My Alabaster Box

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

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.

Hearing From God - Part 1

I recently had a few friends ask me about how to hear from God.  I wrote this Blog a while ago (Jan 2009) but I thought it was a perfect repost to address the needs of My Alabaster Box family that reached out to me regarding hearing from God.  I pray that it blesses you...again!!!

Greetings to you that are reading this blog post. This one is going to be real personal with God and I believe that it will also speak to your heart...so get ready! I have been struggling a bit when it comes to hearing from God. I began to think about my brothers and sisters in Christ whom will say "God told me this", "God spoke to my heart on this matter", or "God led me here." I felt a sense of envy because I wanted to hear from God just like that with the matters of my heart at that time. I began to pray and ask God why couldn't I hear from Him in the same way as others. I felt at times that if He would just physically tap me on my shoulder or send an angel to prophesy into my life, I would know what He was trying to say to me. Well, as I prayed to God and told Him how frustrated I was, He led me back to a book that I had bought over a year ago. Little did I know that this book would answer all the questions I had about hearing from God and even lead me to the Word regarding other matters in my life and in my heart. I wasn't ready for "How to Hear from God" (Joyce Meyer) when I purchased it, but God was ready for me to grow spiritually in this area. I knew that I was being led to read and study the Word about How God speaks to His children. I picked up the book (and the Study guide) and I went into a quiet place to read, study, and to pray. My oh my did God speak to me then!!!!

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. 

Delayed but NOT Denied!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11)

(Image created by Edwin Lester)

"You're on the edge of a breakthrough."  "Your blessing is around the corner." or what about "Your heart's desires will be fulfilled".  How many times have you heard these words when someone is encouraging you while you are waiting on your requests to be granted and your visions or desires to come to pass?  I have heard them too many times to count.  I must admit that at times, waiting is nothing more than frustrating! There are times when I just want to raise my hand and say "Lord, Did you forget about your child down here?"  There are times when I feel like living for God is just not bringing about the rewards that are promised although I know that is not true.  I see others getting blessed (or so I think) and I lay sit wondering when my greatest blessings will come into manifestation.  I pray, I obey, I love, I turn my cheek to enemies, and I am reaching to go to a higher level in God.  But still, I wait. 

Prayer of the Week: A Prayer for Patience

 

"Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving." (Colossians 4:2 Amplified)

Prayer is a learned discipline that promotes Spiritual Growth and deepens our relationship with God.  A life without prayer is a powerless life!  Many Christians sometimes do not know how to pray nor what to pray.  Prayer is something that we must commit to doing in our daily walk with God.  My Alabaster Box is going to be providing our readers with various prayers for various situations of life.  I want  you to take these prayers and speak them over your life if/when the situation applies to you!  I pray that as you come to the website to see the featured Prayer of the week, you will be inspired and motivated to communicate with God more often through prayer! 

There will be a new prayer featured every week so please be sure to check back every Monday!

Featured Prayer: A Prayer for Patience

September 12 -  Patience is a virtue but it is also one of the hardest things to exercise.  In today's society everyone wants things to happen right away.  God is sometimes immediate but not most  of the time.  He calls us to be patient.  The Bible tells us  "But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:4).  In your walk through your trials and tribulations, do your best to endure. I pray this prayer to help maintain my patience. I want to share it with you. Pray this to our heavenly Father when you get discouraged.  Remember that waiting on God ensures that everything happens in its perfect timing.

Click Here for the Prayer for Patience

I will Wait for You - P4CM Poetry

 

Happy Monday My Alabaster Box Readers!

Friday's post was about Using your Waiting Power.  I outlined 6 Keys on how to wait for God the right way.  I received numerous emails and Facebook messages about how this post touched some of you.  Thanks for reading!  I even got a few messages about how many people are growing impatient with waiting on their "Adam" or "Eve" - the one God designed for them. I wanted to give those specific readers an additional outpour of inspiration when it comes to waiting on "the one". 

I LOVE spoken Word and have been keeping up with P4CM (Passion for Christ Movement).  They have some great Christian poets that speak about real life situations and provide encouragement for dealing with and getting through these times.  The latest one that really speaks to the challenge of waiting is the one that I would like to share today. 

Check it out Below - Poet Janette...IKZ.  I pray that it is a true blessing to you! Keep Waiting, God is working.  

Be sure to sign up to receive email updates from My Alabaster Box and be eligible to Win A Life Application Study Bible!  Today is the last day but there will be more giveaways so don't miss out.

Until Next Time,

 

Use your Waiting Power!

 

I know that you are waiting on God to do something in your life.  You are waiting on Him to move in a mighty way.  I have been praying for God to manifest a particular blessing in my life.  I mean I have been waiting and waiting and waiting.  I will be honest, impatience is starting to set in.  But I know  and trust that He is able to do "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV).  As I was praying this morning (on the plane), I asked God to reveal to me what  I needed to do differently.  Am I not praying enough? Do I need to give more? I said "Lord, what do I need to do?"  He whispered to me, "You need to use your waiting power!" 

It took me a few minutes to really grasp His response to me.  Waiting power? I didn't get it so I began to speak those scriptures that I turn to when I need some reassurance that God is working on my behalf.  When I went to Ephesians 3:20, God's response became clear to me.  The end of the verse says "...according to the power that works in us." God gives us the power to bring our blessings into manifestation.  The power that we need to use varies from time to time and is different for various situations.  For this situation, God is telling me to wait on Him and trust His timing.  Waiting can be a very difficult thing to do when we really need something to happen.  We can't rush God and moving outside of His will only makes things worse. 

Why is waiting so hard? It is because, as a part of a fallen humanity in an immediate gratification society,  we often feel that we have to take matters into our own hands and on our own time.  Yet in Psalm 27:14, God says "Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord."  When we do it God's way, the situations always turn out for the best. To me, the most important part of waiting is learning to wait the right way. "I wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I hope.  I am looking and waiting for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, I say, more than watchmen for the morning." (Psalm 130:5-6 Amplified)

The watchmen in this verse were waiting for the night to pass and for the sun to rise.  They were waiting for the darkness to go away. They expected that morning would soon come because God had never failed to bring the bright sun after a short period of darkness.  Waiting involves an expectation that God is about to manifest blessings in your life.  Just like God never fails to bring the sunshine, He will never fail in bringing His promises to pass in your life.  So if God is calling us to wait on Him, how do we use our waiting power and wait the right way?

 I will share with you the revelation that I received  through prayer and studying The Word about waiting on The Lord.  There are some keys to waiting God's way in order for His greatest blessings to manifest in our lives. 

Keys to Waiting the Right Way

1. Waiting means that you have to fully believe God and expect that He is going to come through for you! We must wait on Him with confidence and trust that He knows what He is doing.  This means being careful not to take matters into our own hands just because our desired timing doesn't match with His designed timing. 
2. Focusing on God's character will make your waiting period easier to endure.  When waiting causes us to doubt, it is then that we must get into His Word to remind ourselves of how He works.  God is a God of order and He never breaks His promises.  He wants us to have confidence in His design, character, timing and most of all, His power.
3. Waiting the right way means turning your focus away from what others have and focusing on what God has for you.  Many times we look at the lives of others and wonder when God is going to work the same in our lives.  God has a unique purpose and design for each of us.  In your waiting period, tell God that you trust Him and want only what He has for your life. (Psalm 37:7-9)
4. We must earnestly seek The Lord while we wait.  This means that we must spend time in prayer, study The Word and confess God's promises over our lives. We must also use this waiting time to examine our hearts and our attitudes.  If they are not right in His eyes, we may be blocking our blessings.
5. Never grow weary while doing well.  Many times we feel that we are walking in obedience but still not reaping the harvest.  The harvest is coming so rest in His perfect timing and use your waiting power! (Galatians 6:9)
6. Be Still - Never make a move that God has not told you to make.  Moving without His permission will take you out of His will.  Always do what is right according to Him. (Psalm 37:34)

Waiting is a test of our faith and trust in God.  He uses these periods to see how we will react in the midst of adversity.  Christ wants us to be content with what we have and He wants us to fully trust His plan.  Waiting is not easy to do, but prayer and The Word gives us the power that we need to wait faithfully on Him.  When things don't seem to be happening fast enough for you, trust His timing.  When things don't turn out like you hoped they would, trust His design. God knows the beginning and the end of everything.  He sees what we don't.  I have been told that the greatest blessings take the longest time.  God is always working on our behalf even when we can't see it. When you feel like you are at the end of your waiting rope, cling to Him and be content with where you are and wait for Him to take you where He desires for you to go!

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:11-13 NIV).

God gives you the strength that you need to wait on Him. Use that waiting power! Your blessing (and mine too!) is coming very soon. Be encouraged and show God how much you love Him through your display of how much you trust Him!

Until Next Time,

 

Days 27 & 28: 2 Kings (God's Hates Sin)

2 Kings continues the history of Israel.  At this point the nation had been divided into two kingdoms (Israel and Judah).  Both kingdoms began to slip into idolatry and corruption. This book tells the destruction of the divided kingdom.  The Lord had even sent multiple prophets to warn the people of the judgment that would come upon them if they continued to rebuke God and obey His commands.   A small amount of the kings did follow God (similar to the small amount of people in the world that follow God) but the majority of the Kings of Israel led the people away from worshiping God.  The Lord had been very patient with His people and had given them chance after chance and warning after warning.  Eventually, God used these evil nations as an example for his justice - His wrath came upon the nations.  

Only approximately twenty percent of the kings in Israel and Judah followed God.  They sought to control the nations by bringing in other religions, idol worship and making alliances with pagan nations.  Although many of the leaders were wicked and led their people to sin, the people still made a choice to disobey God's commands.  Be careful of the choices that you make for you life for God shall judge each of us according to our won works. God will bring judgment upon us when we choose to live in sin.  God is very patient and He gives us multiple opportunities to turn from sin and live for Him.  We are responsible for knowing God's Word and applying it to our lives.  God's patience is long but not infinite! 

The next theme that I would like to discuss is that Elisha's ministry.  God sent Elisha to be the chief prophet after Elijah has ascended into heaven.  Elisha was used to demonstrate God's powerful and caring nature to all of His people that would choose to follow Him or came to Him for help.  Elisha recognized that a life without God was not fulfilling.  God performed many miracles through Elisha and and he has a great impact on various nations. We must remember that God's promises will never return to us void.  When He sends a message through His true prophets, His promises will come to pass. God is faithful but His promises are only for those that turn away from evil and dedicate their lives to follow Him wholeheartedly - those who open their lives and hearts for God to dwell there.

Disobedience brings about judgment and destruction.  God was patient with Israel for hundreds of years and He has been patient with this world even longer.  He has sent us warnings though His Word and through His messengers here on earth.  As seen in the book of 2 Kings, God's patients is not infinite; it does wear out.  If we continue to ignore the commands of The Almighty God, we will be punished on judgment day! 

God despises sin and will not allow it to continue indefinitely. Just as a father corrects disciplines His child, God also disciplines us for our benefit and to teach us lessons so that we don't make the same mistakes.  As Christians, we must use His Word to guide us and warn us when we go astray from His path. God’s faithfulness to His people will never fail.  God's patience is long but it is not everlasting!

I encourge everyone to fully commit your life to God and His greatets blessings will be upon your life.  

Until Next Time, 

Be Blessed!