May God take over ALL things in our lives as we surrender yet again to His almighty hand. And may we again be re-aligned in all our ways for the sake of God’s purpose in Jesus name. Amen.

The Work Of Your Hands – part I

“I will destroy all your idols and sacred pillars, so you will never again worship the work of your own hands.”

Micah 5:13

When people ask you, “what do you do?” …”who are you?”… “what are you about?”… “what kind of work do you do?”

What is your response? Are you able to answer all these questions with one response? If not, where is the separation? In other words, do you separate how you use God’s gifts from the ‘you’ that receives the gift?

Better yet, are you able to answer all these questions with just one response? If not, where is the separation?

How do you separate how you use God’s gifts from the ‘you’ that receives the gift? How do you put a distance between who you are in God and what you do in the name of God?

Are you the Christian who uses Heaven’s gifts to gain worldly treasures?

A while ago, my pastor commented on the wealth that he believed was in the church. He stated that it is almost unimaginable how rich the House of God would be if we all brought our wealth into the church. Surely, he was not merely referring tithes and offerings, but rather the wealthy gifts that God has given to us. My pastor was calling out the wealth that was in us, the wealth that was us.

Friend, how much of your ‘wealth’ do you give to the world but not to God? Your gift, your heart, your creativity, and your time, how much of it do you give to God? And why have you not given it all?

Often times, we don’t want to consider the many ways that we dishonor God when we use our gifts for our own desires. We try to ignore our misalignment when the work of our hands don’t reflect the Father. But God knows and you know.

Consider that if no one ever saw your face or knew your name, if the world had to testify to who you are by all the works of your hand, would it truly reflect God?

For example, are you a Christian actor or an actor who is Christian?

Are you a Christian doctor or a doctor who is Christian?

Are you a Christian artist or an artist who is Christian?

Are you a Christian teacher or a teacher who is Christian?

Friend, do you know the difference? FINISH READING HERE

Casting Down The Spirit of Forgetfulness

“But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live!”

Deuteronomy 4:9

Lately, I have fought to remember what God told me when He ordered me to come to this unknown place. Although I know that all that is tied to my life is according to God’s ordinance, one particular situation has left me conflicted.

I know I heard the Lord speak when He answered a prayer that I had been praying for fervently since I began this walk of faith with Him back in Atlanta.

I know I heard the Lord say this was it. This was the answer I had been waiting for. This was the revelation that was a long time coming. This was it.

So I believed.

Then a fight began to hold on to that which I believed no matter how things looked or felt. During this tug of living in faith and on faith about God’s word to me, the Spirit of God began to remind me the things that I was starting to forget.

God reminded me that He called me out of my father’s house to go out on my own. He reminded me that though I did not know why I was going to where I was going, I knew that there was an undeniable pull to this place. God reminded me that my instincts were under His command and order.

In the silence, when I wanted to gather my sorrows and dig deeper into the spirit of conflict and discontent over what was in front of me concerning this word that God gave me, the Spirit of God did not permit me.

Rather, I was reminded that I know the sound of my Father’s voice. I was reminded that He who started a good work in me is working ALL things for my good, and will bring it to completion. I was reminded that my steps are ordered by God because He called me and I have answered.

I was reminded to trust God completely and to surrender myself to His will.

Friend, I urge you to be still and allow the Holy Spirit to remind you that which you may have forgotten.

In your weakness, in your confusion, in your conflict, or in your unsettled place, are you forgetting the magnitude of the One who calls you “fearfully and wonderfully made?”

Are you forgetting that God is not man that He should lie?

Are you forgetting that He that keeps you neither sleeps nor slumbers?

Are you forgetting that His word to you can never be void?

Friend, are you forgetting the unmovable, unshakeable Almighty power of the Lord your God?

Have you forgotten the faithfulness of God?

I pray for you as I pray for me, that the Spirit of the living God revives our hope in the truth of God today. May we be reminded that which we have forgotten. May the Lord pour out His refreshing rain of hope and grace as we continue faithfully in this walk toward destiny in Jesus name. Amen.

Prayer Is The Master Key

prayers

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven…”

2 Chronicles 7:14

I thank God for prayer. I thank God so much for the freedom to tap into heaven in my tears, in my fears, in my uncertainty, in my confidence, in my joy, in my pain, in my confusion, and in my clarity. I thank God for the master key that is prayer.

I thank God so much for the freedom to tap into heaven in my tears, in my fears, in my uncertainty, in my confidence, in my joy, in my pain, in my confusion, and in my clarity.

I thank God for the master key that is prayer.

I have a job that demands more of my peace and prayer than I am naturally willing to give, often feeling almost incapable of giving since I am trying to keep it for myself.

This community of God’s people does not resemble the one in the chapter that preceded this one and that too has its misgivings.

The pages of this current chapter are nearing an end as I see the calling of my life on the horizon before me. Admittedly, the sentiments in my humanity are spilling over.

I feel the wars going on, the battle to take over my mind, to overwhelm my spirit, to distract me from purpose.

I feel the realm of warring raging around me, above me, and there is unsettlement in my soul. Things are being shaken out of place and into place and my knowing is all I have

I feel the wars going on, the battle to take over my mind, to overwhelm my spirit, to distract me from purpose.

I feel the realm of warring raging around me, above me, unsettlement is stirred within me. Things are being shaken out of place and into place and my knowing is all I have

So I pray.

In my disappointment, I pray. In my discomfort, I pray. In my disagreement, I pray.

The tears spill out of me even in a fasting season, and still I pray.

Friend, prayer is the master key.

Prayer is the heavenly language designed and delivered on the tip of our tongues to fight and win battles we cannot see, to release blessings from heavens’ gates, and to remind us of the power of God on the inside.

That is why the word of God tells us to worry about nothing and pray about everything.

I wonder if you, much like me, could use a day to just pray.

I wonder if you could use a day to call upon your Father and His angel armies to fortify the walls of your reality, to strengthen you from the core, and to claim the victory that is yours.

Friend, prayer is the master key. There is no door that prayer cannot open and no door that it cannot shut according to the will of God.

Prayer is our weaponry to win the battles even here on earth. So I urge you to start using it like never before.

I pray that God gives us the words to pray even when we do not know that which we ought to pray. I pray that the Holy Spirit moves us to our knees to bow down in faith and truth in prayer. May we be fortified when we feel too tired to pray. May our focus be realigned when we feel too distracted to pray. And may the windows of Heaven pour out a new anointing that drips humility into our being so we pray fervently as we ought to in Jesus name. Amen.

Resisting The Lies Of The Adversary

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

James 4:7

I am keenly aware of all the disorder going on in every community I am planted in. The unease I constantly feel about what is missing is one that is hard to ignore.

Then again, I don’t believe I am supposed to ignore anything in this realm of grace and glory. So still I beg for more grace to withstand the lack of order in front of my eyes. I hear the mandate of God to pay close attention.

I am told to pay attention to what is, and what ought to be. At first, amidst these revelations, I did not realize that I had begun to worry more, pray less, and shorter even.

Unknowingly, I had began to doubt the promises of a Faithful God in this short time. It was no ordinary thing that in my search within, I no longer felt like myself.

I felt lighter, weaker almost, like power and confidence was being drawn slowly out of me.

Then suddenly, it dawned on me that the adversary was at work and I had not been resisting him hard enough. I had stopped tapping in to the All-mighty grace and power of God to resist the enemy until he flees.

I wonder how absent-mindedly we often are about the subtle, yet powerful attacks of the adversary over our visions and especially over our minds. In my awareness now, I was able to see how much the war waged against what I was hearing and seeing, which started to affect that which I was thinking and then saying.

Friend, are you paying attention? Are you attentive to how weighed down you feel by the lies of the adversary?

Clarity surfaces when the Holy Spirit of God begins to stir you up again in prayer and longing for the word of God like you once did.

I urge you to pay attention to the memories that God is bringing to your awareness.

Are you remembering times you woke up each day expecting God’s best and moving confidently in that expectation?

Are you remembering times when your faith was so unshakable that nothing was impossible to you in the name of God?

Are you remembering times when you clung to the truth in your thoughts, words, and deeds, that you are nothing without God and His will for your life was all you were after?

Friend, this is how we resist the adversary!

Remembering the truth of God and realizing that the only way to fight back the lies of the enemy is being fully equipped with all that is God – His truth. His Word. His will.

What has the Lord said to you? What has the Lord promised you? What has the Lord said about you to you?

Are these the things you meditate on day and night?

Or do you become so distracted with the pace of a restless world that you are unable to live in the peace that is the truth of God?

I pray for us today. May the Lord of Hosts pour again His truth, His refreshing eternal word of peace, joy, and love, into our Spirits. May our backs be straightened once again and our heads lifted high in confidence again as we resist the enemy until he flees in Jesus name. Amen.