How Does God See You?

When the angel of the Lord visited Gideon, he greeted him as a "mighty man of valor". (Judges 6:12) Gideon did not hold this sentiment. He saw himself as the youngest son of a poor man in Israel. One of the lowest on the totem pole. But God didn't see Gideon that way. God saw Gideon as a valiant warrior who would lead Israel to crush their enemy.

Abram had no children. Not one solitary child to carry on his name. But God saw him as the father of nations, and changed Abram's name. (Genesis 17:4, 5) For years, Abram was called a "father of nations" while he had no children. God saw that Abraham's future was filled with descendants who would become God's chosen people.

When Gabriel visited Mary, he called her a blessed and favored woman of God. (Luke 1:28) Mary was puzzled with the greeting. She didn't see anything particularly special about herself. But God knew she was destined to give birth to the Messiah.  The Lord knew that she was worthy to raise the Son of God.

How does the Lord see you? What name does He have for you?

So often we allow our present situations the authority to dictate how we see ourselves. But we need to begin to see ourselves the same way that God sees us. While we are noticing our lack, our need, and our failings, God sees our victorious, prosperous, destined selves.

Today, go before the Lord and ask Him to show you how He sees you. Allow your Heavenly Father to minister to your inner man the great person that you really are. You are God's special creation. You're not ordinary. You're not average. You're not plain.

You're unique. You are one of a kind. You are God's spectacular child!

Verse of the Day: Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! Psalm 139:14-17

Motivation Monday!

Happy Monday, everyone!

Today I want to motivate you to move into your purpose and destiny this week. Step out in faith and walk in the purpose God has called you to. In order to get something you've never had, you've got to do something you've never done. This week, do something new so you can see new blessings around you!

In order for God to move David from the pastures to the palace, David had to do something he had never done. (1 Samuel 17) Sure, he had fought bears and lions that had gone after his sheep, but David had never seen battle. Yet, when Goliath mocked the Lord, David knew he had to act.

David used what he had been through in his past to step forward into the newness of his future. His time of worship and praise had confirmed in him the greatness of the Lord. His time defending his flock gave him the courage to step forward and defend his God.

Your past has prepared you for your purpose. Your future is staring you in the face. Move forward! God has already given you the victory! Remember what God has already done for you. Remember what He's already brought you through. You didn't go through those things just to have an experience. Those things weren't just to be landmarks on your path of life. They were put there to prepare you for your purpose in God!

So, don't be afraid to move in purpose today! Don't be afraid to go after your dreams this week. Step forward and get the victory that God has already given you! Trust in what God has instilled on the inside of you. Have faith that He has already taken you through what you needed to go through in order to take your next steps.

You CAN Do It!

Go 'head and slay that Goliath and get your promise from God!

Verse of the Day: Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands. 1 Samuel 17:45-47

Inspired to Action!

Inspiration can come in many ways. We can see someone working and get inspired. We can hear a speech, attend an event, or even just watch a sunrise and be inspired.

But inspiration is not enough.

Inspiration is a feeling. Inspiration is something that takes place on the inside. What we do with inspiration is what matters. Lots of people get inspired one way or the other only to allow that feeling to pass. They bask in the animated feelings for the moment, but quickly lose sight of what they had experienced.

In order to properly utilize inspiration, you have to allow it to transform itself into motivation. You have to get provoked to do something with all of those happy, bouncing feelings on the inside. You have to set a goal.

Then you have to allow motivation to turn into action. So many people get stuck on motivation and never move to action! (Myself included) We love to be inspired. We get motivated after sitting down and envisioning ourselves being successful and thinking about how we can better our lives. But somewhere in the midst of putting our hands to do the action we lose all of our resolve.

Today, take some time to move further into action. Don't just think about what you can do, form out a plan and do something on that plan. Send an email, call a contact, write a proposal, buy the healthier option... Take action today!

The thing about action is once you start a ball rolling - it's rolling! You're on your way to the end goal. Today, get that ball rolling (or rolling again). Pray and ask the Lord to help you translate your inspiration into motivation into action. And if you have no inspiration, ask the Lord to fill you up with what you need to get going. Then, get going!

Verse of the Day: Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

The Right Time

This morning I was cruising through my social media apps and I ran across some pictures of an event one of my colleagues hosted. Viewing those pictures was like seeing one of my dreams in real life except I was supposed to be there! I was supposed to be the host! I was supposed to be the one smiling in those pictures.

My heart felt a twinge of pain seeing someone else enjoying something that I had set up as a future goal for myself. And then I wondered if I should pursue what I had in mind at all. Would it now be seen as copying? Could it be as special if someone else had already done it?

But then I had to look at myself. I had had that idea for a long time. I did nothing with it. I just tucked it in the back of my mind for a later date. I couldn't be that mad. My friend had the same idea and ran with it. She put in the work, and she got to enjoy the benefits of her labors.

Then again, maybe it wasn't time for me to strike out. Maybe it wasn't my time to do that project. Maybe I was supposed to hold on to that idea for some more development to come. Who knows?

What I do know is that God doesn't bless us with dreams and desires just for us to sit and let them bounce around in our brains. He doesn't give us inspiration just because. He wants us to go out and do something. He told us to go into the world and preach His gospel. We can't just stand by while the world whizzes past.

Even if I wasn't supposed to move on my idea, I should have been at least covering it in prayer. That's one something I should have been doing. I need to be more focused on God's instructions for me in order for me to know that I am exactly in the spot He has for me. That will save me from looking at others and feeling disappointment about myself. When you know you're in God's will for you, you don't worry about what someone else is doing.

Do you have dreams and visions bouncing around in your head? Are you communicating with your Heavenly Father about the timing of those ideas? Do you know if you're in the right spot for your life right now?

Let's all begin anew today. Let's all take some time to pray and ask God to guide our footsteps. Let's all make an effort to follow the directions that God has for us. Let's use other people's success for our motivation not our disappointment. Let's all make the moves to get on God's timing and see how the glory of God shines in our lives as a result.

Verse of the Day: I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Psalm 32:8

Remember Your Journey

Right now my church is in the midst of preparations to celebrate 25 years of ministry. When you think about it, God has kept us for a long while!

Looking back, it has been fun to reminisce about the wonderful times our church family has shared together. It's been inspiring to look back on memorable messages, conferences, and speakers. It's been impactful to see how God has carried us through trying times. It's been heart warming to see how the love of our congregation has matured and grown over the years.

Since I literally grew up in my church, looking back over the years I have seen how my own journey in Christ has developed. I've been blessed to see how I've grown and matured over the years. I can mark some things that I've overcome, and I can see those things that I have yet to conquer. I can mark how God has revealed to me and shaped my purpose. I can see how my love and relationship with Him has grown.

Do you ever look back on your Christian life? Do you think about how long the Lord has kept you or meditate on what He has helped you to overcome? Do you consider how much the Lord has revealed to you and how your relationship has grown?

It's good to sit and take note of how far you've grown. It will encourage you in your faith walk, and it will inspire you to keep going! Remembering the trials of yesterday that you were able to overcome with the Lord will help you to face the situations of today. Remembering the times you felt hopeless and lost will help you to stand strong and walk with surety right now.

Make sure you take time to thank and honor God for how far He's brought you. Take a moment and look back over the road you've travelled. You've made it this far with God's help! Now, look forward to the challenges ahead. Is anything too hard for the Lord? If He brought you to this spot, He can most certainly take you to your goal!

Verse of the Day: I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. Psalm 77:11

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

Afternoon Ti: Inspiration

I came across this article this morning in my readings. It really made me pause and think. I can identify with what Marina wrote. It is tragic that she has passed. I hope she knew the Lord.

What sticks out is her notion that "we can still do anything." Of course, she believed this because she was only twenty-two, but I believe this because I have Jesus on my side. It doesn't matter if you're twenty-two, thirty-two, or sixty-two. God's mercies are new every morning, and nothing is impossible with Him.

This piece is a reminder that we all should be striving to live our lives to the fullest. Tomorrow is not promised. But God has given you a promise that must come to pass.

Take a moment to read Marina's article here and get inspired.