Scraped Knees

I had a dream . . . and in this dream I was my younger self. I had fallen and scraped my knee. I saw myself brush off my scraped knee a little, I began to cry, and then I immediately ran into the house calling out for my father, so that he could treat my wound and make things better again.

As I woke up from this dream, I felt the Spirit of God leading me to write about this dream for the Blog. I felt lead to write about it from the perspective, of how in our lives we often fall down, scrap our knee, and even cry a little, but even through all of that we have a loving Father who desires for us to run to Him, in order to have our wounds attended to, cleaned, bandaged, and healed, so that our very lives can be made better.

The Word of God tells us that everyone has sinned and that we all fall short of God's glorious standard (Romans 3:23/NLT); however, I don't say that to be a discouragement to you, because the Word also let's us know that the godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again (Proverbs 24:16/NLT). God has given us a promise that although our walks with Him may not be perfect, we will get up again.

As a child of the Most High God, you have an eternal promise that you are, and will forever be, forgiven for any area in your life that you have fallen short in (i.e sinned); as long as you are willing and obedient to bring that area before God to confess your sin and repent. For every area that we've ever fallen short in, or will fall short in during our lifetime, God wants us to immediately come crying out for Him. He wants the opportunity to clean the wounds that our sins left behind; to bandage us up with love; and to make room for the Holy Spirit to begin the inner work of healing, growth, and maturity within us. God's desire for each and every one of us is that the confession, repentance, and healing of our sins would ultimately make us stronger. God's type of wound care enables us to be able to overcome that obstacle the next time around, and to help others to not fall in that same pothole that tripped us up.

So why don't we immediately cry out for our Father when we've fallen and scraped our souls? Is it because of the guilt and the condemnation that the enemy quickly brings to the forefront of our emotions? Is it because of the pressure that we put on ourselves to be "perfect" in our Christian walks? Is it because we don't want to have to be honest with ourselves that we've fallen into the enemy's trap, yet again?

At the core of it, repentance is a heart issue. By that I mean it has to deal with our own personal relationship with God. In the natural, when we love someone and we hurt them, we are often quick to ask for their forgiveness and make promises that we will change our actions, and make every effort to not hurt that person again. Why should our relationship with our Heavenly Father be any different? If for no other reason than because of His great love for us, we should be able to run into His arms, cry on His shoulders, confess what we've done that wasn't pleasing to Him or that didn't honor our relationship with Him, and truly have a repentant heart in our promises to change our choices and actions. True repentance is the commitment to make a complete turn away from those things that are not pleasing to God and that don't honor Him. 

In Matthew 18, we see an account of Paul asking Jesus how many times should he forgive someone who has sinned against him. Jesus responds . . . seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22). That's 490 times! Sorry, the accountant in me had to do the math. That's a whole lot of forgiveness, and honestly it is hard for us to wrap our minds around that level of forgiveness when it comes to a natural relationship. But think about it this way, If Jesus' instructions were to forgive someone who has sinned against you 490 times, how many more times will our Heavenly Father forgive us?! We serve a God who is unfailing in His love and faithfulness towards us. How many more times will He welcome us with loving open arms, scraped knees and all?

I am grateful to have a relationship with a God who not only promises that we can get back up, that we will be forgiven for our sins, that He will accept us without question, but also a God who promises, over and over, to not remember the sins that we've committed, because He loves us just that much (Micah 7:18-19, Hebrews 10:17, Hebrews 8:12, Isaiah 43:25).

If there is something that has been weighing heavy on your heart and your spirit, I hope that this post will encourage you to go before the Lord . . . confess whatever it is, accept His love for you, receive His forgiveness, allow His healing to take place, and grow and mature into the overcomer that He created you to be. Someone else is depending on you to win your battle so that you can come and fight  alongside them and encourage them to not give up. Once you've won your battle, you can let others know . . . "if God did it for me, then He will surly do it for you".

"If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." 

1 John 1:8-9/NLT

Chosen

". . . I chose you, forever I'll choose you still . . . 

cause I love you, I promise I always will"

There is just something about being chosen! When someone expresses to us or notifies us that we've been chosen for a particular assignment or opportunity there is a sense of acceptance, worth, and belonging that comes over us. If we are honest with ourselves . . . we all just want to be chosen.

As I listened to "Promise I Always Will" by Steffany Gretzinger, the lyrics at the top of this post pierced my ear and my heart.  When I began to reflect on and imagine God saying this to me directly . . . . I was completely overwhelmed and overtaken by worship! I dare you for just 5 seconds to imagine . . . the God of all creation speaking to you directly and saying . . . I CHOSE YOU, forever, I'll CHOOSE YOU still. 

Well . . . If you didn't already know, I'm here to tell you . . . that's exactly what God says about YOU! Yes, YOU!!! It doesn't matter what you've done, what you feel like you failed at, or what areas you may still be falling short in.

God loves you with an unimaginable unconditional love that's hard for us to even imagine. Don't believe me . . . well . . . Galatians 1:15 (NLT) says that "before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace." The Word also tells us that "many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14). There is something about being called and chosen! It is a wonderful place to be in God to not only be called but also to be CHOSEN by Him.

Now I know that for someone reading this the enemy will try to tell you that what I've pointed out is great, but it doesn't pertain to you, because of whatever you've done in your life that you feel wasn't pleasing to God.  But let me expose the enemy's lie right now . . . the Word of God says in Psalms 139:

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous - how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

God knew how every day of your life would play out before you were even born. He knows every intricate detail of your personality and He still has precious thoughts towards you. It doesn't matter what your past holds, God is still with you; therefore, your past can no longer hold you!

I pray that this post today gives you the bit of encouragement and the sense of belonging and acceptance that you needed to keep pressing forward in your life and in your journey with God.  Life can be overwhelming at times with all the things that are required of us, but know that God loves us enough to give us relief and overflow our lives with His goodness at any moment.   Don't give up!!

God says to you today . . . 

"I chose you, forever I'll choose you still. Cause I love you, I promise I always will."

In the Mirror

Begin to love who you are and have confidence in whose you are. ~ RDP

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

In light of Valentine's Day approaching this week, I thought it was a great opportunity to release this post that the Lord inspired me to write.  

Valentine's Day, for most people, is a day that they look to those around them to validate them and prove their love for them by the giving of gifts, the spending of quality time, and even the expressing of grand gestures to profess their affections.  And unfortunately, when we place so much of the responsibility for our happiness and validation on other people, they have the tendency to disappoint us.  Why is this you might ask . . . it's because they are human.

The objective of this post isn't to focus on the disappointment, but to challenge you to redirect the expectation that other people are responsible for making you happy.  There comes a point where you have to look at your reflection in the mirror and decide that you are going to be happy -- "point, blank, and the period".

I've come to understand that happiness is a personal choice.  It doesn't matter what challenges you face, what situations you may be in the midst of, or even what you might be lacking during this season of your life.  Your personal happiness should be rooted in and be an extension of the joy that the Lord provides.  When you chose to receive the joy of the Lord, there is a peace that comes along with this free gift.

Your true happiness comes from being able to look in the mirror and accept yourself for who you are, understand that you are on a constant road to being perfected by God, and know that above all else God loves you. Take the time to reflect and ask God to help you see the beauty, love, joy, and all-around awesomeness that He created on the inside of you.  Let that inner deposit begin to shine through to that reflection in the mirror and take back the control over your level of happiness. Begin to walk confidently in the knowledge that you are God's own. Remember that He made the grandest gesture imaginable to show forth His love for you . . . He gave you the life of His only Son.

If It Is All Stripped Away

I've recently had the thought . . . .

What if "it" was all stripped away?

What do I mean by "it" you might ask, and I would respond . . . . 

"It" = your roles, jobs, titles, accomplishments, accolades, etc. For example, what if you were no longer referred to or carried the title of Pastor, Elder, Overseer, Vice President, Teacher, Manger, Mentor, etc. Who would you be without the "title"?

As God challenged me to think about this, I began to reflect and ask myself . . . At the end of the day what do I want to be known for? What are the things that I want the people who I interact with to remember me for when I'm no longer serving in the "position" that they have seen me in.

I know that at the heart of who I am  . . . I love God,  I'm a worshiper, and I'm a lover of God's people. When it is all said and done I want people to remember me more for how I made them feel, how I encouraged them, how I dared them to be more than their present circumstances, and how I challenged them to keep seeking after God.  I want them to know me by the love of Christ that pours out of my pores for them.

We've heard it time and time again that . . . only what you do for Christ will last.  So, why don't we focus more on the assignment that God has given us to help, nurture, encourage, and love His people? I'm not saying that I always get it right, but I'm determined to be more and more like Christ as I continue this journey with Him.

The love of God is powerful. Most often it is only the love of God that is able to reach someone who is still seeking to fill the void within, which only God can fill. Be determined to exude the love of God through everything you do.  Desire to be known more for the love that you share than the title you hold.

The Spirit of Honor

When the Holy Spirit inspired the title for this blog post I thought that it would go in a different direction initially.  In the midst of thinking about what to write to address the Spirit of Honor, my family suffered the tragic loss of my Step-Father - Mr. John E. Walker.  In the days that followed this loss, the Spirit began to speak to my heart again in regards to the Spirit of Honor and what to include in this blog post.

The Word of God admonishes us to . . . "Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12 NLT)  

God reminded me of the above scripture and reminded me of the simple fact that the time that I took to shut everything down in my own life to be at my Mom's side, for as long as she needed me, didn't go unnoticed by Him.  I also watched intently as my Mom took the time to take care of every detail for the arrangements and desired to ensure that she was truly honoring her husband and his final wishes. 

This was not the first time that I had watched my Mom in this role of honoring my Step-Father, but it got me to thinking  . . . How many of us wait until the moment of laying our loved one to their final resting place to honor them? 

This post is not about grieving or death, but it is about life and living.  I want to encourage you to take the time to operate in the Spirit of Honor on a daily basis.  Don't take one day for granted.  The Spirit of Honor seeks to appreciate and invest time into those that God has set in our path. It causes us to think of the needs of others before ourselves.  When you make it a point to operate out of the Spirit of Honor, those that God has placed in your path will have no doubt about the love and care that you have for them.  Walking in the Spirit of Honor demonstrates openly to everyone around you that the Fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) are at work in your life. 

As children of the Most High God, we always seek to reflect His nature in all that we do; so we must allow God to integrate a Spirit of Honor into the core of who we are.  And I will challenge you again . . . seek to honor those outside of just your family or good friends.  Honor those who you labor with in ministry, those you work with, or even a stranger.  You don't know how your one act of kindness could change the trajectory of their lives.  Have your ears and heart open to the Holy Spirit and follow His instructions on who, what, when, and where.

Your act of honor can be as simple or as grand as your heart desires.  It could be as simple as a handwritten note or could be as grand as blessing someone with the trip of a lifetime.  Whatever you set your heart to do . . . do it TODAY!  Tomorrow isn't promised to any of us.  Don't miss the opportunity afforded you today to honor those around you.

But . . . . They Hurt Me!

Psalm 34:18 NLT

If  you live long enough, you are assured to experience some sort of hurt in your lifetime. When we start to discuss hurt, most of us tend to turn our thoughts towards the hurt that we've experienced in a romantic relationship. But that's not the only hurt that we experience. . .

At the root of it all, we are human and we constantly interact with other humans who may disappoint us, reject us, offend us, not deliver on their promises, not stand up for us and defend us, not support our dreams, not comfort us in our darkest hours . . . . etc. This list could go on forever, but at the center of it all we just want to be LOVED!  And we want to be loved for who we are at our core, and not for who others think we should be or for what we have the potential to do.

So . . . . what happens when we are hurt? What happens when we are hurt by our family, friends, significant others, or even our brothers and sisters in Christ? For many of us we withdraw from those that hurt us and build walls to "protect" us from ever having to feel that level of hurt again. For others, we put on masks so that we can go out into the world and "function". We find ourselves hiding behind the masks of fake smiles and laughs while on the inside . . . . there is nothing but constant turmoil.

But what would happen if we stopped hiding?

I want to encourage you, and challenge you a little as well, to take off the masks and open up your spirit to allow God to heal your hurt and brokenness. Allow God to begin the process of tearing down those walls and putting the pieces of your heart back together again.

God has placed people in your path to assist Him in this process of healing.  These are people who God has hand picked and anointed to love you, support you, and encourage you in this journey of restoration.  God has given them the discernment to see past the mask and understand the hurt. The only thing that is required on your part is to be open to the love that they so desperately want to lavish upon you.

My prayer is that you will allow God's love in your life from this moment forward. I can testify that God will heal and restore everything that the enemy tried to steal from you, if you will just be open to receive all that He has to give. Remember God wants to rescue you . . . 

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed" 

Psalm 34:18 NLT

Waiting on God …

Just my thoughts on a Saturday morning … We sometimes get impatient in our waiting … wanting God to show us who our spouse is. And when God reveals it to us, we are overwhelmed with excitement and want to shout it from the mountaintops. 

However … I challenge you to turn your focus toward yourself and ask God to show you what is required of YOU to fulfill the role of "husband or wife" to that person God has revealed is your spouse. Ask God to whisper the secrets of that person's calling and passion to you, so that you can prepare to be the support and prayer-warrior that they need. 

If they are called to minister around the world, if they are called to run a multi-million dollar business, if they are called to long-term missionary work, if they are called to be in the public eye … are you ready?! Have you made the adjustments in your actions to put them before yourself, have you changed your ways to be considerate and loving instead of selfish, have you renewed your mind with the Word of God…in order to be ready to step into the role of "husband/wife" for The One?

The role of "husband/wife" is truly a ministry … requiring a total surrendering of yourself to God, so that He can assist you in walking victoriously in marriage.   Marriage works … if you work! Great, amazing, and mind boggling marriages don't just happen, they take the thoughtful consideration of two people who focus their attention towards showing God's love to the other person FIRST.  

I've heard it said that great marriages happen when two servants fall in love. 

So you may say … what about ME, what about MY needs?! Well … I'm sorry to inform you that in marriage "me and my" don't really exist anymore. You are joined together with your spouse to be ONE. And think about it … if your spouse's focus is to always be filling your love tank, considering you before themselves, praying for you, pushing you to the next level in your calling, and thinking of unbelievable ways to bless you … what are you worried about? In this type of marriage atmosphere, you can easily take the focus off yourself, because God, through your spouse, is making sure that the things that concern you are taken care of.

Put your focus on being the best "husband/wife" for your spouse, based on their needs and not yours. Now I will warn you … in most cases, changing your focus may take you outside your comfort zone or what you are accustomed to. But the good news is … God is working those adjustments for your good. It is an adjustment that you need, so that you can go to the next level in all God has called you to do and all that He desires to bless you with.

When you put God at the center of your thoughts and your marriage, it produces a beautiful relationship of honor, respect, and love. Strive to be the spouse that "out loves" the other and I promise you that the fruit of your labor will be sweet!