hope – 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.

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 God Of Infinite Chances

“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again…”

Proverbs 24:16

Sometimes I wish it were as easy to obey God as it is to love Him. I love the Lord and I thank My Father for loving me first.

Friend, how fortunate are we to be serving a God of infinite chances?

I am amazed by how many times I have strayed and looked away from the One who saved me and gave me eternal life, the One who broke chains and strongholds and removed me from the pits of sin. HIS love remains.

God’s Love is as mighty and powerful as HE IS.

I want clarity. I want strength. I want a willing heart to obey. I want to honor my “Yes Lord.” I want peace. I want quiet. I want stability. But more than anything else, I want and need to fulfill Destiny!

God purposed you and I for a destiny when HE breathe life into us and formed us in the womb. And as we both know now, the road to destiny is never as clear as a blue print image. No, it is not clear, but it is certain because the Way-maker made it certain.

God has paved ways to our destiny that we cannot even begin to fathom with physical sight. It gets even harder to see or understand purpose when we stumble and hit the ground on our way to what God has called us to be.

There are countless, painful battles along the way. Sometimes we wage them against ourselves and fall even harder. We lose sight of hope. We stop drinking from the cup of faith and begin chowing down regret of past mishaps and wrong turns.

We disobey and venture deeper into the lustful arms of sin. We speak lies and deceit rather than love. We forsake God and question the HAND who has saved us countless times.

And still HE LOVES US time and time again because HE IS A GOD OF INFINITE CHANCES!

You and I can rest in the blessed assurance that God will never leave nor forsake us for we are HIS beloved.

If you are like me, looking back on your life, you will surely lose count of how God kept you over and over and over and over and over and over again. HIS love is SURE.

This time is no different.

Friend, it’s not over until God says it’s over. Destiny is still waiting on you to reach it. The heavenly hosts are still cheering you on. And the fact that you are reading this ought to be a confirmation that the Lord is still working, moving, and slaying demons to clear your path to the destiny HE ALONE has called you to.

You will surely get there by the grace of God.

May you be refilled today with strength, fearlessness, hope, and the faith from heaven to get back up and on your way towards the crown in Jesus name. Amen.

An Unknown Road To A Known Destiny

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us…”

2 Peter 3:9

As expected, the trials of a new environment are surfacing one after another and I feel the weariness begin to form in the pits of my stomach. But I thank God for a kind and comforting Holy Spirit who reminds me once again that all that can be shaken will indeed be shaken, but the word of God stands.

In a sum, I am tired.

I am tired of many things, weary and doubtful of a few others. But in humble adoration, still I praise HIM. Still I worship, and thank God for how Far HE alone has brought me thus far in this walk of faith.

Inevitably, stress and uncertainty during this journey of purpose threatens to weigh me down.

Physically, I feel drained and immobile, having not done no heavy lifting or arduous work. Creatively, I feel as though my vision to be productive and to peek into a near future has somehow been suspended as I have surrendered to the Lord.

Spiritually, I feel aware but challenged in faith.

I remember the words and promises of my Father to me and my loved ones, but current waves seem to challenge what I believe is the truth. But in hope, my faith stands. God is able to do just what HE said HE would do.

Admittedly, I have never hoped so greatly in the Lord as I do now. My expectancy for an unimaginable wondrous and glorious work, is greater than I have ever expected and I am truly overwhelmed by it.

In this place, I need God’s power to fall like I’ve never seen and I need help in my unbelief.

So as I pray and press on towards what is ahead, please pray for me as I pray for you. If you are anything like me, you don’t know how God will do it, but you trust that it is already done. You don’t know how God will lead you there, but you know you will get there. God is certain.

And in HIM do we hope.

May our hope never be put to shame. And may our faith be continually anchored in the mercy and grace of an All-knowing God in Jesus name. Amen.

Give Back What You Have Received, It’s Not Yours!

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”

Proverbs 30:5

The Word says, “If you believe it, you shall receive it…”

And as expected, when we hear a good word from the Lord, no one has to remind us to receive it indeed.

But how many declarations outside the word of God have you believed, then received?

Too often we adhere to the advice of even those closest to us and what we receive is far from the truth and promises of the Most High God.

Yes, the troubles of life are inevitable.

However, the peace and joy of God amidst these trials and troubles, are also promises given to us by a faithful Father. As flawless and perfect as God’s Word is for us and to us, we find fault in a just God through the eyes of others.

If you are like me, you cannot count the times you have turned left AND right away from the Word of God and sought man’s wisdom, BUT you certainly remember the misery, discomfort, and confusion that you found repeatedly at the end of each road of disobedience and ignorance.

WE ALL want peace instead of the chaos we harbor within. We all want love instead of hate. We all want laughter and joy instead of sorrow. Yet, we hold on to that which we have received that brings about the opposite of what we truly want and what God wants for us!

Is it possible that you do not know the difference between what you have received that is not yours, and what is yours but are yet to receive? Is it at all likely that you have been holding on to one while trying to attain the other?

Don’t you know that light and darkness cannot dwell in the same place? Did Christ not surrender His life to be the eternal Light over darkness?!

Then it is time to give back what you have received! The lies, deceit, and pain you have received. The darkness you have received and harbored inside. You have got to give it back because there is no room for it in a CHILD OF GOD!

READ “WHO TOLD YOU…?” SERIES

Just like the enemy cannot keep what He tried to take away from you back then, just like the haters could not keep your name in the mud because God restored you, you too must give back the anger, chaos, and hate that you have willingly received outside of God’s command.

Give it Back!

Give back the fear!

Give back the weariness!

Give back the uncertainty!

Give back the low self-esteem!

Give back the sorrow!

Give back the depression!

Give back the sickness!

Give back the pain!

Give back the desperation!

Give back the sadness!

Give back the cold heart!

Give back the toxic mindset!

Give back the abuse!

Give it all back! Those spirits do not belong to you for you are an anointed child of the Most High HOLY God. HIS thoughts for you are NOT TO HARM YOU but TO PROSPER YOU AND GIVE YOU HOPE!

As Pastor Joel Osteen would say, “Do you receive it today?!”

Friend, may you receive hope and prosperity today in Jesus name. May you receive forgiveness and mercy today in Jesus name. May you receive the abounding Love of a good God today in Jesus name. And may your faith be renewed and restored altogether for the glory of God in Jesus name. Amen!

Raise Your Head, Don’t Look Down!

“Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”

Isaiah 57:2

There is a danger to looking down while on the move.

As one who is literally on the move in this walk of faith with God, I confess that there is indeed an ill to looking down while moving.

Take for example in the natural physical realm, we are all too aware of the great danger in texting or operating on your cell phone while driving. When you look down, there is a great likelihood that you miss what is in front of you.

You could run into something or someone and in the careless collision, kill that thing or even yourself.

Friend, it’s no different while on the move with God.

I can’t imagine what we would miss if we dare look down for too long. I cannot imagine the consequences of that moment of forgetfulness and recklessness when we forget to look forward and keep our eyes on God.

What would we miss? what would we run into carelessly?

Undoubtedly, we have crawled, cried, and sometimes cursed (and immediately repented) on our journey thus far. But still we keep on walking even with our limp. Even with the uncertainties of life ahead, even with the pain in our body of fasting and praying endlessly seeking God in all things, even with the heaviness in our hearts when the call feels too overwhelming, we must keep on moving.

Stop looking down at how worn or dirty your ‘shoes’ are in this walk of faith.

Although I do not mean that in the literal sense. But for some of us, it may very well apply. You may have been pushing that lemon of a car for a long time, waiting on God to grant you the favor for better. You may still be waiting on that great big miracle that is yet to come. But as long as God lives, it will come in its due time because you serve a faithful God.

I can personally attest to how ‘worn’ some areas of my life have felt from time to time. There are things I would love to do for my family and communities, but until God says its time, I keep on walking in faith.

And I urge you today to do the same.

As tempted as we often are, we cannot afford to drop our head in despair even momentarily, for the joy of the Lord is indeed our strength.

Rather, we will raise our heads up towards the heavens in gratitude for God’s abounding love and mercy having brought us out of sin and bondage to walk with Him in glory.

Know that our Father in heaven will not leave nor forsake us. You have all that you need right now to do what God has set out for you to do.

Stop looking down. Keep your eyes on the Way-maker. The Lord will ALWAYS MAKE A WAY.

May the Lord our God who knows all things and can do all things, continue to mold us into a better posture to keep walking from faith to faith and glory to glory in Jesus name. Amen.

Release

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth , but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

Ephesians 4:29

There is nothing wrong with being outspoken. In fact, I believe we need outspoken people to speak truth and courage into our lives when we need to hear it the most. But being outspoken, and releasing corruption into the atmosphere are two separate things.

I would know, since I used to be ‘outspoken,’ then wisdom taught me to shut my mouth when my tongue feels loose in anger and foolishness.

I know now why wiser ones admonish the young by telling them not to say anything at all when they have nothing nice to say. I wonder if they too learned it from the Word above.

Often times, we are told to release and let go of pains, worries and stress. We tell each other to release the anger of the wrongs committed against us and to let it go.

Friend, I wonder if you and I can absorb a new message of release today.

What have you released today?

Have you released prayers, love, and faith, into the atmosphere? Have you released encouragement and compassion to those around you today? Have you released a need for another in more need than you? Have you released kindness? Have you released wisdom? Have you released peace? Have you released warmth? Have you released hope today?

In a new age where everyone is concerned about what is in it for them, it’s as though we are more inclined to hold on to all these things for ourselves because we feel like we could use all of it more than the next person.

But I urge you today to heed the voice of God and do what you are called to do as a follower of Christ. Release…

Release a helping hand, release a listening ear, release a message of hope to those around you and be a witness to how God turns things around through your release.

I wonder if an overflow of blessings from heaven on your behalf, is waiting to be activated by your own release. I wonder how much more the Spirit will pour into you as you pour into others.

May God grant us a willing heart to release good things for the sake of others in Jesus name. Amen.

Crawling In Faith

“If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.”

Psalm 94:18

It is a beautiful and amazing experience for anyone who has ever watched a child crawl for the first, second, third, or fiftieth time. There is much to be said about the glow and excitement in the eyes of a toddler and those watching. There is hope that the crawl will inevitably become a walk. There is joy in such growth.

But the thing about growing up whether under the guidance of God’s word or not, we often forget that we are still children in the eyes of our heavenly father.

See we often tell ourselves to ‘walk by faith and not by sight,’ because to watch a grown person crawl is not always a blissful sight.

Whenever we crawl, it is usually caused by distress or agony of some sort.

Nevertheless, I am plagued by a question today. Why are we so eager to walk in faith but refuse to crawl first in faith?

We have all become so accustomed to the idea of walking in faith, that we have forgotten that crawling in faith should come first.

Could it be that we struggle in our walk in faith because we don’t want to crawl first? Could it be that the decrees of tradition and generation to walk first in faith, has hindered our ability to crawl first in the sight of our merciful Father?

How ironic is it that you are already in position to bow, kneel, and worship when crawling? Is that not what it takes to then build the strength to get up one foot at a time to then begin to walk in our faith?

How do you crawl in faith?

If you are like me, you are in a place, in desperate need of God’s counsel. You are in a vulnerable state of mind, body, or spirit, where you refuse to move unless you see the footsteps of God lightening the path before you.

Friend, in this place, right here. Right where you are. In your desolation. In your solitude. In your frustration. In your discomfort. In your tears. In your confusion. In your waiting. In your mess. In your filth. In your weakness. In your sadness. In your fear. In your uncertainty. In your revelation. In your battle. In your struggle. In your silence. In your cry. THIS IS WHERE YOU CRAWL!

You crawl in faith by looking to your Almighty Father in heaven, seeking him even in the midst of what seems like total dysfunction and chaos in you and all around you. You call on the Name that is greater than all other names.

You utter the words, “Jesus.” You bow your head and say, “Abba Father.”

Your prayer begins with giving honor to the One who can do ALL things for HE created ALL things.

And even if you don’t have the words to say it, let God into your heart, and crawl faithfully in silence to the Father whose arms are always open to embrace you for a job well done even if you don’t know it yet.

I pray today that our Father who art in heaven, whose Will be done on earth as it is in heaven, will give you this day your daily bread, and forgive you your trespasses as you first learn to crawl in faith before you can walk in it, in Jesus name. Amen.