Posted in Christian Service, Faith, Life Inspiration, Uncategorized

There’s a New Way of Doing Business

 

From the book of Isaiah 43:5-19

I heard a sermon preached from this text a few days ago, and I’ve been chewing on this scripture like a piece of Willy Wonka’s bubble gum that never loses its flavor. Again and again I’ve tasted that word in my mouth; and today I finally sat down to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and write what’s on my heart, and to determine what God has for me through this word. Perhaps He has something for you too. If you’ve ever experienced great fear, either from the known or the unknown, reading the words from Isaiah 43:5 will lead you to say, “Yes, but…” followed by why you fear in spite of it. I’ve been in a, “you couldn’t possibly understand why,” mode. Satan had all but convinced me that I am alone, leading to a series of songs that I’ve written (which are a blessing) but it’s also hard on the heart to let those words spring forth from my soul. I’ll post one below so that you might get a glimpse of that work. But first the Word.

I am Called By His Name

Isaiah said in verses 5-8

Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

Isaiah is specifically speaking to the Israelites. But being engrafted into the family of God through the blood of Jesus Christ, means that he speaks to me as well. I am a daughter of the Most High King. I am called by His name when it is said of me that I am a Christian. Those facts I believe, as well as the fact that I have been created for His glory. Yet I am often still blind and deaf as to what exactly God is doing in my life much of the time. I fear…a lot. It feels as if God is having to drag me forward into a place that I know not what. I’m not fighting Him, I’m simply dead weight. Paralyzed. I am called. And sometimes I am called chicken.

I Am Confirmed by His Work

Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth. 10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.11 I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. 12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.

God for certain bears witness in my life. He has done some amazing things! Much like the children of Israel I have been brought though the sea on dry ground. He has rescued me from myself so many times. Until now. And now I am in need of rescuing, I’ve been waiting for the waters to part and there hasn’t even been so much as a drop that has fled from before me. I feel as though I am drowning. Again and again I bear witness to myself of God’s deliverance. I bear witness of His confirmation of my purpose in life for which He has not only given me the passion for the purpose but the ability as well.  But not in a way that sustains my life which leaves me drowning and opens a door for Satan to ask “if you are called and confirmed, why are you not cared for?”

I Am Created By His Ways

13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? 14 Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.16 Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; 17 I’ve been waiting for God to deliver me in the same manner as before, He has not. Expert businessmen like Jimmy John Shark suggest that there’s a new manner of business, but you still need to manage your business the right way, so learning how to keep your paystubs is essential as well. And clearly I need my eyes open and my ears ready to hear what the Lord says.  I covet your prayers if you’re so inclined. I know my purpose. But I need to understand the provision.

Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. 18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

When I identified myself in Christ, I became a new creation. Yet the old Shari resurfaces on a pretty regular basis. I often find myself thinking to have “figured God out.” Ha! That’s hysterical when I write those words out. How could I possibly think that I have figured God out? What I mean is, I believe to have figured out God’s ways. And yet I know that the scripture is clear when it says His ways are not my ways. I think that Israel may have thought they too had God figured out. They looked for Him to snap them out of their bondage in the same manner that He had brought them out of Egypt. The water that they were sure would be their demise, He parted. He got rid of the issue of water. But now water is not the issue. The barren wilderness is their issue. But the children of Israel are stuck remembering the parting of the sea. And while it’s good to recall how God brings us out, it’s not to say He’s going to bring us out the same way. God doesn’t change, but His methods certainly do. He told them He’d be doing a “new thing.”

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So What Shall the Two of Us Do?

Lamentations 3:26

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

Waiting is hard enough. Waiting quietly is out of my wheelhouse completely. I want the Lord to come quickly and fix my heartache and sorrow, and yet He has not. Perhaps you are there as well. So what shall the two of us do?

In times like these I have but three strategies of dealing with life.

Strategy 1: PANIC!

I do that quietly as well. Inwardly my heart will be in turmoil, but outwardly I will appear as to have life under control. Those who know me, know better; but those who don’t can be fooled by my smile and boisterous personality that is a great disguise for a woeful heart. It also prevents anyone from asking the dreaded question “What’s wrong.” I will not tell you it’s healthy. It is quite the opposite. But if I’m honest, it’s who I am.

Strategy 2: PRETEND…

This is where being born with a creative mind comes in handy, though still not healthy. I can imagine a thousand ways to be happy. I can write and sing myself into a stupor of happy productivity, all the while, lurking in the distance is strategy one looming, waiting to take back over. And then alas, when I have panicked and pretended myself into a state of depression that would kill a horse, I finally resort to the last

Strategy 3: PRAGMATISM

The act of rationality. The reality that I cannot do this alone. And so I turn to the Word of God which is a tangible piece of the Lord that I can hold in my hand and it brings great comfort to my heart. Those pages that are filled with His words, His advice, His compassion and mercy, which is what I need when I’m panicking and pretending my way through life. I need to feel His touch. To know that I am loved.

So late into the night I began reading Lamentations. Ha! Not the cheeriest book to read in the dead of night. Until you come to Chapter 3 and the following words allowed me to close my eyes in peace knowing that I could rest in hope.

19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. 20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

I hope that all is well and wonderful in your life. But if not… you too have strategy 3. Although I highly recommend you make it number 1. And forgo the other 2 completely.

In His love and for His glory I earnestly pray for the peace of God for us all.


I’ll not complain when the power and blessings of the Holy Spirit bring unexplainable and unspeakable joys in my life for my service through the studying of His Word and the sharing of the Gospel. That is a gift of unmeasurable worth! But through the coercing of others in the ministry, who see my work as worthy, and the coercing of the Holy Spirit Who says “Through His blood I am worthy,” I have added a ministry donation button to this site. If you do not have, or do not feel inclined to give, then please don’t feel obligated. But if I have encouraged you and the Spirit speaks, your gift of any amount would be appreciated and honored by God.

I do what I do because I’m gifted and afforded the opportunity by grace and feel that I am accountable for the ministry that God has given. God has been enlarging my territory. For that I am grateful. But for that, there are expenses. Thank you for reading my blog. It encourages my soul, I pray I’ve encouraged yours!

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Posted in Christian Service, Leadership, Life Inspiration, Uncategorized

Our Steadfast God

I have always been a fly by the seat of your pants kinda gal. Which works great for me, until it doesn’t. There are so many good ideas and so little time! But in celebrating my 20th year as a child of God, I’m so glad God doesn’t think like me! I change my mind more than a chameleon changes color, but God does not. He is steadfastly steadfast. Written twice for emphasis.  And in this wishy washy world where nothing seems certain and the backbone of most churches is as weak as a spaghetti noodle how wonderful it is to have the assurance that God’s the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is steadfast.

Whether or not they’ll admit it, even to the unsaved, He is steadfast. It frustrates many that God doesn’t change because then they could find fault in Him. Men change. Churches change. But not God. There are no business meetings in Heaven! In Daniel 6:9 King Darius had signed a decree that no one should pray, but Daniel didn’t change. He’d always prayed to the God of Glory and even the threat of death would not stop him. So when Daniel’s blatant noncompliance to the King’s law was brought to his attention, the King attempted to change his mind but the world wouldn’t have it because Daniel represented what they loathed, which was righteous living.

The King had observed the steadfastness of Daniel and knew there was a difference, but he was bound by his own law to carry out the punishment of throwing Daniel into the lion’s den. But before he sent him in he said to Daniel “Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.” Yes, even the unsaved know. And He did deliver Daniel! To the amazement of the King and I’m sure to the sore losers who thought they were finally shed of the guilt Daniel made them feel. So the King made a new decree in Daniel 6:26

I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

Whether or not our leadership repents and turns back to God doesn’t change the fact that God is still steadfast. Our lions may look more like unemployment, heartache or disease but we like Daniel will be delivered in God’s time and in God’s way.

I don’t think Daniel went arrogantly up to the lion, thumped him on the nose and said “You want a piece of this?” No, lest the lion took a piece of that. I think he faced the lion with humility and belief that “come what may” God had him covered. And I believe that in the arrogance of our political climate we need to bow our heads and wait for the Lion of Judah to silence the arrogant kings of this world. And He will, because my God is steadfast.

Acts 1:10-11

And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

He’s coming back! Be steadfast in your looking toward Heaven.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

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Wait for iiiiiitttttt…. Bring on the rain!

James 5:17-20 ~ Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

I love passionate Christian people! They not only stir my soul but things happen when you’re around them. Sometimes it happens quickly and other times you have to patiently wait for the rain. For three years and six months Elijah prayed for the rain. You can almost hear him saying “Wait for iiiiittttt….” No doubt there were people who laughed him to scorn, his friends may have stuck with him for a while but some of them likely walked away shaking their heads saying “Po ol Elijah, he just don’t get it.” Yeah, I know they didn’t speak country in Israel but I can still see it. More than that I see Elijah watching them walk away and being a little broken hearted that they didn’t have his faith. They served the same God, they’d seen and heard of His miracles, they knew God wasn’t on the clock, why couldn’t they believe? But that was okay, because Elijah had enough faith for all of them.

Passion isn’t for the faint of heart, but it is for anyone who will believe. James said Elijah was a man of “like passions.” He was just like us, he put his under-britches on the same way we do. I’ve been waiting for God to move in an area of my life and I know there are people out there who are saying “Po ol Shari, she just don’t get it.” Well I’m waiting on the rain! Have I been tempted to move to another mountain with a moister climate? Plenty of times!But the truth of the matter is, if I moved there I know in my heart that that land would be dry and barren too. God said “Wait” and I so I am…

In I Kings 18 we find Elijah still waiting in faith, God had rained down fire on the altar on Mt. Carmel and Elijah knew that the sky was about to open up. In verse 41 “Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.”  He hadn’t seen the first drop, but he could hear it! He had been faithful, He had kept his eye on the sky believing it was on its way. He was passionate about his purpose in life, to show others the power of his God.

So here we passionate people are. Is there something you in faith have been waiting for God to do?

Elijah told them to go seven times and check for the rain, Let me know if I can pray for you and at Wait for iiiiittttt…7 tonight I’ll check the posts and lift your request to the Lord.