Archives for June 2018

Focus Verse: Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!” 2 Kings 4:16 (NKJV)

Have you ever been in a place where God consistently confirmed His plan for your life but, because you had grown tired of waiting, at times you felt like saying, “you know what God, nevermind, it’s fine”? Not because you didn’t believe, but because you were just tired. Tired of waiting. Tired of believing. Tired of consistently seeing things that were different from what God said. Well be encouraged because you are in good company, let’s look at the story of the Shunammite woman.

2 Kings 4 tells us the story of the Shunammite woman. A woman much like many of us trusting and believing God but at one point she got weary. As we look at 2 Kings 4, we see that the Shunammite woman was truly a disciple of God and was concerned about building God’s kingdom by serving the man of God, Elisha.

At one point it was her heart’s desire to have a child but after waiting and believing for so long, she had retired that desire. But God said otherwise.

After Elisha recognized that the Shunammite woman had done so much to help them, he wanted to do something for her. Gehazi told Elisha that she has never had a child, so Gehazi wanted to bless her.

But the response that Elisha got when he told her that she would have a child was surprising. “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!”

But the following verse we see God fulfilled the promise Elisha gave and the woman conceived, see verse 17.

It’s interesting that two verse after the promise was given we see that the Shunammite woman conceived.

How many times have you told God “no”? How many times have you decided that you were moving on with your life?

When God says “yes’, your “no” doesn’t matter.

Prayer: Father, thank You so much for reminding me that Your promises do come to pass. No matter how tired I get or how much I want to move on. Forgive me for contradicting what You said. God, I trust everything You have said and as I walk in Your promise, help me to keep my eyes on You. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focus Verse: He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Luke 11:28 (NIV)

A few years ago, there was this guy, I really liked him. He had a relationship with God, a great personality, and I genuinely believed that he cared about me. Just as I do with anyone new that comes in my life, male or female, I prayed and asked God to reveal his purpose for being in my life. “God, if he was sent by You, reveal it, and if not, remove him immediately and allow me to accept whatever the outcome is.”

God didn’t remove him, however, He did reveal that he was a distraction, not anything that was sent by Him. I really liked him though and during that time in my life, I wanted what I wanted, despite the warning and guidance to move on. If I can be honest, I still struggle in this area of my life sometimes. This area of obedience.

How many times have you prayed and asked God for direction, if something or someone was for you, He answered and said “no”, but you still tried to force it? A lot of the heartache and pain that we deal with in life have absolutely nothing to do with the enemy, but everything to do with our own disobedience. Understand, God may not always remove distractions or those things that aren’t for you because He wants to see how obedient you will be, where your loyalty lies.

We can, however, be confident in knowing that when we pray and God gives us an answer, although it may not be the answer we were hoping for, there is comfort in knowing that He still hears and answers prayers.

Prayer: Thank You Lord for hearing my prayers and answering them. There have been times that I have heard You clearly, but I still did my own thing, Father forgive me. Thank You for continually revealing Your truth even when I deliberately disobey You. As I walk in obedience to You, give me peace in accepting whatever You desire is. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen!

Focus Verse: A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17 (AMP)

In today’s society, everyone is quick to use the word friend. With social media connecting us more and more, it is so easy to get a misconstrued view of what a friend really is.

I was talking to one of my college friends a while ago and we were just chatting about what true friendship looks like. One of her friends asked her why she was always willing to be a friend even when the friendship isn’t always reciprocated? How is it that she is always there even in times when she knows the same may not be granted to her? Her answer convicted me.

“Because a friendship is not about what I can get, but what I can give. When I know God has called me to a person, it’s not about me, but how I can serve that person better.”

In the past, I have been known to be all about friendship… until you hurt me. My friendship came with stipulations. The most troubling part about that is, I didn’t keep friends long because, newsflash, people will hurt you. After those friendships didn’t last, I would build false relationships where I wouldn’t allow people to get close enough to hurt me.

But the Word of God is contrary to that in its teaching. Our focus verse teaches us that a friend loves at all times. The Contemporary English Version states it this way, “A friend is always a friend…” In order to be the type of friend our scripture verse and my friend exemplifies, we have to be willing to remove ourselves from the equation, not me, but you. This is the same love and friendship Christ showed to us when He gave His life on the cross for us, not Me, but you, Matthew 20:28.

I challenge you today, to evaluate your friendships and the people that God has called you to build a community with. Are you seeking to serve or be served, not me, but you?

Prayer: What an amazing God You are! Thank You for this reminder. So many times I want to look like myself when You desire for me to look like Your Son and resemble His characteristics, please forgive me. Help me to remember friendships are not about what I can get, but what I can give. Allow me to continually look to You Son for guidance for how I should conduct myself. Today, I will focus on “not me, but you”. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!

 

Bible Reading: So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of it’s fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6 (NKJV)

Have you ever stopped to think, “Where are these desires coming from?” The things that you want so badly. Those things that keep you up at night that you are thinking about and longing for. Those desires. Have you ever thought about how they originated? 

In Genesis 3, we see that Eve had a desire, suggested by the serpent, to eat of the forbidden fruit. But how was it so easy for her to even consider doing something that she knew was against God’s command? Often times, we are tempted to fall because of an extreme desire to have our senses gratified. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of it’s fruit and ate.” Failing to evaluate her desire resulted in what is commonly referred to as “The Fall of Man.”

In this account, it is pretty clear where Eve’s desires originated. However, in life, it’s not always that obvious. Do you desire to be married because you want someone to love you? Or do you long to be married because you are ready to be a servant in the ministry of marriage? Do you want that higher paying job because you know it comes with the opportunity to achieve another level of status and you could finally get that car you have always wanted? Or do you want a higher paying job because you know it opens the door for you to bless others financially? How about the desire to have a baby? Is it because you have been married for about a year and you feel the next logical step in your family plan is to start having children? Or are you ready to raise children that will be instrumental in advancing the Kingdom of God?

In no way am I saying that any of these desires are wrong. The problem comes when we don’t identify where they came from and want them for the wrong reasons.

Prayer: God, You are pure and I am not. You are holy and I am not. The Bible tells me that my heart is deceitfully wicked and because of the sin of Adam and Eve, sin is innate to me. Father, I pray that You help me to be mindful to evaluate my desires and where they originate. Allow me to know what, in my heart, is from You. And help me to be willing to release anything that is not. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.