Wednesday's Word: God's On It!

In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship.


When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.

On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.

Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.

Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.

Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.” Daniel 10:1-14 (NLT)

Right now you may be standing in prayer, seeking God's face, fasting, and searching for God's answer for you. Time may have passed, and you may feel like God has not heard you or that God doesn't care. It may seem like your answer will never come, and you may be thinking of giving up.

Don't lose hope!

Just as He heard Daniel's first prayer, the Lord has heard your prayer as well. Your answer is on it's way! God has you in mind. You are precious to Him, and He loves you. The Lord will not leave you hanging.

Continue to trust in the Lord, and He will prove Himself faithful to you.

Faith Decision Moments

In our walk with the Lord, we will encounters faith decision moments. In those moments, we will decide either to move forward in faith or shrink back in fear.

Moses had his moment right before he stepped in to see Pharaoh after his time in the wilderness.

David had his moment after he picked up those five stones for his slingshot before facing Goliath.

Esther's was right before she walked in to see the king unannounced.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had their decision moment when the furnace doors were flung open and they felt the heat on their faces.

Peter's was right before he stepped out to minister to the crowds after the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Right before these men and women of God faced their greatest time, they had one moment where they could have decided to turn back. They could have consciously decided to not believe God. They could have listened to the fear, doubt, and indecision that was probably present in their minds. They could have decided not to follow through.

But they chose to walk forward boldly in faith. And when they decided to move forward, God was able to do what man had never seen before.

Maybe right now you're facing you're faith decision moment. Maybe right now you're poised to move into something that no one's experienced before. Maybe the Lord has placed something on your heart that seems out of this world to you, and you are pausing wondering if you should really follow through with what He has spoken.

Don't be like Jonah and run from the call! At the least, be like Gideon and find some more courage before moving forward. But, most importantly, move! Do what God is calling you to do! Decide to move forward in faith and watch what the Lord does with your life.

On the other side of your fear is greatness. On the other side of the unknown is victory! Don't allow indecision to snatch away your dreams. Don't allow doubt to keep you from your destiny in God.

Choose to move forward.

Verse of the Day: Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Hebrews 10:38

There's Nothing Too Hard For God: Believe It!

There's a popular saying in the church that goes, "There's nothing too hard for God." We Christians like throwing that phrase around. We say it with our chest puffed out because the phrase reiterates that the God we serve is so powerful, nothing can stop Him, nothing can beat Him, nothing can make Him fail.

Yet, when problems come our way - I mean serious problems - why do we get so fearful? Why do we worry? Why do we stress wondering how we're going to make it through? We're the same folk who boast that our God can do anything, but our 'big' problems make us shake in our boots.

Do we really believe there's nothing too hard for God?

When you believe something, you're at rest. You're at peace. Right now, I'm believing that my chair is going to continue holding me up. I'm not worrying about falling on the floor in the next moment, I'm not stressing out about how to make this chair strong enough to hold me. I'm at peace. I'm not even thinking about it. I believe in the strength of this chair to hold my weight.

If we can put simple faith in a chair, how much more should we be able to put faith in our God? If He told us something, why should we not believe Him? If He made a promise, who are we to think that it will not be fulfilled?

Still, we do it every day. We face a problem and try to take it on by ourselves because deep down we're not fully sure that God is really able. We look at the size of our challenge and get intimidated. We forget how great our God is, and we succumb to fear. We worry instead of standing on God's Word.

Today, take a moment and check your faith level. Do you really believe that God can do it? Be honest. And if you don't believe, bring your doubts to God! He is so loving and will honor your honesty. And then He will prove His Word to you. He will show you that, yes, He can handle it.

There is nothing too hard for God. We just have to give Him an opportunity to showcase His strength.

Verse of the Day: And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. Mark 10:27

What Are You Expecting To Happen?

Yesterday I was inspired by a message by Joel Osteen. He was ministering on doing an act of faith to show God that you believe that He is going to answer you prayers. In the message, Joel mentioned the story of the lame man who was lowered through the roof and placed at Jesus' feet in a crowded house. As a result of their act of faith, their friend was healed.

This morning I am meditating on expectation. Those friends expected their lame friend to be healed. They brought him to Jesus on purpose expecting Jesus to heal him. And, even when they encountered a large crowd and couldn't get right to Jesus, they figured out a way to get their friend in that house because they knew that he would be made whole.

What are you expecting? Do you have anything up before the Lord? Are you expecting Him to answer your prayers? Or, are you just praying out of fear or formality or desperation?

When you expect something to happen, you act as if it's already done. You make plans based on that thing coming to pass. You look for signs of it showing up. You speak in terms that it has already happened. Your mind is set on what you are expecting and your mood matches that expectation.

Are you expecting the right thing? Are you choosing to stand on God's Word believing that it will come to pass just as He said? Or are you just hoping and wishing? Don't just hope with the Lord, stand strong in faith! Believe that His Word is true! Have faith that He is coming through for you!

It is faith that moves God to action. It is that positive expectation that the Lord will come through that prompts Him to do exactly that.

Verse of the Day: And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Mark 2:4, 5

God of Truth

God is the author of Truth. Every thing He does and every word He speaks reflects the Truth. There is no dishonest element in Him. God has used this Truth to help to free us from the bondage of sin, and has given us His Truth to live a life full of His blessings.

There are some things that God has spoken to you. He's shown you some things about yourself that are awesome, magnificent, and - maybe to you - unbelievable. Your purpose in Him is so great, your future so bright, that you may have a hard time reconciling that wondrous person with yourself.

I know God has imparted some things into my life that are at times hard to fathom. Don't get me wrong, I want to become this person that God has shown me I am. I want to do the awesome things that God has shown me in His plans. But, some of it is so great - I have a hard time wrapping my head around it all.

Yet, it's comforting to know that it is the Truth. God didn't just show me these things to tease me. God didn't give me a destiny for me to never reach it. It's not all just some magnificent dream or hope that I will never realize. It's real. As long as I stay in God's will and keep working His plan for my life, I will reach that place.

Those dreams, destinies, and purposes God has shown to you are the Truth too. He's not playing with your emotions or putting pipe dreams in you path. He has plans to get you there. He wants to get you into that magnificent place that's totally different from where you are right now.

Don't lose heart. Don't give in to unbelief. You can become all that God wants you to be. You can do all the things that He's shown to you. You can be that great person for Him. You can do great things for God's Kingdom.

Keep walking that path God has for you. You will reach your goals in Him. He wouldn't have shown it to you if it wasn't Truth.

Verse of the Day: God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19

Believe In Yourself

...We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous.

But honestly, who are you to not be so?... - Marianne Williamson

This year is still a year of purpose. Are you still walking out what God has placed in your heart?

I love this quote from Maya Angelou. It speaks to the heart of some things that I struggle with quite often. I'll begin a project, or start an endeavor, only to step back and try and "see" it from other people's eyes.

I pick whatever it is apart: It's not as good as so-and-so's... It doesn't have as much as hers... I'm not as talented as he was... Didn't someone already speak on this already?

It's amazing how quickly I can discredit myself. I line up all my little reasons and stop whatever I was doing. Just like that. I'm done.

Yet God created me - He created you - for a reason. There's something unique in our DNA that gives us abilities or qualities that no other person on this planet can do. We just have to believe in ourselves. We have to believe that God has placed that greatness in us for us to share with the world.

I was encouraging one of my friends last night to keep pressing towards a goal that he has. He's been working at things for a while and was getting discouraged because he wasn't seeing the results he wanted. I told him to keep going. He was born to succeed at his endeavor. He is talented beyond belief at what he does. I saw no reason for him to quit.

You'll never get a 'yes' if you quit asking, I said. The door won't have an opportunity to open if you don't knock. It's funny how you can speak life to someone else, but it's hard to convince your own self to act right.

So, today, let's have some faith in ourselves. Today, let's throw the excuses, self-criticism, and complacency aside. We were made in the image of God! (Genesis 1:26) We were called forth to fulfill His purpose! (2 Timothy 1:9) Who are we to discredit His work? Who are we to question the gifts He placed on the inside of us?

You can be successful! You can fulfill your dream! Believe in yourself.

God already has.

Verse of the Day: I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14

Recognize the God Moves

The Lord moves in mysterious ways. Often it's in ways that we normally wouldn't pick or via avenues that we normally wouldn't travel. A move of God doesn't always come the traditional way. But if we keep our spiritual eyes open and our ears listening to the Holy Spirit, we can position ourselves to be a part of His miraculous moves.

The majority of the spies who scoped out Jericho were so busy looking at the negatives - the giants, the fortified walls, etc. - that they counted themselves out of a blessing. It was Joshua and Caleb who saw that the Lord could cause Israel to defeat the nation.

When the Hebrew boys were taken into captivity, their charge could not see how eating meals of vegetables and fruits would keep them as healthy as the other men who were feasting on the king's rich meats and foods. Yet, as the Hebrew boys kept up their diet, they fared far better than those around them.

When Jesus arrived on the scene, some people sneered that nothing good could come from Nazareth. They scoffed that the man they knew as the son of a carpenter could be a great prophet of God. And we all know that son of a carpenter went on to prove He was indeed the Son of God.

Every day God is working miracles around us. He is always orchestrating great moves and causing people to overcome, triumph, and succeed. Far too often, though, we miss out on his mighty moves.

Maybe we're like those scouts and we're focusing too much on the negatives in our vision. Or, maybe we are like the man in charge of the Hebrew boys. We are so used to the way things normally work, we distrust the new thing that God is placing in our path. Or, maybe we are like Jesus' community. We see someone that we've known for a long time and can't fathom how God could possibly use them for greatness.

Don't let your natural vision keep you from seeing the miraculousness of God! Don't let your normal thoughts keep you from taking in the higher thoughts of your Father! When God opens a door, don't look through with apprehension or distrust. No matter if it doesn't compute on your end, best believe that it works out on God's end! Go ahead and run through that door!

Today, keep your eyes peeled for the moves God is trying to make in your life. And when God presents and opportunity, take it! Don't question, analyze, or try to figure it out. Just move forward in faith.

Verse of the Day: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8, 9

Your Success

This morning I was blessed to catch Pastor Mike Freeman's broadcast on television. He said something that caught my ears: "You are the main ingredient to your success."

He elaborated on how God has already stacked the deck for us. God has given us His Word, His Holy Spirit, His wisdom... He's given us the talents, gifts, and attributes we possess and has placed us in the right spot for us to take advantage and live a fully sustained life.

The only thing we have to do is grab onto what He has given us, and do the work. If we never move, we'll never see the greatness God has placed on the inside of us. This is powerful when you think about it.

What if Abraham had never left the comfort of his homeland and didn't move out like God told him?

What if Moses decided to stay in the comfort of the wilderness and live out his days as a shepherd instead of going back to Egypt to free the Israelites?

What if Joshua thought that the instructions that God had given him about marching around Jericho were just too ludicrous to work?

What if David had cowered at the sight of Goliath like all the other men of Israel who laid eyes on the giant?

What if Esther had come to the conclusion that it was too risky to go and see the king unsummoned?

All of these people stood on the brink of success and made the decision to go after what God had laid out in front of them. They chose to step out in faith and do the work that the Lord was calling them to. And their lives were never the same. Once they chose to move, God was able to steer them to their greatness.

Are you living a life of greatness? Are you experiencing the thrill of serving God in the exact capacity He created you for?

Or, are you still trying to decide whether or not you're going to follow after His word?

No matter how bizarre, uncomfortable, complicated, or unheard of... if God has shown you what you're here to do, your best bet is to put your hands to the plow and walk down the path. Your life's success hangs in the balance. Don't miss out on the greatness that could be yours.

Verse of the Day: Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

Dealing With Defeat

It happens.

The loved one you were praying so hard for passes away. The promotion everybody knew you deserved gets handed to someone else. The weight you worked so hard to lose somehow crept its way back, and you're right back where you started. The man you thought was The One breaks up with you.

The pain of defeat can lead to anger, depression, denial, and doubt. Defeat can cause you to question your faith. It even has caused some to lose theirs.

Yet, defeat in one area can be God setting you up for greatness in another area. We can never know the intricate greatness of God's ultimate plan. We can, however, always take comfort knowing that God is working everything - even our defeats - out for our good. (Romans 8:28)

So, when defeat knocks on your door, take the pain and questions to the Lord. Instead of running from His presence in anger, run to His arms and allow Him to ease your angst.

Hannah spent years feeling defeated in her barrenness. It was when she took her sorrows to the Lord, that He turned things around, and she wound up giving birth to one of the greatest prophets that walked the earth. (1 Samuel 1, 2)

David lived in apparent defeat for years when he lived on the run with a bunch of deadbeats as his friends. Yet, God raised Him up to become the greatest king Israel has ever had. (1 Samuel 22)

Your story is not over. As long as you're breathing, you are still walking to purpose. Don't let defeat keep you from your promised end. Don't let today's pain keep you from tomorrow's joy.

Stay tuned in to your Heavenly Father. He's got you safe in His arms. He's working it all out for your good.

Verse of the Day: But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:57, 58

Keep Believing

Principals' Breakfast... Parent Newsletters... Parent Teacher Conferences... Report Card Pickup...

These are all the reasons why I didn't post yesterday. And I am truly sorry. Despite my working til late into the evening yesterday, I am still here bright and early working this morning. So, why not bless you with the post you missed?

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The last couple of days I've been thinking on the father of the demoniac child who was told about in Mark 9:14-27.

This man had been through all sorts of trouble trying to help take care of his son from the time the boy was a child. He had to rescue his son from fires, from drowning, from harming his own self. This father had to do all of this while his son could not utter a word.

Then, he hears about the miracles that Jesus is doing and brings his son thinking that maybe they could help.

Imagine his disappointment and hurt seeing the disciples lay hands on his son to no avail.

No wonder when Jesus said that anything was possible to those that believed, the father cried out: "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24)

That is sort of where I am right now. I've heard about the miracles God can do. I've seen things in my own life that I know only God could have worked. Yet, I am dealing every day with a person who is in need of a miracle. I am caring for someone who is so dear to me that is not completely whole.

I believe that God can do it, but Lord... help with the part of me that doubts at times.

Thankfully, the story doesn't end with the disciples attempt. Jesus knew exactly what it took to heal the boy.  He spoke the words of life, and the boy was healed.

We all are facing some kind of trial or situation that is pushing our faith to another level. We might have been able to easily believe God for other things, but this more difficult situation may be causing us to hesitate in our stance.

We cannot allow what's going on to keep us from our miracle. We cannot let disappointment deter us from our destiny. We have to continue to believe. We have to cry out to the Lord for strength to continue to believe.

We can't give up! We can't lose hope. We have to continue to stand in faith. The Jesus who was able to heal the demoniac boy is our King and Redeemer. He can deliver us from our afflictions in the same way. We must continue to trust.

Verse of the Day: But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26

Yes You Can!

Doubt is an insidious little character. It capitalizes on every single opportunity it is awarded to eat away at dreams, hopes, and visions. If allowed, it will tear down the most remarkable of promises leaving nothing left to build on.


If you can think of it, Doubt can crush it. It's up to you to keep a steady watch and break the power of Doubt at every turn. Entertaining even the smallest question it offers can send you spiraling down a path that ends in unfulfillment.

Even Jesus had to go and exercise his mental strength against the powers of doubt when he was tempted in the wilderness. Jesus knew that there was no way that he could work miracles, cast out demons, and heal the sick if there was any doubt in his mind. He also knew that he could not preach with strong authority if Doubt felt comfortable enough to whisper lies into his ear.

How much power does Doubt have over you? Does Doubt feel comfortable enough to take up residence in your mind? How do you handle Doubt when it does try to whisper in your ear?

The word of God says that we have to strengthen our minds and seriously set up roadblocks to the onslaught of Doubt. From the way we live our lives, the words that come out of our mouths, to the thoughts that we entertain, we have to stay in faith and vigilantly, actively keep Doubt at bay.

Remember what the Word says: You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! (Philippians 4:13) If you don't see how you can do it, that's okay. It's Christ's strength that's going to make it happen, so stop doubting. Believe that it's going to happen!

Verse of the Day: Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ... 1 Peter 1:13