What You Really Need Has Already Been Provided

What You Really Need Has Already Been Provided

Remember how quickly kids learn the word “mine”? And how it rarely has anything to do with what is truly theirs? At almost three our youngest grandchild is constantly saying things like “my phone”, “my ds” (game system for those who don’t know) and now even “my ipad”! With the technology of today it’s no longer things like dolls or bicycles or other toys. Kids learn to be wanters of other people’s things. That’s a polite way of comparison desire. They see someone with something and automatically it should be theirs.

We must admit in our heart of hearts we occasionally do the same thing. We comparison desire. We see where others are and wonder why we can’t be there. We hear what others are doing and we want to do that. We see the flash of success and the bling of cliques and wonder why we can’t have that too. Things we love get jerked from our hands and hearts and we cry out “mine!” Can you relate?

God wants us to know beloved, that we are His. He wants us to know that because we belong to Him He has the only right to say “Mine”. And because we are His everything we need, every single thing, is ours. We don’t have to wish for more, hope for something else, or grab something that isn’t meant for us. We don’t have to fume or envy or get angry or throw a tantrum – spiritual or physical. We can also trust Him when things go awry – when people walk away – when ministry is thwarted – or when love grows cold. It’s all His to give and take away as He alone chooses.

God also wants you to know that only in laying down your wants will you find rest and peace and joy. Don’t look around for He is always attending to your every need. Don’t cry over lost opportunity or lost love or lost income. He has your back beloved, and when God has your back, everything is more than good. He promises His abundance in our want. He promises that as we release our envy and frustrations, He will replace them with His overflow. You do have a ministry and it is being fulfilled even when you see nothing in your hand – for it is from Him, for Him and to Him. His glory alone is what you should see, His power alone is what you need and His will is what you should grab for – with all your heart and mind and soul.

Oh beloved, you are loved, you are cared for you, you are lacking nothing. God is not GOING to fulfill your needs, He already has! You just need to walk in Him and leave the choices in His hands. Oh what a life you will have and oh what a blessing you will be as you live completely in the Light of His Word.

“Lord we want to trust You. But we want to cry out “mine”! Help us to leave the choices to you, knowing that You have our very best in mind and Your purpose for us will be completely fulfilled. Forgive us for complaining and grabbing. Make us more like You and give us a grateful servant’s heart.”

Isaiah 66:2 My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are Mine. I, the Lord, have spoken!” I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at My word.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Psalm 16:5 Lord, You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.

Psalm 68:10 There Your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, You provided for Your needy people.

Colossians 2:10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Training Brings Abundance

Stella and I were shopping one day. As a nearly 3 year old girl, Stella has definite likes and dislikes. But she also has a hard time making up her mind. We were trying to choose a shirt. She picked one she liked and we began to move the buggy. “Wait! I don’t like this.” So we stopped and chose another shirt. We got a little farther away and she decided she didn’t like that one either. Finally, after three almost made it shirts, I said nope, let’s find something else. We ended up going home with a book.

She’s in training. She is learning to make choices and she’s learning what she likes and dislikes. Every choice she makes brings up an end result, not always to her liking to be sure. But she’s learning about the choices she makes even as young as she is.

My husband and I are in training. So far we are enjoying it. I can’t say enjoying it as in having fun, lighthearted and free. We are having intense information given to us and it’s changing our very beings. All this is coming on the heels of a very hard place for us. We had a choice. We could have said this is too hard, we quit. Or we could pick our faces up off the floor and say okay Lord, what’s next?

We chose to go on with God. Before I make that sound too lofty I would like to say that it is not always an easy choice to say yes to God in the midst of pain, rejection or trials. But I think it’s important for you to know, precious one, that the choice you make today about what you are going through will set the tone for your future.

God speaks to my heart: Every day is a choice. But when you make your choices, be sure you do this in the light of My Word rather than your pain, misfortune or as a result of what others may have done. You must know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I have had you in the palm of My hand all these years. I knew you before you were even conceived, before you were a dream in your parents’ minds. I knew everything that you would ever go through. While all of it has not been pleasant, it is all fitting into My plan. For My ways are higher than your ways. You see pain, I see possibilities. You see rejection, I see connection. You see hurts, I see learning experiences beyond your wildest dreams. When you choose to live in Me and let Me change your heart and focus your mind, I will restore the things that are so broken, even when done at another’s hand. Even when you have been so broken you didn’t know how you could live again I AM able to make all things work together for your good and My glory. It is in the very hardest places of life that you are able to grow the most. So trust Me. Let Me continue My plan for your life. You are loved, you are chosen, you are redeemed and you are Mine.

Oh beloved, it’s time to lay aside the grave clothes of rejection. It’s time to throw off the mantel of grief over choices made by you and those choices made for you. No there’s nothing you can do about some things that have happened. But you are destined to be of great value to the Kingdom of the Most High God. The very things which have wanted to choke you and suffocate the very life from your heart and mind are going to be used to give you a platform to share the Glory of God with others who need to know that He is able. As you learn to lean on God and let Him teach you, you will be amazed that you will not just survive, you will thrive! Let God do all He wants to do for you, in you and through you. His greatest desire is that you are fit for heaven. His utmost calling is that your life be a testament to His mercy and grace. He will equip you for Christlikeness, encourage you to rejoice, reconcile your past to your future and restore you beyond the pain.

God loves you and He’s for you. That simply means that He’s willing and able to take you out of the ashes of it all and create in you a life that is glorious for His Kingdom. You still have a choice to live loved or to barely survive. God says live and show forth the praises of Him who is bringing you out of the darkness and into His own marvelous light!

Isaiah 58:6 Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Psalm 4:7 You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound.

1 Timothy 1:14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Amplified

Psalm 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God and made Him my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works. Amplified

Let Your Faith Treadmill Do It's Work!

The little cricket of our childhood Disney adventures sang, “When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are…” I spent much of my childhood just like other kids, wishing upon stars.  I do remember even as a little girl praying after every wish, “Dear Jesus, please make it so.”

I still have dreams and wishes. I still have hopes and plans. I still look for the silver lining and the first star of the night. But wishing isn’t enough.  People wish all the time – that they had fame, fortune, favor, etc.  A wish is a very comfy sofa. You can lounge there forever.  It takes nothing to lounge and the rewards are nowhere to be found.

But faith is a treadmill. It’s work! It runs on and on. It takes you where you can’t be on your own. It will make you feel much better, but it will cost you. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. It’s the evidence of things not seen. Why would anyone run on a treadmill if they didn’t expect results?  No, they’d recline on the sofa and dream their life away.  Faith jumps up and demands action. Faith gets the blood pumping and the heart pounding. Faith responds to faith. So as we build on faith we find we have more faith!

Unlike the cricket who sings to us to wish on a star, the Lord shows us how to increase our faith. He gives us His precious promises so that when we pray we know we are heard.  Our own wishes, hopes and dreams can fail us, disappoint us and leave us seeking for more, but God’s will never leaves us hanging.  As we hop on the treadmill of the Word and learn it and put it into practice, we find we become stronger and stronger in the faith.  We can spend our entire lives trying to fulfill our own dreams, make our own wishes come true and still fall short of contentment, joy and peace. But once we make God’s goals our goals and let Him infuse our dreams with His will we find the greatest fulfillment in Him.

Oh beloved, you may be sitting in a heap, looking at your dashed hopes and unfulfilled wishes. God knows that you had great hope for your life, your family, your spouse, your job…  You’ve tried to make it all happen, yet people, places and things disappoint you over and over.  You haven’t been feeling fulfilled in such a long time that you may be thinking of chunking your wishes out the door and giving up.  Don’t despair! God is with you. He promises to stay by your side and to make all things new. He will either exchange your dreams for His and give you a fresh start or He will refine your dreams that are from Him and make them come to pass!

He can be trusted! Why? Because He loves you! His Word can be taken in and lived out! Why? Because He is God! Let Him have your wishes, put away the stars and let Him have your heart, your mind and your soul and rejoice as your faith treadmill does its work just the way He plans for you!

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Romans 8:27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Isaiah 55:9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Romans 10:17 So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself). ( AMP )

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

What's Your Heart's Desire?

I have this dream cabin idea.  I’ve been planning it for years. I know the style, the layout, the windows, the deck, the porches and more. I know what kind of furnishings I want and even the wall colors and flooring ideas. It’s wonderful. I have pinned ideas on pinterest, bought books about it and scoured the internet for ideas and accessories. It is fully planned in my mind.

Although it’s been in my mind for years, other things have come up that keep this dream in the background. Most of us, if truth be told, have a hidden dream that we’d like to have become a reality. Generally for most folks it’s a dream that’s above and beyond normal living.  After all, I have a lovely home and plenty of “stuff” already!  Many times it’s just plain living that roots out dreams or puts them on the back burner. Sometimes we don’t want the dream bad enough to sacrifice for it. We just dream about it and somehow think that’s enough.

Have you been dreaming about being an awesome Christian with a closer walk with God? Are you hoping that one day you’ll feel secure in your faith and willing to step out on the water? Are you wondering if it’s possible for ordinary people to actually experience extraordinary living? Maybe you’ve dreamed you could have faith to move mountains, but the mountain remains. You dream about speaking oracles of God, but you just give up and give in. Life is tough and the going gets tougher all the time. But when we base our dreams upon the sure foundation of God’s Word, then He will give the feet to our dreams! Don’t worry if it seems to take time, for time is what you need: time to pray, time to plan and time to grow.

God loves to plant dreams in your heart. You may hear Him speaking to you this morning, telling you things about yourself that you just can’t imagine in your wildest dreams. He says to you to quit dreaming and start living in His light! Everything you need, beloved, is found in Him. Everything you can only hope for is found in the reality of walking in Christ.  He has given you heaven to dream of but He wants you to be securely set in the reality of all He is. Dreaming of being right with God? That truth is found in Christ. Dreaming of doing things the right way instead of failing over and over? That truth is found in the Word of God. Dreaming of being more than a conqueror, free from fear, overcoming your emotions? It’s all True – when we live in the light of His Word.

Oh beloved, run to His Word this morning and take it in, digest it and live it out, for that’s where dreams truly become reality! He loves you and He’s for you and that’s the TRUTH He wants you to experience!

Psalm 37:3-4 Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.

Matthew 6:21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

2 Peter 1:4 And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire You more than anything on earth.

Isaiah 26:8 Lord, we show our trust in You by obeying Your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify Your name.

Jeremiah 32:40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship Me, and they will never leave Me.

Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.