Category: Clarity is at an Appointed Time

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Two Things God Needs to Act

We all heard the saying, “Let go and let God.” Easy said than done, right? For some, depending on life’s dynamic at the moment, this saying can usher in a sense of hope, peace, and solitude. For others, we can immediately be triggered by this saying because it’s a call and response that could take us out of our comfort zone, which might lead to some form of resistance. Letting go can give a sense of a Pandora’s box of sentimental areas dear to our hearts, like people, habits, time, money, things, pride, and most of all, our familiarity. You see, we are creatures of habits, and there are patterns that we have conditioned ourselves to, which have allowed us to function according to our own moral compass or societal standards. In other words, letting go and letting God can be rewarding or an inconvenience if it requires us to make drastic changes.

With this in mind, there is a constant tug-of-war between our will and God’s will. On one hand, we desire to let God have His way; on the other, we want to have our way. We find ourselves between a rock and a hard place in these instances. There is also this defining unrest within our souls with a buzzing alarm calling for help. Whether we want to consider it, we long for God’s saving grace and deliverance. Even though we want to have our way, we know it will only lead to a dead end because our struggles and trials sometimes challenge us on a sinking ship. Where can we go from here? Come with me on a road trip to one of my all-time favorite writers of the Old Testament, King David, and let’s learn how the Lord comforts him.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
(Psalm 37:5 ESV)

At the beginning of Psalm 37, we gather that David, in his distress, is being comforted by the Lord. Whatever he was going through at the time, from these verses leading to verse 5, we concluded that he was afraid, and God was restoring his confidence by telling him not to fear, with the understanding that his enemies do not have the upper hand. The Lord reassured him to trust in God and continue to do good, for David will enjoy and dwell in the land of safety. If so, David would delight himself in the Lord, and God would grant him the desires of his heart.

The turning point of our verse of the hour presents the term and condition. God needs two things from us to act on our behalf. When experiencing seasons of opposition and life storms raging war against us, we must commit our way, trust God, and allow Him to act on our behalf. You may ask what you mean; let’s dive in deeper. As discussed, we must be willing to commit ourselves, time, people, things, and anything in our lives that is entirely contrary to God’s will. Again, you ask, how do we trust God? We acknowledge, believe, rely on, take comfort, find rest, take residence, and, most importantly, surrender our hearts to the Lord. In doing so, God will show us that there is more for us than those against us. He will open the windows of heaven of protection and blessings that we won’t have room to contain.

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Clarity is at an Appointed Time

It was one of those long, challenging days at work again. After working a 12-hour shift, I only thought of a shower and my bed. But as the saying goes, “There is no rest for the weary.” It was my nephew’s 13th birthday, August 16th, and the family was doing a pre-birthday fun gathering celebration at my mom’s house. As a personal tradition, I like to call each family member on their birthday and sing a happy birthday song. For the most part, my meant-to-be funny facial expression and raspy voice on FaceTime never seemed to get the warm welcome as expected. Strange! So with all the background distractions, I decided to let go of the singing and stick to my day job of talking instead.

Besides, what better way to know the teenager than to converse? So I asked how he felt being 13. Funny, he said he felt older, mature, and excited to finally celebrate his birthday because August seemed to take forever to get here. Laughing at his expressions, I asked what he meant by feeling mature. Without hesitation, he said he’s been reflecting on his life and some things he wants to change. Uh, Teenagers! So I interjected and said I hope you are reflecting on changing your attitude because Aunty doesn’t particularly care for how withdrawn you act when upset about something. With a chuckle, he agreed and shocked me with his following response. He said he has been working on improving his vocabulary so he can better express himself less angrily. We talked briefly about some of the interesting, complicated words in the dictionary to pronounce.

Now you may ask why his comment is so shocking. Well, let’s dive a little deeper. With the many traditions we developed during the pandemic, our Sunday family bible study is still active and going strong by the grace of God. We’ve been faithfully gathering for over two years. God gets all the glory because consistency is not a strong practice in our family, especially having all the kids onboard. Over the two years, we have studied a lot of practical teachings from the word of God. For the past weeks, we’ve been learning an exciting lesson about “Mindful Communication.” One of the video clips I shared on “How to Master the Art of Effective Communication” references what my nephew was implying. In this clip, we learned that vocabulary is one tool we need to communicate effectively, and there is a relationship between vocabulary and behavior. “The more limited the vocabulary, the more tendency to poor behavior.”

Now, do you understand why my 13 years old nephew shocked me when he said he has been trying to improve his vocabulary? Most of the time, I thought he wasn’t paying attention or getting anything from the lessons, not knowing that God had been formulating truth in his heart. I don’t know what crossroad you may find yourself in or where you seek clarity because your reality isn’t adding up. If I may use this powerful analogy, my late father said, “Remember, a rock never breaks from the outside but from the inside out, so keep pounding.” Some things will never reflect an outward effect because the effect must first impact the inward result.

When it comes to learning about the impact having a limited vocabulary can have on behavior, remember, knowledge is power. The Bible says in Hosea 4:6, ” My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Never underestimate the power of God to bring clarity at the appointed time.

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Is Anything Too Hard for The Lord?

One of life’s most exciting moments is receiving a good report. The results we’ve been waiting on, the financial resources that came just in time, the kids are displaying good behavior, no complaints from the teachers, and getting along with our siblings, parents, spouses, friends, coworkers, bosses, etc. Having these moments of peace and security gives us hope and allows us to see life’s meaning more clearly. We all want to live in these moments when life doesn’t require too much of our sacrifice and time. This place is what I call life’s easy lane.

Consequently, the easy lane has a sibling called the difficult, which changes the dynamics. Delays with no results, loss of a loved one, tight finances; relationships are on the rocks, and the report is not in our favor. The feeling of being surrounded by problem after problem, where it looks like others around us are doing better than we are. We can find ourselves going through the motions of life but struggling with doubts about trying to make sense of these challenging times. Despair becomes a silent cry. While we are under pressure from the voices of defeat and weariness, God seems distant, but others are experiencing His presence and blessings. Not knowing in the midst of what seems like our walls are crumbling around us, God’s still voice is calling out to us these words;

(Jeremiah 32:27) “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”

I don’t know about you, but the impact of Jeremiah 32:27 brings tears to my eyes because I am guilty of doubting God’s ability to get me out of some of the hard situations in life that happened because of my actions or what we call by chance. Meanwhile, there are areas in our lives that call for development. Our ability to undergird pressure and endurance so we can learn a better pasture for patience. In this place is what I call the stretching of our faith. For the most part, waiting must become a familiar connection. 

In brief, I want you to remember that no matter what face of life you are in, allow your memory to stretch out all you know about the goodness of God and let it be the loudest voice you hear because NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR THE LORD. Your problems are not bigger than His ability to perform or deliver you from whatsoever hole or circumstances you find yourself in. REST in this moment of truth.

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“First thing First.”

With all the access to social media forums now, TikTok is my favorite. I discredit none of the others, but because I enjoy the inspiration, comedy, and educational ideals more so than the others. I remember moments when I felt overwhelmed; I could count on my TiTok Christian family to encourage and uplift my spirit in the Lord. Moments when I needed a good laugh or ideas about a specific project I was working on. 

In contrast, as exciting as this platform is, some trends promote more self-sufficiency. There are constant reminders of self-love, believing in yourself, and trusting your intuition; only you can make your dreams happen, etc. Self-centeredness is the marketing focus. And on the throne, there is this false sense to impress others with a fantasy life, sometimes far from reality. The mindset is to be more self-absorb and promote our agenda of success. Nothing is wrong with being ambitious and self-confident, but we can’t govern our lives as if we control every outcome. 

With this in mind, I believe I read or heard this saying, “Everything in life calls for balance.” We need balance in our understanding, perspective, belief, and inspiration. When we make our entire existence about self-sufficiency, where is the room for inclusion, such as love, friendship, and the desire to care for someone else? Or better yet, where is the space for God? We need balance. Forming and maintaining balance can come from somewhere other than us because we need more knowledge, understanding, and resources. Our effective navigation of life comes from the help of the Lord, not our own. Without the Lord sailing the ship in our lives when we experience severe weather conditions, high tides, and waves in life, eventually, we exhaust all of our resources, time, energy, and aspirations.

Today, I want to shift your worldview to this revelation in the word of God.

(Matthew 6:33) “But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Here’s the revelation: we live in a world that drives hard to seek more material treasures/things by using our gifts, talents, and knowledge to gain. Again, we are to have this type of pursuit. However, just like a vehicle, we will run out of gas within our strength. Matthew 6:33 reminds us that when God is our primary, essential, and first priority, the pursuit of success will have continual resilience. Having our lives align with what God deemed righteous is the road to fulfilling our hearts’ needs and desires. Remember, “First thing First.”

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“Lead Me to Green Pastures”

(Psalm 23)

Storytime: There we go with the teardrops again! It all started with Mom. This week has been challenging for my family, especially for my mom. It has been three years since the passing of my father. My mom was flooded with memories of not wanting to let go but muscled up all the strength she had in her to clean up his closet and get rid of his clothes. With a heavy heart and teary eyes, overwhelmed with emotions of 47 years of a relationship that was a strong, loving marriage, my mom was letting go of the last attachment that connected her and my dad. She did it in silence with no help from anyone. I couldn’t find the right words to be of comfort. I could only imagine this moment, with no like experience.

With all that was going on, something I always admired about my mom is that no matter the opposition, when it comes to the things of God, you can count on her to be present. She practices making time for the Lord even when feeling her worst. Mom and I connect on Facetime every Wednesday evening to pray as a family tradition. One of the positives we gained from the pandemic during the quarantine is how to use our social platform for the glory of God. During our prayer time, it was obvious that Mom was burdened. She expressed that after packing all my dad’s clothes to be picked up by “Purple Heart,” she forgot to take one of Dad’s favorite suits out for remembrance. So she tried to rush home from work before they were picked up, but it was too late. And her prayer request was that God would strengthen and guide her. Immediately, while she was sharing, I heard in the spirit Psalm 23.* I’ve read this psalm numerous times and can quote it like many. But, immediately, I felt the need to encourage my mom in the Lord. Little did I know the Lord was starting her on a healing journey.

Every so often, life takes us on a journey of uncertainty and unrest. Not knowing what’s next can seem to take on a tormenting spirit. Although our faith remains a firm foundation in these moments, our spiritual and natural mind is at consistent war with reality. Not because we don’t know or trust the Lord but because our flesh is vulnerable and preys on the desire to gain clarity in times of uncertainty. With this reality, where it seems obscure, the Lord draws attention to a place of rest and serenity.

*”The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.” (NKJV)

In Psalm 23:1-3, King David declares God’s deity and supremacy in his season of obscurity. To simplify it, if God is the shepherd who guides and leads him during storms in life, he has everything he needs, and there should be no other desire. In other words, the shepherd leads the sheep through and out of danger, developing trust and dependency built on a solid foundation. As difficult as life challenges may seem, our awareness of who God is in the storm changes everything. We can have peace during chaos because green pastures and still waters calm our troubled hearts and await us on the road to restoration. Finally, God desires to lead us on the path of righteousness so that we can realign our emotions, thoughts, and motives with His. May the Lord restore your soul to spiritual health in Him.

2 responses to ““Lead Me to Green Pastures””

  1. P. N.

    Great read. Looking forward to more.

    *May the Lord restore YOUR soul to spiritual health in Him CONTINUALLY.*

    AMEN!!

    1. cilla75

      Thanks, P.N. AMEN, there is more coming! I appreciate you.