In high school, we had to take swimming in order to graduate. I can remember my swimming coach, telling me, "Carmen, you will not drown with that life jacket on"....yeah right as I mumbled to myself. Nonetheless, it was the coach's job to get me safely to the other side of the pool. But my fear would not let me move, panic sat in and negative thoughts swirled my mind.
The echo of the coach's words ring in my mind to this day....." I am not going to let you drown, trust me". In a sense, God has repeated those same words over to us more times than we can count. Unfortunately our carnal mind allows, fear to seep in and keep us from doing all that God wants us to do.
In the story with Peter, he saw Jesus from afar off, he knew it was Jesus and not a ghost, he wanted to be able to walk on the water, just like the Master. Yet a hard reality settled in as he began to take his eyes off of Jesus and onto the howling winds and the waves that were forming around him. Walking on water seemed easy until Peter's focus shifted!
We all have been guilty of letting our focus shift onto something more attractive UNTIL the WINDS and the WAVES start to crash in our life. At that point, code red, blue, green and yellow are being yelled out for HELP! Matthew's account says that after Peter recognized that it was Jesus walking on water and not a ghost, he asked Jesus to allow him to walk towards him. "He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]. Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Matt. 14:29-31
First of off all Peter had to recognize from the beginning that he could not walk on the water without the help of Jesus. Right? Right! He asked for permission, so he already had the mindset that things were going to be alright. Next he was focused on Jesus until his surroundings became shaky. Faith will cause you to walk in the unknown. It is in that unknown territory that our Faith goes under attack, questioning us if we really heard what God said. (JUST THINK ON THAT). After taking his eyes off of the goal, fear of (you can fill in the blank) failure, lack of assurance, control, just to name a few set in set in. I am sure fear started saying you are not going to make, you are going to drown, just give up and quit.
At the point when it looked like he was going to drown from his own fears, help arrives. Just as he began to loose his footing, Jesus reaches his hand out and helps him. AMAZING, Peter, Peter, Peter.....Did you not notice that you were so close. In fact you were almost there! I like how Jesus tells him "O you of little faith, why did you doubt? "Matt. 14:31b In other words, look Peter you have been with me for a long time, you have seen me perform miracle after miracle. Why are you doubting me now?
It is the same way in our life, we have watched God do miraculous works, yet at the time of our storm, we suppress in our minds, what he has done, what challenges he has helped us to overcome. The next time you feel like fear is taking over, start speaking to your storms, waves and winds, not only tell them "Peace be still", but let your storm know, that when I call on God his hand is nearby to save me! I am a CHAMPION, it has been declared that I will live a VICTORIOUS life, my Jesus is not dead, but he has risen with all power. AND if he brought me through the last trial, you better believe he will bring me through this one!
There is no storm too big, that God can not save you from! Keep the FAITH!
Additional Scriptures: Isaiah 41:10,13;65:21,Matthew 14:22-33
Monday, September 6, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
This is only a TEST!
2 Samuel 22:4 “I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.”
Do you recognize this sound and message….. We interrupt this regularly scheduled broadcast to announce an important message: (BEEEEEEEEEEEP) "If this had been an actual emergency, you would have been instructed to tune to one of the broadcast stations in your area." Sometimes in our spiritual life we hear this message, we interrupt YOUR regular schedule plans to bring you a test. As we hear this sound we often prepare for the worse, but do not panic! “A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 HCSB
Just as the alert goes out our Spirit takes note that something different is occurring. I am often intrigued by the use of signals and signs by athletic coaches. They come up with different signals for plays so that the opposing team will not understand what they are doing. Have you ever been traveling down the highway and you lose your radio station and another station starts playing? That is what happens when the test occurs our earthly language no longer works and our spiritual language begins utterance of praise to God. This sets off an alert in the enemies’ camp, he is receiving a mixed signal. What the enemy once thought was fear from you is now recognized as your praise.
The enemy does not understand your praise, he becomes confused. He based his prerequisites on your past actions, he thought you were weak, going to lose your mind, and that you would give up. He did not know about your secret weapon….YOUR PRAISE. As you endure through the test, your praise will allow your faith to increase, while self decreases. As God strengthens you and you continue to praise him, it sets off hysteria in the enemies’ camp. As the walls of your test starts collapsing around you because of your praise to God, the enemy starts backing off. He now understands that this test will not kill you, it only made you stronger and closer to God. Your attention has shifted it, is no longer on the test or your regular scheduled plans but it is now more focused on God. Your praise is your weapon of destroying the enemy. David understood that in order to get to the secret place and hear the next instruction he had to praise and worship God. The battle with the enemy is not with guns, knives or sticks but it will be won by using your voice, your praise!
Lord thank you for giving us a weapon to use that destroys the enemy, thank you for PRAISE!
Additional Scriptures: 2 Samuel 22:4; Psalms 18; 21:11,34; 37:40; 50:23; 68:1; 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Do you recognize this sound and message….. We interrupt this regularly scheduled broadcast to announce an important message: (BEEEEEEEEEEEP) "If this had been an actual emergency, you would have been instructed to tune to one of the broadcast stations in your area." Sometimes in our spiritual life we hear this message, we interrupt YOUR regular schedule plans to bring you a test. As we hear this sound we often prepare for the worse, but do not panic! “A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 HCSB
Just as the alert goes out our Spirit takes note that something different is occurring. I am often intrigued by the use of signals and signs by athletic coaches. They come up with different signals for plays so that the opposing team will not understand what they are doing. Have you ever been traveling down the highway and you lose your radio station and another station starts playing? That is what happens when the test occurs our earthly language no longer works and our spiritual language begins utterance of praise to God. This sets off an alert in the enemies’ camp, he is receiving a mixed signal. What the enemy once thought was fear from you is now recognized as your praise.
The enemy does not understand your praise, he becomes confused. He based his prerequisites on your past actions, he thought you were weak, going to lose your mind, and that you would give up. He did not know about your secret weapon….YOUR PRAISE. As you endure through the test, your praise will allow your faith to increase, while self decreases. As God strengthens you and you continue to praise him, it sets off hysteria in the enemies’ camp. As the walls of your test starts collapsing around you because of your praise to God, the enemy starts backing off. He now understands that this test will not kill you, it only made you stronger and closer to God. Your attention has shifted it, is no longer on the test or your regular scheduled plans but it is now more focused on God. Your praise is your weapon of destroying the enemy. David understood that in order to get to the secret place and hear the next instruction he had to praise and worship God. The battle with the enemy is not with guns, knives or sticks but it will be won by using your voice, your praise!
Lord thank you for giving us a weapon to use that destroys the enemy, thank you for PRAISE!
Additional Scriptures: 2 Samuel 22:4; Psalms 18; 21:11,34; 37:40; 50:23; 68:1; 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
Monday, August 23, 2010
Don't Count Me OUT! I am a CHAMPION!
From the time we are able to communicate with the world, people ask us "what is your name and what do you want to be when you grow up?" I can recall saying my name is Carmen and I want to be a truck driver. You could have heard a pin drop! Ironically those same words follow us to our adult life. Now instead of asking what is your name, they want to know more about where you came from, where are you heading, what credentials do you have, and oh by the way do you want to be a giant slayer?
In high school I was assigned a book to read. I took one look at the text and thought, "hmm, I can purchase cliff notes and find out everything there is to know about the story in less than one day." That literally, had to be one of the worst mistakes I ever made. A few weeks later, my English teacher gave the test and all of the self confidence I had, was now out the window. The questions were hard and it was nothing that I read from the cliff notes. A preconceived notion.
David the youngest son of Jesse was anointed by Samuel. "Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." (I Sam. 16:12b) Little did David know his anointing was about to destroy a giant. We have heard the story before, Goliath a 9ft tall Philistine who for forty days yells threats at the Israelites. Amazingly every one was scared of Goliath, because of his size. Fear will cause you to run away from your problems that you are facing, but Faith in God will cause you to face what has scared everyone else. David inquires from the others about Goliath and what will be given to the one who destroys him.
The destiny of David is about to be on display for the whole world to see. David's oldest brother was unhappy that David was there and that he was asking questions. Hearing of the inquires, Saul wanted to meet David, just one look and Saul thought that David would not be able to pull off a victory against Goliath. He even told David, "look, Goliath has been fighting since a young man" (paraphrased I Sam. 17:33 NIV). Fear of others will cause them to speak doubt. Saul only looked at David's outer appearance he did not know what he was anointed to do. There are times when God will hide who you are and what you are capable of doing for him until it is time to face the giant. At the end of the story we see that David faced the giant and used what he knew would help him win, he didn't rely on another's faith or weapons. He used what had been given to him. The next time you are faced with a giant, remember that you were anointed for the battle. God will use what's inside of you!
Sometimes we are too busy trying to size up people based on bias information or preconceived notions. Some people read books others read cliff notes, question is do we know the difference? If David, would have listened to people he would have never faced his giant and walked away with the VICTORY! Champions you don't have...to prove who you are to people, GOD anointed you to slay your giants! VICTORY IS YOURS!
Scripture references can be found in I Samuel 16 & 17 chapters.
In high school I was assigned a book to read. I took one look at the text and thought, "hmm, I can purchase cliff notes and find out everything there is to know about the story in less than one day." That literally, had to be one of the worst mistakes I ever made. A few weeks later, my English teacher gave the test and all of the self confidence I had, was now out the window. The questions were hard and it was nothing that I read from the cliff notes. A preconceived notion.
David the youngest son of Jesse was anointed by Samuel. "Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." (I Sam. 16:12b) Little did David know his anointing was about to destroy a giant. We have heard the story before, Goliath a 9ft tall Philistine who for forty days yells threats at the Israelites. Amazingly every one was scared of Goliath, because of his size. Fear will cause you to run away from your problems that you are facing, but Faith in God will cause you to face what has scared everyone else. David inquires from the others about Goliath and what will be given to the one who destroys him.
The destiny of David is about to be on display for the whole world to see. David's oldest brother was unhappy that David was there and that he was asking questions. Hearing of the inquires, Saul wanted to meet David, just one look and Saul thought that David would not be able to pull off a victory against Goliath. He even told David, "look, Goliath has been fighting since a young man" (paraphrased I Sam. 17:33 NIV). Fear of others will cause them to speak doubt. Saul only looked at David's outer appearance he did not know what he was anointed to do. There are times when God will hide who you are and what you are capable of doing for him until it is time to face the giant. At the end of the story we see that David faced the giant and used what he knew would help him win, he didn't rely on another's faith or weapons. He used what had been given to him. The next time you are faced with a giant, remember that you were anointed for the battle. God will use what's inside of you!
Sometimes we are too busy trying to size up people based on bias information or preconceived notions. Some people read books others read cliff notes, question is do we know the difference? If David, would have listened to people he would have never faced his giant and walked away with the VICTORY! Champions you don't have...to prove who you are to people, GOD anointed you to slay your giants! VICTORY IS YOURS!
Scripture references can be found in I Samuel 16 & 17 chapters.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Dream on Champion! Part 1
You know when you are younger, you dreamed unexplainable things! As a young girl I dreamed that I would one day marry Prince Charming, he would sweep me off of my feet and take me to the countryside, where we would have a house on a hill surrounded by a white picket fence. It would be at that residence where we would start our family and the rest would be history.......
Fast forward 30+ years later and yes I married my Prince Charming, we had children, but we never made it to the countryside, instead we moved to the city. Talk about how things can change in a moment!
In Genesis 37 we are introduced to a 17 year old young man whose name is Joseph, son of Jacob and they resided in the land of Canaan. Joseph had a dream that his family would one day bow down to him as he would be their ruler. Needless to say the brothers didn't like that idea. So they schemed a plan to get rid of him and for the first couple of years it worked! What they did not realize is that God had favor over Joseph's life.
Joseph was probably emotionless, heart broken and lifeless by the act of his brothers. I don't even think he could have possibly felt like he was going to survive the first of many pits. His first pit didn't look like LIFE, but death. The Bible actually calls it a cistern, in those times the average size was 15 to 20 feet deep, with a 2 to 3 foot opening. What do you do when others throw you in the pit and leave you?
His dream turn into a nightmare within a matter of days. You see you can dream, but you must be careful who you release your dream too! Even the ones that were closest to Joseph didn't understand him....they were dream killers! But God had a plan.....
First thing to remember: always keep your dream alive, keep it close to your heart. When it seems and feels like it's not going to work, and it feels more like failure, hold on to the promise. It's not permitted to kill you, but to GROW you. The action done by others is working out in your favor.
The pit may seem lonely, dark and cold, but you have someone there with you...God is orchestrating your next move, he is preparing you for victory. We know all things work together for our good (Rom. 8:28), it doesn't always feel good, but it is producing a Champion! I encourage you to stir up the gift that is within you (2 Tim. 1:6). Don't let others kill your dreams!
The pit is not permanent, it can not keep you down but for a moment, it is your stepping stone to victory. The vision will come to pass! (Habakkuk 2:3) Hold on CHAMPIONS!! VICTORY BELONGS TO YOU!
Fast forward 30+ years later and yes I married my Prince Charming, we had children, but we never made it to the countryside, instead we moved to the city. Talk about how things can change in a moment!
In Genesis 37 we are introduced to a 17 year old young man whose name is Joseph, son of Jacob and they resided in the land of Canaan. Joseph had a dream that his family would one day bow down to him as he would be their ruler. Needless to say the brothers didn't like that idea. So they schemed a plan to get rid of him and for the first couple of years it worked! What they did not realize is that God had favor over Joseph's life.
Joseph was probably emotionless, heart broken and lifeless by the act of his brothers. I don't even think he could have possibly felt like he was going to survive the first of many pits. His first pit didn't look like LIFE, but death. The Bible actually calls it a cistern, in those times the average size was 15 to 20 feet deep, with a 2 to 3 foot opening. What do you do when others throw you in the pit and leave you?
His dream turn into a nightmare within a matter of days. You see you can dream, but you must be careful who you release your dream too! Even the ones that were closest to Joseph didn't understand him....they were dream killers! But God had a plan.....
First thing to remember: always keep your dream alive, keep it close to your heart. When it seems and feels like it's not going to work, and it feels more like failure, hold on to the promise. It's not permitted to kill you, but to GROW you. The action done by others is working out in your favor.
The pit may seem lonely, dark and cold, but you have someone there with you...God is orchestrating your next move, he is preparing you for victory. We know all things work together for our good (Rom. 8:28), it doesn't always feel good, but it is producing a Champion! I encourage you to stir up the gift that is within you (2 Tim. 1:6). Don't let others kill your dreams!
The pit is not permanent, it can not keep you down but for a moment, it is your stepping stone to victory. The vision will come to pass! (Habakkuk 2:3) Hold on CHAMPIONS!! VICTORY BELONGS TO YOU!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
VICTORY!
As a child I was not the "athletic" type....my thing was books, making cool science projects, running for office in student government, so therefore I didn't know what my level of physical endurance would be until I became older and implemented a workout regimen.
Being a Christian, I certainly didn't know what my "spiritual endurance" would be until I began going through "storms" of life. Wow, I can recall early on in my walk with God.....it was hard, I wanted to give up, throw in the towel and forget about the test, my mentality was just give me an F because I am failing. My carnal mind was not putting my trust in God, who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith. I tried to fight the battles on my own! Boy, was that the wrong thing to do.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us " For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Too many times when I was in the battle, my flesh had me looking at who was against me, instead of what spirit lies within that situation. Finally, I wanted to just quit, throw in the towel. Crying out to God, I began seeking more of him. Each speed bump, hiccup or hurdle that I faced, was different and hurt even the more. I can imagine how I looked sweat beating against the brow, panting hard, losing my breath and at the point where the ropes couldn't hold me up, I was down for the count as a matter of fact, the countdown by the refree had already begun. But God had a different plan, he never intended for me to run from my problems, instead of me throwing up the white flag, he wanted me to throw my hands up and surrender to him.
God wants to fight our battles, he doesn't want us to hold on to them and harbor unforgiveness, lose our sense of joy and more importantly lose sight of what he has prepared for us. Sometimes the look and smell of victory is at what appears to be the point of defeat. But just when you were ready to throw in the white towel, GOD steps in and says....."I have this, I am turning this around for your good!" The battle is not yours it belongs to GOD! What was trying to defeat you has been defeated by God.....he has crushed the enemy on your behalf! VICTORY BELONGS TO YOU!
Reference Scriptures: Psalms 21:11, II Chronicles 20:15,Ephesians 1:11, Ephesians 6:12, II Corinthians 10:3
Being a Christian, I certainly didn't know what my "spiritual endurance" would be until I began going through "storms" of life. Wow, I can recall early on in my walk with God.....it was hard, I wanted to give up, throw in the towel and forget about the test, my mentality was just give me an F because I am failing. My carnal mind was not putting my trust in God, who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith. I tried to fight the battles on my own! Boy, was that the wrong thing to do.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us " For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Too many times when I was in the battle, my flesh had me looking at who was against me, instead of what spirit lies within that situation. Finally, I wanted to just quit, throw in the towel. Crying out to God, I began seeking more of him. Each speed bump, hiccup or hurdle that I faced, was different and hurt even the more. I can imagine how I looked sweat beating against the brow, panting hard, losing my breath and at the point where the ropes couldn't hold me up, I was down for the count as a matter of fact, the countdown by the refree had already begun. But God had a different plan, he never intended for me to run from my problems, instead of me throwing up the white flag, he wanted me to throw my hands up and surrender to him.
God wants to fight our battles, he doesn't want us to hold on to them and harbor unforgiveness, lose our sense of joy and more importantly lose sight of what he has prepared for us. Sometimes the look and smell of victory is at what appears to be the point of defeat. But just when you were ready to throw in the white towel, GOD steps in and says....."I have this, I am turning this around for your good!" The battle is not yours it belongs to GOD! What was trying to defeat you has been defeated by God.....he has crushed the enemy on your behalf! VICTORY BELONGS TO YOU!
Reference Scriptures: Psalms 21:11, II Chronicles 20:15,Ephesians 1:11, Ephesians 6:12, II Corinthians 10:3
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Getting Out Of The Past!
Ever had one of those days when you thought about something you did as a child? Like riding your bike on a hot summer day and you tried to do a trick in front of your friends and it didn't work, or when you fell down at the skating rink, were you embarrassed when you fell? Did you get back up? Of course you did, you laughed, brushed yourself off and kept on trucking.
Somehow along the roads of life, we have forgotten that principle of getting back up and we have held condemnation over the heads of others. Even in our weakest moments, we have had the opportunity to be forgiven. Yet, we play games with the minds of others, by making them feel inferior and that they will always be that "same old person." Ps. 32:1 "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." We can not dangle a person's past over their head. For the believer we must extend our hand to help those that may have fallen. True we should not be a crutch for them, but an extension (witness) of God's saving grace.
The greatest moment in any one's life is the opportunity to use their setback as a come back. God gets the glory when we realize that we have overcome and are willing to share our testimony with others. After all how did we hear about the gospel other than when someone shared their encounter with us. We overcome by the word of our testimony (paraphrased Revelation 12:11) "Though a righteous man falls seven times, he will get up..." Proverbs 24:16a The bigger question is are you willing to help or hurt those in need. I choose to HELP!
Champions, you have a challenge....today, this week, this month and this year. Help someone else along the way. It's not about you although you are fearfully and wonderfully made, it's about God......he doesn't give us dead ends, but glorious new beginnings. Challenge the CHAMPION in you to become a better you in your home, church, community, on the job, and in school.
CHAMPIONS, VICTORY BELONGS TO YOU!!
The greatest moment in any one's life is the opportunity to use their setback as a come back. God gets the glory when we realize that we have overcome and are willing to share our testimony with others. After all how did we hear about the gospel other than when someone shared their encounter with us. We overcome by the word of our testimony (paraphrased Revelation 12:11) "Though a righteous man falls seven times, he will get up..." Proverbs 24:16a The bigger question is are you willing to help or hurt those in need. I choose to HELP!
Champions, you have a challenge....today, this week, this month and this year. Help someone else along the way. It's not about you although you are fearfully and wonderfully made, it's about God......he doesn't give us dead ends, but glorious new beginnings. Challenge the CHAMPION in you to become a better you in your home, church, community, on the job, and in school.
CHAMPIONS, VICTORY BELONGS TO YOU!!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
If looks could kill!
Recently, I spoke to a young man who said he stopped going to his mother's church because people knew what he used to do and they frowned upon him when he would come in to the church. I could tell he was very uncomfortable and hurt by what happened...he shook his head and further states "I am not that old person!" When will the "church" see that we are sending more people away from God! Our looks and words could cause someone who is not strong in the Lord to go back to the familiar things in life. We can't continue to look at the outer appearance, when God is looking at the heart.
For some, this would not have been a problem, they would have just blown it off, but for Dirk, it was a problem and the look in his eyes told the story! When the woman who was caught in the very act was brought before Jesus, Jesus without even looking at the accusers said..."He with out sin let him cast the first stone", then he replied to the woman, "where are your accusers, she said, "there is none" and Jesus said "neither do I condemn you go and from now on sin no more" (John 8:7-11)ESV
Romans 2:11 says "For God does not show favoritism" Not only did salvation come to the woman caught in the act, but to the young man, me and you. Sin is what it is and it separates us from God, but don't let religion and our views keep others separated from God.
My prayer for Dirk and others, "Lord, forgive us if we have turned our nose up or frowned at others who have come to the local churches, don't let our emotions, thoughts and words discourage any believer, we believe that you died for all of our sins and through your death we can live again. Thank you for giving us a second chance to get it right! In Jesus Name, Amen!
For some, this would not have been a problem, they would have just blown it off, but for Dirk, it was a problem and the look in his eyes told the story! When the woman who was caught in the very act was brought before Jesus, Jesus without even looking at the accusers said..."He with out sin let him cast the first stone", then he replied to the woman, "where are your accusers, she said, "there is none" and Jesus said "neither do I condemn you go and from now on sin no more" (John 8:7-11)ESV
Romans 2:11 says "For God does not show favoritism" Not only did salvation come to the woman caught in the act, but to the young man, me and you. Sin is what it is and it separates us from God, but don't let religion and our views keep others separated from God.
My prayer for Dirk and others, "Lord, forgive us if we have turned our nose up or frowned at others who have come to the local churches, don't let our emotions, thoughts and words discourage any believer, we believe that you died for all of our sins and through your death we can live again. Thank you for giving us a second chance to get it right! In Jesus Name, Amen!
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