All things work together for good....

The bible says, “To every THING there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heavens.”  In other words everything that happens is seasonal and every time is purposed by God.  There isn’t anything that is happening or will happen that God doesn’t know about. 

Many times when we are going through situations or circumstances it FEELS like God doesn’t realize the effect it will have on us.  We know he KNOWS about WHAT is going on because He is an ALL SEEING GOD; but sometimes we wonder does he know the EFFECT it will have on us.  What effect divorce will have on us?  What effect will losing a loved one have on us?  What effect will the loss of a job or house have on us?  Wouldn’t it be much easier of WE controlled what or how things happened?  Sometimes I think about the WAY God does things and I honesty have to admit I think I would have did it a LOT easier and cause the outcome to be much more favorable.  Let’s be honest!  You have thought the same thing, especially when things don’t turn out the way we want.

But what we don’t understand and what we can’t see - is our future.  The bible says that God declares the beginning from the end.  In other words, He started your life at the end of your life and rolled the tape backward.  He already knows that though it SEEMS that the effects of divorce, death of a loved one or loss of a job will be horrific and tough; God knows what He is doing with lives and He will work everything for our good.  Those tests, trials and hardcore encounters will make us better saints and better people!  And even when the devil is ALLOWED to stick his ugly nose in the middle of our seasons, God has a sovereign ability to take what the devil THINKS he is orchestrating and use it to get some glory for His name.  I’m realizing more and more that He has designed us to be able to bend down under the pressure and not break regardless to what we go through.   Just like a vacuum was designed to be able to pick things up from the floor and a toaster was designed to be able to toast bread; we have been built to withstand EVERY trial, tribulation or test that comes in our lives. 

HE is God, the FAITHFUL God…

Background....The Israelites had already left Egypt. They have been traveling in the wilderness for 40 years. They are now getting ready to enter Canaan, the land God promised to them. After they enter Canaan, each family will receive land as an inheritance as promised before they left Egypt.  The book of Deuteronomy contains the last speeches to the Israelites given by Moses. It is a review of the past 40 years. He wanted to remind the Israelites that they should always trust and obey God.  The word "Deuteronomy" means the 2nd law. This is the second time that Moses gives the regulations of God, which is important to us because this shows that God is willing to repeat himself.  He is willing to reiterate what He has already told us, promised us and declared to us. 
 

But it is important for us to know that unlike our money, our government and even our jobs, God is faithful and keeps his covenant (or promise).  He won’t go back on his promise or forget what he promised.  He told them He is faithful. God is trustworthy.  When He promises something, He does it.  He doesn’t change his mind, He doesn’t mess with us, pretending to be one thing and then change on us when we aren’t looking.  He is faithful to what he said and to His promises.
 

The word faithful simply means consistently loyal, accurate and true.  In a time when so many things around us are uncertain, unsure and unstable I am glad God is the constant.  Yeah, the devil will tell you that things have changed and God doesn’t work like this or like that.  However, the Word says God is not a man that He should lie.  Things in our world ARE changing but God NEVER changes.  If He said something concerning your life; you can rest assured that He will do it.  Even if he has to perform your last miracle like he did with Elisha AFTER he had given up the body.  He will bring ALL things concerning your life, family, money, body and soul to pass.  Elisha had been promised a double portion of Elijah’s anointing and he did perform almost double the miracles that Elijah had performed but even past his death there was ONE more miracle to complete so that God’s promise to him would be true.  A dead soldier’s body was thrown into the right grave (Elisha’s) so that God’s word would be true and accurate.  If God has to rearrange and reconstruct something around you to do it; HE WILL!

I recently HAD to depend on God and to trust Him to be faithful.  I was facing a time, as many have over the last year, when everything around me seemed to be falling apart and nothing was going right.  Just as it seemed that I would go under God reminded me of WHO he was ‘I AM THAT I AM’ (that means ALL inclusive – everything I needed IS in Him).  As I began to thank Him for what He had already done, He began to move and performed for me.  So even when the devil blows smoke in our eyes to cloud and try to distract us from focusing on God and His promises, we have to know that those things that we have asked and prayed for will come to pass.  If God said it He will SURELY bring it to pass. 

   
What we must realize is that we NEED to be in the situations we are in; so that we can reach that next dimension in God.  You need this level of temptation in order to step into this next place in God.  The next level of anointing requires this particular trial.  You can’t get to the next level struggling over the same situations.   God is taking us from strength to strength and from glory to glory.  But you can’t get there just by being cute. 
 

What I’m (slowly but surely) understanding with my own trials and circumstance is – I am right where God wants me to be.  It may not feel good, look good, smell good or even taste good; but you are right where God wants you to be.  You might be broke, busted and disgusted but you are RIGHT where God wants you to be.  You might be hurt right now but it is EXACTLY where He wants you so that he can prove Himself and get glory out of your life.  Like Job we must continue to worship God regardless to our situations or circumstances because as Evangelist Moore said last night, “If God put you in it; He will certainly bring you out of it.”

Be Blessed!
© 2010 (L.O.W) Lifestyle of Worship Ministries.  All right reserved

Though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.

What Ruth was saying was, I'm not like everybody else.  Man, did she say a mouthfull.  She wasn't like the other handmaidens because she had something they could only dream of having.  FAVOR!!!  Ruth’s story occurred during the time of judges – a time marked by disobedience, idolatry and violence.  Ruth was a Moabite.  The book of Ruth is a story of God’s grace in the midst of difficult circumstances.  Many look at Ruth’s background and pedigree and wonder how she would end up being in the lineage of Jesus Christ (she was the great grandmother of King David and a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ).  Ruth had many aspects of her life that man would count against her.  She was a woman, a Moabiite (or pagan), a widow AND poor.  Doesn’t sound like anything good could come from this woman or happen to her.  But with all these things stacked against Ruth, she had something connected and hovering over her life that would bring her through all the tragedy she had experienced.  FAVOR!  Favor which is the state of being approved or held in regard by the LORD in our lives and all our situations, apart from any merit of our own.  
 

Favor is assigned to you! It is given by God because He has that right.  The bible says, “He shows mercy on whom He willeth.”  Not every saint has Divine favor evident in their life, although everyone has been divinely favored.  Every believer is favored with salvation, mercy and grace, but it is presumptuous to think that all walk in Divine favor.  Once you have this favor, it cannot leave you; only you can forsake it by believing more in the circumstances than God’s word!  Favor in the Amplified Bible is defined as benefits, opportunities, blessings, to be envied and spiritually prosperous, unmerited grace.  Webster defines favor as helpful or considerate act, the attitude of friendliness or approval, to benefit, to give advantage, to prefer or like one more than another.  Favor isn’t something you can earn, buy, steal or get by means of human skill but it comes directly and solely from God.  It was the favor of God upon Ruth’s life that divinely connected her with Naomi.  When Ruth made the decision to be connected to Naomi, she made the best decision of her life.  She had the same opportunity to go back to her family and back to her old way of life as Orpah, but when you have a taste of favor it’s like going from Spam to Lobster, projects to the penthouse; once you have tasted the “favored life” there is just no going back.  Ruth didn’t realize that it was God’s favor that was setting her up for one of the greatest events to take place in her life.  All she knew is that Naomi had something that she hadn’t ever experienced before….the true and living God.  Favor has a way of working for us even when we don’t know its working.  All we have to do connect ourselves to God with faith and determination and He will favor us.  Ruth had become connected to Ruth not because of Naomi’s personality but because of Naomi's connection to God.  If Naomi didn’t have God, I don’t think Ruth would have had that same connection to her. 
 

At first glance it doesn’t seem that Ruth is connected to the right person.  Ruth’s husband is dead, Naomi is a poor widow, her sister-in-law has returned, weeping, but she still went back home.  But never judge a person by where you see them now.  Just because I don’t look like much right now doesn’t mean I’m not favored.  My present condition doesn’t determine my future position.  My favor isn’t based on external forces but eternal forces.  Many times we judge people based on external, carnal, material passions and never take time to take a good look into their prophetic destiny which is covered with favor.  We think if we can connect to people who are going up, people who are known, people who are in the “in” crowd then we will automatically have it too.  But when I have God’s favor, I don’t need a letter of reference or letter of credit from man.  I don’t even money or a good ranking.  I don’t need a recommendation or a “Holy Ghost” hook up.  All I need is God’s favor.   

I heard a story last night from a MIGHTY woman of God, Lady Carletha Taylor.  She told us about a sale on BBQ sandwiches which sold for 99 cents each and was limited to 2 per person.  She said she stood in line from 1:30 until 2:20 and upon getting to the front of the line she order 2 sandwiches, one with sauce on the side (I loved that part the most).  She was told by the order taker, that the time had expired for the sale.  She didn't get frustrated or develop an attitude, she remained stedfast.  Others had gotten out of line after 2:00, assuming that they wouldn't get the benefit of their standing in line and another was turned away.  However, she remained in line because she knew she had a promise of receiving those sandwiches AND God's favor.  She declared that she met the conditions for the sandwiches because she was there in the time frame required and she had her $2.17 to pay for them.  After a short conversation with the manager (a higher authority) she received 2 LARGE sandwiches (one with the sauce on the side) from the freshes cuts of meat, the best of the best if you will; because not only did she have Divine Favor but she also had diligence and determination that she would receive her promised reward. 

One day…as a thousand years

I know it has been awhile since my last "Word for Today" but it's funny how time flies.  Even the summer seemed to have sped by, the kids are getting ready to go back to school and before you know it will be Christmas again.  I’ve heard many people say and I’ve even said a few times, “Time is really moving fast.”  You look at your children and the babies that you once rocked and hand fed are now going preparing to go off to college.  My, how time flies.  HOWEVER…what about when you are in the middle of a battle, a test or a trial.  It seems that time comes to a screeching halt.  The hours and minutes waiting on your test results seem to go at a “snail’s pace”.  This is when we need time to speed up and to hurry along.  But time although created FOR us isn’t at all controlled BY us.  God has the power and the authority to do with time whatever He desires.  Let’s be honest, we have asked God many times to hurry or accelerate time for us because the thing that we are having to endure seems to be taking forever to be resolved.  Though time seems to be moving at a “snail’s pace” during our trial, it is actually moving at the exact pace God designed.  But because our life, ministry, health or wealth are being tested it feels so much longer.  But God knows what He is doing. 

Verse 9 of the same chapter reveals that God is NOT slack (late) concerning His promises as some count or consider slackness.  In other words, just because it hasn’t happened doesn’t mean that God has a different plan for your life or the season for His purpose to be revealed in you will not come.  It is that either He is preparing you for your season or preparing the season to receive you through the use of time.  The older saints used to say it like this – “He may not come when you want Him, but He’s right on time.”  The sooner we recognize that God will not hurry our process and though we cry, moan and plead He will manifest His promises in His time not ours, the easier waiting will be.  The devil will try to make us feel as if God is playing a cruel joke on us or He is in heaven doing us some injustices.  HE ISN’T.  He knows the direction your life needs to take even when we don’t know.  God dwells in eternity and started your life from the end and rewound it back to the beginning.  He knows exactly what you will accomplish and how much time you need to do it; even when we don’t.  So as Galatians 6:9 says, “Be not weary in well doing for ye shall reap in due season if you faint not.” 

© 2009 (L.O.W) Lifestyle of Worship Ministries.  All right reserved

That ye may know what is the hope of his calling...

She came and worshipped saying, “Lord, help me.”

Another amazing story of great faith is told here by Matthew.  Matthew, the writer of this New Testament book, was a publican for the Roman Emperor.  He tells this story because he understood being looked down upon.  This woman, who the bible says in Mark 7:26, was a Syro-Phoenician or rather a Gentile needs Jesus’ help.  She needs the Healer’s help, but was not considered worthy of it.  (I could really deal with that but I won’t.)  However, Jesus was approached because she had a daughter at home who was vexed by a devil.  And any woman who is a REAL mother can’t sit by and see her child suffering and not exhaust every means to make it better.  So she ask Jesus to heal her daughter, but not in the traditional way.  She says have mercy on ME.  Her daughter was being vexed or tormented by the devil but she took it as her own vexation.  Can’t you see how Jesus is showing a paradox of himself for us? How He would intercede for us because we were helpless, seemingly hopeless and tormented by the devil. 

However, Jesus answered her NOT a word.  In other words he didn’t even acknowledge that her request was heard.  It would have been different if he just said no from the beginning but to be ignored feels so much more badly than being told “no.”  His disciples were upset and offended that she would even ask such a request of Jesus.  He then tells her that He was sent to the house of Israel and couldn’t give the children’s bread to the dogs.  Now you know if someone had called you a dog or anything outside of your name, you and I would have been so offended we would have either wanted to fight or would have walked away with a MAJOR attitude and talked about how rude church folks are for the next 10 years.  But this woman understood the principle of ownership that a lot of us don’t really grasp.  The bible says that we are BOUGHT with a price.  If you are a dog owned by the right master, your have rights and privileges that some hard working humans don’t have.  Do you remember the multi-millionaire woman who died and left all of her money to her cats?  Or see celebrities on television with their dogs and their dog’s little coat cost more than our entire wardrobe.

This woman was not offended by Jesus' words but agreed that His statement was truthful in its entirety but added an amendment to His truth.  She said that even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.  She took the ownership of the table from the children and placed it rightfully as the master’s, because the Master has the authority to feed whomever He desires.  The Master has the power to feed them gourmet food or scraps.  And the thing about most dogs is they are not finicky, unlike children.  Dogs will usually eat whatever they are given, whether it is hot or cold it really doesn’t matter because all they care about is being filled!!!!  WHEW!!! I hope you felt that because the bible says they that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be FILLED.  I am not hungry for position; just righteousness.  I am not hungry for power; just righteousness.  I am not even hungry for favor because the bible also says in Psalms 5: 12, “For thou, Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor will thou compass him as a shield.”  So when I hunger after righteousness, favor, power, and position will soon follow. 

So she falls down and worships him and simply says, “Lord help me.”  She didn’t explain why she deserved to be answered, or argues why Jesus should do it because He had done it for the Centurion's servant and he wasn’t a Jew.  But she worships!  Because of her posture to worship and her faith in Jesus, her daughter was healed from that moment.  This woman let’s worship do the work.  If we can get our minds set on worship instead of complaining or crying; God will go to work for us.  God can’t walk away from worship because His word says that He is seeking worshippers.  We must worship even when it seems that He isn’t answering or when it feels like He is berating or unconcerned about our plight.  We have to let worship do the work for us and worship will get it done!

Be Blessed!!

© 2008 (L.O.W) Lifestyle of Worship Ministries.  All right reserved

They could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter...

We find here that the children of Israel have just been saved AGAIN by God.  Not only were they miraculously taken cross the Red Sea, but their enemy was destroyed.  In Chapter 14, Israel faced 2 terrible situations.  At the bank of the Red Sea they thought their lives were going to end.  If they tried to swim across the Sea they might drown, and if they turned back they would face sure death because Pharaoh’s army was coming for them.  So they had the Red Sea in front of them, mountains on each side of them and Pharaoh behind them.  Have you EVER felt like you were in the middle of a mess with no way out? Have you felt like four walls of trouble were caving in on you?  Every where you turn there seems to be no solution, but plenty of troubles.  Well, this is the perfect place for God to be glorified.  Moses told the Children of Israel to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.  In other words, don’t do anything because God is getting ready to do something.  Don’t panic right now because God is going to 'kill 2 birds with one stone.'  He told them, “The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”  Not only that but their enemy that was chasing today, they would NEVER see them again.  WHEW!!  That deserves a praise break right there.  I wish I could hear God tell me THAT!!!!!  Okay, so God does what He said and delivers them so that they can travel across the Red Sea on dry ground, because He doesn’t want them slowed down with mud.  (That is another message in and of itself) 

So now in verse 1 of chapter 15, they were singing and praising God for his power, for His salvation.  They were in complete “celebration” mode.  As well they should be and they were still moving forward to their promise.  They travel 3 days in “praise” mode without the thought of the lack of water.  However, when they come to a body of water at Marah, the waters are bitter.  They had traveled 3 days without water with no complainants, but when they got to the water and it was BITTER, the complaint sessions started.    Their complaint wasn’t that there was NO water, but that they found BITTER water.  It is funny how the greatest happiness and optimism can soon be turned into murmuring and complaining.   I believe there are times that God will lead us on a path of blessings (righteousness) but it just might be in the valley of the shadow of death and things will surface to make it seems like the blessings have turned into a curse.  But just like God led Moses to a tree and told him to use it to sweeten the waters, He is going to lead us to something or someone to make our bitter waters sweet.  Some theologians say it was a shrub in the form of a flower; others, the berries of a bush found growing around all brackish fountains. However, neither of these shrubs is known to possess such natural virtues.  It is far more likely that God miraculously endowed some tree with the property of purifying the bitter to sweet -- a tree was employed as the means, but the sweetening was not dependent upon nature or quality of the tree, but the power of God.  

And so after the waters were sweetened the bibles says, “There He made for them a statute and an ordinance and there He proved them.  What God expected from them was OBEDIENCE.  Many times our level of obedience diminishes because we have encountered bitter waters.  We are troubled on every side and feeling in despair so we are tempted to complain, or murmur or whine, “WHAT IS GOD DOING THIS TO ME.”  But even during our bitter water encounters, God is still expecting us to follow His Word and plan even when things seem to be going down hill.  He is establishing us for HIS purpose and according to His way; not ours. 

After the miraculous water change, God then leads them to Elim where there were TWELVE wells of water with an oasis of trees and refuge.  This shows that though God may, for a time, order His people to encamp by the bitter waters of Marah, yet that isn’t where they are to remain.  We must know that our condition is changeable or variable but God love and power are constant.  Our condition in life can go from better to worse and from worse to better in a heart beat, but if our faith is God we have this confidence that He will lead us to the place of our promise. 

Be Blessed!!!

You shall pass over the Jordan…

This was a declaration that God made through Joshua right before they were to go into the Promised Land they had waited SO long to enter into.  Most of the people that Joshua was talking to only knew the wilderness because all of the people over the age of 20, excluding Joshua and Caleb died in the wilderness.  God raised up Moses to deliver His people.  God miraculously delivered them out of the hands of the oppressor that never really want his slaves to leave, only the wanted the bad things that were happening to his people to be halted.  After the children of Israel were delivered out of Egypt, Pharaoh’s crazy army decided to follow orders and follow them with the purpose of recapturing them.  But if I was a member of that army and had seen all the plagues and the Red Sea part, I would have turned around and ran the other direction to avoid any further contact with them.  But they didn’t and it resulted in their death. 

So now God had gotten them out of Egypt but had a hard time getting Egypt out of them.  The mentally of living beneath their privilege had always been a part of them and changing addresses wasn’t going to change anything, no matter how promising the future looked.  I few nights ago I was “channel surfing” and decided to watch a reality show about a star that had been raised in poverty and came up the hard way.  However, through many entertainment opportunities, she and her family was now living a “wonderful life”.  As I watch this particular episode I saw big beautiful houses, fine cars and expensive shopping sprees.  However, I also witnessed via the television many fights among family members, I saw people screaming and yelling in the middle of their shopping spree in a crowded mall.  I then realized that this star had received money, which changed many aspects of their life but the money, the fame and fortune hadn’t changed their mentally.  Okay, enough of that now back to the Children of Israel.  Everyone could have been enjoying Canaan in under a month, but because of doubt and unbelief most of them died in the wilderness.  WHAT WAS THEIR PROBLEM????  The same problem we have today.  They were stuck.  They had just lost their wonderful leader and things couldn’t have been going more wrong because now they were up against another body of water, but this time they didn’t have the leader that had gotten them over the Red Sea.  However, they did have the same God.  They could have decided to just stay there because they were CLOSE to the promise, but who really wants to SEE the promise but never experience it.  They had to make a decision to keep moving even though things had changed, God hadn’t.

Maybe living the “little dab will do you” sort of life is okay for you, but if you don’t want anything for your life, that is okay.  However, I want more.  I NEED more.  I can’t stop and camp out in the wilderness not after coming so far from where I was or fighting the enemies I had to fight.  I wasn’t designed to life outside in the elements.   Actually I don’t like camping in the natural sense.  I don’t like driving to a camp site, getting out of my cool or warm car, depending on the time of year to “brave it” in the wild.  If I don’t have live by “nature” I won’t.  In the natural, I don’t want a tent I want some walls.  And in the spirit, I didn’t come out of Egypt to live in the wilderness for the rest of my life.  Some of us are not built to be campers, we are movers and shakers.  I want to take some territories, tear down some walled cities.  I have had enough with being without; I want the land of milk and honey.  Why would I suffer lack if I don’t have too?  God won’t take you where you don’t want to go.  He is not a terrorist.  God will take those who want to go!  Crossers chose movement over monument.  I want to do something that makes a difference; it isn’t about great accolades but what is Godly successful. I have come to the understanding that convenience will not get you the will of God; commitment will.  You don’t luck up on God’s blessing, it is a decision that you have to make up in your mind to do whatever God wants and desire so that you can have it. So pack up your camping equipment and move to the city. 

Be Blessed!