by Alisha | Jan 21, 2013 | Uncategorized
Philippians 3:10 (AMP) For my determined purpose is that I may know Him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly…
You have a God-given purpose for your life, and it’s a purpose that only you can fulfill. That purpose will bring you great joy, contentment and a deep sense of satisfaction. It will be a place of fruitfulness and a source of pleasure and delight!
However, there is another purpose that we all must have: We must be like the Apostle Paul and have a determined purpose to know the Lord. I love the wording of this verse in The Amplified Bible: “that I may…become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him…”
What better purpose in life is there than to become intimately acquainted with the One who loves us unfathomably – the One who gave His very life to bring us back in fellowship with Him?
“Intimacy” suggests a closeness and familiarity with someone, a confidentiality, a sense of love, understanding and affection.
Imagine how beautiful life would be if each day we were to purpose to know the Lord more deeply and to become more intimately acquainted with Him! Every day would be a progression of spiritual growth and immense joy.
How do you know the Lord more deeply? You start by establishing a foundation of the Word of God in your life. Make a daily habit of reading, studying and meditating on the Word each day. But don’t just stop there, you can know the Book from cover to cover without really knowing the Author of the Book. Therefore, it is vital that you spend time in daily fellowship with Him as well. Through prayer, praise and worship, and by learning to be led by His Spirit, you will come to know Him more intimately.
Having the Spirit of the Living God abiding in our hearts is an honor and a tremendous gift. We should never lightly esteem that.
Ephesians 4:30 (MSG) says, Don’t grieve God. Don’t break His heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for Himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.
I refuse to take His presence in me for granted! My determined purpose is to know Him more and more each day, to become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, so that I can be more like Him, and so that I can please Him. What about you?
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by Alisha | Dec 31, 2012 | Uncategorized
Philippians 3:13(NLT) I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.
This year may not have been your best year. Maybe you experienced tests, trials and tribulations galore. Perhaps you had to deal with numerous disappointments and frustrations. It’s possible that you have endured hurts or heartaches you never imagined you would have.
We have all experienced hard times throughout life. We are all familiar with pain and discouragement on many levels. But we all have a Hope to cling to!
I want to encourage you to shake off the discouragement. Let go of the disappointments. Forgive those who’ve hurt you. Forget about the tests and trials.
Do what the Apostle Paul did: Forget the past & look forward to what lies ahead.
Refuse to feel sorry for yourself. Refuse to live defeated. Instead, forget the past and begin looking forward to a bright and glorious future. Sometimes you just have to pick yourself up, wipe off the dirt and refuse to quit.
The enemy will do all he can to steal, kill and destroy you (John 10:10), but he can’t as long as you remain in faith and refuse to quit.
I love these words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9:
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed
We are perplexed, but not in despair
Persecuted, but not forsaken
Cast down, but not destroyed!
That is the spirit of faith! Those are the words of someone who is a victor, not a victim. You can choose to have a spirit of faith and live in victory no matter what the circumstances look like.
The choice is yours.
Are you going to allow the disappointments of this year to spill over into the next, or are you going to forget the past and look forward to a brand new year filled with the goodness of God?
Expect God’s favor to be on your life like never before. Expect Him to pour out His blessings on you throughout the new year. This can be your greatest year yet!
Your future is bright! Your best is yet to come!
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by Alisha | Nov 18, 2012 | Uncategorized
Today, you may be dealing with a circumstance or situation that seems overwhelming. You may be wondering when, if ever, you will receive the breakthrough you’ve been believing God for. You may feel discouraged, depressed, and ready to give up – but don’t do that. Instead, give thanks to the Lord!
First Thessalonians 5:18 (Amplified) says, “Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].”
Sometimes, giving thanks “no matter what our circumstances may be” is one of the hardest things to do. But it is the very thing that will bring you out of those situations — and it’s the will of God!
No matter what it looks like or how you feel, God loves you with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:1), He is mindful of you (Ps. 115:12), He cares for you affectionately (1 Pet. 5:7 AMP), and He has already given you the victory in every situation (1 Cor. 15:57)! If you will stop focusing on your problem and begin to thank the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness in your life, then you will rise out of that circumstance and you will experience the breakthrough you’ve been believing for.
But you can’t just give thanks once or twice and expect to see a change. And you shouldn’t limit your “thanksgiving” to a certain time of the year. You must cultivate a lifestyle of thankfulness. Continually put yourself in remembrance of all the wonderful things the Lord has done for you. Refuse to consider your circumstances and choose to be thankful for His many blessings.
The enemy wants to discourage you. He wants you to take your eyes off of the Lord and focus on the negative. He wants to use your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and circumstances to get you out of faith. If he can get you out of faith, if he can get you to fling away your confidence in the Lord, then he’s won.
But if you’ll give thanks to God in the midst of your situation, if you will keep your eyes on Him and remain in faith, you will rise up out of it. Remember, God always causes you to triumph in Christ Jesus!
Smith Wigglesworth (a British minister of the late 19th and early 20th centuries) said, “God can work mightily when you persist in believing Him in spite of discouragements from the human standpoint…I am not moved by what I see. I am moved only by what I believe. No man considers how he feels if he believes. The man who believes God has it!”
Cultivate a daily lifestyle of thanksgiving and praise. Choose to look beyond the problem and worship the One who has your solution. Refuse discouragement and remain in faith! Thank God in everything and your life will be changed for the better!
by Alisha | Nov 5, 2012 | Uncategorized
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to experience blessing after blessing while others struggle with difficulties and defeat on a continual basis?
(Please understand that I am not referring to the tests and trials of life that we all go through, nor am I trying to oversimplify the reasons certain people go through suffering and pain. However, I want to focus on one specific attribute that we can all improve upon.)
So, what separates the blessed from the disappointed? One word: faithfulness.
There are many people who are not experiencing the blessings of God to the extent that they could be because they are not faithful to do the little things that the Lord requires of them.
In Luke 16:10, 12 (NLT), Jesus said, If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities…And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?
Are you being faithful in the little things?
Little things matter to the Lord – little things like obedience, integrity, honesty, excellence, character, and discipline. In our society of shortcuts, it may seem easy to overlook those little things in order to get to the end result, but with God those little things are really big things.
There are things that we as Christians know we should do on a daily basis, such as reading and studying the Bible, as well as spending time in prayer and fellowship with the Lord. We must never become legalistic about it, but we need to discipline ourselves in these areas because we will never grow spiritually unless we do.
We should walk in love to others (Eph. 5:2). We should guard our tongues and speak only words that minister grace (Eph. 4:29). We should be disciplined in our thought life (2 Cor. 10:5). We should be honest in all things (2 Cor. 13:7). We should lead a life of honor and integrity (Ps. 101:2).
These areas are innate to our born-again spirits, but when we don’t renew our minds with the Word of God, these are some of the first areas that we allow to slip.
If you want to experience the blessings of God to the fullest, then make sure you are being faithful in all the little things that are required of you.
As one minister said, “The secret to a blessed life isn’t one thing – it’s a million little things. It’s the accumulation of a life in God, one step at a time, little by little…”
God doesn’t play favorites. He doesn’t choose to bless one person and curse another. He loves all of us the same. And yet, there are things you can do to make sure you continue to live in the blessings of God. On the other hand, if you don’t do these little things, the blessing of God can be hindered from operating in your life.
Are you being obedient in what the Lord has told you to do? Examine your heart and life. Ask the Holy Spirit about the areas you need to improve in. Then be quick to obey.
Song 2:15 (NLT) says, Catch all the little foxes before they ruin the vineyard….
1 Corinthians 5:6 (NIV) says, Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?
Little things are big to God. Your character and integrity – the things no one but God sees – matter. Little things neglected or ignored can ruin the results you want. But little things done daily will produce tremendous blessing in your life. Not only will you be blessed, but you will be a blessing to others!
Do the little things!
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by Alisha | Oct 8, 2012 | Uncategorized
Over the years, this has been the one subject that I love to study and talk about more than anything else. However, I have not always been so faithful in the execution of it. I have failed many times. But, each time I’ve entered into His presence, my Father has been there, waiting for me with open arms and unfathomable love!
Psalm 84:1-2 AMP says, How lovely are Your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God.
My heart’s cry is to dwell in His presence. He is the Source of true contentment and peace. He is the Source of all strength. Nothing and no one else can ever satisfy. He is what our spirits crave.
But we can be so easily distracted. (See my blog post, Get Rid of the Weeds, for more on this subject.) There always seems to be someone or something demanding our time and attention. And if we go too long without pulling ourselves away, we can become “dull” to the things of God.
To avoid becoming “spiritually dull” we must learn how to dwell in His presence continually. But how do we learn to do this? Anytime you are “learning” something new, you must practice. And we have to practice remaining in the presence of God.
It is daily decision that we must make to seek Him. We can make the decision that we are going to “dwell in His presence all the days of our lives” (Ps. 27:4) one moment and then the next moment feel as if we are as far away from His presence as we have ever been. We must choose His presence. It is a daily (sometimes moment by moment) choice.
This is where “practicing the presence of God” comes in. We must practice focusing our attention on Him. We must practice turning our hearts to Him. In this world, it doesn’t come naturally or easily. But the more you spend time with the Father, the more you begin to crave Him.
One way we practice His presence is found in Psalm 84:4 AMP: Blessed are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long.
When we sing His praises – songs of love and worship to Him throughout the day, it helps us to keep our focus on Him. Our hearts are turned toward him and our eyes are fixed on Him.
I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. How many times have you been down or discouraged, but you made yourself sing to the Lord? You know that wonderful, uplifting, burden-removing feeling that His presence brings!
Another way we practice His presence is by simply talking to Him throughout the day. I don’t mean a monologue where you’re the only one talking—I mean a dialogue where you speak to Him and then listen for His voice speaking to you. He will speak to you. He desires your company. He created you for fellowship!
When you listen for His still, small voice and learn to obey it, things will change in your life. You will change. Your relationships will change. Your circumstances will change.
You can experience God’s presence throughout the day – every day – as you learn to focus your attention on Him even in the midst of your hectic life. In fact, He will even show you what things to lay aside so that you can have more time to be with Him.
Psalm 26:8 AMP says, Lord, I love the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.
I want to be in the place where God’s glory dwells. I want to know Him and His ways. I want to be changed in His presence from glory to glory. I want to grow in the things of God. I want to be in the place where He can use me for His glory. Don’t you? Then begin to practice His presence on a daily basis. In His presence is fullness of joy!
(For further insight on this subject, I recommend the book, The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence.)
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