Think Bigger

Oh, so often I go to God thinking so small. As if He gives me only as much as I have earned. I have learned in the past few years the practice of asking big! In my old way of thinking I would ask God in prayer to lift a suffering friend's nose just above the stormy waters for relief. However, now I come boldly before the throne with full confidence that God's grace is more than sufficient for our needs. His supply of grace, mercy, healing, love.... is abundant and endless. I now pray that same prayer with assurance by asking God to pluck them from the stormy waters and walk with them on the glassy sea. Ministering to them as to why they are in a drowning situation. I pray that in God's timing they would have deliverance from what was causing them to drown and that He would bless them abundantly in all ways with maturity in Him. Menial prayers represent a low faith posture. We should not pray with the limits of  what we think we deserve to ask for. We should pray the way God told us to pray! Hebrews 4:16, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace for help in times of need."

More than not we ask God to get us or someone else OUT of a trial. Never considering that God wants to use the pressure of that hard time to turn us from a chunk of coal into a diamond. Under pressure, in pain, being uncomfortable... those are the places of growth and transformation. No one likes to be in those situations. We are humans and we always seek survival, comfort and control. However, those dark places are where God gets our attention. We can fight Him there or we can surrender to His love and let Him transform us. Few ever change because it's a very scary prospect that we will loose control or become overcome with fear when we step out of our comfort zone. That's why we must go boldly before the throne daily and ask God to make those changes with full trust in His love. He wants us to come to Him and trust Him to take our hand and see us through to the other side. When we consider pain we see torment but when God talks of pain He sees healing. It's not a place of punishment, it's a place of grace. Way to often we will not voluntarily go to God for growth because our fear is bigger than our faith. That is why He will change our route or cause a detour in our life so that He can get our attention and work on completing the good work that He began in us. (Philippians 1:6) He loves us way too much to leave us the way we are.

Try it for a week and THINK BIG. Pray bigger prayers, See His love as limitless and kind, filled with purpose and good will. Reach your hand out to Him and ask Him to help you with an area of your life that you want to change. Trust Him to heal you of your past and turn your shame into rejoicing. Pray believing and trust His timing. Faith it till He fulfills it. Pray for Him to use the dark times that you or someone else are going through to recycle you and turn your old into new. Each 24 hour cycle of life has light and darkness in it. So is our walk with the Lord as He always takes us through times of Light and times of darkness. Learn to trust Him BIG, love Him BIG, pray BIG, think BIG and know with full certainty that He is BIG and able. His grace IS sufficient for all our needs. The biggest problem in our fast paced world is impatience. Slow down, meditate on His Word, and come to the realization that God works in His timing not ours. His plans are way bigger than we could ever imagine! His plans are to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future... You will call to him and come and pray to Him and He will listen to you. You will seek Him and you will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart. He will be found by you and He will bring you back from captivity..." (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Ephesians 3:16-21, "May you grasp how wide and long and deep My love for you is; a love that surpasses knowledge... you cannot ask or imagine the things I am planning for you."

Philippians 1:6, "being confident of this that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Matthew 7:7-11, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks the door will be opened"

God wants tenacity, faith, belief in His unwavering love and power. Never stop thinking BIG, asking BIG and believing BIG. His good works are as beautiful in the dark as they are in the light.

Psalm 139:12, "even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like day, for darkness is as light to you."

His grace is great enough to meet the great things-
The crashing waves that overwhelm the soul,
The roaring winds that leave us stunned and breathless,
The sudden storms beyond our life's control.

His grace is great enough to meet the small things-
The little pinprick troubles that annoy,
The insect worries, buzzing and persistent,
The squeaking wheels that grate upon our joy.

Annie Johnson Flint

My Psalm Part 2

Oh Lord, My God, Praise you for hearing the cries of my heart yesterday. Thank you for not just raising my nose above those scary waters but for pulling me into your life boat and giving me full relief. I was weary and you gave me rest (without guilt:). I was confused and upset but you calmed my mind with your Word. My feelings were taking over but you raised your hand and said, "Be still." and they obeyed your command. I was crying from sadness but you turned them into tears of gratitude for your grace and presence.

Having the flu and its lingering affects brought me to my knees. However, when I cried out in my distress You were so faithful to reveal your love. Sometimes we want to be able to look into your eyes or feel you swipe the fever drenched hair off our foreheads. I know it's because my mom died when I was young that I desire that physical tenderness when I'm ill. Thank you for refocusing my thoughts toward the blessings I do have rather than what's absent. My dear friends and family texted and called to check on me, my husband carried every load and loved on me, my sister-in-law made me soup and my son made me his Valentine :) Lord, you not only provided shelter and provisions but you lavished your love upon me. ONE PRAYER CHANGED EVERYTHING.

When we feel desperate and it seems like even God has forgotten us, He hasn't. All it takes is one prayer, one scripture to refocus our attention. James 4:8 is one of my favorite scriptures, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." When we are at our weakest He promises to be our strength (2 Corinthians 12:9). He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Sisters and brothers, keep your focus on the Lord. We all get turned around so it is vital that we know His Word. It is imperative that we know His truth. This world and the forces of darkness are busy at work every day to get your attention off of God and onto worldly things. I let my weariness turn my focus to sad and pitiful thoughts rather than clinging to His Word like a mast to get me through the storm. We must be children of God and know with full assurance who we belong to and what His promises are for us. It is our duty to service that we encourage each other and lift each other up. Read Proverbs chapter 4 and understand how important it is to guard our hearts. The mind is the pathway to the heart (Read Philippians 4:7).

When I was a baby Christian I fell all the time, however, as a mature Christian woman I fall much less and not as hard. I regroup and get my focus back on God's truth much quicker. I share my pitfalls to encourage others and let them know that we're only human and that's why we need Jesus. His grace, mercy, kindness, tenderness, long-suffering.... is simply who He is - a God that intimately loves us and will NEVER leave us or forsake us, ever.

My Psalm

I learned years ago that when I felt down or overwhelmed that I should journal those feelings. We need to see our emotions in writing so we can capture them and deal with them. Otherwise, they just circle around, uncontrolled and overwhelm us. I realized that just writing my feelings was only half of my story. I had to begin to tell my emotions the truth from scripture. Every doubt, fear, sadness, shame... had to have a counter-weight scripture of truth to put it in perspective. Our journaling should be written like a Psalm. At first, we pour out our lamentations then we conclude with God's truth, His Word, His promises! We're human and we have feelings. We must be honest with ourselves when we feel such child-like emotions. Put them out there for Jesus to go through with you and to begin the healing process. He wants to get us THROUGH the process of healing, NOT OVER IT. Pour out your emotions and feelings to Him and He will turn those open wounds into battle scars that we wear like badges of honor!

I've been sick for weeks now and I'm feeling weak, lonely and sad. This is my Psalm for today.

Hear my cry my Savior, bend down so I can feel your breath. I miss you so much. I have been in this foreign land away from you and my tears run like a river. My bones hurt and my mind burns. Being absent from the Lover of my Soul is too much. I lay in the darkness and cry because I’m so lonely and long to look into your eyes. Oh, to feel your arms around me would heal me. Where are you? I cannot rise from my bed, everything hurts and I’m consumed by sadness. This world is becoming increasingly scary and my fears are mounting. I feel my fear more than you and that scares me. This illness has me feeling so vulnerable and I feel like I can't fight back. My weakness is causing me to fear.

Oh child of mine. Not only do I hear your cries but I save each tear which is more precious than diamonds. You do not feel my breath upon you because my Holy Spirit lives IN you. I live in you. The day is drawing very near when I will meet you in the clouds and we will be together forever! (1 Corinthians 15:51) You are NOT alone. You may feel lonely but your faith must remind you that I am with you always. I will never leave you or forsake you, even until the end of the world. (Deuteronomy 31:6) You are in a foreign world, you are an ambassador for me until I call you home. (2 Corinthians 5:20) I will be the rod of iron in your back to keep you upright and strong. Use the armor I gave you every day and these “feelings” will get behind you. (Ephesians 6:11) Your emotions will send you spiraling downwards, whereas, your faith will rise you above the clouds! This world is infected with sin and that sin takes a toll but I have overcome sin and death. Where ever you are, I am the strength in your weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:7)

My daughter, 

Your honesty and my truth will heal many. I will personally deliver these words of hope to exactly who needs it.

Jesus