Confidence in God

One of my favorite old saints from the Bible is King David. There are a couple of reasons why I like King David so much. He had a faith, trust, and relationship with God that preserved every trial, tribulation, problem and situation he faced. His relationship with God never changed based on his condition or what he was going through in his life. When his own son was trying to kill him, King David looked to the Lord for answers. When He had a promise from God that he would one day be King of Israeli, King David never give up, when people were trying to kill him, lying on him and doing everything to undermine the promises of God in his life; King David held firm to the promises of God over his life.

When you read through the Psalms King David wrote, you see a relationship that is rooted in love, trust, and faith. It takes a lot to still trust, have faith in and love a person, who at first glance seems to be standing idling by as folks try and kill you due to the promise He has given you. But that was King David, when you look at Psalms like Psalm 27, where King David writes, “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour[a] me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.” As I have study King David’s life, his trust, love, and faith in God came from him spending time with the LORD. Making himself available to the LORD. Even as all these things were happening in his life. He knew God would never leave him or forsake him. It seemed at times like King David had some insight into God’s character that no one else on the planet had. I wonder sometimes will my faith, trust and love for God ever come close to King David’s. Will I get to a place that even in the most unbearable situations that occur in my life, while I be able to show this much faith and trust in God.

There are times on my journey, particularly the last two years, were I have had to take pages out of King David’s life on faith, on trusting God and know the love of God. Like King David I have promises from God about my life and our journey together. While I see something happening in the natural ream, I have not seen the full manifesting of the promises of God on my life just yet. Which I admit can be a bit discouraging at times, when you are doing almost everything that is required of you and still not seen the promises. And then it seems that even more problems pop up in your life. I look to old saints like King David for an example on how to get through the preparation season of my life. To stay encourage on this journey that is sometimes filled with twist and turns, ups and downs , we have to look to the LORD and the encouragement He has made available to us in His written Word, in songs and in His people. So, I find my encouragement in the Psalms when I am discouraged. I allow my mind to go back to what King David must have felt to have so much promise on his life and be hated to the point where some would want to kill him. But there was not quitting in him and it seem the more he believed in the LORD, the deeper his relationship with Him grew.

I desire that type of relationship with God. That no matter what I go through on this journey it only serves to deepen my relationship with God. I am getting there and I thank God for His patience with me. As King David continued in Psalm 27, I allow these words not only to minister to me but I apply them to my life as I take this victories journey with God. “For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper; Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. “

Unfinished Business

As I enter day 2 of the Lenten Season, I am reminded of what was spoken to me at my churches fall revival in 2009. The Pastor told me I had left several assignments from God undone. He said, “I was not living up to the call/purpose the LORD has purposed for me. He continued to tell me, if I would just let go and trust God, I would be amazed at where God would take me. He concluded that I had received enough in God’s permissive will that it was time for me to start living and operating in God’s perfect will.”

The things the Pastor had spoken to me that night were not new to me because God had spoken them to me before and sent others before the Pastor at revival with the same message. It was in my hard-headiness, fear and procrastination that I did the bare minimum and prayed the LORD would bless my effort. I believe God did bless the effort back then, He knew where I was in Him, meaning He knew my spiritual maturity. At the same time the Lord also knew I was growing in my knowledge of who He was and who He said I was to Him.

It is past time for me to operate in what Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” I trust God! I had no really faith in myself to do the things God was calling me to do. I did not trust myself fully to do those things that were assigned to me and went as far as to question God at times as to why He trusted me so much. It was in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” and Psalm 139 (http://www.biblica.com/bible/verse/?niv=yes&q=Ps139 ) God would give me my answer.

So, as I prepared myself for Ash Wednesday Worship Service on yesterday, I asked God to give me a scripture for this Lenten Season. He gave me Jeremiah 29:11, He gave me the scripture that He has given me for the last three years. The number three biblical means completion.

This morning as I sat at my computer to write this post I knew I would writing something about what I would give up for Lent. What I did not know was the LORD would bring back to my thoughts about the confirmation message He gave to the Pastor at fall revival to give to me.

I totally agree with God, it is time for me to stop allowing fear, procrastination and my will to interfere with His plan and purpose for my life. So, instead of giving up things I would only start again after Lent is over. I am giving up fear, procrastination and my will to living in God’s perfect will for my life. I know it is the best thing to do because my relationship with Christ is the best thing that has every happen to me. I LOVE YOU FATHER!!!

Letting Go and Letting God have His Way

There are two bible studies I am undertaking right now, the first being one I started later in the summer about the suffering of Job. The other is one of the bible study class I am taking Journey into Overcoming, both dealing with suffering, trials and tribulation in life. Many of you who read this blog on a regular basis do not have to be reminded of the many situations and adversities I have faced in this life. I have seen death, sickness, depression and so forth. What I have gathered from Ray Steadman’s Suffering of Job and the first lesson in Journey to Overcoming is trials, suffering and tribulations all come to bring us closer to God plan for our lives.

As I look back on my life, especially the difficult times of my life, I can see the hand of God all over my life. I can see how He tried to redirect my steps in some situations and why He allowed others to occur. I am not saying I know why everything good, bad or indifferent occurred in my life because I do not understand it all. What I do understand is the love of God and how that has greatly impacted my life. There have been many trials in 2009 for me but there have also been many victories. I now can discern the voice of God clearly. I can hear Him speaking to me and leading me on the path He purposed and ordained for my life. I know for sure the gifts He has placed with in me. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He indeed loves me.

In this season of loses and gains for me, I have found myself wrestling with God and the call He has on my life. I sometimes find myself trying to ignore Him or making up excuses for not doing the things He has called me to do. Yes, I have been disobedient to the Father. Some of my disobediences is due to fear and the rest is my uncertainty or at least that is what I tell myself. The fear part is real the uncertainty I am not so sure about. I know God has called me and purpose me because He has purposed each one of His children that He has called out of the darkness into His marvelous light. As He told Jeremiah, I know the plans I have for you.

I know the Father has a plan for my life, I am at a place where I am fighting His will for my life and I truly want to walk in that will but I do not know how to stop fighting Him. My desire is to be in His perfect will for my life…to lose myself totally and completely in Him and the plans He has already set in place for me. I just have not learned how to let go and let God have His way. I spend so much time telling Him what I want and how I would like things to be that I miss a lot of what He has to say to me. I spend so much time thinking about the way my life should be that I miss out on much of what He says my life will be like. I know two of my gifts are prophecy and exhortation. I know for sure the talent He has given me is writing. I also know that He wants to use me for other things but I am so afraid of leaving folks behind, moving to another level which would mean leaving people behind and letting someone have full control of my life, even though I know God will never do anything to hurt me.

So my prayer for myself and the one I am asking you all to pray for me is that I let go of fear and I totally let go and let God have His way and that His prefect will be done in my life.

I Can’t Give Up Now

This year has been one of many lows for me, sometimes I felt like giving up. At times I wondered where was my loving God in the many situations I faced. It was at those moments He remaindered me that "Never will He leave me; never will He forsake me.” Hebrews 13:5

Yes, you are facing some hard situations and yes, the trouble of your heart have multiply but I am with you.

During this year, which I have taken to calling my season of loss and gain, I have learned to trust in God with every fiber of my being. Throughout this season of testing and trials two sermons continue to play in my head, one is a sermon my Senior Pastor preached over a year ago entitled “It’s Just a Test”. The scripture reference he used was Job’s testing experience. So many people look at the many situations I have been faced with or I am now facing. I look sometimes at my trials and wonder why I have not lost my mind then God reminders me that He is keeping me. Yes, I have lost my Granny and cousin, my job, my finances are what they are but I have not lost the love, peace, joy and protection of an Awesome God. He is still there protecting me during this storm. So as I think about the sermon and Job’s experience I know God will bring me out just like He did for Job. I have to weather this storm and learn the lessons God wants to teach me and show me during this testing season.

The other sermon is one my Associate Pastor preached entitled “Out of Your Egypt”. The scripture he used was the Israelites’ captive and ultimate exodus out of Egypt. I went back last week and re-listen to the sermon. Pastor B said, you can be blessed in your Egypt. I must have missed this point in the sermon and has been over a year since I heard it. I could not understand it but as I looked at my present Egypt experience I am being blessed. God is revealing folks true character to me. He is showing me more and more of His grace and mercy. He has taught me how to truly appreciate what we sometimes call the smaller things in life. He has shown me those who truly love me for me. He has also revealed the things I need to be delivered from like pride, poor stewardship and poor time management.

So, as the storms of life rage on I chose to believe God and allow His Word to navigate me through the tough times. Like King David, I too, “lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121”

I am my Heavenly Father’s child, Jesus is my Savior and that means I will always triumph of the obstacles of life. Because God is my help and He remains faithful to His Word to always come to my rescue, I continue to trust in Him and to seek Him during these trying times.
I know I can’t give up and I will not give up. Like the Apostle Paul, I too, am” 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
Another song I love is Mary Mary’s I Can’t Give Up Now:

There will be mountains that I will have to climb
And there will be battles that I will have to fight
But victory or defeat, it's up to me to decide
But how can I expect to win If I never try.

I just can't give up now
I've come too far from where I started from
Nobody told me the road would be easy
and I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me

Never said there wouldn't be trials
Never said I would't fall
Never said that everything would go the way I want it to go
But when my back is against the wall
And i feel all hope is gone,
I'll just lift my head up to the sky
And say help me to be strong

Never give up on God because He will never give up on you. Let Him walk you through the storms and allow Him to heal you.

Be blessed!!!

All I Can DO Is Trust You Lord

There is a song I love by James Fortune entitled I Trust You. The song simply says, I will trust You, Lord. My favorite lines are “everything that I see, tells me not to believe, but I'll trust you Lord, you have never failed me, I can only trust you, no one else loves like you do.”

Here is why I love the lines in this song because I can go to God’s Word and find scripture to support what the song writing is saying. I have evidence that God can be trusted, His Word tells me so. At this point in time I find myself unemployed with more bills than money but I also have a promise and directions from my Heavenly Father.

My flesh is telling me I am in a very bad situation right now with the job marketing looking the way that it does and the bills coming in every month still. The flesh is screaming Ryane, we can not wait on God we have to do something.

Then there is the Holy Spirit living in me that says, God is going to do what He says He will do. Just stand still and see Him work everything out for you.

Everything I see, tells me not to believe
In this world you will have trouble. John 16:33
A righteous man may have many troubles…Psalm 34:16

The Word of God tells me, there will be some troubling times and situations, such as unemployment, death, hurt and pain. The enemy would have you to believe in these situations God is not there for you and you would not make it through your situation. This thought is contrary to the Word of God. In Hebrews 13:5 God said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” And because I know God is not a man that He should lie, I chose to believe God in these troubling days I am experiencing because as Hezekiah Walker songs Faithful, faithful is our God, I WILL reap the harvest God promised me…taking back what the devil stole from me….I SHALL recover it all… cause faithful is our God.

I'll trust you lord, you have never failed me
…but the LORD delivers him from them all. Psalm 34:16
I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in Your name I will hope. Psalm 52:8-9
… But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

As I look back over my life, I can honestly say God has been with me. He has been my Shepherd through the good and bad times. Everything in His perfect that I have asked Him for has been given to me. Even with the recent unemployment God is answering my prayers. See, I begin to pray God would remove me from my old job (He did) and when He removed me from that job, I would not go to another desk job but I prayed for Him to move me into working in the ministry and writing full time. I know see God moving on the working in ministry and with the upcoming release of my first book I see Him working on the writing. The financial situation maybe but my Father is rich. Everything on earth and in heaven belongs to Him.

Every time the enemy tries to get me to worry and to have doubt in God bringing me out of this, I remember that 2:49 a.m. wake-up call from God. He said not to worry; He was going to take care of everything concerning me. God know my cousin and Granny would be called home to glory, He knows my prayers for my family, He knows my financial situation. King David wrote in Psalm 139: 2-5 and 16-17, “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me… your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to [b] me are your thoughts, O God! He knew these troubling days were ahead of me but He said in John 16:33, “take heart! I have overcome the world.” I trust Him because I seen Him bring me out many situations before and I KNOW for sure His thoughts toward me are beautiful ones. In Jeremiah 29:11 God said, For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.


I can only trust You, no one else loves like you do.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

A couple of weeks ago, God wake me up again this time He took me on a journey through His Word. We started with Deuteronomy 5:32-33, 6, 28, 29, 30, then Psalms 23, 39, then Isaiah 55, then Matthew 6:25-34 and then Hebrews 11. When you have sometime read those chapters and verses then you will now why I am not worried about anything. The Word says, the just shall live by faith. It is only fitting God end our journey through His Word that early morning with Hebrews 11 which is entitled By Faith. The first three verses says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

Dorinda Clark Cole has a song that says, God is going to do everything He promised you. I trust God more than enough to know He will do what He promised me. Yes, the promising of the Father are real to me. If I have to go through this season of death, pain, financial instability and lack, I am going through with an Awesome Father who has already walk the path before. I know this is just a test of my faith and so I believe God. I trust He will bring me out of this because His Word says in Philippians 1:6, “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.”

I WILL TRUST YOU LORD!!!