My intention was to continue with part three of Endeavor to Endure, but my heart is heavy and my soul is disturbed. Really, I am outraged at the wicked ways of man; and I cannot seem to shake the feeling that this is only the beginning. I want to scream why God? Why? Why would you allow it to happen in your house? But I already know why, His word teaches me why. I want to be mad at God because His word teaches us to love, as hatred-fueled violence corrupts our world. But I have to ask, “Is love enough?”
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
ENDEAVOR TO ENDURE part 2
Your dreams are coming true! Yes! You have finally reached the point where you know that you are on the brink of success. You feel it in the depths of your soul, positivity fills the atmosphere and you seem destined for victory. Then it happens…failure! In an instant, all of your dreams are smashed to pieces. Broken in fragments as clear to you as the vision you had for success. Now what? Where do you go from here? We find answers when we ask ourselves, “How bad do we really want it?”
Failure at its best is a cruel and valuable teacher; from it, we learn a multitude of ways to cope with pain, loss and fear. However, no matter what it looks like, the burning desire remains strong in our hearts. We endure the negativity and press on; we endure the unexpected losses and rise up; we suffer the consequences of our mistakes and move forward with our eyes and prayers set on God and His purpose for us. When we know that we are destined to fulfill a dream, we use failure as a means to determine what works and what does not. We also find that God does have a sense of humor even if it takes us a while to get the joke.
Consider the trials of Job. He was wealthy, highly respected, loved by family and the picture of success (see Job 1:1-5). Yet on a whim, God allowed everything to be taken from him (v.1:12-22). Job lost his family, his wealth, his health, his prosperity and nearly lost his mind. What he did not lose was his faith in God.While he was tested, he endured the questions of “why me,” the judgment of community, the ridicule of his closest companions, the pain of severe physical suffering, and yet he remained faithful and repentant (v.42:1-6). Seeing his faithfulness, God blessed Job’s endurance and returned to him much more than he had lost (v.42:10-17).
Our dreams are worth the fight and the failures! Dreams give us faith to see the impossible, courage to do the unthinkable and the obedience to withstand the most improbable of circumstances. When God has predestined us, we have victory in each move we make toward our dreams, because nothing but failure is impossible for God!
Prayer: Lord, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and your wisdom is everlasting. We know that all things work for our good because you have purposed us for something special. We honor you and thank you for your provision in our pursuit. Forgive us our sins and continue to guide us on the path to our dreams. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to be of service to you, please continue to bless us as we seek to bring glory to you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
For more inspiration read Job in its entirety.
Failure at its best is a cruel and valuable teacher; from it, we learn a multitude of ways to cope with pain, loss and fear. However, no matter what it looks like, the burning desire remains strong in our hearts. We endure the negativity and press on; we endure the unexpected losses and rise up; we suffer the consequences of our mistakes and move forward with our eyes and prayers set on God and His purpose for us. When we know that we are destined to fulfill a dream, we use failure as a means to determine what works and what does not. We also find that God does have a sense of humor even if it takes us a while to get the joke.
Consider the trials of Job. He was wealthy, highly respected, loved by family and the picture of success (see Job 1:1-5). Yet on a whim, God allowed everything to be taken from him (v.1:12-22). Job lost his family, his wealth, his health, his prosperity and nearly lost his mind. What he did not lose was his faith in God.While he was tested, he endured the questions of “why me,” the judgment of community, the ridicule of his closest companions, the pain of severe physical suffering, and yet he remained faithful and repentant (v.42:1-6). Seeing his faithfulness, God blessed Job’s endurance and returned to him much more than he had lost (v.42:10-17).
Our dreams are worth the fight and the failures! Dreams give us faith to see the impossible, courage to do the unthinkable and the obedience to withstand the most improbable of circumstances. When God has predestined us, we have victory in each move we make toward our dreams, because nothing but failure is impossible for God!
Prayer: Lord, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and your wisdom is everlasting. We know that all things work for our good because you have purposed us for something special. We honor you and thank you for your provision in our pursuit. Forgive us our sins and continue to guide us on the path to our dreams. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to be of service to you, please continue to bless us as we seek to bring glory to you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
For more inspiration read Job in its entirety.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
ENDEAVOR TO ENDURE part 1
You have a dream. It consumes you. You wake up thinking about it, you go to bed at night with it on your mind; and in between, you talk about it and take steps to make the dream a reality. However, life will not just hand us our dreams on a platter. We must do the work, remain steadfast and never give up. To endure means that we may have a long road ahead filled with pain, hardship, rejection and weariness; but we cannot give up, no matter what obstacles we face.
The pursuit of our dreams will not deliver our desires on a whim. The rejection letters, the grim diagnosis, the empty seats in the theater, the loosing start of a season; all these things are part of the process that propels us to the next level. Mistakes and setbacks are opportunities for growth and development to prepare us for the next path of our journey. It may not look and feel good while we go through it, but victory rarely comes without sacrifice.
Consider Joshua, it was 40 years before he entered the Promised Land. Though he suffered the loss of his leader, God commanded him to continue the journey (Joshua 1:1-9). Joshua moved forward with faith, courage and obedience, and he fought numerous battles to achieve what God promised His people (Joshua 11:16-12:24). What we learn from Joshua is to move forward knowing that God has purposed us for victory.
It may be painful, the process may not always be pretty or comfortable but sometimes we have to throw our hands in the air, surrender to the will of God and embrace the vision that He has placed within us. Our purpose, blessed by God is indeed a dream worth fighting for and going ALL IN!;-)
The pursuit of our dreams will not deliver our desires on a whim. The rejection letters, the grim diagnosis, the empty seats in the theater, the loosing start of a season; all these things are part of the process that propels us to the next level. Mistakes and setbacks are opportunities for growth and development to prepare us for the next path of our journey. It may not look and feel good while we go through it, but victory rarely comes without sacrifice.
Consider Joshua, it was 40 years before he entered the Promised Land. Though he suffered the loss of his leader, God commanded him to continue the journey (Joshua 1:1-9). Joshua moved forward with faith, courage and obedience, and he fought numerous battles to achieve what God promised His people (Joshua 11:16-12:24). What we learn from Joshua is to move forward knowing that God has purposed us for victory.
It may be painful, the process may not always be pretty or comfortable but sometimes we have to throw our hands in the air, surrender to the will of God and embrace the vision that He has placed within us. Our purpose, blessed by God is indeed a dream worth fighting for and going ALL IN!;-)
Prayer: Father God, we call on you to give us the strength and endurance to make our dreams come true. We cry out to you Oh God, depending on your strength to help us on our journey to victory. Forgive our sins and order our steps Father God, that your will may be done in our lives from this moment forward, and continue to bless us in all that we say and do for your kingdom. Because we can do all things in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Read Hebrew 12:1-3, Romans 15:4-5 for further insight.
Read Hebrew 12:1-3, Romans 15:4-5 for further insight.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
NO JUDGEMENT NECESSARY
The 21st century is presenting man with many new ideas, new technology, new issues to tackle and new ways to sin against God. Today, a plethora of concepts has people quoting, “The Bible does not say I shouldn’t do this” or “Where does it say in the Bible that I can’t do that?” The world is ever changing but the Bible remains the same and so does the nature of man. As followers of Christ, we must shed light on the darkness without judgment, and reveal the truth of the Word of God to our fellow man.
Today more than ever, we covet and idolize things that are not of God. Social media, reality TV, plastic surgery, pornography, immoral/perverse relationships, selfies, celebrities, gossip, drugs, etc. are tools often used by the enemy to hinder our relationship with God. We have followers of Christ leading the way to apostasy by siding with these worldly practices and beliefs, often afraid to speak out in righteous indignation (see James 4:4-5). However, know that God will judge the present generation for forsaking Him, in favor of idols, the same as when Jeremiah walked this earth (see Jeremiah 2).
Israel, charged with forsaking God for contrived idols, held persistently to their pagan beliefs, even though their gods were unreal. Sin’s grip on the generation explained people’s abandonment of the true living God; and the same is happening now! We must fight against the powers and principalities that put us in opposition to God. Our hope is that God gives life to His people, abundantly and unfailing! Idols are broken reservoirs that will always fail to fulfill us. If our lives are spiritually parched, we should ask Jesus, the source of living water to fill us with His presence...Then and only then will joy and peace abound.
Today more than ever, we covet and idolize things that are not of God. Social media, reality TV, plastic surgery, pornography, immoral/perverse relationships, selfies, celebrities, gossip, drugs, etc. are tools often used by the enemy to hinder our relationship with God. We have followers of Christ leading the way to apostasy by siding with these worldly practices and beliefs, often afraid to speak out in righteous indignation (see James 4:4-5). However, know that God will judge the present generation for forsaking Him, in favor of idols, the same as when Jeremiah walked this earth (see Jeremiah 2).
Israel, charged with forsaking God for contrived idols, held persistently to their pagan beliefs, even though their gods were unreal. Sin’s grip on the generation explained people’s abandonment of the true living God; and the same is happening now! We must fight against the powers and principalities that put us in opposition to God. Our hope is that God gives life to His people, abundantly and unfailing! Idols are broken reservoirs that will always fail to fulfill us. If our lives are spiritually parched, we should ask Jesus, the source of living water to fill us with His presence...Then and only then will joy and peace abound.
Prayer: Father God we honor you and praise you for your Spirit and the truth found only in you and your Word. We thank you for allowing that Spirit to dwell in us so that your will is done in our lives. We ask forgiveness for the sinful nature that is part of our being human and that you will help us to fight against the sin that easily ensnares. Help us to conquer sin, to prevent us from doing wrong in your eyesight. We pray that you would continue to bless us that we might be a blessing to those around us. We ask this and so many other blessings in the mighty name of Jesus! Amen!
Read Exodus 20, James 4 for additional insight.
Read Exodus 20, James 4 for additional insight.
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