Obedience is the Key

Sometimes what you are going through is not entirely about you; God uses our circumstances and our obedience to impact the hearts of those who do not yet believe.

Exodus 13:17

For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

Exodus 14:2, 4

“Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea...

And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

The Israelites were on the move; they had already left Egypt and were on their way to the Promised Land before God allowed the Pharaoh to realize what he had done. (Ex 14:5)

Even though they left Egypt “ready for battle” and with the wealth of the Egyptians, God directed them away from the path that would have resulted in a war with the Philistines. (Ex 13:17) God knew that if they had faced a war, they would change their minds and return to captivity.

So then....Why would God have His people turn back and make camp instead of continuing on their journey? They were making good pace in putting distance between them and Egypt. They even took an alternate route to avoid a war and yet now, God has them stop and turn back; turn to make camp at the same time Pharaoh decides to pursue them.

God leads them away from a war just to position them for a battle...why?

Verse 4....so that the Egyptians (the very same people who held the Israelites in captivity) would know that He is the Lord. This was about God moving on the hearts of those who did not yet know Him. God was about to reveal Himself to a nation as well as remind a nation of who they serve.

Moses was instructed to tell the terrified Israelites “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

The battle you are in right now may seem overwhelming and it might not be about just you. God may wish to reveal Himself to those around you. As He instructed His people then, He is instructing you today....

Listen (Do not be afraid)

Trust (Stand Firm)

Obey (Be Still)

God did not mean to stand still or do not move. No, they were to get up and move to safety as He provided their path. He was telling them to stop complaining, to stop fretting, to stop focusing on what was behind them and start focusing on the life in front of them. He instructed them to move in the direction of the Promise. (...press on toward the goal... Phil 3:14-15; ...keep your eyes on Jesus... Heb 12:2)

As they obeyed and moved through the obstacle in front of them (the Red Sea), God took care of what was behind them. In doing so, God gained the glory and the Egyptians were given the opportunity to know that He is the Lord.

What a wonderful God He is! As He takes us THROUGH the hard places, our faith is strengthened and He reveals Himself to those who are watching.

With that in mind, what 'enemy' are you facing today?

I encourage you to do as the Israelites...

Listen (Do not be afraid)

Trust (Stand Firm)

Obey (Be Still)

and in the process, be reminded of the God you serve.

Lesson of Mindfulness

Ezekiel 37:1

The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; and it was full of bones.

This verse is full of knowledge nuggets! It is like an archaeological dig where you have to uncover the treasures as you gently sift through the words. (Proverbs 25:2) It is similar to the parables that Jesus used to teach with; many applications as one looks deeper into the story. God reveals the initial interpretation of the vision in verses 11-28; the restoration of Israel. However, since we know that God is a Master Storyteller and His Word is relatable to us today, there are still bits of wisdom to be discovered within these words. Let's go digging....

“The hand of the Lord”: Hand in this verse refers to an open hand, indicating power, direction and means. God reveals that His hand...one with power and direction...is available from the very beginning of the journey, guiding him through the valley.

“...was on me and brought me out...” This phrase, interestingly, is simply one word in the original text...yatsa'. The meaning of this one word is … to go out; to go forth. Yet it can also be defined as to germinate; to expand, like a plant.

“...set me down...” the original meaning of this word related to respiring or resting to draw a breath; the sitting down to rest, to be quiet.

I find this fascinating! Ezekiel is standing in the middle of utter devastation. God tells him to look with purpose at the destruction before him...to notice the dry, dis-articulated bones; to truly take in the hopelessness of the chaos in that valley. It is then that God speaks a word...nuwach...which literally means to breathe freely again due to resting. He encourages Ezekiel to simply pause, to sit down and rest a moment. Can you hear the soft voice speak to Ezekiel....”Draw a breath Ezekiel and allow Me to calm your mind so that in the middle of the chaos, you may notice Me.” In other words, Be Still and know that I am God.

I believe God was teaching Ezekiel a very important lesson in that valley...the lesson of mindfulness. Your Father asks you to be present WITH Him in each moment of your day. Being mindful of the Hand of God and His presence has the ability to shift your perspective and correct your vision.

God speaks to each of us in the middle of our own chaos. He encourages us to slow down a bit and pause to catch our breath. Pause long enough to allow your vision to see things for how they truly are and not simply how they may seem in the moment. It is in the “resting” that God's Hand will cause His Truth to germinate and expand in your spirit.

May you embrace the lesson of mindfulness found within the story of the valley in Ezekiel 37; as you do, may you breathe freely once again knowing that God is always with you.

A Royal Mandate

Ezekiel 37 tells the story of Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones. It is just twenty-eight verses but the wisdom, knowledge and hope that is revealed within those verses is quite profound and refreshing! Let's take a walk through the valley with Ezekiel and see what God reveals to us along the way. 

This chapter falls within the part of the Book of Ezekiel where God tells His people that He is going to bring them out of captivity and restore them as a nation. The story of the dry bones is intended to be an illustration of encouragement to His people to have a humble faith in their God. However, to understand the magnitude and scope of what God is illustrating, we need to know a few things about their circumstances.

The nation of Israel was divided within themselves as well as being scattered among the nations of their enemies. They were surrounded and not united as a people...they were without Hope.

God had already given them words of reproof and conviction (chapters 4-24). Now He brings them His Word of Hope...He is going to bring them out of their captivity. He used the illustration of dry bones to make His case for Him. Let's look through the eyes of Ezekiel as we walk through this valley...

As we stand in the middle of this open valley, we look around and see the bones; so many bones, scattered everywhere. They are not buried so they are sun-bleached to a pale, white color and they are in no order...not placed together so that we can make out a full skeleton...No, it's just a chaotic mess of individual bones. It appears that a great struggle or even a battle had taken place in this valley...what is left is the destruction of the people who lost that battle.

We hear a voice...”Can these bones live?” What kind of question is that? We see the evidence of utter devastation...no sign of life...nothing but chaos. Tears may have stung Ezekiel's eyes and his heart may have begun to break as he stood there thinking of the lives that these bones represented. 

“Can these bones come back to life? Only You hold the answer to that question God. What I see before me is something that only You can restore.” BINGO! That is the answer that comes from a humble heart and acknowledges the Sovereign Power of God!    With that type of faith, God will move mountains on your behalf.

After Ezekiel answered, God told him to prophesy or to speak to the bones by a divine power... “All you dried up bones, LISTEN to the voice of God Almighty!” As Ezekiel repeated the word that God commanded him to say, he heard a loud noise...like thunder; a great rattling like an earthquake or the sound of chariots. Now, there are so many knowledge nuggets in this story but we are going to pause here and examine this one a bit more closely...

Verse 4 “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.” in this verse, “word” means … A Royal Mandate; an edict or a command/ declaration from a king/prince/authority requiring obedience. God's Word is a royal mandate...an edict...that requires the obedience from everything that is under His authority. Think about that for a moment...God has authority over ALL things, visible or invisible therefore all things are required to obey Him.

Verse 7 “So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a [thundering] noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.” The word “noise” is from an unused root word meaning “to call aloud” or “a voice”. The word used for “rattling” means noise or tumult (like that of chariots). 

Ezekiel described the noise he heard very similar to the way the voice of God has been described in other parts of the Bible. His voice is described as “...a loud noise...” “...a thundering, or thunders...” “...a sound of many waters...” which resembles the sound of chariots. As Ezekiel repeated the very words that God had given him...the loud noise began....God echoed the words Ezekiel spoke! The rumbling noise was the voice of God declaring His Royal Mandate which requires nothing less than swift obedience. As a result, the scattered bones gathered with the bones from the original skeleton and muscle formed on the skeletons and skin covered them. Essentially, that which was not became that which was spoken.

We will revisit the valley next week as there are so many wonderful things to be gleaned from this chapter. The nugget I would like y'all to examine this week is simply this...

His Word is a Royal Edict within His kingdom that requires obedience from all under His authority. He invites each of us to find His promises in His Word and speak them aloud so that He may echo your words in the sound of His voice just as He did with Ezekiel.

Do as Ezekiel did and pray...have a conversation with God; take a walk through His Word, allowing Him to humble your heart so that He will reveal a promise to speak aloud, declaring God's authority over your situation.

Pray – Humble yourself – Receive His Word – Declare His Word

The Mystery of Purpose

Within the words of Romans 8:28 lies a gem; a clue to the mystery that is your purpose in life.

Romans 8:28
So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.

Did you see it?

We have been called to fulfill His designed purpose. It really isn't our purpose but rather His. His purpose that He designed by weaving every detail of our life together so that it will FIT into His perfect plan. This plan is to bring good into our life. THAT is our purpose...simply put, He is our purpose!

Have you ever thought of it like that? Our life...every detail...is being continually woven together. Therefore, we cannot mess it up because He is continually weaving our actions into His tapestry. His plan for you is perfect and it will fulfill His designed purpose. This way of life is what brings that overwhelming sense of inner peace in spite of the chaos or troubles.

We work in harmony with the Creator as He weaves this tapestry when we understand what this calling (or purpose) is for us in this life of ours. We begin to feel connected to something much greater than our-self and this is precisely when we begin to achieve the most satisfaction.

So then....the question becomes, What is this well designed plan that is continually being woven together to bring good into our life? What is God's designed purpose for me?

For the answer to that, we must go on an expedition. Yes! A journey to explore His Word in search of the clues that He has left for us to find. In the true spirit of any expedition, this will require some research, some digging, some hard work and the resolve to not give up until we find the treasure.

Are you ready to embark on this journey through His Word...your emotions...your beliefs...to uncover the mystery of Purpose?

This journey will require us to adapt our way of thinking to align with the truths that He reveals in His Word. Therefore it is vital to the success of the expedition for each of us to be open and willing to accept what He shows us. This may challenge ideas and/or mind-sets. This may challenge doctrine or traditions that we have been taught through our churches. This will challenge what you believe about yourself.

THAT is what makes for an exciting journey...the willingness to do what it takes to find the treasure!

So let's start by really digging into our first clue, Romans 8:28. This first clue tells us what God says our purpose is in His world. Read that again...the first challenge is to accept that this is God's plan for us. We may have our own ideas of what we should be doing and even what we want to be doing...and that is okay if you simply wish to exist in life. However, the point of this expedition is to find PURPOSE for your life.

His purpose for the life He created as an integral part of His world. He is the master craftsman. Romans 8 tells us that God is constantly weaving together every detail of our life...EVERY detail. Why is He doing this? He masterfully takes each detail and weaves it together with the other strands (the details of the lives of others) until it fits perfectly into His plan. This plan of His is the one that brings good into your life. That is a promise to those who are willing to say ”...not my way/will but Yours God”.

Romans 8:28 is your invitation to embark on a wild ride...an exciting journey...an expedition of epic proportion!

This is the way of Green Gumball Faith.

The Power of Joy

Christmas time used to be my absolute favorite time of the year. I would decorate on November 1st and play Christmas songs for two months solid. The holiday was once my “happy” place because it brought me much Joy. However, over time, that feeling slowly eroded and the strength to hold on to it began to weaken with every crashing wave that slammed into my days.

This morning, a memory popped up in FaceBook. That memory was something I wrote four years ago about “JOY”. In that post, I wrote about what I had discovered about Joy...it is amazing to me to read these FB memories as it reveals the mastery of My Father in Heaven and the patience, gentleness and skill that He has in revealing to our hearts what our spirit knows to be true.

I had always believed that if I truly wanted to know the truth about something, all I needed to do was ask my Father to show me. Yes, I know how that sounds to most people. Nonetheless, it was a belief that I held because well....because that is the relationship that He and I forged over the years – a radical, risk-taking type of faith in Almighty God and His abilities.

On this day, four years ago, God took me on a treasure hunt through His Word that lead to the discovery of the meaning of “JOY”. This is what was revealed:
~~~
The Bible tells us that Joy is our strength. A few questions arise......1. Where did mine go? 2. How do you get it back? 3. What is Joy anyway?

The best definition of Joy I could find was this one: Darkness Dispelled; the light of everlasting life lit up in the soul. YES, this made more sense than the meanings in other dictionaries of an emotion of great happiness, blah, blah, blah...
Darkness dispelled....okay, what does dispelled mean?
It means to make(a doubt, feeling, or belief) disappear or end; to drive away/off, get rid of.

Darkness is the partial or total absence of light; reflecting only a small fraction of light; unknown or concealed, lacking knowledge
Nice but what does this mean? To me, this morning, in the middle of this hurricane I have come to know as 'life'....it simply means this.....

Joy is not a feeling or an emotion as they come and go, sometimes not easily controlled. Joy is not the same as being happy or happiness, although happiness can be a result of Joy.
Joy then is a choice. The Bible tells us that God gives us this choice....I have set before you Life and Death, Blessings and Curses, therefore, choose Life (Deut 30:19) Yes, Joy is something that we make a conscious decision of choosing, every day and sometimes every moment.

Joy drives away lack of knowledge and reveals God's mystery.
Joy drives off the overwhelming feelings of doubt and unbelief.
Joy makes the darkness in our souls, our minds and our hearts disappear.
Joy is a tool in God's arsenal to set us free to shine in a dark place.

Christmas is the season of JOY! Hearts are open and looking for that "goodwill toward men" that we sing about... It is not found in the songs or decorations or destinations of the season, but rather in the manger. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world!
He is the light that drives away the darkness and makes our fears disappear.
Joy....the light of everlasting life lit up in the soul.

In my search for the meaning of Joy, I have been reminded that I have a light which resides "in my heart", lately this light has not reflected the fullness of the everlasting life in my soul....and yet God has gently reminded me this morning that it has been my choice to allow the light to grow dim - and it shall be my choice to let His light shine once again.

Life will continue to be challenging - the waves will continue to crash....BUT the darkness has been dispelled this morning! Not only can there be Joy in the journey....there is Hope that the storm will one day come to an end.
So this morning as you go about your day....be reminded that it is in our choices that we shall uncover true Joy and regain our strength for this journey.
~~~~
On this day four years ago, I chose to take the path that would uncover true Joy so that my strength would be regained...and my Father has been beside me every step of the way. During this journey, He has revealed many things that had stolen Joy from my life. He also revealed how to recapture what was stolen!

Joy.... Darkness Dispelled; the light of everlasting life lit up in the soul.

Even though the path has been exhausting in all ways, I am forever grateful to my Father for revealing how and why it had almost been extinguished. His gift to me this Christmas has been the restoration of the Joy that is found in relationship with Him.

He has dispelled the darkness within my soul making the feeling of doubt and fear disappear. In their place, my Father has revealed a place with unsurpassed Peace that calms the soul like that of a lullaby. In this place I have rediscovered Joy.

The Joy of Lord is a powerful force! Joy is a tool in God's arsenal to set us free to shine in a dark place; sometimes this dark place is our own mind. My journey has taught me just how easy it is for the enemy of our souls to dim the light within...he challenges our mind, just as he did with Eve. He plants the seed of doubt and if we are not careful, we will allow the seed to take root and grow. This doubt will challenge our belief in God and His abilities thus chipping away at our faith. In essence we become the “ye” in “Oh Ye of little faith...”.

This journey has taught me not to focus on that which I feel I have lost...No, He whispers ever-so-gently to focus on all that I have received and that He has freely given.

Feelings...they come and go with the strength of the winds that brought them BUT Joy...Joy wraps you in an embrace of Peace as it reveals the heart of the Father and whispers to your spirit “...All is well...”

May you allow God to dispel your darkness this Christmas season....may you choose “JOY”

The Destructive Power of Words

The story of the “green gumball” has been a pivotal point for much of my life. The story of how God touched the heart of a young man through the color of a gumball is inspiring and quite amazing. However, not all aspects of that moment in time have been re-affirming or positive.

That event has been the focal point of a radical, risk-taking faith; the evidence of a faith that fully trusts in the power of God. A faith that is not encumbered by the opinions of any one person but yielded to the revelations of His Spirit. In that moment, all that mattered was my obedience to the prompting of His Spirit...the nudge to ask Eric a very simple question; What color do you want?

It was not a risk in my mind – at that moment - to ask the question. It was the question that He wanted to ask Eric so I simply obeyed my Father by asking the question. There was no fear in that moment. There was no doubt of the outcome either because I trusted my Father to drop the gumball in the color Eric wanted. I was convinced that the gumball would be the color Eric verbalized.

I Corinthians 2:5 tells us that God intended that our faith be established by trusting in His almighty power. If I truly believed that He had the power to create all that we see....that He had the power to part the Red Sea...that He had the power to crumble the walls of Jericho...that He had the power to raise Christ from the dead...that He had the power to heal my body of the 2^nd/3^rd degree burns with no scars... how then, could I not trust that He had the power to drop a green gumball?

The faith that I had at that point was based on the stories I had read in the Old and New Testaments plus my personal experiences (my body being healed of the burns being one of them). My faith had been established by trusting that the stories in the Bible were true combined with my personal encounters with the power of an Almighty God. My experiences with God had taught me to trust in His ability to perform His Word....there was no doubt in my mind that God could do what He said.

That is until the “elders” began to criticize my actions. Apparently, to the more “...mature in the faith...”, my actions were reckless, irresponsible, lacking wisdom and most of all...they had the potential of being catastrophic for Eric. It seemed that stepping out and acting on the prompting of the Spirit made the elders a bit uneasy. I was faced with many “What if...” scenarios to which my only response was that I KNEW it was God; there was no other explanation other than I knew the voice of my Father and I acted upon it.

To those older and thus wiser than I (yes, that is what I was told), actions such as mine were not acceptable. The only reason given to me as to why it was unacceptable was that had the gumball not been green, I would have destroyed God's opportunity to reach Eric. The words spoken to me by those in leadership were the tools used by the enemy to crack the very foundation of my trust....not in the ability of God but the trust I had in knowing the voice of my Father.

The experience of the gumball was more thrilling and humbling than almost any other experience I have had in my journey thus far. However, the experience that followed my act of obedience was one of the most spiritually damaging battles my faith has ever had to withstand.

This morning during my time with God, I was directed to a series of verses that He used to unravel the deception that began when the words of ridicule were spoken over me almost 25 years ago. I sit here in awe at the reality of just how much power there is in the spoken word.

The power of life and death are in the tongue (Prov 18:21)

Since that experience, I have struggled to trust that I hear the voice of my Father. That doubt has brought untold emotional stress and torment...always questioning IF what I thought was God was truly Him and not knowing if I should fully trust that which my heart wanted to embrace. That struggle sparked a battle between my mind (what is rational) and my spirit (which is eternal); a true spiritual war.

During this journey, I have lost some battles along the way just as there have been victories granted. This morning however, I believe that God, in His infinite power, has put an end to the war!

The faith that God has gifted to me IS radical....it IS risk-taking...it IS a spirit-revealed truth; one that has been illuminated by His Spirit! (1 Corinthians 2:13-15)

He has restored to me the ability to trust that I hear His voice.

Today, almost 25 years later, God has given me the Green Gumball!

Radical...Risk-Taking Faith

Your ability to tap into the source of God's Power depends on the depth of your relationship with Him.
Job was tried yet did not curse God; his knowledge of God prevented him from doing so.
David did not fear the giant because he knew God as a friend therefore trusted God.

Go deeper into your relationship with The One who knows you like none other....and your faith will deepen and grow stronger because you will have touched the very heart of God.

Radical, Risk-Taking faith is simply an authentic faith. It comes from a deep place in your spirit that has been connected to the One who wrote the Book.

This type of faith honors God and in turn reveals God to a weary world looking for answers and a miracle. This kind of faith releases the power of the Creator to do what He does best.....create solutions. God creates a way where we cannot see nor find a way....He presents the solution. Yet that solution can sometimes only be found when you take that first step into the river that gets your feet wet.

In Joshua 3:13, God told the Levites that when the priests "set foot in the Jordan" the water would be cut off thus exposing their solution. However, they had to get their feet wet before He revealed the dry path to them. They had to put their faith in God into action to see the way out of their problem. The same is true for us!

Time to get your feet wet in the river and cross over into a deeper relationship with God and embrace a Green-Gumball type of faith..