Author: The Manna Chef

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Don’t Wait, Part Two: Missing Out on the Promise

The Manna Chef

Sisters, if you missed part one, I encourage you to go back and read it.  We discovered that the people of Israel heard conflicting reports about their Promised Land.  Moses sent out spies to check on the land.  One spy, Caleb, returned with this report: “The land is amazing.  It’s all that God said it would be.  Yeah, there are some giants there, but we can beat them with God on our side.  Let’s go occupy our land!” 

But there was another report, one that wasn’t so positive.  That report said, “There’s no way we can get that land.  Those giants are huge, and we can’t beat them.  We’re like grasshoppers to them.  We’ll get devoured in that land.”  … So, guess whose report the people chose to believe?  Let me give you a hint, it wasn’t Caleb’s.  As a matter of fact, the people wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb!  They allowed fear to take the place of their promise.  And God took notice!

“How long will these people treat Me with contempt? Will they never believe Me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?   I will disown them and destroy them with a plague.  Then I will make you [Moses] into a nation greater and mightier than they are!”  (Numbers 14:11-12 NLT)

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Don’t Wait, Part One: Grasshopper Thinking

The Manna Chef

Sisters, how you think is just as important as what you think.  If your thoughts are shaped from fear, apathy, anger, or even hate, the choices you make will not manifest blessings.  They will lead you away from what God has promised.  You’ll find yourself spinning your wheels but actually getting nowhere.  So, let’s look at a Biblical example of this very thing: the children of Israel as they leave Egypt and head toward Canaan, the Promised Land. 

God rescued them from Pharaoh and the Egyptians in miraculous fashion.  And as they were on the way to Canaan, Moses sent spies to scope it out.  The spies made it to Canaan and found that, among the things that God had promised, there were giants occupying the land.  Two of the spies (Joshua and Caleb) came back with a good report.  In Numbers 13:30, Caleb said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” 

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The Privilege of Suffering?

The Manna Chef

You know how some things that may be really good for you don’t always taste so great?  You know it’s nutritious, but if you’re being honest, you’d rather eat something that is delicious and sweet—maybe even with some chocolate in it?  Well, that’s how I felt this morning when I read Philippians 1:29 (NLT):

For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him.

Let me be real with you; when I read it, I did not want to stand up and shout, “Hallelujah!”  I sat very still and thought, “Aw man!  More suffering?”  You see, as a Sister who has been walking in relationship with the Lord for quite some time, I have experienced some devastating, life-altering moments.  The thought of more suffering makes my mind weary and my body tired.  No one wants to suffer, right?  And I’m not going to try to put a “holy spin” on it either.  Suffering hurts.  It doesn’t feel good.  Even Jesus asked, “Is there another way to do this?”  (Matthew 26:39) 

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“I’m Not Ready”

The Manna Chef

How many of you have ever told the Lord, “I’m just not ready, God,” when He instructed you to complete a task, say a word, or step outside of your comfort zone?  And it wasn’t that you were intentionally being disobedient; you genuinely felt like you just needed a little more time or that you needed some more resources to do what God instructed you to do in excellence.  Well, I want to let you in on a little secret—that is the exact place you need to be in, the place where you realize that you cannot accomplish whatever it is without God.  You fully understand that you are totally dependent upon the Lord.

John 15:5 (NLT) says it beautifully, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.“

Apart from God, we can’t do anything!  The key to being ready is not in your own ability.  If you walk into a challenge thinking, “I got this!” without the Lord, you are in for a huge disappointment.  Conversely, the next time you have to step into an opportunity, and you feel those “butterflies” in your stomach, lean right into that feeling and ask God to walk into that moment with you.  Lean on His strength.  Now, you are ready and can say, “Lord, we got this!”

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The Will of God

The Manna Chef

How many times have you asked the question, “God, what is Your will for my life?”  Even those Sisters who are certain of their calling have probably asked at some point in their lives.  It occurred to me recently that we have a way of making things so much more complicated than they need to be.  Life itself can be complicated, so why in world would we add to the chaos? 

Well, today I want to share with you the answer to that very question, “Lord, what is Your will for my life?”  It’s not some deeply spiritual and mysterious answer, either.  God gave us a simple answer in His Word, and I am convinced that everything we need will spring forth from His instruction.  The answer is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV):

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

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