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As a matter of fact, I don’t have enough arms (or hands, or legs, or eyes etc.) to do God’s work.  There is no need to struggle when God has the power.  Wait though, you might be asking, ‘isn’t our ministry and service doing God’s work’?  Yes, but a different kind of doing.  I can be used for God’s work but, I am not God so I cannot DO His work.

What Should I Do?

When struggles happen in our lives, I believe our tendency is to try to figure out the best ways to solve them.  There is nothing necessarily wrong with that because God did give us a brain to work with – so thinking logically and strategically are blessings for our usage.  It is when we try to step in and do things independent of the Lord or without consulting Him – on our own strength – it is then that trouble starts to stalk us waiting for the right moment to do what it does best and that is to start trouble.

God Is Bigger

I think we risk missing out on blessings bigger than our expectations if we limit God’s movement in our lives.  Because of our humanity, we don’t have a perspective that can see over the horizon.  But, God can.  We can’t see what the ultimate outcome will be – but God can.  The concept of ‘Living The Redeemed Life’ is based on having a faith so trusting and a life so aligned with the Spirit that God is glorified as a result of ANYTHING that comes our way – whether it is good or bad.  It is letting God do the miraculous when there is no visible path in sight.

Zechariah 4:6-7 (NIV, emphasis added by me) says-

⁶ So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

⁷ “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’”

So today, stop resisting and fighting alone.  Just look at your mountain, tell it to move, and then open your life to God’s blessings (and power) with your praise!  God Bless It! God Bless It!

Sometimes we need a crew.  When I think of the process it takes to get my house cleaned up, it reminds of how God works in our lives to get us aligned with His will.  Sometimes it only takes a little spritz of cleaner here (e.g. more prayer) and a vacuum there (devotions) but when the hard stuff has settled in – like the walls need painting and the shingles are falling off – it’s going to take a crew to get things in shape.  Be open to others that God uses to help you reach your purpose.  Remember though – you must be in a relationship with Him to discern who they are or what you need to do.

#LivingTheRedeemedLife

Philippians 4:6 says-

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

This verse is a reminder for believers to shelve our anxieties in life and to be in the posture of prayer always. Because of our focus on our own needs, we sometimes gloss over the last part about presenting our requests to God ‘with thanksgiving’. I’m sure God listens intently to our needs when we pray – maybe to the extent that sometimes He would like to tell us to stop talking for a minute so He can answer – but let’s not lose sight of the context our requests should be made in. Adding ‘thanksgiving’ to our perspective when we run down our list of wants/needs reframes the request. For example, when asking God to help you financially – if you add ‘thanksgiving’ to the context you are almost forced to think about the things He is already doing in your life. As you ask God to fix a person you are in a relationship with – adding ‘thanksgiving’ forces you to look at the areas of your life that he has changed or is transforming so you can better minister to them. Being thankful forces us to be content while God is working things out in our lives.

Next time you pray – tell God what you want but tell Him with Thanksgiving! 🌻

#ThankYouGod

The following passage paints a simple picture of our lives when we choose to trust in the Lord.

From Jeremiah 17:5-8 –

The Before:

This is what the LORD says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength
and turn their hearts away from the LORD.
6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land.

The After:

7 “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD
and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.

What a great picture of our lives walking in step with God.  And what a Promise!

As Valentine’s Day approaches, I am reminded of how much stress a day, that was created to honor love, can also make people crazy as they feel pressured to celebrate it appropriately.  It doesn’t matter if you are married, dating or single – it all sometimes makes us wish the day passed by quickly.  I have known my husband for over 25 years and I, frankly, ran out of good ideas beyond dinner a while ago.   And when did dinner reservations get so hard to make? While it is great to lift up our relationships on Valentine’s Day I believe, to keep them enduring, it should be something we do every day!

I am so glad that we have a Lord that loves us in a way that we don’t have to feel pressured to perform or create the perfect date or event.  The Bible tells us in John 15:13:

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” 

Or, as Romans 5:8 says:

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We were imperfect and still finding ourselves and Jesus died for us to give us life.  No reservations needed.  Just a simple “Yes, Lord” and a new life begins.  No stress or pressure at all.