“DON’T LET THE PRESSURE STOP YOUR PRESS!”

“I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, and go all the way with Him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” (Philippians 3:10-11 MSG)

While John was a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos, far from his loved ones and surrounded by the cries of abused captives, he had a vision of Jesus. He writes, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead…” (Revelation 1:17 AMP). He received an incredible revelation in the midst of confinement, chaos and pain – and isn’t that often how revelation works? God certainly has an amazing way of showing Himself mighty in the midst of our misery. The problem is however, we don’t respond like John. Despite what John was facing and surrounded by, when “…he saw Him…[he]…fell at His feet as if dead…” Let’s be honest, how many of us actually fall into worship mode when in the midst of struggles? Truth is, far more often, we become snappy, our attitudes get out of control, our emotions are doom and gloom, our faith falters, our countenance falls, our hope becomes helplessness, we invite family, friends and even foes to our self-proclaimed pity party. It’s sad but true. Rarely do we immediately fall into worship when life hits us with its worst!

But even Jonah learned to worship in the worst of it! “Jonah 2:2-6, Describes Jonah’s Fish Temple of Worship: The Bible says, “In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to God. He answered me. From the belly of the grave I cried, ’Help!’ You heard my cry. You threw me into ocean’s depths, into a watery grave, With ocean waves, ocean breakers crashing over me. I said, ’I’ve been thrown away, thrown out, out of your sight. I’ll never again lay eyes on your Holy Temple.’ Ocean gripped me by the throat. The ancient Abyss grabbed me and held tight. My head was all tangled in seaweed at the bottom of the sea where the mountains take root. I was as far down as a body can go, and the gates were slamming shut behind me forever…” (MSG).

And you think you’ve got problems??!!  Jonah worshiped in the midst of fish guts and seaweed, and you mean to tell me you can’t worship God in the midst of what you’re going through? Look at what Jonah worshiped in the midst of! But yet in still, you cancel your worship due to rolling eyes and attitudes; over what someone said or didn’t say; because they didn’t sing your song or preach you happy; because it’s raining outside; because they sat in your seat; because of what the doctors said. Tell yourself from this day forward, the devil is a liar! I’ll let nothing and no one cancel my worship again! Not their words, facial expressions, opinions, criticisms, discouragement, or bitterness! If Jonah could worship with his head tangled in seaweed at the bottom of the sea; surely you can continue to worship God as He keeps your head above the waters that He promised you would not drown you! Isaiah 43:1-4, “…Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place,it won’t be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal God,The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you:all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That’s how much you mean to Me!That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,trade the creation just for you.” (MSG) And yet, you would allow worries to steal your worship, problems to steal your praise, fear to steal your faith, hurt to steal your hope and circumstances to steal your commitment?!

When in the midst of what John was surrounded by, he still fell at the Lord’s feet. In the midst of what Jonah faced, he still worshiped. So what’s your excuse? Do you really believe that trials, troubles, struggles and tribulation are all bigger than the God you say you serve? Well, if that’s your belief, than I’m here to tell you your broken belief system needs repairs!

Please understand that the difficult circumstances you’re going through right now can actually clear your perceptions, cause you to seek God as never before, and find answers for your life, to questions that have been bombarding your sanity! John’s predicament proves that negative experiences don’t hide the Lord – they reveal Him! The Bible reads: “I saw this and fainted dead at his feet. His right hand pulled me upright, His voice reassured me:“Don’t fear: I am First, I am Last, I’m Alive. I died, but I came to life, and My life is now forever. See these keys in My hand? They open and lock Death’s doors, they open and lock Hell’s gates. Now write down everything you see: things that are, things about to be…” (Revelation 1:17-19 MSG). As bad as it was, John saw the Lord, bowed before Him in reverential fear and had the Lord Himself to encourage him: “…His voice reassured me: “Don’t fear…” That’s the beauty of being a child of the King, even when all of the Kingdom of Darkness is against you! He Always Reveals Himself to the Righteous, Regardless of How Bleak Their Circumstances May Appear.  After all, the One Whom we serve is still the first and the last, which encourages us to know that no matter what transpires in the middle, God got it covered from beginning to end! And He’s so awesome that He admits Himself, that He died and came back to life and now lives forever. He’s reassuring John (and us) of just how powerful He really is! All He desires is that we trust Him and believe Him! And then, if that weren’t enough to increase our faith, lift up our heads, square off our shoulders and straighten up our back, He goes on to say in His hand are keys, and He alone has the access to open and lock death’s doors and Hell’s gates, so you’re afraid of what? Right! Absolutely Nothing! Because this is the God you serve!

I think sometimes we unfortunately forget the Lord’s promise to us: “…for He  [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” (Hebrews 13:5 AMP) How do you read a promise like that and fear anything or anyone? The Lord Himself DELIBERATELY REFUSES to fail you; give you up; leave you without support and will under no circumstances leave you helpless; nor will He forsake you; let you down or relax His hold on you! You are so loved, cherished, treasured and protected by God that He Initiated This Promise To You! You didn’t have to ask Him to do it, you didn’t have to ask Him for it, He Chose To Give it to You Himself! So regardless to what you’re in, what you’re surrounded by, what you’re going through, who you’re up against or what you’re facing, you have full CONFIDENCE that God’s Got You COVERED!

Hebrews 10:35, “Do not, therefore, fling away your FEARLESS CONFIDENCE, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward.” (AMPC) The Message Bible says it like this: Hebrews 10:32-39, “Remember those early days after you first saw the light? Those were the hard times! Kicked around in public, targets of every kind of abuse—some days it was you, other days your friends. If some friends went to prison, you stuck by them. If some enemies broke in and seized your goods, you let them go with a smile, knowing they couldn’t touch your real treasure. Nothing they did bothered you, nothing set you back. So don’t throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It’s still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion. It won’t be long now, he’s on the way; he’ll show up most any minute. But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust; if he cuts and runs, I won’t be very happy. But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.” (MSG)

No Matter Your Circumstances, Never Cast Away Your Confidence in the God That Has You Covered!

I love the way Joseph words it: “…Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good…” (Genesis 50:20 MSG). Not even the Best attack of the enemy against you can stop all the Good God is going to make happen towards you because of it! And He’s so awesome as God that He only needs ONE plan for your life, and No Back-Up! Why? Because the ONE plan He has for your life is more than sufficient! “…I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I HAVE IT ALL PLANNED OUT – PLANS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, NOT ABANDON YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU THE FUTURE YOU HOPE FOR.” (Jeremiah 29:11 MSG). Who needs a back-up plan to that?! God will in fact shame your enemies so that He will even use THEIR PLANS FOR YOUR DESTRUCTION AS THE BRICKS TO BUILD YOU UP IN THE END! Joseph’s brothers had some Bad plans for him, but God used them to Bless Joseph Real Good! And He will do the very same for YOU! So lift your bowed down head, square your shoulders, straighten your back and put a smile on your face, God is not done blessing you yet!

Instead of destroying you, Satan’s attacks can actually develop you. Yes, it STRESSES you, but it also STRETCHES you spiritually. In Hebrews Chapter 11 we see two things:

1. The Deeds of Their Faith; and
2. The Depth of Their Faith.

It always amazes me how God’s saints of old could worship Him in the midst of absolutely anything, and we can’t seem to worship in anything. They pursued God on just promises, and even the ones that weren’t fulfilled in their lifetime, they never lost their appetite for God. They continued to hunger and thirst after Him. Maybe that’s why they were so Full and we’re so Empty. The depth of their faith propelled them to continue in their deeds for Him, despite what was being done to and against them. They maintained such a Faith Under Fire That No Fierce Attack Could Put it to Ashes! They mastered how to Press In and Press On…Anyhow!

Think about it: Where did God prove His faithfulness to Daniel? In the Lion’s Den! “The king caved in and ordered Daniel brought and thrown into the lions’ den. But he said to Daniel, “Your God, to whom you are so loyal, is going to get you out of this.”A stone slab was placed over the opening of the den. The king sealed the cover with his signet ring and the signet rings of all his nobles, fixing Daniel’s fate.The king then went back to his palace. He refused supper. He couldn’t sleep. He spent the night fasting.At daybreak the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. As he approached the den, he called out anxiously, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve so loyally, saved you from the lions?”“O king, live forever!” said Daniel. “My God sent his angel, who closed the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me. I’ve been found innocent before God and also before you, O king. I’ve done nothing to harm you.”When the king heard these words, he was happy. He ordered Daniel taken up out of the den. When he was hauled up, there wasn’t a scratch on him. He had trusted his God.” (Daniel 6:16-23 MSG). My favorite part? “…HE ORDERED DANIEL TAKEN UP OUT OF THE DEN. WHEN HE WAS HAULED UP, THERE WASN’T A SCRATCH ON HIM. HE HAD TRUSTED HIS GOD.” Daniel was able to trust God in the midst of his attack, why can’t you do the same? After all, He is still the SAME GOD! We need to learn like Daniel to pursue God, to trust Him, rely on Him, rest in Him no matter what, because He’s Got Us…No Matter What or Who is Trying to Get at Us!

Remember: He’ll Do Anything For You, So Why Won’t You Do Anything For Him?!

Let’s Recall Paul’s Words: “I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, AND GO ALL THE WAY WITH HIM…” (Philippians 3:10-11 MSG) He’ll clearly go all the way to life, death, and life for you, won’t you even go to prayer, praise and worship for Him? Won’t you follow and obey His commandments? Won’t you read and apply His Word? Won’t you go to His house of worship and celebrate and serve Him and His people? Won’t you give up anything for Him since He’s given up everything for you?

Likewise, think about this: Where did the Lord reveal Himself to the three Hebrew boys? In a fire that was heated seven times over! “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN’T, IT WOULDN’T MAKE A BIT OF DIFFERENCE, O KING. WE STILL WOULDN’T SERVE YOUR GODS OR WORSHIP THE GOLD STATUTE YOU SET UP.” Nebuchadnezzar, his face purple with anger, cut off Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace fired up seven times hotter than usual. He ordered some strong men from the army to tie them up, hands and feet, and throw them into the roaring furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, bound hand and foot, fully dressed from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire. Because the king was in such a hurry and the furnace was so hot, flames from the furnace killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to it, while the fire raged around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm and said, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound hand and foot, into the fire?” “That’s right, O king,” they said.“But look!” he said. “I see four men, walking around freely in the fire, completely unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a son of the gods!”Nebuchadnezzar went to the door of the roaring furnace and called in, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the High God, come out here!” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the fire.All the important people, the government leaders and king’s counselors, gathered around to examine them and discovered that the fire hadn’t so much as touched the three men—not a hair singed, not a scorch mark on their clothes, not even the smell of fire on them!Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his servants WHO TRUSTED HIM! They ignored the king’s orders and laid their bodies on the line rather than serve or worship any god but their own.“Therefore I issue this decree: Anyone anywhere, of any race, color, or creed, who says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be ripped to pieces, limb from limb, and their houses torn down. There has never been a god who can pull off a rescue like this.”Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.”  (Daniel 3:16-30 MSG).

Why don’t you trust God like that? John bowed, Jonah worshiped, Daniel trusted, the three Hebrew Boys maintained their resolve, and yet you do none of the above when the circumstances of life attack you? But I Reiterate, HE IS STILL THE SAME GOD…YOUR GOD! So, whether He takes you out, or leaves you in, you ought to serve Him with gladness anyhow, because He’s already promised to never leave you or forsake you, so why do you keep leaving and forsaking Him? He’s proven time and time again that He will do anything for you, when will you start to at least do something for Him?

You have to leave Circumstantial and Conditional Faith, and Finally Attain Concrete Faith!

Listen: Believe it or not, but there’s a place in God where fiery trials consume everything Except your desire to know Him. And though that place may sometimes escape your grasp, never let it escape your gaze. It was Paul’s all-consuming goal: “[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power out-flowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].” (Philippians 3:10-11 AMP)

Paul desired to know God intimately. No matter the circumstances, no matter the obstacles, no matter the pain, suffering or tragedy of death. It was all worth it, just to know Him! Paul would do anything for HIM! Will you? And just in case you think Paul had a cake-walk to getting to know God, listen at his testimony: 2 Corinthians 11:21-29, “…I’ve worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death’s door time after time. I’ve been flogged five times with the Jews’ thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I’ve been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. In hard traveling year in and year out, I’ve had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I’ve been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I’ve known drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather.And that’s not the half of it, when you throw in the daily pressures and anxieties of all the churches. When someone gets to the end of his rope, I feel the desperation in my bones…” (MSG) AND YET, PAUL WOULD ENDURE ALL OF THIS AS LONG AS HE GOT TO KNOW GOD! SO, WHAT’S YOUR EXCUSE AGAIN FOR WHY YOU “CAN’T” MAKE THE SAME SACRIFICE?! WHY CAN’T YOU ENDURE? WHY CAN’T YOU PRESS AND PRAISE THROUGH? WHY CAN’T YOU WORSHIP STILL? WHY DON’T YOU TRUST REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU SEE?

Listen, I know struggles and attacks can make it hard sometimes to press in, but you’ve got to press anyhow! No matter how bad it may become, remember your God is always good and will always bring about good on your behalf: “AND WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD, TO THEM WHO ARE THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.” (Romans 8:28) YES, THAT DOES SAY ALL THINGS (GOOD, BAD, UGLY, BEAUTIFUL, ETC…) WORK TOGETHER FOR YOUR GOOD! So continue to trust God no matter what you’re in, He’s a proven provider and protector of His people! “The Lord is my light and my salvation; He protects me from danger—whom shall I fear? When evil men come to destroy me, they will stumble and fall! Yes, though a mighty army marches against me, my heart shall know no fear! I am confident that God will save me.The one thing I want from God, the thing I seek most of all, is the privilege of meditating in His Temple, living in His presence every day of my life, delighting in His incomparable perfections and glory.” (Psalm 27:1-4 TLB).

If You Don’t Have This Level of Confidence in God…GET IT!

Remember This: Fiery Trials Work For You, Not Against You!

“Dear friends, don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you. Instead, be really glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in His suffering, and afterwards you will have the wonderful joy of sharing His glory in that coming day when it will be displayed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13 TLB);

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (James 1:2-4 MSG)

SAINTS, EVEN BAD WORKS FOR THE GOOD OF THE BELIEVER!

So Give God Your Very Best in Serving Him, Because He’s Given You His Very Best in Saving You!

Remember: He’ll Do Anything For You,  Won’t You Now Do Anything For Him?!

And what’s one thing you can start doing today? DON’T LET THE PRESSURE STOP YOUR PRESS!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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“Never Settle For LESS, When You’re Destined For MORE!”

“It’s in Christ that we find out WHO WE ARE” (Ephesians 1:11 MSG)

One day a boy climbing in the mountains found an eagle’s nest with an egg in it. When he got home he put it under a hen along with her other eggs. When the eagle hatched he THOUGHT he was a chicken. He LEARNED chicken BEHAVIOR and scratched in the chicken yard with his “siblings.” HE DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER! But then, sometimes he felt strange stirrings WITHIN HIMSELF, but he didn’t know what to do with them, SO HE IGNORED OR SUPPRESSED THEM. After all, if he was a chicken he should BEHAVE like a chicken. Well, one day an eagle flew over the chicken yard and the eagle looked up and saw him. In that moment he realized he wanted to be like that eagle, to fly high, and to go to the mountain peaks he saw in the distance. As he spread his wings he suddenly understood that he was like that eagle. Though he’d never flown before, HE POSSESSED THE INSTINCT AND CAPABILITIES. At first he flew unsteadily, then with greater power and control. Finally as he soared HE KNEW HE’D DISCOVERED HIS TRUE SELF—THE CREATURE GOD MADE HIM TO BE!

Phillip Brooks remarked, “When you discover you’ve been leading only half a life, the other half is going to haunt you until you develop it.”

Self-discovery is what Paul had in mind when he wrote, “It’s in Christ that we find out WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE LIVING FOR”.

People of God, whether you know it or not, you were made BY God and FOR God. And until you understand that, your life won’t ever make sense. Because it’s “IN CHRIST” that we DISCOVER our purpose, our significance and our destiny.

In essence, “IN CHRIST” we DISCOVER what’s ‘IN US’!

Please understand that you will never discover what’s in you while comparing yourself with others, competing with others or imitating others. You only discover what’s in you through your relationship with Jesus Christ. Therefore, if you never had one or developed and strengthened one with Him, you will forever wander aimlessly, never reaching your goal or fulfilling your calling. And despite what people may tell you, potential is not enough, if it merely remains potential! The truth of the matter is, eventually you have to put in the work to develop your potential into purpose! Meaning, knowing that you’re called to ministry, but never entering ministry, serves no purpose. Called to be an author and yet never publishing anything serves no purpose. Your potential has to produce purpose. Which it will never do if you don’t develop your relationship with Jesus so you can discover what He’s put in you! Having potential that never produces anything is the same as having a to-do-list where nothing ever gets done…it’s pointless! 

You can’t hope forever, wish forever, day-dream forever. You have to discover what’s IN you so you can bring it OUT!

Keep in mind the following Scripture: “Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that HE LIVES WITHIN YOU? Your own body does not belong to you. For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God because He owns it.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 TLB). To discover what’s in you, all you have to do is build a relationship with the One who lives in you! And it’s not like you have to go through great lengths to talk to Him either. Remember: He Lives IN You! You may never talk to the President, but the Sovereign God of all, you can talk to anytime you want! So what are you waiting for? He paid a great price to live IN you, so talk to Him about what He desires to bring OUT of you!  

Think about it, you have IN you…GOD! How much more inspiration do you need to birth what you’ve been pregnant with? God Himself is in you as a midwife trying to get you to push, so why are you not pushing?! He paid a great price for you and what He’s placed in you, so do you really think He’s going to allow all of that value and worth to turn to naught?! Do you really think He would allow you to be pregnant with purpose only to have you abort?!

Romans 8:22-30, “All around us we observe a PREGNANT creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply BIRTH PANGS. But it’s not only around us; IT’S WITHIN US. The Spirit of God is arousing us WITHIN. We’re also feeling the BIRTH PANGS. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are YEARNING FOR FULL DELIVERANCE. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a PREGNANT MOTHER. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. BUT THE LONGER WE WAIT, THE LARGER WE BECOME, AND THE MORE JOYFUL OUR EXPECTANCY. Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying IN and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our PREGNANT CONDITION, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what He was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity He restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in Him. After God made that decision of what His children should be like, He followed it up by calling people by name. After He called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with Himself. And then, after getting them established, He stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what He had begun.” (MSG)

YOU ARE PREGNANT WITH PURPOSE AND YOU ARE GOING TO BIRTH IT! WHAT’S IN YOU HAS TO COME OUT! IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO PRODUCE!

Even the Bible states: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV). Did you know you have TREASURE WITHIN YOU? God put it there. It’s in your unique qualities, talents, skill-set, anointing, gifts, abilities, plus the fire in your soul. Now, life may have thrown cold water on that fire, BUT GOD CAN REKINDLE ANYTHING! So do as Paul admonished: “This is why I remind you to FAN INTO FLAMES the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.” (2 Timothy 1:6 NLT).  

Saints, I don’t care how long it’s been since your gift has been on fire, but now is the time to fan it into flames again! I know depression, discouragement, doubt and the like may have doused your fire, but the Holy Ghost can rekindle it! However, you have a part to play as well, you have to “fan into flames” which is a verb and requires action. Meaning you can’t sit on the sidelines doing absolutely nothing thinking you’re coming home with the MVP! You want it…you have to work at it and for it! Which means, no more excuses or complaints and certainly no more blaming others. Today, take charge and take courage and fan your gifts back into a flaming fire!

Everything God placed in you has value, it all has treasure even in your little old jar of clay! So don’t depreciate its value by letting it rust, rot and come to ruin!

Note, this treasure within you “IS FROM GOD”. And what He OWNS He PROTECTS, He NURTURES, and USES to HIS GLORY! But know that God is a wise businessman; when He INVESTS, HE EXPECTS A RETURN! So you’re not waiting for something great and grand to drop out of the sky and into your belly, it’s already there! Fan your gifts into flame and rekindle your fire for ministry so that you can turn your potential into purpose and fulfill your entrusted destiny and calling! God put it there, but it is your responsibility to get it out! So find your fire, find your passion, find your empowerment, find your inspiration and determine to become all that God has destined you to be and do all that the Lord has assigned your hands to do!

Think About This: The WEALTHIEST spot on this planet is not the oilfields of Kuwait or the diamond mines of South Africa. NO, THE RICHEST DEPOSITS LIE IN YOUR LOCAL CEMETERY! BURIED BENEATH THOSE SACRED GROUNDS ARE RICH DREAMS THAT NEVER CAME TO PASS, PROSPEROUS SONGS THAT WERE NEVER SUNG, A WEALTH OF SERMONS THAT WERE NEVER PREACHED, VALUABLE LESSONS THAT WERE NEVER TAUGHT, A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS THAT NEVER BEGAN, NUMBER ONE BEST SELLER BOOKS THAT WERE NEVER WRITTEN, BREAK-THROUGH IDEAS THAT WERE NEVER SHARED, AN ABUNDANCE OF VISIONS THAT WERE NEVER SEEN, EXPENSIVE INVENTIONS THAT WERE NEVER DESIGNED, HIGH-PRICED PLANS THAT NEVER GOT BEYOND THE DRAWING BOARD OF THE MIND, and PRICELESS PURPOSES THAT WERE NEVER FULFILLED! SADLY, ONLY A TINY PERCENTAGE OF THOSE WHO LIVE ON THIS PLANET WILL DISCOVER AND FULFILL THEIR TRUE PURPOSE AND POTENTIAL! Do you want to be one of them? Then ask yourself: “Who am I? Why did God put me here? How much potential do I have? How can I maximize my ability for His Glory?” WITHIN THE ANSWERS OF THESE QUESTIONS LIE THE KEYS TO UNLOCK A FULFILLING LIFE!

Dr. Myles Munroe says it like this: “The wealthiest place in the world are not the gold mines of South America or the oil fields of Iraq or Iran. They are not the diamond mines of South Africa or the banks of the world. The wealthiest place on the planet is just down the road. It is the cemetery. There lie buried companies that were never started, inventions that were never made, best selling books that were never written, and masterpieces that were never painted. In the cemetery is buried the greatest treasure of untapped potential.”

Listen, life is far too short to leave it incomplete and unfulfilled. So today is your wake-up call and challenge to write the book, produce the play, preach the sermon, teach the lesson, start the business, open the church, purchase the house, buy the car, take the vacation, board the cruise, face your fears and go for it! If you never really LIVE what LEGACY will there be to LEAVE behind? So, stop delaying, stop procrastinating, stop hesitating, stop blaming others, stop pointing fingers. YOU got to work on fulfilling all that’s within YOU! After all, you can’t keep saying “I’ll do it tomorrow”, eventually you will run out of tomorrow’s! So discover what’s in you Today and began birthing it out of you Today!

And if you haven’t found your life’s purpose yet, TALK TO GOD! “EVERYTHING…FINDS ITS PURPOSE IN HIM” (Colossians 1:16 MSG). Literally EVERYTHING finds its purpose in Him and it’s fulfilled through Him! Listen: Before you spoke your first word or took your first step, GOD HAD A PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE! You say, “But I’ve failed so badly.” Maybe, BUT YOU’D BE AMAZED AT WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH A BROKEN LIFE—WHEN YOU GIVE HIM ALL THE PIECES! As poorly put together as you think you are, your Purpose is found in God, and He will not allow you to lose it! Your mistakes, missteps, errors, and even deliberate sins, transgressions and iniquities still cannot stop God from producing what He’s placed in you! Simply Repent, Turn, Change, and Be Fully Restored so You Can Finally Become All God Destined You to Be! And let no one make you think it’s harder than that!

You’ve been comfortable in your complacency long enough! And when you get too comfortable God has a way of stirring things up! Just like a mother eagle who teaches her little ones to fly by MAKING THEIR NEST SO UNCOMFORTABLE THAT THEY’RE FORCED OUT OF IT! And then Next THEY ARE PUSHED OFF A CLIFF EDGE! SO ONE WAY OR ANOTHER THEY MUST SOAR, BECAUSE IT’S WHAT’S “IN THEM” AND LIKEWISE YOU ARE THE VERY SAME!

“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.” (Isaiah 40:31 AMP)

Discover What’s In You So You Can Finally Soar!

People of God, there’s so much more to you than you’ve settled for! In other words, you’ve scratched around in that hen house long enough! However, you are nobody’s chicken! So, realize who and what you are and all the possibilities and potential of what you WILL become and then simply determine to BECOME IT! 

In a nutshell: Flap your wings and fly! Never Settle For LESS When You’ve Been Destined For MORE!

The last thing we need is another VALUABLE ASSET TURNED INTO A CHEAP LOSS-LADEN LIABILITY, STUFFED IN THE COFFIN OF UNFULFILLED PURPOSE AND POTENTIAL!

SO, DISCOVER WHAT’S IN YOU, THEN DETERMINE TO BRING IT OUT…TODAY!

“Greatness is more than potential. It is the execution of that potential. Beyond the raw talent. You need the appropriate training. You need the discipline. You need the inspiration. You need the drive.” (Eric A. Burns)

“When you catch a glimpse of your potential, that’s when passion is born.” (Zig Ziglar)

“Look past the exterior, and see that there is so much more within. Then decide to unleash that potential to the fullest.” (Lincoln Patz)

“You cannot afford to live in potential for the rest of your life; at some point, you have to unleash the potential and make your move.” (Eric Thomas)

“It’s not enough to just have potential. You also need to know what to do with it.” (Susan Gale)

“Potential is priceless treasure, like gold. All of us have gold hidden within, but we have to dig to get it out.” (Joyce Meyer)

“Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking our potential.” (Winston Churchill)

“I have too much greatness awaiting me on the other side of this challenge to allow my fears to serve as a road block.” (Carmen Polk)

“If you are always trying to be NORMAL, you will never know how AMAZING you can be.” (Dr. Maya Angelou)

“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” (Wilma Rudolph)

“People who repeatedly attack your confidence and self-esteem are quite aware of your potential, even if you are not.” (Author Unknown)

“God never loses sight of our eternal potential, even when we do.” (Carole M. Stephens)

“The obsession with instant gratification blinds us from our long-term potential.” (Michael Dooley)

“When you are not willing to be challenged, disturbed or offended, you are not willing to explore your weaknesses or ever reach your highest potential.” (Bryant McGill)

“To reach your greatest potential, you’ll have to fight your greatest fears.” (Author Unknown)

“You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” (Steve Garvey)

“You were born with wings, you are not meant for crawling. So Don’t!” (Rumi)

“Each person has the potential of making a positive impact on the world. It all depends on what you do with what you have.” (Gary Chapman)

“How far you can go in life is yet to be seen. Don’t let other people’s limited beliefs about what’s possible diminish your potential.” (Kevin Ngo)

“Desire and imagination have the potential to position a person for greatness.” (Eric Thomas)

“Inside every seed is the potential for an incredible harvest.” (Farrah Gray)

“Don’t squander your potential living a life that amounts to far less than the one you are capable of living.” (Zero Dean)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “The Gift of ForGIVEness”

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“The Year for Bigger, Better and Greater!”

Psalm 65:11, “You START the NEW YEAR with a good harvest. You END THE YEAR with many crops.” (ERV)

Dr. Robert Schuller’s hobbies include raising koi fish. When asked why some grow BIG while others stay SMALL, he replied with these words, “If a koi fish lives in a small tank it will never grow longer than two or three inches. In a larger pond they can grow up to ten inches long – in ponds the size of mine they’ll get to be eighteen inches long – but if they live in a huge lake where they can swim and stretch, they can grow up to three feet long! The size of the pond determines the size of the fish! Similarly, little ideas in little-thinking minds produce little achievements. However, LITTLE IDEAS embraced by BIG-THINKING MINDS produce enormous achievements.”

So How Big Is Your Thinking? Remember: “As a man thinketh in his heart; so he is” (Proverbs 23:7) Therefore, my first admonishment to you is to THINK BIG!

For instance, are you looking to attain a job or begin a career? Are you looking to sing a song or sign a recording contract? Are you looking to work for a company or start one? Are you looking to lease a car or own one? Are you hoping for a grant to add on to the building, or are you looking for an entirely larger space altogether? Are you looking for an apartment to rent or a house to buy? Are you looking to just get started, or do you already see the finished project clearly in view?

Note: The Size of What You SEE Will Determine the Size of What You SEIZE!

The word ‘seize’ is defined as, ‘to take hold suddenly and forcibly; to take forcible possession of; to take possession of by warrant or legal right.’ Its Latin Origin ‘sacire’, in the phrase ‘ad proprium sacire’ literally means, ‘to claim as one’s own.’ And if 2020 is to be for you a Bigger, Better and Greater Year, than this is the mindset you need to cultivate. Big Sight…Big Seize!

Which is why I must also admonish you to stop procrastinating; hesitating; doubting; wavering in your faith; waiting for somebody else to give it to you or give you permission to go get it! Jesus said: “…I came that they may have and enjoy life, AND HAVE IT IN ABUNDANCE [TO THE FULL, TIL IT OVERFLOWS].” (John 10:10 AMP). So, Seize Your Abundant Life That’s Full and Overflowing and Stop Settling for a Mundane, Mediocre Life! Are you meant to have such a  Big Life? Absolutely! The Word of God declares: “Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do SUPERABUNDANTLY MORE THAN ALL THAT WE DARE ASK OR THINK [INFINITELY BEYOND OUR GREATEST PRAYERS, HOPES, OR DREAMS], according to His power that is at work within US.” (Ephesians 3:20 AMP) The word ‘infinite’ is defined as, ‘limitless in space, extent, or size; very great in amount or degree.’ Your Limitless God is Ready to Bless You in a Manner that is Beyond Your Greatest Prayers, Hopes and Dreams! Now is the Time You Start to Embrace It and Live Like You Know it to Be True!

Think of it like this, when shopping, you have to check the size before you make a purchase to make sure the merchandise fits. However, the blessing God is about to release on your life has no size restrictions! It’s too big to even measure! So why are your prayers, requests, petitions, and faith still so very small?!

In 2020, condition your daily mindset to be:  FROM START TO FINISH, 2020 WILL BE FOR ME – A YEAR OF BIGGER, BETTER, GREATER!

Jesus said, “…According to your FAITH be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29). Not according to your bank account, where or how you were raised, if you have a degree, if you’re the right color, if your resume is impressive enough, if you wear the latest fashion, or if you’re in the right circle of people of influence to open closed doors on your behalf. Not according to any of that, But “…According to your FAITH be it unto you” However, The Message Bible says it like this: “He touched their eyes and said, “Become what you believe.” It happened. They saw…” (Matthew 9:29-31 MSG). Don’t miss the vital key: “…Become what you BELIEVE.” It happened. They saw…” With that said, perhaps all you’re seeing in your life is all you saw for your life! Because the Bible says, He told them, simply, “…Become what YOU believe…” and guess what happened next? The Scripture says, “…It happened…They saw…” They believed in what they could become, and as a result, they became it! Don’t you think it’s high time you start to BELIEVE…so you can finally BECOME?!

In fact, what do you believe for yourself and your life?! And believe me when I tell you, that’s a vital question you need to ask and answer yourself today! Because YOU can only BECOME what YOU BELIEVE! No one can do it for you, YOU have to BELIEVE it and BECOME it YOURSELF! Which is why you need to be mindful that you will Never Become successful or accomplished, if you don’t First Believe That You Can! This is where our childlike faith steps on stage and begins singing “I Think I Can, I Think I Can!” Why? Because, YOU CAN! “I CAN DO ALL THINGS [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose – I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]” (Philippians 4:13 AMP) BELIEVE YOU CAN…BECAUSE YOU CAN!

Listen, if it was possible for those fishermen in Luke 5, please know that it is certainly possible for YOU! The Bible says: “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets and you will catch a lot of fish!” (Luke 5:4 TLB) And what was Simon’s response? “Sir,”…we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, we’ll try again.” (vs. 5) And what was the result? “And this time their nets were so full that they began to tear!..” (vs. 6) People of God bear in mind: Just because it didn’t happen before, doesn’t mean it can’t happen now, and happen just like that, just for you! How do I know? Because the Bible says, “…Jesus doesn’t change – yesterday, today, tomorrow, He’s always totally Himself” (Hebrews 13:8 MSG) Your God is the same yesterday, today and forevermore! He’s not changing! What He Did THEN He can still do NOW! The issue is Do YOU BELIEVE It?! The Bible states this: “A man cannot please God unless he has FAITH. Anyone who comes to God must BELIEVE that He is. That one must also know that God gives what is promised to the one who keeps on looking for Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NLV); “Only it must be in FAITH that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,” (James 1:6-7 AMP); “For the one right with God lives by FAITH. If anyone turns back, I will not be pleased with him.” (Hebrews 10:38 NLV); “…The just shall live by FAITH” (Romans 1:17); “…but the just shall live by his FAITH.” (Habakkuk 2:4)

Are you getting this? In other words, you must walk, move and live by FAITH! BELIEVE IT AND BECOME IT! The Opportunity For You to Experience a Year of Bigger, Better, and Greater is Just One Faith Belief Away!

Please understand, those fishermen were no better or no worse than YOU! So keep in mind: “…God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from – if you want God and are ready to do as He says, the door is open…He’s doing it everywhere, among everyone.” (Acts 10:34-36 MSG) God Can and Will Do It For YOU! Unlike man, He doesn’t play favorites! The door is open for the janitor, the bus driver, the teacher, the waiter, the preacher and the singer alike! So what are you waiting for? Believe God and Launch Out Into the Deep! A BIGGER, BETTER, AND GREATER YEAR IS WAITING FOR YOU TO ARRIVE!

Remember: The size of your faith and your vision determines the outcome of your idea! So stretch yourself and reach your greatest potential!

Listen: Edison had to install electric lights for free in an office building before anyone even came to look at them. The first sewing machine invented was destroyed by a mob in France. Morse waited for ten years before the world showed any interest in his telegraph. And when the idea of traveling by railroad was introduced, people scoffed because it was widely believed that traveling at thirty miles per hour stopped blood circulation in the human body. In other words, YOU are no exception! It will be just as hard for you as it has been for anyone else, but the level of Belief you have in your Beliefs is what makes the difference! All you have to do is maintain your faith, even in the midst of failure and fear, believing that God is still able to produce what He promised you! Which means you need to ask yourself a few questions: Will I still hold on when the contract doesn’t come through? When the mortgage is not approved? When the idea breaks down? When the plans go south? When the direction is changed? When my favorites walk out? When I’m overlooked, unappreciated, taken for granted, mishandled, misused, underestimated, and passed over…Will I still Hold On To What I Believe God is Able to Do for Me?

Ronald E. Osborn said, “Undertake something difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try something beyond what you have already mastered, you’ll never grow.” Therefore, Get out of your Comfort Zone and Stretch yourself into uncommon, unknown, and unfamiliar territory! Walk where you’ve never walked, go where you’ve never gone, try what you’ve never tried! You never know the unforeseen blessing you may finally discover!

Hebrews 11:8-10, “By an act of FAITH, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an UNKNOWN PLACE that would become his home. When he left HE HAD NO IDEA WHERE HE WAS GOING. By an act of FAITH he lived in the country PROMISED HIM, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same PROMISE. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an UNSEEN city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God.” (MSG) In other words, when you walk with God by faith, even in an unknown place, God can still connect your path to His promise for your life! All you have to do is commit to believing it!

With that said, Yes, you can attend that school, Yes, you can start that ministry, Yes, you can own that company, Yes, you can live in that house, Yes, you can travel this world over, Yes you can receive an unqualified promotion and position, Yes, you can drive that car, Yes, you can experience financial independence, Yes you can purchase that building and start that business, Yes, you can finally walk in complete and total healing, wholeness and deliverance! Yes, you can finally be happy, have unspeakable joy, and rest in the comforting peace of God! Yes, you can do it, achieve it, accomplish it, and overcome it! Yes, you can, and all you have to do is Believe it!

I had a great friend Dr. Walter Seymore say something to me 10 years ago that I still hold dear today! He said “just because you’re a preacher doesn’t mean you hang around only preachers. You’ll never grow or stretch beyond the circle you surround yourself with. Instead befriend doctors, lawyers, politicians, athletes, sanitation workers, bank tellers etc…this way your growth, potential and open doors are limitless because they’ll come from every walk of life. If you want to make a big mark, you can’t make small moves in little circles. Diversify your connections!”

Now, anyone who really knows me knows I am a “Parable Preacher/Teacher”. I’ve preached and taught on everything from trees, ants, spiders, conies, and rock badgers, to eagles, termites, donkeys, gerbils, heifers, and snakes, to sewage, ice, storms, birds, ticks, planes, football, and even the one word “AND”!  And the only reason I’m able to do what I do and do it effectively is because I broadened my circle! I learned to talk with NON-PREACHERS! That’s what sharpened my skills and gifts for teaching! Think about it, if I’m preaching about elephants, why talk to another preacher when I can get better substance from talking with a veterinarian? I was able to get out of debt because I stopped talking to preachers only, about tithes and offerings, and I learned to make friends with those who are financial counselors; loan officers and CFO’s! Talking to different people from different walks of life, different backgrounds, upbringing, employment etc…is what Jesus did too! He talked to the blind, lame, deaf, mute, adulterous, thieves, trees, wind, waves and even the dead!  Why should we do anything different?!

And with that as a thought, perhaps your stunted growth is because you won’t stretch yourself beyond the comfortable comfort zone of your current inner circle!

“Move out of your comfort zone! You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” (Brian Tracey)

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” (Author Unknown)

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” (Thomas Jefferson)

“If we’re growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone.” (John Maxwell)

“Do not allow your comfort zone to prevent you from adapting to change or from trying new ventures.” (Byron Pulsifer)

“Life will only change when you become more committed to your dreams than you are to your comfort zone.” (Author Unknown)

In other words, IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE BIGGER, BETTER AND GREATER, YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE THE DECISION TO FINALLY GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE! Like the Fisherman in Luke 5, IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO LEAVE THE SURFACE AND GO OUT INTO THE DEEP! IF YOU WANT BLESSINGS WITH DEPTH, YOU WILL NEED TO GO OUT INTO THE DEEP! Consider this: your promotion, mortgage approval, career, new job, degree, car, business etc…may all be in the Deep…But You’re Too Surface To Get It! Sometimes it’s really not Satan, sometimes it’s just your shallow-surfaced mindset. So, are you really willing to pass all that up just because you’re afraid to go where you’ve never gone and try what you’ve never tried?! Don’t Allow Your Limits to Limit You! Broaden Your Circle So You Can Embrace Bigger, Better, and Greater!

Look at it this way: In all these years, if you haven’t gained what you desired yet…what have you got to lose?! So Go for it! Launch Out! Remember This: You attain in direct proportion to what you attempt, which is why Jesus said to His disciples: “Launch out into the DEEP”…You Will Not Attain Greater Until You’re Willing To Attempt Greater! So the next time you’re asked to preach, teach, pray, preside, oversee, lead, sing, dance, paint, draw, build, etc…Don’t Hold Back! Loose Yourself and Let Your Own Self Go! Do Something Different and Go Deeper! Stop being complacent, comfortable, fearful, and timid!

Go Deep In Faith, and You Won’t Drown in Fear!

Look at the text of Luke 5 in these two translations:

“…Now GO out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” (NLT)

“…PUSH out into deep water, and lower your nets for a catch.” (ISV)

The word “GO” in its simplest form means: “To Move To Or From a Place”. And that’s what you need to do if you are going to get what you’ve never gotten before! You’re going to have to Move From Where You Are and Move Towards Where You Need To Be! You Can’t Get It Standing Still or Staying Here! Your Destiny Is Not On The Shore, It’s Out In The Deep, So Get Up Off Your Hind Parts and GO! Move Out Into the Deep!

The word “PUSH” in its simplest form means: “To Exert Force So As To Move From and Move To”. Listen, You Are Not Going to Get This Passively! You are going to have to Exert Force! Which is why Comfort Zones are so Dangerous! They make you Complacent! And worse yet, they make you Stagnant! The word “Complacent” means: “Smug and uncritically satisfied with oneself or one’s achievements”. Which is why so many miss out on greater blessings because they’ve become so satisfied with where they are currently and what they’ve achieved and attained thus far! It’s Latin Origin “Complacere” means: “To Please”. And that’s all they did, was reach a certain goal, and sit back with the 3^rd place ribbon in their hands and never getting back in the next race to try for the number one slot!  Don’t You Do It! Don’t Become Complacent! There Is Far MORE For You To Attain, But You’ve Got to Believe You Can and Then Exert Force to Attain It!

The word “Stagnant” means “Motionless and often having an unpleasant smell as a consequence”. Don’t Let This Happen To You! Stagnant Water Stinks because it goes No Where! So animals in particular, go to the bathroom in Stagnant Water! And any waste just lying around gets stuck in Stagnant Water furthering its Awful Smell! Sidebar Warning: Gossip Garbage Is Always Dumped In the Lives of Stagnant People! After All, They’re Going No Where and Doing Nothing and So Everyone with Everything and Anything Just Dumps and Deposits! On the other hand, When You’re Moving You Have No Time For Mess! So Don’t Just Stand There…MOVE…AND LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP! BIGGER, BETTER AND GREATER IS WAITING FOR YOU TO SIMPLY LET DOWN YOUR NET IN FAITH!

Another translation says it like this:

“…Take the BOAT into deep water, and lower your NETS to catch some fish.” (GWT)

KEY: Only take what you need into the deep! They took the BOAT and NETS! Make sure you only take WHAT and dare I say WHO is Essential to Your Catch! Don’t take family because you assume that they’re family so they must go! That is not always the case! Sometimes Family Will Sink Your Boat the Fastest! Don’t take all your friends because all your friends are not there to help you catch or clean the fish…they just want to fry it up and eat your spoils! So be careful! In the words of my Professor…You Only Need What You Need! Don’t attempt to take extra!

If you think about it, that’s the first thing they do when a boat is sinking, they begin to unload unnecessary cargo! Sometimes you have to throw overboard your overload! Jonah 1:15, “They took Jonah and threw him overboard. IMMEDIATELY the sea was quieted down.” (MSG) However, you are getting your warning in advance of your trip to Bigger, Better and Greater! So, before you even go out into the deep, make sure you only have on your boat WHAT and WHO you NEED for the Catch! In case you don’t know “Need” is defined as “Something Required Because It Is Essential or Very Important”. And “Essential” means “Absolutely Necessary”! So Whether It Is a Person, Place or Thing, You Only Need What You Need!

Remember the Koi Fish Enlarges Itself Based Off What It’s In! So Make Sure You Are Deep In Prayer, Faith, the Word of God, Wisdom, And a Good Surrounding of Sound-Minded People!  You Will Either Stretch or Shrink Depending On What You’re Surrounded In! So Get Off the Shore, Get Out of the Surface and Launch Out Into the Deep…Taking Only What and Who Are Absolutely Essential! THEN OPEN YOUR ARMS WIDE TO EMBRACE 2020, YOUR YEAR OF BIGGER, BETTER AND GREATER!

Here is Your 2020 Scripture to Crown Your Entire Year! Psalm 65:11:

“You crown the YEAR with Your bounty and goodness, and the tracks of Your [chariot wheels] drip with fatness.” (AMPC) – GET READY, BECAUSE YOUR ENTIRE 2020 YEAR WILL BE FILLED WITH BOUNTY, GOODNESS AND FATNESS! BELIEVE IT!

“You START the NEW YEAR with a good harvest. You END THE YEAR with many crops.” (ERV) – GET READY, BECAUSE YOUR ENTIRE 2020 YEAR FROM START TO END WILL POSSESS HARVEST AND CROPS! BELIEVE IT!

“You crown the YEAR with Your bounty; Your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.” (ESV) – GET READY, BECAUSE YOUR ENTIRE 2020 YEAR WILL OVERFLOW WITH ABUNDANCE! BELIEVE IT!

“You crown the YEAR with Your goodness; and richness overflows wherever You are.” (GWT) – GET READY, BECAUSE YOUR ENTIRE 2020 YEAR WILL HAVE THE TESTIMONY THAT EVERYWHERE YOU GO YOU WILL BE SURROUNDED BY RICHNESS! BELIEVE IT!

“You give the YEAR a good harvest, and You load the wagons with many crops.” (NCV) – GET READY, BECAUSE YOUR ENTIRE 2020 YEAR WILL NOT ONLY HAVE HARVEST, BUT A GOOD HARVEST, NOT JUST CROPS, BUT MANY CROPS! BELIEVE IT!

“You crown the YEAR with Your good gifts. There is more than enough where You have been.” (NLV) – GET READY, BECAUSE YOUR ENTIRE 2020 YEAR, YOUR GIFTS WILL BE USED, AND YOU WILL BE FILLED WITH MORE THAN ENOUGH! BELIEVE IT!

“You crown the YEAR with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.” (NLT) – GET READY, BECAUSE YOUR ENTIRE 2020 YEAR WILL BE COVERED WITH A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST, AND NO MATTER HOW HARD THE HARD TIMES GET, YOU WILL STILL HAVE EVERY HARD PLACE OVERFLOWING WITH ABUNDANCE! BELIEVE IT!

And All You Need to Do is Believe It, Receive It, and Live In the Abundance of It!

GOD HAS ALREADY DONE HIS PART, NOW IT’S YOUR TURN. HAVE FAITH IN IT, BELIEVE IT, EMBRACE IT!

HAPPY BIGGER, BETTER, GREATER, PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

I SEE YOU IN THE FUTURE (20/20 IN 2020) AND THINGS LOOK SO MUCH BETTER! YOU’RE EXPECTING A MIRACLE, AND YOUR MIRACLE IS EXPECTING YOU!

ENJOY YOUR CROWNED YEAR, ALL YEAR!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “The OLD Me is Ready For NEW!”

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“My Prayers Are Answered!”

1 Kings 18:36-37, “When it was time for the sacrifice to be offered, Elijah the prophet came up and prayed, “O God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make it known right now that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I’m doing what I’m doing under your orders. ANSWER ME, GOD; O ANSWER ME and reveal to this people that you are God, the true God, and that you are giving these people another chance at repentance.” (MSG)

Elijah needed a miracle! And truth is, there are many times when what we need is an answer to prayer. And then there are those rare, probably once in a lifetime moments when we have to have a full blown miracle! You see, the Old Testament prophet did not need a nice, run of the mill, easily explainable answer to prayer. The situation he was in, demanded an outright, jaw-dropping, undeniable, superceding-the-laws-of-nature, impressive, without a shadow of a doubt, verifiable miracle! Without it, Elijah would be killed and God’s chosen people would drift into pagan oblivion.

As Charles Dickens would say, “…it was the worst of times.”

King Ahab and Queen Jezebel had steered the nation of Israel down a road leading away from the Lord and then stepped on the accelerator – and woe to anyone who caused them a traffic jam in the process! Ahab was a man whose wickedness was exceeded only by that of his wife, Jezebel. Everything about that woman dripped iniquity and emanated evil. Together, they publicly promoted the worship of the pagan god Baal.

In order to shock the nation back from its dangerous path, the Lord sent a drought. This was not just a seasonal sign, but a heaven-sent plague that lasted for three long years. The lack of rain was an obvious slap in the face of the supposed rain god, Baal.

After three years without rain, the people stood precariously with one foot on either side, partially following the false god and sort of following their God. Please know this: Straddling the fence, is never a good place to be!

Into this boiling cauldron of chaos, God sent His servant, Elijah, the rough-hewn prophet. He was a wild, eccentric, bold messenger of the Almighty God. Risking death, Elijah faced Ahab and challenged him to gather the people for a power duel of deities. When the day of decision dawned, Elijah stood alone on Mt. Carmel facing 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah before the gathered nation of Israel. The odds were 950 to 1! It looked like a mismatched fixed fight. And as it turned it out, IT WAS!

Sidestepping political correctness, Elijah confronted the people with a challenge: “…How long are you going to sit on the fence? If GOD is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!” (1 Kings 18:21 MSG)

The people sat in stunned silence as he continued, “Then Elijah said, “I’m the only prophet of God left in Israel; and there are 450 prophets of Baal. Let the Baal prophets bring up two oxen; let them pick one, butcher it, and lay it out on an altar on firewood—but don’t ignite it. I’ll take the other ox, cut it up, and lay it on the wood. But neither will I light the fire. Then you pray to your gods and I’ll pray to God. The god who ANSWERS with fire will prove to be, in fact, God.” All the people agreed: “A good plan—do it!” (1 Kings 18:22-24 MSG)

Since Baal was supposedly able to control lightning, thunder, and rain, everyone agreed. You see, humans love to watch a wreck of any kind. And this wreck of a show-down guaranteed to be highly entertaining.

The Baal prophets went first, after all Elijah even went so far as to say, “…You go first, you’re the majority…” (1 Kings 18:25 MSG). Which we should take as an admonishment that the Majority isn’t always right, more powerful or more effective! In fact, I love the quote that says, “God may be the only person willing to stand by us when we’re forced to stand alone, but one person and a Sovereign God make a majority.” (Dr. Tim Kimmel). Even Frederick Douglass said, “One and God make a majority.”

However, they prayed all morning, “Baal, answer us.” The only response they received was a wall of absolute silence! In fact, the Scripture says, “…But nothing happened – not so much as a whisper of breeze…” (1 Kings 18:26 MSG). Now that’s harsh!

Then, when Elijah began to taunt them, they prayed louder, harder, and more passionately. They did anything they could think of to provoke a response from their deity. Yet, there was not even a flicker of a reply. They prayed all afternoon. Nothing! Nada! Zippo! Baal had failed miserably! Better yet, the Bible says it like this: “By noon, Elijah had started making fun of them, taunting, “Call a little louder—he is a god, after all. Maybe he’s off meditating somewhere or other, or maybe he’s gotten involved in a project, or maybe he’s on vacation. You don’t suppose he’s overslept, do you, and needs to be waked up?” They prayed louder and louder, cutting themselves with swords and knives—a ritual common to them—until they were covered with blood. This went on until well past noon. They used every religious trick and strategy they knew to make something happen on the altar, but nothing happened—not so much as a whisper, not a flicker of response.” 1 Kings 18:27-29 (MSG).

So, then it was Elijah’s turn! First, he repaired the altar the other prophets had knocked down in their feeble attempts to attract the attention of Baal. He dug a trench around the altar and then put wood on it and another ox. Then he did an absolutely outrageous thing! Elijah had the altar drenched in water, time after time, until the excess water filled the trench. He had to be crazy! If 950 prophets’ prayers could not get their god to send a spark, how did he think one man could get his God to consume a water-soaked sacrifice with fire?!

Here’s what the Bible says: “Then Elijah told the people, “Enough of that—it’s my turn. Gather around.” And they gathered. He then put the altar back together for by now it was in ruins. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Jacob, the same Jacob to whom God had said, “From now on your name is Israel.” He built the stones into the altar in honor of God. Then Elijah dug a fairly wide trench around the altar. He laid firewood on the altar, cut up the ox, put it on the wood, and said, “Fill four buckets with water and drench both the ox and the firewood.” Then he said, “Do it again,” and they did it. Then he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. The altar was drenched and the trench was filled with water.” (1 Kings 18:30-35 MSG)

Standing in front of the altar before an entire nation and the hundreds of false prophets and King Ahab, Elijah needed a miracle! If he failed, they would kill him, and the Lord would be squeezed out of the nation through Ahab’s political clout.

So Elijah did the only thing a man in desperate need of an impossible miracle does. HE PRAYED! How big is God? Big Enough! So Elijah offered one of the most effective prayers recorded in the Bible and asked God for a really BIG thing: “When it was time for the sacrifice to be offered, Elijah the prophet came up and prayed, “O God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make it known right now that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I’m doing what I’m doing under your orders. Answer me, God; O answer me and reveal to this people that you are God, the true God, and that you are giving these people another chance at repentance.” (1 Kings 18:36-37 MSG).

Elijah offered a simple, two-word request, “ANSWER ME.” And guess what? GOD DID! The Bible says: “Immediately the fire of GOD fell and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even the water in the trench.” (1 Kings 18:38 MSG)

I would’ve given anything to see the faces of the people when God answered His servant! What a blast to witness the humiliation and total embarrassment of the false prophets! Wouldn’t it have been sheer delight to see the frustrated anger on the wicked king’s face?!

Elijah’s petition was powerful! The prophets of Baal prayed all day and Baal couldn’t even make a spark to light dry kindling wood! THEN ELIJAH PRAYED FOR LESS THAN A MINUTE and God sent fire from heaven that was so mighty it ignited a soaking wet sacrifice and burned up the wet wood, saturated stones, and drenched soil! And if that wasn’t enough, the blaze consumed all the water in the trench! That just floored me, and it did the very same to the people! The Bible says: “All the people saw it happen and fell on their faces in awed worship, exclaiming, “GOD is the true God! GOD is the true God!” (1 Kings 18:39 MSG).

How Big is God? Big Enough!

The spiritual direction of an entire nation was turned back to God all because ONE MAN was not afraid to confront the enemy and ask God for a miracle! Elijah lived in the Largeness of God, and miracles were the result! He prayed, “ANSWER ME!” AND GOD DID! He prayed “ANSWER ME!” AND MANY PEOPLE WERE STEERED BACK ON COURSE! He asked for a victory-producing miracle, and the enemy was crushed!

Helen Roseveare was a Missionary Doctor who spent twenty years ministering in the Congo. This was one of her awesome testimonies: “One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator. (We had no electricity to even run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates. “And it is our last hot water bottle!” she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. “All right,” I said, “put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm. The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. “Please, God,” she prayed, “send us a water bottle. It’ll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.” While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of a corollary, “And while You are about it, would You please send a doll for the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?” As often with children’s prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, “Amen?” I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything. The Bible says so. But there are limits, aren’t there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses’ training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the verandah, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas – that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. Then as I put my hand in again, I felt…could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, it was, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle! I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, “If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the doll, too!” Rummaging down the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted. Looking up at me, she asked, “Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this doll to that little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus really loves her?” That parcel had been on the way for FIVE WHOLE MONTHS! Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God’s prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a doll for an African child – FIVE WHOLE MONTHS before – in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it that afternoon!

Which should remind us all of God’s promise: “And it shall be that BEFORE they call I WILL ANSWER; and while they are yet speaking I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24 AMP)

I read stories like this and they remind me that God truly is Absolutely Amazing! He can do miracles! He can do anything! Nothing is too big, too hard, or too complicated for Him!

“But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, BUT ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD.” (Matthew 19:26 AMP);

“Jesus glanced around at them and said, With men [it is] impossible, BUT NOT WITH GOD; FOR ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD.” (Mark 10:27 AMP);

“Jeremiah, I am the Lord God. I rule the world, AND I CAN DO ANYTHING!” (Jeremiah 32:27 CEV);

“I am the Lord! THERE IS NOTHING TOO DIFFICULT FOR ME…” (Genesis 18:14 CEV).

In other words, HE IS THE GOD OF ALL! He Can Do Anything But Fail! He can send fire from heaven in answer to prayer. He can deliver a hot-water bottle and a doll to the Congo on exactly the right day! And just in case you were wondering, He can cure cancer, dry up tumors, make cysts disappear, regulate blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. He can reverse the damage of diabetes, He can heal heart disease, He can put a roof over your head, food on your table, clothes on your back and shoes on your feet. He can grant you employment and favor you with a bonus and promotion on top! He can remove the feelings of loneliness, worthlessness, low self-esteem and depression. He can change your mind before the suicide attempt even takes place. He can mend your broken heart. He can rekindle and restore your marriage. He can get you back in school. He can carry you through the process of recovery from any addiction and habit. He can bring your wayward children back home. He can change the blood-work and x-rays in your favor. He can undo what the disease did. He can heal your past, strengthen your present and enlarge your future. He can refresh your hope and rebuild your faith. He can protect you, provide for you and grant you joy and peace. He can restore your happy. Trust God! How Big is He? Big Enough for Anything You’re Facing!

I could tell story after story of how God worked in amazing ways as the result of desperate prayer. But you don’t need to hear someone else’s story. You Need Your Own! So what is your seemingly impossible situation? Where do you need a miracle? Why not tell God? Ask Him to answer so you can give Him the Glory!

The next time you are facing a situation that needs a ANSWER ME GOD miracle, follow Elijah’s lead in 1 Kings 18:36-37:

1…“When it was time for the sacrifice to be offered, Elijah the prophet came up and prayed…” A sacrifice is painful and bloody! And that may very well describe what you’re facing today! If so, do what Elijah did, when faced with a situation that would be of great sacrifice, he prayed! Unfortunately, we have the bad habit of gathering intercessors, crying, whining, blaming, finger pointing, complaining, and worst yet, on the phone for hours talking to people who can do absolutely nothing to fix what’s broken. No, instead, follow Elijah. He talked to no one BUT GOD! Make sure that’s your first line of defense as well!  

2…“…O God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make it known right now that you are God in Israel…” When facing a crisis, don’t panic, pause and pray recalling the victories of the past! Elijah made known the names of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and we know quite well all that God did for them! Therefore, whenever fear tries to take over, let your faith go down memory lane of all the Lord brought you through before, that He can and will bring you through again! He is still the same God yesterday, today and forevermore! He is not changing and He most certainly is not weakening! He is still faithful, consistent and all-powerful! He can do what neither you nor anyone else can do on your behalf! Just pause and as you pray look back over the years of your life, recall every battle and every victory, and remember that God has not forgotten to give you the triumph once more!

3…“…that I am your servant, and that I’m doing what I’m doing under your orders…” You have to know who you are and Who you’re praying too before you even start! If not, you’ll go into prayer, praying like a stranger or beggar instead of a son and daughter! Elijah said I am your servant and I’m working according to your orders. Therefore, God, since this assignment came to me by You, any bumps in the road along the way are Your responsibility to smooth out! In essence, You trusted me to do my job, and now God I’m trusting You to do Yours! You see, I can go to my HR specialist on my job because I’m employed there. And so, if I should have any questions or concerns regarding my benefits, that’s who I go to. Likewise, follow Elijah’s instructions. God, I’m your servant, I’m on my job, under your command and orders, I have a prayer concern before You, and I know that my greatest benefit in working for You, is answered prayer, so God, ANSWER ME!

4…“…ANSWER ME, GOD; O ANSWER ME and reveal to this people that you are God, the true God, and that you are giving these people another chance at repentance.” Elijah does not ask God to get back to Him at His earliest convenience, NO, God answer me now! And guess what? He Did! And likewise, He will do the very same for you if only you’d exhibit bold, trusting faith! Elijah even puts some pressure on God: “REVEAL TO THIS PEOPLE THAT YOU ARE GOD, THE TRUE GOD”! God, your name and reputation are on the line, prove to these people that you are not only God, but the ONLY true God! And then the soft heart of the prophet is revealed when he says, ‘…you are giving these people another chance at repentance.’ You would think after having all these people coming up against Elijah that he would have something nasty and demeaning to say (you know, unfortunately, like some church folks do). But not Elijah, he maintains his character and even in prayer speaks of His God giving a people another opportunity to repent. Isn’t that just like our God? Because truthfully, we’ve committed some horrible sins against God and people, and yet, He never withdraws His mercy, and His grace never depletes!

People of God, certainly there are some areas in your life, family, ministry, business, finances, health, etc… that need a miraculously answered prayer! Well, why not take your Impossible to the God where absolutely NOTHING is Impossible for Him? If He answered Elijah, surely you believe He’ll answer you!

Let 2020 be the year you walk confidently and consistently in your ANSWERED PRAYERS!

DECLARE TODAY: MY PRAYERS ARE ALREADY ANSWERED!

“The action we must take to slay the giants in our lives is to place the living God first in our lives.” (Pastor Alton Trimble) 

“Never Confuse the Will of the Majority With the Will of God.” (Author Unknown)

“It’s a sweet thing, faith. With it, you can handle any circumstance, any crisis, because you know God always has your back. And when God is for you, who can be against you? Nobody. As my Aunt Hattie says, ‘One and God are a majority.’” (Patti LaBelle) 

“God often uses the Minority to influence the Majority.” (Author Unknown)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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“Don’t Let the Pressure Stop Your Press!”

“I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, and go all the way with Him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” (Philippians 3:10-11 MSG)

While John was a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos, far from his loved ones and surrounded by the cries of abused captives, he had a vision of Jesus. He writes, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead…” (Revelation 1:17 AMP). He received an incredible revelation in the midst of confinement, chaos and pain – and isn’t that often how revelation works? God certainly has an amazing way of showing Himself mighty in the midst of our misery. The problem is however, we don’t respond like John. Despite what John was facing and surrounded by, when “…he saw Him…[he]…fell at His feet as if dead…” Let’s be honest, how many of us actually fall into worship mode when in the midst of struggles? Truth is, far more often, we become snappy, our attitudes get out of control, our emotions are doom and gloom, our faith falters, our countenance falls, our hope becomes helplessness, we invite family, friends and even foes to our self-proclaimed pity party. It’s sad but true. Rarely do we immediately fall into worship when life hits us with its worst!

But even Jonah learned to worship in the worst of it! “Jonah 2:2-6, Describes Jonah’s Fish Temple of Worship: The Bible says, “In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to God. He answered me. From the belly of the grave I cried, ’Help!’ You heard my cry. You threw me into ocean’s depths, into a watery grave, With ocean waves, ocean breakers crashing over me. I said, ’I’ve been thrown away, thrown out, out of your sight. I’ll never again lay eyes on your Holy Temple.’ Ocean gripped me by the throat. The ancient Abyss grabbed me and held tight. My head was all tangled in seaweed at the bottom of the sea where the mountains take root. I was as far down as a body can go, and the gates were slamming shut behind me forever…” (MSG).

And you think you’ve got problems??!!  Jonah worshiped in the midst of fish guts and seaweed, and you mean to tell me you can’t worship God in the midst of what you’re going through? Look at what Jonah worshiped in the midst of! But yet in still, you cancel your worship due to rolling eyes and attitudes; over what someone said or didn’t say; because they didn’t sing your song or preach you happy; because it’s raining outside; because they sat in your seat; because of what the doctors said. Tell yourself from this day forward, the devil is a liar! I’ll let nothing and no one cancel my worship again! Not their words, facial expressions, opinions, criticisms, discouragement, or bitterness! If Jonah could worship with his head tangled in seaweed at the bottom of the sea; surely you can continue to worship God as He keeps your head above the waters that He promised you would not drown you! Isaiah 43:1-4, “…Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That’s how much you mean to Me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.” (MSG) And yet, you would allow worries to steal your worship, problems to steal your praise, fear to steal your faith, hurt to steal your hope and circumstances to steal your commitment?!

When in the midst of what John was surrounded by, he still fell at the Lord’s feet. In the midst of what Jonah faced, he still worshiped. So what’s your excuse? Do you really believe that trials, troubles, struggles and tribulation are all bigger than the God you say you serve? Well, if that’s your belief, than I’m here to tell you your broken belief system needs repairs!

Please understand that the difficult circumstances you’re going through right now can actually clear your perceptions, cause you to seek God as never before, and find answers for your life, to questions that have been bombarding your sanity! John’s predicament proves that negative experiences don’t hide the Lord – they reveal Him! The Bible reads: “I saw this and fainted dead at his feet. His right hand pulled me upright, His voice reassured me: “Don’t fear: I am First, I am Last, I’m Alive. I died, but I came to life, and My life is now forever. See these keys in My hand? They open and lock Death’s doors, they open and lock Hell’s gates. Now write down everything you see: things that are, things about to be…” (Revelation 1:17-19 MSG). As bad as it was, John saw the Lord, bowed before Him in reverential fear and had the Lord Himself to encourage him: “…His voice reassured me: “Don’t fear…” That’s the beauty of being a child of the King, even when all of the Kingdom of Darkness is against you! He Always Reveals Himself to the Righteous, Regardless of How Bleak Their Circumstances May Appear.  After all, the One Whom we serve is still the first and the last, which encourages us to know that no matter what transpires in the middle, God got it covered from beginning to end! And He’s so awesome that He admits Himself, that He died and came back to life and now lives forever. He’s reassuring John (and us) of just how powerful He really is! All He desires is that we trust Him and believe Him! And then, if that weren’t enough to increase our faith, lift up our heads, square off our shoulders and straighten up our back, He goes on to say in His hand are keys, and He alone has the access to open and lock death’s doors and Hell’s gates, so you’re afraid of what? Right! Absolutely Nothing! Because this is the God you serve!

I think sometimes we unfortunately forget the Lord’s promise to us: “…for He  [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” (Hebrews 13:5 AMP) How do you read a promise like that and fear anything or anyone? The Lord Himself DELIBERATELY REFUSES to fail you; give you up; leave you without support and will under no circumstances leave you helpless; nor will He forsake you; let you down or relax His hold on you! You are so loved, cherished, treasured and protected by God that He Initiated This Promise To You! You didn’t have to ask Him to do it, you didn’t have to ask Him for it, He Chose To Give it to You Himself! So regardless to what you’re in, what you’re surrounded by, what you’re going through, who you’re up against or what you’re facing, you have full CONFIDENCE that God’s Got You COVERED!

Hebrews 10:35, “Do not, therefore, fling away your FEARLESS CONFIDENCE, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward.” (AMPC) The Message Bible says it like this: Hebrews 10:32-39, “Remember those early days after you first saw the light? Those were the hard times! Kicked around in public, targets of every kind of abuse—some days it was you, other days your friends. If some friends went to prison, you stuck by them. If some enemies broke in and seized your goods, you let them go with a smile, knowing they couldn’t touch your real treasure. Nothing they did bothered you, nothing set you back. So don’t throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It’s still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion. It won’t be long now, he’s on the way; he’ll show up most any minute. But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust; if he cuts and runs, I won’t be very happy. But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.” (MSG) 

No Matter Your Circumstances, Never Cast Away Your Confidence in the God That Has You Covered!

I love the way Joseph words it: “…Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good…” (Genesis 50:20 MSG). Not even the Best attack of the enemy against you can stop all the Good God is going to make happen towards you because of it! And He’s so awesome as God that He only needs ONE plan for your life, and No Back-Up! Why? Because the ONE plan He has for your life is more than sufficient! “…I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I HAVE IT ALL PLANNED OUT – PLANS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, NOT ABANDON YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU THE FUTURE YOU HOPE FOR.” (Jeremiah 29:11 MSG). Who needs a back-up plan to that?! God will in fact shame your enemies so that He will even use THEIR PLANS FOR YOUR DESTRUCTION AS THE BRICKS TO BUILD YOU UP IN THE END! Joseph’s brothers had some Bad plans for him, but God used them to Bless Joseph Real Good! And He will do the very same for YOU! So lift your bowed down head, square your shoulders, straighten your back and put a smile on your face, God is not done blessing you yet!

Instead of destroying you, Satan’s attacks can actually develop you. Yes, it STRESSES you, but it also STRETCHES you spiritually. In Hebrews Chapter 11 we see two things:

1. The Deeds of Their Faith; and
2. The Depth of Their Faith.

It always amazes me how God’s saints of old could worship Him in the midst of absolutely anything, and we can’t seem to worship in anything. They pursued God on just promises, and even the ones that weren’t fulfilled in their lifetime, they never lost their appetite for God. They continued to hunger and thirst after Him. Maybe that’s why they were so Full and we’re so Empty. The depth of their faith propelled them to continue in their deeds for Him, despite what was being done to and against them. They maintained such a Faith Under Fire That No Fierce Attack Could Put it to Ashes! They mastered how to Press In and Press On…Anyhow!

Think about it: Where did God prove His faithfulness to Daniel? In the Lion’s Den! “The king caved in and ordered Daniel brought and thrown into the lions’ den. But he said to Daniel, “Your God, to whom you are so loyal, is going to get you out of this.” A stone slab was placed over the opening of the den. The king sealed the cover with his signet ring and the signet rings of all his nobles, fixing Daniel’s fate. The king then went back to his palace. He refused supper. He couldn’t sleep. He spent the night fasting. At daybreak the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. As he approached the den, he called out anxiously, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve so loyally, saved you from the lions?” “O king, live forever!” said Daniel. “My God sent his angel, who closed the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me. I’ve been found innocent before God and also before you, O king. I’ve done nothing to harm you.” When the king heard these words, he was happy. He ordered Daniel taken up out of the den. When he was hauled up, there wasn’t a scratch on him. He had trusted his God.” (Daniel 6:16-23 MSG). My favorite part? “…HE ORDERED DANIEL TAKEN UP OUT OF THE DEN. WHEN HE WAS HAULED UP, THERE WASN’T A SCRATCH ON HIM. HE HAD TRUSTED HIS GOD.” Daniel was able to trust God in the midst of his attack, why can’t you do the same? After all, He is still the SAME GOD! We need to learn like Daniel to pursue God, to trust Him, rely on Him, rest in Him no matter what, because He’s Got Us…No Matter What or Who is Trying to Get at Us!

Remember: He’ll Do Anything For You, So Why Won’t You Do Anything For Him?!

Let’s Recall Paul’s Words: “I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience His resurrection power, be a partner in His suffering, AND GO ALL THE WAY WITH HIM…” (Philippians 3:10-11 MSG) He’ll clearly go all the way to life, death, and life for you, won’t you even go to prayer, praise and worship for Him? Won’t you follow and obey His commandments? Won’t you read and apply His Word? Won’t you go to His house of worship and celebrate and serve Him and His people? Won’t you give up anything for Him since He’s given up everything for you?

Likewise, think about this: Where did the Lord reveal Himself to the three Hebrew boys? In a fire that was heated seven times over! “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN’T, IT WOULDN’T MAKE A BIT OF DIFFERENCE, O KING. WE STILL WOULDN’T SERVE YOUR GODS OR WORSHIP THE GOLD STATUTE YOU SET UP.” Nebuchadnezzar, his face purple with anger, cut off Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace fired up seven times hotter than usual. He ordered some strong men from the army to tie them up, hands and feet, and throw them into the roaring furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, bound hand and foot, fully dressed from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire. Because the king was in such a hurry and the furnace was so hot, flames from the furnace killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to it, while the fire raged around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm and said, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound hand and foot, into the fire?” “That’s right, O king,” they said. “But look!” he said. “I see four men, walking around freely in the fire, completely unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a son of the gods!” Nebuchadnezzar went to the door of the roaring furnace and called in, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the High God, come out here!” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the fire. All the important people, the government leaders and king’s counselors, gathered around to examine them and discovered that the fire hadn’t so much as touched the three men—not a hair singed, not a scorch mark on their clothes, not even the smell of fire on them! Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his servants WHO TRUSTED HIM! They ignored the king’s orders and laid their bodies on the line rather than serve or worship any god but their own. “Therefore I issue this decree: Anyone anywhere, of any race, color, or creed, who says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be ripped to pieces, limb from limb, and their houses torn down. There has never been a god who can pull off a rescue like this.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.”  (Daniel 3:16-30 MSG).

Why don’t you trust God like that? John bowed, Jonah worshiped, Daniel trusted, the three Hebrew Boys maintained their resolve, and yet you do none of the above when the circumstances of life attack you? But I Reiterate, HE IS STILL THE SAME GOD…YOUR GOD! So, whether He takes you out, or leaves you in, you ought to serve Him with gladness anyhow, because He’s already promised to never leave you or forsake you, so why do you keep leaving and forsaking Him? He’s proven time and time again that He will do anything for you, when will you start to at least do something for Him?

You have to leave Circumstantial and Conditional Faith, and Finally Attain Concrete Faith!

Listen: Believe it or not, but there’s a place in God where fiery trials consume everything Except your desire to know Him. And though that place may sometimes escape your grasp, never let it escape your gaze. It was Paul’s all-consuming goal: “[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power out-flowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].” (Philippians 3:10-11 AMP)

Paul desired to know God intimately. No matter the circumstances, no matter the obstacles, no matter the pain, suffering or tragedy of death. It was all worth it, just to know Him! Paul would do anything for HIM! Will you? And just in case you think Paul had a cake-walk to getting to know God, listen at his testimony: 2 Corinthians 11:21-29, “… I’ve worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death’s door time after time. I’ve been flogged five times with the Jews’ thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I’ve been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. In hard traveling year in and year out, I’ve had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I’ve been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I’ve known drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather. And that’s not the half of it, when you throw in the daily pressures and anxieties of all the churches. When someone gets to the end of his rope, I feel the desperation in my bones…” (MSG) AND YET, PAUL WOULD ENDURE ALL OF THIS AS LONG AS HE GOT TO KNOW GOD! SO, WHAT’S YOUR EXCUSE AGAIN FOR WHY YOU “CAN’T” MAKE THE SAME SACRIFICE?! WHY CAN’T YOU ENDURE? WHY CAN’T YOU PRESS AND PRAISE THROUGH? WHY CAN’T YOU WORSHIP STILL? WHY DON’T YOU TRUST REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU SEE?

Listen, I know struggles and attacks can make it hard sometimes to press in, but you’ve got to press anyhow! No matter how bad it may become, remember your God is always good and will always bring about good on your behalf: “AND WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD, TO THEM WHO ARE THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.” (Romans 8:28) YES, THAT DOES SAY ALL THINGS (GOOD, BAD, UGLY, BEAUTIFUL, ETC…) WORK TOGETHER FOR YOUR GOOD! So continue to trust God no matter what you’re in, He’s a proven provider and protector of His people! “The Lord is my light and my salvation; He protects me from danger—whom shall I fear?  When evil men come to destroy me, they will stumble and fall!  Yes, though a mighty army marches against me, my heart shall know no fear! I am confident that God will save me. The one thing I want from God, the thing I seek most of all, is the privilege of meditating in His Temple, living in His presence every day of my life, delighting in His incomparable perfections and glory.” (Psalm 27:1-4 TLB).

If You Don’t Have This Level of Confidence in God…GET IT!

Remember This: Fiery Trials Work For You, Not Against You!

“Dear friends, don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you.  Instead, be really glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in His suffering, and afterwards you will have the wonderful joy of sharing His glory in that coming day when it will be displayed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13 TLB);

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (James 1:2-4 MSG)

SAINTS, EVEN BAD WORKS FOR THE GOOD OF THE BELIEVER!

So Give God Your Very Best in Serving Him, Because He’s Given You His Very Best in Saving You!

Remember: He’ll Do Anything For You,  Won’t You Now Do Anything For Him?!

And what’s one thing you can start doing today? DON’T LET THE PRESSURE STOP YOUR PRESS!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “Self-Care and Recovery After Trauma”

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“Contacting God’s Complaint Department”

Psalm 142:1-2, “I cry out loudly to God, loudly I plead with God for mercy. I spill out all my complaints before Him, and spell out my troubles in detail.” (MSG)

My dear friend Brett, in my opinion, has the absolute worse job in all the world…you see, Brett’s full-time job is handling consumer complaints! Now, he’s what I call a definite prime candidate for a lot of antacid commercials! Can you imagine getting calls all day long from people whose sole purpose in calling, is to tell you what they Don’t like? I mean honestly, who wants to listen to people dump on them for eight hours a day, even if you’re being paid for it? I mean non-stop, constant lit-up switchboards filled with miserable, angry, frustrated people just waiting for the first fool to pick up the phone and ask the dumb question, “How may I help you?”

His whole day is overwhelmed with complaints! “The light didn’t come on; can I get a refund; the commercial said; the salesman promised; what’s the return policy; can I talk to a manager; what do you mean there’s nothing you can do; can you fix this or not?!” And on and on and on goes Brett’s wonderful day at the office! He listens to complaining people all day long. It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it, and in Brett’s case, it’s him.

However, Brett is not the only person qualified for the job of complaint control! Thank God!

In Psalm 142, David says this: “I cry aloud to the Lord.” Sure sounds like he’s hurting, struggling and frustrated, not to mention overwhelmed. “I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before Him. Before Him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is You who knows my way.” That’s a very interesting portrayal of where our complaints ought to go. God’s Throne Room – that’s where you ought to take your complaints. David said, “I pour out my complaint to HIM. It’s before the Lord I tell my trouble.” “He’s the One where I, in a sense, dump all of this hurt, and anger, and frustration.“

The Amplified Bible reads like this: “I cry aloud with my voice TO THE LORD; I make supplication with my voice TO THE LORD. I pour out my complaint BEFORE HIM; I declare my trouble BEFORE HIM. When my spirit was overwhelmed and weak within me [wrapped in darkness], You knew my path. In the way where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. Look to the right [the point of attack] and see; For there is no one who has regard for me [to act in my favor]. Escape has failed me and I have nowhere to run; No one cares about my life. I cried TO YOU, O LORD; I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. Give attention to my cry, for I am brought very low; Rescue me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than I. “Bring my soul out of prison (adversity), So that I may give thanks and praise Your name; The righteous will surround me [in triumph], for You will look after me.” (Psalm 142 AMP)

David helps to guide us in the direction to the right person in the complaint department for us to pour all our complaints on… and who is that? No one else but the Lord! How happy that would make Brett if only that was an opportunity of delegation for him on his job! But as for us, we don’t have to worry if Brett is in a good or bad mood, or if he showed up for work today, or even if he can help us, because when we have life complaints, we can go straight to the throne room of God, without need of anyone to speak on our behalf! We can simply pour out our complaint before HIM!

But truthfully, how often does that really happen? Let’s be honest. We all at one time or another have had the bad tendency to take our complaints other places, haven’t we? We complain to our friends, we complain about the other guy to everybody else except the guy, we complain to our family, we complain to our pastors and church members, we complain to our co-workers, and the only thing we accomplish is we get to drag them down with us! They were feeling great until we came along. And then, all of a sudden, this big, dark cloud came in with us. We start them thinking negatively about it too. And we sound like squeaky chalk irritating the ears of the entire classroom of students.

Now, I know you may not want to hear this, but there are people in your life today who will thank me for telling you this…We’re Tired of Listening to Your Complaining! “Girl, he said, she did, they went…”; “Bruh, the wife; the kids; the job”; “Pastor, the ushers, the choir, the preachers”; “Sis, can you help me with, because I only got…”

Believe it or not, but no one wants to be around someone who is always crying, complaining, murmuring, bickering, nit-picking, begging, needy, desperate, miserable, pessimistic, negative, argumentative, combative and confrontational…nor one who is always having a bad “why me” day, all 24 hours in a day, all 52 weeks, all 12 months, all 366 days! Nobody wants to entertain that voice in their ears as a non-stop, open for business 24 hours a day 7 days a week 366 days a year complaint department! Nobody…But…GOD! And sometimes you simply need to remind people that you are godly, but you are Not GOD!

Listen to 1 Peter 3:15: “Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way.” (TLB). A lot of folks can’t hear our hope because they hear more about our hassles! Think about it: how can we “quietly” tell them about the reason we trust Jesus as Lord in our lives, with all the craziness in our lives, and do so in a “gentle and respectful” manner, if all they are invited to hear from us is our miserable whining, crying, self-pity party?! How can we possibly persuade someone to trust Jesus, when we act as if we don’t?

I challenge you to listen to yourself sometimes. Step outside of yourself and just try to listen to the things you say. What’s coming out of your mouth? What do you say about your spouse? Your children? Your job? Your boss? Your coworkers? Your church? Your ministry? Your colleagues? Your auxiliary? Your pastor? Your health? Your diagnosis? Your life? Your future? Your finances? Your promotion or demotion? Your unemployment? Your hair? Your teeth? Your make-up? Your looks? Your clothes? Your figure? Your acne? Your stretchmarks? Your weight gain? Your family? Your parents? Your siblings? Your community? What is coming out of your mouth? And in the ears of those who are listening to you, is it “quiet”? Is it “gentle”? Is it “respectful”? If not, then why are you still saying it?

Hebrews 12:15 says, “Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it.” (AMPC)

That’s what happens when your bitter, resentful, hate-filled voice gets in the hearing of others…it’s like a poison that seeps in under the skin of the Body of Christ and infects all its many members! It causes trouble and bitter torment and MANY become contaminated and defiled by it! It functions as a cancer that quickly spreads throughout the body killing it off member by member. Which should make you think twice before opening your mouth to complain to the wrong people ever again! Your bad disposition about life is like death to a decaying body, it destroys every part of it until there’s nothing left! Do you really want to bear that responsibility?!

If not, you need to ask yourself honestly, am I becoming a complainer?

Now, before you go off the negative deep-end again, let me clarify. David didn’t say, “don’t complain.” That would be denying the pain; denying your real feelings. I would never suggest people, even believers, walk around delusional, acting as if they are not experiencing life pain! I have never been a fan of the phrase, “fake it, till you make it!” And I’m not about to start becoming a fan of it now. So, your complaint isn’t the real problem. Let’s continue to see what is: The word “complain” itself means “to express dissatisfaction, grief, pain, discontent or annoyance; to state the reason one is suffering.” Its Old French Origin “complaindre”, from Latin “complangere” literally means “to bewail or lament.” Which also means “to plaint”. The word “plaint” means “lamentation; wail; complain.” It’s Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin “planctus”, from “plangere” which means “to strike, or beat one’s breast.” Which causes us to understand its related words which are: “to bellyache; gripe; growl; grumble; holler; moan; murmur; nag; scream; whimper; quarrel; bemoan; cry; sob; agonize; sorrow; weep; outcry; anguish; heartache; heartbreak; and woe.” You see, in a nutshell: Complaining is expressing an emotion of hurt, which isn’t bad, because even Jesus expressed His emotions. But for us, the problem comes in when we express those emotions to the wrong people.

David shows us that God Himself invites us to pour out our complaints to Him. Because at the end of the day, He’s the Only One who can do something about it.

Listen to David in the Message Bible: “I cry out loudly to God, loudly I plead with God for mercy. I spill out all my complaints before Him, and spell out my troubles in detail: “As I sink in despair, my spirit ebbing away, You know how I’m feeling, know the danger I’m in, the traps hidden in my path. Look right, look left – there’s not a soul who cares what happens! I’m up against it, with no exit – bereft, left alone. I cry out, God, call out: ‘You’re my last chance, my only hope for life!’ Oh listen, please listen; I’ve never been this low. Rescue me from those who are hunting me down; I’m no match for them. Get me out of this dungeon so I can thank You in public. Your people will form a circle around me and You’ll bring me showers of blessing!” (MSG)

David said, “I cry out loudly to GOD, loudly I plead with GOD…I spill out all of my COMPLAINTS BEFORE HIM…YOU KNOW HOW I’M FEELING…I cry out, GOD…”

David doesn’t seek to speak with any of the angels, he goes straight to the Almighty! Which is why a lot of people bypass the complaint department sometimes and go right to the manager/president. They say, “Hey, I want action! So forget the complaint guy; I’m going straight to the top!” Well, that’s actually the right place to go! Sometimes it’s appropriate to go to an offending person and confront them in order to seek healing. And, of course, it’s appropriate to share our burden with other people and ask them to pray for us. But first, dump all your garbage at your Lord’s feet. Go to the top! Get the emotions out before Him. Get some objectivity, some perspective that comes from being in God’s presence with all that stuff.

1 Peter 5:7, “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] ON HIM, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” (AMPC)

The Throne Room of God is the complaint department of the universe. So, let God deal with your complaints. You won’t get action by complaining to all the employees. Skip them and go straight to the top! After all it is HE that said to cast ALL! He didn’t say tell me about what happened yesterday, or a portion of last night. Nor does He say you can tell me about your career, but I don’t want to hear all that stuff about your cancer. NO! God wants all of it! Every Care, Every Anxiety, Every Worry, Every Concern, Every Complaint! He can handle it, people cannot!

Now, there are several things I absolutely love about what David shares in Psalm 142.

One, David didn’t attempt to water down how he felt. ‘He cried LOUDLY to God!’ No eloquent speech, just a loud cry! You need to do the same, but to God, not to people! Stop spilling your guts then wondering why everybody knows everything about your life. It’s because of you! If you talked more to God, than to them, they wouldn’t have so much insider information!

Two, David tells us a truth that we fail to remember quite often: “YOU KNOW HOW I’M FEELING”. God does, people don’t! Psalm 139 informs us that God knew all of our days before we ever lived one. Knows us inside and out. So, why not go to Him instead of Tyrone or Michelle? After all, would you take your Lexus to Ford and ask what’s wrong with it? Selah!

Three, David says, “You Know the Danger I’m In”, God is the one who knows, not Keisha. And telling Keisha changes nothing anyhow. God is the one you talk to when the foreclosure notice is on the way; when the diagnosis isn’t favorable; when the kids are straying; when the marriage is failing; when the business is going under; when the ministry doors are about to close; when your parent is about the die; when your lights are about to be cut off; when they’re about to repossess the car; when you get handed a pick slip! What is Keisha supposed to do about all of that? God knows what you’re in danger of in your David Dungeon, therefore, take it to Him!

Four, before David comes up out the cave, he makes a vow to God in advance: “Get me out of this dungeon so I can thank You in public.” Which is our great admonishment, believe that God can and will and prepare your public thanksgiving in advance, by faith! David had a praise of thanks already ready! He wasn’t hoping God would, but he declared, “Get me out of this…” He spoke of God’s ability, are you speaking the same?

And lastly David says, “Your people will form a circle around me and You’ll bring me showers of blessing!” This is the part that we get backwards, because as soon as we’re in danger of problems beyond our ability to handle, we immediately go down to the altar waiting for the saints to surround us in a circle, pray, and make it all better. No, I’m afraid that’s not how this works! You go to God first, when God delivers you, you thank Him in public with the rest of the saints!

People of God, it’s time we reflect the faith we say we live by. We can’t persuade people about God, running to people about our problems. Does that mean we can’t confide in our brothers and sisters? Absolutely not, the book of James even encourages this. But many of us have made that our first resort and it should not be so. Should we be complaining, pounding our chest in grief as if we’re going down for the last time? Wailing, moaning, grumbling, negative, hopeless and helpless. No, that is not a reflection of our faith. We believe God to do it, so we take the hard thing to Him, not to him or her. Our complaint is to be poured out to God, He alone can Save, Heal and Deliver.

We need to have a reason for people to look at us and see what we’re going through with challenges, trials, struggles, and pain. We need them to look at us and ask, “how do you go through this and not fall apart? How do you handle this like you are? Show me!” People don’t need to see more of our frowns; hear more of our complaints; and feel more of our burdens. They need to see how we carry our load, walking by faith. And even when the journey sends us to the complaint department, we’re only there to speak with one person, God!

Let today be the day you pour out your complaints to God instead of family, friends, coworkers, church members, or even social media. Let today be the day that you reflect your trust in God and His ability to heal your hurt; to fix what’s broken; to mend what’s torn; to build up what’s been demolished; to repair what fell apart! Let’s live, and speak, and act, in such a way that people have to stop and question us about our Jesus. Let’s give people a reason to trust Him just the same!

I’ll close with this: Sometimes, especially when you have your own home, you feel like a waste management engineer. You get to collect and take out the garbage. But take it from me, you do not want to buy cheap garbage bags, or maybe don’t wait as long as I have in the past to take the garbage out. Here’s the problem. You’ve just tied up a brimming bagful of things you really don’t want to see any more, you don’t want to smell them anymore, you no longer even want it around you anymore. It’s all supposed to be in the garbage can. But sometimes it doesn’t make it there when the bag rips open and dumps it all over the kitchen floor! Truth is, taking out the garbage isn’t bad, but allowing it to get dumped in the wrong place is. Which is the same about your complaints of hurt, pain and frustration. It’s not that you have them, it’s where you take them and dump them. It doesn’t belong to other people, but the Word of God tells you where you can dump it! “I pour out my complaint before HIM; before HIM I tell my trouble.” Bring your complaints straight to God. First, He’s not going to be hurt by them. He’s not going to be poisoned by them like the people around you will. Secondly, He can do something about your complaints much more than the people around you can do. Now, we all go through some garbage in our lives, and it’s true we often need a place to dump that garbage. And, God has offered us a wonderful place to do just that. Of all places, in His Throne Room. But if you’ve been dumping on the people around you instead, you’ve been unloading garbage where it is not supposed to be and you’ve probably been polluting them in the process. They don’t need it (they’ve got their own), and besides your Father would hate to find out you’ve been polluting the environment.

Saints, take it to God, first. He doesn’t care what it looks or smells like, or how long you’ve had it lying around the house. He just wants you to dump it on Him, not them (and preferably, before the bag breaks)!

We often complain about people spreading gossip, lies, rumors, and the like. But truth is, it’s hard to misinterpret silence. In other words, people usually have so much verbal garbage to spread around because we took the lids off the garbage cans in our lives and in the lives of others and gave them access to rummage through. Therefore, as soon as someone comes to you with ‘what they heard’, immediately let them know if there’s nothing positive and productive I need to do with the information you feel vital to share with me, DON’T! I don’t need you to give me anything that I need to do nothing with. And even for your own personal lives, when going through varying trials, take it to God, not people (or social media)! You can’t get mad when they put your name and life on the front cover of messy tabloids and it was you that wrote and shared the article of your struggles! David took his complaints and poured them out to God, follow is example! Enter your prayer closet and take your complaints to God!

“When you pray, God listens; When you listen, God talks; When you believe, God responds.” (Author Unknown)

“God speaks to those who take time to listen, and He listens to those who take time to pray.” (Author Unknown)

“God is the best listener. You don’t need to shout or cry out loud because He hears even the very silent prayer of a sincere heart.” (Author Unknown)

“Pray, not until God hears you, but pray until you hear God.” (Author Unknown)

“God listens to all your spoken and unspoken prayers, and grants the ones which are the best for you. Have faith. Trust Him.” (Author Unknown)

“When you can’t put your prayer into words, God hears your heart.” (Author Unknown)

“Our God listens to us. Our God is a living God. He’s not a block of wood you made up that’s not going to answer you. My God listens to me. He answers me.” (Francis Chan)

“Don’t worry. God is never blind to your tears, never deaf to your prayers, and never silent to your pain. He sees, He hears, and He will deliver.” (Author Unknown)

“When we pray, God hears more than we say, answers more than we ask, gives more than we imagine, in His own time and His own way.” (Author Unknown)

“When you need, God knows. When you ask, God listens. When you believe, God works.” (Author Unknown)

“Talk with God, no breath is lost. Walk with God, no strength is lost. Wait for God, no time is lost. Trust in God, you will never be lost.” (Author Unknown)

“Pray daily. God is easier to talk to than most people.” (Author Unknown)

“God is always ready to listen anytime you are ready to talk to Him. Prayer is simply talking with God.” (Author Unknown)

“Talking to God is like talking to a friend on the telephone. We may not see Him on the other end, but we know He’s listening.” (Author Unknown)

“God will lead you where He wants you to be, but you have to talk to Him daily to see where He wants you to go. The key is prayer.” (Author Unknown)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “All About Menopause and Perimenopause”

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“You’re About to Be Blessed Beyond Measure!”

Genesis 13:14-18, “The Lord said to Abram…Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your posterity forever. And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then could your descendants also be counted. Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you…” (AMP)

Isaiah 43:19, “Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert?” (AMP)

God says He wants to “…do a new thing…” FOR YOU, so disregard the circumstances and believe the God who cannot lie!

“So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth:  it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11 AMP);

“God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change His mind. When He says something, He does it. When He makes a promise, He keeps it” (Numbers 23:19 AMP)

So If God Said He’s About To Do Something New For You, You Better Believe It and Get Ready to Receive It!

“Then said the Lord to me…I am alert and active, watching over My Word to PERFORM IT” (Jeremiah 1:12 AMP) People of God, Get Your Tickets Quick and Arrive Early For the Show Because the Lord Is About to PERFORM His Word In Your Life Today! So, “Are You Ready Yet?”

In case you didn’t know, might I inform you that you’re too important to God to be destroyed by a trial that was just meant to give you character, integrity, growth, development, maturity and direction! In other words, You Survived! By the Grace of God You Made It! And God not only brought you through the valley, but He caused you to grow in it and come out of it Stronger and With Deeper Roots for Stability for Future Struggles! Therefore, if you want to know what God can do, just look at what He’s ALREADY done for YOU in the past and you’ll start feeling better about your future! “I See Myself In The Future And Things Look So Much Better! I’m Expecting a Miracle, And My Miracle Is Expecting Me!” (Bishop James R. Chambers)

And that’s not all! Listen: “Behold, I will do a new thing; NOW IT SHALL SPRING FORTH…” After feeling like you’ve waited forever, Get Ready, God will move Suddenly! You are about to experience a SPRING that won’t change with the seasons!

People of God, if you’re not ready you’ll miss the next open door, the next great idea or the next wonderful relationship God has RESERVED just for you! And do you know what the word “Reserved” means? Let Me Help You: “Reserved” means, “To keep for future use” or my personal favorite definition: “To make pre-determined arrangements to be kept for the use of a particular person” (Singles, that should’ve made you real happy! Because, you’re not just single, but you’re RESERVED FOR A PARTICULAR PERSON!). In addition, “Reserved” also means “To retain or hold for an individual who has the right or entitlement to something”! It further means, “Funds kept available by a bank, company, or government” and lastly it means, “An area of land set aside for the access of a particular person”! “Reserved” has a Latin Origin “Reservare” which literally means, “To Keep Back”!

And what does all that mean? Glad you asked! I don’t care how rough its’ been, how bleak it looks or how discouraged you are! The reality is, God Has a New Thing In Reserve Just For You! And That Reserve Includes Funds and Land That Can Only Be Accessed By YOU Because As A Child of the King, It Is Your Right and Entitlement!

“…since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” HEIRS according to the covenant promises” (Galatians 3:29 AMP) Do you know what “Heir” means? No problem, I don’t mind helping you out again! “Heir” means, “A Person Legally Entitled to the Property or Rank of Another Upon that Person’s Death” It also means “A Person Who Continues the Work of a Predecessor”. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly determined to continue the work of my Predecessor Abraham! He Was Continually Blessed and that’s My Job Too…To Be Continually Blessed!

Listen: Truth Is, Abraham Is Dead! However, His Covenant Promises to His Heirs Are Very Much Alive! And what Covenant Promises Are We Inheriting? Glad you asked! “And I (God) will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others] And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves]” (Genesis 12:2-3 AMP)

Is that all? NOPE! “Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, I will give this land to your posterity…” (Genesis 12:7 AMP) And what’s “Posterity”? As always, glad you asked! “Posterity” means, “To All Future Generations”! Its Old French Origin “Posterite”, from Latin “Posterus” literally means, “Following”! In other words, Every Generation That Follows After You Will Reap The Abrahamic Covenant, Promises, Blessings and Favor! So I ask again, “Are You Ready To Receive Your Reserved Blessings?” If not, pay close attention, because your inheritance continues to increase in value!

“…Abram was extremely rich…” (Genesis 13:2 AMP) In Case You Forgot…YOU Are Abraham’s Heirs! And you have no need to be selfish either, because God isn’t going to just bless YOU, but even your “Posterity” (All Future Generations Following After You)! And what does the Bible say about Abraham and one of His “Posterity” descendants, Lot? Glad you asked! “Now the land was not able to nourish and support them so they could dwell together, for their possessions were too great for them to live together” (Genesis 13:6 AMP) Can you even wrap your brain around the fact that God will so favor you that you have to move because where you are can no longer hold you?!

Saints, I’ve Warned You…So Pack Your Stuff and Get Ready For a Move Of God, Your Blessings are On the Way! You are About to Be Blessed Beyond Measure!

By now you must certainly be thinking “that has to be it!” Well, the answer, once again is…NOPE! Believe it or not, YOUR INHERITANCE GAINS EVEN MORE INTEREST! “The Lord said to Abram…Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your posterity forever. And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then could your descendants also be counted. Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you…” (Genesis 13:14-18 AMP)

Ok, I’m no genius but I certainly know an Incredible Inheritance When I See and Hear One! Did you pay close attention to the text? Of course you didn’t, because if you did, you would be shouting right NOW! Why? Here’s a few reasons from the text:

1. No matter where Abram looked (“…northward…southward…eastward…westward…”) God declared “…all the land which you see I will give to you…” Go Ahead…It’s Okay, You Can Shout! And If Anybody Says Anything To You, Just Send Them To Me And I’ll Explain Your Unspeakable Joy, So Your Praise is Not Interrupted! Seriously, Can You Imagine Being So Blessed That No Matter Which Way You Turn You Bump Right Into a Blessing?! GET READY! Or Should I Say Brace Yourself, Because You’re About To Bump Into A Blessing! I mean can you imagine being so blessed that you run into blessings at the laundromat, the bank, the supermarket, the nail and hair salon, the barbershop, in the park, in traffic, in the cab, at Macy’s, in the car, on the bus, on the train, at the gas station, at Walmart, standing still on the subway platform! Can you imagine being so blessed that you can’t even escape your own blessings?! It’s like your blessings are handcuffed to you, where you go they go, and the sentence is a life sentence, inescapable! Can you imagine being so blessed that you can’t even hide from your own blessings?! You can’t cook in the kitchen, watch television in the living-room, eat in the dining room, sleep in the bedroom, or shower in the bathroom without running into a blessing! You can’t mow the front yard or barbecue in the backyard without running into a blessing! You can’t fill up the attic or empty the basement without running into a blessing! Can you imagine being so blessed that you can’t walk down the street, turn the corner, wait at a stoplight without running into a blessing!? I admonish you, get ready, for your blessings are coming and they’re going to hit you top to bottom, front to back, before you and behind you, from east, west, north and south! Get Ready! Get Ready! Get Ready! Everywhere you turn you will bump into a blessing!

 

2. Not only will Abram receive an, “anywhere you look the land is yours” blessing, but God declares, “…I will give to you and to your posterity FOREVER…” Do You Know How Long Forever Is?! It’s defined as, “For All Future Time!” and “Continually”! I love that word “continual” it’s defined as, “constantly or frequently occurring; having no interruptions”. In other words, you AND all your future generations will Forever…For all the time into the Future Be Abundantly Blessed, Constantly, Frequently and With NO Interruptions! Now, I’ve heard of a Big Blessing, But Only God Can Give You A Blessing So Big That It Outlives You and All Your Future Generations That Aren’t Even Born Yet! That’s What You Call a Radically, Ridiculous, Make No Sense, I’ll Never Be Able to Explain It Kind of Blessing! Saints, You Are So Favored By God That Not Even Time or Death Can Stop Your Blessing! Go Ahead, It’s Okay…You Can Run Again I’ll Try To Explain To Folks Who Don’t Understand That You’re Being Bombarded With a Blessing That’s Hitting You From Every Direction and On Top of that, “Your Every Direction I Turn” Blessing, Is Also Going to Last FOREVER! Truthfully, I Have No Idea How I’m Going to Explain Your Shout Over That One So Keep Me In Your Prayers! 1 Chronicles 17:25-27, “For You, O my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build for him a house (descendants); therefore Your servant has found courage to pray before You. And now, O Lord, You are God, and you have spoken and promised this good thing to Your servant. Therefore may it please You to bless the house (descendants) of Your servant, that it may continue before You FOREVER; for what You bless, O Lord, is BLESSED FOREVER.” (AMP) You My Friend Are Immeasurably Blessed…FOREVER!
   

 

3. Then God tells Abram, “Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you…” What?! Can You Imagine an “Anywhere I Place My Foot It’s Mine” kind of Blessing?! No Matter How Long or Wide I Walk…The Land Is Mine…Forever! You Better Go To “Sport’s Authority”, “Models”, “Payless”…Wherever…And Get You a Good Pair a Sneakers And Get To Stepping! Where? IT DOESN’T EVEN MATTER! THE LAND, IN IT’S LENGTH AND WIDTH…ARE YOURS…FOREVER! NOW RUN TELL YOUR HATERS THAT! Joshua 1:3, “I am giving you every place where you set foot, exactly as I promised Moses.” (CEB) Another version reads like this: “Wherever you go, I’ll give you that land, as I promised Moses.” (CEV) Can you imagine being so blessed that it doesn’t even matter where you go, wherever your foot steps, the land automatically becomes favorably yours, forever?! Saints, your blessings are coming, and they’re immeasurably BIG, you better get ready!

Listen: If You Are Still Not Ready To Receive The Newness of God…There Is Absolutely No Hope For You At All After That! Seriously, Do You Realize The Extent of Your Promised, Guaranteed Reserved Inheritance?! Saints, It’s High Time You Become Sensitive to the Voice of the Lord, Alert to His Movements, and Live In Full Expectation…Because The Lord Is Getting Ready To Give OLD You a NEW Start! So, If You’re Not Ready…Get Ready! Because It’s About to Happen SUDDENLY!

After praying and waiting in the upper room for 10 long days we read, “…SUDDENLY there came a sound from heaven…” (Acts 2:2 AMP) Open Your Ears, Because After All This Time You Are About To SUDDENLY Hear From Heaven! They “…SUDDENLY…” heard from heaven and the church was born; a church that would change the world! People of God, I Know You’ve Waited A Lot Longer Than 9 Months…But You’re About To SUDDENLY Give Birth! Birth to Ministry, Birth to Healing, Birth to Break-Through, Birth to Deliverance, Birth to Anointing, Birth to Assignments! You’re About To SUDDENLY Give Birth to Finances, a Business, a House, a Car, even Land! You’re about to SUDDENLY Give Birth to Fresh Ideas, Clear Vision, and Destined Direction! Listen: You’ve Waited, You’ve Gained Weight, You’ve Gone Through All Kinds of Crazy Bodily and Mood Changes, Folks Have Been Poking Fun At Your Big Belly That Hasn’t Popped Yet! But Get Ready! You Are About To SUDDENLY STEP INTO SUDDENLY! NOW BEAR DOWN AND BIRTH THAT!

When God Miraculously brought Paul and Silas out of prison we read, “SUDDENLY there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were unfastened” (Acts 16:26 AMP) Lord Have Mercy! Need I Say More?! Listen, You’ve Waited…I Get It! But Now It’s Time To Get Ready! Because God Is About To Shake Some Things Up In Your Life and Before You Know It, You’re Going to Suddenly Hear From Heaven and Doors Are Going to Suddenly Open! And All Those With You (Don’t Miss This) All Those Who Were With You When You Went IN Are About To Come OUT Too! So Anyone Who Walked Away, Don’t Call ‘Em Back! If They Couldn’t Be In Your Prison, They Can’t Be In Your Palace! Lock The Doors!

SAINTS…ARE YOU READY TO RECEIVE THIS LEVEL OF BLESSING?! IF NOT, GET READY, BECAUSE YOUR BLESSINGS ARE COMING, AND THEY ARE IMMEASURABLE! YOUR INHERITANCE IS ABOUT TO HUNT YOU DOWN!

The word ‘immeasurable’ is defined as, ‘incapable of being measured; indefinitely extensive; very great in size or amount; impossible to measure; bottomless; boundless; endless; fathomless; illimitable; infinite; limitless; countless; incalculable; incomputable; inestimable; innumerable; exhaustless; inexhaustible; immense; and vast.’ FYI: That’s the size of your blessing that’s on the way, get ready! This will be BIG! Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,” (AMP); “Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]” (AMPC)

Deuteronomy 28:1-14, “If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, and heartily obey all His commandments that I command you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God: God’s blessing inside the city, God’s blessing in the country; God’s blessing on your children, the crops of your land, the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds, the lambs of your flocks. God’s blessing on your basket and bread bowl; God’s blessing in your coming in, God’s blessing in your going out. God will defeat your enemies who attack you. They’ll come at you on one road and run away on seven roads. God will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; He’ll bless you in the land that God, your God, is giving you. God will form you as a people holy to Him, just as He promised you, if you keep the commandments of God, your God, and live the way He has shown you. All the peoples on Earth will see you living under the Name of God and hold you in respectful awe. God will lavish you with good things: children from your womb, offspring from your animals, and crops from your land, the land that God promised your ancestors that He would give you. God will throw open the doors of His sky vaults and pour rain on your land on schedule and bless the work you take in hand. You will lend to many nations but you yourself won’t have to take out a loan. God will make you the head, not the tail; you’ll always be the top dog, never the bottom dog, as you obediently listen to and diligently keep the commands of God, your God, that I am commanding you today. Don’t swerve an inch to the right or left from the words that I command you today by going off following and worshiping other gods.” (MSG)

In a Nutshell: Obey God and Be Overtaken By His Immeasurable, Reserved Blessings That Will Be Yours and Your Future Generations…FOREVER!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “The Importance of Healthy Friendships”

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“Wait…Hope…Expect!”

Psalm 27:14, “WAIT and HOPE for and EXPECT the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, WAIT for and HOPE for and EXPECT the Lord.” (AMP) 

Some of the most exciting moments in sports are the touchdown or field goal that win the game, especially, when there’s no time left on the clock! That game-winning basket as the final buzzer sounds is unforgettable! The game-winning home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning is remarkable! I’ve come to find out that whatever the sport, there is nothing like a sudden victory when victory seemed so far out of reach! It makes the fans go ballistic! 

“I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people’s accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man’s failures.” (Earl Warren).

Truth be told, it can be real nerve-wracking when you’re behind and time is running out! But it’s an awesome moment when a hero pulls out an unexpected victory…at the last minute! And the longer I walk with this God of ours, the more I’ve come to appreciate Him as the God of the last-second victory, or the God of the eleventh hour, as I’ve called Him so often.

The Bible reveals many names by which God wants us to know Him. One that has meant so much to so many for so long is “Jehovah-Jireh”. It means, “The Lord will provide or the Lord will see to my provision.” You may be facing a need or situation right now where that is literally your only hope – that the Lord will provide. Maybe it’s a job, a friend, or much needed finances; maybe it’s the house, the healing, the breakthrough or soundness of mind you need. Well, if that’s the case, today you need to be reminded that we have a rock-solid promise in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (NIV). The Amplified Bible says it like this: “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (AMP). One of the things that so greatly encourages me about this Scripture is just how thorough our God is. He will meet ALL of our needs; He will liberally supply and fill to the full OUR EVERY NEED. God doesn’t pick and choose among our needs to see which He will meet, but His Word declares He will meet them ALL! Meaning there is absolutely no area in your life that will be left with an unmet need in God’s timing! You don’t have to worry about your family; friends; job; finances; health; school; future etc…because God has them all Completely Covered! ALL of them! Now that’s a promise you need to be thankful and grateful for daily! But if that’s not enough to celebrate, look at the word ‘liberally’. It’s defined as, ‘bountifully; generously; lavishly; open-handedly; in large amounts; favorably; freely; abundantly.’ In other words, your God is by no means selfish! He’s going to not only meet ALL of your needs, but He’s going to do so, LIBERALLY…BOUNTIFULLY; GENEROUSLY; LAVISHLY; OPEN-HANDEDLY; IN LARGE AMOUNTS; FAVORABLY; FREELY AND ABUNDANTLY! And you have what needs to worry about again? That’s right, NONE!

Also, it’s important that you understand that this Scripture lets us know that God’s supply has nothing to do with what’s happening in the economy, in the news, at work, in the white house, or in what your limited resources can or can’t do! It’s all about His Unlimited “Glorious Riches in Christ Jesus” account in Heaven, which transcends every limitation earth can provide! That’s why you’ve got to keep in mind the quote: “If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be worshiped.” So, if you’re still trying to wrap your little head around how our Big God is going to accomplish such Great things for little old you, DON’T! You’ll only give yourself a physical and spiritual migraine! You simply have to trust and believe that God meant what He said, and He will fulfill every promise that He’s given you! His blank check is signed “Glorious Riches in Christ Jesus“, and His check CAN’T bounce, and the account can NEVER be overdrawn or emptied! Like His mercies, His “Glorious Riches in Christ Jesus” are renewed daily! Aren’t you just glad about Jesus?!

The truth of the matter is, you may never understand how God supplies rivers in the desert, but when you’re thirsty, knowing that He can and He will is enough!  So before you allow your fears to get the best of you, remember this quote: “The Fear of God kills all other fears!”

Now to be honest, I believe God often waits a while to meet our needs…On Purpose! Let’s look at Scripture: “A man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany…the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Master, the one you love so very much is sick.” When Jesus got the message, he said, “This sickness is not fatal. It will become an occasion to show God’s glory by glorifying God’s Son.”…Then Jesus became explicit: “Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn’t there. You’re about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let’s go to him.” (John 11:1-4, 14 MSG). So before you panic, know that God always has a reason for allowing you to sit in the waiting room! And His reason is always the same: “…it will become an occasion to show God’s glory by glorifying God’s Son…and…You’re about to be given new grounds for believing…” Your waiting, while wounded, gives God Glory and Increases Your Faith by giving you New Grounds or New Reasons to Trust Him even at the Eleventh Hour! That’s why you can’t get discouraged because as the saying goes: “…it’s usually the last key in the bunch that opens the lock”! So, be patient, a door of opportunity is about to open just for you! God just wants to know if you’ll trust Him in the wait?!

Let’s take a brief look at Philippians 4:19 again, it says He promises to meet all of our needs, BUT He does Not promise When! See, most of us already know that He can do it, and that He’s promised to do it, but if only He’d share when He’s going to do it, we’d be less likely to flip out when the last grain of sand is found in the hourglass! But then that wouldn’t be considered faith, now would it?! Hebrews 11:5-6, “By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. “They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he pleased God.” It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.” (MSG) Don’t you think it’s time you add some more bricks to build your faith a little higher and a little stronger?! Don’t you think God has more than proven that He is able regardless to it being the 11^th hour; regardless of the diagnosis; regardless of who else doubts it can happen; regardless of what’s going on in the family, in the business, at school, at work or even in the church?! God has shown up time after time, and it’s time now that you trust and believe that He will indeed do it again! Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].” (AMP) The word ‘assurance’ is defined as, ‘being certain in the mind; confident; free from doubt and uncertainty.’ The term ‘title deed’ is defined as, ‘the deed constituting the evidence of a person’s legal ownership.’ The word ‘confirmation’ is defined as, ‘documented evidence of proof; substantiated facts; and validation.’ The word ‘guaranteed’ is defined as, ‘certain; protected by promise; an agreement by which one person undertakes to secure another in the possession or enjoyment of something; a bond; contract; covenant; surety; and warranty.’ The word ‘evidence’ is defined as, ‘something that furnishes proof; something legally submitted to ascertain the truth of a matter.’ People of God, that is what your faith should embody! It should be filled with assurance knowing that the title deed of God’s promises to you have been confirmed to you, guaranteed by Him, and His ‘Yes and Amen’ are all the evidence you need! Your job now is to seal your faith with conviction! And ‘conviction’ is ‘to be fully persuaded!’ Saints, if God said it, you will see it, just wait for Him!

Ramona C. Carroll said it best: “Faith is putting all your eggs in God’s basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch.”

But unfortunately for many of us, when we get to that last grain of sand, we panic, and come up with desperate and oftentimes ridiculous ways to so-called meet our needs on our own! Again, let’s look at Scripture: “Sarai, Abram’s wife, hadn’t yet produced a child. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, “GOD has not seen fit to let me have a child. Sleep with my maid. Maybe I can get a family from her.” Abram agreed to do what Sarai said.’ (Genesis 16:1-2 MSG). And believe it or not, nations are still paying for that ridiculous attempt at “helping God out”! Word of Wisdom: God Does Not Need Your Help, Just Your Faith! 

But too often we abandon our trust in God because, He’s – if we dare be honest—taking too long (at least according our deadline)! For even the Psalmist knows what this feels like, He said: “Please, God…Treat me nice for a change; I’m so starved for affection. Can’t you see I’m black-and-blue, beat up badly in bones and soul? God, how long will it take for you to let up? Break in, GOD, and break up this fight; if you love me at all, get me out of here. I’m no good to you dead, am I? I can’t sing in your choir if I’m buried in some tomb!” (6:1-5 MSG). See, you’re not the only one who wants to stamp “Federal Express” or “Overnight Delivery” on God! But such actions take us right out of the Will of God and aborts what God was going to do on our behalf if we would’ve trusted Him enough to wait on Him! “But those who WAIT for the Lord [who EXPECT, look for, and HOPE in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.” (Isaiah 40:31 AMP). How amazing is it that this Scripture reads so similar to our opening text of: Psalm 27:14, “WAIT and HOPE for and EXPECT the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, WAIT for and HOPE for and EXPECT the Lord.” (AMP) Sounds a lot like FAITH means a great deal to God! He desires for us to trust Him, which oftentimes isn’t our greatest struggle, it’s the waiting in faith that’s the struggle. But God provides in His own time and in His own way, and He will not be pressured or rushed because our schedule and agenda reads different than His!

Now, it’s in Genesis 22, where we find that God is known as Jehovah-Jireh for the very first time. We can learn a lot from how He worked that day for Abraham. See, Abraham had, by faith, obeyed God’s direction to take the son God had once promised to him, climb Mt. Moriah with him, and sacrifice his son there; as God (the Father) would do Himself one day with Jesus (His Son). Believing that God will somehow provide something he can’t imagine, Abraham yet promises his servants that both he and his son Isaac will return from the mountain. Genesis 22:10 says his faith and obedience went so far that “he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” At that very last moment, God stopped him and showed Abraham a ram, stuck in a thicket, who would be sacrificed instead of his son. And the Bible says, “So Abraham called that place, ‘The Lord Will Provide.’” (Genesis 22:14) Let’s view this text in a few translations: 

“So Abraham named that place THE LORD WILL PROVIDE. And it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord IT WILL BE SEEN AND PROVIDED.” (AMP); 

“Abraham named that place “THE LORD SEES.” That is the reason people today say, “On this mountain THE LORD IS SEEN.” (CEB);

“So Abraham gave that place a name, “THE LORD PROVIDES.” Even today people say, “On the mountain of the Lord, HE WILL GIVE US WHAT WE NEED.” (ERV); 

“Abraham gave that place the name, “THE LORD WILL GIVE US WHAT WE NEED.” And it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord IT WILL BE GIVEN.” (NLV); 

“Abraham named that place GOD-YIREH (GOD-SEES-TO-IT). That’s where we get the saying, “On the mountain of God, HE SEES TO IT.” (MSG) 

I reiterate, what needs or concerns do you have to be worried about again? NONE! Why? Because the Lord Will See to it that What You Need Will Be Provided; He’s Going to Personally See To It Himself; He’s Promised to Give You What You Need. So What Do You Do In the Meantime, When the 11^th Hour Really Turns Into a Mean-Time?! You Trust God No Matter What!

Remember: Jehovah-Jireh – often steps in right on time, which is usually—when there’s no time left! Which reminds me of a quote I love, “Faith isn’t faith until it’s all you’re holding on to.”

God loves to come through for us when there is absolutely no place else that answer could come from, and there is no time left on the clock. It’s 11:59! The buzzer is about to sound! But that’s when God shows up with His provision, at a time and in a way that will blow you away, give Him all the glory, and show people around you the consistent greatness and faithfulness of your God! Then it’s only natural that you’ll experience a whole new level of faith in Him and worship for Him! God’s last-minute victories are some of the most awesome moments of your life! So don’t lose faith now! “Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” (Oswald Chambers).

As believers, we ought to guard and protect our confidence in our God’s ability to bring to pass everything He said He would! Hebrews 3:6, “But Christ is faithful as a Son over His [Father’s] house. And we are His house if we hold fast our confidence and sense of triumph in our hope [in Christ].” (AMP); Hebrews 4:16, “Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].” (AMP); Hebrews 10:35, “Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward.” (AMP); Luke 1:45, “And blessed [spiritually fortunate and favored by God] is she who believed and confidently trusted that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her [by the angel sent] from the Lord.” (AMP)

People of God: Guard Your Confidence!

Also Keep in Mind: The greater the need, the later the hour, the more amazing God’s work on your behalf! That’s why you need to determine to be like your sports heroes and hang in there until the end of the game! And when God steps in and grants you a last-second victory, before the last grain of sand falls, remember, like the sports fans, go absolutely ballistic…in praise, worship and thanksgiving! Will the wait be easy? Absolutely not, in fact it’s one of the hardest things to do! But remembering that God watches over His Word to perform it; remembering that God does not and cannot lie; remembering that God keeps His Word and every promise He makes, certainly makes the wait a little easier!  

Jeremiah 1:12, “…for I am alert and active, watching over My Word to perform it.” (AMPC) 

Numbers 23:19, “God is not man, one given to lies, and not a son of man changing His mind. Does He speak and not do what He says? Does He promise and not come through?” (MSG)

Joshua 21:45, “Not one of the good promises which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel failed; all had come to pass.” (AMP)

Isaiah 55:8-11, “I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, so will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.” (MSG)

And yes, I understand that the mortgage is over-due; the tuition seems impossible to pay; the car note is about to turn into a bus pass; the doctors may as well sign your cause of death certificate; the marriage is on life-support; the job is strangling your sanity or the lack of one is strangling your about to close on empty bank account; the kids don’t seem like they’ll ever get better; and the nuts in your family tree have you ready to dig up roots and kill the whole tree. And yet, I still say wait on God and watch Him work, even at the 11^th hour! He’s done it before, and He can and will do it again! Don’t lose heart, patience, peace, joy or faith. God sits up too high to let His people down! Hold on and hang in there, before the last grain of sand falls, God will step in with a last minute miracle! You Just Wait, Hope and Expect in Faith That God Will Do as He Said He Would Do!

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Philippians 4:6-7 MSG)

“All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.” (Romans 8:22-25 MSG).

“Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass.” (Psalm 37:7 AMP)

“So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.” (Galatians 6:9 MSG)

“There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven.”; “He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God] – yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11 AMP)

“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 MSG)

“How we handle the journey will determine the destination.” (Billy Cox) 

“When it looks like nothing is happening, God is at work.” (Bishop James R. Chambers) 

“Just because it hasn’t happened Yet, doesn’t mean it won’t. Wait on God’s perfect timing and trust Him for the outcome.” 

“Waiting time is never wasted time when God is involved. When your breakthrough does not come immediately, it is not because God has forgotten you or left you on the shelf. He is developing and building you, polishing you so that when the time is right, as with an arrow, He’ll unleash you. And like a skillfully crafted and honed arrow, you will hit the mark.” 

“Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.” (Joyce Meyer) 

“Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on what we’re waiting for.” (Charles Stanley) 

“Sometimes we don’t understand why we are waiting. Often it is because God has something great in store, it’s just not the right time.” (Joel Osteen) 

“No matter how long it takes, when God works, it’s always worth the wait.” (Author Unknown) 

“Joseph waited 13 years; Abraham waited 25 years; Moses waited 40 years; Jesus waited 30 years. If God is making you wait, you’re in good company.” 

“Trust in God’s timing. It’s better to wait a while and have things fall into place, than to rush and have things fall apart.”  

“To us, waiting is wasting. To God, waiting is working.” (Louie Giglio) 

“Waiting is God’s Grace for things that we can’t handle Yet.” 

“Don’t Under-Estimate What God is Doing in Your Season of Waiting.” 

“Have patience and wait for the thing you want most. Don’t chase it. Don’t run after it. If God wants you to have it, He will give it to you at the right time.” 

“Praise God for the ways you see Him working. Then trust Him for the ways you don’t.” 

“There will be times when the Will of God will not be clear to us. During those occasions we are expected to retain our faith and Wait On the Lord.” (Dr. James Dobson) 

“Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.” (G. Campbell Morgan) 

“God will surely come and He can never come too late.”

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #BePatient #BeExpectant
Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “How Loneliness Affects Our Health?”

“Get Ready! You’re About to Be Blessed Beyond Measure!”

Genesis 13:14-18, “The Lord said to Abram…Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your posterity forever. And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then could your descendants also be counted. Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you…” (AMP)

Isaiah 43:19, “Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert?” (AMP)

God says He wants to “…do a new thing…” FOR YOU, so disregard the circumstances and believe the God who cannot lie! “So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth:  it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11 AMP); “God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change His mind. When He says something, He does it. When He makes a promise, He keeps it” (Numbers 23:19 AMP)

So If God Said He’s About To Do Something New For You, You Better Believe It and Get Ready to Receive It!

“Then said the Lord to me…I am alert and active, watching over My Word to PERFORM IT” (Jeremiah 1:12 AMP) People of God, Get Your Tickets Quick and Arrive Early For the Show Because the Lord Is About to PERFORM His Word In Your Life Today! So, “Are You Ready Yet?”

In case you didn’t know, might I inform you that you’re too important to God to be destroyed by a trial that was just meant to give you character, integrity, growth, development, maturity and direction! In other words, You Survived! By the Grace of God You Made It! And God not only brought you through the valley, but He caused you to grow in it and come out of it Stronger and With Deeper Roots for Stability for Future Struggles! Therefore, if you want to know what God can do, just look at what He’s ALREADY done for YOU in the past and you’ll start feeling better about your future! “I See Myself In The Future And Things Look So Much Better! I’m Expecting a Miracle, And My Miracle Is Expecting Me!” (Bishop James R. Chambers)

And that’s not all! Listen: “Behold, I will do a new thing; NOW IT SHALL SPRING FORTH…” After feeling like you’ve waited forever, Get Ready, God will move Suddenly! You are about to experience a SPRING that won’t change with the seasons!

People of God, if you’re not ready you’ll miss the next open door, the next great idea or the next wonderful relationship God has RESERVED just for you! And do you know what the word “Reserved” means? Let Me Help You: “Reserved” means, “To keep for future use” or my personal favorite “To make pre-determined arrangements to be kept for the use of a particular person” (Singles, that should’ve made you real happy! Because, you’re not just single, but you’re RESERVED FOR A PARTICULAR PERSON!). In addition, “Reserved” also means “To retain or hold for an individual who has the right or entitlement to something”! It further means, “Funds kept available by a bank, company, or government” and lastly it means, “An area of land set aside for the access of a particular person”! “Reserved” has a Latin Origin “Reservare” which literally means, “To Keep Back”!

And what does all that mean? Glad you asked! I don’t care how rough its’ been, how bleak it looks or how discouraged you are! The reality is, God Has a New Thing In Reserve Just For You! And That Reserve Includes Funds and Land That Can Only Be Accessed By YOU Because As A Child of the King, It Is Your Right and Entitlement!

“…since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” HEIRS according to the covenant promises” (Galatians 3:29 AMP) Do you know what “Heir” means? No problem, I don’t mind helping you out again! “Heir” means, “A Person Legally Entitled to the Property or Rank of Another Upon that Person’s Death” It also means “A Person Who Continues the Work of a Predecessor”. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly determined to continue the work of my Predecessor Abraham! He Was Continually Blessed and that’s My Job Too…To Be Continually Blessed!

Listen: Truth Is, Abraham Is Dead! However, His Covenant Promises to His Heirs Are Very Much Alive! And what Covenant Promises Are We Inheriting? Glad you asked! “And I (God) will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others] And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves]” (Genesis 12:2-3 AMP)

Is that all? NOPE! “Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, I will give this land to your posterity…” (Genesis 12:7 AMP) And what’s “Posterity”? As always, glad you asked! “Posterity” means, “To All Future Generations”! Its Old French Origin “Posterite”, from Latin “Posterus” literally means, “Following”! In other words, Every Generation That Follows After You Will Reap The Abrahamic Covenant, Promises, Blessings and Favor! So I ask again, “Are You Ready To Receive Your Blessings?” If not, pay close attention, because your inheritance continues to increase in value!

“…Abram was extremely rich…” (Genesis 13:2 AMP) In Case You Forgot…YOU Are Abraham’s Heirs! And you have no need to be selfish either, because God isn’t going to just bless YOU, but even your “Posterity” (All Future Generations Following)! And what does the Bible say about Abraham and one of His “Posterity” descendants, Lot? Glad you asked! “Now the land was not able to nourish and support them so they could dwell together, for their possessions were too great for them to live together” (Genesis 13:6 AMP) Can you even wrap your brain around the fact that God will so favor you that you have to move because where you are can no longer hold you?! Saints, I’ve Warned You…So Pack Your Stuff and Get Ready For a Move Of God, Your Blessings are On the Way! You are About to Be Blessed Beyond Measure!

By now you must certainly be thinking “that has to be it!” Well, the answer, once again is…NOPE! Believe it or not, YOUR INHERITANCE GAINS EVEN MORE INTEREST! “The Lord said to Abram…Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your posterity forever. And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then could your descendants also be counted. Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you…” (Genesis 13:14-18 AMP)

Ok, I’m no genius but I certainly know an Incredible Inheritance When I See and Hear One! Did you pay close attention to the text? Of course you didn’t, because if you did, you would be shouting right NOW!

1. No matter where Abram looked (“…northward…southward…eastward…westward…”) God declared “…all the land which you see I will give to you…” Go Ahead…It’s Ok, You Can Shout! And If Anybody Says Anything To You, Just Send Them To Me And I’ll Explain Your Unspeakable Joy, So Your Praise is Not Interrupted! Seriously, Can You Imagine Being So Blessed That No Matter Which Way You Turn You Bump Right Into a Blessing?! GET READY! Or Should I Say Brace Yourself, Because You’re About To Bump Into A Blessing! I mean can you imagine being so blessed that you run into blessings at the laundromat, the bank, the supermarket, the nail and hair salon, the barbershop, in the park, in traffic, in the cab, at Macy’s, in the car, on the bus, on the train, at the gas station, at Walmart, standing still on the subway platform! Can you imagine being so blessed that you can’t even escape your own blessings?! It’s like your blessings are handcuffed to you, where you go they go, and the sentence is a life sentence, inescapable! Can you imagine being so blessed that you can’t even hide from your own blessings?! You can’t cook in the kitchen, watch television in the living-room, eat in the dining room, sleep in the bedroom, or shower in the bathroom without running into a blessing! You can’t mow the front yard or barbecue in the backyard without running into a blessing! You can’t fill up the attic or empty the basement without running into a blessing! Can you imagine being so blessed that you can’t walk down the street, turn the corner, wait at a stoplight without running into a blessing!? I admonish you, get ready, for your blessings are coming and they’re going to hit you top to bottom, front to back, before you and behind you, from east, west, north and south! Get Ready! Get Ready! Get Ready! Everywhere you turn you will bump into a blessing!

 

2. Not only will Abram receive an, “anywhere you look the land is yours” blessing, but God declares, “…I will give to you and to your posterity FOREVER…” Do You Know How Long Forever Is?! It’s defined as, “For All Future Time!” and “Continually”! I love that word “continual” it’s defined as, “constantly or frequently occurring; having no interruptions”. In other words, you AND all your future generations will Forever…For all the time into the Future Be Abundantly Blessed, Constantly, Frequently and With NO Interruptions! Now, I’ve heard of a Big Blessing, But Only God Can Give You A Blessing So Big That It Outlives You and All Your Future Generations That Aren’t Even Born Yet! That’s What You Call a Radically, Ridiculous, Make No Sense, I’ll Never Be Able to Explain It Kind of Blessing! Saints, You Are So Favored By God That Not Even Time or Death Can Stop Your Blessing! Go Ahead, It’s Ok…You Can Run Again I’ll Try To Explain To Folks Who Don’t Understand That You’re Being Bombarded With a Blessing That’s Hitting You From Every Direction and On Top of that, “Your Every Direction I Turn” Blessing, Is Also Going to Last FOREVER! Truthfully, I Have No Idea How I’m Going to Explain Your Shout Over That One So Keep Me In Your Prayers! 1 Chronicles 17:25-27, “For You, O my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build for him a house (descendants); therefore Your servant has found courage to pray before You. And now, O Lord, You are God, and you have spoken and promised this good thing to Your servant. Therefore may it please You to bless the house (descendants) of Your servant, that it may continue before You FOREVER; for what You bless, O Lord, is BLESSED FOREVER.” (AMP) You My Friend Are Immeasurably Blessed…FOREVER!
   

 

3. Then God tells Abram, “Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you…” What?! Can You Imagine an “Anywhere I Place My Foot It’s Mine” kind of Blessing?! No Matter How Long or Wide I Walk…The Land Is Mine…Forever! You Better Go To “Sport’s Authority”, “Models”, “Payless”…Wherever…And Get You a Good Pair a Sneakers And Get To Stepping! Where? IT DOESN’T EVEN MATTER! THE LAND, IN IT’S LENGTH AND WIDTH…ARE YOURS…FOREVER! NOW RUN TELL YOUR HATERS THAT! Joshua 1:3, “I am giving you every place where you set foot, exactly as I promised Moses.” (CEB) Another version reads like this: “Wherever you go, I’ll give you that land, as I promised Moses.” (CEV) Can you imagine being so blessed that it doesn’t even matter where you go, wherever your foot steps, the land automatically becomes favorably yours, forever?! Saints, your blessings are coming, and they’re immeasurably BIG, you better get ready!

Listen: If You Are Still Not Ready To Receive The Newness of God…There Is Absolutely No Hope For You At All After That! Seriously, Do You Realize The Extent of Your Promised, Guaranteed Inheritance?! Saints, It’s High Time You Become Sensitive to the Voice of the Lord, Alert to His Movements, and Live In Full Expectation…Because The Lord Is Getting Ready To Give OLD You a NEW Start! So, If You’re Not Ready…Get Ready! Because It’s About to Happen SUDDENLY!

After praying and waiting in the upper room for 10 long days we read, “…SUDDENLY there came a sound from heaven…” (Acts 2:2 AMP) Open Your Ears, Because After All This Time You Are About To SUDDENLY Hear From Heaven! They “…SUDDENLY…” heard from heaven and the church was born; a church that would change the world! People of God, I Know You’ve Waited A Lot Longer Than 9 Months…But You’re About To SUDDENLY Give Birth! Birth to Ministry, Birth to Healing, Birth to Break-Through, Birth to Deliverance, Birth to Anointing, Birth to Assignments! You’re About To SUDDENLY Give Birth to Finances, a Business, a House, a Car, even Land! You’re about to SUDDENLY Give Birth to Fresh Ideas, Clear Vision, and Destined Direction! Listen: You’ve Waited, You’ve Gained Weight, You’ve Gone Through All Kinds of Crazy Bodily and Mood Changes, Folks Have Been Poking Fun At Your Big Belly That Hasn’t Popped Yet! But Get Ready! You Are About To SUDDENLY STEP INTO SUDDENLY! NOW BEAR DOWN AND BIRTH THAT!

When God Miraculously brought Paul and Silas out of prison we read, “SUDDENLY there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were unfastened” (Acts 16:26 AMP) Lord Have Mercy! Need I Say More?! Listen, You’ve Waited…I Get It! But Now It’s Time To Get Ready! Because God Is About To Shake Some Things Up In Your Life and Before You Know It, You’re Going to Suddenly Hear From Heaven and Doors Are Going to Suddenly Open! And All Those With You (Don’t Miss This) All Those Who Were With You When You Went IN Are About To Come OUT Too! So Anyone Who Walked Away, Don’t Call ‘Em Back! If They Couldn’t Be In Your Prison, They Can’t Be In Your Palace! Lock The Doors!

SAINTS…ARE YOU READY TO RECEIVE THIS LEVEL OF BLESSING?! IF NOT, GET READY, BECAUSE YOUR BLESSINGS ARE COMING, AND THEY ARE IMMEASURABLE! YOUR INHERITANCE IS ABOUT TO HUNT YOU DOWN!

The word ‘immeasurable’ is defined as, ‘incapable of being measured; indefinitely extensive; very great in size or amount; impossible to measure; bottomless; boundless; endless; fathomless; illimitable; infinite; limitless; countless; incalculable; incomputable; inestimable; innumerable; exhaustless; inexhaustible; immense; and vast.’ FYI: That’s the size of your blessing that’s on the way, get ready! This will be BIG! Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,” (AMP); “Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]” (AMPC)

Deuteronomy 28:1-14, “If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, and heartily obey all His commandments that I command you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God: God’s blessing inside the city, God’s blessing in the country; God’s blessing on your children, the crops of your land, the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds, the lambs of your flocks. God’s blessing on your basket and bread bowl; God’s blessing in your coming in, God’s blessing in your going out. God will defeat your enemies who attack you. They’ll come at you on one road and run away on seven roads. God will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; He’ll bless you in the land that God, your God, is giving you. God will form you as a people holy to Him, just as He promised you, if you keep the commandments of God, your God, and live the way He has shown you. All the peoples on Earth will see you living under the Name of God and hold you in respectful awe. God will lavish you with good things: children from your womb, offspring from your animals, and crops from your land, the land that God promised your ancestors that He would give you. God will throw open the doors of His sky vaults and pour rain on your land on schedule and bless the work you take in hand. You will lend to many nations but you yourself won’t have to take out a loan. God will make you the head, not the tail; you’ll always be the top dog, never the bottom dog, as you obediently listen to and diligently keep the commands of God, your God, that I am commanding you today. Don’t swerve an inch to the right or left from the words that I command you today by going off following and worshiping other gods.” (MSG)

In a Nutshell: Obey God and Be Overtaken By His Immeasurable Blessings!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged
Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “How Your Gut Health Affects Your Whole Body?”

“Believe God Is ABLE To Do…Even This!”

“And there came a man named Jairus, who had [for a long time] been a director of the synagogue; and falling at the feet of Jesus, he begged Him to come to his house, For he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying…While He was still speaking, a man from the house of the director of the synagogue came and said [to Jairus], Your daughter is dead; do not weary and trouble the Teacher any further. But Jesus, on hearing this, answered him, Do not be seized with alarm or struck with fear; simply believe [IN ME AS ABLE TO DO THIS], and she shall be made well…grasping her hand, He called, saying, Child, arise [from the sleep of death]! And her spirit returned [from death], and she arose immediately…her parents were amazed…” (Luke 8:41-42, 49-50, 54, 56 AMP) [Read Luke 8:40-56]

Key Verse: “…But Jesus, on hearing this, answered him, Do not be seized with alarm or struck with fear; simply believe [IN ME AS ABLE TO DO THIS]…” (Luke 8:50 AMP)

Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah sent the hopes of the Jewish people soaring. They witnessed His healing’s of the physical body, His mastery over nature, and His power over demons. Jairus, an official in charge of the services and care of the synagogue, may have shared the skepticism of the Jewish leaders, but as with all of us, a personal dilemma sent him to the Teacher.

The twelve-year-old daughter of this distraught father was at the point of death. Hope for the future of her Jewish family lay in this young woman. Therefore, in earnest supplication, Jairus pled with Jesus to come and lay hands of healing upon her. He then led the Master and His disciples through the curious and crushing throngs with an urgent pace, as would any parent.

However, Suddenly and without warning, Jesus stopped and asked, “Who touched Me?” You see, a desperately ill woman had reached out and touched the hem of His garment.

And much like many of us, Jairus must have winced at the interruption; truth is, for him time was of the essence. And I don’t know about you, but if I had of all people JESUS with me, when my daughter lay in the very image of death, and someone stopped Him on His way to My House…Let’s Just Say I Wouldn’t Have Been As Accommodating as Jairus! I’m just being honest!

But Jairus’ anxious spirit must have indeed gladdened when he saw the miracle of restoration for a woman who had suffered for as long as his little girl had been alive! 

I have often found that Jesus loves me so much that He refuses to leave me to dwell in doubt, disbelief or discouragement. Instead, along the way, He allows me a glimpse of His glory to strengthen me in my struggle! Which is why it’s important for us to remember that: Delay Is Not Denial and an Interruption Often Brings an Impartation of Encouragement!

Well, as the saying goes: “It often gets worse before it gets better” and that was indeed the case for Jairus. 

At the moment this woman was rejoicing in her healing, Jairus’ own servants arrived with tragic news: His daughter had already died. It was now too late.

But even at that very instant of hopelessness, Jesus spoke a Word of Life to Jairus: “Do not be seized with alarm or struck with fear; simply believe [in Me as able to do this], and she shall be made well” (Luke 8:50 AMP).

The Lord helped Jairus refocus on Faith and Hope. Isn’t that just like God?! Right when it appears darkest, He, as the Light that He is, blesses us with a Glimmer of Hope when all seems Hopeless!

Despite how bad things were, Jesus still says “…simply believe [in Me as ABLE…”

Reminds me a lot of Jude 24-25, “Now unto him that is ABLE to keep you from falling…” However, the Amplified Bible says it like this: “NOW TO HIM WHO IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU WITHOUT STUMBLING OR SLIPPING OR FALLING…” (AMP).  I Love It! “NOW TO HIM WHO IS ABLE…” That’s the God You Serve, the One and Only God Who is ABLE!

Now, that word “Able” is defined as: “Having the power, skill, or means to do something; to be competent to handle”. That certainly describes our God which is why when we face seemingly impossible trials and tests we need to remember that our God is ABLE to do…Even This!

And Yes, that also means He’s able to fix that, healed them, deliver you, save her, employ him. Yes, He’s able to handle the tuition, the car note, the mortgage, the back rent, the utility bills. Yes, He’s able to heal cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and every other illness, sickness and manner of disease. Your God is ABLE…All you need to do is Simply Believe He is ABLE to Do…Even This!

Luke 18:27, “Jesus replied, “What is impossible for humans is possible for God.” (CEB) A few additional translations say it like this:

“Jesus replied, “There are some things that people cannot do, but God can do anything.” (CEV)

“Jesus answered, “God can do things that are not possible for people to do.” (ERV)

“But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (ESV)

“Jesus answered, “What is humanly impossible is possible for God.” (GNT)

“He replied, “God can do what men can’t!” (TLB)

“No chance at all,” Jesus said, “if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.” (MSG)

In other words, it’s not important if YOU can’t do it; if PEOPLE can’t do it; if DOCTORS can’t do it…WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS GOD CAN DO ANYTHING!

Now, while Jairus is learning to deal with interruptions and still believe God is ABLE, amidst this, Jesus continues teaching. He then selects Peter, James, and John to accompany Him into the home of these grief-stricken parents. Let’s pause here for a moment: I’ve had the opportunity throughout my life to be present in the midst of loved ones physical and spiritual struggles. For example, my dad passed away in 2008 after being ill for many years; my mom passed away in 2017 likewise, after battling varying health issues, my husband has sickle-cell anemia (which has caused him to have 3 hip replacement surgeries in the last 20 years) …and if it’s one thing I’ve learned in dealing with my own personal family trials, it’s to Be Careful of the Company I Keep In Crisis! You See, When We Enter a Crisis It’s Critical To Our Recovery To Maintain Our Faith! And if truth be told, it’s when we’re in Crisis, that our Faith has a tendency to Falter and Fail! Therefore, having Negative, Unbelieving, Cynical, Pessimistic, Doubting, Fearful, Defeated Folks in Your Presence Will Surely Kill Your Future and Your Faith! In other words, Take the Right People Into Your Situation! I Mean Hand Pick and Select Them Yourself! Jesus Did! The Scripture Says: “And when He came to the house, HE PERMITTED NO ONE TO ENTER WITH HIM EXCEPT PETER AND JOHN AND JAMES, AND THE GIRL’S FATHER AND MOTHER” (Luke 8:51 AMP) The one definition of the word “PERMIT” that I like is: “An Official Document Giving Permission To Do Something”! In other words, act as though your situation possesses the same Security Level as the White House and the President! Anybody Trying to Enter Needs Proper Clearance! And trust me, you’ll know those Who Need To Be Told: “Access Denied”! 

Listen, it’s hard enough fighting to keep your faith afloat, the last thing you need is people poking holes and deflating your faith. Therefore, treat your faith as the life preserver that it is. And treat your trial as a battered boat in the middle of the ocean amidst the storm. If you’re going to survive…everything is depending on your faith to stay intact until you can get to shore safely. And that will not happen surrounding yourself with people telling you that they know of people who died from what your mother has; or they know those who have committed suicide after receiving the same bad news your father did; or who loss their house, car, job and mind dealing with the same stuff your dealing with! In a nutshell: Avoid negative people as if they are an incurable, contagious disease, because they are!

Keep these quotes in mind:

“Protect your spirit from contamination. Limit your time with negative people.” (Thema Davis)

“Negative people need drama like oxygen. Stay positive, it will take their breath away.”

“Don’t let negative people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out!”

“Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.”

“Do not expect positive changes in your life if you surround yourself with negative people.”

“Do not allow negative people to turn you into one of them.”

“Cut negative people out of your life. The people you spend time with influence your attitude and thoughts more than you think.”

“Ignore negative people. They feed on your reaction and if they see you being affected by what they do/say, they’ll keep doing it.”

“Don’t let the noise of other peoples opinions drown out your inner voice.” (Steve Jobs)

“Don’t waste another minute dealing with a toxic, negative, energy-draining person. Some people are wired for negativity. They love being argumentative, combative and abusive. Run for your life as quickly as possible.” (Les Brown)

In a nutshell: Only invite a small group of faith believers into your circle who will tell you what God CAN do…every time you attempt to say what CAN’T be done!

Surround yourself with people who don’t fall for worry, but who walk by faith, standing on the promises of God!

Another heads up: The wailing mourners were there, and Jesus spoke to them too, “…Do not weep, for she is not dead, but sleeping” (vs. 52 AMP). At this they scoffed in disbelief. To “Scoff” at something means: “To Mock”. And to “Mock” at something means to: “Scornfully Ridicule and Tease”. And “Disbelief” means the “Inability or Refusal to Accept that Something Is True or Real; It Is a Lack of Faith”. In other words, the people you need to Deny Access will always be those who scoff and mock at what the Lord has said concerning you and your situation! They will always be the ones to ridicule and tease you and even go to the extent of Refusing to Accept that what the Lord has said to You and About You Is Real and True! They will speak sickness when He speaks healing; they will speak poverty when He speaks wealth; they will speak fear; when He speaks faith; they will speak what CAN’T BE DONE; when He speaks what CAN BE DONE; they will speak comfortability when He speaks change! Therefore, Avoid People Whose Speech Speaks Against What the Lord Has Said to You! Follow Jesus’ Example: He ordered the mourners to leave! Therefore, You Do The Same! When entering a trial, take the right people with you and tell the wrong ones to Leave!

2 Timothy 3:5, “holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.” (AMP) You do not need to have in your company those pretending to act godly; and faking faith when they truly believe your situation is helpless and hopeless. Remember this, you will always know a tree by it’s fruit. Therefore, if they say they have figs but all you see is leaves, they’re lying. If they say they have faith but all you hear is fear and doubt, they’re lying! Be Careful of the Company You Keep In Crisis!

He ordered the mourners to leave! Then, in Quiet Privacy, Jesus took the lifeless girl’s hand and simply said, “…Little girl, arise” (vs. 54 AMP). She stood and walked, and the Great Physician ordered that she be given food. (vs. 55 AMP)

Listen: The Savior Alone gives life to every individual, and He cares deeply for each of us personally. Believe It and Let No One Tell You Differently!

Each of the three Synoptic Gospels records this miracle, not only Verifying the Deity of Jesus Christ but also Reminding Us That He Is Still Our High Priest, Sympathizing With Us In Our Weaknesses. 

Truth is, He doesn’t care how old or young we are, He doesn’t care how long we’ve been dealing with our issue, He doesn’t care who believes or does not believe what He’s promised to do for us, to us, through us, and in us. He only cares that WE Trust Him, Call On Him, and Believe Him! “…Do Not Be Seized With Alarm Or Struck With Fear; Simply Believe [In Me As ABLE To Do This]…” (vs. 50 AMP).

With that said, Today, I want you to take Your Crisis to Christ and Trust Him to Change It For the Better!

Always Remember: He Invites Us to “…come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Or according to the Amplified Bible: “Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]” (AMP).

Why are you able to come to God FEARLESSLY…CONFIDENTLY…and BOLDLY? Because He Is ABLE to Do…Even This! No matter what your ‘This’ is, He is ABLE to handle it! No matter how many interruptions you have to face along the journey, no matter how many people cut the line and get their healing ahead of you, Your God is Still ABLE to do…Even This! 

Today, take heart and take courage. Maintain your faith and refuse to let it falter, because your God cannot fail!

Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken and will He not make it good and fulfill it?” (AMP)

Isaiah 55:8-11, “I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.”  God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of My mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.” (MSG)

Jeremiah 33:2-3, “This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: ‘Call to Me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.’” (MSG)

Isaiah 65:24, “I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking to Me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” (TLB)

Jeremiah 1:12, “Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it.” (AMPC)

People of God, no more loss of sleep or hair, no more tears, no more stress, worry, fret or fear. No more doubt and second-guessing. No more frustrations and back-up plans. Just obey the Scripture, “…But Jesus, on hearing this, answered him, Do not be seized with alarm or struck with fear; simply believe [in ME as ABLE to do this]…” Remember: Jesus does NOT say to believe in your daily horoscope; to believe in the perfect alignment of the stars and planets; to believe in the psychic; to believe in luck; to believe in yourself or your gifts, anointing, skills, talents and ability; He doesn’t even say to believe in the doctors or the medicine! He specifically and clearly said, “Do not be seized with alarm or struck with fear; simply BELIEVE [IN ME as ABLE to do this]…” That’s It! Simply: Believe In Him, For He Alone Is Still ABLE To Do…Even This!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged
Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “9 Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet!”