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Feelin’ Squeezed

Sep6

Sour Lemon FaceIs life throwing you lots of lemons right now? Does it feel like the weight of the world is upon your shoulders? Do you feel squeezed from every direction?

Job, David, Apostle Paul…they all went through a lot of squeezing in life. Between losing everything they owned, losing family, friends turning their backs on them and being put in jail. It didn’t look like there was any way out of the mess. They couldn’t break the chains of bondage. They didn’t deserve what happened. They had no clue they would have to go through so much pain and sorrow. The only thing they could do was stand on their faith, believing God had a plan that they couldn’t see.

BUT THEN…God moved in their lives, restoring what was lost, giving them health and the strength to go on. God has a way when you don’t see one. Stand up and dig in church! You might be squeezed from every angle of life. You might be crushed and heartbroken. But our heavenly father collects all those tears. He will help you every step of the way even when you feel all alone and no movement of God.

  • Psalm 30:2 “O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.”
  • Psalm 34:2 “I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart.”
  • Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
  • Psalm 107:4-6 “They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region; They did not find a way to an inhabited city. They were hungry and thirsty; Their soul fainted within them. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.”
  • Psalm 118:5 “Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free.”

Dig your heels in and keep standing in faith. Your God is bigger, stronger, lovelier, and is unlimited in ways we simply don’t understand. Today I ask you all, let God help you turn those sour lemons into your very own sweet-tasting lemonade. He won’t let you down nor will He forget your struggles while standing in faith. One small faith a size of a mustard seed is all it takes.Tasty Lemonade

He promises to take all your hurt, pain, sickness, disease, poverty, failed opportunities and relationships AND TURN THEM AROUND into your favor! Get ready to have an amazing testimony for when He squeezes so tight and everything falls apart, you can bet that He has something so amazing in store for you!

So today, let that squeeze come upon you. Rejoice in the midst of your pain and sorrow. For God is up to something in your life and your best days are just ahead! Stand firm and know that God can make the most heavenly lemonade there is! Dig in church! Dig in for that sweet taste of victory that’s coming your way today!

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The “I CAN’T” Syndrome

Aug30

Everyday people are tormenting themselves by thinking:

I Can’t change
I Can’t believe
I Can’t get over this sickness
I Can’t go on
I Can’t forgive
I Can’t pay my bills
I Can’t get a job and so on.

What we must realize is that this mentality and attitude sets us up to fail, to quit, and to live a negative, defeated life.  It is a very poisonous mindset that we must overcome in order to see victory within our lives.

The Bible has so many wonderful scriptures that deal with this mindset.  When you start thinking “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) or “Oh Lord my God, I cried to You and You healed me.” (Psalm 30:2); you will begin to notice changes in your life.

The most important thing we can do, is stand firm in His word and have faith that he will change our circumstances.  For in Ephesians 3:20 it says “He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all we can ask or think“, so why in the world would we allow the dreaded “I Can’t” Syndrome rule in our lives.  “I Can’t” shouldn’t be in our vocabulary.

We serve a BIG GOD and he wants us to have more than enough to spare and share.  Why do you think one of God’s names in the Bible is El Shaddai?  It means more than enough!  I don’t think that would be coincidental, do you?

The best thing we can do to over come this negative mindset is set our eyes above.  “For my God shall supply ALL your needs according to His riches.” (Philippians 4:19)  There is absolutely no question that God has you covered, no matter what the circumstance looks like.  We are VICTORIOUS and CONQUERORS through Christ!

So, Stand Up and Shake It Off

SAY…I CAN!  Watch Me!

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Good Deeds or Distractions?

Jul5

pie-in-the-skyThere’s so much to be said about “destiny”. So many people think it’s “pie in the sky” or just “hopeful thinking”. But in truth…it’s so much more.

God doesn’t call everyone to be a preacher or have a huge congregation. No, God calls some to be a plumber, an electrician, a writer, a singer, a songwriter, a classroom teacher, an accountant, a construction worker and on, and on, and on.

When you truly know what God calls you to do, you quickly realize that even if it’s a small part in the big scheme of things, it brings you so much joy that it’s undeniable that you are where you are meant to be. Now at the time, you might not realize how many people you have impacted by your daily work. However, your love, smiles and joy could be the very thing that impacted them the most. You might not have ever spoken a single “Biblical” word but your impact was far greater than if you did.

I see so many Christians these days running every which direction, being so stressed out, thinking that they are doing good by participating in everything. But in all reality, they are missing their true calling. Now don’t get me wrong, we are all supposed to be loving, helpful and making a difference. But if you have over committed in too many places or in too many activities than your joy will be diminished and not as effective.

What’s worse is seeing Christians compare themselves to others. I’ve seen pastors wonder what in the world is wrong with them when their congregation only has 100 people while someone else has 5,000 each Sunday. First and foremost, never compare. God works in all of us differently and it doesn’t matter if you have one person or 10,000…it’s God who makes the difference and you might have impacted that one person far greater than the other pastor did with the 10,000.

See, when you become stressed because you’re doing “good deeds” every night of the week, how can you possibly be taking time for a deep-committed relationship with Jesus? The answer is…you can’t. You’ll be too busy thinking about all the things that need to be done in order to be here or there. You’ll be wondering how in the world you’ll get it all accomplished. You’ll wonder how you’re going to get your own laundry done or go to the grocery store. At this point, these are no longer “good deeds” but have become “distractions”.

Being overly committed is not God’s design. He wants us living balanced lives, not chaotic ones. When you are so committed to all the external works, you will not have time to work on your own “true destiny”. Your true destiny comes in many forms as outlined before. God may ask you to help out in a specific church function or become a choir singer or participate in a charity event. And that’s okay. If God leads you to participate then by all means, walk out in faith and follow God’s guidance. However, the sole purpose of this writing is to say…walk in your destiny not in “good deeds”. There is a huge difference.

If you are overly committed, the real question is why? Are you truly walking out your calling or are you trying to fill a void that only God can fill?

Christian illustrations for the whole family“The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever”

(Isaiah 32:17)

Your destiny has a real sense of purpose. It’s not just to be busy or being a good person or doing good things. Start questioning the true motives of all your “good deeds”. Take a real hard look at why you are filling your day with so many activities. Begin to listen to your still small voice and then make your decisions. As you start listening to the deep peace within, you’ll begin to declutter your life and things will become more balanced.

God wants you to be successful and walking into your destiny. Let God guide you every step of the way. Learn to say “No” to the distractions and say “YES” to God! For when you do, you will know you’re on His right path and you’ll accomplish much more than you ever dreamed possible.

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Faith of a Mustard Seed

Jun21

In today’s society, most people need to see things in order to believe in them. But for those of us who follow Christ, we are told to believe in things unseen. The Bible explains this point very well.  In Hebrews 11:1 “NOW FAITH is the assurance of things hoped for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality.”

So the bottom-line here is that we must have faith and trust in what we can not see; therefore, making it a reality within our lives; BELIEVING IN OUR BIG GOD and HIS PROMISES!

From my own personal experience, I can say that when I started thinking and saying things that didn’t exist in my life yet, I felt like a hypocrite. If I was feeling sick, I would think and say…”By His Stripes I am healed“ (Isaiah 53:5). Or when my funds were low, I would think and say, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not lack.” (Psalm 23:1) When you begin practicing this simple tool, it does feel awkward or out of the norm. But the truth is…this should be our NORM!

Even if you have faith of a mustard seed (Luke 17:6), God will begin transforming your dreams into reality. The more you focus on Him while being grateful for His promises, the more you will see His beautiful provisions in your life. His blessings are all around us, every moment of every day. Make it a point to be grateful for all the small things in your life because He will see your gratefulness and trust you with so much more. The best thing you can do is keep your faith aligned with His word. DO NOT LOOK at your current circumstances. LOOK AT GOD and HIS PROMISES!

No matter how bad things might be in your life right now; be grateful that you are a Child of the Most High God and have faith in HIM. There is always light at the end of your dark tunnel. Everything will turn out for your good because HE knows exactly what you need, when you need it, and the best way to get it to you.

He won’t let you down. Get up every morning and know that you are going to have a GREAT DAY because God is already there!

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