This Season

I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1, To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven . . . (NKJV). Maybe you are in a season you have prayed for and dreamed of for a long time! Or maybe you spend the majority of your time wishing you were in a different season. Perhaps you are frustrated because you are trying to do the right thing – the very thing that God has called you to do – in the wrong season!  I want to encourage you today to take some time and evaluate where you are. I have found that if we will simply do what we are supposed to do in the season that we are actually in, then God will bring the increase! So take the pressure off yourself. Do what you can, when you can, where you are, and then God will do what only He can do!

Salt of the Earth

The Christian life is exciting and transforming, never bland and boring!

Jesus said we “are the salt of the earth”(Matthew 5:13), and salt essentially does three major things:

• It adds flavor
• It preserves
• And it heals

Our task is to bring flavor, preservation and healing to the world around us!

This is why it is imperative that we ourselves be personally transformed from the inside out.If we have not been changed, we cannot bring out the “God-flavors” of this earth.

So my question to you today is, how are you seasoning the world around you?

-First Things First -Christine Caine

Oh, how refreshing!! Daddy help us to add flavor, to preserve and to heal!!! 

The Dry Ground

“The time is surely coming ... when I will send a famine on the land — not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. Beautiful girls and strong young men will grow faint in that day, thirsting for the LORD’s word.” (Amos 8:11-13 NLT) Father, this is my prayer today.... that you would take me... take us... and make us a vessel for you to pour out the life giving water of your word... Father I pray that we would be able to water your church! AMEN

ONE Word

"There is ONE word on my heart for you today . . . Perseverance If God spoke a promise over your business, your ministry, your life, and if it looks in the natural like that promise has expired, there is no way that your ministry can go forward, or no way you’ll see the breakthrough in that business—I’m here to say . . . continue to stand in faith because God is faithful!!! Galatians 6:9 (ESV) tells us, And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." -Christine Caine Father thank you for this reminder today! YOU GOD ARE FAITHFUL and I WILL TRUST YOU!!! AMEN

Reviving an Abandonded Dream

The following is an email that I recieve in the last few weeks and I just feel compelled to share (though I'm sure no one but me reads this) Anyways, God has long planted the dream in me for music, and I've struggled for a really long time with the visions that God has given me and my current circumstances.... struggling with feelings of inferiority, of just not being good enough to be used in "that way"... I don't know for certain the details of my future here on this earth, but I am daily more and more convinced that God IS leading me and that His plans for me ARE good!! And so I share with you. What dreams have you given up on? Reviving an Abandoned Dream Glynnis Whitwer "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20 (NLT) "I sat on the couch during small group, dabbed the tears dripping down my face, and hoped the others wouldn't notice my emotional response to the message. While watching a DVD teaching about God-given dreams, a tender, hidden spot in my heart was coming to life. It was uncomfortable. Scary, in fact. I wanted to move toward it and away at the same time. The teaching wasn't on nighttime dreams, but rather those dreams that often start in childhood when anything seemed possible. And we were unhindered by the realities of genetics or abilities. We were sure to be ballerinas or fashion models, ignoring the fact that we couldn't do the splits, or that our height/weight ratio might be less than desirable for the runway. Personally, I imagined the day my favorite band would invite me on stage. Hairbrush in hand, I practiced my moves and vocal range preparing for my big break. That day at small group, the dream fueling my simmering emotions wasn't the desire to sing. For years another dream had been stirring in my heart, a dream that had been dampened by doubts and the logistics of adulthood. My dream was to write. Pain and excitement mixed as I allowed the dream to come to life, much like a foot that's fallen asleep when the blood flow returns. Doubt whispered around every thought. Was this dream from God or me? Did I have anything worth saying? My heart felt vulnerable every time I pondered the idea. If I told someone my dream, would they give voice to the litany of taunts in my head? I wondered. And yet the more I prayed, the more convinced I became that God was asking me to write for Him. When I finally accepted that truth, my attitude changed. Writing wasn't just an interesting idea, it was an assignment. I wish I could say I immediately started writing. But I didn't. Tucking the dream in my heart, I procrastinated. For months. Which turned into years. Thinking about my dream was much easier than acting on it, because it was going to take a lot of work and sacrifice. And there was always a handy excuse. Until one Sunday, my pastor opened prayer time with these words: 'God has asked some of you to do something and you haven't done it yet.' The Holy Spirit was playing the drums on my heart as I shifted from foot to foot. There was no question; God was calling my name. A flood of people headed to the front alongside me to address their own abandoned assignments. My pastor's challenge was what I needed to shift from a passive to an active approach in my writing. To move from disobedience to obedience. To step into an unfamiliar world believing that if God had called me to it, He wouldn't abandon me. God often gives directions through dreams. Yet, those can be the hardest to embrace because they seem too big for us to accomplish on our own. And sometimes they seem downright selfish. So we let them drift away. But dreams are also how God increases our faith. When we step into active obedience of an audacious assignment, we see God move and do things only He can do. Our key verse shows that God has the power to accomplish any dream He gives us: "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20, NLT). It was 10 years ago when I embraced my dream as an assignment, and God has shown His power time and time again. There are still doubts and barriers to overcome, but my faith has grown each time God proves Himself faithful. Did God put a dream in your heart years ago? Maybe your dream was to adopt a child or go on a mission trip. Maybe it was to open your home to neighbors or lead teens at church. At the time your dream seemed too big or came with too many barriers. Now it's a hazy memory. May I offer the same challenge my pastor gave years ago? God has asked some of you to do something and you haven't done it yet. Will today be your day to accept your assignment? Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me a dream to serve You and others through my gifts and talents. Help me see this dream as an assignment from You, and I ask for Your power to help me take the next step. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

For Today

This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." ~ Joshua 1:9, NLT

Encouragement for Today

"Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old." Psalm 25:6 (NIV) "I sometimes struggle to see how God's Word applies to me and my life. Especially when I've been waiting a long time for some prayers to be answered. For hearts of loved ones to fully turn to Jesus. For manna to rain from heaven. The funny thing about waiting is it can be all-consuming. It inhales my attention, chews my focus and swallows my thoughts, leaving me in a place of uncertainty and doubt. I forget God's power to fulfill my hopes for prayers answered. Its then, when I can't see how He's going to bring things to pass, I have to rely on His faithfulness in the past. Remembering God's faithfulness in other's lives in Scripture, reminds us of His faithfulness in our own. When the waters rise, you've waited long for rescue and you feel God's forgotten, remember... Genesis 8:1*: But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. When dust and debris threaten to replace passions, dreams and callings and you feel God's forgotten, remember... Genesis 9:15: I will remember my covenant between me and you. When the pitter-patter of little feet is silent and you feel God's forgotten, remember... Genesis 30:22: Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. When fear, worry, doubt and anxiety enslave and you feel God's forgotten, remember... Exodus 2:23a, 24a, 25b: During that long period...The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out...God heard their groaning and he remembered... and was concerned about them. When you can't sleep and restlessness sets in, remember... Psalm 63:6-7: On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. When guilt consumes and you fear God will never forget your sins, remember... Isaiah 43:25: I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. When all hope is lost, remember... Luke 24:6a-7: He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you...'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' When your marriage comes back from the brink of despair, remember... Deuteronomy 8:2: Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness. When dreams come true and you're thriving in your calling, remember... 1 Chronicles 16:12a, 15: Remember the wonders he has done... He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations... Recalling these accounts in Scripture helps me remember His goodness in my own life. When I can't see how He is moving on my behalf, I choose to remember that He promises to be just as present and faithful to me and you today as He was for others in the past. When joy surrounds. When sorrow clobbers. When all's right in our world. When the bottom drops out. When we feel loved and cherished. When we feel abandoned and alone, let's remember... They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. (Psalm 78:35)" - Samantha Reed Dear Lord, Your love and Your grace never fail. Please help me remember this today and always. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.