Tag: faith

Let All That I Am

Leave a comment

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.”    Psalm 62:5 NLT

All that I am…

Daughter, wife, mother, friend, dreamer, detailer, realist, writer, speaker, cook, cleaner, pastor, inspirer, frail, my own worst critic, stubborn, strong, passionate, fearful, faithful, wonder-full, beauty-full, worry-full, redeemed, restored.

Rest…

Hush anxious thoughts. Put down the to-do list. Quiet fear. Close the door. Rest in abandon. Embrace peace. Breathe silence. Cease to think, worry, or wonder. Just be.

Before God…

Not before bills. Not before responsibilities. Not before failures and faults nor achievements or success. Before God the Creator, Provider, Peace Maker, Redeemer, Savior, Lord, Father. Sovereign, Merciful, Strong, and Gentle. Powerful, Passionate, and Purposeful.

For my hope…

Tender expectations of possibility. Easily bruised. Unrealistic. Fantastic. Wonderful. Amazing. Hope.

Is in Him…

Wrapped in the arms of grace surrounding the soul. Hope not in temporal things but in the eternal One God in three expressions- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Hope not in temporal circumstances but in the embodiment of LOVE itself.  

Face the Giant

Leave a comment

David believed that God could use a small thing to conquer a big enemy.

“Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead.”

1 Samuel 17:49 NIV

It is not the size of what you are facing but the size of your faith in God.

God has chosen you.  

He walks with you.

You can fearlessly face the giant before you because the Almighty God is within you.

You already have what you need.

You don’t have to change who you are.

Use the small thing you have in your hand to do the big thing God is asking of you.

What small thing has God placed in your hand? 

What is God asking you to do with it?

The Fuel That Drives Your Life

Leave a comment

And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭11:6‬ ‭NIV‬

You are saved by grace so that you can:

Love by grace,
Forgive by grace,
Grow by grace,
Give by grace,
Work by grace,
Eat by grace,

Jesus lived, died and rose from the dead so you can have full access to it.

So you can live every moment of your life in the grace of God through Jesus.

May the grace of God be the fuel that drives your life today and every day.

Ready for Today

Leave a comment

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:20-21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God will equip you with everything you need to do His will today.

Wherever you are.

Whatever you are dealing with.

God will equip you. 

Don’t worry about tomorrow.

Forget about yesterday.

Be fully present to today and receive what you need to face it.

Stay Calm

Leave a comment

“But Moses told the people, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today.The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:13-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Israelites were stuck between the sea and their former slave masters coming to recapture them. Hemmed in by the mountains on both sides, they had no way out and no way forward. Their newfound freedom seemed fleetingly short and ultimately doomed.

It seemed like an impossible situation.

They knew that God had delivered them from slavery but little more. They had not been free long enough to learn how powerful He is. They didn’t know that He would fight for them, split the sea before them and rescue them.

They did not know God…yet.

When you don’t want to go back but don’t know how you are going to go forward, stand still. 

When going forward looks impossible, stay calm.

Jesus goes before you.

Jesus goes behind you.

Jesus stands next to you.

Don’t let fear dictate your decisions. 

The LORD Himself will fight for you. 

Just stay calm.

You get to know God as you trust Him to be God in your life.

Believing God

Leave a comment

“He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said.”    

Romans‬ ‭4:19‬ ‭MSG

Your circumstances do not define you, God does.

Know today, that the God that died for you, stands beside you.

Know that Jesus will never leave or forsake you regardless of the circumstances around you.

In Jesus, you have full rights as a child of God to live fully persuaded that God is able to do above and beyond all you can ask or imagine. 

He is able.

What are you asking for?

What are you imagining?

What are you trusting God for today?

The Power of God

1 Comment

“So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy) but in the power of God.”    

1 Corinthians 2:5 AMP

When your faith rests in the wisdom of man, it will falter because at it’s best, it is a human attempt to explain divine power.

When your faith rests in your own feelings, it will surge and wane like the waves of the sea.

When your faith rests on your past experience, it can morph into whatever you have experienced, good or bad.

When your faith rests in the Son of God it is like a solid rock upon which the waves of emotion break, the wisdom of men shatters and He becomes the foundation of truth that gives your experience perspective.

Don’t make your decisions based on how you feel, what others say, or what happened in the past.

Ask Jesus to lead you and He will. The One who died for you rose again and sits at the right hand of God will show you the way forward.

He is bigger than your fears, knows what to do with your worries, and is working behind the scenes to bless you.

May today be filled with the promise of the finished work of Jesus and bring you to a new level of faith that is not tossed by emotions but anchored in God’s unchanging love for you.

When Risk Is a Refuge

Leave a comment

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”   Nahum 1:7 NIV

Every time you step out in faith in Jesus, it is a risk.

Being faithful to Jesus may look like being a failure to the world.

He may ask you to leave what you know, sacrifice whatever is needed, and embrace a temporary difficulty for the hope of a future promise.

Know that even though the risk seems great, a life lived in faith in the Son of God means that every cross He asks you to bear leads to a resurrection to a new kind of life you have never lived before.

This is the prayer I am whispering over you today, “Jesus, take care of my friends as they step out in faith. Thank you that they are trusting you as they face risk. Reward them with courage and vision and do what only You can do – the impossible in them and through them. In Your Name, Amen”

Comfort Zones Challenged

Leave a comment

“By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going.” 

Hebrews 11:8 MSG

God is calling you to step out of your comfort zone today.

To get where God has called you, you have to leave the place you are.

Maybe God is calling you to leave the shelter of some strategic comfort zones:

  1. life as you know it
  2. habits that hold you hostage
  3. mindsets that mold your world

The good news is that for every comfort zone you step out of, Jesus has a promise for you to step into and His love to guide you. 

God has a rich inheritance waiting to be claimed by you.

It is the inheritance of an unhindered relationship with Him every day.

It is more than a new plot of land, in Jesus, it is a new way to live your life.

Abraham left his country behind to go after his God-given destiny.

May your courage grow as you bravely choose to step out of your strategic comfort zones one “step of faith” at a time.

What “way of life” needs to go by the wayside today?

What habit is holding you hostage?

What mindset is holding you back from going after what God has called you to?

The Test

Leave a comment

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

Job 23:10 NIV

Your faith is more precious to God than the finest of gold.

Faith that lasts longer than your job, your goals and even your body.

Faith cultivated by the love of God and the eternal life of Jesus within you.

God tests your faith but not in the way you think of a test.

It is not a test to pass or fail.

It is the process of the master metal maker that heats up the gold to liquid so he can skim off the dross from it.

God tests your faith to purify it.

To clarify it.

To clean it from dross and impurities.

He will use the smallest irritation or the greatest trial to do it. He does not send the trial but He will use it.

The same fire that destroys wood purifies gold.

God will use the very thing that you feel is destroying you to purify you.

He will use the disappointment you are experiencing to make the dross of your heart rise to the surface so He can skim it off.

You will come out of this trial shining.

Hold onto God during this season because He is most certainly holding onto you.