Shine the Brightest

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; “nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16 NASB

This morning, as I pulled the blinds to begin looking for the school bus, my daughter said, "Mom, I don't want to go to school. I want to stay here." While this little spill may be common for many parents, it hasn't been for us. Faith has always loved school; that is until we moved here.

Life in the ministry has its many challenges... one being relocating. Faith will be nine years old next week. She's in the third grade at her third school. Her other two schools were relatively small compared to where she is now. Though her first school was made up of mostly military families and transplants from all over, it still had a home-town feel. Her second school she transitioned well to. It was smaller than the first and was totally "home-grown". It was Mayberry with perhaps a few more deputies than Barny Fife. Faith loved school. She had her own alarm clock set and was  usually dressed and eating breakfast before we were up. She's a morning person, yes, but she just really loved school.

As I stared out the window into the darkness, looking for at least a quick glimpse of school bus lights, it hit me. It's easier to spot the bus when it's the DARKEST! Immediately I felt a devotion coming on. You see, you don't need a flashlight in broad daylight. It's pretty useless there. No, where you need the flashlight, is in those dark, cramped spaces, under the bed and in those hidden places. The flash light is needed when there's no other light to be found. Those places where we don't like to go, where it can be scary, uncomfortable and our vision is impaired. Where we can only see as far as the light is caste, BUT that's where it's needed most!

Saints, we are the light of the world, ambassadors. God has made His light to shine upon us so we can reflect Him to a lost and dying world. He sends us out of our restful comfort zones into a world to seek and save. Though we can't always see the way as clearly as we'd like, our vision being impaired at times where we can only see each step we take, we trust Him to lead us, knowing He's already prepared the way. He leads us to places we'd never have chosen, at times to people we'd never have met, to fulfill one purpose and one purpose only... to GLORIFY THE LORD!

Jesus said, "... if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself" (John 12:32). Speaking of his death on the cross, he was making clear to His disciples that in His death, He could redeem all mankind and when Jesus commanded His disciples to GO into ALL the WORLD and make disciples (Mathew 28 19:20), he promised them He'd be with them. That promise and command was for YOU & ME as well. We're called and commissioned to reflect and shine His light to a darkened world, darkened by sin's corruption. We're called and commissioned to take His light into the world, that means leave the four walls of our comfortable homes and churches and search out that one that's lost in our community, our places of employment, our schools, our city, etc. We start at home, doing all we can to reach our families, but the search doesn't end there.

Today, let me encourage you. Perhaps you're struggling to make the necessary steps for where God is leading you. You're afraid and in desperate need of assurance. If God is leading you, that's all the confidence you need. Or perhaps, you're in the darkest storm you've ever faced. All hope seems to have escaped in the cracks of your life and now you're strength is fading fast. Call out to Jesus! He sees you, hears you and though you haven't realized it yet, He's already holding you. He's been carrying you this far, you just haven't realized it yet. Let Him have all that you're holding on to, trust Him and let Him lead you in what to do next.

To my dear brothers and sisters in the faith, I have one more plea mixed with exhortation. Time is quickly passing and our Lord's return is drawing near. My heart is grieved by so much of what I see in our church world today. Back biters, back stabbers, gossips, people sowing discord, jealousy, haters and the list goes on. We're quick to point fingers, but we're all guilty if we're not careful. It's imperative that we remain clean and set apart, in the world but not of the world, meaning simply this. It's imperative that we're recognizable! Though this has been disputed to death, the Word of God is clear so KNOW HIS WORD and DECLARE IT, LIVE IT and let HIS LIGHT SHINE! The darker the hour, the brighter we'll shine!!

Value: We're Not Napkins

“But you are a chosen race, A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” 1 Peter 2:9 NASB 

Recently, I was out with a group of friends when someone announced "Hey! There’s …!" Immediately, I began feeling rather anxious and curiously checked my pulse. Just as I had suspected, my heart rate had jumped sky high. What was wrong? I was letting someone else determine my value.  

Sure, I’d like to think I dance to the beat my own drum, but truth be told, many attempts to be different may in fact be stimulated by the need to feel less threatened. In other words, if I don't fit the mold, I can’t be compared to the mold. Either way, no matter how we deal with anxiety, we must understand that anxiety is often triggered by fear and in this case, the fear of how I was viewed by others. You see, “so and so” had hurt me deeply.  

The next day, I shared the experience with my husband and he looked me, eye ball to eye ball, and said, "When are you going to stop letting people determine your value?" My heart sank as I felt my daughter's eyes burning into my soul. I was exposed! Now she could see that I'm not this strong woman I'd like her to think I am, but rather this frail, scared little girl, full of extraordinary dreams and grand aspirations, yet haunted by "what if" and failed attempts. With tears filling my eyes and one single tear escaping down my face, I looked at her and said, "Mommy is such a hypocrite, huh? I tell you not to let what people think bother you, to just let what people say roll off, that as long as you know the truth, that's all that matters. Yeah, it sounds great, huh, but your daddy is right. I've let stuff like this hinder me all my life and it’s simply got to stop!"

I glanced down at the table and caught inspiration from a simple, little napkin and shared, "You see this napkin? Several stores sell these napkins, but for different prices. Walmart has their price and Dollar General has theirs. They each decide how much these napkins are worth and then sell them for that price. We're not napkins! People can't slap a price tag across our face and label our worth and we should never let them!  God created us and though corrupted by sin, when He could have discarded us as trash, sent His only Son, Jesus, whom He dearly loved. He knew Jesus was without sin and was our only hope for redemption, so He sent Him to die in our place, raised Him back to life, giving us new life in His death and resurrection. God has declared our value and He says we're royalty! We're more valuable than we can fathom and no one can change that."  

Today, perhaps you’ve been hurt by things people have said or done. We put on a mask and claim, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” When in fact, you’re completely shattered inside and unable to brush off what’s been said. Let me encourage you with these words. 1 Peter 2:9-10 says, “… you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 

Allow Him To Lead

Sometimes we get caught in the trap of confusion, b/c we can’t see where we’re going or how we’ll get there. We get stumped by what we see and don’t see and we’re haunted by where we’ve been. Saints, this renders us useless. 

I want to challenge you today. Stop worrying about the how's, the when's and the why's and just trust Him! Allow Him to lead & guide you, trusting He knows the way!!

Great News!!

Guess what?!?!?! 

 

 

Great News!!!! 

 

 

 

 

JESUS IS COMING!!!!

Exhortation

If there's ever been a time when I know, like I know my name, Jesus could come, it's today. Saints, there's no time to play. There's a lost world all around us who need to know HE LOVES them. It's time to unite, put our armor on & move forward together in one mind (HIS MIND), one Spirit (HIS SPIRIT) & one mission (HIS MISSION)!!! Are you ready?!??!?!?!

Realizing the Dream

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NASB

When God plants dreams within our hearts, they take root and grow. Then passion and confidence collide and a beautiful explosion sets off some pretty amazing chain reactions. Believing He can make those dreams reality, we set out to explore uncharted waters, engage in scary, yet exciting excursions; the road is endless and the sky is the limit. However, a few miles into this expedition, we find ourselves staring at a detour sign, but I like what one preacher recently said, “We get frustrated by those men in orange vests and want them to get out of our way, but the fact of the matter is, they’re there to warn us the bridge is out. If you plow on through, you’re headed for danger.”

It’s true, when taking a trip, we often map out our destination by choosing the quickest routes and looking for the fast lanes of the interstate, but we’re completely oblivious to any danger awaiting us on the roads.  Eager and excited to get where we’re going, we accept the distance but quickly grow frustrated by any detours, even though we know they’re set up to protect us.

Satan, the enemy of our soul, will do whatever he possibly can to create pot holes in our lives. He’ll tear down bridges between relationships, create storms to drop debris in our path; he’ll even, try washing the road right out from under us, making us feel isolated and alone. None of these things take God by surprise. In fact, if He allows us to go through the storms, He’ll turn the opposition into opportunities to reveal His strength and glory.

It’s imperative that we remember God has a plan. He creates and gives life to the dreams He’s given us. He’s mapped out our course and will bring us to His destination. It may not be the quickest way or the route we would have chosen, but must trust Him. He’s already paved the way before us! The detours we come to our not stop signs or U-turns, but are reminders that He’s with us, protecting us and leading the way.

One of Life's Little Lessons

This morning I saw, what I thought was, a nasty dead bug lying on the floor. I grabbed a paper towel to pick him up, when immediately and to my surprise, I found he was not dead, but very much alive. I jumped, I screamed and after regaining my composure, snatched his hide up and flushed him down the toilet. I shivered from head to toe at the though that he had invaded my house. I watched with pleasure, as that little intruder floated aimlessly away. I don’t know how it got in, but I knew it couldn’t stay. This is MY house and there’s just simply no room for him and the nastiness he brings!

Feeling violated, I was reminded that no matter how clean I try to keep my home, those little pests are relentless. They’ll stop at nothing to look for ways to get in. After all, it’s what they do. They like to claim everything as their own, so they raid and steal. Sound like anyone else you know?

The Word of God describes our adversary, Satan, as a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). He’s like a roaring lion roaming to and fro, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). He’s a stalker. He studies our behavior, watches every move we make and skillfully devises a plan to steal from us, with his ultimate goal being to destroy us if allowed. No matter how clean or well-constructed we are, he manages to find “cracks” to slip through, but take note, we’re not ignorant concerning his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). We can be armed and ready for his attack, if we’ll prepare our minds for action and keep sober in spirit (1 Peter 1:13). Even then, it’s not enough to crush the enemy and send him on his way. We’ve got to deal how he got in and the aftermath he leaves behind.

As I sprayed the bleach and wiped the floor, cleaning up bug remnants, I began to feel this clean kind of freedom.  I mean, before, I questioned where the bug had been and wondered if everything around me was contaminated by its nastiness. Satan has the same effect. Satan thrives off of fear so it’s imperative that we put him in his place, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7) and, although I’ve cleaned my house extra hard, I realized there were more drastic measures to take.

It’s not enough to just spray the outside of my home (that’s a whole other devotion for a whole other day), I must spray inside my home and on a regular basis! It's important to cover all our bases. Where one bug got in, if not dealt with, it's there for another bug to enter. But if you deal with the problem head on, you'll save yourself a lot of time and headache!

You can be assured; Satan has perfected his craft,  so do not give him opportunity (Ephesians 4:27); remain sober and vigilant (1 Peter 5:8). We must equip ourselves for battle (Ephesians 6:11), knowing that he’s waiting for our most vulnerable moments, those long nights when the lights are low and we're off guard, he'll start sneaking in. 

Don’t be caught off guard! Keep your eyes open and stay prepared!

1 Thessalonians 5:23

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”