Throwback Thursday - P.U.S.H.!

Today we're going to look back at a post I did a while back. Since we've been talking about action this week, I felt this post would fit right in. Have a blessed day!

Christians love to use the acronym PUSH – Pray Until Something Happens. Today I’d like to redefine it: Pray, Prepare, and Perform Until Something Happens.


Too often, I feel, saints put all of the responsibility on God to make their visions, aspirations, and dreams come to pass. We pray and look to the skies for our blessings to fall in our lap without any hard work on our part. Yes, God is our Ultimate Help, and His whole mission for having us here is to fulfill His purpose for us. However, God wants us to be an active part of the process in realizing our dreams.

We cannot really appreciate obtaining God’s promises for us if we haven’t put any sweat into the process. If everything just appeared out of the sky, we would take our answered prayers for granted. There is growth in stepping out in faith trusting that God will fulfill His Word. Character is honed and defined when we take initiative and work the process to pave the way for the promise to develop.

How can God send your new job when you haven’t sent out your resume? What financial increase can you obtain if you’re always spending all of your extra money? How do you expect for your husband to find you when you’re running up behind every potential man you see without a wedding ring?

Okay, okay. I’ll leave you alone.

What I’m trying to say is we all have a part to play in causing some prayers to be answered. We have to actively position ourselves to receive the answer. Even if all we can do is speak the Word over our situation, then we must speak the Word! Faith without works is dead, so let’s revive our faith by putting our actions behind our prayers.

Verse of the Day: …I will shew thee my faith by my works. James 2:18b

Do What You Need To Do

Many of us are wise beyond our years. We always know what to do. We can counsel people through problems. We can offer sound suggestions to those who are confused. We read the news and shake our heads at the folly of others.

Yet, when it comes to our own lives, many of us embody the "do as I say, not as I do" lifestyle. Despite our wide berth of knowledge, we can't seem to connect it with what we actually do with our own lives.

I'll use myself as our example for the day:
I know that I should be eating healthier and exercising. Yet, I still choose to eat the junk food and desserts while telling myself that I'm too "tired" to exercise today. (I'm too tired every day.) I know better than to act certain ways, and I still find myself engaging in thoughts or behavior that I know is displeasing to the Lord. (Thank God for forgiveness!) Even where my purpose is concerned, there are things that I know I should be doing to prepare and position myself, but I keep procrastinating about what I have to get done.

What is it that you are lacking to do? Are you telling other people things that you are not living yourself? Are you wise on the inside, but foolish on the outside?

Today, let's shut our mouths and start to do. Let's be about the business of the Kingdom and align our actions with God's purpose for us. Let's not be hypocritical in how we live. If we know what's right, let's do what's right!

The Bible says that you will know a tree by it's fruit. (Luke 6:44) Many of us are fronting like we're healthy trees, but we just have a whole lot of leaves and no substance hanging on our branches. We don't want to turn out like the fruitless tree Jesus cursed! (Mark 11:13, 14)

We know better, so let's do better.

Verse of the Day: For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God... Colossians 1:9, 10

Afternoon Ti: Do More Than Just Enough

The fields are ripe with harvest!
Let's get to work!

It's graduation season here at my school. And today I was running around getting things together to ensure that our Seniors have a happy matriculation with everything they need taken care of.

Walking through the school, you can tell that some of the students have already checked out. They're already acting as if they've gotten their diploma. They don't see the need to keep pushing or to try hard to finish strong. They're just coasting to the finish line. They're doing just enough to get by.

There are a few, however, who are still hard at work. These are the ones who've built a foundation of excellence and don't want to see their record smudged one iota. They don't care that they have accomplished enough, they want to exeed enough. These are the ones who I'm running around finding awards and other accolades to hand to them at the end of their journey.

We are on our own Christian journey in this life. Some of us are just coasting to get by. We see no point in striving to do more. We've accepted Jesus as our personal Savior. We know that we're getting into heaven. That's enough for us.

Then there are those of us who have chosen to do the work of the ministry as well. We are striving to do more for the Kingdom. We are building a foundation of excellence. We have sought out God's will for our lives, and we are doing all we can to live it. We've taken up Jesus' Great Commission and witness the gospel to those who need to hear it. We make sure to live our lives according to the principles and tenets set forth in God's Word.

As a result, we're seeing God's blessings flow in our lives. We're experiencing God's great love on a daily basis. We lack no good thing, and God's peace reigns in our hearts.

For those hard workers, can you imagine what God's got waiting for you in heaven? Can you even think of what God's waiting to award you with once you come before His eternal throne?

For those who are just coasting in your Christian life, why are you sitting on the sidelines? Are you serving justice to the great gift of salvation that you received? What do you think your Heavenly Father will say once you come before His eternal throne?

Let's all make sure that our work for the Kingdom is making our Father proud!

Verse of the Day: What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. James 2:14-17

Let's Go!

Let's go to work!

I am excited! I don't know if it's the new year, the fast that I'm participating in, or something else, but all I know is God is talking and I'm listening!

God has been showing me that this year is a year of living purpose. No more should we just be existing, dreaming, praying, and waiting. This year we will make our way prosperous! (Joshua 1:8) We've written down the vision, now let's go out and bring the vision to pass!

There comes a point when you've done all the planning, analyzing, and forecasting. All of the wisdom on how to take the next step has been gathered. There's no more research that can be done. It's time to step forward. Let's all make some moves this year!

How long are you going to wait to move? What more do you need to begin? God has put His vision on the inside of you; it's time for you to let it out. Start moving in your purpose, begin to live in the promise now.

Don't let this year pass by and having you sitting in the same spot where you began. Let December find you leaps and bounds ahead of where you are now! Think of how proud of yourself you and the Lord will be looking back at how productive you've been this year.

But it all begins with you taking that step to move forward. Things can't start happening until you start the ball rolling. Get to moving! Start your project, live the dream, walk on purpose! This is going to be a great year! Your work will make it certain!

Verse of the Day: And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful! Psalm 90:17 (NLT)

Strength for Today

So, last night and this morning my phone was ringing - I was being called to do my most dreaded part of my job. This morning when the phone rang, I actually had to pull on my Heavenly Father's strength. "Lord, give me strength to handle today" were my first words of the day.

In that moment the Holy Spirit showed me exactly what to do, and I felt the weight of everything lift off of my shoulders. God is so good.

The Lord will never give us more than we can handle. He wants to take on our heavy burdens and make things more bearable for us.  However, if we're not giving Him our all, if we're not including Him in every facet of our lives, we're holding everything forcing ourselves to deal with the stress and work of it all.

The Lord just wants to be included. He wants to show you how powerful He is. He wants to display His wisdom and knowledge to you. He wants you to experience miracles every day.

However, if you're not opening the door to let Him in and you're choosing to shoulder all of it yourself, you're missing your chance to experience the Lord's sweet rest.

So, no matter what pops up in your path today, make sure you pull on the Father's grace and ability to help you. Allow His wisdom to influence your decisions, let His power take on your challenges. Give Him the opportunity to handle your heavy burdens. He's ready, willing, and able. Don't deny Him the pleasure of assisting you.

Verse of the Day: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1, 2

No Excuses Before the Throne

My girl Joyce Meyer was stepping all on my toes this morning. She was talking about how people need to follow through on what they know they are supposed to do. She said that the saints are "educated beyond our obedience."

I most certainly agree.

All you have to do is look at some of my old posts, and you'll see how deep this woman of God was wading in my business.

I meditated on that this morning, and I was reminded of something. We will all have to give an account before the Lord when we make it to heaven. (Romans 14:12) I definitely don't want to be standing there without being able to say I accomplished or, hey, even tried to accomplish my destiny. I don't want to stand before God with my purpose unfulfilled.

There are no excuses when you're standing before the Creator of the Universe.

So, I'm praying. I'm fighting against these enemies called Procrastination, Fear, and Doubt. I can't do it anymore. I'm getting too old. And I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

God created me for a reason. I can't go back before Him without my reason being fulfilled.

Are you living out your purpose? Are you attempting to accomplish your destiny? We're all in the same boat. Don't let this short life go by without you pressing toward your finish line.

Verse of the Day: And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matthew 25:20, 21

Working Expectation

You can't expect a harvest
if you don't plant some seeds!

After the message on Sunday, I've been meditating on expectation. I'm really expecting God to do some things, and I want to make sure that I line up my life correctly to receive from Him.

Expectation is more than just sitting and hoping for something to come along.

When you're expecting a guest, you clean your house and set out the good china. When a woman's expecting a child, she buys items for when the baby arrives. When I'm expecting some extra money, I start plotting on how I'll spend it when it arrives.

Expectation brings action. Faith without works is dead. (James 2:17) You can't tell me you're expecting something from the Lord if you're not putting any action in your life to make room for the blessing.

Currently, I am expecting God to grow my ministry. So, I have to prep myself to be worthy of having a larger place in Him. I have to read more of His Word. I have to spend more time in prayer. I have to make sure I am living my life in a way that is pleasing to Him. How can God place me in a larger place if I'm not capable to handle it?

I'm also expecting God to send me a husband. (Send him, Lord! lol) So, I have to prep myself to be a wife. I have to make sure I'm not wasting my time with foolishness. I have to make sure my life is reflecting the type of character the kind of husband I want is looking for.

What are you expecting God to do for you? Are you acting in expectation? Even if all you can do is confess the word in faith. Confess the Word! Do something to put some action behind your expectation.

Verse of the Day: ...shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. James 2:18

Stick With It!

The Lord sees all that we do. He sees our faithful work, dedication, and drive. He hears our cries for help and is moved by our struggles. He sees it all, and He's working it all together for our good.

We can become discouraged at times from the day-to-day monotony of working our purpose in God. At times it can seem like what we're doing isn't worth it, that we're not appreciated, or that someone else is doing a much better job than we're trying to do.

As we continue to remain faithful, however, God has a way of causing every little thing to fit together in a beautiful story of fulfillment. We will reach a place where we can look back and see how God sustained us, elevated us, and caused us to do what we never would have dared to dream.

Don't get weary in well doing! Don't allow the cares of this world to keep you from finishing your work in God! Continue to persevere and stay with the call of God on your life!

Even Jesus had moments where He grew frustrated while ministering to people who weren't fully grasping what He was teaching. (Matthew 17:17) But He stuck with them, and those very men turned the world upside down after Jesus went back to glory.

Stay with the vision! Don't give up! If it's from God, your work is not in vain. God will reward your work in due season.  Keep on pressing... God's sending the blessing.

Verse of the Day: Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD... Jeremiah 31:16a

You Do You, and I'mma Do Me!

Good Morning, Everyone! So glad to have another week to give God praise!

You ever watch someone or see something and think, "I could do that!" or even "I can do better than that!"

I tend to get that way often when watching certain television shows. I am amazed sometimes that people are making top dollar or getting famous off of something that I totally could do myself.

And then I get to thinking, "Well, if I had their money, I could do this..." or "Well, if I had their connections I could do that..." or even "If I just had a bit more free time I could sit down and accomplish this..." The dreams and visions just swirl in my brain.

There's one big difference between myself and those folks: I'm watching them, and they're doing them.

God has made all of us beautifully unique. We all have special gifts, talents, and purposes that only we as individuals can fulfill. Yet, often we get so caught up in the shine and the glitter of somebody else's life, that we pay little attention to our own.

We can all day-dream, wish, and hope that one day we'll reach our golden palace. Yet sometimes we have to turn off the dreams and jump into reality. Our dreams will continue to stay dreams if we don't put some action behind them. We can believe all we want that we can be great, but if we don't actually start being great, we just have a really great imagination.

Think about it, how much time do you spend each day working on your own purpose? What gets accomplished on a regular basis that ensures that your purpose in life is going to be achieved? Do you even take time at all to work on yourself?

If someone looks at you, do they feel inspired? Are they driven to be better and do better than you (in a good way)? Or, do they even consider you at all when they think of success?

Just some thoughts as you kick off your brand, spanking new week. Let's fill it with some actual progress, folks! We can do it!

Verse of the Day: For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2:26

A Promise is a Promise!

Okay, guys. I promised you an evening post… This is more like a nightcap though.


Right now I am on my GRIND. I am working hard to get my Masters in Christian Leadership.

So, my days consist of work – study on lunch – work – home – study – an hour to eat – bed – repeat.

Throw in my responsibilities as a Youth Leader, helping out with my dad, blogging, and other fun things around the way (currently I have a huge bag of laundry staring me in the face), and I have not really had time to sit and relax.

But I am working this hard because I have a goal in mind. I want to get this degree with a 4.0 average. And every ‘A’ makes the hard work seem effortless.

There are times in life where we have to square our shoulders, bow our heads and press in with gusto. Those times where we have to put blinders on, take on great sacrifice and get a long distance view in our eyesight.

In fact, our entire life is a press for the ultimate goal of making our Heavenly Father proud. Our times of denying our flesh, ignoring the world, and focusing in on living holy might be difficult at times. Yet, every blessing from God, every word that He shares with us, every insight into the mysteries of His Kingdom make the lifestyle easier.

So, keep on Grinding for Jesus! Keep the final goal in the forefront of your mind. The payoff will be more than worth it.

Good night!

Verse of the Day: I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

Give It To God

How many times have you gotten a great idea only to find yourself lose steam towards the middle and have the project fall apart? Or, how often do you find yourself begging God to pull you through something you undertook with great joy in the beginning?

A lot of the stress and anxiety we experience in life can be avoided simply by giving every detail of our lives over to the Lord. Think about it: How many projects, outings, or activities to you put in God’s hands? As Christians, we may ask God to bless our church endeavors or those things that have to do with our faith, but the Bible says that everything we do should be done to God’s glory. (Colossians 3:17)

So, before you embark on your day’s work today, take a moment and give everything you’re about to do to God. You’d be surprised at how much of a difference it can make. In addition to bright ideas and creative methods, you’ll have a greater sense of peace and less stress because you know that God is in control of it all.

Verse of the Day: Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. Proverbs 16:3