Blog Archives - The Remarkable Blog

The path gets tough, but the tough keep going.

1/17/2018

I miss riding my bike. There is no way with this snow that I could go out and ride, like I did all summer. The terrain would simply slow me down too much, and the danger would be too great. However, I plan to ride again. I need to keep up my strength. I need to stay in shape. So, I have a bike stand that my bike fits into and permits me to ride stationary. Rather than quit I persevere. I adapt and overcome. It's a decision. I have a goal. I plan to ride again. Not now doesn't mean not ever.

Isaiah 1:18. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

What I do while I wait to ride will have huge impact on how I will enjoy the beginning of summer. What I have done in private will show in public. What we do everyday of our life, leaves a trail of decisions behind us that we call life. Life is lived one decision at a time. Decisions are like the footsteps we leave in the snow. We can see a trail behind us of decisions, where we lost our way, where we fell down, where we got ourselves back up. We need to take time to look at where we have been and decide if we want to continue. Obedience brings grace.

Let's stick together and encourage one another to go where God wants us to go. We are all unique and different. We have been saved to serve, forgiven to freely do what we were created to do. Alone we can get discouraged and want to quit. However, there is grace available to us to stay in shape spiritually and encourage others too. Let's stay ready because we are about to go for the ride of a lifetime!

Keeping our word.

1/16/2018

1 John 2:5 (ESV) "But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:"

Many of us make New Years Resolutions only to break them by the middle of January. Hence the reason I am bringing this up. Today is the sixteenth of January. We are just half way through the month. Are you still reading through the Bible? Are you still making your devotional time, exercise time, and eating right? Many people start things, but fewer people finish things. I don't want you to feel guilty or bad about yourself. You can repent and start over right now. There is grace for those that ask. You can simply say, "Jesus forgive me for failing short of my commitment. Help me to begin again, to keep my word."

You may not feel any different, but we don't live by our feelings. God is a God of words. He created the world with His words. Notice in the scripture below, what we say is what becomes visible to the eyes.

Hebrews 11:3 (NIV) "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."

God spoke, and then it was seen. Speak what you want to see, not what is, but what can be!

Ecclesiastes 5:4-7 (ESV) "When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear."

We begin by keeping God's word. Then the power of God comes into our life, to keep our own word. As we become stronger in the word of God, we become stronger in our own word. You may notice you think more, before you speak. You may get a check in your spirit as to what and how you say something. You may choose to say nothing.

Deuteronomy 23:23 (ESV) "You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth."

We are created in the image of God. Hence, our words have power to create order out of chaos, or we can generate chaos. The choice is ours. Today, I challenge you to choose your words according to the Word of God. Say what God says about you. Say what God says about others. Say what your want, not what your have. There is power in your mouth. Direct your words like arrows to destroy the enemy, or build yourself and others up. God says, we can have what we say.

Mark 11:23 (NIV) ""Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them."

To stand alone in an evil day we must walk with God.

1/15/2018

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is Martin Luther King Day. Most of our children will consider this nothing more than a day off. Many adults won't know why today is a national holiday. Some reading this will remember Martin Luther King as nothing more than a black man that was on TV, if that. I encourage you to take the opportunity today to read the history of Martin Luther King, Jr. for yourself, and then share what you learned with those that do not know the significance of why we have this national holiday. If we forget the "Why?", we are left to think up reasons for ourselves.

Isaiah 58:1 ESV “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins.

I once heard someone say, "Don't be afraid of standing alone. Eagles fly alone. Pigeons flock together." I am uncertain of the source of this saying, or even if I have remembered it correctly, but I am sure you understand what I mean. By using today as an opportunity to remind ourselves, and teach others that the price of standing up for what you believe sometimes cost you deeply, I believe we can all gain much needed courage. Many people, especially the young are afraid of taking a stand. By learning about those that have gone on before us, we can perhaps find the wind beneath our wings as well.

For more on this subject here is a link for a great teaching: https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-16-standing-alone-genesis-69-22

What is God asking you to do? What needs a voice in the day in which you are living that wants to use yours? In the days ahead I will begin to share a vision about Deborah's Voice. It is the voice of women across this nation that stand for godliness, marriage and God. There will be a March held in DC on September 29, 2018. Please consider how you can be a part of this. Contact me for more information.

Taking an assessment

1/12/2018

“Let’s cut to the chase. After nearly two decades of studying Christian churches in America, I’m convinced that the typical church as we know it today has a rapidly expiring shelf life.” This dire assessment of the state of the church begins George Barna’s 1998 book, The Second Coming of The Church. He continued:
“Americans today are more devoted to seeking spiritual enlightenment today than at any previous time during the twentieth century. Yet, at this moment of optimum opportunity, Christianity is having less impact on people’s perspectives and behaviors than ever. Why is that? Because a growing majority of people have dismissed the Christian faith as weak, outdated, and irrelevant.

“Interestingly, the stumbling block for the Church is not its theology but its failure to apply what is believes in compelling ways. The downfall of the Church has not been the content of the message but its failure to practice those truths. Christians have been their own worst enemies when it comes to showing the world what authentic, biblical Christianity looks like – and why it represents a viable alternative to materialism, existentialism, and mysticism, and the other doctrines of popular culture.”

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee."

Here is the heart of what Barna concluded: “Most Christians – not those who merely call themselves Christians but those who have confessed their sinfulness and have asked Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior – have fallen pray to the same disease as their worldly counterparts. We think and behave no differently from anyone else.”

In most churches it is as if discipleship, living a life that is continuously becoming morphed into the likeness of Christ is purely optional. We liberally drink in God’s grace, but kindly pass on the parts of Christianity that would radically transform the way we live.

It is as if Christians have forgotten that there is a cost to following Christ. And in our malaise, we have gotten too comfortable, not only in our pew, but far too comfortable in our world. Our faith has become as casual as the clothes we have begun to wear on Sunday morning.

When we pass an accident on the road many of us are guilty of looking back and trying to see what's happened putting ourselves and everyone else on the road at risk for the same thing. This is what I see in the churches today. We are all so busy looking at what others are doing that we fail to do what God has called us to do. We forget that we are not to look like the world but stand out so that the world can see Jesus.

Challenge for today: Take an assessment of what God has called you to do and compare it with what you are doing. For example we are in the first phase of a 21 Day Fast. Many are looking for ways to eat and be legal than looking for ways to do what God called them to do, fast. Fasting means to cover the mouth. In essence then fasting means not to let anything into the mouth. Fasting in the church today looks like a creative attempt to figuring out what can be called a liquid and how to make it taste good.

Christianity may not always taste good. We are to die to what we want, so others can get what they need. If we do that? We will stand out, because we have stood up and did what He asked us to do.

Change is good.

1/11/2018

We all hate change. Change makes us uncomfortable. Change however, is inevitable.

Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

The only thing that doesn't change is God. However, when we see Him we are to be like Him. I don't know about you but I am a far cry from looking like Him. Oh, I may resemble Him in word or deed, but to be a mirror image is going to take some changing on my part.

Change is uncomfortable. I remember when I was pregnant. I was changing. It was inconvenient and unfamiliar. Pregnancy changed the way I walked. Pregnancy changed where I went, and who I was around. If someone was smoking, I wasn't going to go there. If people were rough housing, I kept my distance. I didn't want to ride in the car with people who drove too fast, or were reckless. Why? Because I was carrying something that was about to be birthed. I was carrying something precious. I was carrying something I longed to bring forth.

I keep hearing, "I am wanting my people to change." "I am doing a work inside of them." This is a new year. The number eight means new beginnings. In order to have a new beginning we must change. We must leave the old. Will we be stretched? Yes. Will we be uncomfortable at times? Yes. Will the change be worth it? Yes. But, we will never know until we embrace the change. We won't know we can fly until we step off the cliff of faith. He will not let us fall. He will bear us up on His wings.

Today embrace the change. Embrace the unfamiliar and uncomfortable. We are not called to remain the same. In order for the greater one to be manifested through us, we must allow ourselves to be changed.

Change is good because change is of God.

Being a part of something bigger than yourself.

1/10/2018

I want to challenge you this year to reach out and do something for someone who is doing something bigger than you. Join an organization that is reaching further than you can reach. Become a part of a group that is touching more lives than you could ever touch. This is the life of a disciple. They left life as they knew it to follow Jesus.

1 Samuel 17: 23-31 Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. 25 So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”
26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”29 And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” 30 Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.31 Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. 32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

Caught in a snow storm.

1/9/2018

Psalm 37:5 (KJV) "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

This scripture above was all I could think about yesterday morning. There was a trip I was committed to making regardless of the weather. I knew God wanted me to be there, but the weather did not look like it was the wisest decision for me to make. I committed it to the Lord, and ask Him to be my guide. Many times I could barely see the road in from of me. I quit counting accidents. There were just too many to count. The salt trucks and plow trucks became my friends. I didn't turn the radio on, or talk on the phone. I drove. It seemed like forever before I settled down and took the snow covered ramp to get a cup of coffee, and take a bathroom break. Some of the ramps were actually closed. I probably drove 40 miles an hour most of the way. When I got out of my car I knew I would pen this trip into my gratitude journal.

My Jesus is bigger than my storms. Sunday I shared in my message that if you want to build a great ship you don't just look for a contractor, you look for someone who loves the sea. They will build a great ship. It is like the story of the three brick layers. One when asked what he was doing said, "I'm laying bricks what does it look like?" The other was asked the same question and answered, "I'm building a wall." But the third brick layer when asked replied, "I am building a great cathedral for God." Which do you think played the best bricks?

I was on a mission for God. I wasn't just driving from point A to point B. I drove like it was a mission. I prayed like it was part of the mission, because it was.

Challenge for the day. What are you doing today? Just laying bricks? or building a cathedral?

My Gratitude Journal is filling up!

1/8/2018

I shared with you last week an app. that is available on your phone that is able to journal your year in a minute a day. The application is called "1 Second Everyday". As I have been doing this I realized all the wonderful blessings I have in my life. Just yesterday we went to our PA church location thinking the furnace wasn't working and the water line had frozen. When we got there both were working properly. I realized at that moment that how grateful I was for running water and heat. Things we normally take for granted, when not there become very important. I asked the Father at that moment, "Help me to be more grateful for all of the blessing Is don't notice." When you begin to take a 1 second video of your day, it shows you all the things you don't notice until they are in the picture. This app works for Apple and Android. Here is the app for Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/1-second-everyday-video-diary/id587823548?mt=8. Here is the app for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/detailsid=co.touchlab.android.onesecondeveryday&hl=en

So back to my gratitude journal. I am grateful to be able to capture a moment everyday to put me in remembrance of all the wonderful people, places, and playthings that are in my life. The little things and the big things matter to a life. Where you ate and who was with you? Where you traveled and what you saw? If we don't meditate on them, we will end up going from person to person, or from event to event, and at the end of the year think our life was all work and no fun, and didn't matter.

From the struggles to the triumphs God is forging our character, and refining us to be more like Him. Not every day is going to be a banner day. However, when we show gratitude for what we are becoming, and what we are learning, I believe God will show us more and make more of our lives. All around us there are opportunities to show gratitude. The old saying, "What could of, should of, would of happened--didn't."

Sunday as cold as it was here in West Virginia, we had a full house. Sure several people were missing but there wasn't an empty seat in the house. People were having an encounter with Christ. There were those that received answers to prayers and gifts of the spirit. We met with our Leadership and shared our hearts. Most everyone is on a liquid fast as we declared a corporate fast and no one was complaining! There were no bad attitudes! I am so grateful for who I get to do life with. They are some of the greatest people on the planet.

Yes, my gratitude journal has already been filled with several things for which I am grateful. I am excited as this year unfolds. I look forward to watching my video at the end of the year. I pray for those of you that send comments and that I know are reading this Blog and look forward to hearing more from you this year. I hope you enjoy the app.

Day five of New Beginnings-Holy Habits and Godly Grooves

1/5/2018

For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The number 5 in the Bible is significant because his creation, the 'man' has five fingers, five senses and five toes. Thus it is the number of God's grace. ... Gematria is the name given to the process of assigning numbers to different words. If you have known me very long you know that I am big on numbers, words and their meanings. You can't be a student of the word of God and ignore numbers and meanings of words. They bring to life the word of God. They are another avenue for God to communicate to us through. That being said, I felt the Lord say, "today was going to be a day of grace. Today is going to be a day of the supernatural. My people who are called by my name are humbling themselves and fasting all over the nation. I am stepping in to manifest my grace in, on and through them."

I did not wake up asking God to speak to me. I wasn't praying and seeking Him for anything. Hence, He is doing exactly what He said. So, right now just receive it. Believe a prophet and so shall you prosper. I am so excited for this day. There are many things I desire to get accomplished and today I know that I will have the grace needed to complete the tasks at hand.

Accept His grace today. Walk in His grace today. Today is a great day to be alive.

Here are some scriptures to meditate on today in gratefulness for His abundant grace.

Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. (John 1:16)
For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of all people. (Titus 2:11)
Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! (Ephesians 1:6)
But by the free gift of God’s grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free (Romans 3:24)

More from Bible.org if you'd like further study:
The number 5 symbolizes God's grace, goodness and favor toward humans and is mentioned 318 times in Scripture. Five is the number of grace, and multiplied by itself, which is 25, is 'grace upon grace' (John 1:16). The Ten Commandments contains two sets of 5 commandments. The first five commandments are related to our treatment and relationship with God, and the last five concern our relationship with others humans.

Appearances of the number five There are five primary types of offerings God commanded Israel to bring to him. They are the Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1; 8:18 - 21; 16:24), Sin (Leviticus 4; 16:3 - 22), Trespass (Leviticus 5:14 - 19; 6:1 - 7; 7:1 - 6), Grain (Leviticus 2) and Peace Offering (Leviticus 3; 7:11- 34).

The Book of Psalms is divided into five major sections. Section 1 (Psalm 1 to 41) refers to the Passover, Israel's beginning, and the start of the God's plan of salvation that centers around Christ. Section 2 (42 to 72) sings about a unified Israel in the land and pictures the creation of the New Testament Church. Section 3 (73 to 89) bemoans the destruction of both God's Temple and Jerusalem. This section also hints at prophecies regarding the End Time Great Tribulation. Section 4 (90 to 106) rejoices over the 1,000 reign of Jesus and shows Israel gathered again. Section 5 (107 to 150) pictures a time when Judah (representing all Israel) shall again be delivered.

There are five books of God's Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) commonly referred to as the Pentateuch ('Penta' means five).

Day four of New Beginnings-Holy Habits and Godly Grooves

1/4/2018

Psalm 121: 1 (KJV) "A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help."

Yesterday one of the members of "Holy Habits and Godly Grooves" (a devotional Facebook Group), posted this picture below. As I was praying about todays Blog, I thought about how when we turn our eyes upon Jesus everything that comes against us shrinks in comparison to His great power. When we are sick He heals us. When we were bound he delivered us. When we were lost He saved us. When we can't find our way her guides and directs us. The difficulties we experience He brought us through those too. When we experience lack God provides for us. The list goes on.

Let's make memories this year. Where we file things matters. If we want to retrieve something, we need to be able to find it in the proper place. If we file, say a biopsy as something bad we had to get done, rather than a praise report that it came back negative, we won't have much to praise God for. However, if we file it under the Lord keep me disease free, and I am so blessed we will want to share the news with everyone. This will glorify God and enlarge Him in our eyes. Our faith will grow. Which file are you going to put that situation in? Make memories that matter!

So let's do a daily review this year. One way to do this is a gratitude journal. Write three things down a day that you are grateful for. Then at the end of the year you will have over 1095 ways to praise God.

There is also an app. that will allow you to take a short video everyday and at the end of the year have your own year in review. I will tell you more about that tomorrow. Make a great day.