LEAVE THE VALLEY BEHIND!

“God does not further our spiritual Life in spite of our circumstances, but in and by our circumstances.”   ~Oswald Chambers

“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.”      Romans‬ ‭8:28‬ ‭NASB‬‬

It is comforting to me to realize that no matter what happens in my life, God can use it to mold and shape me into a better person.  He can use circumstances to give me a greater understanding; a deeper revelation; and a deeper love for those that have gone through the same thing.

He uses circumstances that could devastate and destroy us as tools to draw us closer to Him.  He uses these times to exhibit His strength as we are at our weakest.

Beloved, are you in a valley right now?  Do you feel the darkness around you and believe there is no way out?  Do not fear!! God is with you!  HE HAS A PLAN!!

His plan is to guide you through the darkness into the Light!  His plan is to release His peace and strength within you so you can climb out of the valley with Him.  And as you look back on this “valley time” you will see how God used this time to raise you to greater heights!

Look up!!  Do you see the Lord’s hand reaching out to you?  Grab it and leave the valley behind!!

 

AARON AND HUR

So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down,  Amalek prevailed.  But Moses’ hands were heavy.  Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other.  Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.    (Exodus 17: 11-12 NASB)

I have been thinking of this Scripture a lot lately.  A lot has been happening in my life and I have come to the realization of how important friends are in helping me to accomplish God’s will in my life.

I don’t mean just the friendship and fellowship I enjoy with my Brothers and Sisters in Christ.  And that is very special to me.  But, I mean the importance of those people that I consider the “Aaron and Hurs” in my life.

I pray that everyone has those prayer warriors that will stand on either side of you and help you “hold your arms up” as you battle and press through until you achieve what the Lord is calling you to do during this time.  Moses held the staff of God in his hand.  I believe he had God’s anointing and authority to win the battle…but he needed help to achieve victory.

I am so humbled as I have seen the Lord place one and then another beside me as I need the extra support to be obedient in His plans for me.  I can feel their prayers and support holding me up when I begin to feel weak and overwhelmed.  I can feel their strength added to mine as I battle those forces that would try and stop God’s will from being manifested in my life.

Brothers and Sisters!  We ALL need to join together as the Body of Christ and support and strengthen each other through the power of the Holy Spirit!  God’s strength is multiplied as we come together in love and unity to bring about His will and purpose upon this earth.  Battles are won as we line-up side by side, arms linked, focusing on the Lord and His plans for the moment.  Let’s not get so caught up in the “big picture” that we miss what He wants us to achieve in the next moment!  As we face each battle together…walking under the Lord’s Banner…we will see VICTORY!!  Hallelujah!

I humbly say “Thank you” to all those that are my “Aaron and Hurs.”  I can’t do it without you…

And I pray that I can be YOUR Aaron and Hur as the Lord uses you to achieve VICTORY in His kingdom!

OCCUPY THE TERRITORY!

I was stopping by Walmart for a quick trip to pick up a few items before heading for home. As I was getting my last few purchases, I began to push my cart and saw a face I hadn’t seen in over 3 years.  I smiled and said my, “Hi, how are you doing?” expecting to get a response of “Fine!” and moving on.

But, the Lord had other plans!  As she began to walk towards me I knew that I was to connect with this precious Sister in Christ.  She was hungry for conversation…but that was not why the Lord had me there.  She began to share about how she was raising her 4 grandchildren and her exhaustion was evident in her voice and in her countenance.

As I was quiet and allowed her to share all that was on her heart, I found myself drawn to her commitment to these grandchildren.  She poured out her love and time to help them with their homework…with carrying them to and from activities…with making sure they had good meals on the table…and with making sure they knew the Lord.

As she continued to talk, she came to a point of asking me to pray for her youngest grandchild who was having trouble in school.  Her voice faltered and I could see the tears threatening to fall down her cheeks.

I told her that when I get a request to pray, I like to pray right then.  I asked her if we could pray for him right now and reminded her that God hears us whether we have our eyes closed or open.  She immediately responded with an enthusiastic nod of her head.

We looked into each other’s eyes as I began to pray for her grandson and finished by praying for her too.  And this time the tears did spill over as she felt the touch of God!  I’m sure that many looking on just thought we were having a conversation…although I did see a few who seemed to take more than a passing interest in what was going on.

Were they looking because they saw her tears?  Were they looking because we had stopped our carts and were not in any hurry to move on?  Or perhaps they glanced our way because they heard the name of the Lord!

As we parted our ways, she reached over and said, “I don’t think our meeting was a coincidence!” And of course I agreed.  God is always ready to connect us with those who are hurting…with those who need encouragement…with those who need prayer…with those who need to feel His presence and love.

What a blessing to be used by the Lord for His glory!  May we join with Him to be His voice and His body upon this earth!  Brothers and Sisters, let’s occupy the territory He has positioned us in and spread His Love wherever we may be!  We can make a difference!  Are you ready?

No Coincidences

I love how the Lord uses us wherever we may be for His glory!  I was in the nail salon getting my nails done when I saw a woman I thought I recognized.  She walked over and introduced herself.  Come to find out, I taught her son in First Grade (many years ago). She began sharing the awesome testimony that her son had as a result of a car crash he had in January.  God’s miraculous power and intervention was evident throughout this devastating crash!

It was such a blessing to me to hear how God has been using his testimony all over the world!  Thousands upon thousands of people have been impacted by his story through social media.  We serve a miracle-working God!!

Also, while I was there, another woman walked over to me.  Our daughters had graduated together and she had recognized my name.  On her way out of the salon, she asked me to pray for her and the team she was on.  They were preparing to go on a mission trip to Nicaragua to minister to women there.

I was able to stand with her and pray for her and the team.  I was able to pray for the women they would be impacting with God’s Love.  After the prayer, she said that it was God’s plan for me to be there!  And I agree!  In the kingdom of God there are no coincidences.  There are divine appointments and encounters!

I just love to go to get my nails done…and end up having “church” in the salon!  God is everywhere…and He can use us everywhere in ministry!  Where will He use you today?

INTREPID WARRIORS OF LOVE!

Sometimes we look at our lives and we ask God, “Why?”

We don’t understand why we are going through times of hurt; times of pain; times of weakness; times of warfare.

Beloved of God! The Lord is with us in and through it all! And not only is He with us…

But “…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”. (Romans 8:28)

Be assured, precious ones, that no matter what you are going through…no matter how bad it may seem…the Lord loves you!!

What the enemy would use for your destruction – The Lord will use to strengthen you…to equip you…to help you to become more than a mighty conqueror!

This is His promise…this is His Truth! Believe it and declare it!

Last night I heard in my spirit…“INTREPID WARRIORS OF LOVE!”

I went to the dictionary and looked up intrepid. It means “resolutely fearless; dauntless.”

I looked up dauntless. It means “not to be intimidated”.

Ahhhhhh Beloved of God! May you be fearless and not intimidated by your circumstances!

I declare and decree over you this day:

You are INTREPID WARRIORS OF LOVE!! GO FORTH IN THE POWER AND LOVE OF ALMIGHTY GOD!! Amen!

img_2410

 

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

seeing 5

We can’t go where we can’t see.

I believe that the Lord is calling us to go places in the coming days where we may never have gone before.  But, it is so easy to think that we can’t “go there” because we can’t “see” ourselves in that position or place.  And the enemy would love for us to continue to not see and to be in the “dark.”

Satan will use everything he can to stop us from being all that God is calling us to be.  He will encourage us to look at things as they are in the “natural” and to put our focus on physical circumstances. He doesn’t want us to have “spiritual vision” to see things as they REALLY are!!

I am reminded of the Scripure 2 Kings 6:15-17:

Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city.  And this servant said to him, “Alas, my master!  What shall we do?”

So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

In the natural, they seemed to be outnumbered by the enemy…BUT, spiritually they had more than enough to conquer the enemy!!  What is your “enemy” today?  Does it seem that there is no way out?  Does it seem that everything is going against you?  Does it seem that circumstances are beyond your control?

I would say to you that where it seems that there is no way…spiritually, God has already provided a way!!  His reality is different from our human reality.  His vision is different from our physical vision.

How we “see” ourselves is sometimes very different from how the Lord sees us! And where the Lord is calling us to go is sometimes very different from where we are now. Like Elisha, I pray:

Oh LORD, open their eyes that they may see!

Beloved of God…what do you see?

 

God Sees – God Hears

I believe that sometimes we feel that God is so busy with important matters of the world, that He couldn’t possibly have time for us and our problems.

But, our God is very interested in everything about us!  He sees us wherever we are and whatever we are doing.

He hears us when we don’t know where to turn or who to talk to. He hears us when our cries spill out for all to hear and even when our cries are silent and held down deep within us.

God is with you, beloved!  He sees you!  He hears you!  He loves you!!

~Tina Roach

GOD IS HERE!

God is here!! He loves you!
He rejoices over you!
You are precious in His sight!
He is your Strength; your Victorious Champion!

Stand up; Rise up; mighty men and women of the Most High God!! What have we to fear when we have GOD on our side! HALLELUJAH!!!!

“The LORD your God is in your midst,  A victorious warrior.  He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”   (Zephaniah 3:17)