“THE SECRET OF CONTENTMENT”

Philippians 4:12, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the SECRET OF BEING CONTENT in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” {NIV}

Believe it or not, but sometimes Contentment has 3 Simple Secrets:

1…LEARNING TO BE HAPPY WITH LESS: A hard-charging executive decided to spend a few days in a monastery. “I hope your stay is a blessed one,” said the monk who showed him to his cell. “If you need anything let us know. We’ll teach you how to live without it.” As comical as that sounds, happiness isn’t getting what you want, IT’S ENJOYING WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY GIVEN YOU! Paul said he had learned to be content, “…whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:12-13 NIV). The Message Bible says it like this: “…Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite CONTENT whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.” (vss. 10-14 MSG) Could you imagine what life would be like for so many of us if we embraced Paul’s mindset on contentment? He says, “…Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally…” How befitting, since in just a few more verses he would say: “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) YOUR EVERY NEED according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 AMPC) Paul already knew WHO handled his needs, so he had no sense of needing anything personally. Just imagine how stress free we would be if our faith in God stretched that far? And how can we get our faith to stretch as far as Paul’s did? Just look at the earlier verses in that same chapter! Philippians 4:6-9, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, LETTING GOD KNOW YOUR CONCERNS. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. IT’S WONDERFUL WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CHRIST DISPLACES WORRY AT THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” (MSG) Paul lets us know that we have to alter our mindset! Too often we try to figure it all out while God is saying, just tell Me, and I’ll handle it, you don’t have to make futile attempts at figuring it all out on your own! Proverbs 3:5-12, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; DON’T TRY TO FIGURE OUT EVERYTHING ON YOUR OWN. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track. DON’T ASSUME THAT YOU KNOW IT ALL. RUN TO GOD…” (MSG); Jeremiah 33:3, “…CALL TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU. I’LL TELL YOU MARVELOUS AND WONDROUS THINGS THAT YOU COULD NEVER FIGURE OUT ON YOUR OWN.’” (MSG); Isaiah 65:24, “I will answer them before they even call to Me. WHILE THEY ARE STILL TALKING TO ME ABOUT THEIR NEEDS, I WILL GO AHEAD AND ANSWER THEIR PRAYERS!” (TLB). This is the reflection of Paul’s mindset and why he felt no sense of needing anything personally. He trusted God for everything, no matter what his circumstances were! Do you trust God like that? Or are you still holding pen and pad trying to come up with a solution that only God has? Paul says, “…I’ve learned by now to be quite CONTENT whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am…” This is a lesson that is vital for all of us to learn, especially during the upcoming holiday season. You see, so many are exhausting every penny of their finances to purchase gifts, forgetting about the precious gifts that we already have (that many are still praying to receive). We may want a new car, but someone is praying to just get enough coins together to get on the bus and go to work to a job that pays them little more than ‘coins’. We may want a new house, but someone is praying to get a cot at the shelter so they don’t have to sleep under the bridge, on the train, on the platform, in the park, in a cardboard box, for at least one night. We may want to dine at 5-star restaurants, when someone just wants a buttered roll from the deli, instead of the garbage can. We may want a new job, but someone is praying to get a job, ANY job. We may want a promotion, but someone is praying simply not to be laid off. We may want to lose 20 pounds, while someone is receiving dialysis, radiation, or chemotherapy and hopes to merely stay alive, regardless of their weight. Are you getting this? We have so many blessings ALREADY that we don’t appreciate and yet we’re still in high pursuit for MORE, while others are still praying through their LESS. Let’s develop Paul’s mindset on contentment and learn to be content WHATEVER OUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE, trusting that God knows best and will do His best on our behalf! John Balguy said it best, “Contentment is a pearl of great price, and whoever procures it at the expense of ten thousand desires makes a wise and a happy purchase.” Stop carrying your burdens and learn how to cast them instead! Psalm 55:22, “CAST YOUR BURDEN ON THE LORD [RELEASE IT] and He will sustain and uphold you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail).” (AMP) True Contentment is Found in Casting, Not Carrying!

2…REMIND YOURSELF, THINGS COULD BE WORSE: Snoopy was lying on his dog house one Thanksgiving Day, mumbling about being stuck with dog food while all those humans got to be inside with the turkey and gravy. “Of course, it could have been worse,” he finally reflected, “I could have been born a turkey.” Again, as comical as it sounds, reminding yourself that the statement “IT COULD BE WORSE” can be a powerful developer of contentment! Over these last few years it has absolutely dumbfounded me how many famous and wealthy people have committed suicide. You would think with their money, cars, mansions, luxuries, star spouses, well-known brands, that they would be happy. However, they took their own lives anyway. People who have come from well-to-do families, or built legendary careers, even comics that have made their living making us laugh, were unhappy and unfulfilled behind the scenes. So many thought if I just get in that school; get that job; get that man/woman; have that baby; get married; become debt-free; get down to my desired weight; get rid of my acne and stretch marks; buy that house; drive that car, I would be happy. And yet, those same people have attained many of those things to find that their happy was never in them. I have a girlfriend that interviewed for a managerial position at a different job. The position would double her salary! She asked if I would touch and agree with her to get it. But all I would do was touch and agree that the Will of God for her life would be accomplished. She never said she loved the job, that it was a career she’d always wanted to have, she didn’t mention any benefits and perks. The only reason she would take the job offered is because of the money. Well, she got the job! That was 6 months ago, and she’s been miserable ever since. She left a job that she loved, loved her coworkers, even supervisors, managers and bosses. Didn’t mind the workload. The commute was a breeze. The pay was above decent. And yet, when she saw the dollar signs, she left her place of contentment to end up in a place of resentment. She went from working 8 hours to almost 18 including weekends and holidays. She received a new cellphone that would have to be on and accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. She began missing out on date nights with her husband, which has since strained their once happy marriage. Her children complain because she no longer can attend any of their school activities, nor is she home for dinner or available to help them with homework. Her sick mother that she used to spend every Saturday with, she hasn’t seen in 2 months. This my friends is why you have to be careful in your pursuit of MORE. Sometimes MORE is simply MORE headaches, heartaches, stress, frustration and loss. Sometimes getting what you want or getting more, can end up being worse, instead of better.  “Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” (Author Unknown). So, appreciate all that you have NOW, even if MORE never comes. God knows what you need and what you can handle. If you trust Him, thank Him, and show Him the gratitude He deserves for all He’s already given you, you may just find a bit more peace of mind, happiness, joy and contentment! Matthew 6:30-33, “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.” (MSG); 1 Peter 5:7, “SO BE CONTENT with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; HE’LL PROMOTE YOU AT THE RIGHT TIME. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.” (MSG) Things Could Always Be Worse, Make Sure You Learn to Thank God Better For What You Already Have!

3…UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT YOU SEEK IS SPIRITUAL, NOT MATERIAL: Paul says to beware of “…greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5 NIV). Our problem isn’t just that we want more, it’s that the condition which underlies all our wanting is that WE REALLY WANT GOD! As Augustine said, “Our souls will never rest, until they rest in Thee.” THE TRUTH IS, GOD WILL NEVER GIVE US ALL WE DESIRE TO MAKE US FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD, WHEN THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME! The Bible says: “These people all died controlled and sustained by their faith, but not having received the TANGIBLE fulfillment of [God’s] promises, only having seen it and greeted it from a great distance by faith, AND ALL THE WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING AND CONFESSING THAT THEY WERE STRANGERS AND TEMPORARY RESIDENTS AND EXILES UPON THE EARTH” (Hebrews 11:13 AMP). NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU GET OF THIS WORLD’S GOLD IT CANNOT COMPARE WITH THE GLORY OF RECEIVING GOD’S GRACE IN ALL THAT HE’S ALREADY GIVEN US! SATISFYING YOUR FLESH, WILL NEVER SATISFY YOUR SPIRIT! “FRIENDS, THIS WORLD IS NOT YOUR HOME, SO DON’T MAKE YOURSELVES COZY IN IT. DON’T INDULGE YOUR EGO AT THE EXPENSE OF YOUR SOUL. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.” (1 Peter 2:11 MSG). In short, if there’s anything we should be longing for it should be: “Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 NIV). While we’re so busy trying to attain Old Testament Deuteronomy 28:1-14 blessings, God says this to us in the New Testament: Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has BLESSED US WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS IN CHRIST.” (AMP) SAINTS, STOP CHASING STUFF, WHEN YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN GIVEN EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS IN CHRIST! Do Not Belittle What Jesus Paid So Much to Give You!

In closing: Michael Drosnin wrote a book about a man who wanted more wealth, so he built one of the biggest financial empires of his day. He wanted more pleasure, so he paid for the most glamorous women money could buy. He wanted more adventure, so he set air speed records, built and piloted the world’s most unique aircraft. He wanted more power, so he acquired political clout that was the envy of senators. He wanted more glamour, so he owned film studios and courted stars.

Then, Drosnin tells how this man’s life ended: “He was a figure of gothic power, ready for the grave. Emaciated, only 120 pounds stretched over his six-foot-four-inch frame…thin scraggly beard that reached its way onto his sunken chest, hideously long fingernails in grotesque yellow corkscrews…Many of his teeth were black, rotting stumps. A tumor was beginning to emerge from the side of his head…innumerable needle marks…Howard Hughes was an addict. A billionaire junkie.”

So here’s the question: If Hughes had pulled off one more deal, made one more million and tasted one more thrill, WOULD IT HAVE EVER BEEN ENOUGH?!

You see, the illusion of gratitude is that we will experience it more, IF WE GET MORE! NO, that’s the same as making sure a child gets everything which will eventually destroy their initiative and dull their sense of gratitude and contentment! Mark 8:34-37, “Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. WHAT GOOD WOULD IT DO TO GET EVERYTHING YOU WANT AND LOSE YOU, THE REAL YOU? WHAT COULD YOU EVER TRADE YOUR SOUL FOR?” (MSG)

 “The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real estate, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith.” (Bertrand Russell).

Don’t you find it interesting that the man who wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content” also wrote, “IN EVERY THING GIVE THANKS: FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS CONCERNING YOU” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)?

I know today’s church is all about financial prosperity, break-through’s, seasons, harvest, turn-around’s, and financial abundance, but I like God’s Prosperity a whole lot more:  “BELOVED, I WISH ABOVE ALL THINGS THAT THOU MAYEST PROSPER AND BE IN HEALTH, EVEN AS THY SOUL PROSPERETH” (3 John 1:2). Another translation puts it like this: “DEAR FRIEND, I HOPE ALL IS WELL WITH YOU AND THAT YOU ARE AS HEALTHY IN BODY AS YOU ARE STRONG IN SPIRIT” 

THEREFORE, REGARDLESS TO WHAT PULPIT PIMPS ERRONEOUSLY PROCLAIM AND FALSELY PROPHESY…CONTENTMENT, NOT CASH, IS TRUE PROSPERITY!

DON’T LOSE YOUR SPIRIT’S PEACE, CHASING FOR FLESHLY PIECES OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY!

Here’s a little hymn that will remind you to protect your contentment and peace:

“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. Refrain: It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.” (Horatio G. Spafford, 1873)

Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].” (AMP)

Psalm 23:1, “Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need!” (TLB)

1 Timothy 6:6, “But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God].” (AMP) The Message Bible says it like this: “A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.” vss. 6-8 MSG)

Let that be our goal, the one in which we set our sights on going into 2024. Whatever my lot, whatever my circumstances, whatever I have or don’t have, it is well with my soul!

Church, Embrace the Secret of Contentment, For it is to Simply Thank God For All Things and to Trust Him In All Things!

“To be content doesn’t mean you don’t desire more, it means you’re thankful for what you have and patient for what’s to come.” (Tony Gaskins)

“Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” (Author Unknown)

“Contentment is an attitude that says, ‘I will be satisfied with what God has given me.” (Jennifer Booth)

“Contentment is the only real wealth.” (Alfred Nobel)

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” (Epicurus)

“A harvest of peace is produced from a seed of contentment.” (Proverb)

“Contentment makes a poor man rich, discontent makes a rich man poor.” (Benjamin Franklin)

“There is no end of craving. Hence contentment alone is the best way to happiness. Therefore, acquire contentment.” (Swami Sivananda)

“Fortify yourself with contentment, for this is an impregnable fortress.” (Epictetus)

“Contentment is a state of the heart, unaffected by outward circumstances.” (Crystal Paine)

“A contented heart is a calm sea in the midst of all storms.” (Author Unknown)

“Contentment is natural wealth. Luxury is artificial poverty.” (Socrates)

“Happiness comes after contentment.” (E.A. Cabaltica)

“May we never let the things we can’t have, or don’t have, spoil our enjoyment of the things we do have and can have.” (Richard L. Evans)

“Contentment always eludes those who don’t count themselves blessed for what they already have.” (Author Unknown)

“Life is better if you are satisfied and happy with what you do and what you have.” (Dr. T.P. Chia)

“There is no treasure equal to contentment and no virtue equal to fortitude.” (Sarada Devi)

“Simplicity is the first cousin of contentment.” (John Stott)

“The greatest wealth is to live content with little.” (Plato)

“Contentment is the equilibrium between the enjoyment of life now and the anticipation of what is to come.” (Priscilla Shirer)

“Contentment comes not so much from great wealth as from few wants.” (Epictetus)

“Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude.” (John Chrysostom)

“Contentment is not by addition but by subtraction: seeking to add a thing will not bring contentment. Instead, subtracting from your desires until you are satisfied only with Christ brings contentment.” (Jeremiah Burroughs)

“Be happy with the little that you have. There are people with nothing that still manage to smile.” (Author Unknown)

“Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.” (Og Mandino)

“Contentment, then, is the product of a heart resting in God. It is the soul’s enjoyment of that peace that passes all understanding. It is the outcome of my will being brought into subjection to the Divine Will. It is the blessed assurance that God does all things well, and is, even now, making all things work together for my ultimate good.” (Arthur W. Pink)

“Contentment with life is not a feeling, but it is a decision we must make.” (Joyce Meyer)

“He who is contented is rich.” (Lao Tzu)

“Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.” (Jeremiah Burroughs)

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

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“GO THROUGH UNTIL IT’S GRANTED!”

“Later on Eve gave birth to another son and named him SETH (meaning “GRANTED”); for, as Eve put it, “God has GRANTED me another son for the one Cain killed.” (Genesis 4:25 TLB)

In one sweep of jealousy Eve’s dreams lay bleeding on the ground; her older son a criminal on the run, her younger son murdered in the prime of his life. And yet she’s supposed to be the mother of all living! In fact, this is what the Scripture says: “The man named his wife Eve (meaning “The Life-Giving One”), for he said, “She shall become the mother of all mankind.” (Genesis 3:20 TLB). Well, how do you maintain a title like that, when you’re now the mother of a corpse and a killer? Her own husband spoke “Life” in naming her, and yet the one he called “Life” would have birthed from her own womb, one that would be killed and one that would be his killer! How bad it must have felt to be called “Life”, and yet deal with “Death”?

Have you ever been there, when you’re CALLING and your CIRCUMSTANCES are opposites that DON’T attract?

Can you identify just a little bit with Eve? Or should I say it like this, have you ever found yourself asking, “Lord, this is NOT what YOU promised me!”; “Lord, this is NOT the way this was supposed to go!”; “Lord, I saw this work out a little different in my mind than what has manifested in my life!”; “Lord, after all this time, shouldn’t this and they be better?”; “Lord, I give my tithes, but the windows of heaven must be open on the wrong side of the house!”; “Lord, am I really supposed to STILL live here, STILL drive that, STILL walk there, STILL face this, STILL deal with them?” In Essence: Lord, This Is NOT How This Was Supposed to Go!

YOU Said You Have a Plan, a Purpose, and a Promise Just For Me, and Yet All I’ve Seen Thus Far are Problems, Pain and Persecution! Lord, What Happened?!

Well, if that’s where you are today, here’s my advice to you and it’s free: GO THROUGH UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH! Or in the words of our title: GO THROUGH UNTIL IT’S GRANTED!

Now, many of you will say, “Thanks for the encouragement, but I’m still stuck in the middle of the tunnel, and I hear a train coming but don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel! You say Go Through, but I’m still stuck and can’t Get Through, so, now what?” I reiterate, GO THROUGH UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH…GO THROUGH UNTIL IT’S GRANTED! How is that possible? Simple, just remember this: Matthew 5:18, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (KJV). However, there’s another translation of this Scripture that I love and it reads like this: “I can GUARANTEE this truth: Until the earth and the heavens disappear, neither a PERIOD OR A COMMA will disappear from the Scriptures before EVERYTHING HAS COME TRUE.” (GWT). Do you know how determined God has to be to “Guarantee” that not even a “Period or a Comma” will come up missing “Before Every Word He’s Declared Comes True”?! In other words, be encouraged, because regardless to how bleak the situation looks, whatever God has declared concerning you in His Word HAS to come to pass! Listen: The word “Guarantee” means “a formal assurance that certain conditions will be fulfilled; something that makes an outcome certain; a promise of certainty”. Its Spanish Origin comes from “Garante” and is related to the word “Warrant”. “Warrant” means: “a document entitling the holder to receive goods, money, or services.” Its Origin comes from the words “Protector and Safeguard” and thereby means “To Protect From Danger.”

Hear me clearly: You will go through and get through because God has granted you a guarantee that everything He said WILL come true! And His guarantee comes with an assurance that every condition will be favorable in the end. Your outcome of victory is sealed and certain. Your promise of goods, money, and services are safe-guarded and protected. And as long as you have this promise from God you will forever be protected from dangers that attempt to sift your life!

Remember This: Satan can touch your POSSESSIONS, but he can’t take your PROMISE! Listen to Job 1:12 in a few translations:

“Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that Job has is in your power, ONLY DO NOT PUT YOUR HAND ON THE MAN HIMSELF.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.” (AMP)

“And the Lord said to Satan (the adversary and the accuser), Behold, all that he has is in your power, ONLY UPON THE MAN HIMSELF PUT NOT FORTH YOUR HAND. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.” (AMPC)

“The Lord said to the Adversary, “Look, all he has is within your power; ONLY DON’T STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND AGAINST HIM.” So the Adversary left the Lord’s presence.” (CEB)

“The Lord replied, “All right, Satan, do what you want with anything that belongs to him, BUT DON’T HARM JOB.” Then Satan left.” (CEV)

“The Lord said to Satan, “All right, do whatever you want with anything that he has, BUT DON’T HURT JOB HIMSELF.” Then Satan left the meeting.” (ERV)

“And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. ONLY AGAINST HIM DO NOT STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” (ESV)

“The Lord told Satan, “Everything he has is in your power, BUT YOU MUST NOT LAY A HAND ON HIM! Then Satan left the Lord’s presence.” (GWT)

“All right,” the Lord said to Satan, “everything he has is in your power, BUT YOU MUST NOT HURT JOB HIMSELF.” So Satan left.” (GNT)

“And the Lord replied to Satan, “You may do anything you like with his wealth, BUT DON’T HARM HIM PHYSICALLY.” So Satan went away; and sure enough, not long afterwards when Job’s sons and daughters were dining at the oldest brother’s house, tragedy struck.” (TLB)

“God replied, “We’ll see. Go ahead—do what you want with all that is his. JUST DON’T HURT HIM.” Then Satan left the presence of God.” (MSG)

“The Lord said to Satan, “All right, then. Everything Job has is in your power, BUT YOU MUST NOT TOUCH JOB HIMSELF.” Then Satan left the Lord’s presence.” (NCV)

“The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, BUT ON THE MAN HIMSELF DO NOT LAY A FINGER.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” (NIV)

“Then the Lord said to Satan, “See, all that he has is in your power. ONLY DO NOT PUT YOUR HAND ON HIM.” So Satan went out from the Lord.” (NLV)

“All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, BUT DON’T HARM HIM PHYSICALLY.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.” (NLT)

I REITERATE: Satan can touch your POSSESSIONS, but he can’t take your PROMISE!

You will maintain the testimony that “…MY LIFE IS SAFE, AND I WILL LIVE TO TELL WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE.” (Psalm 118:17 CEV) Or in the words of the Good News Translation, “I WILL NOT DIE; INSTEAD, I WILL LIVE AND PROCLAIM WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE.” (GNT). I love that word “Instead”, it means “In Place Of”. In other words, devil, no matter what you do or bring my way, IN PLACE OF DYING, I will Survive and LIVE to tell the story! Will this always be easy? Of course not, if it was, none of us would need any encouragement at all! But is it doable, is it possible? YES! Just Let His Guaranteed Promises Keep You Anchored in His Word Which Cannot Even Allow a Period or Comma to Move Out of Place Before ALL He Has Said (Promised) Comes True!

Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie. He is not a son of man, that He should be sorry for what He has said. Has He said, and will He not do it? Has He spoken, and will He not keep His Word?” (NLV)

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

Jeremiah 1:12, “The Lord then said, “You are right, for I’m watching over My Word until it is fulfilled.” (CEB)

Are you getting this? No matter how bad things may be, they cannot, and will not stay this way for good! Before you know it you’ll have the testimony that “IT’S MY TURN!” Psalm 30:11, “Then He TURNED my sorrow into joy! He took away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.” (TLB).

I know it’s tough right now, tight right now, stressful right now, frustrating right now, confusing right now. And yet I still assure you that with all that’s against you, you will still say like Joseph, “…Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good…” (Genesis 50:20 MSG). You see, even when things don’t work out as we think they should, God’s plans are never put on pause because of our problems. He’s in fact so awesome as God that He won’t even change the plans of the enemy, but will even make the enemies plans work for your good! How powerful is that?!

Which is why you must always remember: Romans 8:28, “We know that God makes ALL things work together for the GOOD of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His PLAN.” (NLV); Jeremiah 29:11, “…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)

I reiterate, are you getting this? Not even the plans of the enemy, nor your own failed plans can hinder the Guaranteed Plans God has in Place for Your Future! That’s a good place to give God praise!

Look at another example of what God did for His people in the wilderness: “He led them forth by the straight and right way, that they might go to a city where they could establish their homes.” (Psalm 107:7 AMP). Your job is to Go Through, no matter how painful, just Go Through! Why? Because even in the struggles of the wilderness, God can still lead you in a straight and right way and as an added bonus, when you come out, you’re coming out Established! You know what I love about the word “Establish”? Its’ meaning of course! “To Set Up On a Firm and Permanent Basis”! His people Went Through, and When They Came Out, They Were “Set Up On a Firm and Permanent Basis”! Be Encouraged, Your Next Blessing Won’t Be Seasonal, It Will Be Permanent!

I reiterate yet again, GO THROUGH UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH! Because on the other side of your BIG Burden is an even BIGGER Blessing!

Back to our text, you see, when Cain killed Abel God’s plan for Eve was delayed…but not denied, nor destroyed! And in spite of what you are going through right now, everything God has promised you will likewise be fulfilled: The Bible declares: “And I am CONVINCED and SURE of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to FULL COMPLETION IN YOU.” (Philippians 1:6 AMP). Therefore, don’t let the disturbances, distractions and discouragement deter you, His Promises Are Coming to Full Completion In Your Life! Remember: Your God Can’t Lie, and His Word Can’t Fail!

Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand)” (AMP)  Listen: When doubt and unbelief and even fear try to creep up and steal the joy of your promise, just call on God, He’ll not only answer you, but come to you and show you great and mighty things that are fenced in and hidden in your struggles!

No matter what it looks like, consult God, He will always reveal your hidden blessings! Don’t believe it? Listen to this: “I will give you RICHES HIDDEN IN THE DARKNESS and things of GREAT WORTH that are HIDDEN IN SECRET PLACES. Then you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.” (Isaiah 45:3 NLV). Be Encouraged, You’ve Got Hidden Blessings About to Be Revealed!

Then the Bible further declares: “The LITTLE TROUBLES we suffer now FOR A SHORT TIME are making us ready for the GREAT THINGS God is going to give us FOREVER. We do not look at the things that can be seen. We look at the things that cannot be seen. The things that can be seen will come to an end. But the things that cannot be seen will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLV). All you have to do is endure a little trouble for a short time now, and then wait and watch God do great things for you forever! Now that’s worth holding on and hanging in there for! That’s worth going through until it’s granted!

In fact, God loves us so much that He even promises: “I will answer them BEFORE they even call to Me. While they are still talking to Me about their needs, I WILL GO AHEAD AND ANSWER THEIR PRAYERS!” (Isaiah 65:24 TLB) I declare, the promises of the Lord gets gooder and gooder as the days go by! (I know, bad grammar, but good point!)

Now, we’ve talked a lot about GO THROUGH and GET THROUGH…but what about GRANTED?

Well, God has a way of restoring things you thought would never come to pass again. He moved in Eve’s life and gave her another son named “Seth”, which means “One who takes the place of; compensation and granted”.

Isn’t that just like God, after all this time and frustration, and fear that things may not get any better, He steps in and declares: “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…” (Isaiah 43:18-19 MSG) If you would finally stop crying over what WAS, you’d be able to See and Celebrate what IS!

Eve named “Life”, had to Go Through “Death”, but ended up being “Granted” another blessing, and his name was “Seth”. “In Place Of” all that had been loss, she gained a ‘Grant’, which is defined as ‘Favor’! In the end, Eve could testify that: “My Loss Gained Me More”! Which brings us to an additional fact: Seth’s name also means “Compensation”. And “Compensation” is defined as, “something given to compensate for loss, suffering, or injury; something that compensates for an undesirable state of affairs.” Why Go Through Until You Get Through? Because God is not a Stingy God! He Will Compensate You For Your Loss, Suffering, Injury and Undesirable State of Affairs! Which reminds us of James, the Bible declares: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, NOT LACKING ANYTHING.” (1:2-4 NIV) Sounds Like Compensation to Me!

And then as an added generational blessing, Seth bore his parents a grandson named Enosh. The Scripture declares, “Adam slept with his wife again. She had a son whom she named Seth. She said, “God has given me another child in place of Abel whom Cain killed.” And then Seth had a son whom he named Enosh. THAT’S WHEN men and women began praying and worshiping in the name of GOD.” (Genesis 4:25-26 MSG).

Never Judge Prematurely How Your Story Will End! After All, Eve Began Chapter 4 With LIFE…Then Stepped in DEATH…HOWEVER, Before the Closing of the SAME Chapter, She Birthed LIFE AGAIN, Plus the Added Blessing of a Grandson Who Invoked the People to Pray and Worship in the Name of GOD! “…And then Seth had a son whom he named Enosh. THAT’S WHEN MEN AND WOMEN BEGAN PRAYING AND WORSHIPING IN THE NAME OF GOD.” (Genesis 4:25-26 MSG).

In a Nutshell: Don’t Get Discouraged By a Few Verses, God Can Turn Everything Around in Your Favor Before the Closing of the SAME Chapter!

People of God, Be Encouraged: GO THROUGH UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH, FOR WHEN YOU GET THROUGH YOUR GREATEST BLESSING WILL BE GRANTED!

1 Chronicles 4:9-10, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; but his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my border [property], and that Your hand would be with me, and You would keep me from evil so that it does not hurt me!” AND GOD GRANTED HIS REQUEST.” (AMP)

PEOPLE OF GOD, GO THROUGH UNTIL IT’S GRANTED, FOR WHAT GOD PROMISED YOU IS GUARANTEED TO COME TO PASS!

1 Peter 5:10, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.” (AMPC)

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: “WHAT’S REALLY IN YOUR FAST FOOD?”

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“DON’T GET WEARY WHILE WAITING”

Galatians 6:9, “LET US NOT GROW WEARY OR BECOME DISCOURAGED IN DOING GOOD, FOR AT THE PROPER TIME WE WILL REAP, IF WE DO NOT GIVE IN.” (AMP)

As much as I love to cook, I don’t bake! But my friend Yolanda loves to bake! If she could bake an 8-course meal for dinner, she would in a heartbeat! But what I found to be hilarious is when her husband Evan bought her a bread maker one year. However, I’m still not sure who the present was really for – her or him? You see, Evan loves the smell and taste of fresh bread! But honestly, who doesn’t? Personally, my eyes have lit up when piping hot bread was delivered to the table at a restaurant! But I must admit, Evan is worse than I am! I mean I’ve even seen him ask the people at the next table if they were going to eat their bread, and if not could they let him know before it gets cold! LOL! Evan is a character indeed!

Back to Yolanda…since her husband Evan loves freshly, baked bread so much, she prepares it all the time! She pours the mix into the bread machine, punches in all the proper settings, leaves it so it can begin its wonderful three-hour process of becoming fresh baked bread. But naturally, with a couple who has 4 young children, Evan and Yolanda often become busy around the household, and so at times they often forget the bread is baking. But truth is, they don’t have anything to do with it anyway. IT’S SILENTLY GETTING DONE, WITHOUT THEIR ASSISTANCE OR INTERFERENCE!

Now, there are some hints along the way that lets them know what’s happening. For instance, eventually this wonderful aroma starts spreading through the house. But there is one particular time that they were so busy around the holiday season and preparing for the big family gathering that Yolanda had no idea where the noise was coming from when she all of a sudden heard a loud “beep…beep…beep”! So she called from the back of the house, “honey, what’s that sound?” Evan yelled back, “the bread is done!”

Remember, they wanted the bread. So, they started the process of having the bread, but they didn’t see or hear anything for quite a while, until suddenly and deliciously, it was ready!

And believe it or not, that wasn’t a cooking lesson, but a Faith Lesson! That bread maker just described the way God works! Ecclesiastes 3:11 reads: “He has made everything beautiful IN ITS TIME.” Or in the Contemporary English Version, “God makes everything happen AT THE RIGHT TIME…” (CEV)

Now, if we’ll dare to be brutally honest, often that time is a whole lot later than we want it to be! Truthfully, if it were my preference, the saving, healing, deliverance, breakthrough, provision, protection, change, turn around, would have all happened for me overnight, not over the course of 49 years! If it had been up to me, I would have had all of my hearts desires requested on Monday and given to me in full on Tuesday morning before my alarm clock even went off! But thank God He not only knows what’s best for us, but WHEN it’s best for us. With that said, I must admonish you: “WAIT ON THE LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: WAIT, I SAY, ON THE LORD.” (Psalm 27:14)

Now, is that easy? Nope! But is it impossible? Nope! Therefore, WAIT!

Another translation says it like this: “DON’T BE IMPATIENT. WAIT FOR THE LORD…YES, WAIT AND HE WILL HELP YOU.” (TLB)

Being honest, we love that He’s going to help us, but we hate having to WAIT for it!

That word “Impatient” is defined as, “not willing to wait for something or someone; wanting or eager to do something without waiting; lack of patience; restless or short of temper especially under irritation, delay or opposition; eager desire for relief or change; intolerant of anything that delays or hinders; to be anxious.” And the word “Anxious” is defined as, “experiencing worry or unease.” Its’ Latin Origin “anxius” from “angere” means “to choke”. And the word “Choke” is defined as, “to prevent (someone) from breathing by constricting or obstructing the throat or depriving of air”. When you’re Impatient, you’re not willing to wait; you’re restless and short tempered (which means you can’t properly handle irritation, delay or opposition); you’re eager for immediate relief and change; you’re worried and uneased; you’re choked! Which means, praise can’t come out; worship can’t come out; exaltation can’t come out; reciting the promises of God can’t come out; declaring and decreeing the Word of the Lord can’t come out; and all because you’ve allowed Impatience to Choke Your Faith to Death!

But what does the Word of God remind us to do when we become Impatient, Worried, or Anxious? “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].” (Philippians 4:6-7 AMP)

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

Now, doesn’t that sound a lot better than choking your faith to death; suffocating your praise; and robbing your worship of breath?!

People of God, don’t let impatience destroy you, or what God has designed to give you, when it’s ready, at just the right time!

Habakkuk 2:2-4, “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…the person in right standing before God through LOYAL AND STEADY BELIEVING is fully alive, really alive.” (MSG) NOT CHOKED TO DEATH BY IMPATIENCE, WORRY AND ANXIETY!

I REITERATE, WAIT FOR THE RIGHT TIMING OF GOD! YOU WILL GET IT, WHEN IT’S READY!

Now, a baby is healthy, if it comes at the time when it’s READY. However, the baby might not be as healthy if he or she comes PREMATURELY. And often our timing produces just that, a PREEMIE; an answer or a provision from God that really isn’t ready yet, isn’t fully developed for you to receive just yet. It’s PREMATURE. And the word “Premature” is defined as “occurring or done before the proper time.” Its’ Latin Origin “praematurus” literally means “very early.”

Listen, the last thing you want is to receive something before its’ ready! After all, would you cook a whole chicken in the oven for 30 seconds and then serve it to your family to eat? Of course you wouldn’t. You know why? Because it’s not ready, it’s PREMATURE, it’s undone, it can/will hurt them or even kill them, and all because you served them what they wanted, BEFORE it was ready for them to have! And who wants such a thing to happen to the people they love? Therefore, step into your Heavenly Father’s shoes for a moment. Think: Why would He give His children, (whom He loves, and even sacrificed the life of His own Son for), what is NOT READY, PREMATURE, UNDONE, OR COULD POSSIBLY HURT, HARM OR KILL THEM? Why would an INFINITE GOD OF ETERNITY give His children something BEFORE IT’S TIME?

To answer you…HE DOESN’T! He loves us too much to! That’s why as much as it hurts Him, He holds back the healing, provision, breakthrough…UNTIL IT’S TIME! Which may help you better understand why you haven’t received that promotion…yet; that house…yet; that car…yet; that loan…yet; that spouse…yet; those children…yet; that healing….yet; that deliverance…yet; that breakthrough…yet; that ministry…yet! It just may explain why He hasn’t taken you out of that situation, circumstance, hurt, trial, tribulation, or struggle yet! Why? He Doesn’t Want Anything to Happen for You, PREMATURELY!

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)

Keeping you in it, is helping to mature you, develop you and keep you from lacking in any way! It’s not designed to hurt you, BUT TO HELP YOU! So, don’t allow impatience to cause you to step into, or step out of anything…PREMATURELY!

Let God’s Timing Prevail and You’ll Produce What You’ve Been EXPECTING! Romans 8:22-25, “All around us we observe a PREGNANT creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply BIRTH PANGS. But it’s not only around us; IT’S WITHIN US. The Spirit of God is arousing us WITHIN. We’re also feeling the BIRTH PANGS. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for FULL DELIVERANCE. THAT IS WHY WAITING DOES NOT DIMINISH US, ANY MORE THAN WAITING DIMINISHES A PREGNANT MOTHER. WE ARE ENLARGED IN THE WAITING. WE, OF COURSE, DON’T SEE WHAT IS ENLARGING US. BUT THE LONGER WE WAIT, THE LARGER WE BECOME, AND THE MORE JOYFUL OUR EXPECTANCY.” (MSG)

Now, if that don’t make you happy, nothing else will! THE LONGER WE WAIT, THE LARGER WE BECOME AND SO DOES OUR EXPECTANCY!

People of God, Don’t Get Weary While Waiting! Galatians 6:9, “LET US NOT GROW WEARY OR BECOME DISCOURAGED IN DOING GOOD, FOR AT THE PROPER TIME WE WILL REAP, IF WE DO NOT GIVE IN.” (AMP) Listen: You Have Not Come This Far in God to Give Up, Give Out or Give In Now! SO DON’T!

Maybe right now there’s something you’ve been trusting God for, but the wait is getting pretty long: that financial breakthrough, that healing, a husband or a wife, a spiritual awakening in someone you love, a job, that answer to prayer. Well, let’s go back to our bread making machine. Evan and Yolanda started the process of cooking up an answer. For quite a while they didn’t see anything, hear anything, smell anything coming from their efforts to get bread. But silently, invisibly, it was getting done!

Daniel 10:12, “Daniel, don’t be afraid! God has listened to your prayers SINCE THE FIRST DAY…” (CEV) People of God, don’t be discouraged or afraid or worried or impatient…God has listened to your prayers SINCE THE FIRST DAY! He’s heard you, and believe it or not, while you’re waiting, He’s already answered! Jeremiah 33:3, “…CALL TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU. I’LL TELL YOU MARVELOUS AND WONDROUS THINGS THAT YOU COULD NEVER FIGURE OUT ON YOUR OWN.” (MSG); Isaiah 65:24, “I WILL ANSWER THEM BEFORE THEY EVEN CALL TO ME. WHILE THEY ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT THEIR NEEDS, I WILL GO AHEAD AND ANSWER THEIR PRAYERS!” (MSG) How Amazing is Our Father? While We’re Still Talking About Our Needs, He’s Already Answered Our Prayers, (much like the bread in the maker), Silently, Invisibly, and Yet, IT’S GETTING DONE!

But that’s part of the problem for us…not that it’s being done, BUT THAT IT’S SILENT AND INVISIBLE! We don’t see anything, hear anything, or even smell anything…We can’t see or hear any activity from Heaven at all, it’s as if all the angels are on assignment to everyone, BUT US! It seems like nothing’s happening. It’s as if all of Heaven has gone deaf and mute as soon as we started praying. But I guess a gardener or a farmer could feel that way every year after they plant their seeds! For a while there’s just no VISIBLE SIGN that anything’s happening. But the processes of God most often happen OUT OF SIGHT! Why? Because that feeds and fuels our faith, and certainly guides our spiritual footsteps! 2 Corinthians 5:7, “FOR WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT [LIVING OUR LIVES IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH OUR CONFIDENT BELIEF IN GOD’S PROMISES].” (AMP)

And then before you know it, the gardener and farmer, who sowed seed, but SAW NOTHING…yet, will soon SEE A WHOLE LOT! (AND SO WILL YOU!)

What we’ve hoped for will start to appear, in time, unless we get impatient and keep digging up the seed to see if God’s really doing anything! Remember, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. That’s Hebrews 11:1. 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) Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there…Focus Your Faith Again!

Your faith is in a Person, not in what you can see them doing. And that Person: well that’s your all-loving, all-powerful, always punctual God and I’ll tell you He’s cooking up something deliciously wonderful just for you. So don’t base your expectations or your emotions on what you can see or how much time seems to be left or if it seems like there’s no time left. You know, God can do in a Day what man can’t do in a Decade!

God may give you some hints of what’s in the oven, like the aroma that comes before the bread. But when it’s totally ready, – like the beeps on the bread maker – He’ll signal you in a way that you can’t miss. And it’ll be beautiful because it will be time! So, Don’t Get Weary in the Wait…it Will Be Worth it in the End!

Numbers 9:8, “Therefore, Moses said to them, “WAIT, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you.” (AMP);

Job 14:14, “If a man dies, will he live again? I will WAIT all the days of my struggle Until my change and release will come.” (AMP);

Psalm 5:3, “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will prepare [a prayer and a sacrifice] for You and watch and WAIT [for You to speak to my heart].” (AMP);

Psalm 25:3 Indeed, none of those who [EXPECTANTLY] WAIT for You will be ashamed…” (AMP);

Psalm 25:5, “Guide me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You [and only You] I WAIT [EXPECTANTLY] all the day long.” (AMP);

Psalm 25:21, “Let integrity and uprightness protect me, For I WAIT [EXPECTANTLY] for You.” (AMP);

Psalm 31:24, “Be strong and let your hearts take courage, All you who WAIT for and confidently EXPECT the Lord.” (AMP);

Psalm 33:20, “We WAIT [EXPECTANTLY] for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.” (AMP);

Psalm 37:7, “Be still before the Lord; WAIT PATIENTLY for Him and entrust yourself to Him; Do not fret (whine, agonize)…” (AMP);

Psalm 37:34, “WAIT for and EXPECT the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; [In the end] when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.” (AMP);

Psalm 40:1, “I PATIENTLY WAITED, Lord, for You to hear my prayer. You listened.” (CEV)

Psalm 42:5, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become restless and disturbed within me? Hope in God and WAIT EXPECTANTLY for Him, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.” (AMP);

Psalm 130:5-6, “With all my heart, I am WAITING, Lord, for You! I trust Your promises. I WAIT for You more eagerly than a soldier on guard duty waits for the dawn. Yes, I WAIT more eagerly than a soldier on guard duty waits for the dawn.” (CEV);

Isaiah 40:31, “But those who WAIT for the Lord [WHO EXPECT, LOOK FOR, AND HOPE IN HIM] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and NOT BECOME WEARY, They will walk and not grow tired.” (AMP);

Romans 8:25, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we WAIT EAGERLY for it with PATIENCE AND COMPOSURE.” (AMP)

 “Let God work. Don’t block your blessings by moving too fast. When God is working on your behalf, be patient! Good things take time! Don’t get weary and don’t get in the way!” (Tony Gaskins, Jr.)

“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)

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

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

“God’s plan is always the best. Sometimes the process is painful and hard. But don’t forget that when God is silent, He’s doing something for you.” (Author Unknown)

“What God does in us while we wait is as important as what it is we are waiting for.” (John Ortberg)

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

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

“The truth is we all get tired, we all get weary. In fact, if you never feel like giving up, then your dreams are too small. If you never feel like quitting, then you need to set some larger goals. When that pressure comes to get discouraged and to think about how you can’t take it anymore, that is completely normal. Every person feels that way at times.” (Joel Osteen)

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: “20 WAYS TO GET HEALTHIER BEFORE THE END OF THE MONTH”

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“Hurt, Honest, Healed”

Psalm 69:29, “I’m hurt and in pain; Give me space for healing…” (MSG)

They often give you one of these when you check into some sprawling hotel, huge mall, a big theme park, or even a large convention facility center. It’s a map of the place. And for the directionally challenged, like myself, there’s one important and specific thing I look for first on that map. It’s that big red “X” and those three very helpful words, “YOU ARE HERE!” 

It doesn’t help me very much by just giving me a drawing of where EVERYTHING is! In order for me to use that to get to where I need to go, I NEED THAT ONE FUNDAMENTAL PIECE OF INFORMATION – AND THAT’S LOCATING EXACTLY WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW! IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO GET TO A SPECIFIC DESTINATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO GET TO GOD! In fact, the failure to talk to God about where you REALLY ARE may explain why He seems a little farther away than He once did – and a little less real than He once appeared!   

Fanny Brice put it like this: “Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you?” And isn’t that like many of us today? Regardless to how we feel, or where we really are in life financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally and the like, we learn how to master the art of façade! You see the word ‘façade’ is defined as ‘a deceptive outward appearance.’ Its French Origin, ‘face’, literally means just that, ‘face’. It’s to put a mask or disguise over your face to hide what reality is and how it’s truthfully affecting you. And many of us do that daily. We go to church smiling on the outside, and crying on the inside; we go to work trying to be happy little team players, but we’re stressed trying to get our own home team of spouse and kids to work from the same play book; we go to school with the intent of making an A, but our brain is so fried from all the closet demons we silently battle with that no one knows about, that we can barely string two sentences together that make sense; we go to family functions and we’re on auto-pilot, because we can’t let on to anyone that the dream couple they see, has actually become one another’s worst nightmare! We’ve learned to master the art of façade! Sadly, we do this with our precious and real lives, and yet even actors know when the scene has ended, to drop the role, the character, and the script and pick up their normal, every day, imperfectly real, lives. Saints, living behind a deceptive appearance is dangerous to your overall health and well-being. At some point if you are to be completely healthy, healed and whole, you’ll have to first begin by being honest!

Hebrews 4:16 is God’s powerful invitation to come boldly to His “…throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  

However, the verses that precede this promise of God’s total availability, HAVE TO DO WITH OUR TOTAL HONESTY!   

Hebrews 4 beginning at verse 12, states that God’s Word “…is sharper than any double-edged sword…” In other words it opens up our soul surgically and it exposes WHAT’S REALLY INSIDE! That brings to mind when the doctor has come up with your diagnosis, and lets you know where we’re going from here to get you back to optimal health. And for some, that requires surgery, whether you like it or not. Yet, the surgeon even with all of his/her skill, talent and knowledge, will most often still tell you a truth you may not want to hear. That truth is, I can tell you what I see from the blood work, from the x-rays, from the MRI and the like, and I have a plan for surgery and I’m prepped, capable and confident, and yet I still have to inform you that anything can happen once I go in! Why? Because there are some things that aren’t clearly visible until the surgeon begins cutting and removing layers, before he/she sees what’s hiding behind it all. And sometimes they’ll go in for one thing, and end up having to do 3-5 things, depending on what they discover! Likewise, God does the same with us when we go to Him in honesty. He goes in surgically and removes all the layers and then He sees what’s truly the problem and resolves it. But that first requires us going to Him openly and honestly and trusting Him with the scalpel, the layers and the discoveries! 

Verse 13 goes on to say, “NOTHING in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. EVERYTHING is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Therefore saints, you might as well come to God TOTALLY UNMASKED, BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING HE DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT YOU ALREADY! Like Adam and Eve hiding behind their fig leaves, and God calls out to Adam, ‘where are you?’ It’s not like God had amnesia, he wants His children to be honest with Him, as our earthly parents want honestly from their children. God is looking for us to tell Him the truth, after all, He is truth! Therefore, since everything is uncovered, nothing being hidden (no matter how masterful we become with the art of façade) all is laid bare before His eyes and we must be honest with Him because we owe him an account!

If you talk to Him about how you’re honestly feeling, He’s not going to say, “Oh, you’re kidding Me! Wow! I’m surprised! That caught Me completely off guard! I didn’t see that one coming! What in the world will be the back-up plan I have to come up with to solve that?”  

Now, it’s understandable why you may not tell other folks about how you’re REALLY feeling; since most of the time it positions them to think less of you. BUT GOD ALREADY KNOWS, AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO MAKE HIM LOVE YOU MORE OR LOVE YOU LESS! In fact, these words go on to remind us that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence.” Why? BECAUSE GOD ALREADY KNOWS ALL ABOUT US, AND BECAUSE WE ARE COMING TO THE FATHER THROUGH A SAVIOR, HIS SON, WHO HAS FELT ALL THE FEELINGS OF BEING HUMAN! This my friends gives us license and right to come to God, as is!

Think about it: What better counselor is there, than The Wonderful Counselor Himself? (Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace” AMP). Listen, you can stretch out on the sofa’s of earthly counselors all you want; you can see the therapist, the psychiatrist, the psychologist, the social worker, none of them can do for you what your Wonderful Counselor can! Is that to say they are of no use and not helpful? Absolutely not, but we have to stop running to man every time something goes wrong in our lives thinking they alone can make it all right! God alone is the one who sees all, hears all, knows all and can save, heal and deliver all! You need to make Him your first choice not your last resort!

So, the next time you decide to give God a watered down version OF WHERE YOU ACTUALLY ARE, recall the following Scriptures:

1. “The eyes of the Lord are IN EVERY PLACE, keeping watch upon the evil AND the good.” (Proverbs 15:3 AMP).
2. “The LORD is CONSTANTLY WATCHING EVERYONE…” (2 Chronicles 16:9 CEV).
3. “And he keeps a CLOSE WATCH ON EVERYTHING I DO.” “God WATCHES EVERYTHING WE DO.” (Job 31:4 & 34:21 CEV).
4. “…He WATCHES EVERYONE CLOSELY, EXAMINING EVERY PERSON ON EARTH.” (Psalm 11:4 NLT).
5. “For MY EYES ARE ON ALL THEIR WAY; THEY ARE NOT HIDDEN FROM MY FACE, NEITHER IS THEIR INIQUITY CONCEALED FROM MY EYES.” (Jeremiah 16:17 AMP).
6. “CAN ANYONE HIDE HIMSELF IN SECRET PLACES SO THAT I CANNOT SEE HIM? Says the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? Says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:24 AMP).
7. “…YOU SEE EVERYTHING THAT MEN AND WOMEN DO AND RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO THE WAY THEY LIVE, TO THE THINGS THEY DO.” (Jeremiah 32:19 MSG).
8. “…people don’t realize that I AM WATCHING THEM. Their sinful deeds are all around them, and I SEE THEM ALL.” (Hosea 7:2 NLT).
9. “GOD said, “I’ve taken a GOOD, LONG LOOK at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them…” (Exodus 3:7-8 MSG).
10. “So she called the name of the Lord Who spoke to her, YOU ARE A GOD OF SEEING, for she said, Have I [not] even here [in the wilderness] looked upon Him WHO SEES ME [and lived]? Or have I here also seen [the future purposes or designs of] Him WHO SEES ME? Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi [A well to the LIVING ONE WHO SEES ME]…” (Genesis 16:13-14 AMP).

Never forget: El-Roi SEES EVERYTHING! Yes, he saw the cigarettes, the alcohol, the drugs, the hotel/motel stay, the divorce papers, the disconnect notice, the foreclosure sign, the pink slip, the diagnosis, the cut paycheck, the denied mortgage loan, the defaulted tuition payments, the car dealership refusal, the scholarship that fell through, the business plans that never left the blueprint stage, the demotion, the miscarriage, the betrayal, the tears, the hurt, the pain, the struggle! Yes, God SEES it all! He SEES everything so today is a good day to stop faking with the façade! Today is a good day to be real with God about where you really are!

Yet, there are some of you who may still say, “Well, if God already sees, if God already knows, why do I need to tell Him?” IT’S SO YOU CAN OPEN UP THAT PART OF YOUR HEART AND YOUR LIFE, WILLINGLY, TO HIS CLEANSING, HIS RESTORING, HIS HEALING AND HIS WHOLENESS! ALWAYS REMEMBER: GOD IS A GENTLEMAN, AND ONLY GOES WHERE HE’S INVITED!

Maybe you’ve been saying, “God doesn’t seem all that real to me right now.” But look at it from His perspective, He just may be saying the very same thing about you! You’re coming to Him super religious, all together, dressed up, and eloquently quoting scriptures. So, if God doesn’t seem real to you, maybe it’s because you aren’t being real with Him! Simply put, you aren’t stating where you really are! You’re making the same, common mistakes most church folks make, and that’s coming to God not as you really are, but as you think you’re supposed to be! Keep in mind though, when you come in this manner, you never receive from God all that He has to give you! God isn’t trying to help the future you, or the fake you, He’s trying to help the hurting you, that you are right now, at this very moment! He’s trying to meet you where you really are! Stop lying, and stop hiding, if you want Him to help you! Because He can’t heal who you pretend to be!

Listen: I shared this analogy with a Ministers-in-training class, and hopefully it will help you just the same: Sister Taylor needs $100, and I have the $100 to give her. I ask Sister Taylor to tell me where she’s at so I can bring her what she so desperately needs. Now, if Sister Taylor says she’s in New York, that may well be true. But if she tells me she’s in Roosevelt, New York when in actuality she’s in Freeport, New York, although the state is true, she wasn’t honest about the town she’s actually located in! So because she didn’t tell me ‘EXACTLY’ where she really was, what she needs, I have, but she’ll never receive it until she can honestly say “I’M RIGHT HERE.”

Far too many of us do not go to God honestly about where we really are! Yes, He already knows. But that’s not the point. The point is when you really have a relationship with God, and you trust Him you’ll take all the stuff you can’t trust people with, to Him! You’ll comfortably and confidently go to your Holy God and expose all of your Unholy Self, knowing that when the encounter with the honest to God truth is over, He loves you no less!  

Another Example: My husband knows I’m at work from 9-5. But just because he knows WHERE I am, he doesn’t know HOW I am unless he calls me or I call him to share that. God likewise, knows where you are, but He wants you to share with Him HOW you’re really doing where you really are! He knows about the troubled marriage, the wayward children, the depleting bank account, the strife amongst siblings, the plotting coworkers, the stress of the ministry. He knows about your depression, your loneliness, your despair, your confusion, your tears, your heartache, your frustrations. And He’s still sitting by waiting for you not to just tell Him where you are, but how you’re really doing where you are. Remember you’re in a Relationship with Him, you’re not a part of a Religion with Him. For Him, this is not about a list of principles, it’s about a personal relationship. He wants to hear your voice, he wants you to share your emotions, pour all that’s in you out to Him, before you take it to others as usual who can do you no good.  It’s about your Relationship not Rules, Regulations and Religion.

And a real relationship with God is honestly telling Him when you’re hurting, when you’re afraid, when you feel like giving up, when you’re angry, when you’re tired, when you’re frustrated, when you’re lonely, when you’re suicidal, when you’re confused, when you can’t forgive, when your jealous, when your envious, when your discontent, when you can’t fight anymore, when you don’t understand, when you’re desperate for love, when you’re spiritually deflated, and the list could simply go on forever! Because you’ll never reach a point in a real relationship with God where you run out of things to share with Him, good, bad, ugly and beautiful alike!  

Can you imagine how many marriages could’ve been saved had the couples went to God to tell Him exactly where they were? How many children would not have run away from home, joined gangs, or lost their virginity, had they known to go to God with all they’re feeling and talk to Him? How many lives could’ve been saved had they went to God with their deepest hurts, disappointments, anger, and feelings of despair and loss instead of to drugs, sex and alcohol? How many businesses that would not have went bankrupt if the owners went to God before they went to the attorneys? How many church splits that didn’t need to occur had the pastor and church went to the God they say, sing, and preach is the Head of the church?

People of God, if you only knew how badly your God desires for you to let it all out so He can finally let in His mercy (that is new every morning); His grace (that is sufficient for whatever you’re going through); His lovingkindness (that will always be better than life); and His unconditional love (that will always cover the multitude of your every sin)! All He’s waiting for is a meeting with the Real You, at the place You’re Really At! Just tell Him! Don’t walk out on the marriage, don’t give up on the kids, don’t quit the job, don’t leave the church, don’t drop out of school, don’t end the friendship/relationship, don’t take your own life, don’t throw in the towel, just Talk to God, He’s waiting to hear from you! “Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” (Jeremiah 33:3 MSG); “I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” (Isaiah 65:24 TLB) God is waiting to hear from you, why are you still so silent?

Your spiritual drifting, your distance from God, or your unnecessary pain may be because you’ve been coming to God without the real you! But He said: “I know the plans I have for YOU…” (Jeremiah 29:11). Not the plans for the person you’re attempting to be, not the figment of your imagination, not the covered up Cover Girl, not the masked man! But plans for the real you! Flawed you, rejected you, abandoned you, failed you, imperfect you, addicted you, diseased you, God is waiting to hear from YOU, the real YOU, because He has Plans for YOU that neither pain nor problems can stop!  

Today, I challenge you to get your life map out and mark the “X” of where you Really are right now. Why? Because, it’s then, and only then, that God will take you from there to where He’s destined you to be! Which is why you should be encouraged to tell God where the real you is today, right now, in this moment. Because where you are doesn’t distract God from where He’s taking you. Your current location does not in any way intimate God, no matter how bad it is! God specializes in using shattered people in broken places! Noah was a drunk; Abraham was old; Jacob was a liar; Leah wasn’t the most attractive; Joseph was abused; Moses stuttered; Gideon was afraid; Sampson was a womanizer; Rahab was a prostitute; Jeremiah was young; David had an affair and was a murderer; Elijah was suicidal; Isaiah preached naked; Jonah ran from God and his assignment; Naomi loss her husband and both her sons; Job loss his family, went bankrupt, and had a wife who wanted him to curse God; John the Baptist dressed a little funny and ate bugs; Peter had a temper and denied Jesus Christ by saying he never even knew Him; The Disciples fell asleep while praying; Thomas had doubts; Miriam talked about her own brother; Aaron helped the people make up their own god out of a golden calf; Sarai was impatient; Hagar was a single mother wandering around the desert waiting for her and her son to die; Martha worried about everything; the Samaritan Woman had a few too many men (none of which were actually her own); Saul was tall; Abigail was married to a fool; Zaccheus was short; Paul was beaten and shipwrecked; Timothy had ulcers; and Lazarus was dead! So do you really think that God is intimated by you and where you really are in life?!  I promise you, God can still use, Even YOU!

Hear Jesus’ heartfelt plea to us, “Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together.” (Revelation 3:20 CEV).  Today, He wants to come in and share with you substance “…we will eat together“. He wants to share with you something that will feed you, nourish you, and strengthen you! And He wants to do it With You!  

Saints, He’s at your door knocking, will you open the door of your heart to Him and finally say “Lord, I’m Right Here”? “Lord, I’m Hurting, But Here is the Real Me!” Because once you do, you and your life will never be the same again!

Psalm 69:29 says, “I’m hurt and in pain; Give me space for healing…” (MSG) Brothers and Sisters, our Father already knows your hurting and in pain, and He so desperately wants to heal you. In fact, He already has that “space for your healing” set aside just for you, He’s just waiting for you to show up! That space is found in Psalm 91, “You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow, Say this: “God, you’re my refuge. I trust in You and I’m safe!” That’s right—He rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you’re perfectly safe; His arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God’s your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get through the door. He ordered His angels  to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path. “If you’ll hold on to Me for dear life,” says God, “I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust Me. Call Me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!” (MSG)

Saints, here’s God’s “space for your healing” (Psalm 91), so are you going to make the wise decision today to bring the real you there so you can finally be healed, or are you going to make the foolish decision to remain hiding in pain behind your diseased facade?

It is My Sincere Prayer That Today You’ll Take Your Hurt to God, Be Honest With God, and Be Healed By God!

“Be honest with God and ask Him to give you a willingness to do the work of prayer.” (David Jeremiah)

“I’m honest in my conversations with Him because I know He can handle it.” (Lysa TerKeurst)

“God blesses people who are real. When you’re honest, you open the door for God to come in and change things.” (Joel Osteen)

“God’s grace is sufficient. You’ll never face a hill you don’t have the strength to climb.” (Joel Osteen)

“The beauty of grace is that God already knows about our sin. He just wants us to be honest with Him.” (Author Unknown)

“To be God’s friend, you must be honest to God, sharing your true feelings, not what you think you ought to feel or say.” (Author Unknown)

“You might as well tell God what you think, He already knows it anyway.” (Todd Burpo)

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWordFeel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: Why You Need to Win”

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“Only FOOLS Refuse God’s WISDOM”

Joshua 9:14-15, “So the men [of Israel] took some of their own provisions [and offered them in friendship], and [FOOLISHLY] did not ask for the counsel of the Lord. Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant (treaty) with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation [of Israel] swore an oath to them.” (AMP)

It was an amusing billboard actually; a cartoon drawing of a wide-eyed, bewildered-looking squirrel, holding a broken cable in his paws. The sign that came with it simply read, “Call before you dig”, and gave a toll-free phone number. Well, I’ve come to discover that many utility workers have this problem and have it quite often. You see, squirrels start digging into the wires and they cut right into the utility workers power lines and cables. Lines which could very easily be gas lines, phone lines, or cables. And in the process, the happy diggers make a big mess for the utility company and their customers. A mess that could have easily been avoided had they asked about the dangers before they started digging. Now, squirrels may not know any better, but sadly neither do most people!

Which is why it really is a good idea to check with the people ‘in the know’ before you just start plowing ahead! It’s our failure to check with the Person who’s really ‘in the know’ that explains many of our costly mistakes, that have caused some of the biggest messes in our lives, and in the lives of all those connected to us!

Warning: People CONNECTED to You are EFFECTED by You…For Good or Bad!

Consider the example in Joshua 9:14-15. The Jews have been winning one victory after another over the Canaanites as they took possession of the Promised Land that God was giving them. Now, they are about to come upon Gibeon, one of the royal cities of Canaan. The Gibeonites have heard about the fall of the other cities the Jews have gone against. They know they’re going down next unless they can trick God’s people somehow into making a peace treaty with them, which seems unlikely in light of the fact that God’s Orders are to remove every tribe from the land and Not to coexist with them!

But the Gibeonites are shrewd. They sent a delegation to see Joshua, with donkeys loaded with cracked wineskins and worn-out sacks. They wore patched sandals and old clothes, and they carried dry and moldy bread with them. The whole scam was to make it LOOK LIKE they were from far away and that they had come on a long journey. Here’s how Joshua and his men decided what to do with these Gibeonites, The Bible says, “The Israelites sampled their provisions (so they made sure the bread was really dry and moldy) BUT THEY DID NOT INQUIRE OF THE LORD. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.” (NIV)

Do you know, within days, the Jews learned that the Gibeonites weren’t from far away; in fact, they were from close by. But because they had been tricked into this treaty, they could not, by honor, remove them as God had originally commanded. As a result, the hands of the Jews were tied for years to come, and the treaty actually sparked a major battle with other armies. How did this mess happen? Well, in a nutshell, they didn’t call before they dug, much like the squirrels! They decided on the basis of what SEEMED right to them, but they made the fatal mistake so many of us have made so many times before –THEY DIDN’T CHECK WITH HEAVEN…THEY DIDN’T CHECK WITH GOD! And so they blew it! And so do we!

Listen to the text in varying translation:

“The Israelites TRIED some of the food, BUT THEY DID NOT ASK THE LORD IF HE WANTED THEM TO MAKE A TREATY.” (CEV);

“The men of Israel wanted to know if these men were telling the truth. So they TASTED the bread – BUT THEY DID NOT ASK THE LORD WHAT THEY SHOULD DO.” (ERV);

“The Israelites ACCEPTED some food from them, BUT DID NOT CONSULT THE LORD ABOUT IT.” (GNT);

“Joshua and the other leaders finally believed them. THEY DID NOT BOTHER TO ASK THE LORD BUT WENT AHEAD AND SIGNED A PEACE TREATY…” (TLB);

“So the Israelites EXAMINED their food, BUT THEY DID NOT CONSULT THE LORD.” (NLT);

“The men of Israel LOOKED them over and ACCEPTED the EVIDENCE. BUT THEY DIDN’T ASK GOD ABOUT IT.” (MSG);

“The men BELIEVED the EVIDENCE they were shown, BUT THEY DID NOT ASK THE LORD ABOUT IT.” (GWT);

Now, this is where many of us mess up and get messy! Like the Israelites, we’ll try it; take some; taste it; sample it; exam it, believe it, and even eventually accept it…but what we fail to do is to ask God what to do about it and with it! The Israelites (like many of us) were cautious, they checked out what was presented to them, however, the final decision was not theirs to make (and not ours either)!

“The Israelites took some of their supplies, BUT THEY DIDN’T ASK FOR ANY DECISION FROM THE LORD.” (CEB)

And can we be honest? We Get in the Worst Predicaments Because We Forget God Knows Best!

The decision was the Lord’s to make! They were to consult Him. And even with the decisions He allows us to be a part of, we are still to consult the Lord! And it’s not because they didn’t know any better, so they don’t even have that as a justifiable excuse and neither do we!

James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom [TO GUIDE HIM THROUGH A DECISION OR CIRCUMSTANCE], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him.” (AMP)

When God Himself is telling you to use His Wisdom, only a Fool would refuse!

God is there to Help, not to Hinder us! But He’s not rudely forcing Himself on us either! But He’s laid out for us the safest way to travel if only we’d adhere to it! Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart AND DO NOT RELY ON YOUR OWN INSIGHT OR UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL YOUR WAYS know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and HE will make your paths straight and smooth [REMOVING OBSTACLES THAT BLOCK YOUR WAY].” (AMP) Do you realize just how smooth this journey of ours could be if only we’d humble ourselves enough to follow His lead? We wouldn’t even have to worry about the bumps in the road along the way because He promises to “…remove obstacles that block our way.” But no, we insist on doing things our own way! And what is the result of that decision?

Proverbs 16:25, “There’s a way that looks harmless enough; look again – it leads straight to hell.” (MSG) Surely that’s the destination you were hoping to reach, right?

Don’t you see, we’re much like the Israelites, as soon as something (or someone) APPEARS to be alright; APPEARS to check out; APPEARS to be on the up-and-up, we jump head long into a mess with eyes wide open! All we know is that it “…LOOKS HARMLESS ENOUGH…” but so does she (until you get married to her and her $100,000.00 debt); so does he (until his perfect tall, dark and handsome exposes you to an STD); so does that church (but little do you know they’re only concerned with the prosperity of your pockets and not the prosperity of your soul); so does that business (until you find out the under-handed methods they use to keep it afloat)! What am I saying? Ask God Before You Decide It or They Are Really the Answer You Were Looking For! This could literally save your very life!

Think of all the divorces that could have been avoided had the individuals sought the Lord FIRST! When our children messed up, imagine how quickly they could have cleaned up, if we FIRST helped them God’s way instead of ours! The many soul ties that would never have tangled up your peace of mind if only you’d sought the Lord’s decision in the matter, FIRST! How many broken hearts that would not have needed years to mend, if only we sought the Lord FIRST. Many of us would not have to start over (for the 97^th time, just this week) if only we’d sought the Lord FIRST! So much unnecessary pain, so many unnecessary complications and difficulties and conflicts, and all because of our failure to seek God’s direction FIRST!  And in this day and time of read your horoscope; find your inner-self; reach for a higher power; let them read your palm; check out the tarot cards; let the soothsayers soothe you; (You Need to Know to Seek God FIRST!)

Isaiah 8:19-22, “When people tell you, “Try out the fortunetellers. Consult the spiritualists. Why not tap into the spirit-world, get in touch with the dead?” Tell them, “NO, WE’RE GOING TO STUDY THE SCRIPTURES.” People who try the other ways get nowhere – a dead end! Frustrated and famished, they try one thing after another. When nothing works out they get angry, cursing first this god and then that one, looking this way and that, up, down, and sideways – and seeing nothing, a blank wall, an empty hole. They end up in the dark with nothing.” (MSG)

And why would anyone want to waste time on such Foolishness when you have direct access to the Wisdom of God? That’s Who you seek…FIRST! When you’re wondering which direction and what to do, seek God FIRST! Jeremiah 33:3, “This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: “Call to Me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” (MSG) With that as your best option, how could you chose anything different? You do not have to figure out life on your own (and thank God, because clearly WE are not good at decision making on our own)! And who cares, since we can simply call to our Father and He will answer His children with marvelous things that we don’t have to keep digging to find on our own!

Isaiah 65:24, “I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking to Me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” (TLB) Why try to figure out something God has already figured out? All you have to do is ask Him for the answer!

However, truth is, we neglect to check with God for many reasons. We’re in too big of a hurry, we’re feeling pressured by other people, we compromise for the sake of convenience, or we just plain know how we want it to be and we stubbornly blaze ahead with our own will. Sometimes, we may even be doing God’s thing, but it’s not God’s time or it’s not God’s way. Which is why it’s so vital that we “lean not on our own understanding,” which can only see part of the picture. When you consult with the Lord, you’re getting direction from the only One who can see the whole picture. That’s why counsel before decisions is so important! Proverbs 15:22, “Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed.” (MSG)

Listen, in 2 Chronicles 18:4, King Jehoshaphat gave King Ahab this advice before he went running off into battle: “…FIRST, seek the counsel of the Lord.” (NIV) Here’s a few additional translations:

“…Please inquire FIRST for the Word of the Lord.” (AMP);

“…Inquire FIRST, I pray you, for the Word of the Lord today.” (AMPC);

“…FIRST, let’s see what the Lord has to say.” (CEB);

“But FIRST let’s ask the Lord what to do.” (CEV);

“But FIRST let’s ask the Lord for advice.” (ERV);

“…“But FIRST, find out what the Lord’s Word is in this matter.” (GWT);

“…But FIRST let’s consult the Lord.” (GNT);

“…However, let’s check with the Lord FIRST.” (TLB);

“…BUT BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, ASK GOD FOR GUIDANCE.” (MSG);

“…But FIRST we should ask if this is the Lord’s Will.” (NCV);

Are you starting to see the clear picture now? There’s a plan in place, however, Jehoshaphat (the wise leader) says, FIRST, let’s inquire of the Lord; let’s see what the Word of the Lord is for today; let’s see what He has to say; let’s ask Him what we should do; let’s ask for His advice; let’s find out what He has to say about this particular matter; let’s consult Him; let’s see if this is even His Will; BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING…LET’S ASK GOD TO GUIDE US! Yet, even with all of that admonishment, in the end, King Ahab didn’t, and because he didn’t, he died in that battle!

Do I dare ask how much money you would not have lost if you sought God FIRST? How much of your integrity, dignity and character would still be intact if you sought the Lord FIRST? How many mistakes and missteps could you have avoided if only you asked if this or they were in His Will for your life? Maybe you wouldn’t have lost the job, the house, the car, the career, the ministry or church, if only you would have asked God for His Guidance, before deciding to Go Your Own Way…Only to Have Crashed Over the Cliff Where He Already Had Warning Signs in Place!

And LEADERS, this is dangerous for us as well, listen to the text again in closing: “JOSHUA AND THE OTHER LEADERS finally believed them. They did not bother to ask the Lord but went ahead and signed a peace treaty…” (TLB);

Leadership Means We’re Responsible For Everyone On Board, Whether We Sail Safely, or Sink Fatally. Which is why we (above all people) ought to use the Wisdom God has made available to us to lead people according to His Word, Way and Will…and NOT That of Our Own! Because in the end, these LEADERS made a decision (WITHOUT GOD) that affected the WHOLE CONGREGATION. And if we dare make the wrong decision, the Body of Christ, as a whole, is damaged. Because you can’t hurt your pinky and the rest of your hand not know what happened. And in the Body of Christ, whatever we do in the Body, affects the whole body. So let’s start today by asking the Lord to lead and guide us in the way we should go, not in the way we want to go. Let’s ask the Lord for His decision, His Word, His Will, His Way, and His Timing.

Why? Because we can avoid a lot of problems and a lot of pain if only we’ll instinctively check with God FIRST. Let’s stop being like squirrels on power lines, digging in and causing disruption to everyone and everything. Let’s decide today to stop making messy decisions!

I share this because we’ve entered another New Year. We have much indeed to be grateful for. However, this is also the time and season when everyone wants to be something new, try something new, go somewhere new. And nothing is wrong with New, when it’s the Lord’s doing: Isaiah 43:18-21, “This is what God says…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) Listen, God doesn’t need anymore of your New Years’ Resolutions! If something is to be New, let Him do it instead of you attempting to experiment with it! Let God change it; alter it; move it; or send it…not you trying to make things (you want, but may not need) to happen!

This year, make one resolution only…SEEK GOD FIRST! Don’t go grabbing shovels and seeking new land, and start digging where God never intended you to. Wait! Seek His Counsel, whether it’s for marriage; a relationship; a friendship; a job offer; a school choice; a career move; leaving or starting a church; or going to the store to make a purchase…Wait On the Lords’ Timing and Direction and You’ll Never Be Steered Off Course!

Think about it, haven’t we already made the foolish mistake of making decisions without the Lord’s consult and wisdom? And as bad as those choices and consequences turned out to be…do you really want a New Year, with the same Old You, making all the same old errors…again? Of course not. So this year, if it’s the Last thing you do…SEEK THE LORD FIRST…Before You Start Digging and Deciding!

Matthew 6:30-33, “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.” (MSG)

Psalm 37:23-24, “The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.” (AMPC)

REMEMBER: ONLY FOOLS REFUSE GOD’S WISDOM!

Psalm 14:1, “The [spiritually ignorant] fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed repulsive and unspeakable deeds; There is no one who does good.” (AMP)

Romans 1:22, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools,” (AMP)

Proverbs 18:2, “A [closed-minded] fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his personal opinions [unwittingly displaying his self-indulgence and his stupidity].” (AMP)

Proverbs 9:8, “Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you; Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you.” (AMP)

Proverbs 26:4, “Do not answer [nor pretend to agree with the frivolous comments of] a [closed-minded] fool according to his folly, Otherwise you, even you, will be like him.” (AMP)

Proverbs 1:7, “The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline.” (AMP)

Proverbs 29:11, “A [shortsighted] fool always loses his temper and displays his anger, But a wise man [uses self-control and] holds it back.” (AMP)

Proverbs 13:20, “He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise,
But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm.” (AMP)

Proverbs 12:16, “The [arrogant] fool’s anger is quickly known [because he lacks self-control and common sense], But a prudent man ignores an insult.” (AMP)

Proverbs 12:18, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (AMP)

Ecclesiastes 7:9, “Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger dwells in the heart of fools.” (AMP)

Ephesians 5:15-16, “Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.” (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: “Eat Healthy, Stay Fit and Live Well Over 50”

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“My Prayers Are Answered”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Big is God? Big Enough!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let 2021 be the year you walk confidently and consistently in your ANSWERED PRAYERS!

DECLARE TODAY: MY PRAYERS ARE ALREADY ANSWERED!

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

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

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

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

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWordFeel free to also join us at: http://www.selfcarewithdrshermaine.blogspot.com Today’s Lesson: “How Breathing Right Can Improve Your Life”

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“Go Through Until It’s Granted!”

“Later on Eve gave birth to another son and named him SETH (meaning “GRANTED”); for, as Eve put it, “God has GRANTED me another son for the one Cain killed.” (Genesis 4:25 TLB)

In one sweep of jealousy Eve’s dreams lay bleeding on the ground; her older son a criminal on the run, her younger son murdered in the prime of his life. And yet she’s supposed to be the mother of all living! In fact, this is what the Scripture says: “The man named his wife Eve (meaning “The Life-Giving One”), for he said, “She shall become the mother of all mankind.” (Genesis 3:20 TLB). Well, how do you maintain a title like that, when you’re now the mother of a corpse and a killer? Her own husband spoke “Life” in naming her, and yet the one he called “Life” would have birthed from her own womb, one that would be killed and one that would be his killer! How bad it must have felt to be called “Life”, and yet deal with “Death”?

Have you ever been there, when you’re CALLING and your CIRCUMSTANCES are opposites that DON’T attract?

Can you identify just a little bit with Eve? Or should I say it like this, have you ever found yourself asking, “Lord, this is not what YOU promised me!”; “Lord, this is not the way this was supposed to go!”; “Lord, I saw this work out a little different in my mind than what has manifested in my life!”; “Lord, after all this time, shouldn’t this and they be better?”; “Lord, I give my tithes, but the windows of heaven must be open on the wrong side of the house!”; “Lord, am I really supposed to STILL live here, STILL drive that, STILL walk there, STILL face this, STILL deal with them?” In Essence: Lord, This Is NOT How This Was Supposed to Go!

YOU Said You Have a Plan, a Purpose, and a Promise Just For Me, and Yet All I’ve Seen Thus Far are Problems, Pain and Persecution! Lord, What Happened?!

Well, if that’s where you are today, here’s my advice to you and it’s free: GO THROUGH UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH! Or in the words of our title: GO THROUGH UNTIL IT’S GRANTED!

Now, many of you will say, “Thanks for the encouragement, but I’m still stuck in the middle of the tunnel, and I hear a train coming but don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel! You say Go Through, but I’m still stuck and can’t Get Through, so, now what?” I reiterate, GO THROUGH UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH…GO THROUGH UNTIL IT’S GRANTED! How is that possible? Simple, just remember this: Matthew 5:18, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (KJV). However, there’s another translation of this Scripture that I love and it reads like this: “I can GUARANTEE this truth: Until the earth and the heavens disappear, neither a PERIOD OR A COMMA will disappear from the Scriptures before EVERYTHING HAS COME TRUE.” (GWT). Do you know how determined God has to be to “Guarantee” that not even a “Period or a Comma” will come up missing “Before Every Word He’s Declared Comes True”?! In other words, be encouraged, because regardless to how bleak the situation looks, whatever God has declared concerning you in His Word HAS to come to pass! Listen: The word “Guarantee” means “a formal assurance that certain conditions will be fulfilled; something that makes an outcome certain; a promise of certainty”. Its Spanish Origin comes from “Garante” and is related to the word “Warrant”. “Warrant” means: “a document entitling the holder to receive goods, money, or services.” Its Origin comes from the words “Protector and Safeguard” and thereby means “To Protect From Danger.”

Hear me clearly: You will go through and get through because God has granted you a guarantee that everything He said WILL come true! And His guarantee comes with an assurance that every condition will be favorable in the end. Your outcome of victory is sealed and certain. Your promise of goods, money, and services are safe-guarded and protected. And as long as you have this promise from God you will forever be protected from dangers that attempt to sift your life!

Remember This: Satan can touch your POSSESSIONS, but he can’t take your PROMISE! Listen to Job 1:12 in a few translations:

“Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that Job has is in your power, ONLY DO NOT PUT YOUR HAND ON THE MAN HIMSELF.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.” (AMP)

“And the Lord said to Satan (the adversary and the accuser), Behold, all that he has is in your power, ONLY UPON THE MAN HIMSELF PUT NOT FORTH YOUR HAND. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.” (AMPC)

“The Lord said to the Adversary, “Look, all he has is within your power; ONLY DON’T STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND AGAINST HIM.” So the Adversary left the Lord’s presence.” (CEB)

“The Lord replied, “All right, Satan, do what you want with anything that belongs to him, BUT DON’T HARM JOB.” Then Satan left.” (CEV)

“The Lord said to Satan, “All right, do whatever you want with anything that he has, BUT DON’T HURT JOB HIMSELF.” Then Satan left the meeting.” (ERV)

“And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. ONLY AGAINST HIM DO NOT STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” (ESV)

“The Lord told Satan, “Everything he has is in your power, BUT YOU MUST NOT LAY A HAND ON HIM! Then Satan left the Lord’s presence.” (GWT)

“All right,” the Lord said to Satan, “everything he has is in your power, BUT YOU MUST NOT HURT JOB HIMSELF.” So Satan left.” (GNT)

“And the Lord replied to Satan, “You may do anything you like with his wealth, BUT DON’T HARM HIM PHYSICALLY.” So Satan went away; and sure enough, not long afterwards when Job’s sons and daughters were dining at the oldest brother’s house, tragedy struck.” (TLB)

“God replied, “We’ll see. Go ahead—do what you want with all that is his. JUST DON’T HURT HIM.” Then Satan left the presence of God.” (MSG)

“The Lord said to Satan, “All right, then. Everything Job has is in your power, BUT YOU MUST NOT TOUCH JOB HIMSELF.” Then Satan left the Lord’s presence.” (NCV)

“The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, BUT ON THE MAN HIMSELF DO NOT LAY A FINGER.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” (NIV)

“Then the Lord said to Satan, “See, all that he has is in your power. ONLY DO NOT PUT YOUR HAND ON HIM.” So Satan went out from the Lord.” (NLV)

“All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, BUT DON’T HARM HIM PHYSICALLY.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.” (NLT)

I REITERATE: Satan can touch your POSSESSIONS, but he can’t take your PROMISE!

You will maintain the testimony that “…MY LIFE IS SAFE, AND I WILL LIVE TO TELL WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE.” (Psalm 118:17 CEV) Or in the words of the Good News Translation, “I WILL NOT DIE; INSTEAD, I WILL LIVE AND PROCLAIM WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE.” (GNT). I love that word “Instead”, it means “In Place Of”. In other words, devil, no matter what you do or bring my way, IN PLACE OF DYING, I will Survive and LIVE to tell the story! Will this always be easy? Of course not, if it was, none of us would need any encouragement at all! But is it doable, is it possible? YES! Just Let His Guaranteed Promises Keep You Anchored in His Word Which Cannot Even Allow a Period or Comma to Move Out of Place Before ALL He Has Said (Promised) Comes True!

Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie. He is not a son of man, that He should be sorry for what He has said. Has He said, and will He not do it? Has He spoken, and will He not keep His Word?” (NLV)

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

Jeremiah 1:12, “The Lord then said, “You are right, for I’m watching over My Word until it is fulfilled.” (CEB)

Are you getting this? No matter how bad things may be, they cannot, and will not stay this way for good! Before you know it you’ll have the testimony that “IT’S MY TURN!” Psalm 30:11, “Then He TURNED my sorrow into joy! He took away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.” (TLB).

I know it’s tough right now, tight right now, stressful right now, frustrating right now, confusing right now. And yet I still assure you that with all that’s against you, you will still say like Joseph, “…Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good…” (Genesis 50:20 MSG). You see, even when things don’t work out as we think they should, God’s plans are never put on pause because of our problems. He’s in fact so awesome as God that He won’t even change the plans of the enemy, but will even make the enemies plans work for your good! How powerful is that?!

Which is why you must always remember: Romans 8:28, “We know that God makes ALL things work together for the GOOD of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His PLAN.” (NLV); Jeremiah 29:11, “…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)

I reiterate, are you getting this? Not even the plans of the enemy, nor your own failed plans can hinder the Guaranteed Plans God has in Place for Your Future! That’s a good place to give God praise!

Look at another example of what God did for His people in the wilderness: “He led them forth by the straight and right way, that they might go to a city where they could establish their homes.” (Psalm 107:7 AMP). Your job is to Go Through, no matter how painful, just Go Through! Why? Because even in the struggles of the wilderness, God can still lead you in a straight and right way and as an added bonus, when you come out, you’re coming out Established! You know what I love about the word “Establish”? Its’ meaning of course! “To Set Up On a Firm and Permanent Basis”! His people Went Through, and When They Came Out, They Were “Set Up On a Firm and Permanent Basis”! Be Encouraged, Your Next Blessing Won’t Be Seasonal, It Will Be Permanent!

I reiterate yet again, GO THROUGH UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH! Because on the other side of your BIG Burden is an even BIGGER Blessing!

Back to our text, you see, when Cain killed Abel God’s plan for Eve was delayed…but not denied, nor destroyed! And in spite of what you are going through right now, everything God has promised you will likewise be fulfilled: The Bible declares: “And I am CONVINCED and SURE of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to FULL COMPLETION IN YOU.” (Philippians 1:6 AMP). Therefore, don’t let the disturbances, distractions and discouragement deter you, His Promises Are Coming to Full Completion In Your Life! Remember: Your God Can’t Lie, and His Word Can’t Fail!

Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand)” (AMP)  Listen: When doubt and unbelief and even fear try to creep up and steal the joy of your promise, just call on God, He’ll not only answer you, but come to you and show you great and mighty things that are fenced in and hidden in your struggles!

No matter what it looks like, consult God, He will always reveal your hidden blessings! Don’t believe it? Listen to this: “I will give you RICHES HIDDEN IN THE DARKNESS and things of GREAT WORTH that are HIDDEN IN SECRET PLACES. Then you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.” (Isaiah 45:3 NLV). Be Encouraged, You’ve Got Hidden Blessings About to Be Revealed!

Then the Bible further declares: “The LITTLE TROUBLES we suffer now FOR A SHORT TIME are making us ready for the GREAT THINGS God is going to give us FOREVER. We do not look at the things that can be seen. We look at the things that cannot be seen. The things that can be seen will come to an end. But the things that cannot be seen will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLV). All you have to do is endure a little trouble for a short time now, and then wait and watch God do great things for you forever! Now that’s worth holding on and hanging in there for! That’s worth going through until it’s granted!

In fact, God loves us so much that He even promises: “I will answer them BEFORE they even call to Me. While they are still talking to Me about their needs, I WILL GO AHEAD AND ANSWER THEIR PRAYERS!” (Isaiah 65:24 TLB) I declare, the promises of the Lord gets gooder and gooder as the days go by! (I know, bad grammar, but good point!)

Now, we’ve talked a lot about GO THROUGH and GET THROUGH…but what about GRANTED?

Well, God has a way of restoring things you thought would never come to pass again. He moved in Eve’s life and gave her another son named “Seth”, which means “One who takes the place of; compensation and granted”.

Isn’t that just like God, after all this time and frustration, and fear that things may not get any better, He steps in and declares: “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…” (Isaiah 43:18-19 MSG) If you would finally stop crying over what WAS, you’d be able to See and Celebrate what IS!

Eve named “Life”, had to Go Through “Death”, but ended up being “Granted” another blessing, and his name was “Seth”. “In Place Of” all that had been loss, she gained a ‘Grant’, which is defined as ‘Favor’! In the end, Eve could testify that: “My Loss Gained Me More”! Which brings us to an additional fact: Seth’s name also means “Compensation”. And “Compensation” is defined as, “something given to compensate for loss, suffering, or injury; something that compensates for an undesirable state of affairs.” Why Go Through Until You Get Through? Because God is not a Stingy God! He Will Compensate You For Your Loss, Suffering, Injury and Undesirable State of Affairs! Which reminds us of James, the Bible declares: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, NOT LACKING ANYTHING.” (1:2-4 NIV) Sounds Like Compensation to Me!

And then as an added generational blessing, Seth bore his parents a grandson named Enosh. The Scripture declares, “Adam slept with his wife again. She had a son whom she named Seth. She said, “God has given me another child in place of Abel whom Cain killed.” And then Seth had a son whom he named Enosh. THAT’S WHEN men and women began praying and worshiping in the name of GOD.” (Genesis 4:25-26 MSG).

Never Judge Prematurely How Your Story Will End! After All, Eve Began Chapter 4 With LIFE…Then Stepped in DEATH…HOWEVER, Before the Closing of the SAME Chapter, She Birthed LIFE AGAIN, Plus the Added Blessing of a Grandson Who Invoked the People to Pray and Worship in the Name of GOD! “…And then Seth had a son whom he named Enosh. THAT’S WHEN MEN AND WOMEN BEGAN PRAYING AND WORSHIPING IN THE NAME OF GOD.” (Genesis 4:25-26 MSG).

In a Nutshell: Don’t Get Discouraged By a Few Verses, God Can Turn Everything Around in Your Favor Before the Closing of the same Chapter!

People of God, Be Encouraged: GO THROUGH UNTIL YOU GET THROUGH, FOR WHEN YOU GET THROUGH YOUR GREATEST BLESSING WILL BE GRANTED!

1 Chronicles 4:9-10, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; but his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my border [property], and that Your hand would be with me, and You would keep me from evil so that it does not hurt me!” AND GOD GRANTED HIS REQUEST.” (AMP)

PEOPLE OF GOD, GO THROUGH UNTIL IT’S GRANTED, FOR WHAT GOD PROMISED YOU IS GUARANTEED TO COME TO PASS!

1 Peter 5:10, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.” (AMPC)

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: “14 Things No One Tells You About Aging”

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“Don’t Get Weary While Waiting”

Galatians 6:9, “LET US NOT GROW WEARY OR BECOME DISCOURAGED IN DOING GOOD, FOR AT THE PROPER TIME WE WILL REAP, IF WE DO NOT GIVE IN.” (AMP)

As much as I love to cook, I don’t bake! But my friend Yolanda loves to bake! If she could bake an 8-course meal for dinner, she would in a heartbeat! But what I found to be hilarious is when her husband Evan bought her a bread maker one year. However, I’m still not sure who the present was really for – her or him? You see, Evan loves the smell and taste of fresh bread! But honestly, who doesn’t? Personally, my eyes have lit up when piping hot bread was delivered to the table at a restaurant! But I must admit, Evan is worse than I am! I mean I’ve even seen him ask the people at the next table if they were going to eat their bread, and if not could they let him know before it gets cold! LOL! Evan is a character indeed!

Back to Yolanda…since her husband Evan loves freshly, baked bread so much, she prepares it all the time! She pours the mix into the bread machine, punches in all the proper settings, leaves it so it can begin its wonderful three-hour process of becoming fresh baked bread. But naturally, with a couple who has 4 young children, Evan and Yolanda often become busy around the household, and so at times they often forget the bread is baking. But truth is, they don’t have anything to do with it anyway. IT’S SILENTLY GETTING DONE, WITHOUT THEIR ASSISTANCE OR INTERFERENCE!

Now, there are some hints along the way that lets them know what’s happening. For instance, eventually this wonderful aroma starts spreading through the house. But there is one particular time that they were so busy around the holiday season and preparing for the big family gathering that Yolanda had no idea where the noise was coming from when she all of a sudden heard a loud “beep…beep…beep”! So she called from the back of the house, “honey, what’s that sound?” Evan yelled back, “the bread is done!”

Remember, they wanted the bread. So, they started the process of having the bread, but they didn’t see or hear anything for quite a while, until suddenly and deliciously, it was ready!

And believe it or not, that wasn’t a cooking lesson, but a Faith Lesson! That bread maker just described the way God works! Ecclesiastes 3:11 reads: “He has made everything beautiful IN ITS TIME.” Or in the Contemporary English Version, “God makes everything happen AT THE RIGHT TIME…” (CEV)

Now, if we’ll dare to be brutally honest, often that time is a whole lot later than we want it to be! Truthfully, if it were my preference, the saving, healing, deliverance, breakthrough, provision, protection, change, turn around, would have all happened for me overnight, not over the course of 48 years! If it had been up to me, I would have had all of my hearts desires requested on Monday and given to me in full on Tuesday morning before my alarm clock even went off! But thank God He not only knows what’s best for us, but WHEN it’s best for us. With that said, I must admonish you: “WAIT ON THE LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: WAIT, I SAY, ON THE LORD.” (Psalm 27:14)

Now, is that easy? Nope! But is it impossible? Nope! Therefore, WAIT!

Another translation says it like this: “DON’T BE IMPATIENT. WAIT FOR THE LORD…YES, WAIT AND HE WILL HELP YOU.” (TLB)

Being honest, we love that He’s going to help us, but we hate having to WAIT for it!

That word “Impatient” is defined as, “not willing to wait for something or someone; wanting or eager to do something without waiting; lack of patience; restless or short of temper especially under irritation, delay or opposition; eager desire for relief or change; intolerant of anything that delays or hinders; to be anxious.” And the word “Anxious” is defined as, “experiencing worry or unease.” Its’ Latin Origin “anxius” from “angere” means “to choke”. And the word “Choke” is defined as, “to prevent (someone) from breathing by constricting or obstructing the throat or depriving of air”. When you’re Impatient, you’re not willing to wait; you’re restless and short tempered (which means you can’t properly handle irritation, delay or opposition); you’re eager for immediate relief and change; you’re worried and uneased; you’re choked! Which means, praise can’t come out; worship can’t come out; exaltation can’t come out; reciting the promises of God can’t come out; declaring and decreeing the Word of the Lord can’t come out; and all because you’ve allowed Impatience to Choke Your Faith to Death!

But what does the Word of God remind us to do when we become Impatient, Worried, or Anxious? “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].” (Philippians 4:6-7 AMP)

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

Now, doesn’t that sound a lot better than choking your faith to death; suffocating your praise; and robbing your worship of breath?!

People of God, don’t let impatience destroy you, or what God has designed to give you, when it’s ready, at just the right time!

Habakkuk 2:2-4, “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…the person in right standing before God through LOYAL AND STEADY BELIEVING is fully alive, really alive.” (MSG) NOT CHOKED TO DEATH BY IMPATIENCE, WORRY AND ANXIETY!

I REITERATE, WAIT FOR THE RIGHT TIMING OF GOD! YOU WILL GET IT, WHEN IT’S READY!

Now, a baby is healthy, if it comes at the time when it’s READY. However, the baby might not be as healthy if he or she comes PREMATURELY. And often our timing produces just that, a PREEMIE; an answer or a provision from God that really isn’t ready yet, isn’t fully developed for you to receive just yet. It’s PREMATURE. And the word “Premature” is defined as “occurring or done before the proper time.” Its’ Latin Origin “praematurus” literally means “very early.”

Listen, the last thing you want is to receive something before its’ ready! After all, would you cook a whole chicken in the oven for 30 seconds and then serve it to your family to eat? Of course you wouldn’t. You know why? Because it’s not ready, it’s PREMATURE, it’s undone, it can/will hurt them or even kill them, and all because you served them what they wanted, BEFORE it was ready for them to have! And who wants such a thing to happen to the people they love? Therefore, step into your Heavenly Father’s shoes for a moment. Think: Why would He give His children, (whom He loves, and even sacrificed the life of His own Son for), what is NOT READY, PREMATURE, UNDONE, OR COULD POSSIBLY HURT, HARM OR KILL THEM? Why would an INFINITE GOD OF ETERNITY give His children something BEFORE IT’S TIME?

To answer you…HE DOESN’T! He loves us too much to! That’s why as much as it hurts Him, He holds back the healing, provision, breakthrough…UNTIL IT’S TIME! Which may help you better understand why you haven’t received that promotion…yet; that house…yet; that car…yet; that loan…yet; that spouse…yet; those children…yet; that healing….yet; that deliverance…yet; that breakthrough…yet; that ministry…yet! It just may explain why He hasn’t taken you out of that situation, circumstance, hurt, trial, tribulation, or struggle yet! Why? He Doesn’t Want Anything to Happen for You, PREMATURELY!

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)

Keeping you in it, is helping to mature you, develop you and keep you from lacking in any way! It’s not designed to hurt you, BUT TO HELP YOU! So, don’t allow impatience to cause you to step into, or step out of anything…PREMATURELY!

Let God’s Timing Prevail and You’ll Produce What You’ve Been EXPECTING! Romans 8:22-25, “All around us we observe a PREGNANT creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply BIRTH PANGS. But it’s not only around us; IT’S WITHIN US. The Spirit of God is arousing us WITHIN. We’re also feeling the BIRTH PANGS. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for FULL DELIVERANCE. THAT IS WHY WAITING DOES NOT DIMINISH US, ANY MORE THAN WAITING DIMINISHES A PREGNANT MOTHER. WE ARE ENLARGED IN THE WAITING. WE, OF COURSE, DON’T SEE WHAT IS ENLARGING US. BUT THE LONGER WE WAIT, THE LARGER WE BECOME, AND THE MORE JOYFUL OUR EXPECTANCY.” (MSG)

Now, if that don’t make you happy, nothing else will! THE LONGER WE WAIT, THE LARGER WE BECOME AND SO DOES OUR EXPECTANCY!

People of God, Don’t Get Weary While Waiting! Galatians 6:9, “LET US NOT GROW WEARY OR BECOME DISCOURAGED IN DOING GOOD, FOR AT THE PROPER TIME WE WILL REAP, IF WE DO NOT GIVE IN.” (AMP) Listen: You Have Not Come This Far in God to Give Up, Give Out or Give In Now! SO DON’T!

Maybe right now there’s something you’ve been trusting God for, but the wait is getting pretty long: that financial breakthrough, that healing, a husband or a wife, a spiritual awakening in someone you love, a job, that answer to prayer. Well, let’s go back to our bread making machine. Evan and Yolanda started the process of cooking up an answer. For quite a while they didn’t see anything, hear anything, smell anything coming from their efforts to get bread. But silently, invisibly, it was getting done!

Daniel 10:12, “Daniel, don’t be afraid! God has listened to your prayers SINCE THE FIRST DAY…” (CEV) People of God, don’t be discouraged or afraid or worried or impatient…God has listened to your prayers SINCE THE FIRST DAY! He’s heard you, and believe it or not, while you’re waiting, He’s already answered! Jeremiah 33:3, “…CALL TO ME AND I WILL ANSWER YOU. I’LL TELL YOU MARVELOUS AND WONDROUS THINGS THAT YOU COULD NEVER FIGURE OUT ON YOUR OWN.” (MSG); Isaiah 65:24, “I WILL ANSWER THEM BEFORE THEY EVEN CALL TO ME. WHILE THEY ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT THEIR NEEDS, I WILL GO AHEAD AND ANSWER THEIR PRAYERS!” (MSG) How Amazing is Our Father? While We’re Still Talking About Our Needs, He’s Already Answered Our Prayers, (much like the bread in the maker), Silently, Invisibly, and Yet, IT’S GETTING DONE!

But that’s part of the problem for us…not that it’s being done, BUT THAT IT’S SILENT AND INVISIBLE! We don’t see anything, hear anything, or even smell anything…We can’t see or hear any activity from Heaven at all, it’s as if all the angels are on assignment to everyone, BUT US! It seems like nothing’s happening. It’s as if all of Heaven has gone deaf and mute as soon as we started praying. But I guess a gardener or a farmer could feel that way every year after they plant their seeds! For a while there’s just no VISIBLE SIGN that anything’s happening. But the processes of God most often happen OUT OF SIGHT! Why? Because that feeds and fuels our faith, and certainly guides our spiritual footsteps! 2 Corinthians 5:7, “FOR WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT [LIVING OUR LIVES IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH OUR CONFIDENT BELIEF IN GOD’S PROMISES].” (AMP)

And then before you know it, the gardener and farmer, who sowed seed, but SAW NOTHING…yet, will soon SEE A WHOLE LOT! (AND SO WILL YOU!)

What we’ve hoped for will start to appear, in time, unless we get impatient and keep digging up the seed to see if God’s really doing anything! Remember, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. That’s Hebrews 11:1. 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) Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there…Focus Your Faith Again!

Your faith is in a Person, not in what you can see them doing. And that Person: well that’s your all-loving, all-powerful, always punctual God and I’ll tell you He’s cooking up something deliciously wonderful just for you. So don’t base your expectations or your emotions on what you can see or how much time seems to be left or if it seems like there’s no time left. You know, God can do in a Day what man can’t do in a Decade!

God may give you some hints of what’s in the oven, like the aroma that comes before the bread. But when it’s totally ready, – like the beeps on the bread maker – He’ll signal you in a way that you can’t miss. And it’ll be beautiful because it will be time! So, Don’t Get Weary in the Wait…it Will Be Worth it in the End!

Numbers 9:8, “Therefore, Moses said to them, “WAIT, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you.” (AMP);

Job 14:14, “If a man dies, will he live again? I will WAIT all the days of my struggle Until my change and release will come.” (AMP);

Psalm 5:3, “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will prepare [a prayer and a sacrifice] for You and watch and WAIT [for You to speak to my heart].” (AMP);

Psalm 25:3 Indeed, none of those who [EXPECTANTLY] WAIT for You will be ashamed…” (AMP);

Psalm 25:5, “Guide me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You [and only You] I WAIT [EXPECTANTLY] all the day long.” (AMP);

Psalm 25:21, “Let integrity and uprightness protect me, For I WAIT [EXPECTANTLY] for You.” (AMP);

Psalm 31:24, “Be strong and let your hearts take courage, All you who WAIT for and confidently EXPECT the Lord.” (AMP);

Psalm 33:20, “We WAIT [EXPECTANTLY] for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.” (AMP);

Psalm 37:7, “Be still before the Lord; WAIT PATIENTLY for Him and entrust yourself to Him; Do not fret (whine, agonize)…” (AMP);

Psalm 37:34, “WAIT for and EXPECT the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; [In the end] when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.” (AMP);

Psalm 40:1, “I PATIENTLY WAITED, Lord, for You to hear my prayer. You listened.” (CEV)

Psalm 42:5, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become restless and disturbed within me? Hope in God and WAIT EXPECTANTLY for Him, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.” (AMP);

Psalm 130:5-6, “With all my heart, I am WAITING, Lord, for You! I trust Your promises. I WAIT for You more eagerly than a soldier on guard duty waits for the dawn. Yes, I WAIT more eagerly than a soldier on guard duty waits for the dawn.” (CEV);

Isaiah 40:31, “But those who WAIT for the Lord [WHO EXPECT, LOOK FOR, AND HOPE IN HIM] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and NOT BECOME WEARY, They will walk and not grow tired.” (AMP);

Romans 8:25, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we WAIT EAGERLY for it with PATIENCE AND COMPOSURE.” (AMP)

 “Let God work. Don’t block your blessings by moving too fast. When God is working on your behalf, be patient! Good things take time! Don’t get weary and don’t get in the way!” (Tony Gaskins, Jr.)

“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)

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

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

“God’s plan is always the best. Sometimes the process is painful and hard. But don’t forget that when God is silent, He’s doing something for you.” (Author Unknown)

“What God does in us while we wait is as important as what it is we are waiting for.” (John Ortberg)

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

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

“The truth is we all get tired, we all get weary. In fact, if you never feel like giving up, then your dreams are too small. If you never feel like quitting, then you need to set some larger goals. When that pressure comes to get discouraged and to think about how you can’t take it anymore, that is completely normal. Every person feels that way at times.” (Joel Osteen)

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: “10 Wellness Warriors on the Frontline of Black Lives Matter”

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LETS STAY CONNECTED!

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“Hurt…Honest…Healed!”

Psalm 69:29, “I’m hurt and in pain; Give me space for healing…” (MSG)

They often give you one of these when you check into some sprawling hotel, huge mall, a big theme park, or even a large convention facility center. It’s a map of the place. And for the directionally challenged, like myself, there’s one important and specific thing I look for first on that map. It’s that big red “X” and those three very helpful words, “YOU ARE HERE!” 

It doesn’t help me very much by just giving me a drawing of where EVERYTHING is! In order for me to use that to get to where I need to go, I NEED THAT ONE FUNDAMENTAL PIECE OF INFORMATION – AND THAT’S LOCATING EXACTLY WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW! IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO GET TO A SPECIFIC DESTINATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO GET TO GOD! In fact, the failure to talk to God about where you REALLY ARE may explain why He seems a little farther away than He once did – and a little less real than He once appeared!   

Fanny Brice put it like this: “Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you?” And isn’t that like many of us today? Regardless to how we feel, or where we really are in life financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally and the like, we learn how to master the art of façade! You see the word ‘façade’ is defined as ‘a deceptive outward appearance.’ Its French Origin, ‘face’, literally means just that, ‘face’. It’s to put a mask or disguise over your face to hide what reality is and how it’s truthfully affecting you. And many of us do that daily. We go to church smiling on the outside, and crying on the inside; we go to work trying to be happy little team players, but we’re stressed trying to get our own home team of spouse and kids to work from the same play book; we go to school with the intent of making an A, but our brain is so fried from all the closet demons we silently battle with that no one knows about, that we can barely string two sentences together that make sense; we go to family functions and we’re on auto-pilot, because we can’t let on to anyone that the dream couple they see, has actually become one another’s worst nightmare! We’ve learned to master the art of façade! Sadly, we do this with our precious and real lives, and yet even actors know when the scene has ended, to drop the role, the character, and the script and pick up their normal, every day, imperfectly real, lives. Saints, living behind a deceptive appearance is dangerous to your overall health and well-being. At some point if you are to be completely healthy, healed and whole, you’ll have to first begin by being honest!

Hebrews 4:16 is God’s powerful invitation to come boldly to His “…throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  

However, the verses that precede this promise of God’s total availability, HAVE TO DO WITH OUR TOTAL HONESTY!   

Hebrews 4 beginning at verse 12, states that God’s Word “…is sharper than any double-edged sword…” In other words it opens up our soul surgically and it exposes WHAT’S REALLY INSIDE! That brings to mind when the doctor has come up with your diagnosis, and lets you know where we’re going from here to get you back to optimal health. And for some, that requires surgery, whether you like it or not. Yet, the surgeon even with all of his/her skill, talent and knowledge, will most often still tell you a truth you may not want to hear. That truth is, I can tell you what I see from the blood work, from the x-rays, from the MRI and the like, and I have a plan for surgery and I’m prepped, capable and confident, and yet I still have to inform you that anything can happen once I go in! Why? Because there are some things that aren’t clearly visible until the surgeon begins cutting and removing layers, before he/she sees what’s hiding behind it all. And sometimes they’ll go in for one thing, and end up having to do 3-5 things, depending on what they discover! Likewise, God does the same with us when we go to Him in honesty. He goes in surgically and removes all the layers and then He sees what’s truly the problem and resolves it. But that first requires us going to Him openly and honestly and trusting Him with the scalpel, the layers and the discoveries! 

Verse 13 goes on to say, “NOTHING in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. EVERYTHING is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Therefore saints, you might as well come to God TOTALLY UNMASKED, BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING HE DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT YOU ALREADY! Like Adam and Eve hiding behind their fig leaves, and God calls out to Adam, ‘where are you?’ It’s not like God had amnesia, he wants His children to be honest with Him, as our earthly parents want honestly from their children. God is looking for us to tell Him the truth, after all, He is truth! Therefore, since everything is uncovered, nothing being hidden (no matter how masterful we become with the art of façade) all is laid bare before His eyes and we must be honest with Him because we owe him an account!

If you talk to Him about how you’re honestly feeling, He’s not going to say, “Oh, you’re kidding Me! Wow! I’m surprised! That caught Me completely off guard! I didn’t see that one coming! What in the world will be the back-up plan I have to come up with to solve that?”  

Now it’s understandable why you may not tell other folks about how you’re REALLY feeling; since most of the time it positions them to think less of you. BUT GOD ALREADY KNOWS, AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO MAKE HIM LOVE YOU MORE OR LOVE YOU LESS! In fact, these words go on to remind us that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence.” Why? BECAUSE GOD ALREADY KNOWS ALL ABOUT US, AND BECAUSE WE ARE COMING TO THE FATHER THROUGH A SAVIOR, HIS SON, WHO HAS FELT ALL THE FEELINGS OF BEING HUMAN! This my friends gives us license and right to come to God, as is!

Think about it: What better counselor is there, than The Wonderful Counselor Himself? (Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace” AMP). Listen, you can stretch out on the sofa’s of earthly counselors all you want; you can see the therapist, the psychiatrist, the psychologist, the social worker, none of them can do for you what your Wonderful Counselor can! Is that to say they are of no use and not helpful? Absolutely not, but we have to stop running to man every time something goes wrong in our lives thinking they alone can make it all right! God alone is the one who sees all, hears all, knows all and can save, heal and deliver all! You need to make Him your first choice not your last resort!

So, the next time you decide to give God a watered down version OF WHERE YOU ACTUALLY ARE, recall the following Scriptures:

1. “The eyes of the Lord are IN EVERY PLACE, keeping watch upon the evil AND the good.” (Proverbs 15:3 AMP).
   

2. “The LORD is CONSTANTLY WATCHING EVERYONE…” (2 Chronicles 16:9 CEV).

3. “And he keeps a CLOSE WATCH ON EVERYTHING I DO.” “God WATCHES EVERYTHING WE DO.” (Job 31:4 & 34:21 CEV).

4. “…He WATCHES EVERYONE CLOSELY, EXAMINING EVERY PERSON ON EARTH.” (Psalm 11:4 NLT).

5. “For MY EYES ARE ON ALL THEIR WAY; THEY ARE NOT HIDDEN FROM MY FACE, NEITHER IS THEIR INIQUITY CONCEALED FROM MY EYES.” (Jeremiah 16:17 AMP).

6. “CAN ANYONE HIDE HIMSELF IN SECRET PLACES SO THAT I CANNOT SEE HIM? Says the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? Says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:24 AMP).

7. “…YOU SEE EVERYTHING THAT MEN AND WOMEN DO AND RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO THE WAY THEY LIVE, TO THE THINGS THEY DO.” (Jeremiah 32:19 MSG).

8. “…people don’t realize that I AM WATCHING THEM. Their sinful deeds are all around them, and I SEE THEM ALL.” (Hosea 7:2 NLT).

9. “GOD said, “I’ve taken a GOOD, LONG LOOK at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them…” (Exodus 3:7-8 MSG).

10. “So she called the name of the Lord Who spoke to her, YOU ARE A GOD OF SEEING, for she said, Have I [not] even here [in the wilderness] looked upon Him WHO SEES ME [and lived]? Or have I here also seen [the future purposes or designs of] Him WHO SEES ME? Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi [A well to the LIVING ONE WHO SEES ME]…” (Genesis 16:13-14 AMP).

Never forget: El-Roi SEES EVERYTHING! Yes, he saw the cigarettes, the alcohol, the drugs, the hotel/motel stay, the divorce papers, the disconnect notice, the foreclosure sign, the pink slip, the diagnosis, the cut paycheck, the denied mortgage loan, the defaulted tuition payments, the car dealership refusal, the scholarship that fell through, the business plans that never left the blueprint stage, the demotion, the miscarriage, the betrayal, the tears, the hurt, the pain, the struggle! Yes, God SEES it all! He SEES everything so today is a good day to stop faking with the façade! Today is a good day to be real with God about where you really are!

Yet, there are some of you who may still say, “Well, if God already sees, if God already knows, why do I need to tell Him?” IT’S SO YOU CAN OPEN UP THAT PART OF YOUR HEART AND YOUR LIFE, WILLINGLY, TO HIS CLEANSING, HIS RESTORING, HIS HEALING AND HIS WHOLENESS! ALWAYS REMEMBER: GOD IS A GENTLEMAN, AND ONLY GOES WHERE HE’S INVITED!

Maybe you’ve been saying, “God doesn’t seem all that real to me right now.” But look at it from His perspective, He just may be saying the very same thing about you! You’re coming to Him super religious, all together, dressed up, and eloquently quoting scriptures. So, if God doesn’t seem real to you, maybe it’s because you aren’t being real with Him! Simply put, you aren’t stating where you really are! You’re making the same, common mistakes most church folks make, and that’s coming to God not as you really are, but as you think you’re supposed to be! Keep in mind though, when you come in this manner, you never receive from God all that He has to give you! God isn’t trying to help the future you, or the fake you, He’s trying to help the hurting you, that you are right now, at this very moment! He’s trying to meet you where you really are! Stop lying, and stop hiding, if you want Him to help you! Because He can’t heal who you pretend to be!

Listen: I shared this analogy with a Ministers-in-training class, and hopefully it will help you just the same: Sister Taylor needs $100, and I have the $100 to give her. I ask Sister Taylor to tell me where she’s at so I can bring her what she so desperately needs. Now, if Sister Taylor says she’s in New York, that may well be true. But if she tells me she’s in Roosevelt, New York when in actuality she’s in Freeport, New York, although the state is true, she wasn’t honest about the town she’s actually located in! So because she didn’t tell me ‘EXACTLY’ where she really was, what she needs, I have, but she’ll never receive it until she can honestly say “I’M RIGHT HERE.”

Far too many of us do not go to God honestly about where we really are! Yes, He already knows. But that’s not the point. The point is when you really have a relationship with God, and you trust Him you’ll take all the stuff you can’t trust people with, to Him! You’ll comfortably and confidently go to your Holy God and expose all of your Unholy Self, knowing that when the encounter with the honest to God truth is over, He loves you no less!  

Another Example: My husband knows I’m at work from 9-5. But just because he knows WHERE I am, he doesn’t know HOW I am unless he calls me or I call him to share that. God likewise, knows where you are, but He wants you to share with Him HOW you’re really doing where you really are! He knows about the troubled marriage, the wayward children, the depleting bank account, the strife amongst siblings, the plotting coworkers, the stress of the ministry. He knows about your depression, your loneliness, your despair, your confusion, your tears, your heartache, your frustrations. And He’s still sitting by waiting for you not to just tell Him where you are, but how you’re really doing where you are. Remember you’re in a Relationship with Him, you’re not a part of a Religion with Him. For Him, this is not about a list of principles, it’s about a personal relationship. He wants to hear your voice, he wants you to share your emotions, pour all that’s in you out to Him, before you take it to others as usual who can do you no good.  It’s about your Relationship not Rules, Regulations and Religion.

And a real relationship with God is honestly telling Him when you’re hurting, when you’re afraid, when you feel like giving up, when you’re angry, when you’re tired, when you’re frustrated, when you’re lonely, when you’re suicidal, when you’re confused, when you can’t forgive, when your jealous, when your envious, when your discontent, when you can’t fight anymore, when you don’t understand, when you’re desperate for love, when you’re spiritually deflated, and the list could simply go on forever! Because you’ll never reach a point in a real relationship with God where you run out of things to share with Him, good, bad, ugly and beautiful alike!  

Can you imagine how many marriages could’ve been saved had the couples went to God to tell Him exactly where they were? How many children would not have run away from home, joined gangs, or lost their virginity, had they known to go to God with all they’re feeling and talk to Him? How many lives could’ve been saved had they went to God with their deepest hurts, disappointments, anger, and feelings of despair and loss instead of to drugs, sex and alcohol? How many businesses that would not have went bankrupt if the owners went to God before they went to the attorneys? How many church splits that didn’t need to occur had the pastor and church went to the God they say, sing, and preach is the Head of the church?

People of God, if you only knew how badly your God desires for you to let it all out so He can finally let in His mercy (that is new every morning); His grace (that is sufficient for whatever you’re going through); His lovingkindness (that will always be better than life); and His unconditional love (that will always cover the multitude of your every sin)! All He’s waiting for is a meeting with the Real You, at the place You’re Really At! Just tell Him! Don’t walk out on the marriage, don’t give up on the kids, don’t quit the job, don’t leave the church, don’t drop out of school, don’t end the friendship/relationship, don’t take your own life, don’t throw in the towel, just Talk to God, He’s waiting to hear from you! “Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” (Jeremiah 33:3 MSG); “I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” (Isaiah 65:24 TLB) God is waiting to hear from you, why are you still so silent?

Your spiritual drifting, your distance from God, or your unnecessary pain may be because you’ve been coming to God without the real you! But He said: “I know the plans I have for YOU…” (Jeremiah 29:11). Not the plans for the person you’re attempting to be, not the figment of your imagination, not the covered up Cover Girl, not the masked man! But plans for the real you! Flawed you, rejected you, abandoned you, failed you, imperfect you, addicted you, diseased you, God is waiting to hear from YOU, the real YOU, because He has Plans for YOU that neither pain nor problems can stop!  

Today, I challenge you to get your life map out and mark the “X” of where you Really are right now. Why? Because, it’s then, and only then, that God will take you from there to where He’s destined you to be! Which is why you should be encouraged to tell God where the real you is today, right now, in this moment. Because where you are doesn’t distract God from where He’s taking you. Your current location does not in any way intimate God, no matter how bad it is! God specializes in using shattered people in broken places! Noah was a drunk; Abraham was old; Jacob was a liar; Leah wasn’t the most attractive; Joseph was abused; Moses stuttered; Gideon was afraid; Sampson was a womanizer; Rahab was a prostitute; Jeremiah was young; David had an affair and was a murderer; Elijah was suicidal; Isaiah preached naked; Jonah ran from God and his assignment; Naomi loss her husband and both her sons; Job loss his family, went bankrupt, and had a wife who wanted him to curse God; John the Baptist dressed a little funny and ate bugs; Peter had a temper and denied Jesus Christ by saying he never even knew Him; The Disciples fell asleep while praying; Thomas had doubts; Miriam talked about her own brother; Aaron helped the people make up their own god out of a golden calf; Sarai was impatient; Hagar was a single mother wandering around the desert waiting for her and her son to die; Martha worried about everything; the Samaritan Woman had a few too many men (none of which were actually her own); Saul was tall; Abigail was married to a fool; Zaccheus was short; Paul was beaten and shipwrecked; Timothy had ulcers; and Lazarus was dead! So do you really think that God is intimated by you and where you really are in life?!  I promise you, God can still use, Even YOU!

Hear Jesus’ heartfelt plea to us, “Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together.” (Revelation 3:20 CEV).  Today, He wants to come in and share with you substance “…we will eat together“. He wants to share with you something that will feed you, nourish you, and strengthen you! And He wants to do it With You!  

Saints, He’s at your door knocking, will you open the door of your heart to Him and finally say “Lord, I’m Right Here”? “Lord, I’m Hurting, But Here is the Real Me!” Because once you do, you and your life will never be the same again!

Psalm 69:29 says, “I’m hurt and in pain; Give me space for healing…” (MSG) Brothers and Sisters, our Father already knows your hurting and in pain, and He so desperately wants to heal you. In fact, He already has that “space for your healing” set aside just for you, He’s just waiting for you to show up! That space is found in Psalm 91, “You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow, Say this: “God, you’re my refuge. I trust in You and I’m safe!” That’s right—He rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you’re perfectly safe; His arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God’s your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get through the door. He ordered His angels  to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path. “If you’ll hold on to Me for dear life,” says God, “I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust Me. Call Me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!” (MSG)

Saints, here’s God’s “space for your healing” (Psalm 91), so are you going to make the wise decision today to bring the real you there so you can finally be healed, or are you going to make the foolish decision to remain hiding in pain behind your diseased facade?

 

It is My Sincere Prayer That Today You’ll Take Your Hurt to God, Be Honest With God, and Be Healed By God!

“Be honest with God and ask Him to give you a willingness to do the work of prayer.” (David Jeremiah)

“I’m honest in my conversations with Him because I know He can handle it.” (Lysa TerKeurst)

“God blesses people who are real. When you’re honest, you open the door for God to come in and change things.” (Joel Osteen)

“God’s grace is sufficient. You’ll never face a hill you don’t have the strength to climb.” (Joel Osteen)

“The beauty of grace is that God already knows about our sin. He just wants us to be honest with Him.” (Author Unknown)

“To be God’s friend, you must be honest to God, sharing your true feelings, not what you think you ought to feel or say.” (Author Unknown)

“You might as well tell God what you think, He already knows it anyway.” (Todd Burpo)

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: “18 Habits of the Happiest and Healthiest Families”

Feel free to join us at: http://www.chefshermainesbiblecafe.home.blog Today’s Chef Special Word “BE GRACIOUS”

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“Only Fools Refuse God’s Wisdom!”

Joshua 9:14-15, “So the men [of Israel] took some of their own provisions [and offered them in friendship], and [FOOLISHLY] did not ask for the counsel of the Lord. Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant (treaty) with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation [of Israel] swore an oath to them.” (AMP)

It was an amusing billboard actually; a cartoon drawing of a wide-eyed, bewildered-looking squirrel, holding a broken cable in his paws. The sign that came with it simply read, “Call before you dig”, and gave a toll-free phone number. Well, I’ve come to discover that many utility workers have this problem and have it quite often. You see, squirrels start digging into the wires and they cut right into the utility workers power lines and cables. Lines which could very easily be gas lines, phone lines, or cables. And in the process, the happy diggers make a big mess for the utility company and their customers. A mess that could have easily been avoided had they asked about the dangers before they started digging. Now, squirrels may not know any better, but sadly neither do most people!

Which is why it really is a good idea to check with the people ‘in the know’ before you just start plowing ahead! It’s our failure to check with the Person who’s really ‘in the know’ that explains many of our costly mistakes, that have caused some of the biggest messes in our lives, and in the lives of all those connected to us!

Warning: People CONNECTED to You are EFFECTED by You…For Good or Bad!

Consider the example in Joshua 9:14-15. The Jews have been winning one victory after another over the Canaanites as they took possession of the Promised Land that God was giving them. Now, they are about to come upon Gibeon, one of the royal cities of Canaan. The Gibeonites have heard about the fall of the other cities the Jews have gone against. They know they’re going down next unless they can trick God’s people somehow into making a peace treaty with them, which seems unlikely in light of the fact that God’s Orders are to remove every tribe from the land and Not to coexist with them!

But the Gibeonites are shrewd. They sent a delegation to see Joshua, with donkeys loaded with cracked wineskins and worn-out sacks. They wore patched sandals and old clothes, and they carried dry and moldy bread with them. The whole scam was to make it LOOK LIKE they were from far away and that they had come on a long journey. Here’s how Joshua and his men decided what to do with these Gibeonites, The Bible says, “The Israelites sampled their provisions (so they made sure the bread was really dry and moldy) BUT THEY DID NOT INQUIRE OF THE LORD. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.” (NIV)

Do you know, within days, the Jews learned that the Gibeonites weren’t from far away; in fact, they were from close by. But because they had been tricked into this treaty, they could not, by honor, remove them as God had originally commanded. As a result, the hands of the Jews were tied for years to come, and the treaty actually sparked a major battle with other armies. How did this mess happen? Well, in a nutshell, they didn’t call before they dug, much like the squirrels! They decided on the basis of what SEEMED right to them, but they made the fatal mistake so many of us have made so many times before –THEY DIDN’T CHECK WITH HEAVEN…THEY DIDN’T CHECK WITH GOD! And so they blew it! And so do we!

Listen to the text in varying translation:

“The Israelites TRIED some of the food, BUT THEY DID NOT ASK THE LORD IF HE WANTED THEM TO MAKE A TREATY.” (CEV);

“The men of Israel wanted to know if these men were telling the truth. So they TASTED the bread – BUT THEY DID NOT ASK THE LORD WHAT THEY SHOULD DO.” (ERV);

“The Israelites ACCEPTED some food from them, BUT DID NOT CONSULT THE LORD ABOUT IT.” (GNT);

“Joshua and the other leaders finally believed them. THEY DID NOT BOTHER TO ASK THE LORD BUT WENT AHEAD AND SIGNED A PEACE TREATY…” (TLB);

“So the Israelites EXAMINED their food, BUT THEY DID NOT CONSULT THE LORD.” (NLT);

“The men of Israel LOOKED them over and ACCEPTED the EVIDENCE. BUT THEY DIDN’T ASK GOD ABOUT IT.” (MSG);

“The men BELIEVED the EVIDENCE they were shown, BUT THEY DID NOT ASK THE LORD ABOUT IT.” (GWT);

Now, this is where many of us mess up and get messy! Like the Israelites, we’ll try it; take some; taste it; sample it; exam it, believe it, and even eventually accept it…but what we fail to do is to ask God what to do about it and with it! The Israelites (like many of us) were cautious, they checked out what was presented to them, however, the final decision was not theirs to make (and not ours either)!

“The Israelites took some of their supplies, BUT THEY DIDN’T ASK FOR ANY DECISION FROM THE LORD.” (CEB)

And can we be honest? We Get in the Worst Predicaments Because We Forget God Knows Best!

The decision was the Lord’s to make! They were to consult Him. And even with the decisions He allows us to be a part of, we are still to consult the Lord! And it’s not because they didn’t know any better, so they don’t even have that as a justifiable excuse and neither do we!

James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom [TO GUIDE HIM THROUGH A DECISION OR CIRCUMSTANCE], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him.” (AMP)

When God Himself is telling you to use His Wisdom, only a Fool would refuse!

God is there to Help, not to Hinder us! But He’s not rudely forcing Himself on us either! But He’s laid out for us the safest way to travel if only we’d adhere to it! Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart AND DO NOT RELY ON YOUR OWN INSIGHT OR UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL YOUR WAYS know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and HE will make your paths straight and smooth [REMOVING OBSTACLES THAT BLOCK YOUR WAY].” (AMP) Do you realize just how smooth this journey of ours could be if only we’d humble ourselves enough to follow His lead? We wouldn’t even have to worry about the bumps in the road along the way because He promises to “…remove obstacles that block our way.” But no, we insist on doing things our own way! And what is the result of that decision?

Proverbs 16:25, “There’s a way that looks harmless enough; look again – it leads straight to hell.” (MSG) Surely that’s the destination you were hoping to reach, right?

Don’t you see, we’re much like the Israelites, as soon as something (or someone) APPEARS to be alright; APPEARS to check out; APPEARS to be on the up-and-up, we jump head long into a mess with eyes wide open! All we know is that it “…LOOKS HARMLESS ENOUGH…” but so does she (until you get married to her and her $100,000.00 debt); so does he (until his perfect tall, dark and handsome exposes you to an STD); so does that church (but little do you know they’re only concerned with the prosperity of your pockets and not the prosperity of your soul); so does that business (until you find out the under-handed methods they use to keep it afloat)! What am I saying? Ask God Before You Decide It or They Are Really the Answer You Were Looking For! This could literally save your very life!

Think of all the divorces that could have been avoided had the individuals sought the Lord FIRST! When our children messed up, imagine how quickly they could have cleaned up, if we FIRST helped them God’s way instead of ours! The many soul ties that would never have tangled up your peace of mind if only you’d sought the Lord’s decision in the matter, FIRST! How many broken hearts that would not have needed years to mend, if only we sought the Lord FIRST. Many of us would not have to start over (for the 97^th time, just this week) if only we’d sought the Lord FIRST! So much unnecessary pain, so many unnecessary complications and difficulties and conflicts, and all because of our failure to seek God’s direction FIRST!  And in this day and time of read your horoscope; find your inner-self; reach for a higher power; let them read your palm; check out the tarot cards; let the soothsayers soothe you; (You Need to Know to Seek God FIRST!)

Isaiah 8:19-22, “When people tell you, “Try out the fortunetellers. Consult the spiritualists. Why not tap into the spirit-world, get in touch with the dead?” Tell them, “NO, WE’RE GOING TO STUDY THE SCRIPTURES.” People who try the other ways get nowhere – a dead end! Frustrated and famished, they try one thing after another. When nothing works out they get angry, cursing first this god and then that one, looking this way and that, up, down, and sideways – and seeing nothing, a blank wall, an empty hole. They end up in the dark with nothing.” (MSG)

And why would anyone want to waste time on such Foolishness when you have direct access to the Wisdom of God? That’s Who you seek…FIRST! When you’re wondering which direction and what to do, seek God FIRST! Jeremiah 33:3, “This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: “Call to Me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” (MSG) With that as your best option, how could you chose anything different? You do not have to figure out life on your own (and thank God, because clearly WE are not good at decision making on our own)! And who cares, since we can simply call to our Father and He will answer His children with marvelous things that we don’t have to keep digging to find on our own!

Isaiah 65:24, “I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking to Me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” (TLB) Why try to figure out something God has already figured out? All you have to do is ask Him for the answer!

However, truth is, we neglect to check with God for many reasons. We’re in too big of a hurry, we’re feeling pressured by other people, we compromise for the sake of convenience, or we just plain know how we want it to be and we stubbornly blaze ahead with our own will. Sometimes, we may even be doing God’s thing, but it’s not God’s time or it’s not God’s way. Which is why it’s so vital that we “lean not on our own understanding,” which can only see part of the picture. When you consult with the Lord, you’re getting direction from the only One who can see the whole picture. That’s why counsel before decisions is so important! Proverbs 15:22, “Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed.” (MSG)

Listen, in 2 Chronicles 18:4, King Jehoshaphat gave King Ahab this advice before he went running off into battle: “…FIRST, seek the counsel of the Lord.” (NIV) Here’s a few additional translations:

“…Please inquire FIRST for the Word of the Lord.” (AMP);

“…Inquire FIRST, I pray you, for the Word of the Lord today.” (AMPC);

“…FIRST, let’s see what the Lord has to say.” (CEB);

“But FIRST let’s ask the Lord what to do.” (CEV);

“But FIRST let’s ask the Lord for advice.” (ERV);

“…“But FIRST, find out what the Lord’s Word is in this matter.” (GWT);

“…But FIRST let’s consult the Lord.” (GNT);

“…However, let’s check with the Lord FIRST.” (TLB);

“…BUT BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, ASK GOD FOR GUIDANCE.” (MSG);

“…But FIRST we should ask if this is the Lord’s Will.” (NCV);

Are you starting to see the clear picture now? There’s a plan in place, however, Jehoshaphat (the wise leader) says, FIRST, let’s inquire of the Lord; let’s see what the Word of the Lord is for today; let’s see what He has to say; let’s ask Him what we should do; let’s ask for His advice; let’s find out what He has to say about this particular matter; let’s consult Him; let’s see if this is even His Will; BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING…LET’S ASK GOD TO GUIDE US! Yet, even with all of that admonishment, in the end, King Ahab didn’t, and because he didn’t, he died in that battle!

Do I dare ask how much money you would not have lost if you sought God FIRST? How much of your integrity, dignity and character would still be intact if you sought the Lord FIRST? How many mistakes and missteps could you have avoided if only you asked if this or they were in His Will for your life? Maybe you wouldn’t have lost the job, the house, the car, the career, the ministry or church, if only you would have asked God for His Guidance, before deciding to Go Your Own Way…Only to Have Crashed Over the Cliff Where He Already Had Warning Signs in Place!

And LEADERS, this is dangerous for us as well, listen to the text again in closing: “JOSHUA AND THE OTHER LEADERS finally believed them. They did not bother to ask the Lord but went ahead and signed a peace treaty…” (TLB);

Leadership Means We’re Responsible For Everyone On Board, Whether We Sail Safely, or Sink Fatally. Which is why we (above all people) ought to use the Wisdom God has made available to us to lead people according to His Word, Way and Will…and NOT That of Our Own! Because in the end, these LEADERS made a decision (WITHOUT GOD) that affected the WHOLE CONGREGATION. And if we dare make the wrong decision, the Body of Christ, as a whole, is damaged. Because you can’t hurt your pinky and the rest of your hand not know what happened. And in the Body of Christ, whatever we do in the Body, affects the whole body. So let’s start today by asking the Lord to lead and guide us in the way we should go, not in the way we want to go. Let’s ask the Lord for His decision, His Word, His Will, His Way, and His Timing.

Why? Because we can avoid a lot of problems and a lot of pain if only we’ll instinctively check with God FIRST. Let’s stop being like squirrels on power lines, digging in and causing disruption to everyone and everything. Let’s decide today to stop making messy decisions!

I share this because we’ve entered another New Year. We have much indeed to be grateful for. However, this is also the time and season when everyone wants to be something new, try something new, go somewhere new. And nothing is wrong with New, when it’s the Lord’s doing: Isaiah 43:18-21, “This is what God says…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) God doesn’t need your New Years’ Resolutions! If something is to be New, let Him do it instead of you attempting to experiment with it! Let God change it; alter it; move it; or send it…not you trying to make things (you want, but may not need) to happen!

This year, make one resolution only…SEEK GOD FIRST! Don’t go grabbing shovels and seeking new land, and start digging where God never intended you to. Wait! Seek His Counsel, whether it’s for marriage; a relationship; a friendship; a job offer; a school choice; a career move; leaving or starting a church; or going to the store to make a purchase…Wait On the Lords’ Timing and Direction and You’ll Never Be Steered Off Course!

Think about it, haven’t we already made the foolish mistake of making decisions without the Lord’s consult and wisdom? And as bad as those choices and consequences turned out to be…do you really want a New Year, with the same Old You, making all the same old errors…again? Of course not. So this year, if it’s the Last thing you do…SEEK THE LORD FIRST…Before You Start Digging and Deciding!

Matthew 6:30-33, “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.” (MSG)

Psalm 37:23-24, “The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.” (AMPC)

REMEMBER: ONLY FOOLS REFUSE GOD’S WISDOM!

Psalm 14:1, “The [spiritually ignorant] fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed repulsive and unspeakable deeds; There is no one who does good.” (AMP)

Romans 1:22, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools,” (AMP)

Proverbs 18:2, “A [closed-minded] fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his personal opinions [unwittingly displaying his self-indulgence and his stupidity].” (AMP)

Proverbs 9:8, “Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you; Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you.” (AMP)

Proverbs 26:4, “Do not answer [nor pretend to agree with the frivolous comments of] a [closed-minded] fool according to his folly, Otherwise you, even you, will be like him.” (AMP)

Proverbs 1:7, “The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline.” (AMP)

Proverbs 29:11, “A [shortsighted] fool always loses his temper and displays his anger, But a wise man [uses self-control and] holds it back.” (AMP)

Proverbs 13:20, “He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise,
But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm.” (AMP)

Proverbs 12:16, “The [arrogant] fool’s anger is quickly known [because he lacks self-control and common sense], But a prudent man ignores an insult.” (AMP)

Proverbs 12:18, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (AMP)

Ecclesiastes 7:9, “Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger dwells in the heart of fools.” (AMP)

Ephesians 5:15-16, “Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.” (AMP)

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: “Ways We Sabotage Our Mental Health and Tips to Turn it Around”

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