“Don’t Forget to Meet With God”

Psalm 42:2, “My soul thirsts for the living God. When can I go to meet with Him?”  (ERV).

I’m definitely one of those people who’s always trying to cram one more thing in before I leave for an appointment. And if I can’t, then I make the fools attempt to make it up while I’m on the road! And to be honest, that’s OK, when the weather’s on my side! But on those days when it’s as they say, ‘raining cats and dogs’, that doesn’t exactly work out in my favor! You see, I’ve actually attempted to travel in one of those types of rain storms, while I was already running late mind you, and still trying to squeeze in another project, on my way to a project! I ended up zipping down the highway at top speed, and suddenly I felt myself losing control of the rear wheels! Now, if you’d like a fancy word for that experience, it’s called “hydroplaning”! What happens is, water builds up under your tires so you’re skimming along on water rather than pavement! In case you are unaware, THIS IS NOT GOOD! The rear of your car starts to go somewhere you don’t want it to go and never intended for it to go! If that’s ever happened to you, you know it’s a scary feeling to start hydroplaning – because you’re going too fast, your losing control, and then you end up in a place you didn’t schedule on your agenda! For many foolish drivers like myself (many years ago, lol), you could end up where I ended up once, driving my first car, a Buick in 1993. Want to know where I ended up? In a ditch! That may be part of the reason I don’t drive today! LOL!

For my sake the Chinese Proverb proved to be true: “A fall into a ditch makes you wiser.”

With that memory in mind, I thought of King David. King David was ‘hydroplaning’ when he wrote Psalm 42:1-5. You see, things were moving really fast and he was losing control, especially of his emotions. David says, “A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep draughts of God. I’m thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, ‘Will I ever make it – arrive and drink in God’s presence?’ I’m on a diet of tears—tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, ‘Where is this God of yours?’ These are the things I go over and over, emptying out the pockets of my life. I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd, right out in front, Leading them all, eager to arrive and worship, Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving – celebrating, all of us, God’s feast! Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?…” (MSG).

David’s hurting, David’s crying – morning, noon and night, David is an emotional wreck, David has people looking at him and his situation and so they began pestering him: ‘where is this God of yours?’ Which is how some people may view you and what you’re struggling with: ‘Where is this God of his?’ ‘Where is this God of hers?’ They say things like, ‘I thought you said God was all-powerful; all-knowing; ever-present; almighty; awesome; powerful; your provider; your healer; your protector; your deliverer; your way-maker; your loving and altogether wonderful Heavenly Father. But, if He is in fact all those things, and He’s your God, where is He in your situation? Where is His help in your time of need?’ And David was clearly so friendless while battling this ordeal that he in fact started talking to his own soul: ‘why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues…?’ David’s slipping, David’s overwhelmed, David’s emotions are hydroplaning out of control! Are Yours Too? It’s okay to be honest. After all, only the truth sets you free. Masking, masquerading, pretending, faking it till you make it, are all nothing but chains of bondage. Don’t allow them to keep you bound any longer.

If the truth be told, I was there not too long ago. My challenges were a lot bigger than my resources. I felt like my faith was like a twin-sized fitted sheet on a king-sized mattress; it just couldn’t stretch far enough to cover! I was overwhelmed and anxious. I felt like I’d never catch up on anything. I was falling behind in school work, devotionals, proper scheduling of engagements, etc…Everything just seemed too much! It felt like having 2 body parts being stretched into 20 different directions! The stress of it all had me losing weight, gaining weight, breaking out in acne, losing hair and sleep, and if I kept at it, I could’ve lost my sanity!

But, I must say, I’ve been there before, and if truth be told, I can’t honestly say that I will absolutely never be there again. But that day I wandered into this psalm, Psalm 42, where I was hit with a probing question which turned out to be the answer for me. Now, if you’re feeling yourself hydroplaning right now, maybe it’s an answer for you, too. In Psalm 42:2, David asks an extremely important question, that I had to learn to ask likewise, he asked: “…When can I go and meet with God?” (NIV).

Like David, I needed to stop my spinning world and simply get away with God. So I got away with just my Bible and my notepad, and I met with God. That may be your Lord’s prescription for all that’s ailing you right now as well. Although many of you may respond, “No way! There’s just too much for me to do to just stop everything!” Well, that’s exactly why you need to! Whether you know it or not, you’re losing control. You have to slow down to listen to your Lord for an extended, uninterrupted, unhurried period of time if you’re ever going to get back on track! Trust me, I’m the Queen of, ‘I don’t have time!’ But that’s why you have to be proactive. Purposely Schedule Time With God! That word ‘schedule’ is defined as, ‘a set plan for carrying out a process or procedure; arranging a timetable.’ And what’s the first thing you need to do in order to start scheduling anything? You have to figure out what your priorities are! A ‘priority’ is defined as, ‘something that is regarded as more important than others; something that is superiority in rank, position, or privilege; preferential; something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives; something that is deemed urgent; supreme and most valued.’ And shouldn’t that be descriptive of our God as our priority before any other person, place or thing? Isn’t He more important than the hair and nail appointment you scheduled? More preferred than your brunch date? Higher in rank and position than going to the laundry, movies, supermarket, or even a church or ministry event? Shouldn’t God be the first person we give preference and privilege to? After all He’s done for us, and means to us, doesn’t that merit giving Him our attention instead of all the other competing alternatives in life? And certainly in these end times, wouldn’t you say that meeting with God consistently is urgent?!

You see, my former pastor used to say, ‘people do what they want to do.’ And it’s true. A lot of the things we say are out of our control, and out of our hands, are not. We’ve simply chosen them as higher on the priority chain than God. How insulting is that to one who laid down His life that we might live?!

Truth is, I understand. Life can become overwhelmingly busy. But nothing in life should become so busy that we have no time to spend with God. And that means outside of Sunday morning services; Wednesday night prayer and bible study; Sunday school or other ‘church/ministry’ activities. But this spills over into purposely getting up at 5am just to sit in quiet time with God. Not to repent; not to ask for stuff; not to seek His favor; but to sit and listen to the heart of God. I’m persuaded we can no longer hear God because we talk too much! We can sit in prayer for a whole hour, and we’re the only ones talking. Then we say ‘amen’, and off to the races. But God has things He wants to say too. How much of God’s directions, wisdom and guidance are you missing out on simply because you can’t be quiet and listen? But no, we can’t sit and wait for God to speak, because we have to beat the clock coming and going every day!

But here’s a quote that has come to be one of my favorites: “Nature does not hurry, yet Everything is accomplished.” (Lao Tzu). If you think about it, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, all come year after year, and neither ever rushes to get here, yet they come faithfully and consistently! “For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop.” (Genesis 8:22 MSG).

In other words, all the things that God has set or better yet “pre-ordained” in life and for your life, Will Occur, in their Proper Season! Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (MSG); Ecclesiastes 3:1, “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: (MSG) That word ‘opportune’ is defined as, ‘done or occurring at an especially appropriate time.’ Its’ Latin Origin ‘opportunus’, comes from the combination of: ‘ob’ (meaning ‘in the direction of’) and ‘portus’ (meaning ‘harbor’). Which is descriptive of the wind driving towards the harbor, hence the idea ‘seasonable.’ It’s when something happens at the right time and season, so it’s effortless, even a simple blow of the wind can send it off in the right direction. It’s timely and well-timed. It’s appropriate; fitting, proper, suitable, fortunate and seasonable. And ‘seasonable’ is defined as, ‘something appropriate for a particular season.’ That’s why you have to stop running around trying to make everything happen for yourself overnight! What God deems necessary to happen in your life will happen when it’s the right season for it to happen! Isaiah 60:22, “…I am God. At the right time I’ll make it happen.” (MSG) You don’t have to be so busy trying force what is going to fail because you’re attempting to make it come to pass, out of season! What God has ordained for your life, will have to happen by His hands, not yours. And when you leave it in His hands, you can be assured that it’s already Handled With Care! You Just Have to Wait For Your ‘Due-Season’, which means, ‘a good and appropriate time.’ Saints, God has something Good in store for you, you just need to wait for the right, appropriate, good time for it to come to pass! Remember, God knows seasons, which is why you don’t have 90 degree weather in winter; nor do you have snow in summer! God has ordained the seasons in the earth and in your life! Trust Him, and Trust His Timing.

Therefore, you need not hurry, rush, or attempt to bring forth fruit in the wrong season! If it is to happen, it will! Don’t make the mistake that many, especially those in ministry, are making…and that’s driving so fast up the mountain to reach the top, that they’ve missed the breathtaking scenery along the journey! In their hurry to reach the top of the mountain, to mount a flag of victory, to make a name for themselves, they missed all the “little miracles” along the way! They missed the clouds and the silver lining, they missed the calming powder-blue sky, they missed earth’s most beautiful sunrises and sunsets, they missed the flowers that determined to push their way through the dirt and sprout forth anyhow, they missed all of the creatures, the creation and the Creator rushing to “create” something themselves!

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” (Saint Francis de Sales).

People of God, slow down! Reprioritize your schedule and pen down more time with God. You need His guidance and direction. You need His instruction and wisdom. You need to hear His voice. And you cannot get any of that rushing into prayer and rushing out. You can’t get that while having a to-do-list longer than your time spent with God.

I came to a startling revelation in my quiet time with God recently. He reminded me of all the doctor and specialist appointments, all the ‘abnormal’ reports, the pseudo tumor, all the migraines, the heart murmur, the ectopic pregnancy, the breast surgery, and other surgeries etc…and then He reminded me that TODAY not a one of those things is a problem for me. Why? Because He healed and delivered me and granted me wholeness! And for what purpose? That I run around the earth, under the disguise of “ministry” or “kingdom” work? No, so that I would be mindful of His promise to me: “…I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (John 10:10 AMP).

Now, does that mean ministry/kingdom work is unimportant? Not at all! But the Scripture gives us the best advice: “Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!” (Matthew 5:6 AMP).

And to add gravy to your mashed potatoes: “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think He’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do His best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way He works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” (Matthew 6:30-33 MSG).

SAINTS, STOP HYDROPLANING, GET IN HIS PRESENCE AND HUSH!

Stop running around, in my father’s words, “like a chicken with his head cut off”! Life goes by fast enough, don’t rush and hurry through it, and don’t busy yourself so much that you have no idea where 10 years went! God will provide for you naturally and spiritually, so stop hydroplaning in all the wrong directions, stop wasting your time and your life!  Both of which you cannot get back once they are gone!

Take the time this week to write down what you’re feeling and thinking as you make it your most important business to meet with God and listen to Him. Ask Him for a fresh look at the people in your life, at the pressures, and at your priorities. Ask Him to help you see the forest as a whole again; because if the truth be told, you’ve been overwhelmed by focusing on all the individual trees!

In His presence, set some priorities. Make some plans and weed some things out. You can trust what you’re sensing in an extended time with God. Which needs to be on a more regular basis. Matthew 11:28-30, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (MSG) If you want to learn how to live freely and lightly without being tired, worn out, burned out and weighted down with a life that is heavy and ill-fitting, then do what Jesus invited you to do: “COME TO ME; GET AWAY WITH ME; WALK WITH ME; WORK WITH ME; WATCH ME; KEEP COMPANY WITH ME!” That a lot of ‘ME’! Which tells us just how important Jesus feels about our relationship with Him. He desires to spend time with us and He makes it a priority because He wakes us up every morning without fail; keeps us safe throughout the day; and blesses us with sweet sleep every night. How can we NOT desire to spend time with Him…On Purpose?!

And I’m not talking about spending time with God when the doctor gives you a bad report; or you’ve lost a loved one; or the job laid you off; or the kids are acting up; or the marriage is about over; or the bank accounts have a whole lot of zero’s but with no other number in the front! No, that’s the times when we always go running to God. Then, He’s a Priority, Because for Us Our Problem is a Priority. But that’s not how you build a solid relationship. Spending time with God has to be purposeful and consistent. Spend time with God when everything in your world for a change seems to be going ‘right and good.’ Since those are the times when God is greatly ignored. God has already promised to meet our every need, but that doesn’t mean we treat Him like that’s all we need Him for. He desires a relationship, and a relationship requires time. Make sure you’re not short changing God on your end!

If you’re traveling at a high speed right now and you feel yourself losing control, first of all, SLOW DOWN! You need to carve out time away where your Lord can show you what He wants, what He sees when He looks at the people in your life, when He looks at the situations in your life, and when He looks at the needs in your life. Remember, you have to be still to know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”). Here’s some instructions for you everyday from the varying translations of that Scripture: “Be still…” (AMP); “Let be and be still…”; (AMPC); “Our God says, ‘Calm Down’…” (CEV); “Let go of your concerns…” (GWT); “Stop your fighting…” (CSB); “Stand silent!…” (TLB); “Cease striving…” (NASB); “Be quiet…” (NLV). And lastly the Message Bible says, “…“Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at Me, your High God, above politics, above everything.” (MSG) That’s what you need to do today: Be still, calm down, let go, stop fighting, be silent, cease striving, be quiet and step out of the traffic, take a long, look at God, your High God, and know that He alone is Above Everything! Even Your Schedule!

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” (Gandhi).

Stop allowing your entire life to be arranged around trying to get something done, outside of God’s Will, God’s Plan, God’s Purpose, and God’s Timing. It’s all futile, and you’re missing out on life and more importantly, you’re missing out on a relationship with God! Therefore, today, I challenge you to slow down long enough to ask a simple question: “…When can I go and meet with God?” Then, if you’re smart, you’ll also take time to answer it by saying, ‘Right Now’!

Psalm 42:2, “My soul thirsts for the living God. When can I go to meet with Him?”  (ERV). The word ‘thirst’ is defined as, ‘a sensation of dryness; parched; deficient of moisture; eager; hunger; restless; breathless; longing; pining; dehydrated.’ And ‘dehydrated’ is defined as, ‘burned out; drained; exhausted; fatigued; sapped; weakened; worn out; discouraged; disheartened; dispirited.’ That’s how David described his soul. Maybe that’s how you can describe yours too. And if that is the case, all you need to do to quench your soul’s thirst is meet with the Living Water. When your well is empty, you need to know where to go: John 4:14, “But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. But the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water [satisfying his thirst for God] welling up [continually flowing, bubbling within him] to eternal life.” (AMP)

David experienced a crazy emotional roller coaster ride throughout Psalm 42:1-5. But the last part of Psalm 42:5 says this, “…Fix my eyes on God – soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.” (MSG) This is how you bounce back like David did. You meet with God and fix your eyes on Him alone. You purposely remove all the distractions and see and hear only Him. You Get In His Presence and You Stay Present. And if you do, the conclusion of your meeting with God will be, “…I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.” Check your calendar, this is One meeting you can’t afford to miss, rain-check, reschedule, or cancel!

Saints, Schedule Time With God, Your Soul (And Your Life) Needs a Drink of His Living Water!

“If you find yourself a bit irritated or overwhelmed, it’s a sign that you’re spending less time with God and more time with the world.” (Author Unknown)

“Spending time with God is the key to our strength and success in all areas of life. Be sure that you never try to work God into your schedule, but always work your schedule around Him.” (Joyce Meyer)

“Look at your ministry as a marathon not a sprint – build deep foundations of intimacy with God and never let your public schedule get fuller than your time alone with God.” (Vicky Beeching)

“We schedule meetings to keep our business going in the right direction – we need to schedule meetings with God to help keep our lives going in the right direction.” (DeVon Franklin)

“Christian, your time is not your own. You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your schedule.” (David Mathis)

“The biggest battle you will face in life is your daily appointment with God; keep it, or every other battle will become bigger.” (Ravi Zacharias)

“It is not easy to shut out the world, set aside a few minutes by yourself, and spend time in God’s Word and prayer. But it is essential if we are to grow in our relationship with God and be strengthened for the battles ahead. Don’t delay. Begin now to spend time alone with God every day.” (Billy Graham)

“It is impossible for a believer, no matter what his experience, to keep right with God if he will not take the trouble to spend time with God. Spend plenty of time with Him; let other things go, but don’t neglect Him.” (J. Oswald Sanders)

“To hear the whisper of God you must turn down the volume of the world. Find time to disconnect from everything around you and be still in His presence today. He is waiting for you to draw near.” (Author Unknown)

“We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.” (Charles Stanley)

“We simplify, not just to be less busy…rather, we simplify to remove distractions from our pursuit of Christ.” (Donald S. Whitney)

“Perhaps we should stop talking about being faithful to have a quiet time with God each day, as if we were doing something to earn a reward. It would be better to talk about the privilege of spending time with the God of the Universe and the importance for our own sake of being consistent in that practice.” (Jerry Bridges)

“When you spend time with God and open your heart, your mind and your spirit, He will unfold dreams and images before you. He wants you to see what will happen on the inside before you see it happen on the outside.” (Terri Savelle Foy)

“The time you spend alone with God will transform your character and increase your devotion. Then your integrity and godly behavior in an unbelieving world will make others long to know the Lord.” (Charles Stanley)

“More is accomplished by spending time in God’s presence than by doing anything else.” (Heidi Baker)

“Spending time with God isn’t a magic formula for a perfect life; it’s a rock-solid foundation that will hold you up when everything around you is shifting sand.” (Author Unknown)

“Reduce your stress level by taking time to unplug from the world, open your Bible, and listen to what God has to tell you.” (Author Unknown)

“God wants more than five minutes of your day. He wants to be part of your every moment. Your highs and lows, and everything in between.” (Author Unknown)

“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.” (Author Unknown)

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” (Stephen Covey)

“Every one of your Disappointments is Your Appointment with God.” (Author Unknown)

“Time spent with God is never wasted.” (Author Unknown)

“Spending time with God, puts everything else in perspective.” (Author Unknown)

“God is never too busy to listen. Never be too busy to talk to Him.” (Author Unknown)

“Prayer is the time you spend alone with God.” (Art Hochberg)

“Nothing will help us grow spiritually more than spending time alone with God every day, reading His Word and praying. Time alone with God is essential to our spiritual welfare.” (Billy Graham)

“When we choose to consistently spend time with God, we will bit by bit begin to find Him present in every area of our lives.” (Sally Clarkson)

“The reason we spend time with God is not so that we will feel invigorated and ready to face the day and get through our agenda; the reason we spend time with God is so that He can set the agenda.” (Author Unknown)

“You don’t need a diploma to preach about Jesus, you just need to spend time with Him.” (Author Unknown)

“There is also a third blessing that comes from spending time alone with God. When we spend time alone with Him, this releases all God’s potential, His power, grace and anointing, all of which are so essential for doing work for the Kingdom of God.” (Sunday Adelaja)

“Stop spending quality time with unqualified people.” (P.L. Wilson)

“You may think you do not have time to feed yourself spiritually, but I assure you that you cannot afford not to.” (Crystal Paine)

“Spend your time in nothing which you know must be repented of; in nothing on which you might not pray for the blessing of God; in nothing which you could not review with a quiet conscience on your dying bed; in nothing which you might not safely and properly be found doing if death should surprise you in the act.” (Richard Baxter)

“Folk spend so much time trying to be connected to people because of who they are; what that relationship represents to them or what they think that person can do for them. Just give me people who I know in my heart know God personally. That’s the greatest human connection I can have. That’s real networking.” (Jason M. Lee)

“If God has called you, do not spend time looking over your shoulder to see who is following you.” (Corrie Ten Boom)

“As you read or listen to God’s Word and spend time talking to Him in prayer, your spirit will eventually become stronger than your flesh.” (Joyce Meyer)

“Do you spend more time focusing on the circumstances of your life instead of on the Almighty God who has chosen every path for you?” (Marci Ferrell)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWordFeel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “Can You Learn to Breathe Better?”

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“Watch What You Ask For, You Just May Get It!”

Genesis 16:1-2, “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.” (MSG)

I am by far no expert in regards to airplanes, flying or pilots! But as comical as it may sound, I did have the opportunity to speak for a pilot safety program. Now, truth be told, you really wouldn’t want to fly in a plane that I taught anyone about! Why? Because I don’t know the first thing about it! However, I was invited because of a devotional I wrote called “Soaring Through Stress“, where I used the analogy of pilots dealing with turbulence, and the stress that comes as a result from it. And in case you didn’t know, stress is a real issue for pilots, so they kind of sneaked me in for one of the programs, under the radar.

Two of the safety directors took me to lunch one day to brief me on what to expect. In the process, one of them told me that over 80% of the crashes that involve private pilots are because of Pilot Error. Then he told me about a disease that has killed many pilots (and many passengers as well). He called it “get-there-itis.” Meaning: “I’ve just got to get there!” Kind of a “By Any Means Necessary“, motto! But this becomes a problem because they don’t adequately evaluate the weather, or the plane, or their own personal condition. Instead they make a short-sighted choice that often leads to disastrous consequences for All! However, you don’t have to be a pilot to be in danger of catching the “get-there-itis” disease.

Now, there’s a biblical case of “get-there-itis” in Genesis 15:4. God made this awesome promise to Abram, “Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man [Eliezer] will not be your heir but he who shall come from your own body shall be your heir.” (AMP) Well, needless to say, a lot of years passed; Abram had a lot of birthdays, and so did Sarai. But…the promised baby had none, because it didn’t come. And what happens to many of us when God makes us a promise, but too much time has elapsed (at least in our own opinion), and it’s still not fulfilled? You guessed it, there’s panic and planning! And it was no different for Sarai.

So, on to our text in chapter 16. “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.” (MSG)

And as they say, “The rest is history.”

Here was a decision that did bring about a son, but it was the wrong son. A problem, instead of the promise. Ishmael by name. What happened to the promised child, you ask? Well, thirteen years later Isaac would come; you know, the one that God had promised, not the one Sarai was determined to produce of her own accord! And boy did she get what she asked for! But this decision to try to make it happen brought terrible conflict in Abraham’s family and, honestly, even to our world all these thousands of years later as the descendants of Ishmael, the Arabs, and the descendants of Isaac, the Jews, continue to fight it out!

Now, look, Abram and Sarai had a worthy goal, the one God had promised, a family, but God was taking longer than Sarai expected. So Sarai sinned the sin of “get-there-itis.” She made a disastrous choice because she had to get there, by any means necessary. She just had to get what she was asking for! Well, before you judge her too harshly, maybe you could look back on some of the choices that you’ve made in your past and see that you’re not so different from Sarai. I know for a fact, I’m certainly no different.

Let’s be honest, there were some moments you couldn’t wait, so you just took off, and you caused a crash. Or maybe you’re about to sin a sin of “get-there-itis” today! And maybe it’s even a good goal. Maybe it’s something you want to accomplish for yourself, your family, business, ministry or church. Maybe you want to get married, or something to help your child, or to help other people. BUT, God hasn’t made it come to pass. So, you’re starting to push, to plan, to scheme, to arrange, to manipulate to make it happen.

And truthfully, I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve sat across from someone in counseling who has that very same testimony…’If only I just waited on God.’ How many marriages wouldn’t have fallen apart; ministries and churches split; homes foreclosed; businesses shut down; finances dry up, and all because we just had to make it happen, by any means necessary, instead of waiting for God to make it happen, in His time, in His will, in His way.

However, unfortunate for us, we preferred to travel down the harder road of trying to “help” God out. We start formulating plan ‘b-z’ since God’s plan ‘a’ is taking entirely too long! We start scheming and scamming only to get what we wanted, but not at all what we needed!

I like Warren Wiersbe’s definition of faith. He said, “Faith is the absence of scheming.” In other words Sarai, stop trying to pull a Hagar; which is nothing more than a tragic hurry-up of God’s plans.

And the sad part of it all is that God had already promised them a son, the plan was already in the works. They only needed to trust God, walk by faith and wait. And people of God, we’re no different. There are some things that God has promised us, but we’re getting antsy now. It’s been 5 years since the promise of a child; 10 years since the promise of a spouse; 15 years since the promise of a ministry, and now we feel the need to “help” Heaven and the Hand of God (as if that were ever needed or possible!)

And one of the things I don’t think we take into account when attempting to “help” God out, is all the pain that comes from the process of trying to produce something before its time. Abram and Sarai’s marriage relationship is strained; Sarai and Hagar’s relationship is strained; Sarai gets lost in her emotions and acts out on the person she drafted into her plans in the first place; Hagar is not even consulted, she’s simply commanded to sleep with old man Abram and produce a child she wouldn’t be able to claim as her own; Abram is battling with 2 women and a kid on the way; and then when the kid gets here, Sarai is mad, Hagar is sent away…it’s just a mess! And all because Ms. Sarai couldn’t wait on God, His will or way, she just had to get what she asked for!

Anything you do outside of the timing of God you will pay a pretty steep penny for! And not only that, but so will all those you draft into your madness! Think about it, when’s the last time you heard of a pilot crashing a plane full of people and he was the ONLY ONE to die?! People attached to you suffer from your choices and consequences!

Many of us are accustomed to having a back-up plan. We’re depended upon to figure stuff out, to make it work, to fill in the gap, to strategize how to rob Peter to pay Paul. But all of that, is all of us, and none of God. You see, it’s not like Sarai was hoping for a promise, the promise was already given, she didn’t even have to ask for it, it was given without the need of her request. All she had to do was wait on the timing of God for its fulfillment. And saints, that’s exactly where we get it wrong! We have a tendency to get impatient, devise a plan and go wandering instead of waiting. But what does the Bible have to say?

Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, WAIT. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (MSG) Listen: Your promise does not need you trying to clock its’ arrival time! God has already appointed its’ arrival time, you’re just frustrated because God didn’t give you the ETA on your promises arrival. But it doesn’t need to be put on your agenda! All you have to do is trust God and WAIT! And the part I love about that Scripture is, “…IT CAN HARDLY WAIT!…” People of God, what God has promised you is so excited to get to you that it can hardly wait, but what happens when you can hardly wait, and so you involve yourself where God didn’t need your assistance and now your Promise is on Pause!

And what happens next?

Genesis 16:3-6, “So SARAI, Abram’s wife, took her Egyptian maid Hagar AND GAVE HER TO HER HUSBAND ABRAM AS A WIFE. Abram had been living ten years in Canaan when this took place. He slept with Hagar and she got pregnant. When Hagar learned she was pregnant, she looked down on her mistress. Sarai told Abram, “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT that I’m suffering this abuse. I PUT MY MAID IN BED WITH YOU and the minute she knows she’s pregnant, she treats me like I’m nothing. May God decide which of us is right.”“You decide,” said Abram. “Your maid is your business.” Sarai was abusive to Hagar and Hagar ran away.” (MSG)

I find it absolutely amazing that Sarai gave her husband to another woman to bed and wife, and yet her response to her own devised plan is: “…IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT…” Sounds a lot like another portion of Scripture involving Adam and Eve: “GOD, IT’S THE WOMAN YOU GAVE ME!” Or maybe another example found in King Saul, “IT WAS THE PEOPLE’S FAULT I MADE THE SACRIFICE!” Or maybe Pilate? “I KNOW JESUS IS INNOCENT, BUT I’LL GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT AND WASH MY HANDS OF IT ALL!” In other words, when things go as we Asked, but not as we Wanted, the Blame Game Begins and the Finger Pointing Starts! But that’s often what we do, when the back-up plans, THAT WE MADE FOR GOD, don’t work out, it’s everyone else’s fault, but our own of course! And all of this could’ve been prevented if only Sarai WAITED ON GOD! But there’s no need to get mad now! This was your genius plan, this was your proposal, this was your idea! You picked the plan and the woman and gave them the blueprint to follow in building you a son, and yet, this is his fault?! No dear, you needed to wait on God, because He already made you a promise, your problem came about because of your own impatience and plans!

Now, let’s be fair Abram, because you indeed had a hand in this mess too! Remember what God told you Abram: Genesis 15:4-6, “Then God’s Message came: “Don’t worry, he won’t be your heir; A SON FROM YOUR BODY WILL BE YOUR HEIR.”Then he took him outside and said, “Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A BIG FAMILY, ABRAM!”AND HE BELIEVED! BELIEVED GOD! God declared him “Set-Right-with-God.” (MSG) Abram, God gave you the promise of not only a son from your own body, but also that you would have a big family. It concludes that you believed God…so what happened?! If you believed Him at the time He gave the promise, why would you lose sight of the promise in the meantime? All you both needed to do was wait and trust God, but as my mom would say, ‘that was too much like right’!

People of God, don’t make the mistake of attempting to rush God or help God out! He knows what He’s doing. He knows what He promised you. He knows the perfect time to bring it to pass. Don’t pull a Sarai and come up with a back-up plan, and don’t pull an Abram, receiving a promise, believing the promise and then agreeing with your wife to do the polar opposite of the promise!

Don’t mess up God’s Promise over your life by attempting to Produce a Harvest from a Seed God never told you to Plant!

Truth is, this Winter we had a 70 degree day. But did that mean the Season changed and now it’s suddenly Spring? NO! The Seasons are Pre-Scheduled to Change at Their Appointed Time, And So Are the Seasons in Your Life! You Can’t Rush It, But You Can Surely Ruin It! Therefore, Always Wait For God’s Due Season!

Please hear me loud and clear, this is our Word of Warning Today: WAIT! And even if it’s slow in coming, still WAIT! Why? Because it’s on its way! It will come right on time and will not lie! People of God, remember this: We have absolutely NO reason not to trust God to keep His Word!

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)

Not one ounce of doubt is listed in that Scripture! God is not saying His Words ‘may, hopefully, might, let’s wait and see’, if it comes to pass. NO! He says THEY’LL DO THE WORK I SENT THEM TO DO! Listen: You’ll stop having to work over-time on all your back-up plans as soon as you embrace the fact that God’s promises have no other choice but to complete the assignment they’ve been given over your life! They go to work so you don’t have to! All you have to do is WAIT! God Started It And God Will Finish It!

Philippians 1:6, “THERE HAS NEVER BEEN THE SLIGHTEST DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THE GOD WHO STARTED THIS GREAT WORK IN YOU WOULD KEEP AT IT AND BRING IT TO A FLOURISHING FINISH ON THE VERY DAY CHRIST JESUS APPEARS.” (MSG) Can you imagine having such a Word of Promise over your life that it can’t fail, can’t stop, can’t be blocked, can’t be left undone, but has to come to pass, and not just while you’re still on earth, but even up until the day of Christ Coming! In case you ever doubted it, please believe me when I tell you sons and daughters of God, your Father loves you! You don’t have to strategize, plan, scheme, manipulate, or devise a back-up plan to bring God’s promise to pass in your life, it’s guaranteed that it’s coming to pass because God Himself has already held Himself accountable to make sure it does, and He can’t lie!

Jeremiah 1:12:

“…I am [actively] watching over My Word to FULFILL IT.” (AMP);

“…I am alert and active, watching over My Word to PERFORM IT.” (AMPC);

“…I’m watching over My Word until it is FULFILLED.” (CEB);

“…I ALWAYS rise early to keep a promise.” (CEV);

“…I am watching to make sure that My Message to you COMES TRUE.” (ERV);

“…I am watching to make sure that My Words COME TRUE.” (GWT);

“…I’ll make EVERY WORD I give you COME TRUE.” (MSG);

“…I am watching to see that My Word is FULFILLED.” (NIV);

“I am watching to see that My Word is COMPLETED.” (NLV)

Are You Getting This?! This is how strongly God feels about the Keeping of His Word! Which should further encourage us to trust whatever His plans are for our lives. Because He will Make Sure that His Word Given to Us, to Fulfill His Purpose, Comes to Pass! In Other Words, God Doesn’t Need Your Help to Produce What He Promised!

Numbers 23:19, “God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change His mind. GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES.” (CEV)              

So, when you feel like God’s promises are dragging their feet, dig your heels in faith a little deeper and remember GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES! There is no need for you to try and pull out a Hagar, Sarai, just trust the God you serve and you’ll eventually see what HE SAID!

Don’t take off just yet and don’t panic and die of terminal ‘get-there-itis.’” Remember in the opening story, 80% of the crashes, were PILOT ERROR, the hurry to get there before time! Don’t let this happen to you, your family, your business, your education, your employment, your career, your ministry, your church! God has a foolproof plan, therefore your back-up plan is not needed! The term “foolproof plan” is defined as: “done, made, or planned so well that nothing can go wrong; no opportunity for error, misuse or failure; designed so as to be impervious to human incompetence; infallible; guaranteed; certain; safe; never-failing; sure-fire; unbreakable; incapable of going wrong.” Now does any of that sound like it needs a back-up plan? Absolutely Not! God’s Plan Will Prevail and Produce What He Promised!

Jeremiah 29:10-11, “…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.” (MSG)

In other words, Sarai, MY Plan Doesn’t Need YOURS! And Saints, He Doesn’t Need OURS Either!

Therefore, how about today we deliberately choose to leave this in God’s hands? Let Him bring it to pass in His time. You’ll have a great flight if you do. But if you force it, you’ll crash it. And that goes for everything. Don’t try to force a friendship, relationship, career, schooling, children, marriage, ministry, business, church or anything else. Just trust God and plant in seed-time and watch how greatly you reap in harvest.

But even farmers will tell you, no matter how great the harvest, you still have to WAIT for it! And no matter how great the promise and plans are, you still have to WAIT for them. God has not forgotten, be patient and WAIT for what God promised so you don’t have to suffer from what you produced!

In a Nutshell: Don’t Wander, Just Wait!

Remember: Be Careful What You Ask For, Because You Just May Get It! Impatience Produced Ishmael; Promise Produced Isaac…Therefore, WAIT!  

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWordFeel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “Becoming a Vegetarian”

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“LOOK Until You SEE It!”

1 Kings 18:42-44, “…Meanwhile, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bowed deeply in prayer, his face between his knees. Then he said to his young servant, “On your feet now! LOOK toward the sea.” He went, LOOKED, and reported back, “I DON’T SEE A THING.” “KEEP LOOKING,” said Elijah, “seven times if necessary. And sure enough, the seventh time he said, “OH YES, A CLOUD! But very small, no bigger than someone’s hand, rising out of the sea.” “Quickly then, on your way. Tell Ahab, ‘Saddle up and get down from the mountain before the rain stops you.’” (MSG)

One of my friends that I admire the most, is my friend Pastor Gerard who must have a million and one great memories of ministering in South Africa. He’s there so much in fact I can’t wait for him to finally inform us all that he’s relocating! This last time he traveled there, he had the tremendous opportunity of reaching some lost young people and their parents, and even trained some youth leaders on how to reach young people as well. His schedule was extremely intense, but their Field Director and Pastor Gerard managed to sneak away for a couple of hours in a wild game park. And the Lord of all those African creatures was really good to them, because He allowed them to see zebras and rhinos and hippos and lions, and many more of God’s African best, and none of which desired to eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a midnight snack!

However, his most unforgettable moment began when their driver said, “Whoa, that’s fresh! Keep your eyes open for an elephant.” Her “that’s fresh“, referred to a broken branch she saw in the middle of the little road they were on. Now, the staff member he was with as well as himself were a little skeptical, but not for long. As they rounded a bend, There He Was – a big old elephant lumbering down the road ahead of them! They followed behind him for a while and then they watched with ringside seats as he stepped off into a pond, watered himself and sprayed himself. Pastor Gerard said it was absolutely amazing!

But what caught my attention, as well as watered my mustard seed faith so it could grow to new heights, was the part about when his driver saw just a LITTLE SIGN (of a broken branch), and knew that something really BIG was coming up next!

Now, God may very well be doing something BIG on the trail just ahead of you too! Oh, you can’t see it yet, but it’s important to be able to see even the LITTLE signs of “God’s something BIG” on the way! After all, that’s part of what our  faith is all about!

Hebrews 11:1 says, “What is faith? It is the CONFIDENT ASSURANCE that something we want IS GOING TO HAPPEN. It is the CERTAINTY that what we hope for IS WAITING FOR US, EVEN THOUGH WE CANNOT SEE IT UP AHEAD.” (TLB). The Amplified Bible says it like this: “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)

And that’s exactly how you need to start living today, by faith! A faith that has confident assurance that what we want is going to happen! Living with a certainty faith knowing that the promises of God are waiting for us! Living by faith in such a way that we know the promises of God to us are Assured; our faith is the Title Deed; it’s the Confirmation that our promises are Divinely Guaranteed! And All We Have to Do is Have a Faith That Has a Conviction so Strong That it Acts as if What We’re Waiting for Has Already Become a Reality! Nothing about that includes unbelief; doubting; wavering; impatience; worry; fear; anxiety; nervousness; or panic! Therefore, keep your eyes of faith focused on what God said until you see it manifest itself in your life!

Jeremiah 33:3, “‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [AND EVEN SHOW YOU] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’” (AMP) Don’t allow a LITTLE fear and impatience to cause you to lose focus, because any minute now, God is about to SHOW you something BIG!

Pastor Gerard’s driver saw a LITTLE broken branch as EVIDENCE that a BIG  elephant was about to appear. Imagine if we walked by faith like that, what would we believe God for, ask God for, and expect with confidence that God is able to do?! 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) Just a LITTLE sign showing that something BIG was about to make a grand appearance, and all they had to do was KEEP LOOKING for it!

Which brings us to Elijah. Elijah had prayed that God would show His power in Israel by sending a three-year drought. In 1 Kings 18, beginning in verse 42, we see why the Bible presents him as a man whose prayer was “powerful and effective“: (James 5:16-18, in the Message Bible reads, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t – not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.” MSG ). Now, we’ve already chatted a bit about why our FAITH is so important, but now let’s also be reminded that so is our PRAYER LIFE! Your Prayer Life is a Lifestyle, not a Life Line only used for when you’re in trouble, and need God to get you out of what you got yourself into! Elijah prayed hard! When’s the last time your prayers could be described like that? He prayed so hard and consistent for the rain to stop that it did; then he prayed the same for it to start back then it did. When’s the last time your prayer life yielded results like that?! Believing God by faith is wonderful, but you’ve got to continue your communication through prayer with God even before your something BIG comes to pass! You have to make sure that God hears from you consistently! We already know that there’s nothing too hard for our God, so clearly the problem isn’t with God, but the problem just may be that we don’t pray hard enough! Selah…

So, now Elijah’s praying for the drought to end. The Bible says, “Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and LOOK toward the sea,’ he told his servant. And he went up and LOOKED. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’ The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.’ So Elijah said, ‘Go and tell Ahab (the king), ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” (vss. 42-44) It hadn’t rained for three years, but Elijah saw that little cloud as EVIDENCE that, “It’s Coming!” Do you have enough faith in God to see a LITTLE sign and know that something BIG is coming?! Elijah didn’t need to see the rain, he saw the sign, the evidence found in a LITTLE cloud no bigger than a man’s fist, and yet he spoke by faith, “…Hitch up your chariot and go down BEFORE THE RAIN STOPS YOU.” Not only did he know it would rain, but he knew the down pour of rain would be BIG enough to stop a chariot! Do you have faith in God like that?

The Message Bible reads, “… Meanwhile, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bowed deeply in prayer, his face between his knees. Then he said to his young servant, “On your feet now! LOOK toward the sea.” He went, LOOKED, and reported back, “I DON’T SEE A THING.” “KEEP LOOKING,” said Elijah, “seven times if necessary.”And sure enough, the seventh time he said, “Oh yes, a cloud! But VERY SMALL, no bigger than someone’s hand, rising out of the sea.” “Quickly then, on your way. Tell Ahab, ‘Saddle up and get down from the mountain before the rain stops you.’”Things happened fast! The sky grew black with wind-driven clouds, and then a huge cloudburst of rain, with Ahab hightailing it in his chariot for Jezreel. And God strengthened Elijah mightily. Pulling up his robe and tying it around his waist, Elijah ran in front of Ahab’s chariot until they reached Jezreel.” (MSG) It may have been a three year wait, but once God answers prayer, “…THINGS CAN HAPPEN FAST…”! I need you to believe that wholeheartedly!

Elijah kind of reminds me of Pastor Gerard’s guide and driver there in that African game park. His eyes are wide open, LOOKING for and expecting some early sign of the major work God was about to do. Pastor Gerard saw a LITTLE BRANCH, but the one with the trained eye said, “GET READY FOR AN ELEPHANT!”

Elijah’s servant saw a LITTLE CLOUD, but Elijah, with his trained eye for God at work, said, “GET READY FOR A DELUGE!” The word ‘deluge’ is defined as: ‘A SEVERE FLOOD OR VERY HEAVY FALL OF RAIN; A GREAT QUANTITY OF SOMETHING ARRIVING AT THE SAME TIME; TO OVERWHELM.’ Its Old French Origin, from Latin ‘diluvium’, from ‘diluere’ literally means ‘TO WASH AWAY!’ In other words, when the flood comes it will wipe out of its path everything that was there before it came. Anything DRY will be replaced with a DOWNFALL! And likewise, it will happen just like that for you! When your ‘deluge’ of expected and well anticipated blessings comes, it will remove the discouragement, the fear, the lack, want and need, it will wipe away the tears and replace them with a smile! All of your sadness will have to flee as you’ll have to make way for your unspeakable joy to arrive! After all, as long as you’ve prayed for this; as long as you’ve waited and expected this; as long as you’ve walked by faith waiting for this to manifest itself; shouldn’t it arrive in a BIG way?! Blessings That Will Literally Chase You Down; Run You Over; and Overwhelm Your Entire Life Are On The Way And All You Have to Do is Keep Your Faith and Prayers Intact! Note: GET READY IT’S ABOUT TO RAIN! The Next BIG Blessing Coming Into Your Life is Going to Be a Deluge! It’s Going to be VERY HEAVY, OF GREAT QUANTITY, ARRIVING AT THE SAME TIME TO OVERWHELM YOU! I Reiterate, Get Ready!

“God is Getting You Ready for What He’s Already Got Ready for You!” (Bishop James R. Chambers)

You have to have faith! You have to SEE beyond what you SEE! You have to look for the LITTLE sign, before you see the BIG showing! Which means you’ll have to look past the bank accounts, bills, tuition, mortgage, loans, car insurance, debt, health crisis, marriage and parental crisis, struggling church, loneliness, hurt, despair, rejection, abandonment…you can’t focus on that stuff because if you do, you’ll miss seeing your LITTLE sign of something BIG! So you’ll also have to get out of your own feelings. Don’t allow your emotions to cause you to have a distorted view of the great things God is about to make happen just for you! Shift your focus from anger, depression, rage, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, and the need to seek revenge. All of those things act as a cataract and glaucoma, blocking and blinding you from seeing the LITTLE signs of something BIG!

So often, we are so focused on the BIG “elephant” we’re praying for, that we miss the LITTLE branch in the road signaling us that it’s about to appear! We want that BIG thing from God – sometimes so much, that we miss the LITTLE things He is doing on the way to the BIG thing. Great faith includes the ability to look for and recognize the trail of God in your life; to be able to track the signs of what God is doing.

Isaiah 43:16-21, “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! DON’T YOU SEE IT?” (MSG) Saints, If You Don’t See It Yet, KEEPING LOOKING UNTIL YOU SEE IT!

Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (MSG)

That’s your encouragement for today, Walk By Faith, Wait and Watch! It will happen, right on time! The problem for us though occurs when we’ve been walking by faith so long the soles of our faith feet are worn; we’ve waited so long, we’re trying to hold on to that last grain of sand in the hourglass; and we’ve watched so long, that our eyes need a 3 month supply of Visine, they’re so tired! And still I say, Walk, Wait and Watch!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “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.” (MSG)

You Are Not Giving Up! Keep Your Vision in View in the Spirit, No Matter What You See in the Natural That’s Attempting to Block You! What’s coming is so much BIGGER and BETTER than what’s been!

Which is why I encourage you to open your eyes today for the wonderful things God is already doing around you – the little cloud that will enlarge your faith to expect the big rain, the little buds that will fuel your faith to expect the glory of spring after the winter has ended…even if the weather remains cold. You see, no matter what the weather forecast predicts, it can’t change the fact that a season has changed! Look at it like this: one year, we had snow in March and snow in April, and still that couldn’t change the fact that the season had changed! Winter’s attempts to hold on can only hold on but so long, like it or not, the season has changed! You see, March 20^th, was officially Spring. But if you had looked at the weather reports, there was still more snow to come in that Spring. But did that stop Spring from appearing on the calendar as the New Season? Absolutely Not! And there’s nothing going on in your life that can hinder the change of season in your life either! God can move in your life even with the eviction or foreclosure notice and layoff looming overhead! He can never be hindered by the elements He created and controls.

“So, even when it looks like nothing is happening, remember, God is Still at Work!” (Bishop James R. Chambers).

He’s orchestrating things in your favor, so you have nothing to fear! Your Season of LITTLE Has Passed, You are Now in the Season of BIG!

A lot of times we are unnecessarily discouraged and disheartened because we don’t see the tracks of God that are all over our day. A good friend of mine likes to call them “God sightings“. It may not be very large or not very dramatic, but there’s God again, working in your life. Your marriage isn’t perfect, but you’re still married; your children have gone astray, but they were trained in the ways of God, and will find their way back; your job hasn’t granted you the promotion and increase yet, but you’re still employed; your car isn’t brand new, but it gets you from A-Z and back, and during a cold season like this, there are quite a bit of people jealous of your little hunk-a-junk; you may not be healed yet, but neither are you dead yet! These are “God sightings”, you just have to look for them, and you’ll see them! In fact, the more you look for them, the more you see of them!

Don’t be discouraged while you walk by faith, wait, and watch, God will not disappoint you!

In Psalm 5:3, David says, “In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” The test of whether you have really trusted God in your prayer is whether or not you are expectant after you say “amen”. Always keep your anticipation and expectation high!

Right now, right where you are, there are little signs of God at work; the “little branch” that says the “BIG ELEPHANT” is ahead. Before God shows you the big things up ahead, He wants you to see Him in the little things that are right in front of you! You didn’t come this far, to only come this far. So even when you don’t see the blessing…YET…KEEP LOOKING! Don’t lose your focus or your faith! God is about to do something BIG on your behalf, you just have to wait a LITTLE while longer for it!

In the Meantime…KEEP LOOKING UNTIL YOU SEE IT!

Romans 4:17, “As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, WHO GIVES LIFE TO THE DEAD AND SPEAKS OF THE NONEXISTENT THINGS THAT [HE HAS FORETOLD AND PROMISED] AS IF THEY [ALREADY] EXISTED.” (AMPC)

Hebrews 10:38, “But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith…” (AMP)

Romans 1:17, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed in a way that awakens more faith]. As it is written and forever remains written, “The just and upright shall live by faith.” (AMP)

Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.” (AMP)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWordFeel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “Anxiety About Money and How to Find Relief”

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“When You’re in a Hurry…But God’s Not”

Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He has set the right time for everything. He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what He does.” (GNT)

My friend Katrina was in a big hurry to get home one freezing wintry night, but her aunt wasn’t. Her aunt had taken her shopping, and her aunt was taking her sweet time in leaving. One more thing to buy; one more store to go to; oh, yeah, one more stop to make. Oh, we need to fill up with gas. Needless to say, by the time Katrina finally got home, man, she was frustrated. It was the holiday season and everyone on planet earth was showing up in all the exact same stores she went to. Not to mention matters were made worse by trying to drive through the mountains of snow and slippery, ice-covered streets. Only to get home and have to take out all the shopping bags from the backseat and trunk. And certainly it was no fun trying to carry all of those bags, with her aunt holding on to her so she wouldn’t fall, while Katrina was praying her own version of ‘Lord, keep me on my feet!’ However, they finally make it to the door of the house, and Katrina sort of sputtered as she walked in the front door (tired, frustrated, freezing, and out of breath), only to be greeted by 25 of her best friends jumping out of the darkness shouting, “Surprise!”

Yeah, you guessed it; it was her birthday and believe me, it was a surprise! We planned it for months! And after she had some oxygen and some smelling salts and regained a steady heartbeat and consciousness…lol…she began to realize the reason for all those carefully, pre-planned, purposely orchestrated delays! Time was needed to get her surprise ready! And maybe, just maybe, that’s why you’re waiting right now too!

A portion out of Ecclesiastes 3:11 that I’ve gone back to as an anchor so many times to interpret what God was doing or seemed like He wasn’t doing in my life says this: “He has made everything beautiful in its time…”

Problem is, we get real Ugly while waiting for God to make everything Beautiful in its time!

Shall we be honest? Our tempers flare, we get discouraged and depressed, and certainly our faith begins to waver, while our doubts remain steadfast, then of course unbelief snuggles up next to us every night closer than our pillows and covers. Our attitudes go through a period of needing some serious adjusting and resetting. Our speech and thoughts become negative and pessimistic. Jealousy and envy and coveting rear their ugly heads, because now we believe God has favorites and we’ve clearly not made the cut to be on His team. Resentment, bitterness and anger all become a part of our daily garments as much as our pants, shirts and shoes are. And dare we even began to talk about our ‘Sarah Complex’ of attempting to help God out with a back-up plan since He obviously has no idea that His plan A has some glitches in it that need to be worked out!

In a nutshell, it simply becomes a very Ugly time while waiting for something Beautiful to happen!

You see, it all kind of goes with that fullness of time principle the Bible talks about when it refers to the coming of Christ in these words: “But when the right time finally came, God sent His own Son…” (Galatians 4:4 GNT) Saints, God even waited for the right time to send His own Son to save us! You know, I’m starting to think that God has a thing about this whole ‘Timing’ bit!

And do you know why I say that? Well, just take a look at how other translations state this Scripture:

“BUT WHEN [IN GOD’S PLAN] THE PROPER TIME HAD FULLY COME, GOD SENT HIS SON…” (AMP);

“BUT WHEN THE TIME WAS RIGHT, GOD SENT HIS SON…” (CEV);

“BUT WHEN THE TIME ARRIVED THAT WAS SET BY GOD THE FATHER, GOD SENT HIS SON…” (MSG);

“BUT WHEN THE SET TIME HAD FULLY COME, GOD SENT HIS SON…” (NIV);

“BUT AT THE RIGHT TIME, GOD SENT HIS SON…” (NLV)

Even with something as important, urgent and vital as our salvation, God still waited for the right, set time to fully arrive in His plan before He sent His Son. And if He’ll wait for the right timing for that, He’ll wait for the right timing concerning all things concerning us! Like it or not my friend, but you may be in hurry, BUT GOD’S NOT! He is waiting for the Fullness of time! And the word “fullness” is defined as “after a due length of time has elapsed; completely filled; containing all that can be held; filled to the utmost; filled to capacity; perfectness; wholeness; and entire.” In other words, God is waiting for the absolute perfect timing to bring things to pass in your life, and when it does come, it will be more than you could have asked, dreamed or imagined (Ephesians 3:20, “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).

Just think about, when the time fully came for Him to send His Son, did we lack anything in receiving Him? Absolutely not! In fact, yes, He came to save us, but we received so much more than just salvation, we’ve been saved, healed, delivered, redeemed, justified, consecrated, gifted, anointed, protected, provided for, and still have so many more promises of God that haven’t been delivered to us yet! Listen, when you wait for God to do it in His timing and in His way, according to His plan, you will receive perfected promises! You simply cannot go wrong with that!

But again, the problem for us is that little phrase concerning the waiting periods of our life: “In the fullness of time, God…” Which means you my friend will have to wait! But will your waiting be in vain? Absolutely not!

Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (MSG)

What you’re waiting on is also waiting on you! You’re excited about it, and it’s excited about you! “…It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait!…” The promise and vision are just as on high alert as you are in expectation of their arrival…BUT you’ve got to wait, because it will only come “…right on time.”

Even when it seems slow, wait, don’t attempt to rush God! And in those moments when you feel the need to, remember King Saul:

1 Samuel 13:8-14, “He WAITED seven days, THE TIME SET BY SAMUEL. Samuel failed to show up at Gilgal, and the soldiers were slipping away, right and left. So Saul took charge: “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” He went ahead and sacrificed the burnt offering. NO SOONER HAD HE DONE IT THAN SAMUEL SHOWED UP! Saul greeted him. Samuel said, “What on earth are you doing?” Saul answered, “When I saw I was losing my army from under me, and that you hadn’t come when you said you would, and that the Philistines were poised at Micmash, I said, ‘The Philistines are about to come down on me in Gilgal, and I haven’t yet come before God asking for his help.’ SO I TOOK THINGS INTO MY OWN HANDS, and sacrificed the burnt offering.” “That was a fool thing to do,” Samuel said to Saul. “IF YOU HAD KEPT THE APPOINTMENT THAT YOUR GOD COMMANDED, by now God would have set a firm and lasting foundation under your kingly rule over Israel. As it is, your kingly rule is already falling to pieces. God is out looking for your replacement right now. This time he’ll do the choosing. When he finds him, he’ll appoint him leader of his people. AND ALL BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T KEEP YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH GOD!” (MSG)

People of God, you don’t want to lose everything because you couldn’t wait! Don’t attempt to take things into your own hands. If God set a date and a time, wait for it to come to pass no matter how slow the timing may be. Saul could’ve kept his kingdom generation after generation, and yet because of one fools move of moving outside of the set timing, he lost everything and was replaced! Listen, for the record, God knows what He’s doing and doesn’t need your assistance at all!

Jeremiah 29:10-11, “This is God’s Word on the subject…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.” (MSG) God knows what He’s doing, His plan is fool-proof, now just make sure you’re not acting the fool to mess it up!

You know, I heard about a pastor not too long ago whose secretary walked into his office, and she found him pacing back and forth, which was not what he usually did in his office. She said, “Hey, what’s the matter.” He said, “I’m in a hurry and God isn’t.” Did you ever feel that way? You say, “Well, that’s my life right now. I’m in a hurry and God isn’t.” And maybe you’re asking, “Where is that answer? What’s taking so long? God are You not listening to my prayers? Didn’t you hear me tell you about the urgency of the matter? The rent/mortgage/car note/ car insurance and tuition are all due on the same day! I need gas money, they’re about to turn off the water, gas and electricity if miracle funds aren’t deposited in my bank account by 5pm today! The doctor said if this last treatment doesn’t go well, that’s it, there’s nothing else he can do! God they’ve already laid off 5 people from my department and they’re not done yet…what are You going to do? God we need groceries, the kids need money for their school trip, Tommy needs braces and Tina needs glasses, and I need the money to pay for it all! God the child support is about to put my paycheck on life support! God if you don’t step in today we’ll be getting divorced tomorrow! God are You listening? God do You even care? God what are You waiting for? God when are You going to move?”

Ever been there? Are you there right now?

Well, God is following a careful process, invisible to you, but it will bring glory to Him and it will bring lasting joy to you. But right now He’s taking time to get you ready for the answer, recreating you into someone who has mountain-moving faith. Because if you don’t have to wait, you don’t have to develop faith. And all of us, no matter how powerful we think we are, need are faith to experience life events that cause it to develop.

James 1:2-4, “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.” (MSG)

Your faith muscles need exercise so they can be strengthened to develop and the weights that work best for this is tests and challenges that come at you from all sides! Strengthening your faith in the waiting time brings you peace like you’ve never known. It gives you the reassurance that God is at work, and you will be rewarded, in the fullness of time! So, don’t rush, don’t panic, and don’t try to get out of any situation that God is using for your ultimate good!

Remember: “…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.” (MSG)

Saints, if you let it happen God’s way you will not be deficient in any way! So WAIT! It Will Be Good!

Romans 8:26-28, “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 working into something good.” (MSG)

Even God knows we get tired in the waiting, and He’s even prepared a plan for that. The Holy Spirit comes alongside to help us along, interceding along the journey.

Listen, I know you’ve been waiting so long you’ve lost count on how many days, weeks and years you’ve actually been waiting. But I still say wait! Why? Because God is working on something good just for you, and all you have to do is trust Him and wait for it!

Psalm 27:14, “Wait for and confidently expect the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.” (AMP)

And that’s exactly what I’m admonishing you to do today, wait for God; be confident in God; be strong and don’t lose heart as you wait for God; expect God to do it!

Truth is, if God gave many of us what we asked for, when we asked for it, we’d be in some serious trouble. I mean, if God gave me the six-figure job, twenty years ago, when I was struggling to pay my $20 tithe from my temp job, would I really have been disciplined enough to handle so much More, when I was already struggling with so much Less? Now, I would love to say yes, but the truth is a resounding No! I wasn’t disciplined then; I didn’t trust Him as much then; I didn’t believe Him as much then; I wasn’t as focused then; my faith wasn’t developed then. It took me a long time, a lot of years and quite a bit of painful life events to get me to the point that I can trust and believe in God for absolutely anything no matter the waiting time. Now, does that mean I don’t experience some anxious days even now? Nope. I most certainly do. I may not be as bad as I was then, but I still have my moments when I’m waiting for the doctors reports to come back for my husband or children; or I’m working on a major job or ministry project and I’m wondering how it will all be done by the deadline. I still have my moments and my days, but when I do, I turn to one of my favorite Scriptures that empowers me in the wait:

Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]” (AMP)

So, I’m not telling you something I read, but something I know, I live and I believe. Pray about every circumstance and every situation, take it all to God, believing that He will handle it in His way, in His time, and for your good! It’s still worth it to wait on God!

Furthermore, the waiting time is your developing time. It’s the time you take to do some self-examination and I promise once you do, you’ll say like me, “I need to change don’t I?” The answer, yes we do! And God knows this, which is why He’s taking time to get the answer ready for you. There’s a person, or a position, or a location that right now God is making just right for you. He’s working even though it’s invisible to you. Now if you panic while He’s getting everything ready, oh you’re going to ruin the plan, or maybe you’re going to end up with a short-term fix, or worse yet, a long-term mess!

So, don’t get Ugly in the wait, trust your Father’s timing, He does make everything Beautiful in its time.

Trust God’s timing even if it seems late to you. Truth is, God always seems to work a little more slowly than I want Him to, but He’s always right on time. My friend Katrina learned that the delays were only to set up a wonderful surprise for her. And my friend, your delays are doing the same thing for you! So be patient with all the stops and waits right now, because you’ll love the surprise at the end of this wait.

Don’t forget: Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He has set the right time for everything. He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what He does.” (GNT)

We don’t need to know the timing of God, we just need to wait on it. We’ll never fully understand what God does, but knowing that He’s the one doing it, should bring us reassurance and comfort, and certainly more faith, patience, expectation and anticipation that something good is on the way.

He’s Set the Right Time for Everything Concerning You…Now Leave the Clock Alone and Stop Trying to Hurry the Hand of God!

Remember: When You’re in a Hurry…God’s Not! And Father Knows Best!

“But when the right time finally came, GOD…”

“God is not in a hurry. You are. It’s why you’re tired, anxious, stressed, worried and disappointed. Trust that what is meant to be yours in accordance with His Will, will be yours, at just the right time!” (Aniket Yadav)

“God is not in a hurry because all His works are done in love.” (Warren W. Wierske)

“The best things are never arrived at in haste. God is in no hurry. His plans are never rushed.” (Author Unknown)

“God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time.” (Author Unknown)

“Don’t try to rush things that need time to grow.” (Author Unknown)

“Patience! Patience! You are always in a hurry, but God is not.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” (Saint Francis de Sales)

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

Feel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “7 Things You Should Sanitize to Avoid Getting Sick”

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“Don’t Forget to Meet With God”

Psalm 42:2, “My soul thirsts for the living God. When can I go to meet with Him?”  (ERV).

I’m definitely one of those people who’s always trying to cram one more thing in before I leave for an appointment. And if I can’t, then I make the fools attempt to make it up while I’m on the road! And to be honest, that’s OK, when the weather’s on my side! But on those days when it’s as they say, ‘raining cats and dogs’, that doesn’t exactly work out in my favor! You see, I’ve actually attempted to travel in one of those types of rain storms, while I was already running late mind you, and still trying to squeeze in another project, on my way to a project! I ended up zipping down the highway at top speed, and suddenly I felt myself losing control of the rear wheels! Now, if you’d like a fancy word for that experience, it’s called “hydroplaning”! What happens is, water builds up under your tires so you’re skimming along on water rather than pavement! In case you are unaware, THIS IS NOT GOOD! The rear of your car starts to go somewhere you don’t want it to go and never intended for it to go! If that’s ever happened to you, you know it’s a scary feeling to start hydroplaning – because you’re going too fast, your losing control, and then you end up in a place you didn’t schedule on your agenda! For many foolish drivers like myself, you could end up where I ended up once, driving my first car, a Buick in 1993. Want to know where I ended up? In a ditch! That may be part of the reason I don’t drive today! LOL!

For my sake the Chinese Proverb proved to be true: “A fall into a ditch makes you wiser.”

With that memory in mind, I thought of King David. King David was ‘hydroplaning’ when he wrote Psalm 42:1-5. You see, things were moving really fast and he was losing control, especially of his emotions. David says, “A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep draughts of God. I’m thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, ‘Will I ever make it – arrive and drink in God’s presence?’ I’m on a diet of tears—tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, ‘Where is this God of yours?’ These are the things I go over and over, emptying out the pockets of my life. I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd, right out in front, Leading them all, eager to arrive and worship, Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving – celebrating, all of us, God’s feast! Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?…” (MSG).

David’s hurting, David’s crying – morning, noon and night, David is an emotional wreck, David has people looking at him and his situation and so they began pestering him: ‘where is this God of yours?’ Which is how some people may view you and what you’re struggling with: ‘Where is this God of his?’ ‘Where is this God of hers?’ They say things like, ‘I thought you said God was all-powerful; all-knowing; ever-present; almighty; awesome; powerful; your provider; your healer; your protector; your deliverer; your way-maker; your loving and altogether wonderful Heavenly Father. But, if He is in fact all those things, and He’s your God, where is He in your situation? Where is His help in your time of need?’ And David was clearly so friendless while battling this ordeal that he in fact started talking to his own soul: ‘why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues…?’ David’s slipping, David’s overwhelmed, David’s emotions are hydroplaning out of control! Are Yours Too? It’s okay to be honest. After all, only the truth sets you free. Masking, masquerading, pretending, faking it till you make it, are all nothing but chains of bondage. Don’t allow them to keep you bound any longer.

If the truth be told, I was there not too long ago. My challenges were a lot bigger than my resources. I felt like my faith was like a twin-sized fitted sheet on a king-sized mattress; it just couldn’t stretch far enough to cover! I was overwhelmed and anxious. I felt like I’d never catch up on anything. I was falling behind in school work, devotionals, proper scheduling of engagements, etc…Everything just seemed too much! It felt like having 2 body parts being stretched into 20 different directions! The stress of it all had me losing weight, gaining weight, breaking out in acne, losing hair and sleep, and if I kept at it, I could’ve lost my sanity!

But, I must say, I’ve been there before, and if truth be told, I can’t honestly say that I will absolutely never be there again. But that day I wandered into this psalm, Psalm 42, where I was hit with a probing question which turned out to be the answer for me. Now, if you’re feeling yourself hydroplaning right now, maybe it’s an answer for you, too. In Psalm 42:2, David asks an extremely important question, that I had to learn to ask likewise, he asked: “…When can I go and meet with God?” (NIV).

Like David, I needed to stop my spinning world and simply get away with God. So I got away with just my Bible and my notepad, and I met with God. That may be your Lord’s prescription for all that’s ailing you right now as well. Although many of you may respond, “No way! There’s just too much for me to do to just stop everything!” Well, that’s exactly why you need to! Whether you know it or not, you’re losing control. You have to slow down to listen to your Lord for an extended, uninterrupted, unhurried period of time if you’re ever going to get back on track! Trust me, I’m the Queen of, ‘I don’t have time!’ But that’s why you have to be proactive. Purposely Schedule Time With God! That word ‘schedule’ is defined as, ‘a set plan for carrying out a process or procedure; arranging a timetable.’ And what’s the first thing you need to do in order to start scheduling anything? You have to figure out what your priorities are! A ‘priority’ is defined as, ‘something that is regarded as more important than others; something that is superiority in rank, position, or privilege; preferential; something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives; something that is deemed urgent; supreme and most valued.’ And shouldn’t that be descriptive of our God as our priority before any other person, place or thing? Isn’t He more important than the hair and nail appointment you scheduled? More preferred than your brunch date? Higher in rank and position than going to the laundry, movies, supermarket, or even a church or ministry event? Shouldn’t God be the first person we give preference and privilege to? After all He’s done for us, and means to us, doesn’t that merit giving Him our attention instead of all the other competing alternatives in life? And certainly in these end times, wouldn’t you say that meeting with God consistently is urgent?!

You see, my former pastor used to say, ‘people do what they want to do.’ And it’s true. A lot of the things we say are out of our control, and out of our hands, are not. We’ve simply chosen them as higher on the priority chain than God. How insulting is that to one who laid down His life that we might live?!

Truth is, I understand. Life can become overwhelmingly busy. But nothing in life should become so busy that we have no time to spend with God. And that means outside of Sunday morning services; Wednesday night prayer and bible study; Sunday school or other ‘church/ministry’ activities. But this spills over into purposely getting up at 5am just to sit in quiet time with God. Not to repent; not to ask for stuff; not to seek His favor; but to sit and listen to the heart of God. I’m persuaded we can no longer hear God because we talk too much! We can sit in prayer for a whole hour, and we’re the only ones talking. Then we say ‘amen’, and off to the races. But God has things He wants to say too. How much of God’s directions, wisdom and guidance are you missing out on simply because you can’t be quiet and listen? But no, we can’t sit and wait for God to speak, because we have to beat the clock coming and going every day!

But here’s a quote that has come to be one of my favorites: “Nature does not hurry, yet Everything is accomplished.” (Lao Tzu). If you think about it, Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, all come year after year, and neither ever rushes to get here, yet they come faithfully and consistently! “For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop.” (Genesis 8:22 MSG).

In other words, all the things that God has set or better yet “pre-ordained” in life and for your life, Will Occur, in their Proper Season! Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (MSG); Ecclesiastes 3:1, “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: (MSG) That word ‘opportune’ is defined as, ‘done or occurring at an especially appropriate time.’ Its’ Latin Origin ‘opportunus’, comes from the combination of: ‘ob’ (meaning ‘in the direction of’) and ‘portus’ (meaning ‘harbor’). Which is descriptive of the wind driving towards the harbor, hence the idea ‘seasonable.’ It’s when something happens at the right time and season, so it’s effortless, even a simple blow of the wind can send it off in the right direction. It’s timely and well-timed. It’s appropriate; fitting, proper, suitable, fortunate and seasonable. And ‘seasonable’ is defined as, ‘something appropriate for a particular season.’ That’s why you have to stop running around trying to make everything happen for yourself overnight! What God deems necessary to happen in your life will happen when it’s the right season for it to happen! You don’t have to be so busy trying force what is going to fail because you’re attempting to make it come to pass, out of season! What God has ordained for your life, will have to happen by His hands, not yours. And when you leave it in His hands, you can be assured that it’s already Handled With Care! You Just Have to Wait For Your ‘Due-Season’, which means, ‘a good and appropriate time.’ Saints, God has something Good in store for you, you just need to wait for the right, appropriate, good time for it to come to pass! Remember, God knows seasons, which is why you don’t have 90 degree weather in winter; nor do you have snow in summer! God has ordained the seasons in the earth and in your life! Trust Him, and Trust His Timing.

Therefore, you need not hurry, rush, or attempt to bring forth fruit in the wrong season! If it is to happen, it will! Don’t make the mistake that many, especially those in ministry, are making…and that’s driving so fast up the mountain to reach the top, that they’ve missed the breathtaking scenery along the journey! In their hurry to reach the top of the mountain, to mount a flag of victory, to make a name for themselves, they missed all the “little miracles” along the way! They missed the clouds and the silver lining, they missed the calming powder-blue sky, they missed earth’s most beautiful sunrises and sunsets, they missed the flowers that determined to push their way through the dirt and sprout forth anyhow, they missed all of the creatures, the creation and the Creator rushing to “create” something themselves!

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” (Saint Francis de Sales).

People of God, slow down! Reprioritize your schedule and pend down more time with God. You need His guidance and direction. You need His instruction and wisdom. You need to hear His voice. And you cannot get any of that rushing into prayer and rushing out. You can’t get that while having a to-do-list longer than your time spent with God.

I came to a startling revelation in my quiet time with God recently. He reminded me of all the doctor and specialist appointments, all the ‘abnormal’ reports, the pseudo tumor, all the migraines, the heart murmur, the ectopic pregnancy, the breast surgery, and other surgeries etc…and then He reminded me that TODAY not a one of those things is a problem for me. Why? Because He healed and delivered me and granted me wholeness! And for what purpose? That I run around the earth, under the disguise of “ministry” or “kingdom” work? No, so that I would be mindful of His promise to me: “…I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (John 10:10 AMP).

Now, does that mean ministry/kingdom work is unimportant? Not at all! But the Scripture gives us the best advice: “Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!” (Matthew 5:6 AMP).

And to add gravy to your mashed potatoes: “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think He’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do His best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way He works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” (Matthew 6:30-33 MSG).

SAINTS, STOP HYDROPLANING, GET IN HIS PRESENCE AND HUSH!

Stop running around, in my father’s words, like a chicken with his head cut off! Life goes by fast enough, don’t rush and hurry through it, and don’t busy yourself so much that you have no idea where 10 years went! God will provide for you naturally and spiritually, so stop hydroplaning in all the wrong directions, stop wasting your time and your life!  Both of which you cannot get back once they are gone!

Take the time this week to write down what you’re feeling and thinking as you make it your most important business to meet with God and listen to Him. Ask Him for a fresh look at the people in your life, at the pressures, and at your priorities. Ask Him to help you see the forest as a whole again; because if the truth be told, you’ve been overwhelmed by focusing on all the individual trees!

In His presence, set some priorities. Make some plans and weed some things out. You can trust what you’re sensing in an extended time with God. Which needs to be on a more regular basis. Matthew 11:28-30, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (MSG) If you want to learn how to live freely and lightly without being tired, worn out, burned out and weighted down with a life that is heavy and ill-fitting, then do what Jesus invited you to do: “COME TO ME; GET AWAY WITH ME; WALK WITH ME; WORK WITH ME; WATCH ME; KEEP COMPANY WITH ME!” That a lot of ‘ME’! Which tells us just how important Jesus feels about our relationship with Him. He desires to spend time with us and He makes it a priority because He wakes us up every morning without fail; keeps us safe throughout the day; and blesses us with sweet sleep every night. How can we NOT desire to spend time with Him…On Purpose?!

And I’m not talking about spending time with God when the doctor gives you a bad report; or you’ve lost a loved one; or the job laid you off; or the kids are acting up; or the marriage is about over; or the bank accounts have a whole lot of zero’s but with no other number in the front! No, that’s the times when we always go running to God. Then, He’s a Priority, Because for Us Our Problem is a Priority. But that’s not how you build a solid relationship. Spending time with God has to be purposeful and consistent. Spend time with God when everything in your world for a change seems to be going ‘right and good.’ Since those are the times when God is greatly ignored. God has already promised to meet our every need, but that doesn’t mean we treat Him like that’s all we need Him for. He desires a relationship, and a relationship requires time. Make sure you’re not short changing God on your end!

If you’re traveling at a high speed right now and you feel yourself losing control, first of all, SLOW DOWN! You need to carve out time away where your Lord can show you what He wants, what He sees when He looks at the people in your life, when He looks at the situations in your life, and when He looks at the needs in your life. Remember, you have to be still to know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”). Here’s some instructions for you everyday from the varying translations of that Scripture: “Be still…” (AMP); “Let be and be still…”; (AMPC); “Our God says, ‘Calm Down’…” (CEV); “Let go of your concerns…” (GWT); “Stop your fighting…” (CSB); “Stand silent!…” (TLB); “Cease striving…” (NASB); “Be quiet…” (NLV). And lastly the Message Bible says, “…“Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at Me, your High God, above politics, above everything.” (MSG) That’s what you need to do today: Be still, calm down, let go, stop fighting, be silent, cease striving, be quiet and step out of the traffic, take a long, look at God, your High God, and know that He alone is Above Everything! Even Your Schedule!

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” (Gandhi).

Stop allowing your entire life to be arranged around trying to get something done, outside of God’s Will, God’s Plan, God’s Purpose, and God’s Timing. It’s all futile, and you’re missing out on life and more importantly, you’re missing out on a relationship with God! Therefore, today, I challenge you to slow down long enough to ask a simple question: “…When can I go and meet with God?” Then, if you’re smart, you’ll also take time to answer it by saying, ‘Right Now’!

Psalm 42:2, “My soul thirsts for the living God. When can I go to meet with Him?”  (ERV). The word ‘thirst’ is defined as, ‘a sensation of dryness; parched; deficient of moisture; eager; hunger; restless; breathless; longing; pining; dehydrated.’ And ‘dehydrated’ is defined as, ‘burned out; drained; exhausted; fatigued; sapped; weakened; worn out; discouraged; disheartened; dispirited.’ That’s how David described his soul. Maybe that’s how you can describe yours too. And if that is the case, all you need to do to quench your soul’s thirst is meet with the Living Water. When your well is empty, you need to know where to go: John 4:14, “But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. But the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water [satisfying his thirst for God] welling up [continually flowing, bubbling within him] to eternal life.” (AMP)

David experienced a crazy emotional roller coaster ride throughout Psalm 42:1-5. But the last part of Psalm 42:5 says this, “…Fix my eyes on God – soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.” (MSG) This is how you bounce back like David did. You meet with God and fix your eyes on Him alone. You purposely remove all the distractions and see and hear only Him. You Get In His Presence and You Stay Present. And if you do, the conclusion of your meeting with God will be, “…I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.” Check your calendar, this is One meeting you can’t afford to miss, rain-check, reschedule, or cancel!

Saints, Schedule Time With God, Your Soul (And Your Life) Needs a Drink of His Living Water!

“If you find yourself a bit irritated or overwhelmed, it’s a sign that you’re spending less time with God and more time with the world.” (Author Unknown)

“Spending time with God is the key to our strength and success in all areas of life. Be sure that you never try to work God into your schedule, but always work your schedule around Him.” (Joyce Meyer)

“Look at your ministry as a marathon not a sprint – build deep foundations of intimacy with God and never let your public schedule get fuller than your time alone with God.” (Vicky Beeching)

“We schedule meetings to keep our business going in the right direction – we need to schedule meetings with God to help keep our lives going in the right direction.” (DeVon Franklin)

“Christian, your time is not your own. You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your schedule.” (David Mathis)

“The biggest battle you will face in life is your daily appointment with God; keep it, or every other battle will become bigger.” (Ravi Zacharias)

“It is not easy to shut out the world, set aside a few minutes by yourself, and spend time in God’s Word and prayer. But it is essential if we are to grow in our relationship with God and be strengthened for the battles ahead. Don’t delay. Begin now to spend time alone with God every day.” (Billy Graham)

“It is impossible for a believer, no matter what his experience, to keep right with God if he will not take the trouble to spend time with God. Spend plenty of time with Him; let other things go, but don’t neglect Him.” (J. Oswald Sanders)

“To hear the whisper of God you must turn down the volume of the world. Find time to disconnect from everything around you and be still in His presence today. He is waiting for you to draw near.” (Author Unknown)

“We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.” (Charles Stanley)

“We simplify, not just to be less busy…rather, we simplify to remove distractions from our pursuit of Christ.” (Donald S. Whitney)

“Perhaps we should stop talking about being faithful to have a quiet time with God each day, as if we were doing something to earn a reward. It would be better to talk about the privilege of spending time with the God of the Universe and the importance for our own sake of being consistent in that practice.” (Jerry Bridges)

“When you spend time with God and open your heart, your mind and your spirit, He will unfold dreams and images before you. He wants you to see what will happen on the inside before you see it happen on the outside.” (Terri Savelle Foy)

“The time you spend alone with God will transform your character and increase your devotion. Then your integrity and godly behavior in an unbelieving world will make others long to know the Lord.” (Charles Stanley)

“More is accomplished by spending time in God’s presence than by doing anything else.” (Heidi Baker)

“Spending time with God isn’t a magic formula for a perfect life; it’s a rock-solid foundation that will hold you up when everything around you is shifting sand.” (Author Unknown)

“Reduce your stress level by taking time to unplug from the world, open your Bible, and listen to what God has to tell you.” (Author Unknown)

“God wants more than five minutes of your day. He wants to be part of your every moment. Your highs and lows, and everything in between.” (Author Unknown)

“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.” (Author Unknown)

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” (Stephen Covey)

“Every one of your Disappointments is Your Appointment with God.” (Author Unknown)

“Time spent with God is never wasted.” (Author Unknown)

“Spending time with God, puts everything else in perspective.” (Author Unknown)

“God is never too busy to listen. Never be too busy to talk to Him.” (Author Unknown)

“Prayer is the time you spend alone with God.” (Art Hochberg)

“Nothing will help us grow spiritually more than spending time alone with God every day, reading His Word and praying. Time alone with God is essential to our spiritual welfare.” (Billy Graham)

“When we choose to consistently spend time with God, we will bit by bit begin to find Him present in every area of our lives.” (Sally Clarkson)

“The reason we spend time with God is not so that we will feel invigorated and ready to face the day and get through our agenda; the reason we spend time with God is so that He can set the agenda.” (Author Unknown)

“You don’t need a diploma to preach about Jesus, you just need to spend time with Him.” (Author Unknown)

“There is also a third blessing that comes from spending time alone with God. When we spend time alone with Him, this releases all God’s potential, His power, grace and anointing, all of which are so essential for doing work for the Kingdom of God.” (Sunday Adelaja)

“Stop spending quality time with unqualified people.” (P.L. Wilson)

“You may think you do not have time to feed yourself spiritually, but I assure you that you cannot afford not to.” (Crystal Paine)

“Spend your time in nothing which you know must be repented of; in nothing on which you might not pray for the blessing of God; in nothing which you could not review with a quiet conscience on your dying bed; in nothing which you might not safely and properly be found doing if death should surprise you in the act.” (Richard Baxter)

“Folk spend so much time trying to be connected to people because of who they are; what that relationship represents to them or what they think that person can do for them. Just give me people who I know in my heart know God personally. That’s the greatest human connection I can have. That’s real networking.” (Jason M. Lee)

“If God has called you, do not spend time looking over your shoulder to see who is following you.” (Corrie Ten Boom)

“As you read or listen to God’s Word and spend time talking to Him in prayer, your spirit will eventually become stronger than your flesh.” (Joyce Meyer)

“Do you spend more time focusing on the circumstances of your life instead of on the Almighty God who has chosen every path for you?” (Marci Ferrell)

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: “Men…What Are You Saying to Yourself?”

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“Watch What You Ask For, You Just May Get It!”

Genesis 16:1-2, “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.” (MSG)

I am by far no expert in regards to airplanes, flying or pilots! But as comical as it may sound, I did have the opportunity to speak for a pilot safety program. Now, truth be told, you really wouldn’t want to fly in a plane that I taught anyone about! Why? Because I don’t know the first thing about it! However, I was invited because of a devotional I wrote called “Soaring Through Stress“, where I used the analogy of pilots dealing with turbulence, and the stress that comes as a result from it. And in case you didn’t know, stress is a real issue for pilots, so they kind of sneaked me in for one of the programs, under the radar.

Two of the safety directors took me to lunch one day to brief me on what to expect. In the process, one of them told me that over 80% of the crashes that involve private pilots are because of Pilot Error. Then he told me about a disease that has killed many pilots (and many passengers as well). He called it “get-there-itis.” Meaning: “I’ve just got to get there!” Kind of a “By Any Means Necessary“, motto! But this becomes a problem because they don’t adequately evaluate the weather, or the plane, or their own personal condition. Instead they make a short-sighted choice that often leads to disastrous consequences for All! However, you don’t have to be a pilot to be in danger of catching the “get-there-itis” disease.

Now, there’s a biblical case of “get-there-itis” in Genesis 15:4. God made this awesome promise to Abram, “Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man [Eliezer] will not be your heir but he who shall come from your own body shall be your heir.” (AMP) Well, needless to say, a lot of years passed; Abram had a lot of birthdays, and so did Sarai. But…the promised baby had none, because it didn’t come. And what happens to many of us when God makes us a promise, but too much time has elapsed (at least in our own opinion), and it’s still not fulfilled? You guessed it, there’s panic and planning! And it was no different for Sarai.

So, on to our text in chapter 16. “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.” (MSG)

And as they say, “The rest is history.”

Here was a decision that did bring about a son, but it was the wrong son. A problem, instead of the promise. Ishmael by name. What happened to the promised child, you ask? Well, thirteen years later Isaac would come; you know, the one that God had promised, not the one Sarai was determined to produce of her own accord! And boy did she get what she asked for! But this decision to try to make it happen brought terrible conflict in Abraham’s family and, honestly, even to our world all these thousands of years later as the descendants of Ishmael, the Arabs, and the descendants of Isaac, the Jews, continue to fight it out!

Now, look, Abram and Sarai had a worthy goal, the one God had promised, a family, but God was taking longer than Sarai expected. So Sarai sinned the sin of “get-there-itis.” She made a disastrous choice because she had to get there, by any means necessary. She just had to get what she was asking for! Well, before you judge her too harshly, maybe you could look back on some of the choices that you’ve made in your past and see that you’re not so different from Sarai. I know for a fact, I’m certainly no different.

Let’s be honest, there were some moments you couldn’t wait, so you just took off, and you caused a crash. Or maybe you’re about to sin a sin of “get-there-itis” today! And maybe it’s even a good goal. Maybe it’s something you want to accomplish for yourself, your family, business, ministry or church. Maybe you want to get married, or something to help your child, or to help other people. BUT, God hasn’t made it come to pass. So, you’re starting to push, to plan, to scheme, to arrange, to manipulate to make it happen.

And truthfully, I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve sat across from someone in counseling who has that very same testimony…’If only I just waited on God.’ How many marriages wouldn’t have fallen apart; ministries and churches split; homes foreclosed; businesses shut down; finances dry up, and all because we just had to make it happen, by any means necessary, instead of waiting for God to make it happen, in His time, in His will, in His way.

However, unfortunate for us, we preferred to travel down the harder road of trying to “help” God out. We start formulating plan ‘b-z’ since God’s plan ‘a’ is taking entirely too long! We start scheming and scamming only to get what we wanted, but not at all what we needed!

I like Warren Wiersbe’s definition of faith. He said, “Faith is the absence of scheming.” In other words Sarai, stop trying to pull a Hagar; which is nothing more than a tragic hurry-up of God’s plans.

And the sad part of it all is that God had already promised them a son, the plan was already in the works. They only needed to trust God, walk by faith and wait. And people of God, we’re no different. There are some things that God has promised us, but we’re getting antsy now. It’s been 5 years since the promise of a child; 10 years since the promise of a spouse; 15 years since the promise of a ministry, and now we feel the need to “help” Heaven and the Hand of God (as if that were ever needed or possible!)

And one of the things I don’t think we take into account when attempting to “help” God out, is all the pain that comes from the process of trying to produce something before its time. Abram and Sarai’s marriage relationship is strained; Sarai and Hagar’s relationship is strained; Sarai gets lost in her emotions and acts out on the person she drafted into her plans in the first place; Hagar is not even consulted, she’s simply commanded to sleep with old man Abram and produce a child she wouldn’t be able to claim as her own; Abram is battling with 2 women and a kid on the way; and then when the kid gets here, Sarai is mad, Hagar is sent away…it’s just a mess! And all because Ms. Sarai couldn’t wait on God, His will or way, she just had to get what she asked for!

Anything you do outside of the timing of God you will pay a pretty steep penny for! And not only that, but so will all those you draft into your madness! Think about it, when’s the last time you heard of a pilot crashing a plane full of people and he was the ONLY ONE to die?! People attached to you suffer from your choices and consequences!

Many of us are accustomed to having a back-up plan. We’re depended upon to figure stuff out, to make it work, to fill in the gap, to strategize how to rob Peter to pay Paul. But all of that, is all of us, and none of God. You see, it’s not like Sarai was hoping for a promise, the promise was already given, she didn’t even have to ask for it, it was given without the need of her request. All she had to do was wait on the timing of God for its fulfillment. And saints, that’s exactly where we get it wrong! We have a tendency to get impatient, devise a plan and go wandering instead of waiting. But what does the Bible have to say?

Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, WAIT. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (MSG) Listen: Your promise does not need you trying to clock its’ arrival time! God has already appointed its’ arrival time, you’re just frustrated because God didn’t give you the ETA on your promises arrival. But it doesn’t need to be put on your agenda! All you have to do is trust God and WAIT! And the part I love about that Scripture is, “…IT CAN HARDLY WAIT!…” People of God, what God has promised you is so excited to get to you that it can hardly wait, but what happens when you can hardly wait, and so you involve yourself where God didn’t need your assistance and now your Promise is on Pause!

And what happens next?

Genesis 16:3-6, “So SARAI, Abram’s wife, took her Egyptian maid Hagar AND GAVE HER TO HER HUSBAND ABRAM AS A WIFE. Abram had been living ten years in Canaan when this took place. He slept with Hagar and she got pregnant. When Hagar learned she was pregnant, she looked down on her mistress. Sarai told Abram, “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT that I’m suffering this abuse. I PUT MY MAID IN BED WITH YOU and the minute she knows she’s pregnant, she treats me like I’m nothing. May God decide which of us is right.” “You decide,” said Abram. “Your maid is your business.” Sarai was abusive to Hagar and Hagar ran away.” (MSG)

I find it absolutely amazing that Sarai gave her husband to another woman to bed and wife, and yet her response to her own devised plan is: “…IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT…” Sounds a lot like another portion of Scripture involving Adam and Eve: “GOD, IT’S THE WOMAN YOU GAVE ME!” Or maybe another example found in King Saul, “IT WAS THE PEOPLE’S FAULT I MADE THE SACRIFICE!” Or maybe Pilate? “I KNOW JESUS IS INNOCENT, BUT I’LL GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT AND WASH MY HANDS OF IT ALL!” In other words, when things go as we Asked, but not as we Wanted, the Blame Game Begins and the Finger Pointing Starts! But that’s often what we do, when the back-up plans, THAT WE MADE FOR GOD, don’t work out, it’s everyone else’s fault, but our own of course! And all of this could’ve been prevented if only Sarai WAITED ON GOD! But there’s no need to get mad now! This was your genius plan, this was your proposal, this was your idea! You picked the plan and the woman and gave them the blueprint to follow in building you a son, and yet, this is his fault?! No dear, you needed to wait on God, because He already made you a promise, your problem came about because of your own impatience and plans!

Now, let’s be fair Abram, because you indeed had a hand in this mess too! Remember what God told you Abram: Genesis 15:4-6, “Then God’s Message came: “Don’t worry, he won’t be your heir; A SON FROM YOUR BODY WILL BE YOUR HEIR.” Then he took him outside and said, “Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A BIG FAMILY, ABRAM!” AND HE BELIEVED! BELIEVED GOD! God declared him “Set-Right-with-God.” (MSG) Abram, God gave you the promise of not only a son from your own body, but also that you would have a big family. It concludes that you believed God…so what happened?! If you believed Him at the time He gave the promise, why would you lose sight of the promise in the meantime? All you both needed to do was wait and trust God, but as my mom would say, ‘that was too much like right’!

People of God, don’t make the mistake of attempting to rush God or help God out! He knows what He’s doing. He knows what He promised you. He knows the perfect time to bring it to pass. Don’t pull a Sarai and come up with a back-up plan, and don’t pull an Abram, receiving a promise, believing the promise and then agreeing with your wife to do the polar opposite of the promise!

Don’t mess up God’s Promise over your life by attempting to Produce a Harvest from a Seed God never told you to Plant!

Truth is, this Winter we had a 70 degree day. But did that mean the Season changed and now it’s suddenly Spring? NO! The Seasons are Pre-Scheduled to Change at Their Appointed Time, And So Are the Seasons in Your Life! You Can’t Rush It, But You Can Surely Ruin It! Therefore, Always Wait For God’s Due Season!

Please hear me loud and clear, this is our Word of Warning Today: WAIT! And even if it’s slow in coming, still WAIT! Why? Because it’s on its way! It will come right on time and will not lie! People of God, remember this: We have absolutely NO reason not to trust God to keep His Word!

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)

Not one ounce of doubt is listed in that Scripture! God is not saying His Words ‘may, hopefully, might, let’s wait and see’, if it comes to pass. NO! He says THEY’LL DO THE WORK I SENT THEM TO DO! Listen: You’ll stop having to work over-time on all your back-up plans as soon as you embrace the fact that God’s promises have no other choice but to complete the assignment they’ve been given over your life! They go to work so you don’t have to! All you have to do is WAIT! God Started It And God Will Finish It!

Philippians 1:6, “THERE HAS NEVER BEEN THE SLIGHTEST DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THE GOD WHO STARTED THIS GREAT WORK IN YOU WOULD KEEP AT IT AND BRING IT TO A FLOURISHING FINISH ON THE VERY DAY CHRIST JESUS APPEARS.” (MSG) Can you imagine having such a Word of Promise over your life that it can’t fail, can’t stop, can’t be blocked, can’t be left undone, but has to come to pass, and not just while you’re still on earth, but even up until the day of Christ Coming! In case you ever doubted it, please believe me when I tell you sons and daughters of God, your Father loves you! You don’t have to strategize, plan, scheme, manipulate, or devise a back-up plan to bring God’s promise to pass in your life, it’s guaranteed that it’s coming to pass because God Himself has already held Himself accountable to make sure it does, and He can’t lie!

Jeremiah 1:12:

“…I am [actively] watching over My Word to FULFILL IT.” (AMP);

“…I am alert and active, watching over My Word to PERFORM IT.” (AMPC);

“…I’m watching over My Word until it is FULFILLED.” (CEB);

“…I ALWAYS rise early to keep a promise.” (CEV);

“…I am watching to make sure that My Message to you COMES TRUE.” (ERV);

“…I am watching to make sure that My Words COME TRUE.” (GWT);

“…I’ll make EVERY WORD I give you COME TRUE.” (MSG);

“…I am watching to see that My Word is FULFILLED.” (NIV);

“I am watching to see that My Word is COMPLETED.” (NLV)

Are You Getting This?! This is how strongly God feels about the Keeping of His Word! Which should further encourage us to trust whatever His plans are for our lives. Because He will Make Sure that His Word Given to Us, to Fulfill His Purpose, Comes to Pass! In Other Words, God Doesn’t Need Your Help to Produce What He Promised!

Numbers 23:19, “God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change His mind. GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES.” (CEV)              

So, when you feel like God’s promises are dragging their feet, dig your heels in faith a little deeper and remember GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES! There is no need for you to try and pull out a Hagar, Sarai, just trust the God you serve and you’ll eventually see what HE SAID!

Don’t take off just yet and don’t panic and die of terminal ‘get-there-itis.’” Remember in the opening story, 80% of the crashes, were PILOT ERROR, the hurry to get there before time! Don’t let this happen to you, your family, your business, your education, your employment, your career, your ministry, your church! God has a foolproof plan, therefore your back-up plan is not needed! The term “foolproof plan” is defined as: “done, made, or planned so well that nothing can go wrong; no opportunity for error, misuse or failure; designed so as to be impervious to human incompetence; infallible; guaranteed; certain; safe; never-failing; sure-fire; unbreakable; incapable of going wrong.” Now does any of that sound like it needs a back-up plan? Absolutely Not! God’s Plan Will Prevail and Produce What He Promised!

Jeremiah 29:10-11, “…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.” (MSG)

In other words, Sarai, MY Plan Doesn’t Need YOURS! And Saints, He Doesn’t Need OURS Either!

Therefore, how about today we deliberately choose to leave this in God’s hands? Let Him bring it to pass in His time. You’ll have a great flight if you do. But if you force it, you’ll crash it. And that goes for everything. Don’t try to force a friendship, relationship, career, schooling, children, marriage, ministry, business, church or anything else. Just trust God and plant in seed-time and watch how greatly you reap in harvest.

But even farmers will tell you, no matter how great the harvest, you still have to WAIT for it! And no matter how great the promise and plans are, you still have to WAIT for them. God has not forgotten, be patient and WAIT for what God promised so you don’t have to suffer from what you produced!

In a Nutshell: Don’t Wander, Just Wait!

Remember: Be Careful What You Ask For, Because You Just May Get It!  

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

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“Look Until You See It!”

1 Kings 18:42-44, “…Meanwhile, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bowed deeply in prayer, his face between his knees. Then he said to his young servant, “On your feet now! LOOK toward the sea.” He went, LOOKED, and reported back, “I don’t see a thing.” “KEEP LOOKING,” said Elijah, “seven times if necessary. And sure enough, the seventh time he said, “Oh yes, a cloud! But very small, no bigger than someone’s hand, rising out of the sea.” “Quickly then, on your way. Tell Ahab, ‘Saddle up and get down from the mountain before the rain stops you.’” (MSG)

One of my friends that I admire the most, is my friend Pastor Gerard who must have a million and one great memories of ministering in South Africa. He’s there so much in fact I can’t wait for him to finally inform us all that he’s relocating! This last time he traveled there, he had the tremendous opportunity of reaching some lost young people and their parents, and even trained some youth leaders on how to reach young people as well. His schedule was extremely intense, but their Field Director and Pastor Gerard managed to sneak away for a couple of hours in a wild game park. And the Lord of all those African creatures was really good to them, because He allowed them to see zebras and rhinos and hippos and lions, and many more of God’s African best, and none of which desired to eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a midnight snack!

However, his most unforgettable moment began when their driver said, “Whoa, that’s fresh! Keep your eyes open for an elephant.” Her “that’s fresh“, referred to a broken branch she saw in the middle of the little road they were on. Now, the staff member he was with as well as himself were a little skeptical, but not for long. As they rounded a bend, There He Was – a big old elephant lumbering down the road ahead of them! They followed behind him for a while and then they watched with ringside seats as he stepped off into a pond, watered himself and sprayed himself. Pastor Gerard said it was absolutely amazing!

But what caught my attention, as well as watered my mustard seed faith so it could grow to new heights, was the part about when his driver saw just a LITTLE SIGN (of a broken branch), and knew that something really BIG was coming up next!

Now, God may very well be doing something BIG on the trail just ahead of you too! Oh, you can’t see it yet, but it’s important to be able to see even the LITTLE signs of “God’s something BIG” on the way! After all, that’s part of what our  faith is all about!

Hebrews 11:1 says, “What is faith? It is the CONFIDENT ASSURANCE that something we want IS GOING TO HAPPEN. It is the CERTAINTY that what we hope for IS WAITING FOR US, EVEN THOUGH WE CANNOT SEE IT UP AHEAD.” (TLB). The Amplified Bible says it like this: “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)

And that’s exactly how you need to start living today, by faith! A faith that has confident assurance that what we want is going to happen! Living with a certainty faith knowing that the promises of God are waiting for us! Living by faith in such a way that we know the promises of God to us are Assured; our faith is the Title Deed; it’s the Confirmation that our promises are Divinely Guaranteed! And All We Have to Do is Have a Faith That Has a Conviction so Strong That it Acts as if What We’re Waiting for Has Already Become a Reality! Nothing about that includes unbelief; doubting; wavering; impatience; worry; fear; anxiety; nervousness; or panic! Therefore, keep your eyes of faith focused on what God said until you see it manifest itself in your life!

Jeremiah 33:3, “‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [AND EVEN SHOW YOU] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’” (AMP) Don’t allow a LITTLE fear and impatience to cause you to lose focus, because any minute now, God is about to SHOW you something BIG!

Pastor Gerard’s driver saw a LITTLE broken branch as EVIDENCE that a BIG  elephant was about to appear. Imagine if we walked by faith like that, what would we believe God for, ask God for, and expect with confidence that God is able to do?! 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) Just a LITTLE sign showing that something BIG was about to make a grand appearance, and all they had to do was KEEP LOOKING for it!

Which brings us to Elijah. Elijah had prayed that God would show His power in Israel by sending a three-year drought. In 1 Kings 18, beginning in verse 42, we see why the Bible presents him as a man whose prayer was “powerful and effective“: (James 5:16-18, in the Message Bible reads, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t – not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.” MSG ). Now, we’ve already chatted a bit about why our FAITH is so important, but now let’s also be reminded that so is our PRAYER LIFE! Your Prayer Life is a Lifestyle, not a Life Line only used for when you’re in trouble, and need God to get you out of what you got yourself into! Elijah prayed hard! When’s the last time your prayers could be described like that? He prayed so hard and consistent for the rain to stop that it did; then he prayed the same for it to start back then it did. When’s the last time your prayer life yielded results like that?! Believing God by faith is wonderful, but you’ve got to continue your communication through prayer with God even before your something BIG comes to pass! You have to make sure that God hears from you consistently! We already know that there’s nothing too hard for our God, so clearly the problem isn’t with God, but the problem just may be that we don’t pray hard enough! Selah…

So, now Elijah’s praying for the drought to end. The Bible says, “Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and LOOK toward the sea,’ he told his servant. And he went up and LOOKED. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’ The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.’ So Elijah said, ‘Go and tell Ahab (the king), ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” (vss. 42-44) It hadn’t rained for three years, but Elijah saw that little cloud as EVIDENCE that, “It’s Coming!” Do you have enough faith in God to see a LITTLE sign and know that something BIG is coming?! Elijah didn’t need to see the rain, he saw the sign, the evidence found in a LITTLE cloud no bigger than a man’s fist, and yet he spoke by faith, “…Hitch up your chariot and go down BEFORE THE RAIN STOPS YOU.” Not only did he know it would rain, but he knew the down pour of rain would be BIG enough to stop a chariot! Do you have faith in God like that?

The Message Bible reads, “… Meanwhile, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bowed deeply in prayer, his face between his knees. Then he said to his young servant, “On your feet now! LOOK toward the sea.” He went, LOOKED, and reported back, “I don’t see a thing.” “KEEP LOOKING,” said Elijah, “seven times if necessary.” And sure enough, the seventh time he said, “Oh yes, a cloud! But VERY SMALL, no bigger than someone’s hand, rising out of the sea.” “Quickly then, on your way. Tell Ahab, ‘Saddle up and get down from the mountain before the rain stops you.’” Things happened fast! The sky grew black with wind-driven clouds, and then a huge cloudburst of rain, with Ahab hightailing it in his chariot for Jezreel. And God strengthened Elijah mightily. Pulling up his robe and tying it around his waist, Elijah ran in front of Ahab’s chariot until they reached Jezreel.” (MSG) It may have been a three year wait, but once God answers prayer, “…THINGS CAN HAPPEN FAST…”! I need you to believe that wholeheartedly!

Elijah kind of reminds me of Pastor Gerard’s guide and driver there in that African game park. His eyes are wide open, LOOKING for and expecting some early sign of the major work God was about to do. Pastor Gerard saw a LITTLE BRANCH, but the one with the trained eye said, “GET READY FOR AN ELEPHANT!”

Elijah’s servant saw a LITTLE CLOUD, but Elijah, with his trained eye for God at work, said, “GET READY FOR A DELUGE!” The word ‘deluge’ is defined as: ‘A SEVERE FLOOD OR VERY HEAVY FALL OF RAIN; A GREAT QUANTITY OF SOMETHING ARRIVING AT THE SAME TIME; TO OVERWHELM.’ Its Old French Origin, from Latin ‘diluvium’, from ‘diluere’ literally means ‘TO WASH AWAY!’ In other words, when the flood comes it will wipe out of its path everything that was there before it came. Anything DRY will be replaced with a DOWNFALL! And likewise, it will happen just like that for you! When your ‘deluge’ of expected and well anticipated blessings comes, it will remove the discouragement, the fear, the lack, want and need, it will wipe away the tears and replace them with a smile! All of your sadness will have to flee as you’ll have to make way for your unspeakable joy to arrive! After all, as long as you’ve prayed for this; as long as you’ve waited and expected this; as long as you’ve walked by faith waiting for this to manifest itself; shouldn’t it arrive in a BIG way?! Blessings That Will Literally Chase You Down; Run You Over; and Overwhelm Your Entire Life Are On The Way And All You Have to Do is Keep Your Faith and Prayers Intact! Note: GET READY IT’S ABOUT TO RAIN! The Next BIG Blessing Coming Into Your Life is Going to Be a Deluge! It’s Going to be VERY HEAVY, OF GREAT QUANTITY, ARRIVING AT THE SAME TIME TO OVERWHELM YOU! I Reiterate, Get Ready!

“God is Getting You Ready for What He’s Already Got Ready for You!” (Bishop James R. Chambers)

You have to have faith! You have to SEE beyond what you SEE! You have to look for the LITTLE sign, before you see the BIG showing! Which means you’ll have to look past the bank accounts, bills, tuition, mortgage, loans, car insurance, debt, health crisis, marriage and parental crisis, struggling church, loneliness, hurt, despair, rejection, abandonment…you can’t focus on that stuff because if you do, you’ll miss seeing your LITTLE sign of something BIG! So you’ll also have to get out of your own feelings. Don’t allow your emotions to cause you to have a distorted view of the great things God is about to make happen just for you! Shift your focus from anger, depression, rage, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, and the need to seek revenge. All of those things act as a cataract and glaucoma, blocking and blinding you from seeing the LITTLE signs of something BIG!

So often, we are so focused on the BIG “elephant” we’re praying for, that we miss the LITTLE branch in the road signaling us that it’s about to appear! We want that BIG thing from God – sometimes so much, that we miss the LITTLE things He is doing on the way to the BIG thing. Great faith includes the ability to look for and recognize the trail of God in your life; to be able to track the signs of what God is doing.

Isaiah 43:16-21, “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! DON’T YOU SEE IT?” (MSG) Saints, If You Don’t See It Yet, KEEPING LOOKING UNTIL YOU SEE IT!

Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (MSG)

That’s your encouragement for today, Walk By Faith, Wait and Watch! It will happen, right on time! The problem for us though occurs when we’ve been walking by faith so long the soles of our faith feet are worn; we’ve waited so long, we’re trying to hold on to that last grain of sand in the hourglass; and we’ve watched so long, that our eyes need a 3 month supply of Visine, they’re so tired! And still I say, Walk, Wait and Watch!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “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.” (MSG)

You Are Not Giving Up! Keep Your Vision in View in the Spirit, No Matter What You See in the Natural That’s Attempting to Block You! What’s coming is so much BIGGER and BETTER than what’s been!

Which is why I encourage you to open your eyes today for the wonderful things God is already doing around you – the little cloud that will enlarge your faith to expect the big rain, the little buds that will fuel your faith to expect the glory of spring after the winter has ended…even if the weather remains cold. You see, no matter what the weather forecast predicts, it can’t change the fact that a season has changed! Look at it like this: Last year, we had snow in March and snow in April, and still that couldn’t change the fact that the season had changed! Winter’s attempts to hold on can only hold on but so long, like it or not, the season has changed! You see, March 20^th, was officially Spring. But if you had looked at the weather reports, there was still more snow to come in that Spring. But did that stop Spring from appearing on the calendar as the New Season? Absolutely Not! And there’s nothing going on in your life that can hinder the change of season in your life either! God can move in your life even with the eviction or foreclosure notice and layoff looming overhead! He can never be hindered by the elements He created and controls.

“So, even when it looks like nothing is happening, remember, God is Still at Work!” (Bishop James R. Chambers).

He’s orchestrating things in your favor, so you have nothing to fear! Your Season of LITTLE Has Passed, You are Now in the Season of BIG!

A lot of times we are unnecessarily discouraged and disheartened because we don’t see the tracks of God that are all over our day. A good friend of mine likes to call them “God sightings“. It may not be very large or not very dramatic, but there’s God again, working in your life. Your marriage isn’t perfect, but you’re still married; your children have gone astray, but they were trained in the ways of God, and will find their way back; your job hasn’t granted you the promotion and increase yet, but you’re still employed; your car isn’t brand new, but it gets you from A-Z and back, and during a cold season like this, there are quite a bit of people jealous of your little hunk-a-junk; you may not be healed yet, but neither are you dead yet! These are “God sightings”, you just have to look for them, and you’ll see them! In fact, the more you look for them, the more you see of them!

Don’t be discouraged while you walk by faith, wait, and watch, God will not disappoint you!

In Psalm 5:3, David says, “In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” The test of whether you have really trusted God in your prayer is whether or not you are expectant after you say “amen”. Always keep your anticipation and expectation high!

Right now, right where you are, there are little signs of God at work; the “little branch” that says the “BIG ELEPHANT” is ahead. Before God shows you the big things up ahead, He wants you to see Him in the little things that are right in front of you! You didn’t come this far, to only come this far. So even when you don’t see the blessing…YET…KEEP LOOKING! Don’t lose your focus or your faith! God is about to do something BIG on your behalf, you just have to wait a LITTLE while longer for it!

In the Meantime…KEEP LOOKING UNTIL YOU SEE IT!

Romans 4:17, “As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, WHO GIVES LIFE TO THE DEAD AND SPEAKS OF THE NONEXISTENT THINGS THAT [HE HAS FORETOLD AND PROMISED] AS IF THEY [ALREADY] EXISTED.” (AMPC)

Hebrews 10:38, “But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith…” (AMP)

Romans 1:17, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed in a way that awakens more faith]. As it is written and forever remains written, “The just and upright shall live by faith.” (AMP)

Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.” (AMP)

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

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“It’s Time to Write and Run!”

“Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the Vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” (Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV)  

Habakkuk describes his vision as, ‘The oracle (a BURDENSOME MESSAGE – a pronouncement from God) which Habakkuk the prophet saw‘ (Habakkuk 1:1 NKJV). He ‘SAW’ it wherever he went. It drove him to his knees. He even cried out, ‘O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And you will not save. Why do You SHOW me iniquity, And cause me to SEE trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds‘ (Habakkuk 1:2-4 NKJV).  

Saints, Before God blesses you with a plan of action He will first BURDEN you with the problem you’ve been called to help solve! A ‘burden’ is defined as, ‘a heavy load; a cause of hardship, worry, or grief; something that is carried; something oppressive or worrisome; a thing to bear; a duty; responsibility; something that weighs down.’ You see, so many are running to God asking Him for a vision, but they don’t want the burden that comes attached to the vision. Receiving a vision from God will cost you. And the price is heavy. Oftentimes a vision from God will keep you up late at night; pacing the floor; spending countless hours in prayer; fasting for weeks on end; separating yourself from familiar people, places and things. Often a vision from God comes with the weight of burden. It doesn’t come cheap or easy. So before you go to God the next time asking for a vision, be careful, because you just may get more than you bargained for!  

Many of us love to quote 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) However, we tend to forget that a vision from God, and His purpose for us can also BURDEN us with a weighted responsibility that’s, “…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.” When it comes to God’s vision and purpose, it comes with glory, and His glory always carry’s weight! Accepting an assignment from God, receiving vision from God, fulfilling purpose in God, will come with burden and glory, and both are heavy! Don’t ask God to hand you what you’re not ready to carry! 

Yes, the prophet received a vision, but it came at the expense of him crying out to God; with him facing trouble and violence; unanswered questions; powerlessness and even being surrounded by wickedness. Are you really sure you’re ready to pay the price of carrying vision and burden? 

Lewis Braille wanted to read and write. But at three years of age he was blinded in a tragic accident while playing in his father’s harness shop. Refusing to settle for a world of darkness he said, ‘I will make a system so that the blind can read and write.‘ As a result, millions of sight-impaired people have been blessed by the Braille system.  

People of God Prepare Yourself, Because He’s going to Bless You, but FIRST HE’S GOING TO BURDEN YOU!

The Psalmist cried: ‘The ZEAL for Your house has CONSUMED me…‘ (Psalm 69:9 NASB). Today, ask yourself the following questions, ‘What’s my all-consuming desire? What am I passionate about? What has God called and gifted me to do?’ You see, the word ‘zeal’ is defined as, ‘eagerness in pursuit of an interest; a fervor; passion; enthusiasm; an intense, compelling emotion that requires action; it’s a deep stirring; a determination to do something.’ And where was the psalmist zeal? In God’s House! What are you doing in God’s House?! Are your gifts, talents, skill-set, ability, anointing, calling all being passionately utilized in the Lord’s House? Or are you simply warming pulpit/pew chairs until the Lord returns? What are you doing with what God gave you to do?

Paul’s burning desire was to reach the world for Christ. And he succeeded! When his enemies imprisoned him, instead of giving in to defeat he turned his cell into a writer’s retreat and penned thirteen epistles that would change more lives after he left the world than he could ever hope to touch while he was in it! So, what are you willing to give your life to, and for, that will impact this world while you’re here and in an even greater way after your gone? Why is that important to ask? Because if your vision is truly of God, you will ‘FEEL’ a BURDEN for it! And that BURDEN will be COSTLY! And you need to be honest with yourself and find out if you’re really willing to pay the price?

Notice two important things about Vision: 

1)   YOUR VISION MUST COME FROM GOD: There’s a difference between setting your OWN GOALS and having a GOD-GIVEN VISION! When your vision is of God, ‘… it will surely come…‘ (Habakkuk 2:3). In other words, you won’t have to orchestrate events behind the scenes; God will provide the resources and open the right doors at the right time and you’ll enter them with all the right people! Your steps will be directed by Him! Here’s an interesting Scripture: ‘…TIME AND CHANCE happen to them all. For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time…‘ (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 NKJV). God will reveal to you your destiny and give you an opportunity to fulfill it. But, you can resist it, or postpone it, or give your life to other things and end up missing your ‘TIME’ and ‘CHANCE’, according to the Scripture. Which is why I admonish you, DON’T GET CAUGHT IN THAT NET OR TRAPPED IN THAT SNARE AND FORFEIT WHAT GOD HAS FOR YOU! Your ‘TIME’ and ‘CHANCE’ have a limit. You don’t accomplish them after death; you accomplish them in the time God has given you to live! Don’t die having let everybody use you but God! When God gives you the vision; sets the due time for it to come to pass; and grants you the right perfect chance to go for it, don’t be caught like the foolish virgins missing out on what you could’ve got in on, if only you were prepared and ready when the opportunity presented itself!

2)   YOUR VISION WILL BE CONNECTED TO A CERTAIN FIELD: Joseph’s dream started with a field of wheat (Genesis 37:6-7, “Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said, “Listen to this dream I had. We were all out in the FIELD gathering bundles of wheat…” MSG). So, what’s your field? Because, whether God calls you to the field of medicine, education, finance, ministry, real estate, or some other field, it’s to be a blessing to others! It’s not for you to boast, it’s for you to be a blessing! God told Abraham, ‘…I will make your name great, and you will BE A BLESSING‘ (Genesis 12:2 NIV). Don’t seek fortune, fame, popularity, stardom, or the like, but seek to serve others! If you do, your impact will be greater than your image and your eternal reward greater than anything you can drive, wear, live in, or hang on a wall! THEREFORE, FIND YOUR FIELD!

Jesus said, ‘…In fact, THE REASON I WAS BORN…‘ (John 18:37 NIV). When you know why you’re here and what your God-given purpose is, you become virtually UNSTOPPABLE! You won’t be flawless, but you’ll have the innate power to overcome each obstacle as you proceed! If you get turned around, God loves you enough to get your attention, correct and redirect you, and get you back on track! But to find the right answers you must first ask the right questions, such as:  1) What desires have been living in me most of my life? 2) What motivates me to be productive? 3) What keeps me going forward when I’m worn out? 4) What makes me refuse to quit when I meet with resistance or opposition? 5) What do I do that doesn’t seem like work? 6) What do I do that brings positive response and support from others? 7) What am I doing, or what’s happening in my life when doors seem to open automatically and effortlessly? 8) What do discerning leaders and godly counselors think about my work? 9) What makes me feel good about being who I am? 10) What makes my creative juices flow? 11) What am I willing to sacrifice to accomplish it? 12) What am I doing that I’d be proud to offer for God’s approval? 13) What would I do without being paid for, if I could afford to? 14) What would I be willing to withstand Satan over, in order to accomplish it?  

You Need To Know: What is the ‘reason you were born’? And when you do find out your reason, know that’s it’s not too late; so ‘find‘ your vision and follow it!

Paul was on a mission! He traveled light, practiced personal discipline, avoided distractions and kept his eye on the ball. The Bible says, ‘…one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize…‘ (Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV). Successful companies live by a mission statement every team member can understand; they keep it before them at all times. God told Habakkuk, ‘…”Write the vision and make it plain… that he may run who reads it.‘ (Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV). SAINTS, YOU MUST WRITE YOUR VISION DOWN, READ IT REGULARLY, REMEMBER IT AT ALL TIMES AND RUN WITH IT! YOUR GREATEST ENEMY ISN’T THE OPPOSITION, IT’S THE DISTRACTIONS! SO LET NOTHING AND NO ONE MESS WITH ACCOMPLISHING YOUR MISSION! Proverbs 4:23-27, “Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts. Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; IGNORE ALL SIDESHOW DISTRACTIONS. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.” (MSG)

Ever heard of ‘a white elephant?‘ When the King of Siam wanted to destroy an enemy, he supposedly gave them a white elephant. In those days white elephants were considered sacred, and nobody dared refuse a king’s gift. The trouble was, white elephants couldn’t be put to work…but they had to be fed – A LOT! So the king’s ‘gift’ ended up causing his enemy’s downfall. Listen Carefully! Guard yourself, your vision and purpose against ‘white elephants’ that drain your time, energy and resources, and do nothing towards anything that works for you! In order to protect your vision, live by these words, ‘…lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God…consider Him…lest you become weary and discouraged… ‘ (Hebrews 12:1-3 NKJV).

DON’T LET DISTRACTIONS DIVERT YOUR VISION! ‘Divert’ means to, ‘turn aside; deviate; to turn from one course or use to another; to distract; to entertain.’ You cannot afford to lose sight of your vision; nor to distort your vision because you’ve become so busy entertaining distractions. Which reminds me of a quote I heard: “Don’t blame a clown for acting like a clown, blame yourself for going to the circus.” People of God, Stay Focused!

Five times in Genesis chapter thirty-nine we read: ‘But the Lord was with Joseph.‘ Be encouraged: God is at work with you and in what you’re going through right now! Where did Joseph get the wisdom to lead a nation? By dealing with his own family problems, by handling Potiphar’s household staff, and by running a prison system! Like rungs on a ladder, each one took him closer to the top! Notice how it worked: his brothers sold him to Ishmaelite slave traders, who sold him to Potiphar, who put him in prison where he met the butler, who introduced him to Pharaoh, who made him Prime Minister of Egypt, fulfilling his dream! Was it easy? No, “Until the time that his word came the word of the LORD tried him” (Psalm 105:19). Prepare Yourself: Your vision will be ‘tried‘ by situations that either make or break you! And the word ‘tried’ is defined as, ‘to be found good and faithful; to be found trustworthy through experience, trials, distress or testing.’ And indeed that same text in psalm read in the Message Bible proves Joseph was tried by testing and he passed with flying colors! “Then he called down a famine on the country, he broke every last blade of wheat. But he sent a man on ahead: Joseph, sold as a slave. They put cruel chains on his ankles, an iron collar around his neck, Until God’s Word came to Pharaoh, and God confirmed His promise. God sent the king to release him. The Pharaoh set Joseph free; he appointed him master of his palace, put him in charge of all his business to personally instruct his princes and train his advisors in wisdom.” (Psalm 105:16-22 MSG) 

People of God, Pass the Test! James 1:2-4, “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.” (MSG) 

Now, some of you may ask, ‘but what do you do when you already received a vision, but it died?’ 

Well, Bill Gothard describes this process as: the birth of the vision, the death of the vision, and the resurrection of the vision. When you’ve no funds, no friends, and no fight left in you (the death stage), remember the words of Jesus: ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain‘ (John 12:24 NKJV). The Message Bible says it like this: “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.” (vss.24-25 MSG). When your vision dies and God resurrects it, you begin to talk and act differently! With ego subtracted and grace added, you start saying with the Psalmist, ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living‘ (Psalm 27:13). At that point God smiles and says, ‘You’re finally getting it right! You’re finally ready to receive the resurrection of your dreams, purpose and vision.‘ Once you get it right with God, you get to begin again. Remember, Joseph didn’t just have one dream, but the second was bigger than the first, and yours can be also!

When a vision comes from God and you commit yourself to it, it will ‘SURELY’ be fulfilled! Yes, you’ll stumble, be stretched to new limits and maybe even stagger across the finish line, but you’ll make it! You’ll get to the Promised Land, even if failure is the road you have to travel in order to get there! Look at Moses: he had a history-changing message to deliver to Pharaoh, yet he was a poor speaker. He had marriage problems. He had to reach his breaking point before he learned to delegate responsibility to others. He even had a problem with his temper, as a result God said, ‘…”This is the land I promised… I have let you see it… but you will not cross over into it.” (Deuteronomy 34:4 NIV). But Moses finally got there, maybe not in life, but most certainly in death! For, 1,400 years later he stood with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration: right in the middle of it! Matthew 17:1-3, “Six days later, three of them saw that glory. Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light. Then they realized that Moses and Elijah were also there in deep conversation with him.” (MSG) 

You say, ‘I’ve failed so badly.‘ Well, David committed adultery, yet his psalms bring strength to multitudes and he’s quoted in pulpits around the world still today! God didn’t excuse David, but he forgave him and used him still! ‘…David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God…was buried… ‘ (Acts 13:36 NKJV). The Bible describes God as, ‘… ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness… ‘ (Nehemiah 9:17 NKJV). Notice the words ‘ready to pardon.‘ God is ready when you are, all you have to do is turn back to Him! Just because you mess up doesn’t mean you miss out on God’s vision and purpose for your life! He’s always right there ready to pardon (which means ‘the excusing of an offense without exacting a penalty; to release from the legal penalties of an offence; to forgive a fault; to absolve from the consequences of a crime.)!

Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t judge our failures like man does? 

But here’s something else from Habakkuk. He said, ‘I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected‘ (Habakkuk 2:1 NKJV). Did you catch that? Corrected, but NOT Discarded! Isn’t that wonderful?

Lastly, there’s an interesting picture in Amos ‘… “A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion’s mouth will recover only two legs or a piece of an ear. So it will be…‘ (Amos 3:12 NLT). Picture Satan as that lion, you as that lamb, Jesus as that shepherd coming to pick up what’s left of you, and see how God brings victory out of defeat! Has life torn your vision to pieces like the image in Amos? If so, keep in mind, with God, you only need two things for a comeback according to what’s recovered in Amos:

1)   An Ear to Hear. Stop listening to voices that discourage you; it’s not over until God says it’s over! God told Ezekiel to prophesy to a valley full of dead, dry bones (Ezekiel 37:4): ‘So I prophesied… and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army.‘ (Ezekiel 37:10 NKJV). Your hopes may be dead and your soul dry, but if you listen to what God is saying your vision will live again! Keep your hear to God’s mouth, receive His instructions, obey them, revive your vision, and this time let it live!

2)   A Leg to Stand On. The God who gave Job twice as much at the end of his trouble as he started with before it, isn’t finished with you yet! Read what He’s promised and stand on His Word! Look at it this way: Achan was stoned to death in the Valley of Achor for stealing the spoils after the battle of Jericho. End of the story? Not a chance, later, God in His mercy said, ‘I will give… the Valley of Achor as a door of Hope…‘ (Hosea 2:15 NKJV). You may be living with your consequences, but by God’s grace you can still live to see your vision fulfilled! There is Hope in the Valley for Your Vision! Your Valley of Achor may have started out with a Stoning, but it will end with You and Your Vision Surviving and Walking Through New Open Doors of Opportunity! Don’t throw in the towel, don’t give up and don’t quit! 

People of God, as you can see from cover-to-cover in the Bible there are tons of stories of those who Found Their Vision, Followed Their Vision and Fulfilled Their Vision…Even AFTER Fumbling Their Vision! And even those who suffered and recovered from the death of their vision. So, Keep Your Eyes of Faith Focused! A Rich Future Is Ahead of You, But Only If You’ll Finally Invest In the Value of Your Vision! 

It can and it will come to pass, hold on to it, and let nothing and no one distort it!

Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (MSG)

IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO WRITE THE VISION SO WE CAN ALL RUN WITH IT!

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

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“When Leader-Ship Sinks!”

What can businesses, and dot coms in particular, learn from the sinking of the Titanic? Well, you don’t have to visit the ocean floor to appreciate the truths this disaster brought to light. Just take a listen: “We have struck iceberg. . .sinking fast. . .come to our assistance.” Burning the airwaves came those words late in the cold evening of 1912. Before they even tapped the last bit of Morse code, those words became the epitaph over the lives of the 1200 people lost on the Titanic. The ship was doomed as it slowly sank into its watery grave. Why did the largest, most advanced ship of the century sink? Well, those of us who study history or remember the movie may know why. It wasn’t the iceberg that caused the disaster. It was something else. Clear in my mind was the real cause—LEADERSHIP HAD FAILED!  

The Titanic still rests on the bottom of the ocean, but we can still resurrect the truth about its sinking. The lessons we learn can help us become better leaders as well.

Now, I’ll start this off with some devotional tips on leadership, from a business perspective, from a leader I respect highly, Greg Smith. Then I’ll move into my personal insight for the church, from his same business tips. Let’s see what we can learn:

1…LEADERSHIP IS ALWAYS RESPONSIBLE – Leadership is responsible for everything the organization does or fails to do. Leadership is not a position, a job title or in this case, merely the Captain of the ship. Leadership is not just power, ego, and pride. Leadership is ever present, touching, motivating, talking, and checking, barrier removing, training, preparing, breathing, and moving about. All of this should’ve been the responsibility of Captain E. J. Smith’s retirement trip on the Titanic. He was headed for the easy life. All he had to do was get to New York. God only knows why he ignored the facts, why he ignored seven iceberg warnings from his crew or the warnings from the other ships. In the end, like it or not, but leadership is responsible for everything the organization does or fails to do.

2…BIGGEST IS NOT THE BEST – It took over 30 seconds before the Titanic turned away from the iceberg . . .but it was still too late. Know this, the larger an organization becomes, the greater its inflexibility. The more difficult and cumbersome to steer, to direct and to change. It soon becomes a bureaucracy where rules, regulations, policies, procedures and “I need permission to make a decision” becomes the norm. Today’s businesses must change this course quickly.

3…RANK HAS ITS PRIVILEGES – Ranking is good for command and control, however, it’s not good for change and innovation. Ranking people limits potential. Today, businesses rank and classify people-sometimes unintentionally. However, the results are the same. Whether it is simply reserved parking spaces, blue collar, white collar, temporary, part-time, those with cubicles, those with desks etc. Ask yourself, when the ship sinks, who gets in the lifeboats first? Who gets severance pay, bonus, stock options or nice hotel’s. Clear the lines between the classes and make everyone feel they are rowing in the same direction for the same purpose. In a disaster, everyone is an equal.

4…THE TRUTH CHANGES – The Titanic was unsinkable. . .so they thought. So confident were they in fact, that they only had enough life boats for half the passengers! The thinking that made us successful yesterday is the very same thinking that will cause us to fail tomorrow. Our unlearning curve must be greater than our learning curve.

5…TECHNOLOGY IS NEVER A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEADERSHIP – When technology fails, leadership must prevail. Captain Smith said years before the Titanic’s voyage, “I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder . . .Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.” Many businesses today have placed the wrong people in charge. They are not leaders, but managers. So–when disaster strikes who is going to lead and will your technology pull you under?

6…LEADERSHIP IS ALWAYS TRAINING – As the stern of the Titanic lifted out of the water; the crew and passengers struggled with the lifeboats. There were no drills, no rehearsals and the crews stood unfamiliar with their responsibilities. The boats were improperly loaded and only one boat went back to try to recover survivors. Help people improve their skills so they can become more productive.

7…LEADERSHIP LOOKS BELOW THE SURFACE – The greatest danger as well as the greatest opportunities lie below. The ocean in 1912 was like glass, deceptively dangerous. The biggest part of an iceberg lies below. . .unseen. Like steel fangs, it tore at the rivets along 300 feet of the Titanic’s hull. Those below, the “crew and steerage,” felt and saw the damage first. Like a gasping breath, the steam billowed above as chaos reigned below. Just like then and now, those who know what’s wrong with your “ship” are those below. Furthermore, those below usually have the best ideas and solutions to your problems. Start looking toward those on the front-line for the ideas, problems and solutions. Do it before you hit the icebergs.

8…LEADERSHIP LOOKS BEYOND THE HORIZONS – Success causes problems. A good “Captain” is on the lookout for changing trends, changing needs, storms and icebergs. Sam Walton identified the need and Sears didn’t. Apple computer saw the need before IBM. The vision of the Sony Walkman existed in Akio Morita’s mind before RCA. Many dot coms were prepared, many were not. Get the picture? Be out there scanning the horizon for the next change.

Greg Smith’s cutting-edge keynotes, consulting and training programs have helped businesses accelerate organizational performance, reduce turnover, increase sales, hire better people and deliver better customer service.  As President and Lead Navigator of Chart Your Course International he has implemented professional development programs for thousands of organizations globally. He has authored nine informative books including his latest book Fired Up! Leading Your Organization to Achieve Exceptional Results.  He lives in Conyers, Georgia.  Sign up for his free Navigator Newsletter by visiting http://www.ChartCourse.com.

I chose the above devotional by Greg Smith to repost because it impacted me and my leadership greatly. And as People of God, it is my prayer that it will impact you, your life, family, churches, ministries, and businesses just the same.

So now, I’ll recap Greg’s devotional above, for business, in my own words, for the church below:

1…LEADERSHIP IS ALWAYS RESPONSIBLE: Which means, No Excuses, No Blame Games, No Pointing Fingers, No Passing the Buck! There is a HIGH PRICE to PAY to Be in Leadership and Whether Things Go Right or Go Wrong, You Will Be CHARGED! In leadership you don’t look for scapegoats, you shepherd the sheep! And when one strays, you go after them, you don’t say “well they should’ve…or if they hadn’t…” No, you are responsible to redirect them back on the road to reconciliation and restoration. Look at it like this: Eve messed up, but God came looking for Adam. Leadership is ALWAYS responsible, whether you like it or not, whether it seems fair or unfair. All of it is irrelevant. Leaders, God Will Always Come Looking For You, and Hiding Doesn’t Work, Just ask Adam! As leaders, with the bulk of the responsibility weighing on our shoulders, we don’t get to save face by throwing others under the bus. We have to make sure that we realize how vital we are in steering this leader-ship properly and responsibly, because just like the Titanic, when those in charge messed up, it sank the ship and likewise, we can sink everybody on board with us too! That means we have to be responsible in leading our families, our churches, our ministries, our jobs, our businesses, our communities, our neighborhoods etc…because everyone with us will go down with us! Leaders, We Are Charged to be Responsible! 1 Timothy 3:1-7, “If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good! But there are preconditions: A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know what he’s talking about, not be overfond of wine, not pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money-hungry. He must handle his own affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap.” (MSG)

2…BIGGEST IS NOT THE BEST: The Bigger the Organization, the Harder it is to Steer it, Because it Becomes More Inflexible. That word “inflexible” is defined as “not able to be altered or adapted; unwilling to change or compromise; not able to be bent; stiff”. And anyone in leadership knows that this is the absolute worse kind of people to work with! Because truth is, and like it or not, change is inevitable! Our churches change from day-to-day, and we need to learn how to do the same. Life does not remain the same and neither does leadership or the people who follow. To become better you have to learn to adapt, change and compromise. No, that does not include your character, integrity, values, principles and the like. But you have to learn how to make compromises so that the Whole works best. That’s when the best interest of Everyone is taken into account. I know you’ve always sung that song, taught that lesson, preached on that Sunday, sat in that particular chair etc…but change needs to take place to make the Whole better. You have to learn to adapt. Everything cannot go your way every-time, all the time, always. Don’t be like stiff-necked Israel, they paid a hefty price for remaining the same, and so will you. Therefore, become more flexible, adapt, alter, change, compromise, so that we move towards our goals and accomplish them without having to drag you kicking and screaming! Remember, the bigger we grow, the harder we are to steer in new directions of change. But this will not be the case if we simply remain flexible! Be prepared, because that means you will HAVE to move out of your comfort zone; you’ll have to obtain an open mind; you’ll have to break with some norm’s and usual’s and traditions; you’ll have to do things that make you uncomfortable because they are unfamiliar; you’ll have to do things differently then the same way they’ve been done for generations! But that’s how we get growth and diversity! After all, would you want to need groceries for your home but when you go to the supermarket, every single aisle ONLY has cabbage?! Dairy aisle (cabbage); juice aisle (cabbage); meat aisle (cabbage); bread aisle (cabbage)! Are you getting this? Yes, you can eat cabbage and be full, but how healthy can eating nothing but cabbage for the rest of your life be?! Do not be afraid to diversify as a leader! Which means on your leadership team you may need to have some people who are addressed as ‘brother and sister’ instead of ONLY having those addressed as ‘pastor, elder, bishop, minister’! You need every member in the church working to keep the body of Christ properly functioning and growing! And you need to do this PRIOR to the church expanding! Remember, the bigger the ship the harder to turn in a different direction, so start now! Diversify now! 1 Corinthians 12:14-18, “I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. IT’S ALL THE DIFFERENT-BUT-SIMILAR PARTS ARRANGED AND FUNCTIONING TOGETHER. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? AS IT IS, WE CAN SEE THAT GOD HAS CAREFULLY PLACED EACH PART OF THE BODY RIGHT WHERE HE WANTED IT.” (MSG)

3…RANK HAS ITS PRIVILEGES: Now, I’m big on order, structure, and protocol, however, everything has its place. When we need to come together as a team to build, that is not the time to figure out who gets the prettiest hard hat on the site because they’ve been working in construction the longest! Respect offices, titles, positions and gifts, for if they were not to be respected, God would not have allowed them and given clear and concise instructions on how to respond to them. HOWEVER, this does not mean a Bishop can’t pick up a mop, a Pastor can’t serve food, an Elder can’t teach the children, a Minister can’t clean the pews, a Deacon can’t empty out the garbage cans. Are you getting this? Humility and Servitude are the Heartbeat of Effective, Efficient Leadership. So, yes, rank has its place and privilege, but when its time for the Crew to get to work, the title before your name and the initials after it, hold no importance in kingdom building! Don’t forget the purpose and privilege of rank and order, but also don’t let that purpose and privilege cause you to miss out on the big picture! Ephesians 4:11-13, “And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct], [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church]; until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity].” (AMP)

4…THE TRUTH CHANGES: You cannot move effectively Today in leadership while being stuck in Yesterday! One of the phrases that I hate to hear most is “but that’s the way we’ve always done it.” Well, ma’am, sir, what we did in 1999 is not relevant in 2019! Change needs to take place or we’ll forever be stuck decades behind the growth curve! I have no problems with how we used to do it, the problem I have is that you think that’s the only way to do it. Truth is, that may have worked for us then, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to work for us now! You have to, and again I reiterate, adapt, change, be flexible, and compromise. Yes, that worked then, but we’re more advanced in many ways now, including technology (and not all of it is bad, it’s the way you choose to use it that makes it either bad or good). Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Google, Periscope, LinkedIn, and the like are all effective for ministry depending on how they are appropriately used. So don’t fear doing something different, fear doing everything the same! That worked then, but let’s go back to the drawing board and see if our creative juices can redesign our vision so that it is seen clearer and becomes more evident, visible and tangible…not just a new blueprint left on an old table. Isaiah 43:16-21, “…“FORGET ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENED; DON’T KEEP GOING OVER OLD HISTORY. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something BRAND-NEW. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is!...” (MSG); Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, BUT I ACTIVELY PRESS ON so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: FORGETTING WHAT LIES BEHIND AND REACHING FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD, I PRESS ON TOWARD the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (AMP)

5…TECHNOLOGY IS NEVER A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEADERSHIP: Now, I just said using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Google, Periscope and LinkedIn, are great tools for leadership to use in building ministry (when they are used appropriately). HOWEVER, Technology Does Not Take the Place of Leadership! The church has in some ways become so technically advanced that many no longer even feel the need to go to church. Since, TECHNICALLY, they can have church in the comfort of their own home, in their living-room, in their pajamas if they want to! We have websites, live streaming, online giving, prayer conference calls and the like. And again, nothing is wrong with that. However, you need to make sure that none of that takes the place of Scripture. Hebrews 10:25, “not forsaking our MEETING TOGETHER [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching.” (AMP) Leaders, I know we send out emails, texts, and Facebook inbox messages, but leadership should never lose its TOUCH! John 1:14, “And the Word (Christ) became FLESH (HUMAN, INCARNATE) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, LIVED AWHILE) AMONG US; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.” (AMPC) The Word, Jesus, Became Flesh, Human, Lived Among Us, We Saw Him and His Glory, Because He Dwelled in the Midst of Us. There’s so much that I love about our Savior, but one thing that stands out the highest for me is that He was and is always Touchable! He wasn’t distant, unreachable, unapproachable, restricted to the privileged and out of touch with the people. He walked among the people, He talked to them, touched them, made His presence known in the midst of them. And as leaders we need to do the same. So, when it comes to communication, make sure you Talk more than you Text! Make sure that you encourage the people to come out to the House of God for Prayer more so than sitting at home distracted on a conference call or live streaming. Don’t just send an email, hold a face-to-face meeting. Technology is great, but it should never take the place of Touchable Leadership. Matthew 8:3, “Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” (AMP); Matthew 8:15, “He touched her hand and the fever left her; and she got up and served Him.” (AMP); Matthew 9:20, “Then a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the [tassel] fringe of His outer robe;” (AMP); Matthew 9:29, “Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith [your trust and confidence in My power and My ability to heal] it will be done to you.” (AMP); Matthew 14:36, “and they begged Him to let them merely touch the fringe of His robe; and all who touched it were perfectly restored.” (AMP); Matthew 17:7, “But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” (AMP); Matthew 20:34, “Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him [as His disciples].” (AMP)

6…LEADERSHIP IS ALWAYS TRAINING: When disaster hit the Titanic, the hindrance of recovery was due to the lack of training. There were no drills, no rehearsals, no ‘just in case’ practice runs. So when an emergency arose, panic set in immediately, because no one was prepared because everyone thought they were secure because of what they were in. As a leader, some of the excuses that drives me nuts is “that’s not my job…I wasn’t asked to do that…so and so usually handles that…” In other words, the high cost we pay in failure is due to expensive finger pointing! Everyone on the Team is responsible for the Team! So there should always be someone in place to take the place of someone who steps out of place! I often teach that training needs to be more global than local. Meaning, I don’t believe the Elders should just know how to teach and preach. They should know something about the Ushers, about the Deacons, about the Missionaries, why? Because these are roles that if you needed to step into them, you could. Now, if you’re not a singer, don’t attempt to learn a thing about that area of ministry! You laugh, but cross-training is effective! But you need to cross-train where it will be effective. And having a tone-deaf, non-singer learn the alto section of a song will be a guaranteed disaster! But all those required to teach the Word, should know the areas of ministry where the same responsibility is in place. Because at any given time if a Sunday School teacher isn’t present, it gives you a broader range of substitutes who are ready, willing, able, equipped and prepared to step in and fill the void. Leaders, Always Remain Teachable and Trainable! 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” (AMPC)

7…LEADERSHIP LOOKS BELOW THE SURFACE: Be real careful about the people you under-estimate and over-look. You see, it was the people at the bottom of the ship that were the First to know something was wrong! Don’t get so caught up in putting people on pedestals. Don’t get so distracted by the rings, robes, crosses, titles, positions, and the like. It’s often a little usher sitting on the back row that sees everything wrong and has a vision on how to make it right, that goes dangerously unnoticed. The Whole business, organization, team, church, ministry and even family, is a part of the Whole! Don’t fragment them based on who you think is more qualified, more entitled, or more intelligent. If you want more guaranteed success for the Team, than stop strategizing from in Individual Perspective. Those you over-look are often the very ones who have the best perception. Look at it like this: We talk a lot about the anointing oil, but what you need to do is study the one who prepared it. It’s done in the dark, underground, with no audience, no prestige, no glamor, out of sight. And yet, he handles the anointing oil that consecrates people, places and things for God’s work. Selah…Be Careful That You Don’t Overlook Those Who are Working Down Below! Philippians 2:1-4, “If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” (MSG)

8…LEADERSHIP LOOKS BEYOND THE HORIZON: No one was on the look-out for unexpected icebergs. No one was looking out for the just in case, the surprises, the “that wasn’t on the program”. But those who discover great things are those who were looking to discover great things. You can’t become so comfortable and secure in what you’ve been in for so long, no matter its success, that you don’t challenge and stretch yourself beyond where you’ve been or where you are. Captains are to be on the look-out. Leaders are to be likewise. Don’t just look at the people you already have in place, look around you at those who we still call “brother and sister” so and so. They come every Sunday, they’re at Sunday school, bible study, prayer and services. Yet no one uses them because they’re not popular or, they’re not licensed, credentialed, degreed and initialed. You have no idea of the greatness you’re overlooking by staring only at those of “prominence, prestige and position.” Leaders, if your desire is to see your Vision come to pass, Look Below the Surface and Beyond the Horizon. Can you imagine if Mary remained overlooked; if David remained overlooked; if Esther remained overlooked; if Rahab remained overlooked; if Jesus remained overlooked?! Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (MSG) Look Beyond Where You Are to Where You’re About to Be! Help the TEAM See the LEADERS Vision So Clearly That We’re All In High Anticipation of What’s Now and Next! Prepare for the Unexpected (Good and Bad), that’s what Leaders Do! Preparation is Half the Solution to Any Problem!

People of God, I pray you enjoyed today’s teachings. I’m looking for you to use them to arrive Safely where God is directing you. Remember, you are responsible to make sure that as the Captain of the “Leader-SHIP”, you and ALL aboard reach your Destination in God!

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

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“When You’re in a Hurry…But God’s Not!”

Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He has set the right time for everything. He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what He does.” (GNT)

My friend Katrina was in a big hurry to get home one freezing wintry night, but her aunt wasn’t. Her aunt had taken her shopping, and her aunt was taking her sweet time in leaving. One more thing to buy; one more store to go to; oh, yeah, one more stop to make. Oh, we need to fill up with gas. Needless to say, by the time Katrina finally got home, man, she was frustrated. It was the holiday season and everyone on planet earth was showing up in all the exact same stores she went to. Not to mention matters were made worse by trying to drive through the mountains of snow and slippery, ice-covered streets. Only to get home and have to take out all the shopping bags from the backseat and trunk. And certainly it was no fun trying to carry all of those bags, with her aunt holding on to her so she wouldn’t fall, while Katrina was praying her own version of ‘Lord, keep me on my feet!’ However, they finally make it to the door of the house, and Katrina sort of sputtered as she walked in the front door (tired, frustrated, freezing, and out of breath), only to be greeted by 25 of her best friends jumping out of the darkness shouting, “Surprise!”

Yeah, you guessed it; it was her birthday and believe me, it was a surprise! We planned it for months! And after she had some oxygen and some smelling salts and regained a steady heartbeat and consciousness…lol…she began to realize the reason for all those carefully, pre-planned, purposely orchestrated delays! Time was needed to get her surprise ready! And maybe, just maybe, that’s why you’re waiting right now too!

A portion out of Ecclesiastes 3:11 that I’ve gone back to as an anchor so many times to interpret what God was doing or seemed like He wasn’t doing in my life says this: “He has made everything beautiful in its time…”

Problem is, we get real Ugly while waiting for God to make everything Beautiful in its time!

Shall we be honest? Our tempers flare, we get discouraged and depressed, and certainly our faith begins to waver, while our doubts remain steadfast, then of course unbelief snuggles up next to us every night closer than our pillows and covers. Our attitudes go through a period of needing some serious adjusting and resetting. Our speech and thoughts become negative and pessimistic. Jealousy and envy and coveting rear their ugly heads, because now we believe God has favorites and we’ve clearly not made the cut to be on His team. Resentment, bitterness and anger all become a part of our daily garments as much as our pants, shirts and shoes are. And dare we even began to talk about our ‘Sarah Complex’ of attempting to help God out with a back-up plan since He obviously has no idea that His plan A has some glitches in it that need to be worked out!

In a nutshell, it simply becomes a very Ugly time while waiting for something Beautiful to happen!

You see, it all kind of goes with that fullness of time principle the Bible talks about when it refers to the coming of Christ in these words: “But when the right time finally came, God sent His own Son…” (Galatians 4:4 GNT) Saints, God even waited for the right time to send His own Son to save us! You know, I’m starting to think that God has a thing about this whole ‘Timing’ bit!

And do you know why I say that? Well, just take a look at how other translations state this Scripture:

“BUT WHEN [IN GOD’S PLAN] THE PROPER TIME HAD FULLY COME, GOD SENT HIS SON…” (AMP);

“BUT WHEN THE TIME WAS RIGHT, GOD SENT HIS SON…” (CEV);

“BUT WHEN THE TIME ARRIVED THAT WAS SET BY GOD THE FATHER, GOD SENT HIS SON…” (MSG);

“BUT WHEN THE SET TIME HAD FULLY COME, GOD SENT HIS SON…” (NIV);

“BUT AT THE RIGHT TIME, GOD SENT HIS SON…” (NLV)

Even with something as important, urgent and vital as our salvation, God still waited for the right, set time to fully arrive in His plan before He sent His Son. And if He’ll wait for the right timing for that, He’ll wait for the right timing concerning all things concerning us! Like it or not my friend, but you may be in hurry, BUT GOD’S NOT! He is waiting for the Fullness of time! And the word “fullness” is defined as “after a due length of time has elapsed; completely filled; containing all that can be held; filled to the utmost; filled to capacity; perfectness; wholeness; and entire.” In other words, God is waiting for the absolute perfect timing to bring things to pass in your life, and when it does come, it will be more than you could have asked, dreamed or imagined (Ephesians 3:20, “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).

Just think about, when the time fully came for Him to send His Son, did we lack anything in receiving Him? Absolutely not! In fact, yes, He came to save us, but we received so much more than just salvation, we’ve been saved, healed, delivered, redeemed, justified, consecrated, gifted, anointed, protected, provided for, and still have so many more promises of God that haven’t been delivered to us yet! Listen, when you wait for God to do it in His timing and in His way, according to His plan, you will receive perfected promises! You simply cannot go wrong with that!

But again, the problem for us is that little phrase concerning the waiting periods of our life: “In the fullness of time, God…” Which means you my friend will have to wait! But will your waiting be in vain? Absolutely not!

Habakkuk 2:2-3, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.” (MSG)

What you’re waiting on is also waiting on you! You’re excited about it, and it’s excited about you! “…It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait!…” The promise and vision are just as on high alert as you are in expectation of their arrival…but you’ve got to wait, because it will only come “…right on time.”

Even when it seems slow, wait, don’t attempt to rush God! And in those moments when you feel the need to, remember King Saul:

1 Samuel 13:8-14, “He waited seven days, THE TIME SET BY SAMUEL. Samuel failed to show up at Gilgal, and the soldiers were slipping away, right and left. So Saul took charge: “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” He went ahead and sacrificed the burnt offering. NO SOONER HAD HE DONE IT THAN SAMUEL SHOWED UP! Saul greeted him. Samuel said, “What on earth are you doing?” Saul answered, “When I saw I was losing my army from under me, and that you hadn’t come when you said you would, and that the Philistines were poised at Micmash, I said, ‘The Philistines are about to come down on me in Gilgal, and I haven’t yet come before God asking for his help.’ SO I TOOK THINGS INTO MY OWN HANDS, and sacrificed the burnt offering.” “That was a fool thing to do,” Samuel said to Saul. “IF YOU HAD KEPT THE APPOINTMENT THAT YOUR GOD COMMANDED, by now God would have set a firm and lasting foundation under your kingly rule over Israel. As it is, your kingly rule is already falling to pieces. God is out looking for your replacement right now. This time he’ll do the choosing. When he finds him, he’ll appoint him leader of his people. AND ALL BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T KEEP YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH GOD!” (MSG)

People of God, you don’t want to lose everything because you couldn’t wait! Don’t attempt to take things into your own hands. If God set a date and a time, wait for it to come to pass no matter how slow the timing may be. Saul could’ve kept his kingdom generation after generation, and yet because of one fools move of moving outside of the set timing, he lost everything and was replaced! Listen, for the record, God knows what He’s doing and doesn’t need your assistance at all!

Jeremiah 29:10-11, “This is God’s Word on the subject…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.” (MSG) God knows what He’s doing, His plan is fool-proof, now just make sure you’re not acting the fool to mess it up!

You know, I heard about a pastor not too long ago whose secretary walked into his office, and she found him pacing back and forth, which was not what he usually did in his office. She said, “Hey, what’s the matter.” He said, “I’m in a hurry and God isn’t.” Did you ever feel that way? You say, “Well, that’s my life right now. I’m in a hurry and God isn’t.” And maybe you’re asking, “Where is that answer? What’s taking so long? God are You not listening to my prayers? Didn’t you hear me tell you about the urgency of the matter? The rent/mortgage/car note/ car insurance and tuition are all due on the same day! I need gas money, they’re about to turn off the water, gas and electricity if miracle funds aren’t deposited in my bank account by 5pm today! The doctor said if this last treatment doesn’t go well, that’s it, there’s nothing else he can do! God they’ve already laid off 5 people from my department and they’re not done yet…what are You going to do? God we need groceries, the kids need money for their school trip, Tommy needs braces and Tina needs glasses, and I need the money to pay for it all! God the child support is about to put my paycheck on life support! God if you don’t step in today we’ll be getting divorced tomorrow! God are You listening? God do You even care? God what are You waiting for? God when are You going to move?”

Ever been there? Are you there right now?

Well, God is following a careful process, invisible to you, but it will bring glory to Him and it will bring lasting joy to you. But right now He’s taking time to get you ready for the answer, recreating you into someone who has mountain-moving faith. Because if you don’t have to wait, you don’t have to develop faith. And all of us, no matter how powerful we think we are, need are faith to experience life events that cause it to develop.

James 1:2-4, “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.” (MSG)

Your faith muscles need exercise so they can be strengthened to develop and the weights that work best for this is tests and challenges that come at you from all sides! Strengthening your faith in the waiting time brings you peace like you’ve never known. It gives you the reassurance that God is at work, and you will be rewarded, in the fullness of time! So, don’t rush, don’t panic, and don’t try to get out of any situation that God is using for your ultimate good!

Remember: “…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.” (MSG)

Saints, if you let it happen God’s way you will not be deficient in any way! So WAIT! It Will Be Good!

Romans 8:26-28, “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 working into something good.” (MSG)

Even God knows we get tired in the waiting, and He’s even prepared a plan for that. The Holy Spirit comes alongside to help us along, interceding along the journey.

Listen, I know you’ve been waiting so long you’ve lost count on how many days, weeks and years you’ve actually been waiting. But I still say wait! Why? Because God is working on something good just for you, and all you have to do is trust Him and wait for it!

Psalm 27:14, “Wait for and confidently expect the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.” (AMP)

And that’s exactly what I’m admonishing you to do today, wait for God; be confident in God; be strong and don’t lose heart as you wait for God; expect God to do it!

Truth is, if God gave many of us what we asked for, when we asked for it, we’d be in some serious trouble. I mean, if God gave me the six-figure job, twenty years ago, when I was struggling to pay my $20 tithe from my temp job, would I really have been disciplined enough to handle so much More, when I was already struggling with so much Less? Now, I would love to say yes, but the truth is a resounding No! I wasn’t disciplined then; I didn’t trust Him as much then; I didn’t believe Him as much then; I wasn’t as focused then; my faith wasn’t developed then. It took me a long time, a lot of years and quite a bit of painful life events to get me to the point that I can trust and believe in God for absolutely anything no matter the waiting time. Now, does that mean I don’t experience some anxious days even now? Nope. I most certainly do. I may not be as bad as I was then, but I still have my moments when I’m waiting for the doctors reports to come back for my husband or children; or I’m working on a major job or ministry project and I’m wondering how it will all be done by the deadline. I still have my moments and my days, but when I do, I turn to one of my favorite Scriptures that empowers me in the wait:

Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]” (AMP)

So, I’m not telling you something I read, but something I know, I live and I believe. Pray about every circumstance and every situation, take it all to God, believing that He will handle it in His way, in His time, and for your good! It’s still worth it to wait on God!

Furthermore, the waiting time is your developing time. It’s the time you take to do some self-examination and I promise once you do, you’ll say like me, “I need to change don’t I?” The answer, yes we do! And God knows this, which is why He’s taking time to get the answer ready for you. There’s a person, or a position, or a location that right now God is making just right for you. He’s working even though it’s invisible to you. Now if you panic while He’s getting everything ready, oh you’re going to ruin the plan, or maybe you’re going to end up with a short-term fix, or worse yet, a long-term mess!

So, don’t get Ugly in the wait, trust your Father’s timing, He does make everything Beautiful in its time.

Trust God’s timing even if it seems late to you. Truth is, God always seems to work a little more slowly than I want Him to, but He’s always right on time. My friend Katrina learned that the delays were only to set up a wonderful surprise for her. And my friend, your delays are doing the same thing for you! So be patient with all the stops and waits right now, because you’ll love the surprise at the end of this wait.

Don’t forget: Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He has set the right time for everything. He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what He does.” (GNT)

We don’t need to know the timing of God, we just need to wait on it. We’ll never fully understand what God does, but knowing that He’s the one doing it, should bring us reassurance and comfort, and certainly more faith, patience, expectation and anticipation that something good is on the way.

He’s Set the Right Time for Everything Concerning You…Now Leave the Clock Alone and Stop Trying to Hurry the Hand of God!

Remember: When You’re in a Hurry…God’s Not! And Father Knows Best!

“But when the right time finally came, God…”

“God is not in a hurry. You are. It’s why you’re tired, anxious, stressed, worried and disappointed. Trust that what is meant to be yours in accordance with His Will, will be yours, at just the right time!” (Aniket Yadav)

“God is not in a hurry because all His works are done in love.” (Warren W. Wierske)

“The best things are never arrived at in haste. God is in no hurry. His plans are never rushed.” (Author Unknown)

“God is never in a hurry, but He is always on time.” (Author Unknown)

“Don’t try to rush things that need time to grow.” (Author Unknown)

“Patience! Patience! You are always in a hurry, but God is not.” (Charles H. Spurgeon)

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” (Saint Francis de Sales)

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