Is God’s Creative Thoughts Still At Work?

When God made the heavens and the earth, He flung the stars in the heavens and everything He made in those Six Days He said, “It is good.” With the exception that He said. “It is not good for man to be alone. " That’s when He made Eve from Adam's side to make the man complete. But neither was Adam alone when God used his creativity to name the animals in creation. He wants to use each of us in His divine plan.

God doesn’t want us to do Life without His creativity working through our hands, our feet, our minds, our gifts, and our talents.“ For it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure.” Phil 2:13

Allow His handiwork to flow through you in raising your kids, building your business, baking some bread to bless a neighbor, managing your finances, building ministries for His name sake, writing a song, writing a book, to change your community and your world.

Allow His creativity to flow through your thoughts like when Tom’s Shoes founder, Blake Mycoskie, witnessed the hardship faced by children growing up without shoes. Wanting to help, he created Tom’s Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a new pair of shoes for a child in need. One for One.

That is God’s creativity flowing through the hands of one man wanting to meet a need by yielding to God who blessed him with the gifts and talents to make a difference in the world we live in. Tom didn’t build his company overnight, but it started with one creative thought to change the world we live in. Why not get started today by allowing God’s creativity to work through your life.

Is God Working His Plans Behind The Scenes?

King Ahasuerus of Susa, covering 127 provinces from Ethiopia to India was having a mega feast. During this event, Queen Vashti dishonors and disrespected the King. Her actions caused him to get rid of her and begin a search for a new queen.

A young beautiful Jewish girl named Esther was chosen. Her parents were killed during the Babylon invasion and destruction of Jerusalem. Was God working a plan behind the scenes in the selection of Esther? She was also the niece of Mordecai who would play a major roll in Israel’s coming deliverance.

While sitting at the Kings gates, Mordecai overhears a plot to kill King Ahasuerus. God would use this to start a domino effect in saving all of Israel. Mordecai reveals this evil to Esther, which she revealed to the King. Both men were hung in their failed assassination attempt.

Haman, the King's chosen, one-day demises a plan to kill all of the Jews in 127 provinces. Mordecai catches wind of his actions and goes to Esther. While men are bowing down to Haman, Mordecai refuses to bow, and in Haman’s anger, he builds gallows to have him hung.

Mordecai says to Esther, “Who knoweth if you have been brought to the kingdom for such a time as this.” She finds favor in the eyes of the King and he invites her in to hear her request. There, she invites the King and Haman to a special dinner designed for both of them.

The night before the dinner, the king couldn’t sleep, so as he was reading the chronicles, He reads where Mordecai saved his life, He asks, “Was anything done to reward Mordecai for his actions? “Nothing.” He invites Haman in and asks, “What should a King do to honor someone whom he delights?” Haman says, "Put him on the King's horse and in the royal apparel, and parade him down the streets." The King said, “Put it into motion for Mordecai.” Can you imagine the look on Haman’s face?

In Gods timing, Esther has her dinner for the King and Haman. There she reveals how there is a plan to destroy all her Jewish people in 127 provinces. The king said, “Esther, tell me who has devised such a plan?” Haman is the man and has also built gallows to kill Mordecai.

That night Haman was hung on the gallows he built for Mordecai. The king reversed the wicked plans of Haman and all of Israel is saved. God is always working behind the scenes even when we don’t realize it. He’s also working behind the scenes for you. “Right Now.”

Little Is Much When It’s In God’s Hands

From (2 Kings 4:1-7) A widow woman from the sons of the prophets came to Elisha and said, “My husband is dead, and the creditor has come to take my two sons to become his slaves. What am I going to do now?” Elisha asks, what do you have left in your house? She said, “I have nothing left but a jar of oil.” Elisha said, "Go borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not a few.”

The widow obeyed the word of the Lord and borrowed the vessels she could find. As she began to pour out the little oil she had into the empty vessels, she filled up the empty vessels until she poured into the last vessel and then the oil stopped. Then she took the vessels of oil and paid her debts and her two sons and she lived off the rest.

The enemy wants you to focus on the nothing you have instead of what you do have. Elisha saw the miracle in the little she did have. You and I “have to do our part” if God is going to do His part. Most of us have come to a place when we didn’t know what our next move was in our desperate situation.

How will we get the money to pay the mortgage, to pay the car payment, to buy our next meal? Where will we find the resources, the people, the talent, the staff, the workers, and the people to move forward with the vision? Look to God and not a man. Little is much when it’s in God’s hands. 

Pray this prayer TODAY, Lord, I looked to YOU and I surrender my thoughts, my ways, my spirit, my heart, soul, mind, and strength into your will and plans. I am not my own, I have been bought with a price and will glorify you with what I have left.

I give you my time, my resources, my all in all to see you multiply what I can’t do on my own. I commit everything to you in doing my part with my faith and confidence, believing that you will do your part.

Let God Show-Off For You (4)

Three Hebrew God-fearing men in Daniel 3 would not bow down to the pressures of King Neb that said, “You either bow or burn in my furnace.” Life can get interesting to say the least. Can you remember a time that you were in your own pressure cooker at work; your college life, a major setback, an Irma, where you almost drown in your pain?

Whoever said that we were exempt from pain and problems? These men told King Neb, you can turn up the fire all you want, but we will not bow down to your god. So the King turned up the heat seven times hotter.

To give you some points of reference, one can feel a burning feeling on their skin at 111 and will receive a first degree burn at 118 °F, second degree burn at 131 °F.  At 140 °F, the pain receptors overload and become numb.  At 162 °F, human tissue is destroyed on contact.  And, for an extreme point of reference, bodies are cremated between 1400 – 1800.  We see that the fire immediately killed the men who took  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the door of the fire.  Because of the properties of fires below, we know that the fire was at least 1,000 °. Can you even imagine the heat from this fire?  I would bet you could feel the heat hundreds of feet away from the door. 

Are you feeling the heat in your situation? Notice their faith and determination of regardless if He delivers us or not, we still won’t bow.

Yes, The Lord did show up in the fiery furnace and not one hair was singed from their head, not even the smell of smoke on their clothes, they were determined, they were not going to wimp out. These men walked in the fire but did not walk away from their faith.

Friend, If you never faced a problem, how are you going to know just how GREAT your God is? Let God show-off for you in your dilemma, in your heated difficulty, in your darkness, in your despair, or your depression. This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Allow God to Glow and Show-off for you and through you today.

Let God Show-Off for You (3)

In my devotion today I read, “Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.” Ps 77:19 Have you ever questioned your GPS navigation along the way? I have, and I’ve also questioned the Lord in why this way?

Why would God lead Israel out of Egypt toward the way and the path of the Red Sea? Can you image the grumbling going on among Israel? Some must have been saying, “Why is Moses taking us in this direction? Doesn’t he realize that there’s no bridge to get us across the great waters of the Red Sea? What kind of leader is Moses anyway?

Is God leading you today right toward your own Red Sea? The reason we have THE WORD is to meditate on the great stories of Gods incredible power. That’s what builds our faith when we face our own situations. God enjoys “Showing-off” His mighty wonderful power in the midst of your impossible situations.

 YES, King Pharaoh determined Israel was trapped in the wilderness, and Israel’s God had made a huge miscalculation. Did God miss it this time? Was Gods GPS off, and was He wrong this time? That was the chatter among the Israelites.

“NO,” God is always on point, He’s always one, two, three steps ahead of the enemy. God knew exactly what He was doing. This was a divine set-up to destroy Israel’s enemy. With God’s nostrils, He blew a hole through the Red Sea and some commentators believe, five miles wide to get 2 to 3 million people across the great waters on DRY ground.

Don’t tell me God won’t show –off his power to show you “He’s Greater” than any force mounted against you. In the end, Israel’s enemy drowns in the Red Sea and Israel is on the other side dancing in a victory that there is “No other” like their Jehovah God. Trust Him, friend, “He is the way, the truth, and the life.” Even when you question what’s next?

Let God “Show-off” for YOU (2)

David learned early in life, battles and struggles are part of life. FOCUS on the Prize and not the pain or the problems. A wide receiver once said, “I know when I catch the football, there is going to be some pain, but I need to catch the ball because there’s going to be pain whether I catch it or drop it.”

David was in what seemed an impossible battle in fighting the giant Goliath. What GIANT are you up against today? You may be saying, “How am I going to pay my taxes or raise my teenager whose in rebellion, or my spouse has walked out on our relationship, or I was just laid off from my job, or the doctor just gave me a bad report.”

David would face pain in dealing with Goliath. Yes, he won the battle but His brothers thought he had no business in facing a giant. King Saul became so jealous when he defeated Goliath and started a plan to kill David from that day forward, Pain, Problems, “YES.”

Let God Show-off for you today, He never said this life would be all smooth sailing, but He did say, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” He’s got a Plan and a Prize. Go ahead, get your hands on the ball because there will be some pain regardless. But in the end, you’ll cross the Winning line because He’s calling the plays and fighting for you every step of the way.

Let God “Show-off” for YOU (1)

Gideon was in a difficult place when Israel was under attack from the Midianites. Gideon only had 32,000 soldiers, when the enemy had 135,000. God says to Gideon, “You have too many with you.” What could God have been thinking? He knew that when Israel won the battle, they would say, “Look what our hands have done.” Pride my friend is a dangerous sin that destroys men.

When God trimmed down Gideon’s army, he went from 32,000 men to 300 men. God says, “Now you're ready for the battle.” If you do the math, that’s 400 to 1. What do you do when the odds are against you? Let God show His hand, His might, His power, His anointing.

What are you up against today? Does it look as if you’re going under? Does it appear that you're going to lose this battle with your health, your job, your finances, your marriage, your kids, your home, your dream, your future? God specializes in taking the underdog and causing them to rise higher than the odds against them.

Think about David fighting a giant Goliath, Three Hebrew men against King Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace, Elisha surrounded by the Syrian Army, Our Lord Jesus and the Roman soldiers who placed Him on the cross. Add up all the moments that Gods sons and daughters were out-numbered and HE always steps in and SHOWS-OFF His mighty power.

Jesus gave His life so we might WIN regardless of the odds against us. Let him fight for you today. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If God be for us who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)Israel won the battle because God is for His kids. Let Him, show-off, His power and might for you today.

Gideon's Divine Encounter

Will God answer with Signs for your “Next Step” in life? As a child of God, one of the sweetest words you’ll ever hear from the Lord is, “I am with you.” In Judges 6, in the midst of Israel’s disobedience, God turns them over to the Midianites.

But God tells Gideon in Judges 6:12 “I am with you.” He calls Gideon to lead Israel back from their waywardness of Baal into a dimension of the “Only One True God.” Israel’s heart had grown cold and was under the oppression of the Midianites for seven long years.

In the midst of chaos and confusion, God shows Gideon in his own time of worship to offer his father’s bull as a burnt offering, and tear down the god of Baal and build an altar to God. After confirmation from the Lord, Gideon takes ten men with him in the night and tears down Baal and builds an altar to God.

Again and again, God confirms to him, “I am with you.” Gideon would be used by God to see Israel delivered from the hand of the enemy.

There is nothing wrong in asking God to confirm to you, your Next Step. Is He working for you and with you doing His Will and Plan? Mark Batterson says, “Prayer is the difference between you fighting for God and God fighting for you.” Don’t underestimate your time of worship with Him, He is there and will direct and lead you in your Next Step in life.

Divine Encounters For Your Path

Elevation worship recorded a powerful song a year ago, “Do It Again.” Can God bring us divine encounters in our day? Is He the same yesterday, today, and forever?

He showed up on the backside of a desert to Moses in a burning bush and said, “Take your shoes off, for you are standing on Holy Ground.” Joshua has crossed the Jordon River with Gods supernatural hand holding back the waters as they walked across on dry ground. Now they’re on the edge of the first city in Canaan, Jericho. How would they move ahead? Could they win against such a mighty city Jericho with walls wide enough to drive a chariot?

Just prior to going ahead, Joshua encounters a man who stands before him with a drawn sword and Joshua asks, “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come “Joshua 3:14

In Joshua's divine encounter we read, “And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, “Take  your shoes off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so

I believe this was the Lord himself who appeared to Joshua to tell him, this is not your battle but this one is mine. Too many times we forget we cannot do anything without His power and His touch. We desperately need the supernatural makings of His hand to go forward into His will and plan for our lives. Joshua would take Jericho because The Lord himself was leading the charge to take His people into His divine promises for their lives.

I don’t have the words to describe past encounters that I’ve had with the Lord instructing me about our steps in moving forward into His will and plan. But I do know that as He speaks, leads, and directs, He will crush every fear, doubt, feelings of inadequacy, disbelief, and build your faith, confidence and boldness to go in His promises with His powerful Hand that will rest on your life to see great miracles and do great exploits in His name.” Yes,” God still gives His people divine encounters today. Yes, He can do it again.

Speak Life In Your Next Step (3)

Are you facing your own Jordon?                 

The Promise Land represents where God is taking us in our dreams and hopes for life. The challenge each of us has, there is a Jordon River standing between us and the Promises of God. The BEST way to get there is through the supernatural power of God,

Joshua was ordained to go into the Promised Land, “But” there was a Jordon River standing in the way. What is standing in the way of you going into your land of Promise? Between the promise and the payoff is a process. Are you willing to go through the process to get there?

God would take Israel over into the land in His way, His timing, and His process through His Supernatural power. We should all ask God to place our feet where we're supposed to be. In our relationship with Him, in our job, marriage, location, ministry, finances, health, and dreams. "Not by our might nor by power but by His Spirit saith the Lord." Zech 4:6

God told Joshua to get the feet of the priest in the water and take “The ARK”. What was in the ARK? First, “The stone tablets, The 10 commandments.” God wrote with his own finger the way we are to live our lives. Second, “The manna.” A golden jar of manna was placed in the Ark again sustaining them for every step they would take living in the wilderness. The third item in the ark was, Aaron’s rod that budded”

This rod represented the presence and the supernatural power of God that opened the Red Sea. It turned the Nile River to blood; it brought judgment on Egypt’s false gods. The rod brought water out of the rock and so much more. All pieces of evidence that God was at work.

Then Joshua instructed the priest to stand in the Jordon River with the Ark of God. Joshua 3:13 “The Lord of all the earth will rest in the water.” God stood there with his hand and held the waters back. This was evidence that this was the ordained path of the Lord for Israel.

My prayer today is that The God of the earth would rest in my path and show His supernatural power as I walk in the path, plan, and purpose for my life. Take with you today His Word; Manna and Testimonies of what He has done in your life. “Eye hath not seen nor has ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things God has prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor 2:9 In your next step, Gods power will bring so much more. 

Speak Life To Your Next Step (2)

Are you content to live in the least part of His will for your life? What happened to Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh? (Numbers 32) The 2 ½ tribes of Israel chose to settle on the east bank of the Jordan river instead of going WEST across the Jordon into the Promised Land. Moses finally did say to them, “If you will go fight along with your brothers, to take the Promise land, God will still bless you.”

There’s something within every born-again believer’s DNA that wants “ALL of His Will” for their life. Why did they not want to go WEST across the Jordon River? Why would they settle in the EAST, the least of Gods best for their lives?

They were attracted to what they saw on the east of the Jordon before they went across the Jordon. That’s where the 10 spies went wrong; they saw the giants and said, “We are but grasshoppers in their sight.” Paul says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

When my wife and I came to Jacksonville 32 years ago, we first saw a 45-year-old dilapidated building falling apart and our flesh said, “Really, this is bad, why would anybody want to come here?”

But deep down in our spirit, we knew we were supposed to come to Jacksonville, Florida. It would have been easy to settle for something less with comfort, a good paycheck, and ease. But God wanted to train us for ministry with some tough-places where He would stretch our faith. Yes, where we would learn to appreciate our wins and losses in the journey.

In the beginning, rats and mice running through my feet while preaching one Sunday night, something within me said, we will press through this and WIN.

Chose today to never give in to less than Gods Best for your life. God is bigger than any doubt, devil or discouraging season in your life. Press on WEST to Gods BEST for your life. You will be glad you did.

Speak Life To Your Next Step

In my devotion this morning I saw something I’ve never seen. Israel was moving with excitement toward the Promised Land, but something derailed them along the way. When Moses sent out 12 men to spy out the land, they were told to check out the people and the land.

For some reason, those 2 things took them "40 long days." Why did it take them so long to see if the people were strong or weak and to see if the land was lean or fat? “WHY?”

Every day that went by only increased the doubts about going into the Promised Land.  The longer they thought about it, meditated on it, dreamed about it in the night; the majority convinced themselves we are not able to win in this struggle.

What was the last thing Moses told the 12 leaders? “Be of good courage and bring the fruit of the land back.” Only two of them held their courage and took it to heart. The other 10 leaders said, “We are not able to go in the land, for they are stronger than we are.”

Since when did they get themselves out of Egypt? Did they cause a plague to come on Egypt? Did they turn the waters to blood? When did they bring frogs, lice, and darkness on the land? When did they split open the Red Sea and walk across on dry ground and watch their enemy drown? Somehow instead of seeing God fighting for them, they forgot who got them where they were.

God said, “Because you took “40 days” to choose your NEXT STEP, you will now wander 40 years in the wilderness. One year for every day.” Be cautious in your waiting that God is building your faith with courage instead of allowing the enemy to tear apart your courage with doubt. That will keep you from The Promises of God. Let God Speak Life into your next step then YOU will see His Promises like Joshua and Caleb.

God Heard It

Choose today to “Speak life.” Be cautious about what comes out of your mouth each day. God heard Israel when they complained about the manna that He brought every morning. They said, “We miss Egypt our past.” We can all become delusional and speak death if we're not careful.

God doesn't take it lightly when we whine about our situation. God heard Aaron and Miriam complain about Moses marrying the Cushite woman. Leprosy came upon Moses sister and she was shut out of the camp for seven days. Death and life are in the tongue. (Prov 18:21) For he that will love life and see GOOD DAYS, let him refrain his tongue from evil. (1Peter 3:10)

Twelve spies were sent out by Moses to prepare Israel to go into the Promised Land. Ten of them came back saying, "We are not able to go into the land." It was their conclusion that said, "There are giants in the land and we're not able to go in.” (Numbers 13)

Guess what, their words brought death to their future and dying in the wilderness. What conclusion have you come up with? Speak it and it can take root and become reality.

When and what ten men spoke, “Deadly Words” it became their reality. Only Joshua and Caleb said, "We are more than able to go up into the land and possess it." Speak life and watch God show you His great wonders before your eyes. Today “fight off” deadly doubts and defeat and you too will go in with faith and possess His great promises for your life.