Tag: believe

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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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Can I Get an “Amen”?

The Manna Chef

Sisters, how many of you remember School House Rock?  When I was a little girl, I couldn’t wait to turn on the television on Saturday mornings.  I’d sing along cheerfully, not even realizing I was learning all kinds of information.  (I’d later use that very same tool on my own classroom.)  One of the episodes from the Grammar Rock series was titled, “Interjections!”  The song reminded us to use them to “show excitement or emotion” and then told us they were “set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point or by a comma when the feeling’s not as strong.”  In other words, interjections interrupt a sentence.  (Hold onto that for a minute.)

This morning, I was thinking about the word amen.  (Those who know me personally are not surprised at all, knowing my love for words.)  Amen is a declaration that simply means so be it or it is so.   That’s why we proclaim “Amen!” at the end of our prayers.  We are literally claiming whatever it is that we have just prayed for.  Well, the word amen is actually an interjection.  (Remember, interjections interrupt a sentence.)

Hmm … That got me thinking!  What if we interrupted the nonsense the enemy tries to throw our way by praying, using the authority that God has given to us, asking Jesus to move mightily on our behalf, and sealing the prayer in His name, and then we proclaimed “Amen,” fully believing that our Lord and Savior is going to come through for us?  Amen is meant to interrupt some things! 

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Now THAT’S Faith!

The Manna Chef

Today, I was thinking about Jesus’s first miracle—turning water to wine at a wedding.  It must have been some reception since they drank all the wine, right?  In case you need a reminder, here’s the account in John 2:1-9 (NLT).

The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee.  Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration.  The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied.  “My time has not yet come.”

But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.”  When the jars had been filled, He said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.”  So the servants followed his instructions.

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God’s Got the Details

The Manna Chef

Have you ever had a need that seemed so great that you honestly didn’t know how it was going to be met?  I’m talking about an obligation that goes far beyond what you have—tangibly.  Well, I found myself right in the middle of one of those days—trying to wrap my head around a million details to figure everything out.  I had made so many lists, determined be responsible in managing everything while trying to be a good steward.  The task was becoming quite a challenge too, even for someone who loves to deal with the details.  I became restless and agitated, and then the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “Remember, I have already taken care of every detail for you.  There is no need for you to spend your energy on figuring anything out, and there is no need to panic.  Just trust Me.” 

I am detail-oriented, so it is quite natural for me to focus on the small things.  But I will admit, this time I was drowning in those details.  I was feeling overwhelmed instead of excited by the move of God.  But after the Holy Spirit spoke, a calm came over me instantly.  I allowed myself to be very still and meditate on His actual words.  Did you get that?  I allowed myself a moment to be still.  My will was involved.  I could choose to believe the word of the Lord, or I could try to make things happen on my own.  I chose the former.  I didn’t fire back at the Holy Spirit with a million questions.  I didn’t ignore what He said, determined to do it in my own power.  I didn’t continue to try to figure it all out.  I didn’t doubt Him.  Instead, I believed that He would move on my behalf simply because He said that He would.  And He promised that He had taken care of every detail.

I thanked God for moving just for me, and I let go of what was becoming cumbersome.  Just like that, I decided to let go.  It wasn’t even difficult.  I was glad to cast that weight aside.  I turned on some praise music and went on with my day. 

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I Am Who God Says I Am

The Manna Chef

What will it take for us to really believe what God has said concerning our lives?   Think about that today, Sisters, and take a moment to look at what you have chosen to believe about yourself.

The children of Israel watched God move in miraculous fashion right before their eyes.  We know the accounts of how mightily the Lord moved on their behalf.  And yet, like us, they seemed to find themselves back in the state of displeasing God.  In fact, God had to allow them to be conquered over and over again to bring them to a place of humility and obedience.  In Judges Chapter 6, God allowed them to be conquered and ruled by the Midianites for seven years.  And then entered a man named Gideon…

The angel of the Lord sat down under the oak that belonged to Joash, Gideon’s dad, while Gideon was threshing wheat in secret to keep it from the Midianites.  The angel appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” (verse 12, NKJV)  The NIV version of the Bible says, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”  The Amplified Bible says, “The Lord is with you, mighty man of fearless courage.”

There was no wavering in the words; they were stated as a fact.  The angel of the Lord gave a statement of identity assigned by God to Gideon.  But Gideon couldn’t fully grasp onto such a powerful description used to refer to him.  He said, “But sir, if God is really with us then why has all this happened to us?”  Anybody ever feel that way?  Chaos is all around you, and you cannot see or even feel God.  We begin to question, “Well, God are you here?  Do you hear my prayers?  Do you even care?” 

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