My Crazy is Real

As we go into February, some of us start the new year off with either resolutions or goals. You may have made or going to make a vision board to see the things you want to achieve this year. Maybe you work on a physical makeover. You either work out or make calls able going through a surgical procedure. Wherever you are on the journey, there will be a cost to move forward. One woman in the bible that moves forward with a cost is Esther. Her story is about when she went before the King on the behalf of the Jewish people. There have been conferences, movies, and sermons based on the famous saying “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). But there were steps that happen before that wonderful scene. Esther had to move forward.  

There are three steps to moving forward. They are: 

1. Let go of your past 

2. Embrace your present 

3. Get prepared for your future  

1. Let go of your past  

The story of Esther begins with a young girl living with her Uncle Morcedai during the time of Jerusalem captivity (Esther 2:5-7) in the provinces of Persia. The king Ahasuerus was angry because the Queen Vashi did not obey him when he requested her. (1:10-12) He sent out a decree looking for a new queen among the maidens of the land. (2:1-4). When the king's commandment went out to find maidens they chose Esther. Her uncle sent her two things a goodbye and a statement Don't show who you are (2:10).  

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA 

When you are going to the next level of your destiny,  people will let you go or stop you. When God is moving you there’s a cost. God will take people, places and things out of the immediate circle. We may leave behind family and friends. Your hometown may not be the city of growth for you. The things you value the most will be the first thing to go.  This is necessary to further you in your purpose. It’s costly to walk in purpose. 

2. Embrace Your Present 

They took Esther into the palace and she finds favor with Hegai the keeper of the women (2:9). They gave her other maiden to help her. She now has to go through her purification. This will last 12 months. Yes, a year. She needs to get clean. The maidens could not go before the king in their own clothes.  They are to be cleaned in myrrh and sweet odors. They need transformation. 

Embracing your present requires change. You are now going through a process of renewal. This will be the most difficult part. It will not take place overnight.  It will be weeks, months or in Esther time a year. Yes, a year. To embrace your present, you must change from a caterpillar into a butterfly. In order for that to happen, you must go into yourself and begin the purging away of things that are keeping you in on the hamster wheel. You will need help as Esther did with Hegai. You need someone to assist you in the process because if you don‘t you will stay where you are out of fear or procrastination. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be a comforter to us as we go through the process (John 14:26 / 15:26). The Holy Spirit wants to lead us into the truth of God and the relationship the King wants to have with you but if we don’t allow him, he will not push you. The Holy Spirit is God, and he is a gentleman.  It's your choice move forward or still stuck. 

Esther was on her way to becoming a queen. She was going through the purification (process).  She was around new people and places. She was learning new things. Her past could not go with her because it would have hindered her.  

3. Get prepared for your future 

Well, as the story goes Esther gets her time with King and wins his heart (2:15-17). We now have Queen Esther. A young captive Jewish girl is now the Queen of Persia. Yes, God will do it. It puts Esther to the test not too long after becoming Queen. She faced with a dilemma. There has been a decree that would put the Jewish people (her people) in danger of existence(3:8-13). Mordecai learns of the decree he went into mourning (4:1). He knows he needed to inform the  Queen. He tells her they are in danger and she has to do something. She was in this palace for a reason and it is now up to her to save them (4:14).  She told the people to go on a three-day fast with her and her maidens.   Queen Esther had to get a before the face of the King. She had to get a plan that would save her people (4:15-17).  

When we are moving forward, we need to be prepared for the obstacles that will come our way. Some will come fast and some will come later. We will need to have a relationship with God that will allow us to get before his face and ask for direction. They have crowned Esther the Queen of 

Persia but she was a Queen in the Kingdom of God. She was going before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords for an answer. She knows this would require a total devotion to God. No food, No drink, just prayer, and supplication. How can you be a Queen and not know how the kingdom is run? Jesus told us that some things only can forth with prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). Know how to get before the King for yourself. Yes, Esther had the support of the Jewish people but she herself would pray for the answer on how to save them. You may be the one to save your family. Get prepared on how to pray for them, talk to them, and stand in the gap on their behalf. Show up as a Queen and not a maiden.  

Conclusion, 

We all know the end of the story. Queen Esther saves her people and the enemies of the people were killed by their own devices. My sisters, as you go through-out this year please prepare for your purpose. Know that your past cannot come. It is your testimony, not your life. Embrace your present. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Change is painful but necessary. Prepare for your future. Learn the scriptures, be ready for all the enemies arrows. If you are not prepared, you are going to get knocked down a lot.  

To move forward is going to cost but, it is well worth it.  

The month of October stands for  OPPORTUNITY. Yes, I put it in capital letters because it is huge. There is so much we can do with opportunity. We can start an opportunity, be part of or end one.  Something will happen when we give an opportunity for a try.

They define the word opportunity as a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something:  This is such a powerful and important statement. There are things that will or must make something possible. That means that opportunity doesn’t just happen. There is a thought, a message, and action that brings it into being. Without that, opportunity turns into failure.

The above phrase is so true. An opportunity most of the time shows up as adversity. Think about it when an opportunity comes where were you? In pain, in a bad situation (loss of job, husband or wife) no money, battling an illness.  In the situation, something has to give. A circumstance will make you shift. You stop looking at the problem and see an opportunity. My example of this is the widow with a little oil. 

In the book of 2 Kings, chapter 4 verses 1-7 there is a story about a widow that came to the Prophet Elisha with a problem. Her husband passes leaving her and their children in debt. The creditors want her children as payment because she had nothing. He said to her what do you have in your house. She said a little oil. He told her to go get every vessel for your neighbors and not a few and then go into your house with your sons. When she went into her home, she pours the oil. When she did, it filled every vessel she had. She realizes that she still oil she told her son to get more vessel but there was no more. The next day she told the Prophet what happen, and he told her to sell the oil and pay off her debt. Opportunity.

Opportunity doesn‘t come as a “Yeah what a blessing” all the time. Sometimes it shows up as a” What is this new hell ". We have to learn to trust the message and not your eyes. Sometimes they can’t see the truth of a matter. God does not always reveal the outcome. He will see you through even when it does not look that way. The widow could have said, “You crazy I will find another way to take care of my debt”. She knows she only has a little oil in her house but she trusted in the man of God message. Her trust and action brought a miracle beyond measure and sent her into the overflow. What has God said to you your need to trust him about? That new house, job or relationship. Whatever God opportunity is for you trust the message and then work it out.

The month of Septemeber will be the first month where I will deal with more that one subject. I will talk about strength and showing up. I believe they go together. Your strength comes from three places, God, you and others. This is like the accountability circle I talked about in August. God will always come first but this time you are second and others are last. The Bible has many scriptures that refer going to God for strength or he is our strength. I will use the scripture from Isaiah 40.29.  

They define strength as the capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure:. This is a what we go through daily.   Pressures that come in the form of marital issues, teen peer pressure, a bad health diagnosis, loss of a loved one, loss of a job you have worked at for years and the list could go on and on. The great force or pressures in our lives would take over us if it wasn't for God's strength,  We would give up and check out. We wouldn't get up in the morning, go to work or be there for our families. In verse 29 it says He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. God shows up to be a support system when it would seem we do not have one. He will assist us when we are faint. When we are drained of all of our strength. He gives us power. The ability to move forward even when we don't want to. He allows us to move little by little. Grace and mercy are there following us so no one gets to close behind us to push us over the edge. Your might have left you but he will increase you. 

God will give the words, people and rest to make it through. 

When my son passed I don't know how I could handle that trauma. I was 20  and my son died at 2 years old on Thanksgiving day. I need God more than ever but instead; I rejected him. He hurt me.  How could a  loving God take my baby away?  God didn't get mad at me but strengthened me. He was keeping me when I did not want to be kept. He was directing my footsteps to my strong tower even when I did not know where I was going. I can say sometimes I lost my mind and if God had not place people where he did I would not have made it. 

His strength goes beyond our weakness and deals with pain. He is there saying "I got it let it go". "I can heal it if you just let it go"." I'm here". "Rest my child".  2 Corinthians 12:9  states  "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  God let Apostle Paul know that no matter the situations he was there with him. His strength is made perfect in weakness. My son death could have stopped me from living. I could have relived his death daily but God strengthened me. At my weak point, God's grace was enough. Every second until I could make a minute he was there. Then the minute turned into minutes. The minutes turned until 5 minutes. From faith to faith. I wasn't perfect but his strength was. 

Trust in the strength of God. It will get you through even when you don't know how you are going to make it.

As the month of August ends, I want to put a thought in your mind. There is only one person approval you need, and that is God's. He knows what you are this earth to do and the plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). The plan is not up for debate. You will accomplish what God has set before you. You may like the plan or not. We spend too much energy trying to figure out how the plan will work. We will tell others (family, friends and even an enemy) what God has told us.  Most will seem happy for us and pray that everything we believe works out. Someone will tell us we need to rethink the plan because it does not seem right for us. Others will flat out say "You are crazy God did not talk to you, are you, Jesus, now" The approval of others isn't required to complete the plan. There are three types of people that will be in our lives and watch our assignment. I want to know them and what they bring to the table to help you complete your plan.

 Accountability Circle.

God First 

God is the head of everything. There is not one thing created that he doesn't know when, how or why.  There is not a gift or calling given without his approval. God knows why we are where and the road we will take. We may not know but God knows. There are several people in the Bible that questions God's decision about choosing them for their assignments. Jeremiah is one. He was a young prophet insecure about his calling. God explained the  "Whys" in three powerful statements. 

1) I formed you.  

God knows why we were created for this time. We are not an accident, mistake or surprise. We are his wonderful arrival. God formed us, not our parents. Yes, they had to make us but God predestined the time, place and the people that would be in our world. God's plan was formed long before we got here trust he knows what he is doing.

2, I sanctified you.

Being sanctified means to be set apart.  They separate us for certain things because they will negatively influence your assignment. God has set us apart. The assignment could not happen without you. The kingdom of God needs you to complete it. God told Jeremiah, and he is telling you too.  

Another for sanctified means is approved.  God has approved you for your assignment. No matter what it is and who you will affect you we are approved for it.

3. I Ordained you

God has assigned everyone to do something for the kingdom. Whether you do, it is another factor. Some of us look at the mountain and complain about the climb and won't go (Jonah). We think either we can't, we aren't good enough or just don't want to do it. The assignment is your and you will complete it no matter what you think or do.

Others Second

The following scripture gives a clear understanding of how we are to help each other. Jesus the son of God our Savior tells us we need to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  You would think this would be easy. Loving myself how hard can that be. Inspect around we don't love ourselves so disliking someone else is easy. We are unhappy with ourselves most of the time because we are looking at other people and judging our selves by that standard.  We have to learn that we are all different and God likes it that way. He loves diversity because it promotes growth. When I love you because you are my sisters and not because we grow up in the same neighbor I am showing the love of God. 

When I am loving others like myself I can encourage, enlighten and empower them. I can pray for them and not expect anything in return. I can assist them with food or money by telling someone else the good deed I did today. Loving my family means just that love them.

You, Third

Last but definitely not least you. We are the apple of God's eye and we should also feel loved.  You were chosen, my sisters. He made you perfect for this assignment. He has been there from the beginning and will continue until the end. As we are a blessing to others God will send people to bless us as well. 

Jesus ministry did not run by him alone. He had 12 disciples. He had families that would allow him into their houses along the way to go to get a good meal and sleep from his long journeys  (Mary and Martha house to name one). Jesus had people that freely gave unto him without seeing him (Upper Room, the colt). Jesus was a minister too as well don't forget John the Baptist Moses and Elijah and the angels. We have so many ways God will show up to bless us that being loved should never be a question. Trust that no matter us how much you give out God has a supply to restore you. 

Accountability is not just a  word it is an assignment.

Have you jumped yet? Have you pushed yourself to move forward? Still sitting? Looking at what could have been? Won't move because you think nothing ever good comes your way? Will let me say STOP IT? Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda will get you killed.

These three words will kill your destiny, dreams, and hopes. They are the roadblocks to all that God has for you. Constant killers and will make you regret every think you could do anything. Lot's wife is a perfect example. Looking at these roadblocks in the face killed her. 

These killer words will make you think things coulda been better. That you shoulda went in a different direction or woulda did things differently. Lies, I tell you lies. This is the way to stale your progress or stop it. Lot's wife looked back and what happened?

It defines Coulda, Shoulda, and as  An expression of dismissiveness or disappointment concerning a statement, question, explanation, course of action, or occurrence involving hypothetical possibilities, uncertain facts, or missed opportunities. That is a mouth full, but the truth is we sit around killing yourself on the if factor.  When the thoughts come and they will about lost possibilities, missed opportunities in your life you can look at them but don't stare. Don't get hung up on what wronged, the words you did not say or maybe the words you said. Be clear you will make a mistake but don't stay in the mistakes. Learn from it, grow in it and move forward from it. 

Lot's wife felt she was leaving something behind she needed. God had sent angels to get her family out of harm's way. Whether she knows it, she was saying to God that he was not intelligent enough to know to what she was leaving behind. I mean she looked back as if they left behind her husband or daughters. They were with her so want else did she need. I mean God sent angels as her own personal army and that was not enough. We think we are leaving something when we are going into something better.  Don't look back because you will need to explain yourself later to God.

Coulda, shoulda and woulda are the enemies to your dreams hopes and your life. Don't give into them because if you do it will stop you dead in your tracks.

“All the girls jumped up and trimmed their lamps. Then the five who hadn’t any oil begged the others to share with them, for their lamps were going out. Matthew 25:7-8 LTB

This month I'm talking about jumping. It is important for you to take a leap of faith. Trust that God will take care of you no matter what the circumstance or situation. He is with you and that whatever life brings you can make it. 

(1 Cor.10:13)

 First, what does jump mean? They define the word jump as "push oneself off a surface and into the air by using the muscles in one's legs and feet." I love the first two words, push oneself. This is the perfect definition. We all need to push ourselves. This life is difficult.  Kermit the Frog says it best   "That ain't being green.". He wasn't lying. Being different in this world makes your life harder. Whether you are small or tall, black or white, Latino or not, disable or anything that people can see a difference between you and them life becomes harder. People may not like you because of your differences but that means they have to grow. God w bore you to achieve no matter the green in you. That's why you have jumped on every opportunity to live your life to the fullest. You are here for a purpose and let no one tell you different.

Now having said that you have to realize you have to push yourself. Have a determined mind that no matter what I will do it. There will have obstacles in your way whether other people stuff or your stuff. You will have the moments where you will to second guess your decision. Some may not have been the best way to go about but it's done. Fail but keep going. Push forward the purpose and destiny within you. Push yourself because no one else knows what you offer the world. Some may see a piece of it but not all.  

I have a personal checklist that works for me. I will share it with you maybe it can help you. It's called the Push Checklist list. It comprises only three bullet point but they are powerful:

1. Thank God

2. Appreciate yourself 

3. Go bless the world

I will explain all three a little further.

     

Thank God, you must thank him for all he has done. You would not be here without him. He breathed life into you so he has a plan . You are the apple of God's eye and just know that he wants nothing but the best for you and from you.  Thank him for the good and the bad. The days of joy and the days of sorrow. Learn to be thankful because life can make you bitter. Be mindful that there is some else in control and when you follow his plan you can Push yourself to do it.

Appreciate yourself, Life is hard enough without you doubting you. Appreciate the fact that you are where you are because growth needs to happen. Stop saying I'm are not in the right place or it is not the right time". Stop acting like you don't you. You keep criticising yourself for past failures, stuff that you did not do, the things you wish you had done, the people you wish you would have talked to, the job you should have taken. STOP IT. You are where you are for purpose and plan. You are learning a life lesson so you can go back and teach someone else. Stop making life that much harder on yourself. You are right where you need to be, now Push.

                                         

Go bless the world. Show off your gift. The word of God says that gifts are given with repentance. So why are you asking for forgiven for your gift? Everybody is not going to understand or appreciate the gift God gave YOU, God knows who will get you and like you and love you. Whether its two people or millions you have a gift to enhance world show it every day in every way and let God get the glory not you. 

Be the virgins with the oil in the lamp prepared to jump when the time comes. 

The month of June will stand for jump. What do you need to jump on? We are in the six months of 2018 have you been jumping or sitting? What are you sitting on that is prolonging your destiny and purpose?  

I couldn't find the word jump in the King James Bible but The Living Bible has plenty. The first scripture will come from one of my favorites books of the Bible, Joshua.  Joshua tells the children of Isreal that they had to jump and enter the city because the Lord has given it to them. In the King James version of this scripture, the word jump means to seize. I love that. We have to seize what the Lord has given us. Notice the Lord has given it to us but we have to jump or seize on it.

In your life, have you jumped before? Have you taken a chance on yourself and the destiny you believe God has given you? Does jumping scare you? I mean what would happen if you jumped and failed? Will you be embarrassed that people sawing you hitting the ground?  This prevents most of us from doing it, other people. Not the falling part I mean nobody wants to fail. We would be okay if we jump and fall and we were the only ones to see it.  When others are watching and judging us it takes on a different feel. Then the next time it seems impossible.

The Children of Israel had to jump. They would never get into the promised land if they stayed put. They had to seize. God would show his might in order for them to fight for power. The walls of Jericho fell by their faith in God but taken the city was by their actions to move on the word of God. They had to seize what was theirs. 

We have a promise from God.  In Jeremiah 29:11 it says  " For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. " God has a plan for your life. He made it from the moment he knows you and it has not changed. You can't alter the plans that God has for you because of fear or doubt. I know this because he says his plans s are for good and not evil.  

The devil and his friends will always try to get you to doubt or even fear your destiny and purpose. He will do the "you couldn't do that talk" and the "what will people say" scare. Don't listen to him remember what God says he wants you to have a future and a hope. Your present is not the end keep going more is to come.

   Jump don't fear the bottom it's just the ground and if you hit it get up there is always tomorrow.