Side Roads and Detours

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren<sup>.

 Romans 8:28</sup>


God has a plan for every single one of us.  Some would even call it the "perfect will of God."  My question has always been,  is it possible to miss out on God's will your life?  Are there ever times when we live a life (whether for a short season or for a long season) different than what God has planned for us?  I have come to the conclusion that yes, we can miss out on his will for our lives.  Why?  Because the will of God requires our obedience. It requires us to be sensitive to his still small voice directing our path. 

Queen Esther is an example of a woman that followed God's plan for her life.   Esther was called to save her people from destruction by interceding for them before the king, but she became fearful and almost refused to do so.  Her uncle Mordecai told her that if she didn't do what God wanted her to do, God would raise someone up in her place.  She had a choice and she finally obeyed. God's will was done and her people were saved. 

Now, what happens when we choose to not obey God's plan for us?  What happens when we miss out on something He has for us and even disobey Him?  Is everything over?   David is a great example of this.  David was called by God to do a great work for His people.  David sinned with Bathsheba and committed murder, however, David asked forgiveness and God continued to use Him and bless him.  Although David did face consequences for his actions, that did not change the fact that God had a plan for David.  That plan was finally accomplished through Jesus Christ who was from David's lineage.

We see from both examples that God's plan was carried out.  It was carried out in obedience and carried out despite disobedience. Romans 8:28 says that "all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose."  This means that God can take any situation, and I mean any, and make it work for good in our lives.  Romans 8:29  goes on to say that he has predestined us to be "conformed to the image of His son."  That is the final outcome that God has determined for our lives. He gets us to this place despite our failures and mistakes and despite detours and side roads that we take.   He even uses our mistakes to mold us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Here's what I'm trying to say.  You may have made bad choices in your life, but God can still use you and transform you into His image.  You may have made a bad choice in marriage, but God can still take your marriage and transform it, and in turn, transform you in the process.  You may have even experienced a divorce, but that doesn't mean that God's through with you, despite what others may tell you.   You may have fallen into a life of drugs and alcohol, but once you've surrendered your life back to God, He starts working on you again to make you like Jesus Christ.  Maybe God was calling you to a particular ministry, but you were too scared to pursue it and now find yourself further from your dream than before.  God can still bring you back to Him.  Maybe you settled for plan B when you knew that God had plan A for you.  God can still use this.  He will take your detours and side roads and lead you to His intended destination for you.

Many life roads will get us to our intended destination, but some side roads are bumpier and windier than others.  Don't let mistakes keep you down. Don't let failure keep you down.  No matter what, keep on traveling and God will ensure that you get where you need to be.

April

From Hard Times to Harder Times

God told Moses that He heard the cry of the Israelites who were in bondage in Egypt and that He was sending him to go and free the people. When Moses spoke to Pharaoh to let the people go, Pharaoh not only refused, but He punished the Israelites by giving them more work and punishing them when they couldn't produce enough bricks.  The Israelites became even more discouraged and angry at Moses because they blamed him for the additional cruelty they had to endure, not knowing that God was planning their powerful and glorious exit from Egypt while they were busy murmuring.   What I find interesting is that from the time that God spoke to Moses about the great exodus and the actual exodus itself, it seems that things got harder rather than easier for the Israelites which seems strange since we already know God was about to deliver them.   Their workload and punishment increased to the point that that Bible says that the Israelites refused to listen to Moses because they were in "anguish of spirit"  (Exodus chap. 6 v. 9).  Even Moses began to get confused.  Why would God tell him one thing then not act on the promise?   God then tells Moses, "Now, you will see what I will do to Pharaoh for with a strong hand shall he let them go and with strong hand shall he drive them out of his land" (Exodus chap. 6, v 1).  Basically, God was saying that the reason the situation became harder because their deliverance would be that much greater.  Here are my main points in a nutshell:

1. Sometimes God allows the situation to get worse before it gets better so that you can trust Him more and His deliverance can be that much more grand and powerful.  The more powerful, the more glory God gets.
2.  Stop complaining.  Your weakness is God's strength. Before you can come forth as gold, you must go through the fire.  Purification and purging come before blessing.

God bless,

April 

From Flawed to Perfected

"So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do."   Jeremiah 18:4

At one time or another, we have all felt flawed and sometimes insecure due to our imperfections.  Instead of beating ourselves up about our many weaknesses and flaws, we need to realize that we are in a perfect position for God to work through us.  His word says that his strength is made perfect in weakness (II Corinthians 12:9).  It is when you acknowledge that you do not measure up,that God is most able to work on us and through us.  

I heard the story of a young artist that was given a piece of marble from which to make a statue. Prior to the commission, the marble had been in the hands of two other artists, but due to a large crack in the center of the block, both of these artists abandoned the stone, deeming it unfit. Somehow this block of flawed marble ended up in the hands the third owner, the young artist, who was able to see past the cracks and envision a masterpiece. He sculpted it in a way that incorporated the flaws in order to produce one of the most famous and beautiful pieces of sculpted art ever.  The artist was Michelangelo and his rare and beautiful masterpiece was called David.  Thousands upon thousands of people flock to Florence, Italy every day to view this beautiful piece of art.  The artist, to this day, does not cease to receive glory for his remarkable work.

You may have had a rough childhood, you may have made mistakes, you may feel like you don't measure up, and you may struggle with feelings of insecurity that leave you feeling discouraged, however,  I challenge you to lift you head up and focus on the master artist- Jesus Christ- who sees beyond your faults and failures.  To him, you are not a mistake, you are valuable.  He loves you with all your imperfections.  As a matter of fact, it is those same imperfections that He will use to mold you.  It is these imperfections, when worked on by God, that will initiate your anointing.  When God is done molding you, you will be a fine and rare masterpiece.   The best part is that God will receive glory for your transformation.  Won't you let the author and finisher of your faith transform you. 

"But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing." James 1:4

April

Undercover Blessings

So many times as Christians, we have preconceived notions about what a blessing should look like that when it comes wrapped in a different package, we dismiss it.  We fail to understand that God’s blessings are so many times subtle and quiet as they make their entrance into our lives.   Further, sometimes blessings come in the form of disappointment and pain. However, what we think is meant to hurt us is oftentimes God working in our lives and blessing us.  Closed doors that seem to cause so much frustration are often what lead us to the open door and opportunity that God has for us.  We often miss out on seeing God’s power because we are not sensitive enough to discern when and how God is working.  John 1: 9 says that He [God] was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” Imagine that! The Creator of the Universe walked among us human beings and we failed to notice him.   God’s own people, the Jews, expected a different type of Messiah.  They believed that their Messiah would be a man of royalty, riches, and power.  They believed that when He came, He would solve all their problems and restore the kingdom of Israel immediately. They didn’t expect a humble carpenter from Nazareth who spoke of another coming kingdom.  I guess you can say that the “package” was wrapped differently than what they expected; therefore, they ended up missing out on knowing the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.   It’s so easy to judge them, but are we not guilty of the same thing at times?   God is working on your behalf at this very moment, right in front of your eyes, but are you failing to see his blessings because of your idea of how God should work?  If so, I encourage you to ask God to open your spiritual eyes. Ask Him  to help you see.   When your spiritual eyes are opened, you will realize that all of heaven’ blessings are poured out on you and that God has been working on your behalf all along.   You will realize that His ways are better than your ways and His thoughts better than your thoughts.  My prayer is that your eyes are already being opened so that you can see what God is doing in your life right now.  I leave you with one of my favorite songs/videos by Laura Story which says it all:

Blessings,

April

The Fruit of Your Hands

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."  Proverbs 31:10,13

 
A good friend of mine recently gifted me a beautiful, hand-made knitted black and white scarf that I already treasure.  As I studied the fine work, I realized what a gift it is to be able to make something with your very own hands (as opposed to buying it already made).   As I tried to think of what I could say to her to thank her, I remembered the Proverbs 31 Woman, also known as the virtuous woman. She too was known for making beautiful things with her hands.  As a matter of fact, there are 12 references made about her hands in Proverbs 31 alone, such as the fact that she works willingly with her hands, feeds her family, feeds the poor, makes clothing, weaves, plants a garden/vineyard, and so on.  The end of the Proverbs 31 says, "Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates" (verse 31).   This means that everything she does with her hands produces fruit, or character in her life. I don't know about you, but I want God to build character in me. 

 My encouragement to you today is to get out there and use your God-given hands to make your own life beautiful and to make the lives of others beautiful. For some, that might mean hugging your loved ones a little more today or putting your hand on someone's shoulder, on the shoulder of one that needs a little more encouragement.  For others, it might mean starting to write that book you've been dreaming about or cooking a feast and inviting a needy family over to enjoy it. It might mean that you write a card of encouragement to someone or send an email to someone who is facing hard times. I've heard of women who visit hospitals simply to hold babies that are in the trauma unit due to abuse.  To that baby, your simple touch can mean the world.  Maybe you'll work in your garden today and invite someone over for an afternoon tea in your garden as your share the Love of Christ with them.  You might knit a beautiful scarf for a friend just because and it might mean the world to her (Thank you M.C).  Lastly, the most important thing you can do with your hands is praise your Creator above.  No matter what you might be doing, there are always a couple of seconds or minutes to lift up your hands and praise your maker for who He is. Praise is the best producer of Godly character and the fruit of your hands.  There you have it, there is power in your hands so get out there and bless others.  God bless.

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.  Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."  Proverbs 31:10-31

Sing!

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. 

                          Psalm 96:1

Sing!

I’m the kind of person that loves to sing.  Unfortunately, I have not been blessed with a beautiful voice like Francesca Battistelli or Carrie Underwood, but I still love to sing.  I often find myself humming and making up words to songs that might someday be popular.  I consider myself blessed to be able to carry a simple tune.  The bible says to sing a new song unto the Lord.  A new song can signify a new season of life in which the believer is rejoicing in the goodness of God, rejoicing about a passing storm or an answered prayer or promise.

A Song of Anticipation

 In Isaiah 54:1, God instructs, “Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child, burst into song you were never in labor.”  In this sense, God was asking for a song of praise and worship for what God was about to do.  God was about to grant this woman (signifying Israel) the children she never had.  He even tells Israel, “Enlarge the place of your tent…lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes…for you will break forth on the right hand and on the left…your seed will inherit the gentiles” (Isaiah 54:2-3).    God was about to take away the shame and replace it with joy.  Sometimes we too have to praise God in advance for what we know He is about to do in our lives. What is God about to do in your life?

A Song of Praise for an Answered Prayer

In Luke 1, Mary, the future mother of Jesus sang a new song.  After visiting her cousin Elizabeth and finding out that Elizabeth would too bare a child in her older years, Mary pondered over the excitement that these two babies one day change the world. In response to God’s answered promise to not only her life, but the children of Israel, Mary sang,

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior for He has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.  From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me---holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.  He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.  He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.  He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.  He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers. Luke 1:46

Mary understood that what was taking place in her life was going to change the course of history and that Israel would finally receive its Messiah in the form of her son.  Her heart could not hold in the excitement and anticipation and her heart and soul broke forth into singing.  Her song rose within her spirit. This song rose from the spirit of a woman who was blessed because she believed in what the Lord said He would do in her life (Luke 1:45). Her song came from a woman who trusted in her God. It came from  a woman that had just received an answered prayer.  What prayer has God just answered in your life?

When We Stop Singing

Some of us have stopped singing because of pain and anguish.  In Psalm 137, the people of Israel had been taken captive to Babylon. The people of God were known by the Babylonians for the songs of Zion, however, they found it very hard to sing in such a land and during such a sad time in their lives.  Psalm 137 says, 

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?”  Psalm 137:1-4

 Enduring hardship, unanswered prayers, hurt, and other trials, we find it hard to sing the song of praise to God in our own lives.   How can we possibly sing a song of praise when we are in enduring a test of our faith?  My challenge to you is to find the strength to sing a song of praise anyways.  Despite everything, sing because God is with you and He will never leave you.  Your hardship will soon come to an end and that song might just be the thing to give you grace to make it to the end.  Praise will keep you going.  Praise will keep you strong. Praise will move mountains on your behalf.  Don’t lose your praise! Don’t lose your song!  

 A Song of Deliverance

In Psalm 126, the song of the Israelites changed from that of sorrow to that of joy.   God answered and their song became one of rejoicing,

When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.  Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.  The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad…  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy… He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

God always answers!  God always brings us to a place of joy no matter what trials He allows us to experience.  What song are you singing today?   If you are experiencing blessing, sing!  If you are experiencing an answered prayer, sing!  If you believe God is for you and has everything under control, sing!   If you are experiencing heartache, still sing.  Let God complete the work in you as you sing your way to victory!

Why?

Whenever we face an unpleasant circumstance in our lives, the most common thing we ask God is Why? Why me? I chuckle at this because it is those hard times that bring out the kid in all of us.  It's the kid who questions his/her parents when the parent makes a decision that the child does not like.  I remember often asking my mom "Why do I have to do this?" or "Why are you punishing me?"  and
"Why me?  Why, why, why?"  Now that I am older, I realize that she was the adult and had every right to do what she needed to do to get through to me.  It is only now that I can look back and see that everything she did was because she loved me.
Sometimes we are the same way with God.  We don't understand his ways, his thoughts, or His plans. We don't understand why he allows us to experience pain and hurt.  We don't understand why he allows us to experience trials.  The first question we ask him is "Why, God? Why me?"  This is a very normal reaction to discomfort.  After all, on the cross, Jesus asked, "My God, my God, WHY has thou forsaken me?"  The king of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and our savior wanted to know why.  Why did he have to suffer?   Why did God not come to His rescue?  The truth is that He already knew why He was experiencing pain. He knew their was a greater purpose for Him.  However, despite having that knowledge, he was still weak because he was robed in human flesh. The human flesh can only take so much.   I find it powerful that God could have sent angels to rescue Jesus Christ at hardest moment in his trial, but He didn't. He could have taken Him off that cross with one command to his angels, but He didn't.   The truth is, if He didn't rescue His only begotten Son from pain, He won't take you out of your trial either.  He loves you too much to not see His purpose for you accomplished.  However, God will provide grace for you to make it through.  He gave Christ grace and He will do the same for you.  Jesus made it through and God was glorified.  Wait just a little while longer.  God's about to be glorified in you too.