"Can You Hear Me Now"?

September 25, 2014

For many years we saw this thin man wearing glasses holding a cell phone in his hands on one of the most memorable commercials ever and the words that stood out and set this cell phone commercial apart from others were, “Can you hear me now?”

Everyday GOD is constantly trying to connect with us.  But there are little or no bars left.  There’s no signal, no connection.  The connection problem is never on GOD’s end but always on ours.  Many of us long to hear GOD speak to us, yet we spend more time waiting to hear than we do trying to clear the disconnect,  faulty lines or finding out why we keep getting dropped calls.

Dropped calls are a frequent occurrence so let’s examine this first.  A cellular network is composed of many different cellular towers that your phone communicates with in order to make a phone call. Your phone automatically connects to the nearest tower when you're making a call and continues to communicate with that tower as long as it remains the closest one in range.  If you get out of range that’s when you get a dropped call or your communication is interrupted.

Our heavenly network is composed of several communication towers that we believers can communicate with in order to make the communication or receive the communication.  Our towers are-THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY GHOST.  We can automatically connect to the nearest tower to make or receive communication and will continue to connect as long as we remain to the closest tower in range.  If we’re caught up on the daily humdrum of life, swept away by our pressing circumstances or distracted by the things of the world that peek our interest and not stay focused on GOD and the things of GOD, then we’re more likely to move out of the range of GOD, JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT causing our call to drop, and our communication to stop.

We’ve all experienced dropped calls while using our cell phone which is due to extreme cell traffic on either one of the towers, glitches in the backend software, power outages, and more. But when GOD is trying to communicate with us none of these issues apply to why HE can’t get through or why the communication can’t be completed.

GOD has many ways of speaking to us but some of us may have not experienced hearing from GOD because of barriers that we may not be aware of, barriers that move us out of the area of the towers.   

If we’re honest with ourselves and admit we’ve had problems hearing from GOD, we’ll be able to quickly identify our barriers.  No one knows us like we know ourselves except GOD, so for any of us to ignore the signs of the barriers that are blocking our hearing would be a mistake.  This is one of those times we should be hard on ourselves because this is serious business.

We’ll start with the culprit that we’ve all had at one time or another in our lives.  DOUBT: doubt is one of the most common reasons we can’t hear from GOD. We want to hear GOD’s voice so badly that we at times do hear HIM accurately, and at other times, we may be mistaken or have doubt that it’s really GOD speaking, leading, guiding.  Have you ever came up with an idea thinking you’ve heard from GOD only to find out later that it was all you and not GOD?  So where was the error in communication?  It had to be in the hearing.  Doubt is common, even in the believer.  But we can’t let doubt hinder our communication and remain an obstacle to our connecting and staying connected to the towers.  Biblically we’re held accountable for our doubt, Zechariah is a prime example of our accountability.  He was visited by the angel of the Lord and told that he would have a son (Luke 1:11-17), he doubted the word given to him assuming that his wife was too old and because he doubted the angel said he would be mute until the day God’s promise was fulfilled (Luke 1:18-20).  When GOD speaks and we doubt HIM the communication is broken.  Gideon, on the other hand, didn’t doubt that GOD would speak; he doubted that GOD would speak to him.  Why would GOD want to speak to him?  So he asked for signs from GOD to make sure.  Every child of GOD is a somebody, there’s no such thing as a nobody.  Gideon felt he was a nobody and therefore he doubted what he’d heard.  Why would GOD want to use him?

But there have been other times that GOD was trying to speak to us, we knew it, but ignored it because of FEAR.  Fear of allowing GOD to take control.  Fear of release.  Fear of coming out of our comfort zone to do what GOD was calling us to do.  Fear that we’re not good enough to be used.  Fear of the unknown or the outcome.  Fear shouldn’t become a barrier that blocks us from hearing GOD.  The words “fear not” is used 365 times in the Bible.  It’s no coincidence that there are 365 days in the year.  Every single day of our lives we should wake up in the morning saying “fear not.”

A CLOSED MIND is another hindrance in hearing from GOD.  We get so stuck on ourselves, our way of doing things that we don’t want to hear anything that doesn’t line up with how we think.  This type of thinking gets us nowhere and it eventually severs relationships that can’t be repaired.  And GOD can’t get through this barrier to have that conversation that just may change your life.  We must have opened minds to receive the communication.

One of the biggest hindrances is PRIDE.  We want to be in control and stay in control.  We don’t want GOD to take control or become the captain of our ship because we don’t know where HE’s taking us, the path or direction HE has in mind.  We’d rather control our lives and situations on our own power.  Pride does indeed go before a fall as the saying goes; I’ve witnessed this among many people in high places.  But this can also happen to us if we’re not careful.

Here’s another favorite hindrance: REBELLION.  We refuse to follow what we know GOD wants us to do, live our lives according to HIS standards or do what we know is pleasing to GOD.  We want to do things our way.  Our way or no way.  We take the high road and don’t look back.  We don’t care about the consequences as long as we get our way.  How silly is this?  Having an attitude of GOD’s not the GOD of me, because of a rebellious heart, will only cause self- destruction.  It definitely won’t facilitate communication.

We beg and plead and cry out for GOD to speak to us and when HE does we turn a deaf ear.   We act like spoiled brats full of rebellion.  The whole Old Testament shows years of GOD’s wrath brought about because of rebellious people.  Our rebellious attitude will not move GOD to do what we want.  HE doesn’t cater to us and our whims and history shows that GOD will not tolerate a rebellious heart.

These are just a few hindrances that block us from hearing GOD.  The communication lines are always open, the towers remain in place, they’ve not moved.  If we’re having problems hearing from GOD it’s because we’ve moved out of range of the tower.  GOD, is the creator of all things including words, HE continues to speak therefore any inability to hear HIM is on our part. 

What is keeping you from hearing from GOD?  Examine yourself.  I can tell you at one time in my life I was guilty of most of these.  Pride was a big one for me, fear was second place.  But one day, my heart was transformed, my life was no longer my own and I had to surrender everything that stood between me and GOD.  Because of this transformation HE trusts me to share HIS heart, these inspired blogs with you.  If I couldn’t hear from HIM my life would be meaningless. 

I must say this, once you open yourself up to hearing from GOD whether it’s audibly, through HIS word, through another believer or through visions and dreams, be ready to hear things you’ve longed to hear as well as things you need to hear but you necessarily don’t want to hear.  This is a package deal; you don’t get to pick and choose what HE says.

Even today as you read this blog GOD is in the heavenlies saying “can you hear me now?”  This is the time to stop accepting dropped calls or interrupted, delayed communication and begin to remove those barriers and say “speak LORD.”

GOD BLESS

The Dash in the Middle

September 16, 2014

In our lifetime there are two dates assigned to us the date of our birth and the date of our death. There is no greater reminder of this than that of the dates seen on headstones. The dates are very significant because they show our time here on earth, but they are not the most significant things. When you look at a headstone there’s a little thing in the middle between the birth date and the date of our homegoing, you’ll find more significance in the dash than the dates. As small as the dash is the significance and representation of the dash between those two dates require our attention which brings me to the reason and focus of this blog.

You see, the dash in between our date of birth and the date of our death represents the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years that we’ve lived. It also represents how we've lived, what we did with our lives, the good and the bad, how our time was spent and if we spent it well.

I use to hear an old saying “That’s my life in a nutshell”. And it wasn’t until I was writing this blog that the saying came back to me and if you think about it a nut shell isn’t that big, so anyone who uses that as a description of their life has very little to say about their life, their contributions or their impact. But no one has ever said that’s my life in the dash.

If you look at the stories in the Bible the main characters of the Bible, men and women from Abraham to David and from David to JESUS had events, trials, tribulations, sacrifices and victories that formed their dash. Their life’s testimonies still ring true today and are guides for us to live by. They didn’t lead lives in nutshells they lived fearless, dedicated, committed, obedient lives that were bigger than life and that has impacted the world for thousands of years and will continue to impact the world until the end of time.

The dash is priceless. It’s more important than the dates because it contains our memories, our victories, our milestones, our proud moments, our career achievements, our repentance and our personal best that we gave to GOD and man. But it also contains our inner pain and inner struggles, our defeats, our failures, our weak moments, our poor choices, our regrets, our sins and our guilt. How could something so small, as a dash, be so meaningful and hold the power to honor our lives or put a stain on our memory?

If you think the dash is meaningless, think again. Our very lives hinge on the lives we lead between those dates. No man knows the day of his/her death. James 4:14 says: “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is our life? We are a mist that appears for a little while and then it vanishes.” Our lives are like a mist that vanishes into thin air. So why don’t we take that time between those dates more seriously? Why don’t we always put that time to good use? That’s a question we each have to ask and answer ourselves.

I for one know the life I’ve lead between the 1950 birth date and now, and I’m here to tell you that I’m not proud of some of the things I put in that dash. Sure those things were during my earlier years and I could make excuses that it was my childhood, my insecurities, the loss of my son and other loved ones in an instance that changed my life forever or any other event in my life that may have caused me to make a poor decision. And yes, these things did play into some of the reasons I did the things, I did. But then GOD came into my dash and when I finally understood the love, grace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness HE had for me, my dash began to mean something. I became more determined to live my life instead of letting it waste away. That dash began to give me a sense of worth and meaning that forever changed my life and the lives of those around me. GOD began to restore me, mold me and shape me into the child of GOD that I am proud to be today.

The transformation that has taken place over the past 24 years and has put a dash behind my date of birth has me convinced that at the end of my dash I will have touched many lives and have planted many seeds for CHRIST. I believe that at the end of my dash, the life I lived for CHRIST will be honored because I live to honor GOD. I haven’t lived a perfect life but I have lived a purposeful life. As I’m crying and finishing writing this blog, I’m humble to know that this blog and the words, inspired by GOD, are one of the most cherished acts of service and accomplishments in my dash. 

There’s something about being used by GOD that has brought tears to my eyes on many days. HE could have chosen anyone but HE chose me.

If you’re reading this blog you’re still among the living and you have time to make any adjustments that you need to in your dash. Life is tough even on a good day but a bad day in CHRIST is better than a good day without HIM on any day. Your life, my life needs that dash to serve as a testimony to the goodness of GOD. The one thing we have as CHRISTIANS is peace in knowing that at the very end of the dash and the date of our death is our eternal reward.

Our life’s story, regardless of what is, or what it has been, has left some sparkle on our dash as well as some smudges, but we have a chance to do some wonderful things throughout the rest of our lives to make that dash in the middle count for something more than just a line between two dates as we strive to live a life destined for greatness all for the glory of GOD.

GOD BLESS

Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

September 10, 2014

I know when you saw the title of this blog some of you thought, “Oh my, she’s going to use the S (sex) word” and my sistas out there were probably thinking “Girlfriend has gone crazy.”

This blog and statement isn’t about sex. The abstinence that I’m referring to is the things that the world tempts us with that at times cause us to lose sight of GOD and the things of GOD and we begin to think and act in ways that aren’t pleasing to GOD. This world has a bag of tricks bigger than Lake Michigan and there’s always something in that bag of tricks that can look real good when you’ve lost your job, when the kids aren’t acting right, when your spouse is more like a roommate than the one you pledged to live the rest of your life with or when your boss is pushing every button to get you to blow your top like St. Helens. But wait, there’s more. What about when your best friend deceives you, when you look at your bank account all you see is a single zero not a number and a string of zeros but a solid, single zero? Or when the car you love and you gave a name to suddenly dies right in front of your eyes, or the tip of the slowly melting iceberg, what happens when your health begins to fail and it’s all downhill from there?

It’s easy to say we’d never have a thought or action that would intentionally grieve the heart of GOD. Any of these circumstances and others can cause a shift in our thought process, and a lapse in our faith. The enemy loves to put thoughts in our minds and cause us to hear voices that try to lead us to do just the opposite of what we know is right during our greatest time of weakness and need. That voice that tells us it’s alright to do this or that and to have pleasures in the things of the world is a voice that has every intention of causing us to think thoughts or do an action that hurts the FATHER. 

It’s not always easy to abstain from doing the things that the enemy pushes us to, but it’s necessary. 
When we abstain from thoughts and actions that troubles GOD’s heart our hearts grow fonder for the things of GOD and HIS place in our lives. GOD as all powerful as HE is has a heart that can become troubled. Genesis 6:5-6 (NIV) 5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 

From the very beginning of the world man began to trouble GOD’s heart in his evil thoughts and actions and it only took 6 chapters of the first book of the 66 books in the book of Genesis to get to a place where man turned his back on GOD and succumbed to his evil thoughts.

Evil has gone rampant it’s everywhere. There’s no nation that doesn’t have its fair share of the wickedness of man which is still great and is alive and well on the earth in 2014. Our thoughts are important to GOD. Our thoughts exhibit what controls us. This is important because wrong thoughts control actions and wrong actions become sin. Our willingness to abstain from the thoughts and actions that aren’t in line with GOD cause us to press towards the mark, keep our step, remain on track and the destined path that has been set for us. When we abstain it brings victory to us and a joy to GOD’s heart and it sets the stage for us to grow. 

Our standard in how we live has to become GOD’s standard. And we know that HIS standards are high and HE doesn’t compromise. The only way we can be victorious in abstaining from thoughts that aren’t in line with GOD’s is found in 2 Corinthians 10:5-6: 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. The answer is clear: WE TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT AND MAKE IT SUBMIT AND BECOME OBEDIENT TO CHRIST. This is abstinence in the highest degree.

Where do we start? We start in the Word. We have to have a discerning spirit to help us distinguish the thoughts that we have, find the source of those thoughts and get rid of it. The thoughts we have that aren’t in line with GOD’s thoughts can’t be left to continue to control us. Where we get into trouble is when we negotiate with our thoughts and try to make an excuse on why it’s ok. Remember this WE DON’T NEGOTIATE WITH OUR THOUGHTS. Treat any evil thought or thought not in line with GOD as if it’s a terrorist. Our thoughts terrorize us and ruin our lives and the lives of those around us if not taken captive and we all know we don’t negotiate with terrorist. Run, run, run like the wind. We must flee any evil thought that comes into our heads. We must dig deeper into spiritual things, gospel music, reading the Bible, fellowship, attending service, serving, fasting, prayer ANYTHING that keeps us busy and our hearts and minds occupied with the things of GOD. 

I believe the closer we get to GOD, the more our hearts become sensitive to the things of GOD and the things that concern GOD, the more captive we must become over our thoughts. Our thoughts must become POW’s because it clearly states in Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. We are at war.

So then how shall we live? We live according to the word- we know that a man acts in accordance with how he thinks. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he:” Proverbs 23:7. So let’s give that abstinence thing a chance. Let’s control of our thoughts and remove all power from the enemy.

GOD BLESS!