faith – Page 4 – My Grace Untold

Failing Forward

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you…?

2 Corinthians 13:5

Failure is one of the most powerful words ever concocted by us. It’s a state of being we generally try to avoid at all cost, yet it is an inevitable destination that we must all pass through at some point in our lives.

One of the coolest aspects of growing up, and actually maturing in wisdom as we grow, is that old words begin to take on new meaning.

I know for me, and a whole lot of people I personally know, failure is an heavy weight to carry. Whether you have it in you to get back up again and try again in Faith of the One who is leading you, (or who should be leading you) is what sets each person apart from the next.

Friend, the Lord says it is time to fail forward.

This past weekend was one of the two greatest celebrations known to every believer. I am referring to the Resurrection of our Savior. The birth of Christ our Lord is the other.

Before resurrection, even the disciples who were closest to Christ wallowed in what they believed was failure. They mourned the murder and crucifixion of the only Perfect One that ever walked the earth. The innocence of Christ was mocked, and assaulted.

I mean, here they were, aligned with Jesus, preaching the gospel, healing the sick, saving souls, and yet, Christ was killed.

Can you imagine the weight of failure that they each felt?!!!

And if we want to single out one particular individual who could have drowned in his state of failure, consider Peter. Christ’s beloved right hand man, who denied the Lord on three different occasions! Peter swore he would be loyal in the face of adversity, he thought he would succeed being true to Christ, he thought he would never turn his back on his Friend, but he did. Peter failed…at least so he thought.

Then Christ rose again!

The Truth was resurrected in Christ and the disciples actually failed forward. They believed in His resurrection, got back up and preached the gospel of that resurrection power in Christ our Lord!

Friend, it’s our turn to fail forward.

Whatever it looked like, whatever it still feels like, failure is not where you end. In fact, just like the resurrection of Christ was the beginning of belief for those who doubted, your failure is a beginning for you because the same power that resurrected JESUS CHRIST, is in YOU!!!

By His stripes you are healed. Christ suffered all the way to the cross. He had to die and be risen all so you can accomplish the very glory that this failure is trying to keep you from.

We must have tests during this life. Your failure is just another test of your faith! If you believe in the resurrection as I know you do, then you have got to start believing in failing forward because God is still in control. God says ‘you shall live and not die!’ Prosperity is where you will dwell, but you must keep failing forward.

Wherever you think you have fallen short, the grace of God is more than enough to restore the chance you thought you lost, the life you thought you’d never had. We know it because Christ rose again. Because of the resurrection, victory is ours. Because of the resurrection we have already won. Your failure is only a test to get you to your win.

By the power of God, you will fail forward and you will go from faith to faith and glory to glory in the Living name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lord Keep My Eye On You

“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.”

1 Chronicles 16:11

If you are like me, finding grace in the sight of God to know Him in another realm than before, has got a hold of you in ways you never imagined. But it is such an amazing hold; one that you could never be pure enough to hold onto but graceful enough to never lose.

But the thing is, as life goes on and you start to see things from this new dimension, you realize just how lost you have been when your focus was on other things or other people than God alone. If not for grace…

As more time passes and trials and tests arise, it gets even harder and even more necessary to keep your eyes on God.

The world is so busy. Everything is moving all around us in such a fast pace, that we long to catch a breath but wouldn’t dare in fear of missing something. We get distracted.

We get distracted by the weights of our pending bills, sick loved ones, discomforting relationships, demanding careers, confused missions of purpose, and ultimately how fast time is passing. We hope and pray that we are still on track for destiny.

How easy is it to be side-tracked by the many distresses of this world?

It’s one thing to miss the beauty in this world, but it’s another to miss God altogether. And I wonder if the enemy is using your very own flesh to tempt you away from the courts of glory by taking your eyes off of God.

So many of us, in our worry have not only lost sight of purpose, but have lost sight of the Most High.

Friend, how do you keep from losing sight of purpose? How do you keep from losing hope of what is greater? How do you keep the faith and the strength? Is your eye still on God?

Do you still look to Him to counsel you through your chaos and confusion? Do you still look to Him to do what appears impossible? Do you still look to Him because He is able? Do you still look to Him to speak into your life choices? Do you still look to Him to fix what is broken? Do you still look to Him to make a way? Do you still look to Him to examine your ways? Do you still look to Him to be the judge? Do you still look to God to do what only He can do?

IS. YOUR. EYE. ON. GOD?

There is no other way, none, whatsoever than to keep your eye on the One who is still in control.

You do still believe that don’t you? You do still know that He who never sleeps, is still in control?

No matter what it looks like, no matter what it feels like, or what it even seems like, I urge you today to keep your eye on God. I pray for you, for me, that our merciful Father who knows all and sees all will grant us the faith we need to keep our eyes on Him. As we make our way to destiny, may we never lose sight of His greatness and glory in Jesus name. Amen.

Your Perfection Is Not Required, Your Presence Is

“Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.”

1 Chronicles 16:27

I don’t really do the church thing,” says many believers.

So what exactly do you do? Where do you go to call on God, not to ask for a favor, or to get out of a mess you made, but where do you go to be in the presence of the Most High?

I’m not talking about becoming a ‘church folk,’ like they say, I am calling you to be counted in the presence of the One who made you. When was the last time you truly went before God?

It’s easy to recite the memorized words of a bible passage or to turn on a sermon online to hear the word. But are you present with God?! Or have you kept the King of kings waiting until you are good and ready to give Him some of your time?

I am often in awe as to how liberated we feel when we don’t have any pressing matters on our hands. I am amazed as to how ignorant we often become of the grace we have to not only breathe, but to breathe in freedom through salvation.

It seems we are eager to be present everywhere else to be seen, but shy away from the presence of God.

The funny thing is that the Lord sees you in your filth, in your most secret places, in your humble ways, and even in your evil thoughts. God is merciful enough to always be present with us as the loving Father He is. But are you present with God?!

When you make it to that bible study once in a while, are you really present with God?

When you make it to church once a month because ‘work won’t allow’ otherwise, are you really present with God?

When you drag yourself to that weekly prayer meeting to get some blessing, are you really present with God?

…And to you who feels as though your perfection or purity is necessary before you set foot in the House of the LORD, I pray over your thoughts today that all strongholds of lies, shame, and conviction be broken in the name of JESUS!

Friend, your perfection is not required, your presence is.

You have to be present, not perfect to see the glory of God and I am here to let you know that your absence has not counted you out. God has not crossed your name off. Nor has HE kicked you out of His merciful sight. But know that the Lord your God knows that you are not in His presence. Your Father knows that one of His children is yet to make it. And He is waiting on YOU still…

Come as you are,” says the Lord.

HE that makes all things new will surely renew and restore you in every way in Jesus name. Amen.

Working While Waiting On God

“Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”

Psalm 25:5

As many know by now, I am waiting.

Waiting for what exactly? I couldn’t tell you. But I am waiting on God. I am in a strange yet familiar place where the voice of God is all I want to hear on the next step I am to take in my life.

God gave me a word and moved me to a new state. God gave me another word and moved me to begin writing my story. God gave me yet another word and removed me from my job. So here I am now, waiting.

What’s next God? What am I to do while I wait on what’s next? When am I to speak through prayer and worship? When am I to sit in silence and just listen? What am I to see as I look for You, God?

These have been my most prevalent thoughts in the last 30 days…And I’m still waiting.

God is patience.

There is no rush in the work of God, but I know that ‘a thousand years are but yesterday’ in the eyes of the Most High…So I’m still waiting.

But what I’ve found while waiting on God’s specific instruction on what’s next in my career path and ultimately in the Purpose that HE alone has designated for me, is that, there is work to be done.

Friend, we must work in purpose to attain purpose.

Purpose is not a destination, but a working, active, moving force inside of you. Ever breath you take, every word you speak, every thought you bring to life through action is of purpose.

So while waiting on the sight to see God’s plan and divine hand at work, there is still work for you to do even in your stillness.

Often times, we misread the signs and feelings that come about when we feel like things are not moving at the pace we want. We become worrisome, fretful, unsettled, uncertain, or dangerously tired. I say dangerously because tiredness can lead to hopelessness if we are not grounded in faith and trust in God’s plan.

Your work while you wait, is the worship, fasting, praying, and praise it will take to feed your faith.

Let me remind you that the flesh is impulsive and will disobey the word of God and go searching for what it is you think you ought to be seeking, all the while knowing that you are supposed to lie in wait for the God of your salvation!

The enemy will have you feeling as though you are complacent by not going after that which is in front of you. But the devil is a liar!

You are to wait to be led in truth, so don’t you move at the inclination of a false truth. Trust God. Trust His Plan. Adhere to His word in Psalm 27 vs 14, that says,

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

There is No Waste In God’s Process – Part 2

“I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.”

Isaiah 57:18

At 24, the hardships I have faced, still facing, and watched, and still watching others around me face, has honestly been challenging. I come from a place where abject poverty and hopelessness is a norm. Even after my move to America, I grew up in a community (suburb and all) that fell from grace each time a young life was gunned down or another young life turned to the path of destruction.

So, admittedly, I have asked inwardly and outwardly over the years, through my personal pain and my heartache over the world around me, ‘where was God?’

It took time, prayer, and more prayer to tap into the grace of God, to trust His Way above all other thoughts.

See, God’s Higher plan goes beyond what we see or how we feel even in the face of havoc and discomfort. And I know how hard it can be to keep that in mind sometimes. We have to remain grounded in faith and hope and trust God, and know and know and know that we serve a loving, merciful, and powerful father!

Friend, there is purpose in your pain.

Over 4000 homes were lost in this one tornado. 4000 lives halted, scattered, shattered with one event. I can’t begin to imagine the pain and tiredness from such a life-changing occurrence.

But God’s purpose for the community of Moore was greater than the material things that were demolished in the storm. God’s purpose proved powerful in love and togetherness that became greater than the anguish of losing loved ones. The community of Moore did not wallow in pain. They worshiped IN FAITH AND HOPE… How great is our God?!

Hearts were restored with the fullness of God’s mercy and grace as families drew nearer to one another to comfort and help carry each other’s burdens. Wounds (present and past) were healed as former addicts opened up to the Lord seeking forgiveness and a new start. Faith was strengthened as survivors who clung to the mercy of God in the eye of the storm, praised God for preserving their lives and loved ones…It wasn’t all good, but it was all God.

So I wonder today what parts of your journey the enemy has convinced you was a waste. What has the voices of doubts and hopelessness told you over and over again? What lies of worthlessness and inferiority have you succumbed to in the past? What tragedy has left you without solid grounds to stand or walk on?

Will you please bring it to God today? Will you please come into the arms of your Maker for the comfort you desperately need and has been seeking for in all the wrong places? Do you know that healing comes from God?

Friend, I cannot stress it enough that there is NO waste in God’s process. It is all for His glory!

May your heavenly Father in His tender-mercy, pull you close in your time of loss and despair. May your Almighty father restore your faith and hope today to behold the fullness of His glorious plan in Jesus name. Amen.

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.

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

It’s Not What You See, It’s What God Shows You

“All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, not the ear filled with hearing.”

Ecclesiastes 1:8

Not too long ago, I had a candid and abrupt conversation about Jesus with a co-worker of mine. She is on her way to converting to Islam, seeing as her partner of almost a year, is Islam as well. I recall that the conversation was initiated when she made a comment I had never ever, ever, heard in my life before.

She said,

I don’t believe that Jesus is God or in the trilogy of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I believe that Jesus was a highly-favored prophet like Abraham who was endowed with special powers to do the work of God.

She continued with conviction, “I don’t believe Jesus died. (I know…WHAAATTTTTT???!!!!) “I don’t believe Jesus died…I believe that God made it appear as though the person that was on the cross was Jesus. As in, the people who beat, hung, nailed, and killed Christ, only saw what God wanted them to see and believe. But Jesus did not die. He did go to heaven though the spirit and he is coming back.”

I thank God almighty for the wisdom and patience to keep my mouth shut and let the spirit speak in moments as confusing as these.

I was truly astounded. I was in awe. I was immobile for a few seconds, both out of shock and intrigue. She believed what she was saying to be the truth and she insists on her spirituality and how much she loved Jesus – but as a prophet.

Although the conversation progressed and I dug deeper into her perspective as to why she believed the creed she stated to me, one aspect of her reasoning that stood out to me, was the idea that God is the only One powerful enough to show us what we see.

Your eyes may be 20/20, but yet you do not see. We see what God reveals. We see by obeying the instructions of God, so we do not walk by sight alone.

Often times, we know that what we see is not what it appears to be. We are convicted by something within, that what is in front of us, is really not what is. Thank goodness for God’s spirit. Yet, we cannot ignore what is seen.

We see stars become idols when celebs are worshiped and praised for the most outrageous things. We see this, but we know that our world holds more than that. We know that there are masses of God’s children all over the world giving praise and honor to the One who it all belongs to.

We see injustice divide our nation more and more with news on cop brutality and government conspiracy. We see this, but we know that the problem is not skin color, but rather, hate and pride in the heart of man.

I wonder if you are at a place today where you are not convicted by sight alone. As stated above in scripture, your eyes nor ears are content with what you see and hear alone. You need more that sight to understand.

Friend, I dare you to ask the Lord your God to show you what you should see. I challenge you to seek clarity from the All-knowing God. Without clarity, we are sure to stumble. Without clarity, there is no spiritual discernment for what is God’s, and what only looks like God.

Our generation is starving for clarity and now more than ever is when we ought to cry out to the Lord, “Show us your glory Father!” “Open the eyes of our spirits Lord!”

It begins with me and you.

My prayer today is that the Eternal Rock of Ages, will dilute our reality with visions from up above. May God in His great omniscience, open the heavens and give us light in darkness to see beyond what is in front of us and prepare for what is ahead in Jesus name. Amen.