Not my Will, but Yours be Done!

Good morning everyone I was led to this message for everyone to reflect on. Someone has said that these words in this passage by Jesus are the most difficult—and most important—words that we can learn in any language: not my will, but yours be done. To say these words sincerely and from the heart takes conviction, courage, and faith. It means trusting that God really is wiser than you are and really does love you more than you love yourself. It means trusting, like Jesus trusted, in the perfect wisdom of God.

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Luke 22:42

Although Jesus’ will was always in perfect harmony with His Father’s (John 6:38-39), ours often is not. The things that we assume would make us happy and contended He seems to withhold from us at times, and the things we seek to avoid are the very things that He frequently allows into our lives.

Is there some sickness, heartache, pain, instability, demotion, or tension that you are facing at the moment? Rather than looking for the nearest exit from your trial—by whatever means you can devise—turn to God first and take your need to Him in prayer. The same God who created your world can certainly sustain, heal, strengthen, and direct your life.

Pray for deliverance; pray for strength; pray for direction… and pray, “Not my will, but yours, be done.” These words are difficult, because they hand the most precious parts of our life over to God. But they are liberating, because they recognize that we are in God’s hands anyway and, if we understood the situation perfectly, we would certainly want whatever God wants for us.

As a born-again believer, there is no prayer (outside, of course, a prayer for something that is already revealed in God’s Word as sinful) that you cannot take to God with these precious words: not my will, but yours be done.

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“Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.”

Good morning everyone I was led to this passage and message for everyone to reflect on. Being a Christian means believing in Christ – not because we see Him with our physical eyes, but because we feel Him in our hearts and see evidence of Him in our lives. Once we encounter Christ, our attitude is changed, and our faith renewed. When we are doubting the true existence of Christ, or doubt whether He is involved in our lives, then we have a hard time seeing or hearing Him at all. Believing comes first. Seeing is the reward for believing. Have a wonderful day believing in Him.

“Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

The real test of faith, believing without seeing, is in our actions. It is easy to say that we believe this or that, but it is harder to live like we do.We all have faith in something. We all put our trust somewhere. The question is if the object we are putting our trust in is worthy of our trust.

There is one object that I am sure is worthy of our trust. It takes believing without seeing, but Christ shows Himself true to those who follow Him. A lot of people fall into the trap of placing their trust in lesser things. To trust in our possessions is easy, because we can see them. They are right there before our eyes. But to trust Christ takes faith and faith in Christ requires believing without seeing.

If you struggle with believing without seeing there are some tangible helps that God has graciously given to us to aid us in our faith. The Bible is a great help to us. Prayer, hearing God’s Word preached, enjoying the fellowship of other believers are all great advantages to us. These make believing without seeing easier. They have been given to us by God for our benefit and He is wise in all He does.

“Faith rises or falls according to the measure in which we remember the things which are unseen. “We learn to trust by trusting.

Don’t let anyone steal your Christmas!

Don’t let anyone Steal Your Christmas!

Without a doubt, Christmas is to be a time of GREAT JOY. On that first Christmas night, the angel announced to the shepherds “good news of a great joy.” The Savior has come!! WOW!! Those shepherds were so excited. That announcement changed their lives forever. They were filled with joy and wonder and praise. At Christmas time, are you filled with joy and wonder and praise? Or has the devil, the original Grinch, the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy, stolen those things from you? If so, there is still time to get it back!

Think about the angel’s announcement, “There has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” What does that really mean for you and me?

1. The Savior has come to save you from a dark past. So many people are suffering with intense guilt over bad things they have done in the past. The devil beats them to death with shame and guilt. But be beaten no longer! All the terrible, horrible things you have done are no match for the Savior’s blood that He shed for you on the cross. The moment you confess those sins to God and repent of them, you are forgiven!! Remember what the Savior said to Peter, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (Acts 10:15).

2. The Savior has come to save you from an empty present. Many people are surviving and not really living. Jesus came at Christmas not to fill your empty stocking, but to fill your empty life! He has a purpose and a plan for you. Come to Him. Surrender to Him. Let Him lead you. He wants to bring you joy and peace, regardless of your circumstances. He wants to use your life to make a difference in others, a difference that will last for all eternity. It makes life worth living to know that everyday is an exciting adventure with the Lord, an opportunity to touch another person with the love and joy of Jesus.

3. The Savior has come to save you from a hopeless future. Everyone without God is without hope. No one comes to the Father without the Savior, Jesus Christ. But now He has come, and we can really know Him personally, and we can be assured of His presence and provision while we live … and His heaven when we die. Paul said, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). WOW! What a future is in store for the child of God!

My friends do not let the devil steal from you and your Christmas time any longer! The Savior has come, and He has come for you! Receive the good news and rejoice in the truth!

Are You Ready for a Ruth or Boaz?

How do you know if you are ready for a Ruth or Boaz to come into your life?

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

A heart, mind, soul, and body must be ready. You have been walking through heartache, loss, abandonment and hardships. It’s not been an easy season, but the good news is that God does not leave us in it; He walks us through to the other side when we trust Him and obey Him. Here are a few signs that you may be ready to be in a relationship again:

-You have a painful past, but it no longer keeps you there. You have been able to heal from it. You have been able to forgive those who have hurt you or abandoned you. The past is a painful memory but the sting of it doesn’t keep you consumed by it.

-You have been able to stop looking over your shoulder trying to get back what you lost. You have been taking healthy steps to move forward in Christ. You no longer dwell in your former situation or homeland. Ruth left the land of Moab. She was courageous to go with Naomi to a new land she did not know.

-You have gone through a season of healthy grief. You have mourned what you lost. You have let God gently heal the layers and places of your heart. You have trusted God and allowed Him to help you let go of what you lost. You never forget, but you no longer let it be your constant thought day and night. Your tears have begun to cease. You have a few moments once in a while, but you have been able to feel joy again. You desire to live and be a part of life activities again. A lengthy time is recommended. Grief takes time. It’s not an overnight thing. Remember, shedding tears does not mean you are going backward; it’s part of the process. Don’t feel bad if you are still shedding tears over the loss of your spouse.

-You have gleaned the wisdom from the mistakes you have made from your last relationship. Everyone has something they could have done differently in their broken or lost relationship. You are now healthy-minded when it comes to relationships. You have been completely honest with yourself and God about your past mistakes. You have learned and applied the wisdom so that you won’t repeat the mistakes again. You have broken the cycle. Only a fool does the same thing but expects different results. Something has to change. Being completely honest with yourself and learning as much as you can is a healthy approach.

-You have leaned closer to the Lord and have a stronger and more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. You have allowed God to be your strength and peace during this difficult season. He is the Lover of your soul. You have realized that your spiritual well is not filled by a man but by spending time in His presence. A man can’t satisfy your spirit. Only God can. Your relationship with God is front and center. Everything you do you strive to honor and please God. Your satisfaction comes from Him. A difficult season should always draw you closer to God- not further away.

-You have used the pain and heartache you have experienced and gone through to help others. Ruth reached out to Naomi and blessed her and helped her. You are now seeing the beauty and strength from the ashes in your life. You are now able to comfort and help others who are walking the road of a Ruth. God’s greatest comfort and healing flows through open and broken vessels. The wounded know how to help the wounded. Your scars are now a blessing. Your story is a testimony of God’s faithfulness and goodness in your life.

-You have allowed this difficult and painful season to make your heart more beautiful. Your character reveals His character. Ruth was known by her generosity, loyalty and faithfulness. Her character was known how she took care of her Mother-in-law and how she worked hard to bless her and honor Naomi. Your fragrance is sweet by His Holy Spirit. Your pain did NOT make you bitter….But it did make you BETTER. For His glory and purpose.

-You no longer have a desire to be back with the person you loved and lost. You have been able to completely let go and surrender to God’s perfect will and plan. You no longer have the struggle of a tug-of-war. You have set them free and not held on to unforgiveness or bitterness. You are able to pray for God’s best in their life. You trust in God’s plan. You genuinely want the best for the person who once hurt you and abandoned you.

-You know your worth as a daughter of the Most High. You broke the cycle of accepting less than God’s best for you. You realize that your standards are higher and that you can be patient until God brings the man who is appointed by God to be a kinsman redeemer. Ruth followed God’s will when she received her covering. She followed Naomi’s instructions and guidance. She followed the protocol. She obeyed Boaz’s instructions. You are ready when you are able to submit to God’s instructions and guidelines concerning a relationship. You understand that you deserve a godly man.

You have and are continually praying for your future Boaz. You pray he is blessed in his walk with the Lord, and if he’s lonely that God will comfort him and give him peace. You are asking God to prepare your heart and life for your Boaz, and that you are being led to the field he is in. Ruth was led to the field where Boaz was. Pray your life is in position for meeting your future spouse. Pray that your coming and goings are blessed and led by His Holy Spirit.

How do you know if he is your Boaz?

A Modern Day Boaz will:

-He will honor you and respect you. He will handle your heart tenderly. His intentions will be honorable.
-He will provide and care for you with his actions. He looks out for the best for you.
-He will protect you and spiritually lead you and be a covering to you. He will pray with you and for you. He will take you to church. He will read the word with you.
-He will understand your journey and desire to make your days better and sweeter than before.
-He will celebrate you and appreciate your strengths, beauty and character.
-He will preserve you. He will honorably do right by you by waiting until marriage. He sees you as a treasure and a blessing from God.
-He will love you by demonstrating the character of Christ to you through his words and actions.
-He will always try to be a blessing to you and your children every day of his life. He will embrace you and your kids with open arms.

You won’t settle for less than the best. You won’t have to try to make a man treat you this way, because he already will. You don’t raise a man into being a man, he already is one. God’s best for you won’t need fixing. Second best and settling….will need it. Don’t go there. You are completely open to God’s submission by letting Him write your love story. Listen to His voice, and trust in His perfect plan.

You know you are ready when you are not afraid to love and trust someone. You desire companionship and sharing a life again. You desire to be a blessing to the man God has waiting for you. Your heart is open to trust and to receive love again. You are healthy in your mind, heart and soul. You desire to be a helpmate.

How do you know you are his Ruth?

-You want to be a blessing to him every day of his life. You strive and look for ways to bless him.
-You desire to be his greatest cheerleader and prayer partner.
-You are his faithful confidante. He can trust you.
-You want to honor him and respect him as a man of God and as your spiritual leader.
-You celebrate his strengths and you accept his weaknesses.
-You bring a strength he can rely on. You are loyal to him only.
-You are his best friend and want to be his lifelong lover.
-You are willing to be a good receiver of his love and acts of kindness.
-You appreciate and value what he does for you.
-You believe in his dreams and callings. You want to support him and build a life with him. His desires are yours, and his dreams are yours.
-You honor him both publicly and privately.
-You desire to please him.
-You strive to do him good all the days of your life.
-You are anointed and appointed to be his wife.

Ruth and Boaz is my favorite love story. God gives second chances. He always restores better than before. Your heartache and loss are being turned around so your greatest love story can unfold. God gave Ruth better than before, and her legacy of love continued through the lineage of Jesus and beyond!

Choose Peace!

 

Choose to replace your anxious thoughts with intentional prayer. Your focus will shift from the gravity of your circumstances to the enormity of God’s power. You will gain God’s perspective on the obstacles you face and you will be fortified by God’s peace. How’s your heart? How’s your mind? Are you experiencing the peace that transcends all understanding?

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

The peace of God is not the absence of adversity, but the presence of Divinity. God’s peace transcends understanding in that it is difficult to fathom. How can a believer have such peace in the midst of a raging storm? The peace of God is not subdued by the intensity of your circumstances. God dispenses His peace in proportion to your need. The stronger the waves of resistance you encounter, the greater the allotment of God’s peace you experience.

God’s peace will guard your heart. The enemy knows that if he can rob you of your passion for God in the midst of your adversity, he will have stolen a piece of your heart. The peace of God will guard your heart from the toxic assaults unleashed by the enemy. You have given your heart to Christ and His peace will reign in you.

During seasons of adversity, the enemy seeks to pollute your mind with thoughts of fear, timidity, and doubt. God’s peace will guard your mind. As you replace your thoughts with intentional prayer, the peace of God will shield your mind. Fear will be replaced by faith, timidity will be replaced with courage, and doubt will be replaced with assurance.

Having great Endurance and Patience!

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul admonishes the Christians to “live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way.” He then tells them how. He says to get our strength from God’s power so we can exercise “great endurance and patience. We want stuff and we want it now. We want results and we want them now. Yet the Bible repeatedly says that patience should be a way of life for followers of Christ. To have patience is the ability to endure graciously. We all have to deal at times with people or circumstances that try our composure – an ungrateful child, an inattentive waitress, a slow moving line at the cash register, a spouse or friend taking our efforts for granted.  How graciously do we behave in these circumstances?

“Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.” Colossians 1:11

We also have to exercise patience with God as we wait for His full plan to unfold.  At times we must wait for answers to prayers, for deliverance, for provision, or for Him to dispense justice or reveal His will.  We really have no choice but to wait in these circumstances, but a child of God who is developing patience will endure the wait graciously. It helps to remember how very patient God has to be with us on a daily basis!

Exercising patience isn’t just in exercise of the human will. The kind of patience Paul is talking about is a fruit of the Spirit developed in a person’s soul in tandem with God. It’s a virtue that grows from their confidence in the sovereignty of God and His ability to bring all things to completion, in His timing, in a way that benefits His children and glorifies Him.

Endurance and patience pleases God. Patience is easier accomplished when there is hope. Where there seems to be a sense of fairness, it is easier to endure. But how often do we have that luxury? It is during difficult situations where all seems lost, where hope is nowhere to be found, that we must trust God and be strengthened in a way that only His power could accomplish. We come to Him, with all His glorious might, and choose to deliberately be patient and endure. It is an act of faith, one that is pleasing to Him. Today, trust God and His power, put your situation into His hands and choose to be patient and endure.

The Pursuit of Joy!

The pursuit of joy is a matter of choice and perspective. It is also a matter of obedience. As Christians, one of our spiritual priorities should be joy. What is blocking the flow of God’s joy in your life? Is it a sin you need to confess? A relationship you need to make right? A step of obedience you need to take? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what action you need to take to experience the joy of the Lord.

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” John 10:10.

Jesus lived and died so that we can experience abundant life, a life exuding joy, a life so full that others crave to know the source of that fullness. Jesus did not come so that we can merely survive life. Pagans can survive life. Jesus came to be our joy.

Joy is the flag that flies above the castle of our hearts indicating that the King reigns within. If that is true, then why are so many people living lives with little or no joy? I’m afraid that they have bought the lies of the enemy, allowing him to steal their joy. Discouragement, weariness, disillusionment, shattered dreams and unrealized goals are some of his favorite weapons, “the truth is that the enemy can only use what we allow him to use,” let me repeat that again in case anyone missed it the truth is that “the enemy can only use what we allow him to use”

It is time for you to reclaim surrendered ground. Do you sometimes think you are fighting the same old battles you have been fighting for years? Clinging to familiar pain, you find our identity there. Consumed with your own agenda, joy is buried under a mountain of self.

Joy is not the result of outward circumstances. Joy is an inside job, a deeply rooted confidence that God is in control. Every trial or loss, every defeat or victory measured against this confidence can be counted as joy. We cannot avoid pain but we can avoid joy. The pursuit of joy is a matter of choice. Our inward perspective does not have to reflect our outward circumstances. We can choose joy!

Set your sails for joy, my friends! Celebrate! Revel in who God is, in what He has done, is doing and will do in your life when you choose joy.

Put your Hope in God!

Losing hope is inevitable when we look to be satisfied by what this world has to offer. We are all prone to the luring of what is fleeting, only to be disappointed time and time again. We then find that what we really desire and need is something constant, something infinite. God, in His great kindness, leads us through our disappointments to what can only come from Him.

“And so Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in You.” Psalm 39:7

Apart from God, the world would be a terrible, hopeless place. The world desperately needs people to be filled with hope so eternity can touch them and they can live assured that there is something greater beyond this temporary life we live on the earth.

When we are filled with the God of hope, we then have a perspective that only comes from Him who sees all things and knows all things. We are able to recognize that in our mourning, God is our comfort, and in our weakness, that He is our strength, and in our loneliness, that He is our friend and that no matter what life throws at us, we should ultimately have our confidence in Him alone.

Being filled with the hope of God through His Spirit comes when we spend time with God, meditating on His Word and resting in the truth of His promises to us.

Pray out loud these words of hope for your life: I have hope! My hope comes from You alone God! You are my Joy and my strength! I will be strong and wait on You. I trust You with my life and the life of my family. Amen.

Radically Trusting God!

Radical trust means you trust God even when He does not come through. You are not pregnant, but you still trust God. You do not have a job, but you still trust God. You have been betrayed, but you still trust God. You are sick, but you still trust God. You are lonely, but you still trust God. You are afraid, but you still trust God. Your wise decision-making is based on God’s trustworthiness. You know He is able, but it is still about His timing. And you will not compromise your convictions because you trust Him. It does not seem fair or right, but God has a bigger picture in mind. Do not be held captive by your finite knowledge and understanding. You can still trust the One with infinite wisdom and understanding. You are not alone in your current fire of adversity. I pray that this ministers to your heart.

 

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17–18).

Trust in God is not just for the good times, though there is a radical trust required as prosperity pelts your faith. But radical trust is much needed when things heat up. When you lose something precious or you are refused something you deserve, this is the time to ratchet up your radical trust. It is for times like this that God has molded your faith.

Trust God with today, and do not worry about the uncertainty of tomorrow. This is radical trust in Christ. If you obsess over fear of the future, you most certainly will define the ambiguity with negative consequences. Then unwittingly you create a self-fulfilling prophecy. You worry yourself sick. You worry others sick. Or you are of no use for today because you are worried about tomorrow. You are stuck in the inertia of distrust.

But the Lord can be trusted. Meditate on His faithfulness instead of what might happen. Unleash the radical trust that resides within you. When you were younger, radical faith marked you as a follower of Christ. Reignite that passion for Jesus. Lay aside the sins of disbelief and worry. The cross of Christ and His resurrection are radical. Trust God even if He has not or does not come through. He is still trustworthy; so be radical in your trust!

Does God really have a plan and purpose for my life?

One of the most asked questions I get from other believers is “does God really have a plan and purpose for my life?” Let me assure you that there are no accidents, no coincidences with God. The One who created the universe and everything in it, did not just create us in His image to drift from birth to death with no purpose. You did not just happen, God created you. God did not just create all of this because He was bored, there is a Divine plan and purpose for everything, including your life!

“‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked.“And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. You are to tell the world what you have seen and what I will show you in the future. ~ Acts 26:15-16

The scripture today is God revealing to Paul the plan He had for his life. Most of us will never have a Damascus road experience where God audibly calls down to us and gives us the exact plan for our life. However, as we are surrendered to His will, He will move us, position us, exactly where He wants us. He will open and close doors to guide us where He wants us to be.

As you are surrendered to God and His plan, there are no accidents where you live, work, go to school, or recreate. It is not an accident who your neighbors are or the people that are in your life. God strategically places us where He wants us to be, as His instruments, so we can do our part in fulfilling His master plan.

The key that you need to hear today is you must be surrendered to Him. If we rebel against God, if we don’t listen to Him, if we do it our way and not His way, then His plan for our life will never be fulfilled. That is the choice we have to make each day. To live life our way, or His way.

When we choose our way, we can try, try, and try, and life never seems to work out. We may be successful in one area, but miserable in others. You see, when we do it God’s way, He takes into consideration ALL areas of our life. Our work, finances, relationships, health, service to Him, recreation, He has every area of our life taken care of.

I will be praying for you to fully surrender your life each day to God. Surrendering to Him is the key to finding God’s plan and purpose for your life. TRUST HIM! He will never let you down, He will never disappoint you, just love you and bless you each day. God has a perfect plan and purpose for your life!