Time for Judgment

Psalms 50:6

And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

I want to be a better person. I want to grow spiritually. I want to change. I want to walk in a new way. The only way to change, however, is to first acknowledge where I am.  What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? Where do I keep messing up over and over and over again? And most importantly, where do I stand in terms of my relationship with God?

I admit that in the morning, when the world is quiet, before the day has begun, that God is my refuge and strength. I declare that in the evening, after the day is over, my God and I have a reunion. But in the middle of the day, in the midst of the noise and confusion, work and kids... I struggle to maintain a strong, intimate relationship with God. I struggle to hold my peace in the face of challenges. I struggle to keep my ego in check. I struggle to lean not to my own understanding, even though I know for myself that God is the only way.

Now is the time for me to take a long, hard, courageously honest look at myself. It is time for introspection. I looked up the definition of introspection and it means the examination or observation of ones own mental and emotional processes. Synonyms are self analysis, self examination, reflections, and soul searching.  But how? How do I deep into the recesses of my soul? How do I examine what is right in my life and what needs changing? How do I give myself a spiritual check up to analyze if I am keeping God's commandments? That I am living within the framework of the covenant? 

Some people meditate.  Some people run. Some people go fishing. As for me, I write. 20 minutes of unedited, unadulterated, pure truth. 20 minutes of judging myself harshly, of being unashamedly real about where I have fallen short, messed up, hurt people, hurt myself.

And when I'm done, to bring myself back to center, I remember that God is judge himself. And that He is a forgiving God. Much more ready to forgive me than I am ready to forgive myself. He is a God of love, and He loves me unconditionally.  In spite of my shortcomings. This doesn't mean that I shouldn't work harder and strive to do better. It inspires me to mirror the love that God has shown me, and to be a reflection of His forgiveness in my daily walk. Today is the day that I will declare His righteousness, for God himself is judge. 

When is my change going to come?

Psalm 30:5 For his anger [endureth but] a moment; in his favour [is] life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy [cometh] in the morning.

This is one of the most frequently quoted verses in the Bible. It gives hope and encouragement to those in the midst of trials and tribulations. It reminds us that trouble won't last always. It inspires us to change our focus from tonight's weeping to tomorrow's joy.

But lets be honest. A "night" of weeping might last months or years. There is no biblical guarantee that we are only going to suffer for a mere 8 hours before our change comes.

We often think that we have dominion over time. We take for granted the fact that there are 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, 52 weeks in a year. We rely on that structure to schedule appointments and fill our days. We even know the exact moment every day that night turns into morning. 6:06 am today, to be exact.

It is that exact nicety that makes waiting patiently on the LORD such a delightful spiritual challenge in our day.

It forces us to stop asking the question, when will my change come. Because our time is not God's time. It's cliche, I know, but still sound doctrine.

Perhaps we should stop thinking of time in literal hours, and counting down the minutes until we are delivered from weeping into joy. What if we embraced our night of weeping as a phase, as a level of spirituality that we must experience before we are ready to cross over into morning, to attain higher spiritual heights.

Perhaps, while we are in the midst of a trying time, we strengthen ourselves with prayer and meditation. We feed our spirit with the Word of God. So that we are not just passively waiting on the LORD to turn night into day, but we are actively participating in our own transformation from weeping into joy.

A Peace that Passeth Understanding

Philippians 4:4-7

King James Version (KJV)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
⁵ Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Within the past couple of months, I have gone through a lot. I've seen the depths of medical depression, had financial conundrums, and most recently became engaged in a battle for custody of my children. In these faith-testing times, I really have found comfort in the Word. It honestly and truly has helped calm fears, renew strength and advise well.

The scripture I read today was given to me by my mother, who constantly reminds me to see God in everything. When I read the words, I felt totally refreshed. It really puts things into perspective.

• Rejoice in The Lord always- whether I am going into a new problem, right in the middle if a problem, or coming out of a problem, there is always something to be thankful for! Inhale. Exhale. Perfect reasons!
• Be careful for nothing- be concerned but don't worry! Don't be afraid of anything because God controls everything!
• Let your requests be known unto God- take your burdens to Him and leave them there!
• And the peace of God- when we acknowledge the presence of God in every and all situations, there is a peace that envelops you and causes all stress and strain to subside. It baffles the forces that wish to see you fail. It baffled me; even though on paper there are a lot of things that are awry, I am at peace. He didn't bring me to these "Jordans" to not let me cross over them. 

In the face of my mountains, I'm rejoicing! I'm singing! I'm smiling and dancing! I have received my gift of peace and I'm basking in it! It's mine and you can't take it! The good thing is God has some for you too :)

Walk Worthy

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

I've been struggling lately to articulate my calling. What is my vocation in the service of the LORD? What is my purpose in this life? What are my gifts? What are my talents? What makes me happiest? When do I feel most at peace?

As a child of God, I know that it is my duty to contribute to kingdom building. But how exactly I go about doing that remains to be seen.

Recently I unearthed an old copy of Iyanla Vanzant's One Day My Soul Just Opened Up. I was reading that book 10 years ago and making notations about my life's calling and my attempts to fulfill it. And here I am today, struggling with the same questions.

But before I wrote myself off as a failure, I remembered this: "Progress, not perfection". I don't know who said it, but it sure hits home for me. My spiritual journey has certainly not been a straight path. Sometimes I feel like I'm going in circles when it comes to walking worthy of my vocation because I'm not sure I know what my vocation is. But as the song goes, "When I look around and think things over, all of my good days, outweigh my bad days, I won't complain."

I'm closer today than I was yesterday. I'm stronger today than I was yesterday. I'm more convinced now than I was before that God has a job for me to do. And in the meantime... Until He's ready to reveal it to me, it's my job to walk worthy. It's my job to show the world what a child of God looks like: patient, humble, kind, always striving for peace.

Daily Word: Destined for Greatness

Job 33:4 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

If all your life, you were taught “You are destined for GREATNESS", how powerful and strong would you be?  Would there be any limit to how hard you worked or pushed yourself because failure was not an option, nor in your panoramic, conscious, or subconscious view?  Would you doubt your ability to succeed, be victorious, or triumph over any hurdle?  Would you allow anyone or anything to stand in between you, your God, your goals and your dreams? 

These are questions I often times ask myself as I journey along this path called life.  I believe that I am God’s creation and that a portion of His/Her spirit dwells within me but yet, I do not always believe in my ability …….. Nor trust that God will stand in the gap when I am at the end of my rope.   

During life we face obstacles known as trials, tribulations, hurt, pain, fear, doubt, insecurity, and the list can go on.  However, every time we are faced with adversity and challenges that seem impossible to overcome, we become doubtful in our ability to be a “survivor”. 

Elihu said to Job Gods servant “The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life”.  During this time, Job was at a low point in his life and Elihu wanted to remind him of his Creator.  He said to Job the same God you serve, I serve, and the same God who made me, also made you.  The spirit of God dwells within me but guess what Job, He also dwells within you too.  Let me personalize on this scripture to let you know that that same spirit of God dwells within you and I as well.   

Merriam Webster defines spirit as an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms. It defines life as a principle or force that is considered to underlie the distinctive quality of animate beings; the form or pattern of something existing in reality. 

This tells us that Gods is the primary source of our existence and His Spirit is a necessary component and the organ that brings forth life to this temple in which we reside.   GOD is GREAT, MIGHTY, POWERFUL, and OMNIPOTENT.  If God is our creator,  the very essence of your life is founded on the same greatness, might, power, and omnipotence.    It is the sustaining factor and the force in which you were created upon.

With a portion of God's spirit running through your vital organs, how can you be anything but GREAT?  Do you believe?  If you don’t know, I am telling you that from the day you were born God said, "My creation, you are Great. Believe in your ability and I will give you eternal peace. Strive to be all that you can be and I will give you the increase.  You are destined for GREATNESS my child, it is in your foundation and make up."  Trust and believe the only thing that lies ahead of you is your destiny which is field with GREATNESS. 

Lady A~

Silence

1 Corinthians 3:16:  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Sprit of God dwelleth in you?

Spirituality is a personal journey inside our individual temples to commune with the Spirit of God that dwells therein.  It is an inner path that strives to achieve a connection with God so that we can have a more comprehensive understanding of who we really are.  Striving toward increased spirituality, striving toward a stronger connection with God, requires us to block out the noise.  The noise of the world, the mundane, the literal, the trivial, the bills, the house, the car, the dog, the trials and tribulations, the limitations, the distractions, the enemy.  Make them silent.  Our challenge is to let all the earth keep silence while the LORD is in His holy temple so that we can connect with the Spirit of God that dwells within us. 

Daily Bread: Overwhelmed

"O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do:  but our eyes are upon thee."  2 Chronicles 20:12

Life can be really overwhelming if you allow it to be.  Thinking about family obligations, financial obligations, the future, the past and everything in between can leave you feeling weak, powerless, and overwhelmed.  This week my student loans really got to me, and I was frustrated and wishing it would all just go away.  But after a lovely and helpful talk with Lady A., I was reminded this trouble aint gonna last always.  You do what you can to address your problems, and what you can't do you turn over to God.  The truth is sometimes life's problems are more than we can handle.  If you are really powerless against your problems and really don't know what to do, keep your eyes on God.  He will direct your path.  He will order your steps.  He will lead you to a solution.  As a person of faith, I have to believe that there is nothing too big for my God to handle.  I know that is something that people say all the time, but I have to constantly remind myself that its true.  There is no financial situation that He can't handle.  There is no family situation that He can't take care of.  There is no health issue that He can't make better.  There is no breach that He can't repair.  There is no heartache that He can't mend.  Stay prayerful.  Stay peaceful.  And keep your eyes on Him.

Lady S.