Author Archives: Rhonda Barnes

Lay Down Your Paddle – It’s Transition Time

23 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by in Encouragement

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

IMG_0308About nine months ago, I posted the original version of this teaching. Recently I have been surrounded by transition as I have had an unexpected job change and my church is searching for a new pastor. Transition can be difficult, but it can also be essential to align our path with God’s plan.

Around the time of my original post, I heard the Lord say, “Stop paddling! Let Me take you in a flow you do not know!” This could mean many different things from a spiritual perspective, but let me try to articulate what it meant to me.

God has a plan and a destiny for each of our lives and for each corporate body. It is intertwined into a larger master plan He has established for His Kingdom purposes.  Sometimes we cannot see or understand this plan, so we doubt it exists.  Some are tempted to feel insignificant, insecure, and unneeded in this master plan.  Others sense the purpose and the destiny, but have difficulty navigating the course.  Often this is directly related to striving or in this analogy paddling.

Many times God will show you the beginning of your journey and a glimpse of the destination, but He usually leaves out the path in between the two. When progress does not seem to be happening as quickly as we feel it should, between the beginning of the journey and the destination, we often want to help God with His plan.

Look at the example below. The Lord showed Abraham the beginning of his journey and the promise of the future.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Genesis 12:1-4 NASU

If you know the whole story, Abraham did not wait patiently for God to make him a great nation, he agreed to his wife’s plan to help God and the result was a child named Ishmael. His promise was eventually fulfilled with Isaac, but the side plan has resulted in conflict that continues even today.  This shows that good intentions are not always God intentions!

Another great example of someone with good intentions was Martha. Martha had a servant’s heart.  She was trying to prepare a meal and make everything perfect for Jesus’ visit.  She was a worker trying to do the “right” thing.  Martha had good intentions, but what did Jesus think about them?

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 NASU

This is the best analogy I can find to explain the thought behind “Lay down your paddle!” I believe many individuals, many ministries, many churches, have good ideas but they are not always God ideas.  In this scenario, we labor and we toil, striving to put together all these elaborate plans and projects to bring people to Jesus, to help Christians to grow and mature, but often all this striving just keeps us in the kitchen with Martha!  Good intentions are not always God intentions.

I understand the need to plan; in fact, I am someone who tends to over-plan….I plan ahead – way ahead! When I have an opportunity to teach God’s Word, I always try to do my best to study and show myself approved (2 Timothy 2:15).  I generally plan more information than I can possibly share, but if at the last minute, the Holy Spirit directs me to go in a different flow, I have to be brave enough to lay down the paddle and let Him guide the course.  He knows the master plan better than I do!

When you have your day planned to the last minute, when we have our corporate services on an agenda, and the Holy Spirit interrupts the schedule because there is someone who has a need, will we lay down our paddle? Are our plan and our agenda more important than His are?

Giving up control is one of the most difficult things to do.

The small town where I reside has a sign, “Gateway to the Riverway, and is associated with canoeing on the Current River. I have personally floated parts of this river several times, but never without a paddle.  The thought of doing that stretches me to think about giving up my control to the plans God has for me – to realize that all of my good intentions are not necessarily His.

There are times on a river journey where the pace is fast, rough, and scary. Other times it seems like the water becomes stagnant the movement is so slow.  Try to remember that those moments are when the water runs deepest and the still waters create an atmosphere to hear better, and do not be tempted to pick up the paddle to move faster during this time.

I want to encourage you today to lay down your paddle, lay down your agenda, lay down your good plans and walk in God’s plan…..it is always the best course.  During transition you may be tempted to react or to run, but this is the time you must press into God and trust that His plan is a good one and He’s got you!

From the Pit to the Palace

24 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by in Encouragement

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

IMG_0291Have you ever felt like your dream would never come to fruition? I have been thinking about this very topic recently as I have been studying the story of Joseph from Genesis 37-47.  Joseph had two different literal dreams as a young man that his brothers would bow down to him.  These were not just “pizza dreams”; they were prophetic dreams that foretold his destiny that he was to fulfill.  However, his brothers despised him when he shared the dreams, which ultimately landed him in a pit.

Maybe you haven’t had a literal dream as Joseph did of the destiny you are to walk in, but you do have hopes and aspirations to fulfill the purposes God has for your life. If you have accepted the truth that He does have a plan for your life, then I hope that you are actively moving through each stage of this process.

Joseph definitely endured a difficult process.   After telling his brothers about the dream, they schemed to destroy him.  His first stop in the process was a pit where his brothers cast him to die.  Later they decided it would be better if they could make a profit on his demise, so they pulled him out of the pit and sold him as a slave.

Regardless of the bad things that happen to people, when God has a plan for your life, He will make you successful even when others cannot accept His favor on your life. Even though Joseph was sold as a slave, you can read below the passage about his success.

Genesis 39:2-6 NKJV

2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

As I stated earlier, the fulfillment of Joseph’s dream was a process. It did not end with this success.  He found himself in a situation where even though he did what was right, he was wrongfully accused and landed in prison for a crime he did not commit.  First, a pit, and now prison, this is where most people give up on the dream, but not Joseph!

Genesis 39:21-23 NKJV

21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

What is the dream God has but in your heart? In your natural mind that dream may seem as ridiculous as Joseph’s dream seemed to his brothers.  Perhaps you have experienced your own version of the pit and the prison on your way to the fulfillment of your dream.

The Bible doesn’t tell us about the feelings I am sure Joseph had to deal with during this difficult process. I am sure there were times that he felt so isolated and alone as no one seemed to understand the purpose God had put in his heart.  He had this unusual destiny locked inside of him that could not seem to find a way out.  I suspect that there were times when he questioned the validity of the dream, and wondered if he had misunderstood the message.  Since he seemed to find success wherever he was, even in prison, was he tempted to settle for a modified version of the dream? I wonder if he also struggled to maintain hope for fear of yet another disappointment.

Let me share the part of Joseph’s story that encourages me the most. His situation changed suddenly!  One day Pharaoh was desperate to have a troublesome dream interpreted.  Because Joseph had been faithful to his calling, even when he was in prison, he was recommended for the job.  This single event unlocked his destiny, the path to the Palace, and ultimately the fulfillment of his original dream.  This promotion allowed Joseph to fulfill a mightily calling on his life.  Look below at Joseph’s response when his brothers apologized for their actions.

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.                                                                 Gen 50:20 NASU

There may be many obstacles in your path between the dream and the fulfillment of the promise, but I want to encourage you today to let Joseph be an example that gives you hope. The pit and the prison did not prevent the promise; they prepared him to fulfill the calling he was created to do.  If God has given you a dream, stay faithful during the process and you will realize the promise. Today could be the day that suddenly happens for you too!

Creating an Atmosphere for Revival

05 Thursday May 2016

Posted by in Christian growth

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

IMG_0226Everyone loves a season of revival, but how do we experience this season? If I take a food recipe, add every ingredient just as directed, and follow every instruction, I can expect a specific outcome.  Unfortunately, I don’t believe there is an exact recipe for revival.  God chooses when and how He wants to reveal Himself to His children.  One thing we can do is create an atmosphere that is conducive for God to move in our midst.  This is not a formula or a recipe, but an opportunity for an appointment.

The definition of atmosphere is, “A surrounding influence or environment”. 1 This is simple to explain, but defining revival is not quite as easy.  I think we often equate “revival” to special services that are scheduled from time to time, but this is not what I am talking about.

For some, revival is literally bringing back to life; similar to the way you would revive a person who has stopped breathing, or one whose heart stopped beating. Some are dead to the things of God, and are living their life away from Him.  They are revived to life in Christ when they begin serving Him for the first time or they come back after being in a backslidden state.  A revival should be a time where we see the lost saved and the backslidden come home.

What is revival for Christians, those who are faithful to attend church, and practice the disciplines of faith? Consider this passage of Scripture.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NASU

16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Based on this passage, we could say that for the Christian, revival is a time of renewal. A time of renewed focus, rekindled passion, and revitalized energy to pursue the next place in God.  A season where there is movement from one state of glory to the next.  This passage says that we “are being transformed.” It is not a stagnant state and I believe a season of revival is a time to move from one state of glory to the next.

There is a familiar passage in Matthew where Jesus explains the parable of the sower. This parable is relating to people who receive the Word of God, but I also think this passage can be used to paint the picture I am talking about with revival.

Matthew 13:18-23 NASU

18″Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.  20 “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;  21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.  22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”  

The common element in all four of these examples was the seed. The seed did not change, but the ground where it was positioned did.  For this analogy, I want you to consider the seed as an opportunity for revival or renewal and let us consider the ground as the atmosphere.

In this parable we see that the ground, or in our analogy the atmosphere, can be hindered by many things. The enemy hindered the growth of the first seed.  That is because he hates revival, and will pull out every weapon in his arsenal to prevent a move of God.

The second seed in the parable was hindered by affliction and persecution, “because of the word”. It is common for those who are actively seeking revival to come under attack.  As I already stated, the enemy hates revival.

The third seed’s growth was hindered by worry, anxiety, cares of this world, and deceitfulness of wealth. All of these are distractions, and if we do not cast these cares over on the Lord, they will prevent us from having an atmosphere conducive for revival.

Jesus has provided the power for us to overcome all of these hindrances, and just as we can create good soil that is favorable for seed to grow, we can create an atmosphere that is conducive for revival or renewal.

The first thing we do to create that atmosphere for revival is to pray. The Bible says:

2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

History shows us that every significant revival was birthed with prayer.

The second thing that will shift the atmosphere is praise and worship!

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 AMP

13 And when the trumpeters and singers were joined in unison, making one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments for song and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever, then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud, 14 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

 You can shift the atmosphere with praise and worship as an individual, but look what happened when a corporate body joined in unison! The glory of the Lord filled the house so that the priest could not stand to minister!  That is what I call revival!

When the enemy comes to steal your seed, or the cares of life are pressing against you, or trials and tribulations are making you want to back up….just start praising and worshiping and you will see the atmosphere shift!

Look at this example when Paul and Silas are in prison:

Acts 16:25-30 NASU

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Again, that is what I call revival! Their prayer and their praise changed the atmosphere in this prison.  Chains were broken, and when these signs and wonders happened, the jailer wanted to know what he needed to do to be saved!

This is what we see in a season of revival, we see prisoners set free, we see chains broken, addictions broken, bad habits broken, negative mindsets broken, and we see people get saved!

The third thing that creates an atmosphere for revival is hunger or desperation.

Proverbs 16:26 The Message Bible

Appetite is an incentive to work; hunger makes you work all the harder.

This passage is basically saying people who are physically hungry have an incentive to work. Hunger, in the natural, will drive people to do things they might not otherwise do.  It should also be this way in the spiritual realm.  Our spiritual hunger for a move of God should drive us to dig deeper and do things we might not otherwise do, and it will move Him and will shift the atmosphere.

When Jesus gave the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, one of them was about hunger.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6 NASU

Hunger and desperation for a touch of God is powerful. There are so many examples in scripture of this, but one of my very favorites is Bartimaeus.

Luke 18:35-43 NASU

35 As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.

I love this man! He did not care what others thought or what they said, he was a desperate man.  When he realized the uproar of the crowd was a result of Jesus coming near, he was determined to take action.  He cried out with all his might, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

He was persistent. When he was told to be quiet, his response was to cry even louder, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Those around you may not understand your hunger and your desperation, these people didn’t understand Bartameus. I can just hear in my mind what he might have been thinking when those around him were telling him to be quiet. “It is easy for you to not be hungry for something, it is easy for you to not be desperate, but I haven’t seen everything I want to see yet!”

I feel the same way; I have not seen everything I want to see yet! I want my hunger and my desperation to reach heaven.  I want it to shift the atmosphere and bring revival in to this city, to this state and to our world!

The last thing that creates an atmosphere for revival is expectancy. After Jesus died on the cross and rose again, we read in Acts where He provided instructions to the believers.

3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

 Acts 1:3-5 NASU

If you continue reading in this passage, it tells us that Jesus ascended to heaven and they traveled back to Jerusalem where they went to the upper room. The Bible says that they were “All with one mind and were continually devoting themselves to prayer”. (Acts 1:14)

I believe that they went into that upper room with expectation. I believe, as they stayed unified in prayer they anticipated the very thing that Jesus had told them was promised.

 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

   Acts 2:1-4 NASU

I believe this group in this upper room created an atmosphere for revival. They prayed, they worshiped, they were hungry, they were expectant…, and SUDDENLY heaven appeared!

They did not know what this season of revival would look like. I am sure they did not expect it to be like it was, but it was powerful and it was from God.  The Bible says about three thousand were saved that day and, “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles”.  (Acts 2:43)

That is what I call revival!

While revival is difficult to define, it is something we must contend for. We can’t just follow a recipe and expect a specific outcome, but we can pray, praise and worship, be hungry, and expect a move of God, and we will create an atmosphere where He will do just that!

Will you join me? Will you contend with us to create an atmosphere that is conducive for revival?

As I close this teaching, I want to link you to a video to watch. When I was seeking God in prayer about this lesson, He gave me the title and the main points.  After that, this song that you can hear at this link began to play.

The song begins with the words, “The atmosphere is changing now”. Later I looked for the video of the song instead of just the audio.  Close to the end of the video, a small sprout begins to grow out of the ground.  What confirmation for me, when I had used the analogy of the seed and the atmosphere!  I believe if we are faithful, that we CAN create an atmosphere for God to move.  Watch the video at this link and be blessed.

 

  1. Atmosphere. 2016. In Merriam-Webster.com Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http//www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atmosphere

The Terminator

17 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by in Warfare

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

IMG_0189In this life, we face trials and tribulations. Have you ever felt like a big red target is painted on your back? Have you felt as if every possible weapon from hell was launched in your direction?

Today I want you to take a moment to consider why. I also want you to contemplate the possibility that the enemy can see your future.  He can see the destiny that God had in mind for you from the very beginning as you were being formed in your mother’s womb.

Not only do you have great potential to impact the Kingdom of God, but you have the opportunity to influence many other is your life positively to complete their divine destinies as well.

Ponder this question; is it possible that the relentless attacks against you are an effort to terminate your assignment?

In the world of entertainment, we see plots and themes play out before our eyes in movies and TV shows, which are not always realistic, but they are entertaining. One of those topics is time travel.  I remember years ago watching Michael J Fox play a character in the movies “Back to the Future”.  In this movie, he travels back in time to when his parents met.

There was another movie franchise, which also used time travel in its theme, called “The Terminator”. I didn’t actually watch these movies, but I did see some of the episodes when they made a TV show out of it and I know the basic story line.

I looked up the contents of the movie on Wikipedia so I could have the details correct. In this analogy, I want you to consider the young girl’s character, Sarah Conner.  In the first movie, which was released in 1984, she is a young single girl just living her life, when suddenly that reality is interrupted because a seemingly unstoppable cyborg assassin comes back from the year 2029, and is programmed to kill Sarah.  He is called the Terminator, and while he is a powerful machine, he appears to be human.

The reason Sarah is a target is because the child she will eventually give birth to is very important. In the future, there is an artificial intelligence defense network called Skynet who initiates a nuclear holocaust.  Sarah’s future son John is so important, because he is the one who leads the human group called the Resistance, who will eventually stop Skynet and its army of machines.

In the first of the five movies in this franchise, The Resistance sent back through time travel one of its best soldiers to help protect Sarah, which he does, but he loses his own life in the process. 1

In the second movie in the series, John, Sarah’s son is 10 years old. A second terminator, which is even more advanced and powerful than the original, was sent back from the future to try to kill Sarah’s son John.  A version of the original Terminator cyborg was reprogramed and sent back to protect Sarah and her son since the original human soldier was killed. 2

Without going into any more detail let me just say there are five movies in the franchise that show relentless efforts to destroy Sarah and her son John. Why?  Because these creatures come from the future and in the future, there is a clear understanding of how important these individuals are.

It wasn’t Sarah that saved the world; it was her son. Her son would never have existed without Sarah! He would never have existed had she not fought relentless battles to stay alive and then keep her son alive.

In the other movie series I mentioned earlier, “Back to the Future”, Michael J Fox’s character goes back in time and accidentally interrupts his mom meeting his dad. Which would mean in this new future, he didn’t exist.  He had to go back again and make that first kiss between his parents happen or everything changed.

If in this fictional movie one missed kiss made all the difference, how much more in real life does one missed opportunity cost? What is at stake if you do not complete your assignments?

Don’t tell me you don’t have assignments….we all have assignments. I may not have a Billy Graham or a Smith Wigglesworth assignment, but I do have a Rhonda Barnes assignment and all assignments are important! The question is will we say yes or will we allow our assignments to be terminated?

I want to consider a couple examples from Scripture. Let’s start in the Old Testament with the life of Moses. If you read the story of his life beginning in Exodus chapter 2, you will find that the king of Egypt directed that all Hebrew boys be killed.  Moses’ mother hid him for a few months, but when she knew she could not hide him any longer she put him in a basket in the Nile in hopes that Pharaoh’s daughter would find him and preserve his life.

Moses had a very important destiny to lead God’s children out from slavery and to the Promised Land. We see that his mother had to protect his life just like the fictional character Sarah Conners had to protect John.

Fast forward to the birth of Jesus. We read in Matthew 2:13 that not long after Jesus was born an angel appeared to Joseph and instructed him to flee with the child because Herod was seeking him in order to destroy him.  Do you see a common theme here?

The greater the assignment, the greater the battle!

I have only talked about the battle around their birth, how many attacks and challenges did both Moses and Jesus have to overcome to fulfill their assignments?

I don’t know if it is really like this, but I have seen on TV shows where all the officers gather before their shift and they review the top list of criminals they are looking for. In some cases, there are rewards for the worst of the worst.  They are looking for ways to bring those individuals down to stop the crime they are involved in.

I can just envision a morning meeting in hell similar to that. They target the children of God who have a negative impact on Hell’s agenda!  If we use the analogy of the movie, we are the “Resistance” fighting against “Skynet” whose single goal is to kill steal and destroy!

 Ephesians 6:10-14a NKJV

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (strategies) of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.   Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand….

When I say that the enemy comes with relentless attacks, those battles can come in many forms. It may be physical, financial, relational or many other examples.  If you are there, I want to encourage you today.  I previously stated, “The greater the assignment, the greater the battle, but you must also realize that the greater the battle the greater the victory!

Realize that these attacks from the enemy are strategic to stop you. You are not alone!  Let these battles make you more determined to find out what it is that the devil is so afraid of!  LIFT UP YOUR HEAD!  IF GOD IS FOR YOU, WHO CAN BE AGAINST YOU?  YOU’VE GOT THIS!!!! 

I hope you find some encouragement if you have had that target on you, to realize that there is a good reason. Hell is fighting you so hard, because you are important and the enemy realizes that!

One last thing I want to leave you with is a reminder of the equipment that is available to you for your battle. You can read about the armor of God in Ephesians 6.  Every piece of the armor is important, but I will only focus on a few at this time.  In a recent post, I shared about the helmet of salvation.  It is an essential piece of equipment to protect our minds….this is CRITICAL because many of the enemy attacks start in the mind.

I also want to point out your breastplate of righteousness. To illustrate the power of this protection I want you to visualize it as a bulletproof vest.  This piece of armor is meant to protect your heart and we put it on as we choose to live a life set apart for God.  Do you know why it is so important to protect your heart?

Obviously, your heartbeat is critical for life, but I want you to also think of it a different way. The things that hurt our heart can be the very things that take us out.  These attacks can come in the form of disappointment from unmet expectations.  They can also come in the form of offense and slander.  At times people say very hurtful things or sometimes our perception of actions can be all wrong but the result still hurts our heart.

That is why it is so important to have your helmet on to protect your mind and your breastplate in place to protect your heart. If while wearing a bulletproof vest, someone were to shoot me point blank, do you know what would happen?  It would knock me down, it would likely knock the breath out of me, it would definitely leave a significant bruise and it might break some ribs, but….I WOULD STILL LIVE!

There are times that the enemy assault might knock you down, knock the breath out of you, leave some bruises, or break your ribs, but HE CANNOT KEEP YOU DOWN IF YOU DO NOT ALLOW HIM TO! 

This is the place where you choose your response. Will you be pitiful, or will you be powerful?  The battle may feel horrible, and I am not making light of anyone’s pain, but you can choose to keep pressing forward regardless of the assault.

The last piece of armor I want to highlight is the shield of faith.

Ephesians 6:14-16 NKJV

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 

Notice how verse 16 reads in the Amplified Bible.

Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. 

IMG_0157I want you to view your shield of faith like this image.  More than just a forward shield, but as a covering. Our Shield of Faith is the piece of armor that I think we often struggle with.  We need to ask the Lord to strengthen our faith. This will allow us to have our breastplate on to protect our life, and also our shield in place to quench ALL the fiery darts of the evil one!

 

In closing, I want to leave you with these five statements. I hope you will say these to yourself often.

  1. I am important to God and to His kingdom.
  2. I have a destiny and I have assignments to complete.
  3. When the enemy assaults me relentlessly, I will recognize his strategies are to make me stop, give up, detour, or lose momentum, and I will not allow his tactics to prevail!
  4. I will keep my armor in place, which will provide me with everything I need to be successful against the wiles of the devil. NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME WILL PROSPER!
  5. I will seek God’s help to strengthen my faith so I can find a place to be shielded from the enemy assaults.

 

 

 

  1. The Terminator. 2016, in Wikipedia. Retrieved March 3, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terminator
  2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 2016 in Wikipedia. Retrieved March 3, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_2:_Judgment_Day

 

Storm Seasons

31 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by in Encouragement

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

IMG_0095I love the warmer days this time of the year brings, but along with the temperature change, we often are faced with threatening weather. It is during this season, our favorite TV shows are often interrupted with alerts telling us that a storm is near.

Some of the worst storms I have experienced have been while I was out on a lake. In my elementary years, my family enjoyed camping at the lake.  I was my dad’s fishing buddy when we were on these trips.  This particular lake had a history of bad storms.  I guess it had something to do with the landscape and the direction the wind typically came in. It seemed that even on a beautiful day, a horrific storm could blow in without warning.

One morning while my dad and I were fishing, one of those storms unexpectedly came up.  My dad knew I was a strong swimmer, but he was so frightened that he handed me a lifejacket and made me put it on.  We were in a small three-seat boat with stick steering in the front seat.  I remember vividly his stern voice.  He said, “I will drive along the bank and if we turn over, do not look back, just swim to the bank!” I had never seen my dad this concerned on the lake before.

The rain felt like needles as it penetrated my skin.  I hung on for dear life as we went over wave after wave thinking the water was going to come into the boat each time.  Then we came along a shore where a houseboat was able to bank safely to wait out the storm.  The men on this boat saw us and waved us over.  I remember getting inside the shelter of that boat, and feeling so relieved even though I was shivering from fear and being wet and cold.

My love of the lake and fishing continued into my adult life and my husband was thrilled that he married someone with this passion.  We too had many opportunities to weather storms on the lake through the years.  One particular storm stands out above all the rest because God gave me a wonderful message from the events of that day.

Our children had reached an age where they did not particularly want to get up early and go fishing with their parents. We had decided that they were old enough that it would be safe to allow them to stay in the locked camper alone at the campground.  My husband and I traveled up the lake about thirteen miles to the location where we planned to fish.  We had not been there long and suddenly we began to see lightning.  Even though we moved quickly to get our poles put away, we did not get the task completed before the wind and rain began to toss us back and forth.

We took off across the lake as fast as we safely could to get back to our children.  I was so concerned because this was the first time we had left them alone, and my daughter was very fearful during storms.  After about one mile of travel, the alarm on the motor began to sound.  Usually this meant that the fuel filter had clogged.  We knew we could not risk continuing to drive with it sounding, or the motor might be significantly damaged.  My husband stopped the boat and took the cover off the motor.  The waves were so high that the water was splashing into the boat.  He removed the filter to clean it and a big wave came over about that time causing him to drop the gasket covering the filter into the lake.  We were stranded!

The sweats that I wore to keep me warm on that summer morning going across the lake were now soaked, cold, and heavy.  I found myself feeling as vulnerable as I did as a small girl with my dad in the storm we survived.

We were floating helplessly across the water toward a rock bluff. Lightning was all around us.  I was praying desperately for God to intervene, and for my children to be safe.  My husband was frantically trying to come up with a temporary solution so we could start the motor.

As we eventually floated over to the rock wall, I was sitting on the side of the boat to prepare to kick us away as the waves pushed us toward it. I did not want our boat to be damaged by crashing into it.  I kicked us away one time and then we just began to float along the side of it.  While I was sitting on the side of the boat, I looked down and saw a ledge that came out significantly right below the surface of the water.  It was as if God just hid us in the cleft of that rock!  I was able to step out of the boat onto that ledge in ankle deep water even though this part of the lake was well over one hundred feet deep. I held the boat steady while my husband cut cardboard to form a temporary gasket for the fuel filter.

By the time he had successfully completed this task, the storm began to subside. We headed down the lake for our children.  When we arrived, they were still asleep and had not even known there was a storm!

While both of the storms I just described seemed to come suddenly, I am sure if access to the internet were available on phones as we have today, we would have known there was a forecast of those storms. Storms can be predicted, they just cannot be prevented.  There was ample warning and prediction that Hurricane Katrina was coming.  However, there was nothing that could be done to prevent the devastation that storm brought.

Jesus tried to prepare His disciples for storms. He was the great teacher and when His students failed their first test, He allowed them to take it again.  He wanted them to learn to have faith and not to doubt in the midst of storms.  Here is the first test.

 And after He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping.  And they went and awakened Him, saying, “Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing!” And He said to them, “Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness).  And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, “What kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

Matthew 8:23-27 Amplified Bible

Six chapters later, we see the second test.

Then He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent away the crowds.  And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone.  But the boat was by this time out on the sea, many furlongs [a furlong is one-eighth of a mile] distant from the land, beaten and tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them.  And in the fourth watch [between 3:00 — 6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, “It is a ghost!” And they screamed out with fright. But instantly He spoke to them, saying, “Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid!”  And Peter answered Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”  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?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat knelt and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”

Matthew 14:22-33 Amplified Bible

I believe we can see many important lessons about how to survive the storms of life in these passages. One critical lesson is that we must realize that He is with us in the storms, and He will never forsake us.  In the first example, Jesus allowed the disciples to experience the first test with Him literally by their side.  In the second test, Jesus directed them to go without Him. Not only was he seemingly absent during the first part of the storm, He did not come to their assistance until the fourth watch of the night. However, in both situations, He is teaching them to have faith and not doubt that He is with them.

I have heard people say that sometimes Jesus calms the storm, and sometimes He calms his children in the midst of the storm. When Jesus calmed both of these storms, the disciples were amazed by His power.  The solution seemed as sudden as the storm.  If you are walking through a storm season in your life, be assured that He is with you, He is all-powerful, and this season will not last forever.  When Jesus was teaching His disciples in John 16:33, He said, “I have told you all this, so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (NLT)

Our Infinite God!

09 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by in Christian growth

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

IMG_0141There have been moments in my life when I have stood on a sandy beach looking across a body of water with no visible end that I had an awareness of the vastness of my God. Recently during my devotional time, He has challenged me to realize that just as in His very nature He is infinite, so is His love for us and His power and anointing that is available to us.

Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?  They are higher than heaven— what can you do? Deeper than Sheol— what can you know?  Their measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.

Job 11:7-9 NKJV

A short time ago as I was meditating on this passage, I had my iPad in my lap and I just asked Siri to tell me the definition of infinite. She responded with this on my screen:

Infinite (adjective):  Limitless or endless in space, extent, or size, impossible to measure or calculate

  • Very great amount of degree
  • Greater than any assignable or countable number
  • (of a series) able to be continued indefinitely

Infinite (noun):   A space or quantity that is infinite

  • God

WOW! I didn’t expect that!  Even the on-line dictionary that Siri references equates infinity with God!  In contrast, as a human I do exhibit certain limitations. Elijah was a mighty Old Testament prophet, and we are told in James that he moved beyond his human limits through the power of faith and prayer.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours [with the same physical, mental, and spiritual limitations and shortcomings], and he prayed intensely for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its crops [as usual].

James 5:17-18 AMP

This passage speaks a powerful message! It tells me that while I may have human limitations, through prayer and the Holy Spirit Power we read about in 1 Corinthians 2:10, we can move from being humanly limited to accessing supernaturally power that is limitless and infinite!

For God has unveiled them and revealed them to us through the [Holy] Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things [diligently], even [sounding and measuring] the [profound] depths of God [the divine counsels and things far beyond human understanding].

1 Corinthians 2:10 AMP

Have you put God in a box? He is an infinite God!  He is limitless.  He is immeasurable!  He is indescribable and all powerful!  His love for you is endless, and His power available to you has no boundaries!

Elijah had the same human limitations that we exhibit, yet through prayer and faith he tapped the power of an infinite God! Can we live by his example?

In my mind’s eye I can visualize a green field with a white fence at the far end. As I move closer and closer to the fence, it continues to expand out and forward encouraging me to understand that through our infinite God, there is a place without borders.  He can enlarge our capacity and create in us exponential expansion if we will only believe!

12742503_1222594747768189_1842923712819265535_n

Day 7 Devotion: Changing Your Season – Part 2

06 Sunday Mar 2016

Posted by in Christian growth

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

IMG_0122

As we come to the end of the week of devotions, we read the last part of a two-day series written by  Pastor Trent Morgan.  This week I have been sharing the first 7 days of a 21 day devotional made available at Grace Community Church.  It was produced by Pastor Charissa Morgan and written by her and other co-laborers in her family in Christ. She shares that it is commonly thought to take 21 days to make or break a habit.  She is believing that this devotional will be the launching pad God uses in individual lives to catapult each one into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

If you are interested is seeing the remaining days of our 21 Day Devotional, you can pick up a copy at the church, or you can visit Grace Community Church Facebook page each day for the next two weeks where they will be posted following this link:  https://www.facebook.com/GraceCommunitySalem/

To learn more about our church visit our web page at gracecommunitysalem.org

Day 6: Changing Your Season – Part 2

By Pastor Trent Morgan

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9

Earth’s seasons; Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, are beyond human control. Instead, our bodies adapt to the season. We have family in the state of Florida. When they come and visit us, we could have a nice sunny day that we’re all wearing light jackets, while they’re dressed as if they’re in Alaska! Their bodies hadn’t had time to adapt to the environment. Within the sensory system of our body, we’re told to change or adapt to our surroundings.

The same is true when speaking of the inner person of your life. When the spiritual environment of your life begins to grow cold and weary due to the attacks of Satan, and that attack collides with your inner man, too often we collapse and adapt to whatever the spiritual environment is! I propose to you that we have the power within us to force the spiritual elements or season to adapt to who we are in Christ, instead of the other way around! In essence you have within you the power to create the seasons your spirit feels!

Matthew 5:9 gives insight to this when it says, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God”. Did you see the word peacemaker? This would suggest that the power of creation through Jesus Christ still works within us and is purposeful to change the season of depression, anger, hatred, sickness or the season of _________(fill in the blank) you have been living through. The Jesus in you can not only keep you safe from the elements of your problem, but He can cause the man or woman of faith to rise up and speak CHANGE to the elements you’ve been waking up in for too long!

Remember when Jesus spoke to the sea’s storm that was about to overtake the disciples? That’s the Jesus in you! And the storms that have robbed you of joy and peace, and the clouds that have kept you in the dark are about to find the brightness of Jesus breaking through! This penetration of light that pierces the darkness isn’t going to be from outside of you, it’s got to come from within you! Because greater is He that is IN YOU than he that is in the world! (1 John 4:4) Let Jesus change your season from the inside out!

Day 6 Devotion: Changing Your Season – Part 1

05 Saturday Mar 2016

Posted by in Christian growth

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

IMG_0121As we come to the end of the week, my last two posts are a two-part series written by  Pastor Trent Morgan.  This week I have been sharing the first 7 days of a 21 day devotional made available at Grace Community Church.  It was produced by Pastor Charissa Morgan and written by her and other co-laborers in her family in Christ. She shares that it is commonly thought to take 21 days to make or break a habit.  She is believing that this devotional will be the launching pad God uses in individual lives to catapult each one into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I pray you will enjoy the last two day’s insight from our Pastor.  If you are interested is seeing the remaining days of our 21 Day Devotional, you can pick up a copy at the church, or you can visit Grace Community Church Facebook page each day for the next two weeks where they will be posted following this link:  https://www.facebook.com/GraceCommunitySalem/

To learn more about our church visit our web page at gracecommunitysalem.org

Day 6: Changing Your Season – Part 1

By Pastor Trent Morgan

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”  Ecclesiastes 3:1 

The next eight verses continue on and say there is a time to be born, a time to plant, a time to heal, a time to build up, a time to laugh, a time to dance. A time to keep, a time to lose, a time to gather and a time to cast away…and so on. To everything there is a cycle. Some of which we have no control. Every October the leaves start to change color and the evenings become brisk. But by April, the flowers are budding again and the days are warming. It’s a pattern that since the creation of the world has kept in sync with itself. These patterns of the earth are uncontrollable by mankind. There is no machine that man could ever build that can stop the cycle of seasons that God created in the fabric of our world. Though this scripture references many of those natural seasons, it also speaks of life’s seasons. Today you may feel like you’re in the winter season. You’ve become dull to the feeling of God’s presence. You haven’t been able to find your drive to serve and love the way you feel you need to. You’re stuck between October and April with snow blowing through the front door of your life. But today, I want you to be encouraged! To everything there is a season and seasons don’t last forever! David said in Psalm 30:5b, “weeping (sorrow) may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” What you’re facing today doesn’t have to last forever! In fact, in tomorrow’s devotion you’ll discover just how you can see an accelerated change of seasons in your life!

Day 5 Devotion: Dare to Believe!

04 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by in Christian growth

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

IMG_0120

This week I have been sharing the first 7 days of a 21 day devotional made available at Grace Community Church.  It was produced by Pastor Charissa Morgan and written by her and other co-laborers in her family in Christ. She shares that it is commonly thought to take 21 days to make or break a habit.  She is believing that this devotional will be the launching pad God uses in individual lives to catapult each one into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I pray you will enjoy each day’s insight from different authors, and I am honored to have been given the opportunity to write the devotion for today and I hope it is a blessing to you.  You can go to the web page at  gracecommunitysalem.org to learn more about our amazing church family at Grace.

Day 5: Dare to Believe!

By Rhonda Barnes

There is a song that has been sung at our church for years with this title. It encourages us to believe that miracles still happen, healing is still available, and mountains still move! During Jesus’ short time of ministry on this earth, He performed more miracles, healed more people, and moved more spiritual mountains than could be recorded in Scripture. John 21:25 says, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.”

Miracles were not limited to Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament; we can also see many examples from the Old Testament. One example that I love is found in 1 Kings 17:8-22. In this passage, Elijah asks a widow for some bread and water. She tells him that all she has is a handful of flour and a little oil, which she plans to use to prepare her last meal for her and her son to eat before they die of starvation. Elijah tells her not to be afraid, but to go home and first make a small cake of bread of him, and then make one for her and her son. After her obedience she is told by the prophet that, “The jar of flour will not be used up and jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.” This is how it was! The needs and misery of this poor widow were not insignificant to God. He sent Elijah to strengthen her faith and to provide for her needs. The widow’s faith in God and His Word through the prophet led her to exchange the CERTAIN for the UNCERTAIN, the SEEN for the UNSEEN! Her faith was strengthened to dare to believe!

If you keep reading in this passage, you will learn that at some point after this miracle, the woman’s son became ill and died. She dared to believe that if God could spare their lives once he could do it again. She calls for the prophet to believe with her and the Bible tells us that Elijah prayed 3 times and life came back to the boy. Elijah didn’t stop believing after one prayer, he was persistent. Don’t give up! Regardless of how big the miracle is that you need continue to DARE TO BELIEVE!

Day 4 Devotion: Don’t Settle!

03 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by in Christian growth

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

IMG_0119

This week I have been sharing the first 7 days of a 21 day devotional made available at Grace Community Church.  It was produced by Pastor Charissa Morgan and written by her and other co-laborers in her family in Christ. She shares that it is commonly thought to take 21 days to make or break a habit.  She is believing that this devotional will be the launching pad God uses in individual lives to catapult each one into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I pray you will enjoy each day’s insight from different authors.  You can go to the web page at  gracecommunitysalem.org to learn more about our amazing church family at Grace.

Day 4: Don’t Settle!

By Christa Barnes

In Ruth, chapters 1-4, we read of Ruth’s love story with Boaz, which parallels our relationship with our Lord on so many levels. Ruth entered the homeland of her mother-in-law, Naomi, as a foreigner. As a widow trying to survive, Ruth asked to glean behind the harvesters in the barley fields. Boaz, the owner of the field, went to his young men and graciously ordered them to let Ruth glean among the sheaves—that is, right where they were working and where the pickings would be the easiest. He even told them to subtly drop handfuls of grain where she could find them.  Ruth could have settled at that point. She went home with more than enough and would have been allowed to continue to glean…but it eventually dawned on her that there could be so much more!!! Ruth went against socially accepted norms of the times, seeking out Boaz in the middle of the night, and planting herself at his feet to show her commitment and desire for a deeper relationship with him. Because of this, instead of filling her pockets with mere seeds day after day, she moved from GLEANER to OWNER when Boaz married her!

Let’s follow Ruth’s lead. We, too, are foreigners that have been accepted and allowed to partake of the bounty of the land, thanks to the generosity of the landowner. Titus 3:4, 6-7 says, “But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared…Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs.” Although we have no entitlement or expectation of fair and equal treatment, at His invitation and His redemptive work at the Cross, we have been given much more than we deserve; we could settle as “gleaners” of the spiritual realm…running from service to service, trying to pick up seeds to fill our pockets and just surviving…but, if we’ll position ourselves at His feet and desire deeper, we will enrich our spiritual inheritance to a level beyond our wildest dreams! Don’t settle!!