My Alabaster Box

Though He Slay me...I will Trust Him!

How many of us say that we trust God? How many of us really trust God? If God told you to leave your job (your only source of income) to serve Him and bring people to the Kingdom, how many of us would willingly do it without hesitation? If it was so clear that it was coming from God, how many of us would say that we need to pray about it more? There are many times when God gives us an answer but it's not the one that we want so we continue to seek Him for a different answer. When you REALLY trust Him, you submit to Him in whatever He tells you to do. If you had everything that you owned and loved taken away from you, would you love God even more or would you turn away and live according to your own will? What if God allowed the people closest to you to be hurt or taken away?  Would you still love Him and Trust His will? What if God allowed all of things to happen to you although you have been obedient to His Word, His Will and His way? What would you do? Where would you go?

I am sure that you are familiar with the story of Job.  Job was a righteous man. The Bible quotes that he was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. Job was a rich man. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. Satan traveled to see God (with the angels, I add!) and told God that Job would curse His name should He take away everything that is important to him. God gave Satan permission to do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't kill Job. In Job's first test, he lost his sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys, his servants and his children - all in one day! Job raised up, tore off his robe, shaved his head and bowed down and worshipped God - How powerful!!!!! This tells us that Job trusted God so much that he knew that in the midst of calamity, God would bring restoration. He trusted God's plan. In Job's second test God allowed Satan to inflict sickness upon Job; but Satan was instructed to spare his life. Job's wife told him that he should just curse God and die - the pain was even tough for her to bear! His friends accused him of committing a sinful act. What will you do when you turn around and the people closest to you are accusing you? Who will you trust then?

Wait for your Isaac!

Image: Standing on the Promises of God  (L. Kern)

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9) 

God made a promise to Abraham, the father of faith.  God promised him that he would make him the father of a great nation and that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3).  In order for this promise to be fulfilled, God had to bless Abraham with a son.  Abraham was old in age and Sarah, his wife was barren.  God still worked in His time to fulfill the promise.  Abraham and Sarah began to grow impatient waiting for the manifestation.  Abraham reminded God that he was getting old and that his only possible heir would be his servant Eliezer.  He thought that maybe God would allow him to make Eliezer the heir since his promised son had not yet come to pass.  Fear started to come into play. Maybe Abraham felt that God has forgot about him.  God reassured him that His covenant would be fulfilled. his descendants would be so many that he could never count them! 

"Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." (Genesis 15:4-5)

Sarah (then Sarai) grew tired and frustrated when God's promise had not come to pass after a long wait.  She told Abraham to go and get Hagar (the maidservant) and bear a child with her.  Abraham in his weariness agreed.  Their action showed a lack of faith that God would fulfill His promise.  Ishmael was born but he was not the promised son from God! 

Both Abraham & Sarah acted outside of God's will. A lack of faith creates a series of problems.  This happens when we take matters into our own hands instead of waiting on God to do it.  We attempt to make his promises come to pass through efforts that are not in line with His specific directions nor His Word.  Time may be the greatest test of our willingness to let God work in our lives.  Sometimes we must simply wait.  When we want something so bad we can become blind and make a trick from Satan  (Ishmael) seem like a blessing from God.  We can want something (or someone) to be what we have been praying for so bad that we ignore The Holy Spirit whispering "That isn't God's promise for you".  Remember that whenever you are outside the will of God, you are outside the best that God has for you!

What are you believing God for? Does it seem like it is taking FOREVER to come to pass? Are others around you being blessed and you feel like God has forgotten about you? He hasn't! Do you feel like some prayers work fast and others take too long? Are you growing weary and ready to take matters into your own hands? I caution you to build up your faith and remain in your season of waiting until God is ready to bring you out of it.  When you move out of season, the season will only last longer.  Don't delay your blessings any longer.  Let God bring upon the manifestation of His promises in His timing.  You may not be ready yet.  He may be molding you with the ability to handle the blessing.  Your blessing may not be at its best or ready for God to present it to you.  In this season, give God your best so that He will return His best to you.  We should be so into God that he has to interrupt us serving Him just to bless us!

We all make mistakes but "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) 

Don’t want something so bad that you move outside of God’s will. Beware! Satan will send  you an Ishmael! Be patient & wait for the Isaac that God promised you! 

It will be so much greater than anything that you can go and get on your own.  The next time you receive what you think is a blessing, take it to God and ask "Lord, who sent this?"  I can tell you from my own experiences that He will show you and it will happen fast! When /if you get the answer that the "blessing" is not from Him, RUN RUN RUN or you will delay the manifestation of His promise.  God can't bring you an Isaac when you have an Ishmael in its place!

Until Next Time

Satan is Defeated - 5 ways to GET EQUIPPED for Victory!

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

Each and every one of us is filled with purpose from the day that we are conceived in our mother's womb.  God has a plan that He has called us to walk out in it's entirety for His glory.  The road will not always be easy (James 1:2-4) and the burden will not always be light.  There will be struggles, doubt, temptation, fear, haters and more.  But I have good news, with God all things are possible and He wants us to be confident that that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).  Just as we, God's children have purpose, that ole devil, Satan, has a purpose as well.  John 10:10 (above) tells us that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy.  He wants to steal your joy, kill your purpose and destroy your life!  Satan can only do what we allow Him to do and he will be successful when we are not connected to Christ through a true relationship with Him. Jesus gives us the rich and abundant life. Part of that abundance is guidance into what He has called us to do.When things are going well the road is easy.  When you have discovered your purpose and have begun to walk in it, be prepared for the attack of the enemy. 

Ensuring that you Hear From God

The adversary attempts to keep us from hearing God. To defeat the devil, continuously confess what you believe in your heart. Continue to worship God and you will see your faith increase and so will your expectancy to hear Him. We must also fully trust God to hear from Him. We need to stay rooted in The Word otherwise we can get out of balance. God is the leader of our lives and He orders our steps. Jeremiah tells us that it is not in a man, not even a strong man to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23 Summarized). Our Father is looking for people that will display His glory in their lives on a daily basis. Obedience to God's Word must be a way of life. We must reverence Him in ALL ways. Some people obey God only to get themselves out of a situation but our God abundantly blesses those who are living wholeheartedly for Him. (Refer to Proverbs 1:24-33)

None of us are perfect. When we do something wrong the enemy will attempt to interfere with our ability to hear God but isn't it great to know that "Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). When we know the truth we are free to enjoy the forgiveness of God and the blessings that He will bestow upon us. Joyce Meyer suggested that we should compare ourselves against the Father and the standard of holiness that He holds up for our lives (How to Hear from God, pg. 225). Do you feel the humility that brings upon you?

Thankfulness keeps our ears open to hear from God. We are to thank God in everything! (Thessalonians 5:18-19) No matter what is going on in our lives, we are not to complain or find fault. We must just continue to give praise to God for His grace and mercies that are new every morning. When we are complaining, we are inhibiting ourselves from hearing God. The more thankful we are to God, the more freely the Holy Spirit is able to work in any of our situations.

Lord, Help me to Stand!

 

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Weak moments - something that everyone will experience at multiple times in their lives.  Moments where nothing is going quite as planned.  Moments where you feel that your labor and your obedience is in vain.  Moments where you want to crawl under a rock and cry out Why God? When God? Do you hear me God?  These are your weak moments.  This doesn't mean that you are weak, nor does it mean that your faith is weak.  It simply means that you are human and you are being tested. 

I have had weak moments and am sure that I will have more.  It is a fact of life.  Everything will not always be easy nor go as planned or desired.  Life will bring about many challenges that may sometimes shake your faith.  The enemy will use these times to get into your mind and could even have you second guessing the decision that you made.  Satan will even trick you into questioning if what you know you heard from God, was actually from the Holy Spirit or your spirit.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Armed Magazine - Coming Summer 2012!!!!!

 

 

Hello & God Bless to all of "My Alabaster Box" Readers!

You are my family, friends, sorors, brothers and sisters in Christ!  I know that I haven't posted any blogs in the past two weeks.  Some of you have reached out to check on me and to inform me that you have been missing your "Outpour of Inspiration".  I really appreciate those calls and emails more than you know.  I haven't had the chance to post any blogs because I have been diligently working on a vision that God placed on my heart a few years ago.  This vision became a thought, then a hope and then a dream.  I procrastinated on this for a while but as I began to develop a deeper sense of spiritual growth, I had no choice but to be obedient and move forward with what I know God wants me to.  Because you all are so special to me, I wanted to share the news with you first. - SO here we go....

I am launching Armed Magazine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Armed Magazine is a Multi-Ethnic Online Christian Magazine created to promote spiritual growth for Christian soldiers who are committed to grow in their walk with Christ and have a strong desire to go deeper in their faith.  Armed is also created to win lost souls for Christ! 

Our mission is "Spiritually Equipping You for Victory in Battle."^TM

I have been working on this all year and I am finally ready to unveil the results of my (and my team's) work thus far!  I know that this is a God-ordained assignment.  I am not doing this for accolades.  I am creating this magazine because God has called me to win souls for Christ through my gift of writing.  He has now commissioned me to "round up the troops" to unite, win souls and help Christians grow spiritually through our common gift - writing to reach God's people. 

This is NOT about You - Knowing His Will for your Life

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

What is your plan or vision for your life? Do you have a vision board or set goals that you are working toward? How did you create them? Did you think about what You want for your life based on your personal desires? Did you consider your purpose? Do you know your purpose? Some of your goals may include being CEO of a major corporation, starting your own company, obtaining your dream house among many other things. We often base our dreams and goals on what we want but in order for those visions and goals to manifest, we must consider what God wants for our lives. He has a purpose for each and every one of His children. That purpose was put inside of us before we were born!

One realization that we will have to face at some point in our lives is that this life is not about you. God did not put you (or me) here just to fulfill your own dreams and goals especially when they don't concern Him nor His people! He put us here to be a blessing to others, to love one another and to be an asset to His Kingdom. God operates in His way and in His timing. The natural side of us wants what we want, when we want it and how we want it. But God tells us that "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) This means that God is in control of everything that is happening in our lives. Taking matters into our own hands only delays the blessings and the best from heaven! He has a purpose and a destiny set up for us that He wants us to walk out. That is what we are here for.

When I Move...You Move!

 

Have you ever heard the old saying "When you take one step, God will take two?"  I always think about this when I reach a point where simply praying and waiting without doing isn't proving to be effective.  Recently, I have been dedicating a portion of my prayer time to asking God to manifest a great blessing in a specific area of my life.  I had an idea of the timing and the way I wanted it to happen.  When that time passed, nothing happened.  I wanted it to happen my ideal way because it would be easy and it would be comfortable.  This is not always God's way.  As I began to seek Him more and more to understand what he was telling me, I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, "I'll move when you move". 

When we pray, we should pray believing that what we ask for, according to His will, shall manifest here on earth.  Faith should be a way of life.  James 2:17 tells us that "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."  Our salvation and prayer is not enough to show our commitment to God.  He wants us to show that we trust Him by our faith and actions.  This doesn't mean that you take actions into your own hands and act outside of His will, but rather He wants us to take a few steps towards our desires.  When we move, He moves!  Sometimes in order to get the blessing that God has for us, we must be willing to forsake our current comfortable situation!  This is such a difficult thing to do!

Lord, Help me to Live Holy!

 

I have written quite a few posts about giving the foothold to the enemy and thus allowing him to come into our lives and easily reek havoc.  I have talked about the importance of choosing the environments that we place ourselves in, the dangers of shacking up and premarital sex.  I never want "My Alabaster Box" to be a place where you are told about the importance of holy living without telling you how to live holy.  Living for God isn't always easy.  We all fall short of His glory.  But isn't it wonderful that God is merciful and each day He gives us new grace and new mercy??!!  He is the all knowing and everlasting God.  He knows that we are going to fall but He wants our hearts to be right before Him.  Sin in our lives should break our hearts.  When you truly love Christ and want to please Him, you give Him your all and you strive to live holy.  So what do you do when temptation arises and you fall?  How do you get back up and back on the right track?

Build a Home...Not a Shack!

 

Shacking, Co-Habitating, Living together or whatever name you would like to give it!  It has become a topic of conversation in the world today and is considered Taboo for Christians.  It is a topic that I have put off Blogging about because of mixed perceptions.  But, I am doing God's work and will speak His truth about this issue. I am not one that wants to be the people's choice. This Blog post is going to give you Biblical References about the dangers of Shacking.  If you want to learn about it, keep reading. 

"More U.S. Couples are living togther, study finds."  This article that I recently read on CNN was the final factor that led me to Blog about this!  Please, read this article you haven't already.  I had also seen it all when I got wind of a book called "Shacking Up: The Single Girl's Guide to Living in Sin without Getting Burned." I could not believe it!  Why would you want to pick up a book that tells you how to live in sin???  This has gone too far. Love, Marriage and sex are just not as sacred to some as God designed it to be! Let's talk about the subject of shacking.  It seems to be posted on many Blogs, websites, magazines and the like.  Black and Married with Kids posed the same question a while ago.  Let's discuss it!

I have heard many reasons (which I like to call sad excuses) for Christians choosing to live together before marriage - if marriage is even a consideration!  Here are a few that I am going to address today: "We want to save money", "we want to see if marriage would work",  "It doesn't make sense for us to pay rent in two separate places" and the last one is  "We are going to get married so we might as well live together now to make sure it will work." I am going to address each one of these excuses, oops I mean reasons, why living together is not what God desires for our courting relationships. 

Shacking up is a creating an environment of daily temptation.  By shacking up, you are putting yourself into a situation where you are sexually tempted.  Your significant other is walking around the house in his/her night clothes, workout gear, a little of nothing or nothing at all!  Let's be real, you are bound to be tempted.  You are sleeping in the same bed every night, rubbing up against one another and you are aroused.  There is only going to be a matter of time before you fall into sexual sin.  The danger of falling into fornication is one reason why Christians should build a home and not a shack!  If you know that this is the person for you then get married!  Delaying marriage is saying "I am not yet ready to fully commit myself to you but I do want your body and all of the other benefits in the interim."

"But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." (1 Corinthians 7:9) - This is not an excuse to get married just to have sex! You should consult God in prayer to confirm that he/she is your life partner.

"Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh." (Romans 13:14)

Ladies, by living with a man that is not our husband, we are telling him that we are not worth his full commitment.  We are telling him that he doesn't have to buy the cow to get an unlimited supply of milk.  Shacking up is an easy out.  You don't have to give the relationship your all and all because you know that you can walk away without losing anything but time (which is very valuable).  Many use the rationale of "we are testing our compatibility".  The world has deemed shacking as an acceptable behavior but God sees it as sin because we are giving a foothold to the enemy.  We are creating a situation that is easy for him to walk into and set up shop!  This is not God's way!

"That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.  Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." (Genesis 2:24-25)

Many shack up to "Save money".  If this is the reason, then what you are really telling God is that you don't fully trust Him with your finances.  When you are living according to His Word, you don't have to live by worldly standards to have Godly progression!  God will bless you and your finances when you are obedient to Him.  You think you are saving money but because you are satisfying the pleasures of the flesh (doing what you want to do), you are opening up your wallet to be satan's playground.  There is only a matter of time before satan tears down your shack that isn't built upon God's Word and thus strong enough to stand!

If you feel that you must live together to "test your compatibility" then what you are really saying to God is that you don't have faith in Him to lead you in choosing a mate.  An interesting study shows that couples that live together before marriage are more likely to divorce than those that didn't.  Seeking God in prayer and learning about each other while you are courting should be the only test of your compatibility.  The way you all interact with one another tells you a lot about if this ia a person that you could marry.  You will see red flags that tell you to run and you don't have to live together for them to be visible.  Become friends first and seek God together.  He will reveal if that person is your mate.  Many times people living together fall into the "we might as well get married since we are living together" attitude when that person was never meant to be your husband or wife! You don't have to shack up to find that out.  Trust God and let him lead you into building a home and not a shack!

Fact: Those who moved in with a mate before engagement or marriage reported significantly lower quality marriages and a greater potential for split-ups than other couples. For instance, about 19 percent of those who cohabited before getting engaged had ever suggested divorce compared with just 12 percent of those who only moved in together after getting engaged and 10 percent of participants who did not cohabit prior to the wedding bells. (Source: Prenuptial Cohabiting Can Spoil Marriage)

None of the reasons given above are accepted from God as an excuse to live in sin.  Shacking up has seemed to morph into an alternative to marriage.  It has many of the benefits with no legal binding contract, no security and worst of all, no spiritual covering.  Why is this something that is popular? God does not want us to give the enemy an easy opportunity to attack us and fall into sin.  He wants us to trust Him in every area of our life and trust His design for what He called love and marriage to be.  Most (and I would venture to say all) cohabitating couples are having sex.  It's hard to be around your favorite cookies everyday and not indulge! This is not God's way.

There was a point in my life where I did not see living together as being a big deal.  But the more that I grew spiritually I learned why God does not condone it.  I am not telling you what to do with your life, but rather informing you about God's truth.  We have to come to a point where we want His will to supersede anything that we want for ourselves.  Our obedience to His word has to be more important than anything.  Seek Him in prayer about your mate and when He gives you the thumbs up, move forward the right way - Build a Home with your husband or wife and not a shack!

Let's have an open discussion about this one!  Please post your comments below for open dialogue.  What do you think about Shacking?  Do your views differ from what I have written? I want to hear it! 

Until Next Time,