Category: Entrée

Entrée

Faith-driven or Fear-driven?

The Manna Chef

As I was driving to work one morning, I began to recall past conversations I have had with Lord concerning His plan for my life.  Sisters, let me be real with you right now:  I have not always embraced His plans for me.  On several occasions, I have even been mortified!  I felt like I wasn’t the “right” one to do whatever God was saying or that I simply wasn’t enough for what God had shown me.  Have you ever experienced that moment?

God was so patient with me.  He reminded me of the many battles we have faced and won together.  I really appreciate my walk with the Lord.  It hasn’t always been easy, but I love Him at this very moment more than I ever have before!  I appreciate all that I have experienced—the good and the bad, even the downright awful.  God’s blessings have manifested in my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined.  He truly has been my Superhero more times than I can count.

So now, instead of running when God instructs me to do something, I am learning (notice I said “learning,” it’s a continual process for me) to recognize the presence of fear, acknowledge it, confess it to the Father, and then hand it right over to Him.  I don’t ignore it and pretend that it isn’t there; otherwise that fear may just creep up and try to paralyze me and stop me from pursuing what God has instructed me to possess.  I have learned to call it out and then call on Jesus to help me.  And guess what?  Jesus has always been right there for me!  He has given me His own Word to empower me in those very moments.

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Never Alone

The Manna Chef

God reminds us in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” It’s so important that you really hold on to that promise, because, let’s be honest, life can be difficult sometimes. The enemy wants you to be so overwhelmed that you believe God has left you and that you are all alone.

The enemy says things like:

  • “Nobody understands how you really feel anyway.”
  • “They don’t care about you; if they did, they would have done something to help you by now.”
  • “God doesn’t really love you, and He isn’t concerned about you for real. If He was, He wouldn’t allow you to go through something like this.”
  • “What’s the use of living right if all you do is struggle from one day to the next?”
  • “The people at church can’t help you anyway, so why even go?”
  • “God has more important things to do than to be concerned about your little problems.”
  • “Don’t call [any sister in Christ]. She has her own problems to deal with. You’ll just be a bother.”
  • “Nobody can help you anyway, so why even talk about it?”
  • “God has forgotten all about you.”

Sometimes we even add to his attack with our own thoughts:

  • “I deserve to be alone because of what I’ve done.”
  • “Maybe I’m just being punished, so I might as well deal with it.”
  • “I don’t need help; I can figure this out all by myself.”

Let me be really clear here: GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU. He has always been with you, and He has always cared about you. Sisters, you matter to God! Let me say that again: YOU MATTER TO GOD!

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Not Another Word

The Manna Chef

Have you ever been so angry with someone that you felt, I mean actually felt, heat rising in your chest? Well, sisters, I have, and I’m going to share something with you today. Clearly, I am a work in progress, but I am learning, and it’s definitely worth sharing with you!

First of all, let’s be clear, being angry is not sin. Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty over being angry. Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV) says, “Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” God does not say, “Don’t get angry.” He did not say that being angry makes you unholy. He said to be angry but don’t let the anger cause you to sin. And then He goes even further to tell you to resolve the issue so that you don’t leave an avenue for the enemy to wreak havoc.

I try to stay in constant communication with the Father because I need Him to direct my very words. I’m so serious, too! I call on Jesus all day long: in the car in the middle of traffic, at work, at home while I’m cooking dinner…You get the picture!

I know that I am gifted with words. Simply put: I love words. I always have. I love how they are used. I love how phrases fit together and how one word can speak volumes. (I was that kid who loved reading the dictionary.) God has groomed me to be very effective in communicating my thoughts into words. But, let me make this clear: that can be problematic sometimes because it can get me into trouble if I really say what I think without seeking the Lord first.

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Unafraid

The Manna Chef

Recently, I was telling a dear friend about my Florida vacation with my husband last year.  There were many highlights, but one really stood out as I was recalling the events of our trip.  Honestly, I didn’t even realize how profound it was until she responded with amazement.

I had decided that what I really desired was to see was an alligator in the wild (which I did)!  My husband and I went on an airboat adventure, a first for us both, and what I witnessed left me in awe.  As we enjoyed the breeze and talked among the other guests, we noticed cows grazing on grass that was growing up from the marsh.  Cows right there in the water—the same marsh where alligators were swimming?!  I’d never seen cows in the water like that, and I was fascinated that they didn’t seem the least bit phased by the predators lurking around. 

As tourists do, we began to take pictures and flooded our captain with all kinds of questions.  He explained, “Oh, the cows aren’t afraid of the alligators because those cows are huge.  They don’t see the alligators of too much of a threat.  It would take so many alligators to harm even one of them, and the alligators don’t even approach the cows.  The cows just keep their young from coming out too far into the water.”  Mind. Blown!  I mean, think about it.  How could anything not be afraid of an alligator?

Well, the captain told us:

  1. The cows knew how big and strong they were.
  2. They knew the behavior of the alligators.
  3. The cows stayed in groups and shielded their young.

That got me thinking, of course.  Sisters, do we really know who we are (and Who we serve)?  Have we equipped ourselves with the Word of God so that we know how to prepare ourselves for any attack the enemy may try to bring? 

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The Sweetest Reminder

The Manna Chef

This morning as I was walking and enjoying a brisk breeze outside, I asked our Father, “What will You have me to say to Your daughters today?” He did not respond immediately, so I continued to walk and just breathe Him in. (Have you taken a moment to just breathe Him in? If not, you should try it today. Stop everything, close your eyes, and breathe deeply. Open yourself to His presence.)

I simply waited, listening for that still voice, and God’s response made my heart smile. He said, “Tell them that I love them, I see them, and I hear them.” Such simple words, but my heart is so full right now. That led me to Jeremiah 31:3:

The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”

I know that God loves me, really loves me. I do. He has shown me that in the most awesome ways throughout my life. The fact that His love is everlasting is truly amazing to me, because I am not deserving of that love. But His love is not based on what I deserve; it’s based on Who He is. He truly has drawn me to Him—even this morning, I could feel Him all around me. But His message today was not just that He loves us.

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