DAILY INSPIRATION

“Making beautiful, what was once Broken”

Most of the time, when something is “Broken” or damaged; we throw it away or we figure out a way to quickly remove it from our lives. I’m so glad and tremendously grateful, that God doesn’t handle broken things the way that we do. I’m so glad that He didn’t throw me away or give up on me when others considered me damaged goods. I’m so glad that God could see beauty within me; even in the midst of my brokenness. God has the ability to lovingly receive people who have been rejected, abused, misunderstood, and misinformed; then supernaturally restore them and make beautiful, what was once broken.

Here is the AMAZING thing about this entire process of restoration, reconciliation and beautiful transformation: God doesn’t ask us to bring anything fancy to the table in order to be restored. He doesn’t make things complicated for us to be revived, refreshed and renewed. All we have to do is, give ourselves to Him. He just wants us to be sincere, genuine and completely honest about our past and our present pain; then He will begin to make beautiful, what was once broken.
The reason why I stressed the words sincere, genuine and honest; is because God already knows the truth, but our hearts and our minds cannot be healed without humble and authentic transparency. Also, when we hide things in the dark; we actually give the devil permission to access to key areas of our lives, because darkness is His playground. When we bring things to the light; they get exposed and the devil loses his power and his leverage over you. Listen to what the Word of God has to say about confessing; and the beautiful fruit it produces. Proverbs 28:13 says, People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. James 5:16 says, Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 1st John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Wow, these scriptures are so encouraging and life giving, because God is giving us a promise; that if we are honest about our past-pain and repentant about our mistakes and our bad decisions: He will restore us and make beautiful, what was once broken. If you are listening today; and you need healing in your heart, your mind, your marriage, your family or even your Church: I encourage you to first talk to your Heavenly Father and fully express and detail your past hurt or your present pain. Then take a moment and talk to someone that you trust; who is compassionate, full of wisdom, loves God and wants to see you restored. Take a moment and share your pain and your faults with them. Then ask them to agree with you in prayer, for your complete restoration. I am standing with you in prayer right now; because I truly believe that God can and He will; make beautiful, what was once broken.

God bless you and have a wonderful day! Please be sure to share this “Daily Inspiration” with someone by using the share button in the corner of your App.

“Let’s Worship”

DAILY SCRIPTURE: Acts 16: 22-26 - A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23.They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24.So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. 25.Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26.Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! Amen. (NLT)

DAILY INSPIRATION: When most people think of Worship, they think of lifted hands or singing songs to the lord. While this may be a part of your Worship; it is so much more to it than that. Worship is honor, adoration, thanksgiving, fellowship, obedience, sacrifice, and an inward-outward expression of love towards the one we believe is worthy.

We worship God when we serve and bless others with our gifts, skills and talents. We worship God when we pray and respond to His Word in obedience. We worship God when we give Him the fruit of our lips through our passionate and sincere praise. We worship God when we invest our time, our talent and our treasure into the ministry of Jesus Christ. We worship God when we treat others well, without a hidden agenda or expecting something in return. We worship God when we express gratitude and thanksgiving for who He is, and NOT just for what He can do. We even worship God when we give our financial gifts to our local Church. Basically, we worship God through our living, our giving and our praise.

In our key Bible verses for today; Paul and Silas gave us a wonderful example of what worship is. They were not only singing; they worshiped God by serving others before they were thrown into jail. One of my favorite things about this passage; is that in the midst of being in a deep, dark jail cell: Paul and Silas both, were worshiping God. This is fascinating to me, because they were just beaten and thrown into the lower parts of a jail: yet they were praising God, singing hymns and praying. This entire passage encourages me because it reminds me that my worship is NOT dictated by my circumstances. When things are going great, I can worship and when things are not so great, I can still worship. When I have clear direction, I can worship and when I have no Idea what to do or where to go next, I can still worship. When my body is feeling good and whole, I can worship and when I’m dealing with sickness, I can still worship. I’ll leave you with this thought for the day: The Bible makes it clear that the devil is a thief, so he tries to steal everything from you. Here’s the GREAT NEWS! No matter what the enemy takes; he can never steal your worship. So, as we prepare to go to our Sunday Worship Service; I encourage you to give God more of you and watch what happens. As a matter of fact, you might as well begin worshiping right now. God bless you and have a great day.

DAILY INSPIRATION

“Let God Open YOUR Eyes”

2nd Kings 6:17 - And Elisha prayed, "Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

What we see is important, but how we see things is of even greater value. How we see ourselves, how we see our family and how we see our finances really matter. Our general perception of life is tremendously important and a critical part of our success. Sometimes we overlook the things that matter the most; and we waste our energy and our time on things that are NOT as significant. A lot of times, we focus on everything that’s going wrong instead of embracing the beauty of all the things that are going right. Well today, I want to encourage you to let God open your eyes, so that you can see what He wants you to see. Not just what you want to see, and not what you think you should see; but what God wants you to see.

In our key verse today, Elisha prayed for God to open the eyes of the servant that was with Him. He asked God to open His eyes; because all the servant could see was the enemy’s army surrounding them. He didn’t realize that God’s army was already surrounding the army of the enemy. That’s what I want you to receive today: sometimes, what you see is NOT really all that’s there. So, from now on; when you are in the midst of a troubling situation or a difficult circumstance: simply ask God to open your eyes. Ask God to feed your faith and starve your doubts so that you can overcome the F.E.A.R (False Evidence Appearing Real).

I pray that God would open your eyes so that you can see the victory, freedom and deliverance in your family. Open your eyes so that you can see healing and clarity in your mind. Open your eyes so that you can see success and breakthrough in your finances. Open your eyes so that you can see peace and prosperity in your soul. I pray that your spiritual eyes would be open on a much greater level than your natural eyes. Amen.

Have a wonderful day everyone and don’t forget to share this “Daily Inspiration” with others. God bless you and may the Lord open up your eyes.

Daily Inspiration

Journey to your open door

We live in a day and age where everything is expected to be done quickly. Most people want things done on demand, without having to wait at all. We want our internet faster, our phones faster, our education faster, our promotions faster and some people even want their Church service done faster. Of course; we want our food delivered faster. We even have the nerve to monitor and get upset if another customer gets their food faster.

Listen, I understand that we live in a society that has spoiled us and given us great technology benefits that allow us to move more efficiently and have things quicker. I have no problem with that at all; but I honestly believe that we’ve allowed for this microwave mentality to bleed into our relationships and other key areas of our lives. This “Got to have it now” “Got to have it right away” mentality is causing us to miss the joy and the beauty within the journey. When you avoid the journey; you also avoid life lessons and wisdom that can only be gained during the process of waiting. See, there is so much value in waiting; but in the moment, we feel like the only value is in the thing that we are waiting for. But that’s not true, because waiting takes you on a journey with yourself; where you begin to find true value. You begin to discover, how patient you really are; how loyal you really are; how tenacious you really are and how strong you really are. Going through the journey, allows you to master your strengths; while at the same time highlighting your weakness so that you can become a better person.

Here’s the other thing: When we do things at warp speed, sometimes we get warped results. For example: there are some foods that were never meant to be inside of a microwave. Some foods become more delicious the longer it takes to cook. I know that it doesn’t sound fun to wait on food; but after the first bite; your taste buds will inform you; that it was well worth the wait. What about prayer? Let’s talk about it. Have you ever asked God for something and you got frustrated or worried because it didn’t happen in the time that you wanted it to? Well, have you ever considered that maybe God answered your prayer immediately; but he used the journey and the waiting period to prepare you for the manifestation of your answered prayer?

I could go on and on about the joy, the beauty, the benefits and the character that is built during the journey; but I’ll leave you with this for the day. Don’t be tricked into thinking that faster is always better. Instead, enjoy the journey and learn as much as you can; so that you are fully equipped and prepared to flourish when you walk through your open door.

DAILY SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:12 - Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

“It’s an Honor to Pray”

DAILY INSPIRATION: One of the greatest privileges that we have as believers; is the honor of talking to God in prayer. The amazing thing is this; Prayer is NOT just some good command from God: He really desires to talk to us. Wow, the creator of the sun, the moon, the stars, the ocean, the trees, the wind and the creator of all human life wants to talk to us. This is such a great honor; but to be honest, I have taken this great honor for granted far too many times.

There are many reasons why people don’t take the time to pray; or should we call them the “Excuses for not praying”. Some of us have added too many other things on our plate and forgot to add God. Some people don’t pray because they assume that you have to use fancy and scholarly words while talking to God. That’s NOT true at all; because God would much rather for us to be honest, genuine and sincere during our time of prayer. Most of us don’t realize the unique and powerful value of prayer; even as it pertains to our daily decisions, plans and situations. I encourage you as I’m encouraging myself, to give our AMAZING God, the FIRST portion of your day; before rushing into the daily grind. My day is so much better when I talk to God and listen as He talks to me. When I was growing up, my mom had a beautiful plaque hanging on the wall, that displayed a life impacting poem. I’d like to share it with you today.

Poem: I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day; I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task. "Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered. He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak; I wondered why God didn't show me. He said, "But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence; I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, "My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early THIS morning, and paused before entering the day; I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray. Amen

Let’s all take time to pray! Have a blessed day everyone.

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DAILY SCRIPTURE: 1st Samuel 17:39 - David fastened on the sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. (NIV)

“It doesn’t fit”

DAILY INSPIRATION: Have you ever tried on a pair of shoes that looked really nice but they hurt your feet so much that you couldn’t even walk in them? Or Have you tried on an outfit that was absolutely stunning but it was tremendously tight and uncomfortable? No matter how much you like the shoes or the outfit, you normally decide, not to buy them because it’s not worth the pain or the discomfort. Well, this is how David felt in our key Bible verse for today; because King Saul was trying to get him to wear armor that he wasn’t at all used to or comfortable with. Simply put, the armor wasn’t meant for David; IT DIDN’T FIT.

You see, David had just finished voluntarily accepting the challenge to fight the giant Goliath. Everyone was afraid of the Giant except for David. He understood that as long as God was with him; he would come out victorious. David didn’t’ want to be anything else or wear another man’s armor. He remembered from previous battles, that being himself and being with God was enough to get the victory.

You may be asking yourself; what does this have to do with you and me? Well, how many times have you added something to your life because it looked good, but you knew in your heart that it didn’t fit. How many relationships have you entered that seemed good on the surface, but you knew in your heart that it didn’t fit? How many times have you accepted what other people said about you; instead of asking God if it was a good fit for you? We all need to ask ourselves these questions from time to time; so, that we never begin running a race that God didn’t give to us. Let’s be real; It’s not always easy because there are people in your past and your present that can’t handle the NEW you. They struggle because the “armor” that they tried to put on you, just doesn’t fit you anymore!

I’ll leave you with this for the day: DON’T TRY TO BE ANYONE ELSE! One of the greatest things that God has ever given us, is the gift of uniqueness. Even if someone is similar to you, or they have a few comparable traits; there is still no one on the planet just like you. You are one of a kind and undoubtedly a designer original. There may be people who come close; but nobody has your smile, your accent, your gestures, your temperament, your talents, your calling; and definitely, no one has your destiny. With that being said, most of us are just now figuring out who we really are. The good news is that the closer you get to God, the more you realize who you really are and the more you discover the details of your uniqueness. As you reflect on this “daily inspiration”, I encourage you to learn more about God, because that will unearth more of who you are. In turn, you will clearly see, what does and doesn’t fit!