Build Your Ark

We can't wait until the storm begins to build our ark. We must constantly stay in meditation. We must daily saturate ourselves with God's word and His presence. It is important to build up our minds and be strong in faith when the storms come. God did not promise that the journey would be perfect and without chaos. He just promised that we would overcome it by His grace and mercy. He promised He would never leave us nor forsake us.

It is so important that we stand firm on the promises of God and remember our identity. We have to be prepared to endure the harships like a good soldier. We must remember constantly that the battle it not ours.....it is the Lords. We can't worry ourselves we must trust and lean on God not our own understanding. We must seek the peace of God and that will lead us to our destination.

It is easy to get caught up in the illusion of your life. It is easy to become fearful when everything seems to be falling apart. BUT we must remember that God is ALWAYS in control. We can not wait for the rain to start before we start building our ark....our refuge....our relationship with God.

When Noah was building the ark he didn't see the rain but he kept building. He may have had some doubts about the Lord's instructions but he kept building. He kept building up his mind in the things of God. He meditated on God. He seeked the face of God and developed such a strong relationship that he was able to survive the storm. He knew that God had his back. That obedience that Noah demonstrated not only saved his life but it saved a nation.

The story of Noah is not about a literal ark, animals, people and a storm. It is about the relationship that is built from our obedience. It is about building a covenant. No matter what your life may look like right now you have to build your relationship and trust in God. You have to stretch forth your hand to the plow and sow your seeds of faith. You have been called to not only save yourself during the storms of your life. You have been called to save generations to come by your obedience and sacrifice.

What seemed impossible to most was what saved a nation. Dare to believe beyond your own understanding. Trust in God and keep building your ark.

Called and Chosen (Part 1)

It is tough sometimes to remember that you are not in control of your life. There are times in my life that I feel like I have no where to turn. I feel lonely and like no one even cares for me. Those are real feelings that we often feel when tramatic events happen in our lives. We often times feel vulernable and scared.

Sometimes my mind begins to wonder in the direction of feeling angry or sorry for myself because of the things I have gone through. I feel helpless and insecure of my life. I wonder when will this promise come to pass. Why does this person keep hurting me? Why am I at this place in my life? Did I do something wrong?

I have to keep reminding myself that God is in control. I have to remember that my life is not my own. It is easier said then done. We can say "Lord I surrender... I trust you....do your will". But when everything seems to be going "wrong" we want to take the control back. We start walking back to the place that God already delivered us from.

It takes a strong faith to let go of your dreams, your life, your plans and your perception and trust in God. It takes an awakened spirit to step out of yourself and embrace God's truth.

To let myself feel self pity and anger would just put me back into captivity. I have to let go and trust that God knows what is best for me. In a twinkle of an eye everything in my life can change. God doesn't need my input. He needs my heart. He needs my mind to be reconciled back unto Him so He can mold me and move me in the direction of His plan.

You see I am called. I have been designed and created to fulfill a specific plan. God knew everything that would occur in my life and prepared me to endure it and overcome it. I am not a victim to what has happen to me. God was not taken by surprise. God equipped me and prepared me for this journey.

My success is ordained. My path has been set. I can not fail. Everthing shall come to pass by the grace of God. I have to remember these things when in the face of adversity. I can't sit back and feel sorry for myself. I must trust in the Lord. I must meditate on His goodness and remember that I am not of this world. I am in the midst of the storm but so is the Lord. He is within me so He is always with me and I am never alone. When my flesh is weak His strength...His spirit...His word....His promise is made perfect. His promise is manifested when I surrender my will for His.

ALL GLORY BE TO GOD.

Staying Positive

As the holidays approach I have always found myself getting depressed. I get sad because I miss my husband. I also miss my whole family being together during this blessed time of the year. This year my grandmother is in assisted living, my aunt is going into a nursing home due to her brain damage, my husband and I are still separated and I am unemployeed. There is alot going on and I have to constantly stay focused in order to stay positive.

It is easy to get caught up in having a pitty party with yourself. It is easy to get into the victim mentality and get depressed over how crazy your life seems. I can't afford to do that. I can't go back to where God has delivered me from. I have to press forward and know that God is in control of all things. Although my outward circumstances my seem crazy I have to continue to trust in God. I have to realize that nothing is out of order. His hand is still in my life and on my loved ones.

The outward may seem caotic but His perfect divine order is still present. I can feel His constant love. I can feel His joy that strengthens me each day. I can feel His grace and mercy that gives me the ability to smile even when I want to cry. I will keep standing because I know that He knows what is best for me. He is working things out in my favour and that brings me peace.

I encourage those that are feeling the weight of the world right now. Keep pressing towards the mark. God has a plan for you and it is good. Praise God in the midst of your trials. He is too good not to be lifted up.

Thank you Lord for your love, mercy, peace and joy. You are the reason I still live and breathe.

Change Your Perception, Change Your Life

God is so amazing and His mercy endures for ever. I am so grateful for God's mercy that has brought me through years of self loathing. I spent too many years playing the victim and having pitty parties with myself. After finally being fed up with the drama I was causing myself I surrendered my mind to God.

I can't look at all that I have gone through as my story. I have to realize that God is using me to reveal His glory. Although my situations may remain the same my perception has set me free from them. My issues do not control me. My God controls my issues. They are not for me to handle or try to figure out.

God created me in His image and after His likeness. The power that He has I have as well. I am not powerless and defeated. I am more then an overcomer and full of power and influence. That power is not mine though. That power and influence comes from the spirit of God. When I surrender my will I allow God's spirit to intercede and transform "my" life.

I now understand that what I see with my natural eyes is just an illusion. The only thing that matters is what God has promised me. The journey to that promise may have some sharp turns and narrow paths but I will reach it. Each obstacle and trial forces the scales to be removed from my eyes so that I can see the truth and change my perception.

I am not bound by what I go through. Life does not dictate my state of mind. I must consciously decide to pursue life and God's promises no matter what may come my way. Surely everything has it's time and season but as long as I am aligned with His word all things will come to pass. We must silence our mind enough to hear His voice. Quiet our hearts enough to feel His direction. Close our eyes so that we can walk by faith.

The Key To Success

I wanted to post about a powerful word my daughter Jazzy ministered to me today. She was wearing a necklace today that she made with a lock and key on it. She said she was going to wear it everyday because it was her key to success. I asked her to explain it to me. She looked at me puzzled. I said go deep and tell me what it means. She said the lock was her success and the key was God. She said the only way to open the lock "her success" was to trust in God. ~Wow! Did that word minister to my heart.

How many of us become anxious and overwhelmed sometimes even scared when it comes to our futures? We spend countless hours mapping out our lives. We lose sleep worrying about what we have not accomplished. We become anxious thinking about all the bills that are unpaid. We even replay our "failures" in our minds and regret most of the decisions we have made that got us to this place in our lives.

What we fail to see during this dark time of our lives is that through all we have gone through God has always been present. He sees and knows all things. Nothing in your life goes without notice. Remember that nothing is a failure. What we think is failure is often the time of most growth. God uses our weak moments to fulfill His will in our lives. He awakens us out of our sleep. He shows us who we really are when we have nothing else to turn to. He takes control....when we surrender.

We spend too much time worrying about our futures when they are not even in our hands. We have the power to create them but that power flows from God. Our creative nature is from God. We are made in His image and after His likeness. Instead of struggling to achieve greatness in our own strength we should surrender to God and allow Him to direct us. He tells us to acknowledge Him in all our ways and He will direct our paths. What God has for us can not be reached through our own methods. We must allow His spirit that dwells within to be activated by faith and manifest the miracles. "It is not in our strength lest we boast." We are blessed by His grace and mercy. We are blessed because it is a covenant God made with us. He paid the price for every sin so that we could live an abundant life. A life full of His grace, mercy, love, favor, joy and peace.

What God gives us He adds no sorrow to. He opens doors no man can shut. He fills our cups until they run over. BUT all things are in their season. You are attached to your destiny. You are attached to your future. It has your name on it. The only road to it is through Jesus. Through the blood sacrifice of our saviour. When we are awaken and surrender our will to His then we can walk in the fullness of what He has ordered for our lives. It is only until we have learned to be faithful in the little things and take joy in being a servant that God's hands move.

I praise God for His wisdom. I praise God for His love that fills my cup everyday. I love God and praise Him for His mercy that allows me to get back up when I fall. I know that everything I place in His hands He has control of. I consciously release all my worries and trials to Him. I know that He is King and ruler over my life and that is fine with me. He is the KEY to my success. Everything He has ordered for my life will come to pass because I trust Him. I rest in His arms. I surrender to His love. Amen!

What is your motivation?

God ministered to me today about the intent of our hearts. Many of us seek to be closer to God or achieve a certain thing in our life for our own personal gain. Many times we even use the gifts that God has given us to glorify our own flesh. We minister to the body of Christ through our flesh and not the anointing. God will still be God and receive the glory in the end but we must be careful and examine our hearts. What is our motivation? What moves us to take action in life....in the things we seek God for.....in our ministries? Are we seeking to be glorified and uplifted for our own gain? Or are we seeking His kingdom for the edification of the body.....to bring glory to God?

I know that many of us have been through trying times in our lives. Many of us have been lacking something that we tend to satisfy with natural things. We seek the praise of others. We look for recognition when we do something for someone else. We even use our gifts God has given us to glorify our flesh. This saddens me because God did not send His son to die for us so that we can be caught up in our own world. So that we can build our "own" ministry. So that we can be arrogant and selfish. We have been given a gift of life so that we can reconcile God's family back unto Him. We are to be a manifestation of His unselfish love. We should take no thought in what we can gain. We should be all about God's people and His kingdom. It is all about His glory.

As I mature in the things of God I have learned that my very walk should be a reflection of God's love. I don't have to speak a word. I don't have to tell anyone what I do in secret with God. God says that what is done in secret will be rewarded openly. My walk...my talk and every area of my life should be in perfect alignment with the condition of my heart. If I am about my Fathers business then you will see the fruit of it. I would rather die then to ever say that my life is about me. My life is a sacrifice for His people. If I love God then I should live selfless. I should surrender my will to fulfill His will so that others may live through my sacrifice. I shouldn't have to tell you what I am doing. You should feel it in my presence. If God be lifted up then He will draw all men unto Himself. People are drawn to you for your anointing. They are drawn to you because they can feel His presence when you walk in a room.

All that we do should be done unto God. It should be done with His heart in mind not our own. I don't need anyone to tell me what a good job I am doing. I don't even need to tell anyone that I am praying for them. My heart rejoices when I see someones life change in front of my eyes from the earnest prayers I sowed in that secret place. Let God receive the glory for their deliverance. It is not my power that saved them. It is the power of God in me that delivered their soul and reconciled them back unto God.

Every gift we are given is by the grace of God. The riches that have been sown into our barns are all by the grace of God. The voice you use to lead praise and worship, the word that is ministered from behind the pulpit, the spirit of intercession, the gift of prophecy, the spirit of love and compassion. All of these things have been placed within us so that we can show the world the riches of God that are not made of hands. We are God's riches and glory. He has placed us all here on this earth to be a reflection of His everlasting love and abundance. So before you speak a word, minister through song or prophecy examine your heart. Ask yourself "what is my motivation".."what is it that moves me into action"? Are you seeking to be glorified or are you acting as God's yielded vessel so that He can receive the glory.

Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast".


"TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY" AMEN.

Redirection Not Rejection

We often feel that when a door closes in our face that means we are being rejected. We become discouraged and at times it can make us feel inadequate or like a failure. We believed in the possibilities and then like a flood our hopes came tumbling down. Sometimes we even become depressed or afraid to step out and pursue other opportunities. What we fail to see is that what we perceive as rejection is often redirection. When one door is closed it causes us to move in another direction. Even though we may feel like we failed that rejection was a step of faith that moved us forward and closer to our destiny. We can never grow or achieve great things if we are not willing to chart a new course. Although the territory may seem unfamiliar God has already mapped out the path. He has gone before us and made the crooked ways straight. Our steps have already been ordered even though we feel like our life is in disorder. God is purposeful in all that He does. He has a plan for us and it is good. He desires us to reach our full potential and walk in victory.

Sometimes we chose to pursue certain opportunities because they feel safe to us. We don't stretch ourselves and reach for the stars because of our lack of confidence in ourselves. We think we are not educated enough or qualified enough to achieve what our heart desires.....what our soul yearns for. We often settle for less then what God has already predestined for us because of our own fears. We may have been "rejected" once before and so we feel why should I try again. Why should I step out and believe in something when I might get my feelings hurt? We have the vision but our sight is a little foggy with self doubt.

What I have come to realize recently is that whatever God has called you for....you can not escape. No matter what way you try to run you will always end up being confronted with it over and over again. God will cause such a discomfort in you until you have no choice but to move forward in it. Inspite of fear and insecurity you will learn to step out on faith. You will learn to surrender to God and allow your God given talent to shine. What God has called you to, He has equipped you for. All we have to do is step forward. Each step, every attempt is a step closer to a breakthrough.

My excuse has always been "where do I start". You start with God being the head of everything you do. You allow Him to be the wisdom you need to pursue you passion. You let Him lead you and guide you to His path of righteousness. If you stay focused on God and His glory then everything you need will begin to line up. Your path will lead to God's plan for you when you become obedient to His spirit. It will no longer be about what you can gain. It will be about God's glory. It will be about being a servant unto God and His people.