Proverbs 1:23

“Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.”

To pour is to flow rapidly in a steady stream; to come or go in a steady stream and in large numbers.

In ministry to pour out is to impart something on those that hear and receive what you give.

Isaiah 44:3, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed,and my blessing upon thine offspring:”

To effectively occupy any form of ministry, the minister (or the one who ministers to the people’s needs), must be full – they cannot be empty or running low on the word of God or the love of God. For it is impossible to effectively minister from an empty vessel.

In Acts 2:17-18 (see also Joel 2:28-29), God said that “I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh:” Even when it comes to us, the children of God, we must minister “in the spirit” to pour out to people. It cannot be from our flesh or an ungodly spirit or perspective. We must be filled with and full of the Holy Spirit.

Psalms 23:5, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”

We are not perfect. There are times when we are filling low, or when we are going through that we just do not take the time to spend with God. We don’t pray, or read the Bible as we know we should. But this should not be a state that we allow ourself to stay in for too long.

As believers – ministers of God – we have a responsibility to take the time to separate ourselves daily to talk to God. Even if it is only for a few minutes. Quality is better than quantity, every time. We must have a regular diet of Bible study. So that God can speak to us and teach us what we need to know.

Psalms 23:5, let’s us know that even in our “go through” or seasons of struggle, and challenges, God still has our back. He will prepare us even in these times, filling up our cups till they over flow. This means that especially in these times our deliverance is found as we persevere and meet the needs of the people we serve.

We have to pour out what God has placed in us. Not just in good and easy times, but especially in the bad and hard times!

But you cannot pour out from and empty vessel.

It is our responsibility to not allow ourselves to get to the point where we feel empty. This is an deceiving emotion. God is not moved by how we feel. He is moved by the faith on which we stand. It our job to speak faith and trust God to make manifest those same faith declarations. We stand on the word of God, by faith.

This is the reason we must have that daily time with God. It is like recharging a battery. Without charging our phones at night while we sleep, when we wake in the morning our battery will be low and not meet our needs for the day. Our spirit is the same. If we do not recharge it daily, we could find ourselves missing out on important instructions God needs to impart to us for that day. This could hamper our ability to effectively meet the needs of the people God has given us to serve.

When we are a full vessel – the anointing flows rapidly in a steady stream. Those to whom we minister are able to receive as God has intended in that moment. We flow as God leads. People’s hearts are changed and the word falls on good ground.

Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

When our vessel is full God’s word goes forth in power and might to accomplish his will in those we serve.

Make sure your vessel is full!

Have a blessed day.

Something is coming your way.

If you are not ready, get ready!

If you are ready, stay ready!

Don’t allow fear to disturb your sense of calm and well-being.

Build yourself up in your most holy faith by praying in the Holy Ghost.

Yes, God is on our side and he has our back. But we must do our part too.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, “Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Have a blessed evening…

Joel 3:16

“The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.”

Hope is defined as a feeling of trust.

I once heard a sermon title “Living on the other side of the comma.”

Taken from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.

The idea is that many times we are focused on the trial or trouble we are dealing with, rather than seeing the benefits that come from serving a faithful and gracious God. Instead of looking at the trouble, let us see the one who delivers us from the trouble.

I know I say this a lot, that is because it bears repeating. Trust = love. We cannot truly love God with out trusting him. Trusting him to be who he said he is. Trusting him to do what he said he would. This is the type of relationship God desires to have with his people. That we would take him at his word and stand by faith on his word.

Again, I say Hope is defined as a feeling of trust. Trust in God.

No matter what is going on in our lives, we must focus on what God said he would do/would be. “But the Lord will be the hope of his people!”

We must train ourselves to look at what is after the trouble – “but the Lord will be the hope of his people.”

⁃ Sickness comes, but the Lord.

⁃ Bills are due, and money is short, but the Lord.

⁃ My children are in trouble, but the Lord.

⁃ Struggling to live by faith, but the Lord.

God understands everything we feel. Even when our struggle is with faith. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that God knows and understand how we feel. He walked in the flesh just as we do, but he over came. And because he did, so can we too. We just have to cast our care (trouble, trials, feelings, emotions, etc.) on him because he cares for us. And he can handle what we face.

But the Lord will be the hope of his people. The Lord is your hope. You can trust him, you just have to be willing to try him. He won’t fail you or let you down.

Stretch out in your faith. Do more, go farther than you have before. The Lord is your hope, you can trust him. If he is leading you to do – move forward by faith. Don’t focus the things that could possibly happen. Instead, focus on the Lord who is your help, and possess the land he has given you.

The Lord is the hope of his people!

Have a blessed day.

Psalms 91:1, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

What is “secret place”? According to Psalms 31:20, the secret place is found in God’s presence. Access to this secret place requires faith (Hebrew 11:6). You must come to God in faith. To enter God’s presence, we must have an attitude of worship- reverence and adoration – toward him. The secret place is not a physical location, although we may have a favorite place to be when seeking God.

Dwell definition:

1 : to remain for a time. 2a : to live as a resident. 2b : exist. 3a : to keep the attention directed.

Abide definition:

1 : to remain stable or fixed in a state. 2 : to continue in a place . 3 : to conform to (abide by the rules). 4 : to accept without objection (abide by your decision).

Through relationship with God – Spending intimate time with him getting to know him. We learn what it is to please him and to do his will. We also find there are levels to the relationship. Levels to our life, our walk with him. We grow from faith to faith, from glory to glory. We learn or earn this knowledge by our faith and trust in him being tried by fire – the trials of life.

God reveals himself to us more and more as we draw closer to him. We are able to draw closer as we make the choice to seek his presence. See Psalms 16:11.

Psalms 16:11, tells us that when we are in God’s presence he is able to direct our life, and find we have access to the joy of the Lord – our strength.

Through this exposure to God – triggers our desire to remain there. To live a life that is enhanced, even ordered by the anointing that comes from God’s continual presence and influence.

That is why Psalms 91:1 starts with “he that dwelleth…” it is a treasure that not everyone will find or even desire to find. But is a place that is free to all, and even recommended to all.

The word “secret” denotes the fact that it is hidden, and may require a journey on the seekers part to find.

The saying is true – anything worth having is worth working for. Because once you find what you have been searching for you will care for it, reverence and respect it. You will guard it to keep it. Once the “secret” place has been found you will desire to remain there.

For this reason we must understand what it means to dwell and abide.

To dwell in the secret place can be done for a specific period of time. Or you can make you residence there. Or it can be the act of allowing God’s presence to keep your attention focused on him. None of these options come easily. They all require work and practice to maintain. They require faith, love, and trust in God.

Once you determine how you will dwell, you must also choose to abide by what is revealed in God’s presence.

You can never come into God’s presence without being changed. He has a way of making us better. Our exchange is that we must choose if the change will be permanent. Or if we will revert back to the old man.

The benefit, however, to dwelling in the secret place, also brings the beauty of abiding. God’s power, mercy and grace allows us to remain stable and fixed, so that we are able to continue with him. We are able to conform to his will, and to accept it without objection.

My prayer for us all is that we find that secret place in God. Once found, that we choose to dwell and abide there!

Have a blessed day.

Psalms 27:13-14

“13. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

14. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

Psalms 24:6

“This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.”

Psalms 24:1

“The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

Ownership, by definition is the act, state, or right of possessing something.

The Bible tells us that God created heaven and earth. God gave man the responsibility of keeping it according to his instructions. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, through acts of disobedience, relinquished this honor of administration. But ownership still remains with God.

Today, people and events would have us to believe that the world is in chaos. Where there are no rules, like living in a high tech version of the old west. Where the villain who carries the biggest and fastest gun can rule the town. However that is not the case.

Yes, things are very hard, and very challenging times. So much so that if we don’t keep our eyes on God, we can be lost. Left to fall into disrepair.

As I have said many times, the best place to find yourself is in praise and worship. By taking the focus off ourselves, and choosing rather to see God. Taking time to thank him for who he is and what he has done, has a way of putting things into perspective. This clarity frees us. It eases our burdens. Not because they are gone, but the time spent in God’s presence strengthens us to bear what we must. See Psalms 24:6.

This perspective helps us to take heart and know that God is still in control.

Psalms 24:1 tells us that the world still belongs to God. He has a plan and he is working it out in the earth. God is working his plan in and through us. God’s purpose has always been to bring his people back to him.

This current generation is full of seekers. Some are seeking God to draw closer to him, to know him better. Others are seeking a freedom that does not necessarily involve God. They want to be free to live as they choose without responsibility to anyone else. Unfortunately for them, we are our brother’s keeper. We must understand that what we do does impact other people. So we must act with responsibility, looking to the future.

A part of our duty as believers is to pray. We pray for our leaders, we pray that God heals the land in every way. Our prayers can cause God to move on the hearts of people. Our prayers can save those that are lost. Our prayers can cause these seekers to turn to God.

God has not lost his ownership of this world.

Our struggle is to remember that God is ever in control. Even when things go sideways or totally opposite of what we hoped or wanted. God is still in control. Romans 8:28 says that ALL things work for our good. It does not say that all things are good. It simply means that in every situation God is able to pull some good out of it in our favor.

Yes, bad situations arise (time and chance happens to us all, Ecclesiastes 9:11) for us all. But they are not meant to kill us. Rather, they are meant to show us who we are, who we serve, and that he is able. As Psalms 27:13-14 says, we are not designed to faint. We are built to believe and to endure. To wait on the Lord who always causes us to triumph.

So be encouraged. Understand that your current situation is not your end. It is an opportunity to see God. To recognize his hand at work in your life. To stand strong in praise and worship, and to watch God move.

Have a blessed day!

2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV

“as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

I am hopeful today.

I am grateful, thankful, and yes, very hopeful.

By definition, hopeful is a feeling or inspiring optimism about a future event.

For me, I stand in expectation of a great move of God. It may not come the way I expect or turn out the way I hope, but I know it will be just right. For God does all things well. He does not make mistakes, he moves mysteriously, and always with a purpose. I may not always understand him, but I can always trust him!

So yes, I am very hopeful.

Hope causes me to look beyond where I am, and focus on where I am going. On where I want to be. Hope causes me to make a plan and execute it. Hope causes me to push past failure, and keep going. Because the truth is success is better understood and defined from the light of past failures.

The power of hope is God-given. It is based in faith. Faith in the faithful God who promised. Faith in the powerful word he spoke (and still speaks). The God who told us to “call those things that be not, as though they were.” (Romans 4:17).

So yes, today I am hopeful – I am inspired.

My prayer for you is that you are too. There are times when your only hope is to encourage yourself. There are times when you are all alone, and you cannot afford to give up or give in. These are also the times when this feeling of hope is the fuel that keeps us going on.

So hug this hope to you chest, put a smile on your face, and keep going.

Have a blessed day!

James 1:1-2

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

Know this…What you are going through is for a purpose!

You may be in the midst of your situation wondering why? But that thought is a major distraction designed to split your focus. Because when we are distracted we are unable to give our all. And believe me, your total focus and concentration is need to be victorious.

So rather than trying to figure out why, count it all joy that God found you worthy (and capable) to bring glory to his name. Yes, that is what is happening here.

Your faith is being tested. If you go through this trial as God has purposed, on the other side is victory, spiritual growth, and ultimately, God receives the glory.

So count it all joy. No, the situation is definitely not joyous or even easy. In fact it may be difficult, painful, and down right scary. But if we adjust our perspective, and count it all joy, it will make the journey just a little easier to bear.

You can and will make it! You were built to conquer and triumph!

Have a blessed day!

Philippians 3:13-14

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Life is always moving.

Be definition, life is the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.

By definition, death is the permanent ending of vital processes in a cell or tissue. The end of the life of a person or organism.

The difference between the two movement. To move is make progress; develop in a particular manner or direction.

Spiritually speaking, it is the duty of the believer, the follower of Christ to grow. The Bible says it like this, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18). It also says, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17).

These scriptures speaks to the movement from one level to the next. Moving from glory to glory, moving from one level of faith to the next. This is a constant of growth. God is vast, bottomless, unfathomable. We will never completely know him, but we should learn more about him each day we walk with him.

The believer is to be ever growing. We do this by getting to know the father more and more as we walk with him. This new knowledge changes us. For it is impossible to come closer to God and not change. Conversely, it is impossible to know him and to stay the same.

The light of who God is burns off our sinful nature. This character flaws and personality quirks that are not godly should not continue to grow with us. For we should change to be more like him.

Back to movement. If movement is the hallmark of life, then stagnation is the warning sign of death. By definition, stagnant is showing no activity; dull and sluggish. To remain in this state is to pursue death, or rather to wait around until death over takes you.

For this reason, we must have the ability to let things go and move on.

When people hurt us, we have to be able to let it go and move on. This is what is meant by the saying “forgiveness is for you, not them.” When we forgive, we give ourselves permission to get on with our lives. We give ourselves permission to grow and be the person God needs us to be.

We must let go of the past with all of its hurts and trauma. We must choose life, and press forward to the things that God has for us. It is a choice that we all must make.

It is impossible to try and hold on to the past, while also trying to have a successful present, and a bright future. Your death grip on the past will stagnate your present, and kill your future.

So let go, and move on.

Galatians 6:9

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Just a little encouragement on this Wednesday morning…

You have been doing well, don’t give up!

Don’t allow frustration or timing stop you from doing what God has called you to.

The definition of frustration is the feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially because of inability to change or achieve something.

You may have a feeling of frustration because those around you may not have noticed the hard word and effort you are putting forth to accomplish. Or you may not have gotten very far despite the hard work. Or no matter how hard you have worked, there is still so much more to do. Things are just not happening fast enough.

This leads us to timing. Be definition, timing is the the choice, judgment, or control of when something should be done.

Most of the time we would like things to happen right away. However, when things happen is not in our control, that is God’s responsibility and privilege. Because you know the effort you have exuded, we want the reward of that effort right away. Like it is our right.

We all must understand that a lot of the times things don’t go as planned. We don’t always get the type of reward we were after. People don’t always listen, or receive what we are saying. They don’t always believe or support us.

But despite all that, now is not the time to give up!

God has called you such a time as this. You we built to be able to withstand in this evil day. You were built to thrive in spite of everything. The gifting and calling God has on your life is needed today. You cannot give up – people are depending on you (whether they know it or not).

This is not about you getting accolades. Or feeling good about your self for what you were able to do. It is about accomplishing your assignment. Your God-given assignment.

God has placed enough trust in you to give you the gifts and talents. He expects you to use them to his glory. To reach his people and share the good news of the gospel. To reach those who are lost. All in that unique way that is you.

Stop trying to mimic or be like so and so. God gave you the assignments and qualified you to accomplish them. He even gave you the desire to do the work. His expectation is that you do it in the spirit of excellence, improving as you grow. He does not expect you to stop when it gets hard. This is a song of immaturity.

Now is not the time to give up!

Stop, settle your self, and rest (recharge) in praise and worship. When you come out you will be strengthened to keep fighting the good fight of faith.

Remember, you were built for this! You can do it, you can make it. You ARE making a difference.

Just don’t give up!

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 43:19

“Behold, I will do a new thing;
now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert.”

We finally made it out of 2020!

Let us look forward to 2021!

2020 was chalked full of pressure and stress. We faced COVID-19, loss of jobs, limited resources, and scarce items (toilet paper, paper towels, and sanitizer products). But we survived!

So, as we move into 2021, I encourage you to do so with a renewed mindset.

Let store up on praise (praise can carry us through anything), walk in godly wisdom, and rebuke fear.

COVID is still alive and well. Yes, we will have to also deal with it in this new year. But let us leave the fear of Covid-19 in 2020!

Our praise will bring us peace.

Our godly wisdom will guide us as we navigate through our daily lives.

Rebuking fear will allow us to walk in faith, and give God space to move on our behalf.

No, the world did not miraculously change because the calendar flipped to a new year. But we have (or should have) changed. We arrived in this new year with lessons learned from 2020.

So we will prepare. We will act mindfully. We will save and store up.

Ultimately, we will have a blessed 2021. No matter what!

Happy New Year!!