Mount Horeb

"So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God." 1 Kings 19:8

 

Elijah and Moses were men of great zeal. They were passionate about their causes. Moses sought to free the Hebrews from the tyranny of slavery by killing an Egyptian with his own hand. Elijah, after calling down fire on the evil prophets of Baal, found himself spent physically and emotionally to the point he asked God to take his life.

Immediately after these two events, 500 years apart from one another, both men were led to the same Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. In Hebrew, Horeb means "desolation." This barren environment mirrored the condition of Moses and Elijah. For Moses, it was 40 years of barrenness. For Elijah, it was 40 days without food. Elijah became tired of standing alone for God.

 

As workplace believers we often become so focused on the goal we forget to meet God at our own Mount Horeb. This was the place God met both Moses and Elijah. It was a place of renewal, a place of new beginnings, a place of personal encounter with the living God.

 

Perhaps Elijah's greatest virtue was his zeal. Indeed, we shall see that twice in his communication with God, Elijah speaks of having been "very zealous" for the Lord. But zeal, unattended eventually becomes its own God; it compels us toward expectations, which are unrealistic, and outside the timing and anointing of God. To remain balanced, zeal must be reined in and harnessed by strategic encounters with the living God. We otherwise become frustrated with people and discouraged with delays. We step outside our place of strength and spiritual protection. Many of us become so consumed with our battles that we are no longer aware of the presence of Jesus. We have been traveling in our own strength.

 

Pray that Jesus will teach us that intimacy with Him is the greatest measure of success. Lord, guide us to the mountain of Your presence.

The Booster Rocket

"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: "Moses My servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites." Joshua 1:1-2

 

A rocket launch is truly an amazing phenomenon to me. Tons of weight is stacked vertically to the sky with thousands of gallons of fuel exploding in a matter of moments. Soon the rocket drops its take-off boosters and uses additional boosters to move the rocket to the next stage of the mission. The first engines have a unique purpose...to get the rocket to the next stage.

 

Joshua was known for almost 40 years as "Joshua, servant of Moses." God's preparation for him required years of selfless service, training in the desert, and tests of faith. Those preparation years were booster rockets designed to move Joshua into each new stage of his development and his ultimate calling.

 

God allows each of us preparation times to lay a foundation that He plans to build on. Some of those foundation times appear to be laborious and meaningless, yet these varied experiences are what God is using to frame your life for the message He plans to speak through you. Without these foundational experiences, the Jordan River can never be crossed and we cannot enter the Promised Land.

 

Embrace these times of seeming inactivity from God. They, too, are a rocket booster to your next stage of your walk with God.

 

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 (Philippians 1:6).

Waiting on God

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!" Isaiah 30:18

Have you ever noticed that God is not in a hurry? It took 40 years for Moses to receive his commission to lead the people out of Egypt. It took 17 years of preparation before Joseph was delivered from slavery and imprisonment. It took 20 years before Jacob was released from Laban's control. Abraham and Sarah were in their old age when they finally received the son of promise, Isaac. So why isn't God in a hurry?

God called each of these servants to accomplish a certain task in His Kingdom, yet He was in no hurry to bring their mission into fulfillment. First, He accomplished what He wanted in them. We are often more focused on outcome than the process that He is accomplishing in our lives each day. When we experience His presence daily, one day we wake up and realize that God has done something special in and through our lives.

However, the accomplishment is no longer what excites us. Instead, what excites us, is knowing Him. Through those times, we become more acquainted with His love, grace, and power in our lives. When this happens, we are no longer focused on the outcome because the outcome is a result of our walk with Him. It is not the goal of our walk, but the by-product. Hence, when Joseph came to power in Egypt, he probably couldn't have cared less. He had come to a place of complete surrender so that he was not anxious about tomorrow or his circumstances.

This is the lesson for us. We must wait for God's timing and embrace wherever we are in the process. When we find contentment in that place, we begin to experience God in ways we never thought possible.

Three Things

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe" (Eph 1:18-19)

 

Paul's letter to the Ephesians exhorts believers to experience three important things in their spiritual lives that he experienced personally. As a good mentor, he desires those he is leading to follow his example.

First, God wants you to have the eyes of your heart enlightened in order to know the hope to which He has called you. God has called each of us to a future and a hope. Some do not ever realize the dreams they envision for their lives. Paul prays they will experience this.

Second, God wants you to know there is an inheritance for each believer in Jesus Christ. There are riches to be had - not financial riches - but spiritual riches that are laid up for every saint. As you are faithful to His calling in your life, there will be a reward for your faithfulness.

Third, God desires you to tap into the power that is available to every believer. Paul often exhorted believers not to look at his persuasive words, but the demonstration of the power of God in his life. He wants you to know this same power is available to you. After all, Jesus said we would do even greater works than He did after He sent the Holy Spirit to us.

Pray that God reveals the hope that exists inside of you, be encouraged that there is an inheritance awaiting you, and know that you have power that resides in you that awaits those who exercise their faith to release it.

Are You Horizontal or Vertical?

"Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight" (Isaiah 5:21).

Many of us have been trained to make decisions and respond to problems in a horizontal way instead of vertical. Operating from a horizontal basis means we try to fix the problem through our own self-efforts by bringing greater pressure upon it through our reasoning or our natural skills. Operating from a vertical position means we are seeking God for the answer and waiting for him to impact the problem. Perhaps it is a spouse who fails to put their clothes away, or a boss who is overly critical, or an employee that you clash with. When we operate horizontally we attempt to shame or coerce the other to change their ways.

God knows the solution to the problem before it ever exists. Our responsibility is to ask God for help to solve the problem and to rely on Him for the outcome. The minute we take on the responsibility, God quietly stands by to let us experience failure until we decide to seek Him for the answer.

One of the best examples of the contrast between a vertical and horizontal dimension in scripture is that of King Saul and David (see 1 Samuel 25). King Saul thought the way to preserve his kingdom was to kill David. While in pursuit of him there were several occasions when David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but David chose to wait upon God's timing and await his own deliverance because he understood authority. David had such respect for those who had been put in authority by God over him that he would not take matters into his own hands.

Saul represents the exact opposite of this principle. He thought David was the problem and sought to get rid of him through force. As a result, he lost his kingdom because he chose to rule horizontally instead of vertically under God's rule in his life.

No matter what problem you face today, stay vertical with God.

Responses To Adversity

Responses to Adversity

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior"(Hab. 3:17-18).

When we experience adversity, we generally respond in one of three ways: (1) we become angry; (2) we try to gut it out; or (3) we accept it with joy.

Anger

When adversity comes our way, we say, "Why me, Lord?" We become bitter and resentful and blame God and others for our problems. We view ourselves as victims and demand that God answer our accusing questions: "Why don't You love me, Lord? We feel entitled to life, health, wealth, and happiness.

Gutting It Out

Another way we respond to adversity is by adopting a stoic attitude, repressing our emotions. We lie to ourselves and say, "I'm gutting it out. I'm demonstrating endurance." In reality, we are merely isolating ourselves with a shell of false bravado. We don't meditate on God's love, we don't pray, we don't believe God really has anything good planned for us. We simply tell ourselves, "This will soon be over. I'm a survivor." We never receive what God has planned for us if we stay here.

Acceptance with Joy

This is the response God seeks from us. When adversity comes, we rest in His love and trust that He knows best. We realize that nothing can happen to us without His permission. If there is pain in our lives, we know it's because God deems it necessary for our growth or wishes to use our pain to minister to others.

 

God revealed to the prophet Habakkuk that Israel was soon to be invaded by the Babylonians. Habakkuk knew that Israel was about to suffer intense adversity as part of God's loving discipline of His people. Habakkuk faced the looming national tragedy with an attitude of acceptance with joy.

 

If Habakkuk could be joyful in the face of a national calamity, then we can rejoice in the Lord no matter what comes our way.

Faith is Spelled R.I.S.K.

Faith is spelled R.I.S.K. 

"Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and,
beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'" (Matt 14:29-30).
 
Jesus told Peter to get out of the boat. There is always a risk when we attempt something never done before. Naysayers seem to come out of the wood work. Why? Because it's not their vision, it's yours. Sometimes we fail the first time out. It's a
fact that most entrepreneurs fail before they are really successful.


"Success," said Winston Churchill, "is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Everybody fails. It's part of the process that leads us to
maturity and success. Most successful entrepreneurs don't think of their failures as defeats. They think of them as lessons.
 
If you hope to succeed, learn everything you can from your failures. In The Three Success Secrets of
Shamgar, Orlando Magic executive Pat Williams observed, "Our experiences may not all be triumphs and successes, but so what? Failure is usually a far better
teacher than success - if we are willing to learn the lessons. As Houston Astros pitcher Larry Dierker observed, 'Experience is the best teacher, but a hard
grader. She gives the test first, the lesson later.'
 
God never gets mired in our past failures. He is constantly viewing our lives with future success in
mind. "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland" (Isa. 43:19).
Someone once said, "When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you're headed for the grave." God wants to give us new dreams that are bigger than
anything that has ever happened to us in the past.
 
Don't let past failures
keep you from future successes. 

The Graduate-Level Test: Self-Defense

"He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." - Psalm 37:6

As a believer grows in trusting obedience and love, God often brings a test that seems uncharacteristically cruel. The test: being wrongfully judged by those close to you. It is not for the reactionary. It cannot be passed over by simply gutting it out. Supernatural grace is the only means of passing this one. It is one of those tests the Savior had to experience Himself when being tried by the court of public opinion, the religious community, and the government of His day. His response to the government was silence. His response to the religious establishment was silence at the final judgment. To the rest of His accusers He remained quiet and left vindication to the Father. He lived the commandment He gave to the disciples:

"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked" (Luke 6:35).

How do you react when you are accused or mistreated for no reason? Do you listen quietly, or do you justify each and every action? Most of us take pride in doing what is right and expect the same from others, especially our brothers and sisters in the faith. Jesus knew that if you were to be a true follower of His, you would enter this test eventually. It is part of the program. The workplace gives ample opportunity to be wronged, misunderstood, and maligned. When God brings a measured assault against one of His children, it is to find out if he truly believes in the cross. The cross is where each of us is given the opportunity to die to our pride, our reputations, and our ego. When He allows a measured assault upon us, it is to find out if the cross is sufficient. He wants to see if we will seek to rescue ourselves. Jesus said if we die with Him, we will be raised with Him. When God allows satan to bring the measured assault, ask God for the grace to cling to the cross. Let the pride and arrogance that Jesus wants to remove from our lives be crucified. Thank God for the opportunity to be crucified with Christ. Then your righteousness will shine like the noonday sun and the justice of your cause will be in His hands.

Balance the Natural and the Spiritual

"No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save" (Psalm 33:16-17).

The Bible tells us not to put our confidence in things the world considers to be our protection, defense, or strength. However, the man or woman who does not perform well on the job is left behind in today's competitive world. Not only is this typical of the world at large, but even many Christians promote the importance of identifying our strengths and encourage us to move in them to accomplish God's will. Yet, throughout the Bible, we are discouraged from depending upon our own strengths. Instead, we are urged to rely totally upon the Lord.

God wants us to depend upon Him, and He demonstrates this throughout Scripture. For example, in Judges 7, God wouldn't let Gideon fight against another army until he reduced his own from 22,000 soldiers to a mere 300, so that Gideon could not boast about his army's strength. In Joshua 6, God told Joshua to walk around Jericho seven times and blow trumpets instead of relying upon his mighty army to overpower his enemy. In 2 Samuel 24, God judged David when he counted his troops to determine the size of his army's strength, apparently because David took the census out of pride or overconfidence in the strength of his army.

On the other hand, Jesus instructed the disciples in due diligence through the parable of the builder, who is cautioned to consider the cost before beginning to build. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish'" (Luke 14:28-30).

Today, bring every project and endeavor before the Lord as you ask for His power and grace to accomplish it using both your natural gifts and the Spirit of God working together.

Spiritual Contracts

"In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years." - Daniel 9:2

When you enter a legal contract, it binds the two parties to fulfill the terms of that contract. In Heaven there are legal contracts that, when fulfilled, allow the spiritual to impact the physical.

Israel had been in captivity to Babylon for 70 years. Daniel, when he investigated the history of his nation, found the prophecy of Jeremiah, which revealed there would be 70 years of captivity. He recognized that in order to release his nation from this captivity, there had to be a confession of sin on the part of the nation. Daniel took that responsibility. Although he could not personally repent for his nation, he could acknowledge their sin and repent himself. When Daniel acknowledged this sin before God, something took place in Heaven. God heard this prayer and responded by sending His angel Gabriel to Daniel's side.

We know from history that this was the time when Judah's return from exile began. Daniel's prayer of confession was the spiritual key to the physical manifestation of releasing the nation from captivity to Babylon.

Whenever you want to confront spiritual forces that have dominion over a situation, you must find the source of the problem. Once you find the source of the problem, you must take the necessary steps in the spiritual realm to release God's power into that situation. For Daniel, it meant taking responsibility for the sin of the nation by confessing its sins and asking forgiveness on behalf of the entire nation. This allowed God to begin the process of releasing the nation.

Ask God to show you the source of the problems that may exist in your city, your work, or people you want to see freed to fulfill God's purposes for their lives.

DELIGHT is Life “In-de-Light”

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD"  (Psalm 1:2a).

Joy, excitement, pleasure, amusement—all of these words are synonyms
for delight. So many parts of our lives delight us; our spouses, our children,
our jobs, our possessions and accomplishments; the list could go on.

When you think of the things that delight you, do you name “the law of the LORD” as
one of them?

The Bible says “the law of the LORD” is many things. It is just, it is true, it is right, and more.

The law of the LORD illuminates situations, and the law of the LORD is sweeter than all that we know as sweet. The law of the LORD provides not only correction, but it also gives protection.
The law of the LORD brings an uncommon wisdom, that which is beyond natural years. The law of the LORD shows you how to live, how to avoid evil, and how to overcome your enemies.

When you consider all that it is, you can understand why the Bible declares that delighting in the law of the LORD is something in which the blessed man engages? Are you living life “in de Light” of God’s Word?

Peace-A Weapon Against Satan

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me." - Psalm 23:4a KJV

In the battles of the workplace, your peace is actually a weapon. The workplace creates many opportunities to rob us of our peace. Cash flow concerns, deadlines, relationships - all create stress on us. Your confidence in the God of peace declares that you are not falling for the lies of the devil. You see the first step toward having spiritual authority over the adversary is having peace in spite of our circumstances. When Jesus confronted the devil, he did not confront Satan with His emotions or in fear. Knowing that the devil was a liar, He simply refused to be influenced by any voice other than God's. His peace overwhelmed Satan; His authority then shattered the lie, which sent demons fleeing.

There is a place of walking with God where you simply fear no evil. David faced a lion, a bear, and a giant. In this Psalm he stood in the "shadow of death" itself, yet he "feared no evil." David's trust was in the Lord. He said, "...for Thou art with me." Because God is with you, every adversity you face will unfold in victory as you maintain your faith in God! David continued, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" (Ps. 23:5a). The battle you are in will soon become a meal for you, an experience that will nourish and build you up spiritually. Only God's peace will quell your fleshly reactions in battle. The source of God's peace is God Himself. If fear has been knocking at your door, begin to face that fear with God's peace. It is God's secret weapon to destroy fear.

One-Day Thinking

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34, NIV).

For the next six months I’m going to ___________.

For the next quarter I promise to ____________________.

This year I commit myself to _______________.
 

Tell me, does this sound familiar? John Maxwell has an inspiring card that he reads each day called, “Just for Today.” It is quite moving and it expresses tremendous goals, but each goal is prefaced by, “Just for today.”

Brilliant. I call it “one-day thinking,” and it is after all, scriptural!

“One day at a time…” is what we sing in the old hymn, but we try to live two months at a time. We worry, we fret, and we sicken ourselves over something that that might happen tomorrow.

To that I offer this response: Plan for tomorrow but live in today. Look at your goal today, be your best today, and keep your promises today. (When tomorrow becomes today—then REPEAT!)

One day thinking offers a simplified life achieving complicated goals. (We don’t have to ask, “What would Jesus do?” We already know that “one-day thinking” is what He told us to do!)

 

Lonely Days

I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.  John 15:15-The Message

Lonely days are no fun. We all have them. Whether married, single, or divorced, you will have some lonely days. But it seems that some people have more lonely days than others. It seems that those with higher callings on their lives are usually people that struggle with loneliness. It's almost like God sets you apart or calls you out of unfruitful past friendships and relationships, and then keeps you alone to himself for a short period to work things out of you. Many of us were so dependent on a man or woman in our lives that we totally ignored God and couldn't connect with him like we needed to for our callings sake. So what did God do? Take everyone away from us for a season, so we can be with him alone. But where does the loneliness come from?

Loneliness usually comes when you have developed a need for others. I know many will agree with this, because when you have spent your life living for others, depending on people to validate you, chasing friends and friendships, always needing people around to make you feel wanted or needed, then when you are suddenly alone, you feel very lonely. But if you suffer with any of these issues, loneliness is what you need! Not forever, but at least for a season. You see, Jesus wants to be that friend you are searching for. Don't you know that God put a need for himself in your life? Your purpose lies in him, so you must know him to know YOU! Your reason for being lies in him, so you must know him to know why you are you! And when you spend your life chasing friends or using people to find yourself, all you end up doing is having a bunch of one sided relationships, or failed relationships because you are searching for answers in the wrong places. And loneliness becomes a plague to you even though being alone can be an asset. Jesus said in the Word that he is your friend and he will not leave you comfortless. Read John chapter 14 and 15 and you will see that his concern is you. He wants you to be his friend and find yourself in him! So the next time you are feeling lonely or all alone, rejoice because he is working the false friendships and relationships out of you and working on his relationship with you.

Suggested Reading - John 14, 15, 16

Forgiveness Ensures Freedom

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God
and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." - Hebrews
12:15

In business and life the opportunity to harbor bitterness for a wrong
suffered is great. We are given plenty of opportunities to grow bitter from
relationships that bring hurt and pain. The writer of the Hebrews passage above
admonishes us not to miss the grace of God so that we won't take up bitterness
as a response to life's pain. He cautions us against this because he knows that
a bitter root grows and grows until it eventually defiles many others through a
wake of bitterness. If bitterness is allowed to take root, we become imprisoned
to it. God's grace will no longer have as great an effect in our lives. We
become ineffective, insensitive, and spiritually dead. We can even become
physically ill from it. God does not live in bitterness. He lives in grace. He
has provided grace for every person to walk in.

One day I was challenged to
deal with an individual who hurt me terribly. I was faced with a decision. Would
I choose bitterness, or would I choose grace? Oh, how my natural tendency was to
choose bitterness. But God provided the courage to choose grace. With that grace
came freedom - a freedom to love and even accept the person who was the source
of such pain.

This is the real place where Christ's power is most revealed.
We cannot live without His supernatural grace. Are you in need of grace today?
It is there for the receiving. It will take courage to accept it and walk in it.
This will be your step to freedom

Weapons of Warfare

"Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning
hooks into spears." - Joel 3:10a

In this third chapter of Joel, we hear the prophet
describe a time yet to come. It will be a time of great harvest on the earth,
and this verse describes the catalyst. A plowshare is an agricultural
instrument used to till the soil. At this point in history, it was a tool that
spoke of one's vocation. However, the prophet was speaking of a time yet to
come. The prophet described the plowshare as an instrument that will be turned
into a sword. The sword is often used in the Bible to describe God's Word.

The only way a plowshare can be turned into a sword is
for it to go through extreme heat, and then the blacksmith must beat that
plowshare into shape. Heat and punishment of the metal turns that plowshare
into an instrument of battle. God must do this in each of our lives in order
for us to be useable as a worthy sword. We are all in a battle - a spiritual
battle. Paul describes our battle as one against the principalities of the
unseen world. I believe God is going to rise up many in the workplace to use
their plowshare as a weapon of righteousness in these last days. That weapon
won't be used for destruction, but as a weapon of love. That weapon of love will
yield a great harvest in our lifetime. But this is only part of the story.

God is also going to turn our pruning hooks into spears.
A pruning hook is used in two ways. First, it is used to prune a tree for
greater growth and productivity. It is also used to cut the fruit from taller
trees in which one cannot reach the fruit. This fruit from our vocation is
going to be cast forth like a spear, but even more as seed planted to bring the
harvest of which Joel speaks. Fruit from our work life is often the financial
rewards generated. God wants to use our finances and everything else for His
purposes. We must use our vocations and the fruit that comes from them as seed
to bring the great harvest that God is planning.

How are you using your plowshare and your
pruning hook for God's glory today? Ask God to show you how He wants to use
your skills, resources, and relationships to prepare for the great harvest He
has planned

When Satan Attacks Your Destiny

"When the Philistines heard that David had been crowned king of Israel, they tried to capture him; but David was told that they were coming and went into the stronghold. The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim. Then David asked the Lord, 'Shall I go out and fight against them? Will you defeat them for me?'" (2 Sam 5:17-19).

When you are about to enter your destiny, there is always opposition from Satan designed to prevent you from fulfilling your destiny.

When Jesus was born, Herod tried to kill him. When Jesus was baptized and fasted 40 days, Satan came to tempt Him in an effort to derail his destiny. When David had been anointed king over Israel, God's destiny had been revealed for all to see-even Satan. So, Satan raised up the Philistines to try and kill David's destiny.

However, in response, we see David do two things. First, he retreats to his stronghold. It is a place of protection. It is a quiet place. Second, he inquires of God. It is here that he inquires of God for the strategy to defeat his enemy. God reveals it to him and he goes on to defeat the Philistines. In fact, David NEVER lost a battle because he learned to inquire of God for the strategy to defeat his enemies.

Do you know God's intended destiny for your life? Beware of Satan's strategy to attack you in the place of your destiny. His desire is to take you off this divine path.

We must follow David's example in response to the enemy of our souls. We must retreat to our stronghold, seek the Lord, and listen for His answer. Then, we will fulfill the purpose for which God created us.

No More Excuses

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Heb. 11:6

2015 cannot be a year of excuses. Spiritual slackness is the enemy of spiritual growth! You will not mature in the things of God nor will you receive your blessing being slack concerning your walk with him. God does not reveal himself to those that are slack and he does not reward those that are sometimey! You must commit to seeking him and following him in order to receive from him. You got 2 choices. Either do it yourself, or diligently seek him. There is no middle ground to stand on. When you choose to be slack and lazy, you chose to do it yourself. God wants those that can represent him well so he can show the world what he is capable of. Why would he want to show the world a bad representation of himself? If you are always talking about what you are going to do, but never do it, then you are slack. And why would God want to show you as a representation when the world will say, "I'm doing better than that without him!"

God wants people that will hear his voice, and then follow his command! He wants Christians that are faith walkers and not jive talkers. He does not need anyone with a "I’m going to" mentality, but he needs those with a "I'm willing" mentality! God has already given you the instructions, so now it's time to move. It's time to step out on faith and accept what God is expecting from you. The world does not respect lazy, slack people, so why do you think God is pleased with that? Some of us have been struggling with the same brokenness, in the same place, dealing with the same issues for too long. God wants us to pray, and get up! Take up your bed and walk! Don't just sit there, MOVE! Everyone is tired of hearing you say what you are going to do over and over again. 2015 must be a year of no more excuses! You don't have the money to start it? Who did? You don't have the time to start it? Who does? You don't have the courage to begin? Get some! Get over your hurt, your past, your slackness, and the spirit of hindrance and move forward! God is waiting for someone to advance the Kingdom of God with diligence and fervor. It is time to tarry no more!

Suggested Reading: James 1:25, Prov. 20:13, Heb. 6:11, James 2:26

- Pastor D. Michael Lilavois

   Mt. Olive Church Of God In Christ

   403 E. Lee St.   Tucson, Arizona  85705

   520-884-7929

   WWW.mtolivechurch.org

Empty Mangers

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox
comes an abundant harvest. - Proverbs 14:4

When Jesus came into this world, He chose to be born in a most unusual place-a
manger. It was no more than a livery stable with goats, oxen, and other
livestock animals. There is a distinctive characteristic about a place like
this. It is filled with odors and dung from the animals. God seems to work best
among the unpleasantness of circumstances. In fact, "where there are no oxen,
the manger is empty." What is this really saying? I believe it is saying that in
order for Jesus to be present, we must invite those things that bring with them
"messes to clean up." God works among the messy things in our lives. And from
these messes come an abundant harvest. This is what He did with all His highly
used servants in the Bible. God is filled with paradoxes. Why can't life be
seamless and smooth? Because God likes to show Himself in the midst of the
messes of life, this is what brings us into the harvests. So often the bigger
the mess, the bigger the harvest.

When a major road-construction project takes place in a crowded city street, it
appears to be absolute chaos. It is inconvenient, slow-moving and tends to get
us irritated because it appears we are moving much slower than we would like. It
is ugly, and so much of what we see is torn up. But when we look at that same
area a few months or years later, we see why the construction was necessary.
There was meaning to the mess. It actually made life so much better for those
who would use the road.
It has been through the messiest of times in my business and personal life that
God has revealed His power and strength in my life. It was when these "oxen" of
hardship have walked into my manger that the greatest harvest was manifest.
However, when I have sought to remove the "oxen" and rid myself of the odor and
the mess, I have fought the ultimate work of God.  God works in mangers.