God still baffles me by waking me up at unusual times and allowing my mind to float all around until I come to the very place he ordains. It is 3:15. I am woke. i Am woke. i am Woke. Physically I'm rubbing the few tears that escaped while yawning out of my eyes. Spirituality I'm trying to let the admonishment of Proverbs sink (yes, at 3am). And emotionally I am still drinking from the cup of last week's events. Donald Trump is my president and I am woke. Oh and did I mention, my daughter decided pre-dawn somersaults were a thing. Yeah, she has made nonstop moving a third trimester trend. So as she rolls around in my stomach, I am most assuredly woke. All of this: my 3 AM wake up call, the yawning and subsequent tears, Trump, the baby's acrobatics and most importantly the Word have spun me around into a figurative vertigo. Vertigo, which I had the pleasure of experiencing because of the wonder of pregnancy, is like being put on a merry go round both unannounced and involuntary. I did not intend to be woke. I did not volunteer for God to tap me on the shoulder but now that I'm up I do have a prayer. And because I don't believe prayers are coincidental, I must believe that my 3AM experience was all for the purpose of this prayer. I will also take this time to implore you, when you are awaken and don't know why, maybe God is trying to tell you something. Let the randomness of prayer in God sustain you. Let the 3 AM prayers maintain your faith in God. First, Lord thank you for a sound mind and the activity of my unborn's limbs. Thank you for allowing me to rest in your loving arms bright and early this morning. I thank you that in the darkness before dawn I can depend on your faithfulness to bring about the light of day. I wait for you, with the more trust than waiting on the sun. Jesus prepare me. Make me ready for the task of your will in me. Gather me for the glory of your son, Jesus Christ. And send me towards the mobilization of your desires here on Earth. When my eyes get heavy with the desire to slumber, wake me up and spin me in my purpose so furiously that I change directions in motivation. Let your presence be known in me and through me. Cast down every high thing that exalts itself against you, against the You in me and against the You in my destiny. Everything is a mere mist before your majesty. Your blood is the only truth in a sea of myths. It is the only real sound in a sea of dissonance. This morning, I tune into you and out of the noise that would make a 3 AM wake up call anything other than time with you. Hallelujah to the God that gifted me for his purpose. Praise be to the King who formed me in His own image. Glory to the God who changed my life.
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I spent many New Year's Day contemplating the actions of my next 364 days alive. Some of those resolutions were met. Others were forgotten, but I never gave up the opportunity to level up during this season. And neither should you. There is this new tradition of bashing the ambitious; shaming the hopeful. Sprinkled in between resolutions and declarations are the collection of those who don't believe change is coming.
To the cynic trolls on the internet: never drown someone's hope. Whether those of us who awaken bright and bushy tail on 1/1 accomplish our newness or not, the sheer attempt is courageous. The fact is, our attempts to do more, be better, live fuller line up with the most hopeful principle of the Christian walk. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Through Christ I am new, not just on the first day of the year; EVERYDAY. To the hopeful ones: keep writing dreams for the newer you. Take every opportunity you get to put down the former you and pick up a better version. I challenge myself this way multiple times a year. I reassess myself, cast down my shortcomings and embrace my nuances over and over. The result of this rigorous process, my never ending ambition to be a better Siren, is that I close every year knowing that the me that needed to be changed was strong enough to admit it. What I find the most intriguing about the desire to stay the same and shame those who don't want to is that it isn't realistic. No one wants to be the same forever. All of us as kids had some thought of who we wanted to be "when we got older." There is no age that those ambitions stop for people like me. We stare at age 60 and still declare what our future will hold. The drive to keep growing never subsides. And if you are wondering why, I can only give my own reasoning. There is a scripture in John that convicted me when I first got saved. I honestly liked the life I was living even though I knew it was wrong. This verse made becoming someone new much more real. “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.” John 12:25 NLT helped me realize that all the portions of my personality and day to day routine were too important to me. I started getting attached to portions of a Siren God never intended me to be. In those corners of attachment all kindsof demons lurked; depression, addiction, failure. In the light of the opportunity for me to be new, all those attachments were forced to be lifted, all that was hidden beneath them had to be dealt with. Although I have way different things to deal with nowadays, lifting the veil on the attachments I have of my former self is always just as relieving as before. This year I will work to #harnessthegenius! God has given me a great gift for creative writing that I have yet to really push out. I intend to harness my marketing genius to make this blog and a few other projects go to the next level. I will also harness the baby genius that God is blessing me with in April. And I plan to do it all while supporting the dreamers; those who hope 2017 brings change in their life. This is page one. How are you starting the story? 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.; 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.; 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.; 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.; 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.; 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:; 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.; 12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.; 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. |
We have spent much of 100 Days of Excellence learning and growing through submission. These last 39 days have taken us from purging to brokenness. Though at times I have seen this theme as surprising, I believe God is doing something for us that is changing our lives. And even when I fear sounding repetitive, I trust God's leadership. Today, when I started the study of today's devotion, the song below was in my head. I had the wonderful way that we can trust in our amazing savior, in his sovereign stability and eternal unchanging nature. But as I entered the Word with this metaphor of Jesus as a rock in mind, I was taken to the Parable of the Tenants. The constant reminders of Christ as the rock of salvation weren't where God took me. It wasn't the many times in Psalms, when David describes God as a rock either. The Lord directed me to this illustration. He took me to the rock that breaks. To give some background, the passage is a story that Jesus told in an audience of the Pharisees. The parable can make us contemplate a few things: We can see how Jesus was making us call into question who we allow in our spaces, or how we ought to monitor our harvest carefully. But this morning, God steered me to focus on the way this parable makes understanding the Kingdom of Heaven. Verse 43 explicitly tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven "will be taken away and given to a people who will produce its fruit." This warning was not only for the false prophets who felt entitled to salvation because they lived by the law, but also to modern day believers who think that religious routine will get them into heaven. The kingdom of God will be given to them that are fruitful in the spirit. What I learned later in this parable is that the only way to be fruitful is to allow our flesh to broken for the glory of God. | 33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, letʼs kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:“ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’ ? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesusʼ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. |
Jesus is the cornerstone that was rejected in Verse 42. The false prophets and the Jews refused to follow Christ, and this was Jesus warning them about their choice. So, while Jesus is most definitely the solid rock we trust in, we have to trust the King for more than what he can do for us. We as believers have to begin to learn to trust the requirement he places on our fruitfulness. I was a bit confused about the stone. If the cornerstone represents Christ, why are we either broken or crushed? Was this metaphor for the Pharisees or for believers? Other translations use the word stumble instead of fall in Verse 45. And while I would love to pretend like the verse was not for believers. I would love to tell you that the Christian walk will not require you to be broken. But whether you fall on Christ because of trust or whether you stumble along the way, our flesh will be broken.
If brokenness is not an experience you are willing to experience, you can't expect the Word of God to work in your life. God is eternally pure. He can't fellowship with the wickedness that is innate in us. If you don't come to the cornerstone to be broken, then your flesh will never be surrendered fully to Christ.
Joshua 1:14-16 NIVAs you move to the next level in life you will inevitably be faced with tension. Progression doesn't come without the concerted effort to move from the place you are to the place you want to be. When we look at the journey of Joshua, we can see that God began preparing the young leader and his army for war. God is preparing us too! Our declaration must be like the armed Israelites, "Whatever you command I will do. Wherever you go, I follow."
To me the part of the first chapter that is telling is in verse 14. The men where instructed to leave everything they had in the hands of God as they went to possess the land. I'm sure that we can all see that our transition may rearrange the landscape of our friendships and relationships but I don't believe that's why the men were instructed to do this. They returned to their possessions and wives on the east of Jordan. So why did God instruct them to leave it all behind? Focus.
The men were going into the same land they feared for years. Like many of us when we move in faith to do God's will, they were going into uncharted territory. God instructed them to leave all they had so as they navigated the war they could do so without any distractions. As we embark on possessing our purpose, it is time to lay aside our need of anyone's approval other than the Father's. As you suit up for battle you will have to step out of your comfort zones. This time is not a green light for you to mistreat those around you. But it is meant to be a time of focus on the direction of God.
Focus all of your attention on God's Master Plan for your life. Begin to make the tough choices to work on your vision instead of hanging out. You may have to take some time away from tasks that don't align with what God has instructed you to do. And as you make these tough decisions, have faith that your Heavenly Father will carry you into a new place where the reward is great.
I'm sure the fighting men of Israel were saddened to leave behind their comforts and family. But how much more fulfilled were they upon returning with the good news that God had delivered the Promised Land into their hands. The things and people that you may have to rearrange in your priorities will look at your life and see that God was moving. Your focus on your future will be a testament to God's direction.
i took a D.U.M.P at work...
We all need to take a step back and unload the things stressing us out. Oftentimes prayer is that release but if I can be transparent: prayer hasn't always been enough. So, I went and took a Daily Unloading of My Problems into my journal. After I finished I prayed. And when I was all emptied I realized that what I just did changed my life.
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God spoke to the children of Isreal through Moses in Deuteronomy 4:5-9, concerning the laws he had given them. He directed them to be careful to observe the statutes he commanded.
- The NKJV of Deuteronomy 4:5 says, "5“Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. 6Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7“For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 8And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? 9Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,"
If we fail to hold fast to our individual understandings by living under the influence of others, we may miss the move of God's calling for us. Not only does Moses command the people to keep the statutes, but he goes on to say to tell them to diligently keep themselves. When you keep God's law in mind and you observe the understandings he reveals, you will undoubtedly walk in his plan for your life. You will possess whatever promised land he destined for you.
When we ignore God's laws and the lessons he has taught us, we say to him that we no longer trust him. We fall out of the line of duty. It is our job to hold on to our understanding of what God's wants for us. Getting the understanding is not optional. Knowing what God has for your hands to do is a requirement. Every Christian has the duty to submit to God, have faith in Jesus' resurrection and to spread the gospel. But, for most of us, that is just the tip of the iceberg for what God requires from us.
If you don't know what it is that God requires of your hands, start with the lessons that he has taught you. Your purpose lies in the understanding God has given to you and only you.
Heb. 10:35-39 reminds us that the real way we win does not involve this earthly dwelling. The real win is eternal life. Verses 35 and 36 say, "Therefore do not cast away your confidence which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise." Sounds so easy right? But if we're honest, we can all think of a time when temptation made us lack confidence in our ability to attain God's greatest reward. Its in these moments that faith must step.
Confidence is putting good faith in an ability or characteristic. It is being certain about the truth of something. We have to hold fast our faith in God's ability, not our own. One of my favorite sayings as I worked on living righteously was, "Have Faith in Your Deliverance. When a craving or negative thought would arise I would rely on my confidence in God's power to carry me through.
There is a consequence of falling away from confidence. Persevering isn't something you should do. It is something you must do. 37 and 38 tell of the repercussions of drawing away from faith.
But I love how the chapter ends. Its almost like a pep talk for newcomers in Christ. Even though we may not just be beginning our walk with God, I believe its important to remind ourselves of the real reward. Its all about getting to see Jesus.
Righteousness is important because God requires it as a characteristic for the Kingdom of Heaven; but it is also important because it is the only way that we can receive the favor of God. Over and over God reveals righteousness as the way to enter his favor. One of the most inspiring examples of the importance of favor is in Genesis, when God speaks to Abraham concerning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
After the Lord told Abraham that he will go to Sodm and Gomorrah because of the corruption in the land, Genesis 18:23 tells us that Abraham draws near to ask if God will destroy the righteous with the wicked. Verse 24 says, "Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25. That be far from thee to do after this manner to slay the righteous with the wicked and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" The Lord replied to Abraham saying that he would spare the entire wicked land if there were 50 righteous in the cities. God would have favored those 50 so much that he would have spared thousands of wicked. Abraham continues decrease the number of righteous that God would spare the city for until he gets down to 10 people. God continues to declare that he will save the land because of the favor he had on the righteous.
Righeousness is important because the favor of God is important. Righteousness was the basis of which Abraham questions God's wrath. Imagine that! Righteousness is the thing that Abraham mentioned when he asked God to spare a wicked land. Many people think that the favor of God equates to physical blessings, but it is the favor of God that allows us to continue on each day. God wants us to receive the benefits of heaven. He daily loads us with gifts and his favor is the way we can retrieve them.
Righteousness is the only way to recieve the blessings of God. Psalms 5:12 says, "For thou Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt thou compass him as a with a shield." God's favor is not some sporatic gift, it is a constant covering over the righteous. Consider how important it is for you to have God's favor.
In the next post, I will look at how the Word instructs us to live righteously.
My mom (Mama Daisy) always puts it like this, someone has to win. If God is light, then we as dark creatures have to be transformed by his power, daily. Over the next few posts I will explore righteousness. Why it is important, how to attain and maintain a righteous life, and the benefits that righteousness guarantees. Righteousness is not an easy way of life, but it is a requirement of Christianity.
I have chosen to live my life consciously seeking after Christ. I would never claim to know anything unique. What I say is the knowledge I have received from reading the Bible and listening to my pastor. I am not a minister. I implore you to check the Bible for yourself. My hopes for seeking what God's Word says about righteousness is that my own journey of righteousness will be encouraged. I also hope that others will consider a life of righteousness for themselves.
Watch this video that Pastor Denise Perry Abrams shared to explain righteousness and the Character of God.
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