Dear Forgotten One

You are not forgotten.

It may seem like it. Only you know how long you’ve been where you are, stuck and on repeat.

It’s easy to think nothing in your corner is moving when those outside of it speed through milestones that you haven’t reached yet, that you’re not even sure will happen in your lifetime. (Maybe in another one or maybe if you had unlimited time, but definitely not within this current timeframe.)

As time whiplashes you, I want to remind you that you are not forgotten. When eyes overlook you, rendering you invisible, remember that you are seen.

When the phone doesn’t ring, and opportunity hits up everyone else and their mamas, you still matter. You are important. No matter what is happening (or not), the world would be a different place without you. 

You matter.

And your feelings matter as well, but there is a greater reality beyond what you are experiencing: God sees you, and He knows you. He knows the good plans that He has for you, and those plans, full of hope, will unfold in His timing: His good and perfect timing.

But His clock works a bit differently than ours. He lives outside the construct of time; He lives in eternity. So when you’re waiting for Him sometimes it feels as though God comes through just around the midnight hour. He slides in right before you lose that last flimsy thread of hope, yet... yet you’ll always realize He’s never late: God is always right on time.

Never early, but He won’t leave you hanging.

I know what you’re thinking: where is He though?

Well, I don’t think you need to worry about where God is. It’s not something that needs to be questioned. His location has never changed. Everything around you may fluctuate, yet the truth remains that God is with you, forever. He is working on your behalf, forever.

He will leave you never.

Don’t believe me?

In Numbers 22, while the Israelites rested from battle, a neighboring nation, Moab, has been filled with dread because the Israelites overtook the surrounding land. Balak, a Moabite, summons Balaam, a person who was able to curse and bless people, and he wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites so that he may destroy them before they overtook his home.

And God opposed Balaam every step of the way. From the moment Balaam received the Moabite’s message, God told him not to curse what He has blessed. God even used a talking donkey to deter that man from going against His chosen people.

A talking donkey!

But Balaam didn’t listen and kept it moving right to the point where he stood on the mountaintop with Balak, overlooking the Israelites who “cover[ed] the face of the earth.”

And after setting up the scene with his seven burnt offerings, the Moabite expectantly looked to Balaam. Surely, the oracle will curse the opposing nation.

He didn’t. Three times Balaam approached God, expecting a different answer, and he returned each time to say the same thing, “Bless the Israelites.” And on top of that, Balaam cursed the Moabites and everyone else who wanted to see the Israelites destroyed.

To say the least, Balak was pissed off. He offered many riches to the diviner, yet nothing changed. And the Israelites were none the wiser.

They were chilling in the valley, not knowing what was going on overhead. They were covered; they were protected. A weapon was formed, but it did not prosper because God was with them.

It may seem like nothing is happening in your world, but you have no clue what God is doing behind the scenes. In the stillness, in the quiet, God is working for your good. Even in the moments when frustration and desperation have a chokehold on you, your answer is on the way.

In Daniel 10, a vision devastated Daniel, and he didn't eat or drink anything fancy for three weeks. He didn't even lotion himself; he stayed ashy for nearly a month. And while he mourned about the vision's content, no answer came forth.

Radio silence until the 24th day (three days after he used moisturizer-- and yes that matters, I am sure of it). An angel came with an answer, but also an explanation: The Persian kingdom held him up. He would have shown up the moment that Daniel sought God's face, however, it was out of his control. Persia had to be handled. Daniel was not forgotten- the answer was in transit.

Don’t give in to the lie that you are forgotten, that you are unseen, that you don’t matter. The moment you turned your heart towards God, the moment you called out His name, He came running towards you. It may seem that He is slow in answering, but you can trust that the breakthrough, the opportunity is coming.

Besides how could He forget you when He gave up everything to be with you? When He etched you on the palm of His hands?

To Him, you are unforgettable.

Don’t forget that.

Perfect Conditions: Dried Up, Empty, Formless

One thing that I love about God is His power of resurrection, His power of creation.

In the beginning, He hovered over the unformed earth, undeterred by the chaos and darkness. In Ezekiel, He stood in a graveyard, unbothered by the dead and the decay.

God doesn’t stand far from what drives us crazy: the half-baked plans, the discarded dreams, the uncertainty, the unknown. He draws in close to the things we want to hide. God loves the mystery, the insecurities, the doubts because He knows the answer to all of these, including the fear.

He is the solution. God is the answer; it’s as simple as that.

It was never up to us alone to do what He has called us to do. The earth didn’t create light and divide night from day on its own, and neither did the Israelites revive themselves and shake off their grave clothes.

God did that.

Not once has He asked of anyone or anything to do something beyond their pay grade.

All He has asked was for us to believe Him to do what He said.

The new fledging planet could do nothing but receive His word, “Let there by light.” The cemetery had no clue that among the gravestones stood Life Himself, ready with the command that would invite living breath back into those dried bones.

In darkness, light shone through. In death, life came to reign. It didn’t make sense.

It still doesn’t have to make sense; if God’s promise did, then we wouldn’t need Him. We would just go ahead and accomplish it ourselves.

But what is hope if it’s something that we could see, if it’s something that we already have?

It is not hope, and it requires no faith. God is not in the business of building up a hopeless and faithless generation.

He’s never asked of us to do anything on our own. We have never had a desire, an expectation, a goal where He stood back to watch us struggle in our strength to completion.

He comes close to help, to set up His strength within our weaknesses.

Where are your dried bones?
God will raise them up again.
Where is your darkness?
God will light it up.
Where is your emptiness?
God will cause you to overflow in those places.

Where are you? Where are you with the resolutions of this year? Where are you in relation to your five year plan?

Wherever you may find yourself as we approach the seventh month of this year, know that God wants to pick up where you left off.

God wants to be the one to bring His word that resides in you to completion.

He can certainly do it. It doesn't matter how long your dream has been dormant. God is the God of resurrection.

It doesn't matter how fragile and shapeless your desire is. God is the God of creation.

All you have to do is believe. Trust Him and His Word.

He is both willing and able.

Mini Bites 40.0

And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him. I myself did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

John 1:32-34

I have issues with God: trust issues. I want to see the whole picture for my life. Just knowing a corner of the frame is not enough for me. 

But that's how life with Him goes: no matter how many times I've begged Him for my life manual, the unabridged version not some pamphlet, God continues to shine just one part of the canvas, asking me to step into the current spotlight.

And I fight and I struggle because that small illumination does not quell my fears of getting it wrong, of failure, of missing Him. If I see one part, who's to say that in this part I would not make decisions that could mess up the rest of the painting? I need to see everything to make sure that no mistakes are made.

But with those fears, I forget that if I do get it wrong, if I fail then God will make it good and if I miss Him, then He will find me. I need to trust He is more than enough in those places where I lack.

God is not playing hide-and-seek. He's not hard to find. He wants to be in relationship with us. He wants to lead us and once we understand that, we can fearlessly go where He calls us, trusting He'll share the rest of the details when needed.

In John 1, John the Baptist is baptizing people in the Jordan River. He's making way for the Messiah but as the verses above illustrate John has no clue as to who it is.

But that doesn't deter John. John was committed to what God called him to do. He doesn't abandon his post when, after baptizing countless people (who came to the river to hear his message of repentance), it turned out that the Messiah wasn't among them. 

It didn't matter how long he had to stay in the water or how many people he saw: if this is where God wanted him, John knew it was for good reason.

And it was, because one day Jesus finally showed up. Although, John didn't know who He was, God clued him in when it was time. Jesus didn't have to introduce Himself, God did. John didn't have to guess, God pointed Him out.

We can learn a lot from this moment:

1. Be committed to where God has you. It is not a waste of time, it is not a detour. It is a divine appointment where God is going to reveal something to you.
2. Be committed to what God wants you to do in this moment of your life. John knew his purpose was to bring people to repentance so that the Messiah might be revealed. He didn't waste his time trying to unveil who the Savior was. John stayed in his lane of preparing the people to behold the Lamb of God.
• What you are doing is important. If John got it inside his head to go find the Messiah then those people would have never been ready for Jesus' coming. Don't discount what God has you doing. It's important.
3. Allow God to do the revealing. He will do it at the right time in the right way. He has all the pieces, He knows how everything works together. Rest in God, knowing that He knows what's best.

When you're on mission for God with three pieces of the puzzle, it can be frustrating because it seems that you don't have enough. But you do and when you've exhausted the three in your hand, He'll give you the other set of three when the time is right.

You don't have to relocate, you don't have to change lanes or do something different.

Where you are and what you are doing has purpose. And when it's time for the next thing, God will tell you. You can trust in that truth.

Jesus Comes Through

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then He told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so...

John 2:6-8

The wine was finished and Mary brought it to Jesus' attention.

She turned to the servants and said, "Do as He says."

Then it got weird. Jesus instructed them to fill the ceremonial washing jars, which were probably used to wash multiple hands that day, with water and serve it to the master of the banquet.

He didn't pray over the jars. He didn't wave His hands over them.

The servants did everything: they handled the jars, they drew up the water from the well and now they were about to serve the host of the wedding with a cup from their work.

The only thing they had of Jesus was His word.

If I was one of those servants, I would be afraid. Although, I acted on Jesus' word, I can only do so much and one of the things I am sure about is that water from me will remain as such. Don't expect wine drawn from my cup.

I would feel confident if Jesus worked alongside me. Actually I would be confident if I was Jesus' helper as He did all the work. But acting on His word solo... yup, I would be terrified. My hand would shake as I hand over the cup and you would never find me praying harder than in that moment for Jesus to come through.

And He does. On His word, the water turned into wine and it leaves me wondering when did it happen?

Did it happen as the servants drew from the well? Did it happen when all the jars were filled to the brim? Did it happen when the cup touched the host's lips?

When did the miracle happen?

I'm not sure the moment could ever be pinpointed. You say a prayer, you stand by your convictions, you move by faith but it isn't until much later that you realize a change occurred and even with hindsight, the moment cannot be known definitively.

But one thing I do know is that nothing would have happened if a choice wasn't made by the servants to do as Jesus said.

The surest way to not see Jesus work a miracle in your life is to do nothing.

And the most definitive way to do nothing is to get caught up on what He asks you to do.

In these verses, Jesus took something unusual- ceremonial jars- and filled it with a common thing- water- to bring forth a miracle: wine.

Reality has taught us that jars + water = jars full of water. And we get into arguments with God because what He's asking us to do has not been done before, like why can't we go to the liquor store to get more wine? Shoot, wine coolers will be much better than jars full of water.

But they did it. And in their obedience, it happened.

We need to let go of our plans so that His can fall in place.

There's no timeline for God's word. Once it leaves His lips, the word is stationed where He placed it, ready to do as He said. Then when you make the decision, regardless of how ridiculous it may look, to follow Him, the word unfolds with each step you take.

You don't have to worry about making a fool of yourself. Before you know it, it's already done.

Mini Bites 38.0

I remember when I first read this verse. I was at risk of losing my scholarship and my friend sent me this verse to encourage me. It quickly became a staple part of scripture that I would recite whenever I was fearful, whenever I needed assurance that God was and always will be on my side.

So tonight, it pops up as one of the verses for the Hope devotional offered by the YouVersion Bible app.  And I've probably seen the heading of chapter 29 a thousand times but it hits me this thousand and one time.

The heading is A Letter to the Exiles and I got excited.

Context means everything especially in the bible. Although its truth lasts forever and can have an impact in the here and now, there was a reason why it was written in the first place.

When Jeremiah wrote this letter, it was addressed to the Israelites who were carried off into exile. The Israelites have this long history of turning away from God and following useless idols and turning back to God when they realize their mistakes. But this one time, God allowed the nation of Israel to scatter from its promise land and some were sent to Babylon.

The exiles thought life was over. Many thought they would never see their homeland again and that they were cast off from God forever. They probably thought that this was the last straw, that God wanted nothing to do with them.

But that's never the case with God. Jeremiah's letter was to remind the exiles that God didn't turn away from them, that God did not rinse His hands of them.

And that's what I want to remind you as well.

You can never be too far off for God. You may have gotten so off track that you can't tell what's up and down anymore. You may think that what you did is so unredeemable that God can't save you, let alone restore you. You may think you're finished but you're not.

God is not finished with you yet. You have to understand that you were born with a purpose, His word over your life. And God takes His word very seriously. When He speaks it, He expects it to happen. And that expectancy doesn't change when your life has been derailed by mistakes, by pain, by disappointments. He doesn't change His mind about you. He doesn't change His purpose for your life when bad things happen. He is as sure of you now as He was when you were first a thought in His mind.

God has a plan and it's the same one He had at the beginning of time.

It doesn't matter how long it's been, or where you are, God still wants to accomplish His personal word for your life.

He knew where you would be right now and He still put that plan into motion.

Don't write yourself off when God hasn't.

Bible Study: God's Word

It was a good day. My tummy was satisfied after a visit to Chilis. I sat in my parked car and decided to open up to the page above.

Then I started sobbing.

I did something different. I read those Scriptures personally. I inserted myself inside those words and read them out loud to God. And the floodgates opened.

It's been said to remind God the promises He made to you. Well, I just want to warn you of what might happen when you do: Snot will cover your face as you realize that you don't believe these words.

Or at least for me.

Is it just me?

Don't get me wrong. In my case,  I believe them for everyone else. My friends can tell you that I am quick to encourage them with God's word with conviction. But for some reason, the book that I've been studying, I haven't been living.

The words I've been reading, I haven't been holding as my own. Because they sound too good to be true to be true for me. I felt as if I was the exception.

As if it would work for everyone else but me.

So reading them out loud to God, it hit me, the words hit me and He asked me to believe in what I'm saying. To believe in what He's saying. To believe for myself.

And I'm asking you to believe for yourself as well. It's not enough to believe for other people. These promises are for you. This is personal. God is a personal God. He wants to have a relationship with you and in order to do that, you have to believe in what He says. You have to hold on to these promises in the bible even when they don't make sense in your circumstances. You have to hold on to these promises as truth.

And God's not asking you to believe Him without proof. That's why the bible is here: to remind us of His faithfulness, to encourage us in those difficult times.

In John 1:1, it says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God."

God = His Word

His word represents His character i.e. love, joy, peace, justice, mercy, patience, faithfulness. Just to name a few.

But it doesn't end there: because God stands forever, so does His word.

It doesn't matter how long it's been since you've received that promise from God it will happen because just as God is faithful so is His word.

Heaven and earth have to pass away before His word does (Matthew 24:35). His word has a longevity that surpasses this universe's expiration date.

What He spoke (and what He speaks) over your life weren't something made on a whim. They were intentional, He knew what He was saying. His promises were always in mind when He created you and they've been waiting for this moment. They've been waiting for you. And they aren't going to bypass you.

His eye is always on you. He remembers what He's said to you. He hasn't forgotten about you. His word is already set before you, waiting for you.

Don't give up waiting for it. It's coming.

Jesus, It's A Trap!

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Him.

John 8:3-6

These teachers and Pharisees were out for blood. They didn't really care about upholding the law, if so they would have dragged the man to Jesus as well. No, they wanted to use the woman's sin as a bait to catch Jesus in a lie.

They couldn't accept who Jesus said He was because He was nothing like what they expected Him to be. The Savior, the Messiah who hung out with sinners and who wanted nothing to do with their self-righteousness. This was not what the teachers and Pharisees signed up for so they wanted to oust Him for the liar they believed Him to be.

So they took advantage of this woman's sin. If Jesus told them not to stone her, then that would be against God's law. But if Jesus allowed them to kill her, then His testimony of grace was false. This was a situation where they knew whichever way He answered, He would lose.

Little did they know that their questions revealed more about themselves, their lack of faith, their doubts about Jesus. (And their evil intent)

Listening to the pastor preach on these verses last night, it hit me that I was like the Pharisees and teachers.

I'm not sold on who He says He is.

I approach every situation just waiting for Jesus to fail me.

I wait with baited breath for Him to prove Himself wrong because His promises sound too good to be true.

I'm at the edge of the shore, not willing to step in because I'm afraid to drown if I follow Him into the waves.

So I watch Him, waiting, trying to find His limit, to see where He can't be who He claims to be, to search for the places where I can't trust Him.

But that's not what I'm called to do. That's not the life God called us to have.

When you spend your time toeing and skirting around to find His limit, you get stuck living a cautious life instead of the abundant life He promises because you're bracing yourself against something that doesn't exist.

Jesus is limitless. He has no end. He never fails.

And He's not a liar.

What are you looking for?

What are you waiting for?

God has no issue with your doubts. He's not afraid of them. He does not fault you for your doubts. But when your doubts influence your life more than your faith does, then there's a problem because that's when your doubts keep you away from God.

And He wants you to come close and cast all your cares onto Him. That includes your doubts. Bring them to Him and He'll take care of them. He is willing to show you the truth that would get rid of your doubts if you were honest with Him about them in the first place.

Don't be like the teachers and Pharisees.

There's no need to think that there's always a catch with Jesus, that He has a back door, a loophole to get out of any and every promise He's made to you. Jesus is not trying to dodge or skip out on you.

Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will never pass away" (Matthew 24:35).

You can trust Him even if your circumstances look crazy, His word reigns over your life, always.

Faith in the Waiting

A ruler came and knelt before Jesus and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her and she will live." Jesus got up and went with him... Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the edge of His garment. Jesus turned and saw her.

excerpt: Matthew 9:18-26
cf. Luke 8:40-56 and Mark 5:21-43

It's a small moment, imperceptible to everyone but you.

The moment when you lose hope. The moment when the light behind your eyes dim and the door to your heart closes shut.

A moment you replay in your head until it numbs the rage, the disappointment, the frustration surging through your veins into a cool indifference.

A moment where you were certain that one thing was going to happen but something else interrupted your thing and now you don't think it's going to happen at all.

It's a moment that I am all too familiar with.

It's a sucky moment to experience.

It's one of the reasons why I like isolation. When you're alone, when you don't have to see people get what you have been praying for, it's easier to deal with waiting.

Doubt and comparison don't bog you down. Insecurities don't crop up and strangle your dreams. You can wait without worrying.

But, we're surrounded by people. And we live on multiple timelines of social media. And we have eyes. We can see people get what we have been waiting for and the damning thoughts come up when we see

The girl who gets the boy
She's much prettier than me. Maybe that's why I'm still single.

The airplane tickets to Europe    
That's his third trip this year. I will never be able to save up enough money to travel.

The positive pregnancy test
They just got married and weren't even trying. We've been trying for years.

The new house
She has so much more room. I feel suffocated in my tiny apartment.

The bonus at work
When will I be rewarded for the work I've put in this company? 

The list can go on and on. And as the tally goes up, your expectancy, your hope decreases just so you don't have to experience the heart wrenching let down that's sure to follow when that thing you've been praying for doesn't come through again.

But what if your answer, the key to unlock your prayers, the end goal, just rolled up on the shores one day?

What would you do? Will you go after it, when it's so clearly in view?

What would you do when you see the answered prayer within reach but everyone else and their mamas within a 50 mile radius also see its approach? What would you do when a crowd surrounds the thing you've been waiting for?

That's what happened when Jesus entered any scene. He attracted the multitudes wherever He went. Even when He wanted to be alone with His crew, people just showed up expecting miracles and sermons.

And Jesus delivered: so much so that one time He provided lunch for 5,000+ people from seven loaves and two fish.

When people saw Jesus, they forgot what personal space was and pressed into Him on all sides. They just knew He had something to give and they wanted it.

And sometimes their need would form an impenetrable wall around Jesus. But that fact didn't deter two people who were in desperate need the day Jesus came back to his hometown.

One man, named Jarius, was a synagogue leader, whose daughter was dying. The crowd probably split open for him to fall easily at Jesus' feet to plead for His assistance. After all, who would deny a town leader access to the Savior? Jesus hears his pleas and agrees to come and heal his daughter and on their way to Jarius' house, someone intercepts.

This someone is a woman who has had the issue of blood for twelve years. Back in those days when a woman menstruated, she was considered to be unclean and had to isolate herself for the duration of her period. This woman had to bear that stigma for twelve years nonstop, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. She was shunned from her community and avoided at all cost. Because obviously menstruation is contagious...

(eyes rolling out my head and rolling down the street)

She probably has tried everything twice, three times for good measure, by the time Jesus comes. And she's probably heard the stories of the amazing blessings He's bestowed on people by the time He shows up. So, she comes to the conclusion that she needs what He has: she has to get it.

But the woman couldn't take the Jarius' approach: bold and direct. She didn't have his status at all. (She doesn't even have a name in the Bible!) If people saw her coming, they would sneer and snap at her to stop with the foolish thinking, that the Lord would have nothing to do with the likes of her.

And say that they did part a way as to avoid catching what she was carrying, who's to say that Jesus wouldn't take one look at her and turn His nose up at her? Who's to say that He wouldn't shun her as well, like everyone else has done for the past twelve years? Who's to say that He's nothing like them?

The woman isn't willing to find out. She's waited too long for her miracle and she's not going to forfeit. So using the crowd as a cover, she pushes through to touch the hem of His cloak, because surely the power He carries must seep into everything that touches Him?

Have you ever been that desperate? To think that something inanimate could change your life just because it belongs to the Person who could actually implement the change?

Her desperate thinking works. The instant she touches His hem, the power leaves Him and heals her. She feels the change immediately but the joy bubbling inside her stops short because she's not the only one who notices.

Jesus has felt it too. And He's making a scene about it as well, asking, "Who touched Me?"

Oh Jesus... (eyes roll into another city)

He's in the middle of a mob, random hands touching Him as He passed by. But none of those hands touched Him with the faith that nameless outcast of a woman had: she believed that His hem would heal her. That's amazing faith!

Of course that wouldn't slip His radar.

When the woman realizes she couldn't go unnoticed any longer, she steps forward and Jesus turns to her.

And He doesn't do what she fears. He doesn't do what the people surrounding Him expect.

He turns to her and blesses her. That simple, but profound, act shows something that God wants to remind those who've felt as if they've been disqualified, who've felt unworthy, who've felt as if they have become desperate in their waiting: God is willing.

He has not forgotten about you. He is not far from you. Whatever is happening with you, God sees and God knows and God is so willing to help you. Your waiting on Him is not in vain. He won't turn away from you when you call out His name. He will turn to you willingly.

But what if you're not like the woman with the issue of blood? What if you're like Jarius, who was upfront about his need? Who didn't sneak around because he didn't have anything to be ashamed about? Who was a upstanding citizen, a leader in the town who also desperately needed Jesus' help? And once he got Jesus' attention and was on His way to help out, he got highjacked on the way by someone else?

And what's worst is that by the time Jesus was done with the woman, one of Jarius' servants came to announce that his daughter was dead. There was no need to bother the Master any longer.

Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever been cheated out of your blessing? Have you missed the chance to get your blessing?

You did everything right but something happened and the opportune time, situation, person passed you by.

Well, God also wants to say to those who have felt that way that He is able. Our God is limitless. Our God is the Source. It all starts with Him. Our God has no end. Our God is not bound by time and His power does not yield to death. He wants to remind you that no one can tap Him dry, no one can exhaust Him, He hasn't spent Himself, He is never late. Never!

No one can ever steal your blessing. If it hasn't happened yet, it means that He's still on His way.

Wherever you find yourself today, remember that it is never in vain to wait, to hope and to trust in the Lord. He is willing and able and He is coming. Don't give up no matter how long it has been.

He wants to do it! He will do it! He is able to do it!

And for those who have dreams, hopes and faith buried and long forgotten, just know that Jarius' daughter came back to life once Jesus touched her hand.

It's time to dig up those bones.

As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you...

Do not be afraid... Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard...

excerpts from Daniel 9:23, 10:12

Mini Bites 37.0

Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”

Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’..."

Amos 7:12-15

Amos was stirring up some trouble. He had a word for the Israelites from God and the priest, Amaziah was not having it at all.

Because God's word didn't align with what the Israelites wanted to hear. They didn't want to hear what the Lord had planned if Israel refused to repent and turn back towards the Lord. 

They wanted to remain complacent, they wanted to delve deeper into the world's luxuries and riches. They didn't want to turn away from what pleased their eyes, their flesh so they closed their hearts against God.

Amaziah was in charge of keeping the status quo of his people, rather than raising the people up to God's standards and he asked Amos to leave and stop sharing God's word.

But Amos stood his ground. He wasn't going to be bullied by the priest. And you shouldn't either.

Stop settling for the status quo.

I'm not sure what is discouraging you from doing or sharing the word God gave you.

Maybe someone is trying to kick you out because you are disturbing the peace. Maybe you don't fit the mold or the vision that is normal, familiar to those around you. Maybe they don't understand where you're coming from. Maybe you're weird and no matter what you do, you cannot fit in the place to which God called you. Maybe you were better off where God got you from and maybe you're thinking of going back to that place...

Stop where you are. Don't you dare uproot from where God planted you.

People may try to label you, move you and misplace you but you've got to remember what God spoke over you.

Remember when you were minding your own business, tending to your own grass, occupying the lane you were in, then God interrupted and gave you a different agenda, a different lawn and a different street to take care of...

God did not make a mistake.

GOD DID NOT MAKE A MISTAKE.

He called you to the place you are because He has a word, a purpose inside you that needs to be unleashed there. 

DO NOT MOVE.

Because no one can move you.

Like what Amos experienced, God opened a door for you, gave you an opportunity that no man can alter.

People can huff and puff but no one can keep God's word from moving forward. No one can keep you from moving forward with His plan.

So do it, whatever it is that God gave you to do in this moment.

Don't give up because no one is rolling the red carpet to welcome and accept you.

Their reactions, your circumstances do not and will never null His word.

His word cannot be void. His purpose will be fulfilled.

So be faithful where He placed you.

Be faithful with what He entrusted you.

God did not make a mistake in choosing you to be a light.

He knows what He's doing although people might be looking at you, confused.

Remember He gave you the vision, not them.

Be faithful and walk it out.

Mini Bites 36.0

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Mark 4:35-41

You have to remember that when Jesus says, "We are going to the other side," it is not open for discussion, it's not up for interpretation. When He says "We are going to the other side," He meant that you will see the other side.

Storms may try to drown you, fires may surround and try to suffocate you, you may be thirsty in the desert, but God's report is still the same. It hasn't changed with your circumstances. It didn't bounce back void because people said no to you.

You can hold on, you can trust in God's word. It will come to past. Don't stop believing. God won't put you to shame. He won't embarrass you for waiting in faith for Him. God will do what He said He will do no matter what is happening around you.

Stay expectant. You will see the other side.

Mini Bites 35.0

I have faith. I believe that God can do anything but when it comes to me, I'm not so sure. I can see that God does wonderful things through other people but when it comes to me, I feel as if I'm a clogged pipe. Something within me stops His power from flowing through me. I'm an intricate mess of insecurities and insufficiency but His grace can work through my issues. When God says that nothing can separate Him from us, He included you and me in that exhaustive list. There is nothing in you, there is nothing that you have done or ever will do that will stop God from accomplishing His plan through you. Get that in your spirit. You are not a hindrance to God. You are His crowning glory. You are not His weakness. You are His masterpiece. There will be a few bumps along the way, many mountains and a lot of valleys but through it all He is with you, working in you. Don't forget that. You are not a lost cause. God is not done with you yet.

Mini Bites 34.0

Jesus died for you so that you can be forgiven. He rose from the grave so you can approach God's throne with the confidence that you will be heard and you will be answered. And then, He puts a treasure, a gift, a talent inside of you, a body of clay. So what are you going to do? What is the appropriate response to such a lavish display of His grace? What do you do? You nurture that skill, that ability and use it. That's all you can do. Don't allow your gifts and talents lie dormant under insecurities and comparisons. It doesn't matter how many people can do what you do because no one can do it like you. No one else is you. And if you bury your talent because you're scared, you're not only keeping the world from your gift but you're robbing the world of you. The world needs you and what you have. Don't hide and don't be scared.

Mini Bites 33.0

Our God is an active God. He could have finished with the cross and the resurrection. That would have been more than enough if He would have dipped on us then. But He didn't stop there. He's with you each second of every day, making your paths straight and negating all weapons formed against you. God doesn't leave you to figure it out all on your own. With each sunrise, He is doing something new for you, through you and in you. The cross isn't a shrine of things done; it is a living promise for more to come.

Mini Bites 32.0

When God told Moses to lead His people out of captivity, Moses was quick to decline His offer, asking God why him? And God, in one sentence, both acknowledged and dismissed Moses' insecurities: I will be with you. Isn't that amazing?! He doesn't care what you are facing, what you don't have or who you think you aren't because He will be doing most of the work. All He needs is your willing heart. Are you going to keep being insecure and forget that the One who created the universe is by your side? Or are you going to step out and trust that the One who made you is going to catch you when you fall? Where is your trust: in Him or in your doubts?

Mini Bites 31.0

I'm a little impatient. I just want to get my life going to the good parts. I have dreams I want to live out now but God has other plans. He wants to uproot and mess up errryrhang to make sure that I have a good, solid foundation in Him before He sets me loose with my purpose. But what He does call me to do now is to love those around me. At first I'm like, that's it? But seriously, without love, anything I do will be useless, it wouldn't mean anything if I don't love the people who God brings into my life. If I can't love, then I am nothing. I am not like the God who created me. And that would be the worst thing ever...
1 Corinthians 13:8-10, 13 "Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled... But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love."

Mini Bites 30.0

When you feel shortchanged, cheated and bankrupted, when you feel like you have to accept scraps and crap and good enough, when you feel like you deserve what the world is offering at the cost of your dreams, hopes and happiness, remember that God already has the best for you, remember that God can do better, remember that God is never limited by your circumstances, resources or by people's opinions of you. Remember that it won't cost a thing to wait on God. He's already paid the price on the cross. He's worth the wait.

Mini Bites 29.0

Do you get what that means? The Lord is your portion. He is yours. His being, His essence is available to you. Do you get it?! He is your peace when you are restless. He is your strength when you are weak. He is your Redeemer when you feel useless. He is your Savior when you are lost. He is your Provider when you have nothing. He is your Healer when you are sick. He is your meaning when you feel insignificant. He's yours because you are His. God is fulfilling. If you really delight in Him, if you truly trust in Him, He can satisfy you. Anything besides Him is just fluff and cherries. It's extra. But God is the prize, the goal. He's the one at the end of the finish line. He's the one you've always wanted. "Philippians 3:12- I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me."

Mini Bites 28.0

It's easy to conform, to become what society wants you to be. But the thing is, the world did not buy you, it did not redeem you. God did and He called you for more. He called you to be you. Don't worry about how the world will accept you or how you will fit into the world. When authenticity walks into the room, everything else bows down. God set you apart to stand out, not fit in. When you finally accept yourself and approve yourself and love yourself like God does, you'll see that open doors and opportunities will find you easily. You won't have to work so hard for what is yours. So stop trying to fit into some mold. There is a need for your voice, your talent; there's a need for you, so be you. Have faith that God knew what He was doing when He made you.

Mini Bites 27.0

The disciple John throughout his book refers to himself as "the one Jesus loved" and I usually give him the side eye and look for a pin to burst his bubble. I really thought he was being cocky. But that wasn't it at all. He was calling himself what God called him, Beloved. He was just agreeing with the Father and my question to you is if you do the same? Do you claim what God calls you or do you hide behind the facade of humility and secretly wonder if He even cares about you? I know I do. Jesus lived, died and rose from the grave to reconcile Himself to you. What more do you need in order to believe that you are everything to Him? Trust me, He would have done it if you were the only one to save. He would have died willingly, knowing all the messed up things you did and will do. He loves you that much!!! You are the one Jesus loves!!!

Mini Bites 26.0

You never know the impact you have on people. You may feel insignificant where God has placed you but that couldn't be further from the truth. In God's presence, nothing is wasted, nothing is less than. A few fish and loaves of bread fed thousands. A slingshot killed a giant. A mustard seed of faith moved mountains. Shouts of praise leveled a fortified city. Prayer opened wombs. Jars filled with water turned into wine all because it was given to God. Stop looking at yourself from a place of insufficiency and realize you are full of potential that God is waiting to tap into. What you have may be small and it may seem impossible to make a difference but remember that's where God makes the miracles happen: in the small, ordinary, insignificant stuff like being a janitor in God's palace. Or a baby born in a manger...