Great Expectations

This morning I was reminded that there are great expectations from those who called to carry out the great commission, as I sat enjoying a warm cup of tea as I prepared myself mentally for the day ahead. While I sipped, I pondered on my rebelliousness toward God’s direction for a spirit led life over the last week or so and couldn’t help but frown at the foolishness of my ways.

Let me back up a bit so I don’t leave you lost in the transition of my mind’s rambling without adequate content and context with which you can refer to. Last week I decided that people expect too much from me. I’ve never hidden my Christianity nor have I tried to hide my passion for God and the things of God. In fact I’ve done quite the opposite; I’ve taken every chance I got to let people around me know that I serve Jesus and how much I’m in love with Him. I invite others to share in this wonderful experience of salvation and encourage them to look to Jesus as the author and finisher of their faith. This wasn’t a problem until I came to the realization that I’ve put myself in the spotlight and there’s a target aimed directly at my head. You see, in a world where religion and God has somehow become the oppressive enemy of the human race when you decide to openly express your belief in God and practice the teachings of His doctrine people tend to look at you.

If everyone who looked on had good intentions or did so with the understanding that you’d slip up sometimes that would be great or at least considered fair. If somehow people could see that amid all the passion and excitement, you; just like anyone else, was figuring this whole “God thing” out and don’t quite have all the answers or solutions to every situation you encounter, then maybe your walk with Christ might feel a lot less burdensome at times. This however isn’t always the case. It seems that the greater your passion and excitement for God, the more likely you are to draw attention to yourself. What that attention does is cause people to assume you’re always going to have a firm grip on things or cause to wait with bated breath for the moment you slip up.

For me I can’t say that I know of anyone who is waiting for me to slip up but people around me tend to think that I’m supposed to somehow have the right answers and make the right decisions all the time. I’m constantly reminded that I’m a role model and others are looking at me. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not upset or bothered that I’m considered a role model; on the contrary, I think it’s a fantastic thing that my passion fuels others to draw closer to God, but last week the expectations of others felt like such a burden that I decided to change the rules a bit. I deliberately made bad decisions. I found myself in situations where I sat down and thought through the possible choices I could make and how they would affect my relationship with God and I chose to do the wrong thing. It wasn’t an accident or a spur of the moment thing.

I CONSCIOUSLY MADE BAD CHOICES!

In hindsight, I feel so ashamed and broken that I spent time with the Savior, got to know Him intimately and then dipped my hand in the bread basket at the same time he did, only to betray him later on with a metaphorical kiss of death. Like Judas I chose to go against the God that loved me and have been so gracious and loving to me. I willingly persecuted Him to avoid living up to the reality that as a child of God who is called to the great commission I was expected to live a righteous and holy life unto my King.

So that’s where I was a couple weeks ago. I was dipping my toes at the edge of sin’s ocean, all the while wondering how deep I could go before I would begin to drown. Thankfully I serve a God who’s ways are not like mine and who loves me much more than I could ever love Him. Just as I began to think about moving past my toes and actually getting my feet wet, his guiding arms skillfully wrapped themselves around my torso and carried me to safety. My rebelliousness lasted all of two days before I started getting “the messages”. We’ve all experienced “the messages”. It’s when God gets your attention by sending you the same message everywhere you turn; facebook, twitter, the radio, conversations at work, etc. You know what I mean right?

So, God got my attention and he began to show me my heart. I cried bitterly when the reality of my thoughts and actions were revealed to me. When I realized how subtly I began my descent from Christianity into things worldly. Who would have thought that me; a passionate woman of God with a call upon her life who have experienced the awesomeness of God’s power time and time again, could be so easily fooled by the enemy? And just like that, I snapped back to reality, climbed off of the pedestal I’d mounted and decided to start over, recommitting my life and surrendering all over  again to  the one who shed His blood for my salvation.

So that’s where I was this morning; taking part in an ongoing pity party, when God reminded me:

” to whom much is given, much is expected”

You see, when we come to Christ we get to take advantage of all the wonderful things He has for us. We are recipients of Grace, Love, Peace, Joy, Strength, Comfort, Various Gifts and so much more. If we are to be partakers of all this then we must embrace God’s command that we live holy and acceptable lives unto Him. It’s not right to abuse grace or consciously go against God’s word because we have mercy and forgiveness available to us. In as much as we expect God to honor His word and promises to us, so to we must live out His commandments and be the difference in the world today, so that His name would be glorified.

I know that no one is perfect. That we all make mistakes and slip up sometimes but in as much as we can, I believe we should always choose to please God. We should let nothing get in the way of our relationship with Him and more than ever we should let our light shine before men so that His name would be glorified in heaven. We are the salt of the earth and to lose our flavor means to lose our effectiveness. I can’t say it would be easy (actually I can guarantee you that it will get hard sometimes) but I can assure you it will be worth it. Keep the faith, fight the good fight and at the end of the race I pray that we all hear

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant”

Daily Dose – Compassion

Jude 1:22 Be merciful to those who doubt

If you’ve ever doubted (as we all have), you can understand why this verse is in the Bible. If well-meaning folks attacked you for your uncertainty, it probably didn’t help – they just made you more nervous.

When questions enter our minds, we need someone encouraging to come alongside us and provide answers, not a critic ho ants to condemn our feelings. Knowing that, we also need compassion for other doubters.

May we be the merciful ones who aid those doubting hearts.

*Everyday Encouragement – Pamela L. Mcquade

God: He Hears and Answers Prayers

Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

If I ever had a doubt that Jesus Christ is alive and working, that doubt has been completely removed because God has been hearing and answering my cries. I am currently participating in a month long prayer and fast with the church where I fellowship. We began fasting at the beginning of January and our fast will continue till the end of the month. On the first day that I began my fast I remember texting the leader of my prayer group and declaring that God will show up and show off during this time of prayer. I don’t think at that time I could have fathomed the extent to which that declaration would be made true.

I decided to take the church’s advice and purpose my fast, so I made a list of all the things I wanted to see God do for me this year and I would pray for the things on that list during this month and wait on God to answer. Honestly, I thought that the answers to my prayers would come at different points during the year and I made up my mind that I could be praying for some of the things on my list for a long time but, I never doubted that God would hear or answer me. God has definitely shown up and he is really showing off for me and I am thankful that he recognizes my voice and is faithful to me.

Over the next couple of days I will be sharing with you some of my journal entries, just as I wrote them on the days God granted my desires regarding my list. So you may have an idea, my list started with approximately 15 things and I have since added six more requests to it. Currently 8 of the items have been given to me and we’re only in week three of our fast.

JOURNAL ENTRY 1 

January 3, 2012

Yesterday I prayed and asked God to give me the strength and peace to forgive my father and apologize to him for all the wrong I have done against him in the past, but more so for disrespecting him over the Christmas holiday.

Today, while on lunch I got the courage and was able to set pride aside and make the call I’ve dreaded for over 15 years. I picked up the phone dialed dad’s number and as soon as he picked up on the other end words started flowing out of my mouth. I apologized and told dad that I forgave him. I did this without subjecting to my natural instinct to remind him of how he hurt our family in the past and let him know just how much hate I had towards him. The surprising thing is, at the end of the conversation I felt like he needed to hear me say those words more than I needed to say them.

As soon as I finished talking to dad there was a segment on the radio for persons to call in and share a testimony. Now I have tried calling in to that program many times before and I could never get through. Sitting in my car I said to God ” Lord if this was you, let me get through to this program to give my testimony. ”

I WAS THE FIRST CALLER TO GET THROUGH!!!!

I believe God is doing a great thing in my life and I am determined, through his Holy Spirit to continue answering the call.

Thank You God!!

I know that God is alive and working, and he is doing great works in the earth. If you wish to share your testimony with us we’ll be happy to hear it/them and share them with our readers. You can reach us at testifywithme@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you.

God Bless You!

Proving God by Acting in Faith

Matthew 17:²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.Nothing will be impossible for you.”

I had the pleasure of sitting down with a woman of remarkable faith on Saturday night and she shared with me many testimonies of her faith in God and his answers to her prayers. Below is one such testimony that truly demonstrates the faithfulness of Christ if we should only have faith in him and his word.

ANN MARIE’S TESTIMONY

Ann Marie woke up one Sunday morning with no money and no food and her young daughter to provide for. She said to her daughter “Get dressed for church. Today I’m going to teach you how to have faith in God.” Her daughter Shanice was in her teens at the time and was convinced that her mother was crazy, but she did as she was told and got ready for church.

Dressed and with their bibles in hand the two made their way to the main road to get transportation to church. Ann Marie stopped a maxi filled with people and said to the the driver, “Drive my daughter and I need to get to church in Barataria (twenty minutes drive from their home) but we have no money.” In that instant God showed up and the driver told them to come and don’t worry about the money.

God’s work for Ann Marie wasn’t done there. She danced and praised and worshiped God during the service and on leaving the church she sat on the steps and said ” Lord if you are my God and you will provide just as you said you would send me a job so I can provide for my daughter and I.” When she got up and started walking down the steps of the church she heard a clapping behind her and someone calling out. She turned around and a member of the church who she did not know beckoned her. “Do you have a job?” he said, without responding to the man she said “Thank You Jesus”. Ann Marie was offered a job to clean two gyms the man owned.

Even now God was not done showing off for her. She still did not have money to get home or food for her and her daughter to eat. The two proceeded to leave the church laughing and giggling, not understanding what was the reason for the immense joy they felt in the midst of their desperation. Yet again she heard clapping and someone calling behind her, when she turned around a woman from the worship team was making her way towards her. The woman; who Ann Marie did not know, handed her forty dollars and said “God has directed my heart to give this to you.”

God had given Ann Marie a way to and from church and a job, but her faith in him allowed for him to prove himself even further in her life. By now Shanice was hungry and asked her mom if she could go to her grandmother’s house for lunch. Ann Marie told her “No! Today I will teach you to have faith like your mother. Don’t worry God will provide.” On their way home the two met a neighbor who inquired what they were going to cook for lunch. Speaking in faith Ann Marie called out a menu and agreed to send some food for the neighbor later that evening. Shanice, although seeing God work for them so far was convinced that her mother was mad.

When they got home Ann Marie said to Shanice, “Light the stove and put three pots with water on it.” She then proceeded to wash clothes in her hand by the sink without soap. While washing Shanice indicated to her that the water was boiling down. “Fill it back up, God is going to send something to put in those pots.” Shanice did as she was told and went outside to play. After twenty minutes or so Ann Marie heard her daughter skipping towards her shouting “Mummy, Mummy yuh not mad. God sent somebody, uncle just came and handed me this envelope and told me to give it to you because he couldn’t stay.” In that envelope was eight hundred dollars. Ann Marie now had the money she needed to buy the items needed for the menu she declared for lunch that Sunday.

I know by now you think that God was done proving himself to these two. However he had one more favor in store for them. When the two arrived at the grocery, the store owner had closed leaving a group of people standing outside the door. Ann Marie and her daughter were a part of that crowd and God gave them complete favor in this situation. In that moment; which would have seemed to be defeat for most, the grocery owner cracked the door and pointed to her “What did you want to get?”  Ann Marie replied “Just a couple items to cook.” “Come.” was the reply of the owner and he let them both into the store. People could not understand how this woman and her daughter got favor over them and started cursing and shouting insults at them. All the while Ann Marie was praising God because she knew that it was his favor in her life that opened that door for her.

Ann Marie taught her daughter a great lesson that day. She showed her daughter that if we put all our trust in our father and have faith in him he will see us through.

Like Ann Marie, if God has done anything in your life, please share your testimony with us at testifywithme@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you.

God Bless You!

Sister Saved

Acts 8:³⁶ As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” ^[37] Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” ³⁸ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

Yesterday was one of the happiest days of my life. MY BIG SISTER GOT BAPTIZED!!!

I’ve always enjoyed baptisms, even before I understood its true meaning. I love the way the everyone looks and the atmosphere that accompanies it. ohhhhhhhhhhh and when the individual is submerged in water and comes up it feels so serene!

Yesterday that feeling was amplified by ten million for me. I was so happy I felt I would burst at the seams. I laughed and cried, I sang and danced and just kept praising God all the way through. I have been continually praying for all members of my family to be saved, sanctified, washed in the blood, holy ghost filled and on fire for Jesus Christ. Yesterday I saw the first answer to that prayer and I am overwhelmed with emotions because I have proof yet again that my savior and redeemer is alive and working in my life.

I wish to encourage all of you who are praying for a long time regarding situations in your life and the lives of your family and friends. DON’T STOP PRAYING AND BELIEVING. Our God is real and he’s just waiting on the right time to deliver your blessing. I haven’t had a complete answer to my prayer, but I am believing in faith that the rest of my family will experience the fullness of Christ and will be saved. And while I wait I’m going to continue praying about it and thanking God in advance for their salvation.
Remember if you have a testimony to share feel free to email it to testifywithme@gmail.com and I will be sure to let the world know that God is indeed alive and working for us. I look forward to hearing from you.
God Bless You!

Dear Diary……

Dear Diary,

Today I had the most wonderful day. I met an old friend and we spent hours catching up. We made plans to meet up again and stay in touch. I’m soooooooooooooooo excited.

Does the above entry look or sound familiar to you? Most of us at some point in in our lives either owned a diary or knew someone who kept one.

A diary is a book where one keeps a written collection of daily events and activities. It serves as a way to express one’s thoughts and emotions while also acting as a record of important events that can be referenced at any time.

Some time ago god placed in my heart a desire to record my prayers. I had the idea that I could write or type the things I spoke to him about and his responses. I fulfilled the desire for some time but I did not have the obedience to continue in my practice. This week the desire was placed in my heart yet again and confirmation came through a friend’s status on facebook.

On Sunday, Author Jennifer Hudson Taylor wrote “I’ve been reading my prayer journal & dreams for the last 4 years and it’s interesting to see how things have progressed. All I can say is…God is AWESOME!!!” 

Upon reading Jennifer’s status I sent her a message to get more information on her prayer journal, I felt that I needed confirmation that this was the same thing I was doing some time a back and that god was speaking to me. This is what she shared with me,

Several years ago i felt the Lord leading me to write down and record my dreams. A couple of years later I felt the Lord leading me to begin writing down my prayers. I also heard Joyce Meyer speak on a prayer journal and how she could go back 30 years and see how God answered her prayers. I felt like this was confirmation to me.

Now I have about 8-10 years worth of dreams and written prayers that I can refer back to and I’m so glad I listened. Sometimes, God doesn’t answer our prayers right away. During these times of waiting, it gets hard and we wonder how long we’ll have to wait or if the answer is “no”. Now, I can read back through my prayer journal and see a pattern in how He has answered my prayers years later, and it gives me strength to KNOW that He will and does answer as I face new challenges in my life right now.

Also, I can see the fulfillment of dreams He has given me. I may not see the dream come to pass for a few months to a couple of years. By then I’ve forgotten the dream, but if I write it down, it is always there for me to refer back to and then it all becomes so clear. It’s a wonderful testimony of God’s hand in my life.

I would highly recommend doing this if you are feeling led.

WOW!!!! I don’t think there’s a need for me to say much else. I think this is a remarkable idea for us as believers to do as a means of encouraging ourselves to continue praising god in spite of. Can you imagine looking back at your prayer requests and dreams over an extended period of time and seeing the confirmations that your prayers have been answered and your dreams came through?

I don’t know how many of you, like myself, have been led to record your prayers or dreams or both. What I do know is that we have a living testimony of the usefulness of  this exercise and the benefits of it to us as believers.

If you feel compelled by the spirit to start recording your prayers then I pray god grants you the strength and diligence to do so continually. I’m ecstatic just thinking about the entries I’ll be looking back on in the years to come.

Happy Writing and God Bless You!!!