Don't Let Go by Judi Jo Adams

Don't Let Go Of Your Dream

“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever.” ~Psalms 138:8

How beautiful!  The Lord truly will fulfill His purpose for us!  Are you like me & have so many dreams in your heart?  There are many things I can look back upon & see that the Lord has truly fulfilled, yet there are things I have held onto for years that are yet for an appointed time.  When I was younger I wanted it all “right now”.    As I’ve grown in the Lord, I’m very content to wait patiently & watch how God brings to pass the treasures that are so real in my heart!  Even as I type, I’ve finally just touched the edge of something I saw in prayer nearly 15 years ago.

Well, I guess we are in good company!  Remember when Mary pondered in her heart the things she knew about her son Jesus?  She simply held them dear!  Yes, they were to come to pass, but it was not for that day.  So many things are for the days that are out ahead of us.  Truly, it doesn’t make them any less real to God.  After all, II Peter 3:8 tells us “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, & a thousand years are like a day.”  I guess that’s back to the message about patience that I so often wonder over to in Hebrews 10:35.  “Do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. You have need to persevere (have patience) so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.” 

Truly, the Lord has a great desire in His heart that has yet to come to pass too, so I guess He also understands how we feel.   Bringing us home to be with Him is the treasure of His heart.  He will never give up on that day, confident that it will come to pass.  James 5:7 says “Behold the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth & has long patience for it.”  If we could see the big picture we would understand more clearly.  For me personally I’m content in knowing that, though I don’t see right now what I hold onto in my heart by faith, God is working to bring it all to pass.  If we could see into the realm of the Spirit, there would be angels busily working on all that we’ve brought forth in prayer.  

Maybe you haven’t yet seen the desires of your heart, so you’ve decided it might just be too big for God. Nonsense!!  Nothing, absolutely nothing, is too big for God.  One of my all time favorite scriptures is Isaiah 55:9 which tell us “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Trust me, He can think way bigger than us & wants way more for you than you have yet to conceive in your heart.  Remember Ephesians 3:20 says “He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” We’ll do well to remember the last part of that scripture, which is vital to seeing the dream manifest.  It is truly “according to the power that is at work in us”.  Therefore, we have a part to play as well!  It’s more than just being patient; it’s standing in faith & watching over in prayer.  For Isaiah 55:11 also explains to us that God’s word sown into the earth cannot return empty, but will accomplish all that they have been sent to do.  Just like seed-time & harvest, it has to come forth in the earth.

What do you do while you are waiting?  Well, one thing good to remember is Matthew 7:6 which tells us “not to cast our pearls before swine”.  That sounds kind of tough, but I’ve sure learned to understand & appreciate those precious Words of wisdom from the Lord.  In life you will find there are more people ready to tell you why your dream can’t come true than why it can.  All we need is the Word, which tells us in Ph 3:14 that “We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.”  Glory!!!  You see, there are plenty of people out there who settle for ordinary, but I believe that God delights in His children that will dare to dream big.  After all, they are the ones He chose to write about in His Word!

Joseph had a dream that took him through the pit, slavery & prison before it was realized.  All that mattered in the end was that it did come to pass.   We should also mention that because he held onto his dream, all of God’s family was saved during a vast famine in the land!  His dream has such purpose, was met with such opposition yet came to pass in the perfect timing of God.  It may be the same for you & I as well, but I promise you that in the end all the will matter is that our dreams were fulfilled.  Please, don’t let go of what’s in your heart… for surely He is able to bring it to pass.

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The Fragrant Life by Judi Jo Adams

THE FRAGRANT LIFE

My childhood memories are full of beautiful smells.  My parents owned flower shops and I grew up running the aisles and sneaking into the cooler.  Oh, I can remember walking in that cooler just to smell how amazing it was when it was full of flowers.  I especially loved to take a rose and hold it up to my lips and feel the soft petals and just breathe.  It has to be one of the most wonderful aromas in life!  Did you know that in the Spirit our life is to be a sweet smelling fragrance to God?  It’s true, it’s possible and He gives us the secrets along the way to living a triumphal life!

“Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.  For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and who are perishing.” -- II Cor 2:14  He goes on to say the we are the “fragrance of life”.    

So, the question that stands today is simple.  If Heaven could smell us, what would we smell like?...

Would it be sweet, meaning that through all the trials and victories we have kept our hearts right and continued to praise Him.  Or, would it simply stink!  Ladies, it’s never too late to turn it around.  You know, a rose grows best in a pile of manure…it is true!  The secret is found in the verse above and, when put into practice; it can change our lives into a sweet smelling sacrifice to our Lord and King!

Now, we all know that when looking with our own eyes life doesn’t always seem like some wonderful victory walk.  If we are honest, we have all had huge bumps along the way and gone through experiences that we may not understand.   Well, the Word does let us know that in this life we will have troubles in Jn 16:33,  and yet he still said he would always lead us in triumphal procession.  So, how can this be true?  Well, it’s a matter of focus and a matter of what is coming out of us.

One of my all time favorite chapters is Psalms 23.  It beautifully shows us the answer and the secret.  It simply paints a picture for II Cor 2:14.  You see, this chapter talks about Him being our shepherd, causing us to lie down in green pastures and restoring our soul.  It also talks about a table, the kind with every good thing we need for a wonderful life, but did you notice that table is spread in the presence of our enemies?  Again, those green pastures and still waters are as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

So, how does that all add up?  Well, the victory, the still waters and the spread table, are on the inside!  They are where Christ abides in us.  Where no matter what we see we are going through to the other side!  Though problems surround us and we seem pressed on every hand, we have a voice that says, “Thanks be unto God, who always leads me…”  Yes, that is the key to walking in victory.  I mean, do we want to be

moved by the circumstances that are around us and are temporal?  Or, do we want to put our eyes on the one who is eternal and abide in His place of victory?  It’s our choice you see. We can stop, sit down in our mess, look around and think there is no way out.  That equals stink.  Then again, trials can surround us, but at any time we can look to the one who is our green pastures, rest in Him and lift up our voice of victory.  Why?  He will always lead us through! Now, that is a sweet smelling life!

I’ve lived in many countries and often found myself alone in a dark alley or on a strange subway.  I’ve been surrounded by some of the grossest depictions of humanity, yet when I lean into Him at the same time I’m surrounded by the wonders of Heaven.  It’s all a matter of focus and of looking inward to Him!  I’ve been in the I.C.U. with my son on top of me and heard a horrible report about his life.  Where do I choose to look and what will my song be?  He led Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego through the fire without even a smell.  He brought Joseph out of the prison and fulfilled his dream.  I choose if I let the smell of death stay on me or if I rise up and say…”Now thanks be unto God who gives me the victory”  --I Cor 15:57. Ladies, that is an example of a triumphal procession and what leads us out!

Jesus is our greatest example and as he went to His darkest hour, God made sure to mark it with a triumphal procession ( you can read it in Mark 11 ).  Why?   He wasn’t looking with our human eyes!  In His darkest hour He shined the brightest and offered up a sweet smelling sacrifice.  It’s all about a heart adjustment. “I may be walking through this mess, but it’s not getting in me!” Col 1:27 says “Christ in you the hope of glory!”  All we need to do is let the hope of glory out of our mouths!  We lead our triumphal procession by the words we say.  We either go through in victory by our voice or we sit down, are quiet and simply stink.

Ladies, let’s let our darkest time be our finest hour.  It’s a new season, one to fully put our trust in Him, knowing He will lead us through.  Let’s surround one another in a Spirit of faith and cheer one another on to victory.  Let’s lift up our eyes and place them on our King…the one who is Creator!  Mostly, let’s open our mouths and let out thanks to Him!  Nothing could smell sweeter than Him knowing everything we are experiencing and still finding us in worship to Him.

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A Season To Be Patient by Judi Jo Adams

A Season To Be Patient

Patience…oooo it’s such a yucky little word.  It’s a virtue that seems very difficult to embrace.  Do we have to be patient?  Well, I think as we take a little glance into the heart of God today, we will all agree that this one little word can change our entire worlds.  It is simply a requirement in bringing forth the promises of God.

I was so challenged this week while reading a post from Dr. T.L. Osborn on Lk 8:11-15.  So often we think of sowing and reaping in terms of giving, but this sure brings out an insightful new dimension for us.  The sower wasn’t sowing money, though that is an invaluable lesson, he was sowing the Word.  Ding, ding, ding! Let’s stop right there a moment.

Patience in bringing for the promise is only good if the Word has first been sown.  If not, there is nothing spoken into the earth for the Holy Spirit to act upon, so nothing can take place.  Now, that’s not good because we know that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” in Pr 13:12.   We have to find God’s promises in his Word, put them into our hearts until revelation comes and then speak them forth with power.

Ahhh… then presto, instant results!  Well, I wish it was just like Jack and the Bean Stalk with an instant harvest, but usually it’s not that way.  If we take a look into creation itself, we see seasons in operation.  There is a time to plant, water, wait and reap. That means there is a season to simply be patient.

Right now is an exciting time in the U.S.A.!  Harvest is here and the farmer’s markets are full. We just had our first home grown tomatoes of the season.  Yum, I wait all year for a true ripe tomato sandwich.   Although it didn’t happen overnight, we were sure they would arrive when their time was right.  Is it any different in God’s Kingdom?

In Lk 8:15 we see that the harvest was brought forth with patience.  One of my favorite passages is Isaiah 55.  It holds a beautiful reminder for us all.  Just like spring time and harvest, so goes the Word of the Lord once spoken.  It will not return void, but will accomplish all it was sent to do!  Glory to God!  That means that once the Word is spoken a promise has to come forth.

I do however see something in the Word that can hinder what we have prayed from happening.  What is it?  It is our lack of patience.  When we lose heart in waiting, we often get weary and stop trusting.  The Bible clearly says in Gal 6:9, “Be not weary in well doing for in due season you will reap IF you faint not”.  That alone, not the enemy, can stop our harvest. 

So what should we do?  We must remember that there is no need to be weary in waiting, because God’s Word is true.  The seed of His Word in the ground is the most powerful plant in the earth!  It has to spring forth!

As much as we don’t like it, patience also has a something to accomplish in us.  Ja 1:4 says, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing”.   I think it makes us more like Him and isn’t He… oh, so patient with us!

So, I want to encourage you today.  Just like there is seed time and harvest in the earth, so it is with God’s promises in your life.  Speak the Word forth and then simply be patient, while resting and trusting that God is at work.  Your promise will surely come to pass!

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Petals In My Pages by Judi Jo Adams

“Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.  Remember the wonders He has done.” ~I Chronicles 16: 11 - 12

On our first missions trip, many moons ago… okay it was exactly 17 years ago next month, I started a little tradition all my own.  We landed in Greece, in route to India, where we spent a week in the quaintest little apartment that belonged to the son of a pastor friend.  The outdoor balconies so mixed in with the hallways of the home that, unlike in America, they are included as part of your living space.  It’s is truly delightful!  Covering the cement walls were flowers of all different kinds & I especially fell in love with the aroma of jasmine.  Oh, my!  Now, that must be a foretaste of what Heaven smells like.

  

When we went to leave that amazing spot, I plucked a flower from the bush & pressed it between the pages of my Bible.  Well, that continued from country to country & from favorite spot to favorite spot.  The pages of my Bible became full of pressed flowers.  I must confess, to keep them from falling out I squeezed most of them in the books like Job & Leviticus, which I don’t quite frequent as often.

For me, they have become memorials.  Reminders of where God has carried us & difficulties that have sprung forth into victories. Though not always easy at the crossings, the children of Israel did the same. They would build memorials to God, like in Deut 27 after they had crossed the Jordan into the Land God had promised.  This remind them, & their children to come, of His great faithfulness.  I guess they knew, God knows, that we all need reminded of His faithfulness.

The perfect example of this is found in Mt 15, you remember at the feeding of the multitude the second time.  Well, He had already done it once and amazed them all!  In the first account there were just five loaves & two fish.  Once Jesus prayed over it & blessed it, well, the baskets never ran empty! You would think they would remember this the next time that they came to the same situation but, like we often all do, they were again wondering how the multitude would be fed!  

Sound familiar?  He has brought us through some event in life & then years later we stand at the same place wondering how we will get to the other side.  Build a monument today!  Do something to remind you of His great faithfulness!  Put a petal in your page, snap a picture or write a journal.  We simply need to be reminded that the one who was faithful before will be faithful again!

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Oh Patience I Need You by Judi Jo Adams

Oh Patience, I Need You!

It’s an understated & annoying word, one that none of us truly likes or even remotely enjoys.  It’s something that makes us want to scream & yet we know we have to endure it.  Oh, patience, how we need more of you!  Have you ever shared these feelings with me?  Well, they are common & often misunderstood by others.  We hear so much about the amazing message of faith, but often too little about its other partner quite necessary to bring about results!

All of us enjoy hearing about instant miracles & prayer requests that come about almost as fast as they are uttered from our lips.  Glorious as they are, more often than not, results to our prayers are usually seen over a period of time.  The truth is that God’s time table and our time table seem to be on two different tables, if you know what I’m saying.  Well, if one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day, then I guess we may not quite get His timing yet anyway.  (2 Peter 3:8)

I’m also sure that, all the while, He is working in us to will and to do His good pleasure.  (Philippians 2:13)  So, let’s take a little deeper look at this word called patience.  I like to describe our prayers like a little boy going fishing!  What you want is the fish, the great cast into the water is your faith & the time it takes to get it to the shore is your patience.  I guess that might mean that the bigger the fish, the longer the reel!

We were on Brooke’s ranch in Texas a few summers ago when I caught an 8 pound bass; believe it or not it’s true!  The story is quite funny!  We were down at their pond, caught our own crickets & were having a ball pulling in little fish.  Right before we left, I gave another cast & thought I was snagged on the bottom.  I kept pulling & pulling, then all of the sudden I saw the big ol’ belly of a bass & started screaming.  That’s when the battle started, we all were yelling & Russ ran for the net.  It seemed like forever, but at the end of the day he was caught.  By the end of the night, that catch was in our tummies!  

I got hold of something big, but it just didn’t come in as easy as those small fish were caught.  That big bass came in with a battle, which sounds like what we call…“The good fight of faith”.  Gal 6:9 says, “And be not weary in well doing, for in due season you will reap, if you faint not.”  What?  You will have the desires of your heart.  Yes, unless you faint & drop the pole!  That means we must have patience until we see the promise.  It’s just like fishing for me!  You have to rest in knowing that the fish is on the line.  You may not see it yet, as it’s under the water, but you know it’s on the line & on its way to you!  That sounds like prayer found in1 John 5:15.  “And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”  You could also say it like this, “Once I pray, Heaven is at work.”  I may not see it in this realm, but I have locked hold in the Heavenly realm & my patience brings it forth into an earthly manifestation.  That is faith & patience working together!

Although we may not like it, patience is an amazing and beautiful gift from God!  Heb 6:12 says we are to be followers of them who through faith & PATIENCE inherit the promise.  It’s far from being idle, it’s actively trusting & knowing God is at work.  All in all, it’s what keeps us from fainting.  It’s the line that you can’t let go of until you see, with these eyes, what you have desired from God.  I believe His Word & I believe it 100%.  That means that if I do not faint, or let go of my pole, I will have what I have asked Him in prayer.  It’s not God’s fault if we set down the pole, he has no choice but to let that big one get away.  

So, today is your day!  Either keep on reeling or pick the pole back up!  You have what you asked of Him, which means it’s on the line if you see it with these eyes or not!  God is the same…yesterday, today & forever!  He wants to give you your desires, but he needs you to be patient, until the fish is in the net!

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Hannah's Prayer by Kate Jones

Hannah’s Prayer

In the wake of an hour in America, just a week after the loss of men and women who lost their lives while protecting our freedom, our hearts go out to the loved ones of the 3o Navy Seals.  They served our country well and paid the ultimate price for us.  

I think about the women who would be a great comfort to the mom, the sister, the grandmother who are feeling a great loss.  Women like the Levite, who made a basket for her infant son and laid him in it so he could float in a river (Exodus 2:1-10), to be found by the Pharaoh’s daughter.  The Egyptian women would then keep him as her son, and name him Moses.   There was Hannah, who dedicated her little boy to the Lord and left him to live with Eli, the priest (1 Samuel 1).  Then there is the mother who knew she was entrusted with the greatest gift of all... He would also make the greatest sacrifice one day (Luke 1:26-38).  

As women, God has given us the gift of motherhood, but it doesn’t come without sacrifice.  Like the Levite woman, Hannah, and Mary, we must surrender our children to God and put our trust in Him.  But God says, "Even if a giant grips the plunder and a tyrant holds my people prisoner, I'm the one who's on your side, defending your cause, rescuing your children” (Isaiah 49:25 message).  He’ll take care of them, like He did for the little infant floating in a basket.  

When we allow God to lead us in our motherhood role, He can use your obedience to prepare great leaders like Moses, who lead His people out of Egypt, and Samuel who became King of Israel.  And what became of Mary’s baby boy?  He gave His life for us and became sin, so that we can choose to live in Him.  Whatever the cost may be, whatever the sacrifice that may be required, we can know that God has a plan for our children and we can trust Him to accomplish what He wants to do through them.  

Moses, Samuel and Jesus all had mothers who have walked in your shoes, and in the shoes of those that are grieving because they have lost a child.  They know what it’s like to put their trust in their God, even when it means that they have to let go of their most precious gift, and allow God to use them to become something great for Him.  When Hannah brought her son to live in the House of the Lord, she prayed this prayer:

I'm bursting with God-news! I'm walking on air. I'm laughing at my rivals. I'm dancing my salvation. Nothing and no one is holy like God, no rock mountain like our God. Don't dare talk pretentiously— not a word of boasting, ever! For God knows what's going on.  He takes the measure of everything that happens.  The weapons of the strong are smashed to pieces, while the weak are infused with fresh strength. The well-fed are out begging in the streets for crusts, while the hungry are getting second helpings. The barren woman has a houseful of children, while the mother of many is bereft. God brings death and God brings life, brings down to the grave and raises up. God brings poverty and God brings wealth; he lowers, he also lifts up. He puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, Restoring dignity and respect to their lives— a place in the sun! For the very structures of earth are God's; he has laid out his operations on a firm foundation. He protectively cares for his faithful friends, step by step, but leaves the wicked to stumble in the dark.  No one makes it in this life by sheer muscle. God's enemies will be blasted out of the sky, crashed in a heap and burned. God will set things right all over the earth, he'll give strength to his king, he'll set his anointed on top of the world!

(1 Samuel 2:1-11message)

As we lift up a grieving nation in prayer, and remember our fallen soldiers as great men who served well, we can do as Hannah did.  We can dedicate our future leaders to God and rejoice, knowing that we can trust Him to “set HIS anointed on top of the world”.  

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” 

(Proverbs 3:5 ESV)

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Come To Me by Tamera Ford

Come To Me!

Can’t you just see it, Jesus was drawing huge crowds, people were trying to get close to him, and they were following him around just to hear what he had to say, the children must have been so curious!  Some parents wanted Jesus to pray for their little ones and as the children ran up to Jesus excited with hearts full of expectancy, the disciples stop them.

Imagine their faces? 

14 But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” 15 And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.

I love Jesus! He not only blessed the children, he taught everyone how important it is to come to him like little children. Not all every child would run up and jump in his lap, some would have been a bit shy, but excited and wanting to be near him all the same.

All God has, the kingdom of heaven, belongs to those who come to him expecting and excited, full of hope. Let’s not be so concerned about what people think, trying to be something that impresses others or pretend to be religious when we are not. Strip all that away and just go to Him. He loves us so much and wants to bless us, not just on Sunday or on the occasional Wednesday, everyday! 

Jesus had to say to the disciples, “don’t stop them!”

Maybe today he is saying to you, “ What’s stopping you?”

What is stopping you from running to Him with excitement and hope? Today is your day! Go on, run to him and allow him to touch your life. Spend a few moments at his feet, and like a little child, look up to him with expectation. He has something to say to you!

Say this, Lord I come to you today, casting aside all inhibitions and concern of what others may think. I love you and long to hear what you have to say to me.  Thank you for your word that directs my path. Thank you for blessing my life. Your love for me has set me free and I am thrilled to be called your child! In Jesus name, Amen!

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Can I Help You by Dawn White

Can I Help You?

Scripture:  Is. 6:8

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?”  And I said, “Here I am Lord, send me!”

Over the past several weeks, our teenagers have been gone quite a lot, sometimes for several days at a time.  This has given me a lot of individual time with our 6 year old daughter.  When it is just she and I at home, she sticks pretty close to my side.  As I’m doing household tasks such as cooking, cleaning, yard work, etc., I often hear these words from her – ‘Can I help you?’  If it is a task that’s suitable for her, I set her up to ‘help’ me.

As she begins helping me with the task, her commitment to the task is directly related to how much fun she thinks it is.  Once it becomes a little redundant or requires something she doesn’t want to do, her enthusiasm wanes.

Perhaps you know where I’m going with this.  We are often in the role that my daughter is in and God is the role of the parent.  I often find myself wanting to serve God and asking Him ‘Can I help you?’  Those words roll off my tongue very easily.  And yet, my commitment is really no different than that of my 6 year old. 

When the task or assignment He gives me is new and fresh, I have much excitement with it.  When the new wears off, my enthusiasm tends to wane.  And, if the assignment gets a little messy, or presents a ‘thorn in my side’, I begin to question if I heard the Lord correctly.  I will tell myself, ‘Surely God doesn’t want me to go through all this hassle.  I must not have heard correctly.’

But Jesus said in Mark 2:17 – “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Friends, it is the lost that we need to be reaching out to.  And because they are lost, the assignments sometimes get messy.  Let’s face it, sin is ugly, which means the assignments can be yucky!  But that’s who Jesus is focused on.  This doesn’t minimize His love or the importance of those who are already saved.  It simply means that now you are saved, it’s time to roll up your sleeves, get dirty, and go after those who are still lost.  They need to receive the touch of Jesus through us.

Let’s briefly go back to the scenario with my daughter.  Her words to me – ‘Can I help you?’ shed light on her perspective.  In her mind, she is genuinely helping me.  The reality is, I am able to accomplish the task, in most cases, without her help.  But it does bless her to ‘help’ me.  She does get some training in household tasks.  And, she feels good about herself knowing she has helped me.  

And so it is with God.  He is the creator of the universe and the author of life.  He hung the stars and the moon, created all animal and plant life, formed Adam from the dust of the earth, and formed Eve from Adam’s rib.  God doesn’t need us to accomplish the tasks before Him.  But He allows us to ‘help’ Him because it does train us, and it blesses us to know that we are helping the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

I recently read of a large church where an older gentleman attended.  The church building was absolutely beautiful and God was alive and moving in the services.  Every Sunday the older gentleman sat with tears streaming down his face through the service.  This went on service after service.  Finally someone in the church approached the man and asked him about his struggles.  The older gentleman shared a blueprint.  The blueprint was of the very church building the services were in.  You see, God had given this man the task, but for various reasons, he didn’t stick it out.  He quit when the going got rough.  As he attended services there, he realized that God had used someone else to accomplish the task.  His heart was broken and he struggled to move past the guilt.  He eventually did move on, but it was a tough mistake to get over.

Friends, God doesn’t need our help.  He allows us to help Him.  Why?  Because we receive the blessing.  But we have to be willing to ‘get dirty’ in some assignments.  It isn’t easy, but it is worth it!  I challenge you, when you hear the Lord asking, ‘Whom shall I send?’  Step up with ‘Here I am Lord, send me’ and be ready to stick it out through the good, the bad, and the ugly.  You will receive the blessing!

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Believe It Or Not by Dawn White

Believe It Or Not

Scripture:  Mark 11:24

24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Doesn’t this scripture make it sound like answered prayer is a piece of cake??  It’s pretty straight forward – ask for it, believe for it, and you’ve got it.  I can do the asking and the receiving just fine, it’s that middle step, the believing that trips me up.

This past week, I had a situation come up that caught me off guard.  I felt like I was being manipulated and undermined at the same time.  I called a prayer partner and asked for prayer, specifically that I would have wisdom in what to say and that I would handle the situation correctly.  As a faithful prayer partner should, this individual reminded me that I needed to ‘Let go and let God!’.  She reminded me that when we completely give it up, we are astonished at God’s perfect outcome.  

That’s what that middle step, believing, is all about.  I was crying out to God to move on my behalf, but then turning around and rehearsing in my head all the scenarios for how it could turn out.  Friends, that’s not believing that God is going to take care of it.  That’s believing He’s not capable and needs my help.  

When we truly believe that He is going to move for us, we pray and then wait for the outcome.  Every time the temptation comes to try to figure out the answer to the prayer, we need to resist that temptation and instead praise God that He is faithful and is working on it.

And, let me just tell you, from experience, it is much more peaceful to release it and let God take care of it.  As we rehearse and meditate on the situation in our minds, it becomes bigger, more stressful, and more exaggerated.  Before we know it, we are in a frenzy, which is not at all necessary.  The God of the universe is willing and able to take care of it for us.  The question is, will we let Him?

He gives us the formula:

Asking + Believing = Receiving

Remember, you’re believing that He will answer your cry for help, therefore you do not need to work out human solutions and possibilities.  Joyce Meyer says it very well – ‘Worry is nothing more than worshipping our ability to solve the problem.’  We all meditate on something, it can be the problem at hand, or it can be praising God for taking care of the problem at hand.

We recently sang a song a church that says it so well.  They lyrics are:

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,

How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er

Jesus, Jesus, precious 

Oh for grace to trust Him more.

He’s a big God, and He is THE Good God!  You can trust Him to work things out for the best.   Won’t you let Him prove that to you?  

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