The Right Ingredient

Psalm 61:2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

I call to You from the ends of the earth

when my heart is without strength.

Lead me to a rock that is high above me,

Psalm 142:3 New Life Version (NLV)

3 When my spirit had grown weak within me, You knew my path. They have hidden a trap for me in the way where I walk.

Have you ever been in the middle of making something for dinner and realize you are missing one of the ingredients?  This ingredient is the ONE ingredient that ties the whole dish together.  It is the ONE ingredient that really brings out all of the flavors in this dish.  My immediate response is to go and find a “substitute” for that ingredient.  I rush to GOOGLE or ask SIRI.  I find a “substitute”.  I hesitantly put that ingredient in the dish in hopes of a successful dish.  At that moment, I’m taking a gamble as to whether or not this meal will turn out like I had planned.  I had taken this recipe into my own hands and created something different than intended.  

Life is a recipe.  God gives us the ingredients and steps to take.  There are so many moments in which I rush to find a “substitute” ingredient.  I rush to my surroundings to find what I need to make life work.  I begin to feel overwhelmed because I am focusing on the circumstances rather than trusting that He is all I need.  Trusting that He placed this recipe in the correct order and there are no substitutes.  It make take a little extra time to go to the store to get what you need, but God doesn’t intend on our lives to have “microwave” outcomes.  We have to be patient, take deep breaths, and walk through the recipe as it is intended.  When we do we end up with a heavenly, divine dish called “A Life Eternally Lived with Him”.  

Be Blessed!

His Masterpiece

Genesis 50:20 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

20 You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.

Romans 8:28 New Life Version (NLV)

28 We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan.

Zephaniah 3:17 New Life Version (NLV)

17 The Lord your God is with you, a Powerful One Who wins the battle. He will have much joy over you. With His love He will give you new life. He will have joy over you with loud singing.

Earlier this week, I heard this poem being read on KLOVE radio. 

Just A Weaver

by Benjamin Malacia Franklin

My life is but a weaving

Between my Lord and me;

I cannot choose the colors

He worketh steadily.

Oft times He weaveth sorrow

And I, in foolish pride,

Forget He sees the upper,

And I the under side.

Not til the loom is silent

And the shuttles cease to fly,

Shall God unroll the canvas

And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful

In the Weaver’s skillful hand,

As the threads of gold and silver

In the pattern He has planned.

He knows, He loves, He cares,

Nothing this truth can dim.

He gives His very best to those

Who chose to walk with Him.

If you look at almost any painting, you will see dark areas and areas that are lighter.  Some paintings may be filled with one more than the other.  However, God intends for all of the colors of our paintings to fall exactly as they are.  I find myself watching other canvases being painted and wonder why they have that color and I don’t.  It is because God is working in and through me to create something uniquely different.  His skillful hands are hands that are consistently working.  We don’t see every movement or motion of His hand, but we must follow the pattern or brush stroke that He is guiding us to take.  He doesn’t have to explain each motion because He knows what our canvas will look like when it is finished.  He knows the final outcome.  

Jeremiah 29:11 New Life Version (NLV)

11 For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope.

Be Blessed!

Pray BIG and Pray HARD

1 John 5:14 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

14 Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Mark 11:24-25 The Message (MSG)

22-25 Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it’s as good as done. That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything.

Jeremiah 29:12 The Message (MSG)

12 “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.

Matthew 6:7 New Life Version (NLV)

7 When you pray, do not say the same thing over and over again making long prayers like the people who do not know God. They think they are heard because their prayers are long.

James 1:6 New Life Version (NLV)

6 You must have faith as you ask Him. You must not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave which is pushed around by the sea.

Prayer… the little emoji symbol we put on social media, what we say in passing when we see distress, something we do daily out of routine, putting our kids to bed they go through that ritual as well. I have prayed my whole life. I remember my mom tucking me in nightly and saying my prayers with me.  I have continued that ritual with my children. However, I feel like it has become very robotic for them.  This led me to thinking about my prayer life and how I pray. 

From the wall of Jericho to Noah looking foolish building a boat to David taking a sling shot to a massive giant.  Those were actions that the onlookers made fun of, but what was the outcome in those stories?  God heard their prayers and took action, massive action.  They had faith and they didn’t care if they looked foolish while following through with their prayer action.  They did 3 things:  

1. They named it,
2. They claimed it by taking action, and
3. They circled it in prayer.

God is not our “genie in the bottle” type of God, but He does want us to communicate and ask Him.  He wants us to get on our knees and really shout out our prayers.  Even in the quiet of my home, I don’t do this out of my “scare of looking foolish”.  I do the “bow your head and pray” action.  Simple, but sometimes not as effective as getting on my knees and really talking to the Lord.  

“We loose faith in God who gave us the big dream and settle for a small dream that we can accomplish without His help.  We go after dreams that don’t require divine intervention.  We go after dreams that don’t require prayer.  And the God who is able to do immeasurably more than all our right brain can imagine is supplanted by a god - lower case g- who fits within the logical constraints of our left brain.” (Batterson, M. 2016)

So, have confidence in your prayer (1 John 5:14).  Embrace it and pray it hard (Mark 11:24-25).  He will listen (Jeremiah 29:12).  It doesn’t have to be long or drawn out or even eloquent because God is not looking for perfection from us (Matthew 6:7). And lastly, don’t doubt Him because He will answer our prayers in His time (James 1:6).  

Be Blessed!  

PS.  

Recommended movie about prayer - If you haven’t seen War Room,  it is a must see!  

Recommended book about prayer - The Circle Maker By Mark Batterson.  

These are what I’m doing to increase my volume in my prayer life.  

Noise Pollution

Job 6:24 New Life Version (NLV)

24 “Teach me, and I will be quiet. Show me where I have been wrong.

Isaiah 32:17 New Life Version (NLV)

17 The work of being right and good will give peace. From the right and good work will come quiet trust forever.

Isaiah 30:15 New Life Version (NLV)

15 The Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In turning away from sin and in rest, you will be saved. Your strength will come by being quiet and by trusting.” But you would not.

Noise pollution is defined by the Business Dictionary as “A form and level of environmental sound that is generally considered likely to annoy, distract or even harm other people.”  However, I find that noise pollution, for me, is anything that takes my mind off of what God is intending me to hear from Him.  

I truly struggled writing this week’s Thoughtful Thursday due to not know what He was wanting me to say.  That is when I realized that I had not turned it over to Him.  I had not kept my mind focused on what He was wanting to say to me this week.  Noise pollution in my life this week has been both amazing and draining.  From traveling to work to football on Sunday to focusing in on some personal goals, I have had a lot of noise pollution fogging my direct line to Him.  This has not “harmed me”, but has “distracted me”.  

God wants us to hear Him, but regardless of how “quiet” we get our environment we still have “noise” in our heads.  This, to me, is my noise pollution.  My book for the month of February is The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.  “Well-developed faith results in well-developed prayers, and well-defined prayers result in a well-lived life.”  Being intentional about keeping the distractions out and truly praying will clear the fog that is around us.  This will quiet our minds and help us see clearly.  With that our faith grows, our prayer life increases, and our life is enriched.  

Be Blessed!