Tag: Always

Where’s God At?

September 5, 2017

Where’s God At?

Your love and support has changed the landscape in this community. It has taken a while, but as always God has been faithful to keep us in His perfect will.

I want to encourage everyone to continue in prayer for the devastation that has occurred in Texas and Louisiana. We support an organization that is responding in the area. The IOCC.

I come to you, in His name, to share some thoughts titled, “Where’s God At?”

I kind of want to set the tone for these thoughts with this very familiar passage.

Matthew 1:23

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

With a passage well known like this one I asked myself, why there are times that we wonder, where’s God at?

David shared an awesome declaration of God’s constant presence in his well known Psalm 23.

Psalms 23:4 AMP

Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.

What remarkable trust and faith in God!! You are with me; David said

In Genesis 28 Jacob had this awesome dream. Here is a part of what God said.

Genesis 28:13-15

13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.

14 Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

I love the prophet Jeremiah and his response when God called him, and appointed him a prophet to the nation of Israel.

You will find the whole story in his 1^st chapter.

Jeremiah responded this way.

Jeremiah 1:5-6

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth.”

What an awesome destiny, with a pitiful excuse.

“What excuse are you using today to keep from fulfilling your destiny?”

Here is how God replied.

Jeremiah 1:7-9

7 But the Lord said to me,“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak.
8 “Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.

9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.

“Don’t tell God you can’t do something when He has called you, and then touched you!!!”

The great I Am is with you, He will deliver you, He will equip you. He will touch you and move you forward in your purpose.

Nothing can stop you, except your lack of faith in Him.

God told Moses-Joshua-He would never leave nor forsake them. Isaiah prophesied it, Solomon wrote about it. David shared the words many times, that God would always be with him.

Why do we sometimes find ourselves in a situation asking, “Where’s God At?”

The enemy of your peace-The enemy of your love-The enemy of your family-Friends-Your job. The enemy of your relationship with Christ, has set his purpose to discourage. Put doubt and fear in your heart.

To say I am too old, too young, not qualified. All the while God has said this through the Apostle Paul.

Philippians 4:13 AMP

I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]

God is with you always. Isaiah, the prophet often noted as the prophet of calvary spoke often of God’s presence.

Here is a couple of examples.

Isaiah 41:10

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Isaiah 42:16

I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone.”

Preach-God equips and finishes what He starts.

The writer of Hebrews is giving some instruction. In chapter 13 the writer said this.

Hebrews 13:5-6 NASB

5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

6 so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

God is here right now. Here always. In you, surrounding you. Embracing you.

Ready to meet your need,calm your storm, forgive your fall.

Remember always when you are tempted to ask, “Where’s God At?”

You need only to look in the mirror. He is with you always.

#inHisname

The Lord Is Near

May 15, 2017

The Lord is Near

God is great, and He is greatly to be praised. We are in an awesome season of the presence of the Lord. I believe that He is positioning some of His churches, in this region and state, to create an atmosphere relevant to revival.

When true revival comes, brought on by repentance within the church, it will burn like a fire. The fire will spread to other areas as well.

It is the way it has always been.

Mother’s day, is an amazing day of honor and tribute. It is a day we give tribute to our mothers who have passed on. We also honor the moms who are still with us.

My mom was awesome. She was my strongest advocate. She was also, funny, opinionated, and loud.

She would often speak without thinking. These traits worked well with my dad. He was quiet, and simply listened when she got on a rant.

I took after my dad. “Not”

In the Bible there was a woman named Hannah. Her husband had another wife as well. This other wife had children but Hannah had not given birth. Yet she was Elkanah’s favorite wife.

1 Samuel 1:9-11 NASB

9 Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the door post of the temple of the Lord.

10 She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.

11 She made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”

Hannah dedicated her son to the service of the lord, and Samuel became a prophet in Israel. The prophet that anointed David king.

I know this sounds weird but it has always sort of made me think of my mom. She gave birth to me , 3 months short of her 44^th birthday. Because of her age, I was supposed to have died before birth.

To make this very long story short, one day I asked mom if she had dedicated me to the Lord.

This was her reply. There was a very well known Pastor, named J.C Hibbard. He Pastored the Gospel Lighthouse in Oak Cliff. He had hundreds in his congregation. Mom watched him on tv. On a Sunday morning she wrapped me up, took a bus, and walked in his church, all the way to the pulpit, during his sermon. He stopped preaching and asked mom what she needed.

She wanted him to dedicate me to the Lord. He fulfilled her request, mom left and came home.

Her love and courage will be with me always.

She felt the person who laid hands on me, and prayed, should be someone with anointing. Someone she had a connection with.

I want to move from this, and share some words of encouragement.

Philippians 4:5-7

5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Amp

5 Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near.

6 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.

7 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].

There are four words that moved me. “The Lord is Near.”

The word Lord from the Greek means, He to whom a person or things belongs, the possessor or disposer of a thing. The word near means, near of place or position, those who are near access to God.

There are those who believe this passage is referring to the second coming of Christ. “I do not believe this.”

Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, (and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”)

I believe the Apostle was confirming these words of Christ.

He will be with us in the end, but He is with us now. He is near when we need Him. Every step, every season, of our lives.

It is His goodness that we embrace, as we walk out our purpose. What an awesome Father.

#lovewins #hopelives