Category: Entrée

Entrée

A Moment to Be Still

The Manna Chef

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. (Psalm 23:2 NKJV)

I don’t know about you, but I value those moments when I can “lie down in green pastures” and actually rest.  We live in a world of constant motion.  It seems as if we are multitasking so much, and it comes so naturally, that we don’t even realize it most of the time. 

I recently made a conscious effort to slow down—to slow everything down.  First of all, let me just admit that it wasn’t easy.  I’d gotten used to the hectic pace that my life sometimes seems to dictate.  But I was determined.  I cut out a constant travel schedule for a two-month period.  I removed some extra activities from my schedule, even some that I enjoyed doing—all in an effort to simply be still.  It seemed odd initially, and I felt very restless.  I mean, do you know how many things I could have gotten done during that time?  I wrestled with those thoughts, too, for a little while.  And then I decided to simply surrender to God’s instruction to rest. 

Sisters, don’t miss the significance of taking time to rest.  If God rested, how can you possibly think that you can go on and on without any rest?  So, I shut it all down, and I’d like to share a few things that I experienced.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5
Entrée

God Will Provide

The Manna Chef

Lately, I have been approached by many sisters who are in a season of intense struggle—the mountains they are facing seem insurmountable.  I immediately went to the Father to seek His perspective on what I’d heard, and I asked for words of encouragement and instruction for my sisters.  A few of them shared that they feel as if they are just being tossed around in a storm.  I had to sit with that for a moment because I know that feeling—the one where so much is going on but you can’t seem to get a handle on anything.  You wonder, “Do I have enough?  Am I enough?  What am I supposed to do now?  How will this need be met?”  Have you ever asked the Lord any of these questions?  I have talked to so many sisters who are in dire need of the Lord to move on their behalf right now. 

As I was reading last night, God pointed out this Scripture to me:  So they all ate and were filled. (Mark 6:42 NKJV)  I read it over and over and waited for the Lord to speak.  “Tell them, ‘I have heard your cry.  I have much more than enough to meet all of your needs.'”   Sisters, God has the capacity to take care of all of us.  Don’t lose hope because you have been waiting for so long for God to move.  (And know that there is no need to become envious when it doesn’t seem like it’s your turn yet.)

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.   When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.”

But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.”

And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”

But He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”

And when they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.”  (Mark 6:34-38 NKJV)

Pages: 1 2 3
Entrée

Perfect Peace

The Manna Chef

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 NKJV)

Recently, I had to hold on to those Scriptures for my sanity and my life!  My mind was all over the place, trying to figure out what was clearly beyond my own capacity to process.  So, instead of stressing myself out (I was almost in tears), I just chose to release it to God, to hand it right over.  I decided to breathe deeply and read the Word.  It was all I had really, because I had no control over what was going on around me. 

In this particular season, I have been isolated from the familiar.  I’m away from my close-knit family by divine design, I’m certain.  God has set me aside to pour into me.  Honestly, I welcome it.  I appreciate His ability to create rest for me wherever I am.  But on that day, that restful state had been under attack, and it was through someone very close to me.

Pages: 1 2 3
Entrée

Go on, Girl!

The Manna Chef

This is what my bestie and I tell each other all the time.  It’s part of an inside joke, a shout-out to “In Living Color,” but we really do mean it when we say it.  That’s what I want to tell you today: Go on, girl!  Whatever God has instructed you to do, “Go on, girl!”  You got this!

Sister, I want you to really hear me.  You are God’s masterpiece.  That’s right, YOU, the sister reading this right now, are His masterpiece.  You don’t believe me?  Well, let’s go to the Word of God. 

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.  (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

Let me tell you something right now.  God had big things in mind when He created you, so it’s time to be about your Father’s business.  Notice I said “business” not “busyness.”  Ask God to lead you as to what you need to do today.  What would He like you to accomplish?  And focus on that.  Because life will have you running around trying to do everything, and you’ll be overwhelmed and discouraged when you can’t seem to get it all done. 

I am one who has been guilty of a monstrous to-do list.  So, I pray for God to direct my very steps because I have been known to overwhelm myself with too much.  Now I just ask, “Lord, what are we going to do today?” and then I get ready for an adventure.  He actually leads me through my day!

Pages: 1 2
Entrée

Breathe on Me, Lord

The Manna Chef

I was having “one of those days.”  It seemed as if life was hitting me hard from every direction.  For a moment, I couldn’t catch my breath.  And then I sat sit—very still.  I turned the lights out and just sat there waiting for God to speak to me.  What I really needed was for Him to just breathe on me to refresh my spirit.  Have you been there before?

I have learned to shut everything down when I need a moment with the Lord.  I create that space; I make the time.  I need His Presence every day, so I try to consistently make room for Him in my actual day—even on the busy days—not just at night before I go to bed.  I encourage you to take Jesus with you all day long.  Watch how your perspective changes throughout your day.  And when you have a weary day, go right to God. 

I have had to recite, “This is the day the Lord has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it,” (Psalm 118:24) through tears.  I didn’t feel like rejoicing, but I was choosing to rejoice in the midst of the struggle, because I know joy brings strength.  (Yes, you can actually do that.)  I’ve learned to sit still and just breathe in the Presence of the Lord.

There’s a scene from the movie, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” that I completely love.  Actually, there are many scenes, but there’s one that comes to mind often.  At the end of the movie, Aslan breathes on those who were turned to stone, and they return to flesh once again.  That’s what I imagine when I read Job 33:4, “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” I need the breath of the Almighty every single day.

Pages: 1 2