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You Can Make It!
One of the hardest things about life is that moment when a situation goes from bad to worse. The easiest things to do are 1) throw a pity party, 2) ask the questions that have no answer, but we feel better saying them out loud, and 3) pouting as if the tactics that got us candy or a spanking (depending on the parent) would help us move forward. I’m convinced after having enough of these moments, that there is another option and while it is certainly not easy—it most certainly is the one thing that will jumpstart the recovery. The Lord encourages us to “speak to our mountains” based on His words in Mark 11:23-24 and it doesn’t say speak lightly…speak with authority knowing that “those words” are backed by a promise from the ONE TRUE GOD. So I’ll admit, I’ve had to do the speaking through some tears and frankly sometimes after my anger subsided so I could see straight.
There’s another help in those moments and it’s the abiding presence and power of God’s Holy Spirit. We all can act sometimes like we have it all together and that nothing rattles us, but then there are the true and deep moments where we haven’t got a clue about what to do or say next. I’m writing this to encourage you that there is hope, and faith….and love on the worse side…in the midst of…and even after the storms. Whether your mountains take the shape of unemployment, cancer, relational failure, depression, anxiety, worry, or confusion….I dare you to take a different tact and speak to the mountain and command it to move out of your way.
We don’t always have a choice regarding the things that hit us, but we always have the choice regarding how we respond to them. Only one of those responses will bring the full force of an Almighty God in the picture with you…so again–I dare you. Start Speaking to that mountain!!! You can Make it!!!
Blessings,
Randy K. Blue
A Light Must Shine
The time is now for many to step forward and acknowledge the voice of God calling for all of our hearts–not just a portion of our hearts. Acknowledging that call will require laying aside fears, insecurities, opinions of others, and the comfort of not expecting more from God or ourselves. Most of us are in a fight everyday and that struggle is not an indication of failure–it’s an indication that you have something worth fighting for and moving forward.
It is so much easier to keep God at arm’s length until we reach the soul and spirit stirring conclusion like Jeremiah–there is “fire shut up in my bones”. The fire that will either consume us or propel us to allow God to transform our lives and the lives of those He’s called us to reach. Just an observation, but so many people are running from God right now that it seems He gets blamed for their inability to “be still and know God”. I know because I did the same thing–year after year…getting close and then pulling away. The choice to “sell-out” completely is not a once and for all choice—there is a daily choice to pick up that cross and follow.
I’ve never regretted picking up the cross, but I have regretted the days I did not pick it up and wondered how much closer and powerful would I be in my relationship with God. So many lessons in the last decade about understanding God’s faithfulness and understanding that when humans are no where to be found–I AM, THAT I AM…is always there and ready to help.
It’s time to stop running, take the words from Matthew 5:14-16…14-16“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
Blessings,
Randy
God’s Secrets
And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—
secret riches.
I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.
Isaiah 45:3
No presumption here…what God knows…He decides when, how and under what circumstances to reveal. What is becoming clearer and clearer is that the greatest revelation is knowing who God is and for Him to know us. Jesus said in John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. That secret was hidden in Christ as a mystery and was not revealed until after his death and resurrection. It was not something the enemy could stop, but that doesn’t mean that he’s given up on trying to hinder our walking in this revelation.
I’m glad that God knows me and loves me unconditionally and that He was willing to pay the ultimate price for me to know Him through Christ. What I’m continually realizing and grasping is that my level of appreciation, learning, and understanding has developed in proportion to my willingness to “wait on God”. That’s not something you do when you still want to do life your own way–let’s face it….if you could do it without God–honestly most would do so. Interestingly–we have these things called transitions, seasons, trials, tribulations, joys, pains, sunshine and rain (shout out to Frankie Beverly and Maze)….that give us a strong opportunity to “wait on God” to reveal Himself and His secrets.
So do the self-check before you read any further—be honest….”if you could do life without the troubles, trials, and transitions…would you still seek God and wait on Him?”
Okay–you can breathe again. I’m convinced now more than ever that we wouldn’t give God a shot at all if it weren’t for the fact that we reach points in our lives that cause us to examine and reach for the deeper things in us–the secret things that only being close to God can unlock.
Isaiah 64:4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. I like it even better from the Amplified version, For from of old no one has heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works and shows Himself active on behalf of him who [earnestly] waits for Him.
Those that wait on God will see the kind of God that He is and see Him reveal the secrets–His secrets to being a waymaker when there is no way; provider when there’s nothing in your storehouse, bank, or shelves; healer when the doctors have given up; deliverer when all hope seems to be gone!! Typically we do choose to wait on Him, but we only do it temporarily or for a while during the transition, season, trial…etc…you know the list by now.
We wouldn’t resist the waiting if we really believed and learned from the transitions and seasons that shape us–God is a good God and His plans for us are Great!! We can accept that in “your presence is fullness of joy” and that “they joy of the Lord is our strength”. If we love–we wait–we wait by the Spirit and we will receive the unfolding of those Secrets that God has for us and gain strength to move forward no matter what things look like in the natural.
Also at that time, people will say,
“Look at what’s happened! This is our God!
We waited for him and he showed up and saved us!
This God, the one we waited for!
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to have God show the fullness of His glory –not selfishly or for wrong motives–but its time for the darkness to be overwhelmed by the light. The light that shines in us because we’ve learned Secrets about God that won’t keep us quiet and won’t keep us from shouting His name and praying for His hand to MOVE RIGHT NOW!!! It’s time for a BREAKTHROUGH, but noone will believe if you can’t share the Secrets that God has taught you or is trying to teach you through your transition.
Go ahead–Micah (7:7) gave you the right words, But me, I’m not giving up. I’m sticking around to see what God will do. I’m waiting for God to make things right. I’m counting on God to listen to me.
He’s waiting on you….are you waiting on Him?
Blessings,
Randy
A True and Sure Foundation
Lately it seems that every tenet or basis for life and understanding has been shaken in some way…whether through the ravages of war, economic turmoil, social upheaval, or just downright craziness that seems to dominate so much of the psyche of the world we live in today.
Foundation….
1 : the act of founding
2 : a basis (as a tenet, principle, or axiom) upon which something stands or is supported
3 a : funds given for the permanent support of an institution : endowment b : an organization or institution established by endowment with provision for future maintenance
4 : an underlying base or support; especially : the whole masonry substructure of a building
5 a : a body or ground upon which something is built up or overlaid
Isaiah 33:6
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.
So this is a word for anyone questioning or perhaps re-affirming their faith by asking the age-old question —“what can I depend on in times like these?”
I can’t trust in investments, my accounts, assets, positions, or titles, but I can trust in God’s word. Psalm 97:1-2 says:
The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.
Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Psalm 106:1-3 declares:
1 Praise the LORD.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD
or fully declare his praise?
3 Blessed are they who maintain justice,
who constantly do what is right.
So let’s connect some dots….God is the sure foundation of my times—rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge…fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. ….the foundation of the Lord is righteousness and justice…..blessed are they who maintain justice and who constantly do what is right….
If you’re tracking with me then consider what Isaiah 56:1-2 says:
1 This is what the LORD says:
“Maintain justice
and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand
and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
the man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
If there is ever a time to have something etched into your heart, soul, and spirit…it is this…the LORD REIGNS regardless of the times and circumstances you may be facing or dealing with whether good or bad. It is because He reigns that we understand that when we maintain justice and do what is right constantly–we are responding in obedience. We realize that our righteousness or right standing does not become possible because of our goodness, but because of Jesus Christ who made us the righteousness of God when we believed in His life, death, and resurrection and accepted Him as Lord and Savior. It is good to hold onto this truth because there’s nothing you did to make yourself righteous and there’s nothing you can do to nullify Christ’s sacrifice–it is complete and perfect regardless of what you believe about it.
So the word of God says…justice and righteousness are the foundation of His throne…and God’s throne is where He presides and rules….and where He is there is power, glory, fullness of joy and all-sufficiency.
Here’s something to blow your mind and set a true and sure foundation:
- When we walk in obedience, we offer our lives as a true foundation for God’s presence –since we are now the temple of God’s Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.” John 14:21
- This obedience enables us to abide in and become what we experience in God’s presence –by allowing Him to “fully occupy” the place of authority and rule in our lives.
- As God’s presence and word reigns in our lives–His power, glory, fullness of joy and all-sufficiency blesses us…empowers us to prosper supernaturally.
- God unlocks the treasure of His riches in salvation, wisdom, and knowledge to us when we offer Him the key (fear of the Lord in our obedience and reverence for His Holiness and Name)
- God’s Blessing and Presence enables us to fulfill the purpose that He has planned for our lives and it withstands every resistance and act from the enemy of our souls. His word prevails…because it ends where it started….Our Lord Reigns!!!
“…so is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty; but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
Lord help me to sow this word deeply into my spirit and soul– so that it fully consumes and occupies my very thoughts, decisions, and actions because I know that those things direct me towards my destiny. I agree with what your word says through faith, and I put it into operation through the act of love– by obeying what you have said, and I fully expect to live and experience EVERYTHING that you have said from your mouth. I realize eternal life is knowing you God and knowing Jesus Christ who was sent by you–reign in my life daily because there is a TRUE and SURE FOUNDATION available for your throne–in Jesus Name.
Blessings,
Randy
A Father’s Mission
Of the many joys that exist with being a father, none is more significant than seeing your children discover and develop their own real relationship with God. This is not an automatic development and it is not one that develops merely based on willpower. It is one that develops in spite of the many challenges and yes failures of fathers. It does however develop more consistently when there is a willingness on the part of the father to communicate and demonstrate some things consistently:
1) Tell your children that you love them and then show them.
2) Pray for your children every day…not just occasionally.
3) Love their mother and honor her (yeah even if you’re no longer together)
4) Let your children see you laugh and enjoy the simple things in life
5) Speak positive, faith filled words to them concerning their future based on the Bible.
6) Stop pretending to be superman…they know the difference anyway. Show them that you trust God and His word.
7) Let them see you worship God, read His word, and obey the word.
One night a father overheard his son pray: Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is. Later that night, the Father prayed, Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son wants me to be. –Unknown
Psalm 95:6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker…
Fathers…we still have work to do…the Mission Awaits!
Blessings,
Randy
Bitter or Better – A Revelation concerning the choices – Part 3 by Randy Blue
Okay–I waited before finishing part 3…on purpose. It’s kind of illustrative of what God does with us and it’s sometimes seen as due time, appointed time…you know…God’s time not ours. It’s funny in a sense because I’ve been studying and meditating on the story of Joseph more than any other Bible passage the last 24 months. I was being obedient in doing so because it has so many deep points of connection with how God has been testing my heart particularly in the last year and into this one. Not based on the natural parts of his story, but on the spiritual elements of dreams, destiny, process, promotion and faith. Interestingly, Joseph is not recognized in the “Hall of Faith” for his faithfulness to God in the pit, nor in Potiphar’s house, nor even in Pharoah’s palace. He is recognized for “seeing” Israel delivered out of Egypt and leaving instructions for his bones to be moved along with the children of Israel when they leave the place of their salvation and captivity.
Look at Joseph–adored by his father, scorned and hated by his brothers. They wanted to kill him, but didn’t —choosing instead to sell him into slavery. While in slavery he prospered because the LORD WAS WITH HIM. In Potiphar’s house he prospered and so did Potiphar–because the LORD WAS WITH HIM. Falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison–by all accounts Joseph had at least three good opportunities to choose BITTER, but he doesn’t. While in prison–Joseph prospers because the LORD WAS WITH HIM. He interprets the dreams of the baker and cupbearer–both dreams were fulfilled and despite his plea for rememberance–they forgot him when they were released.
Genesis 41–The Bible says when two full years had passed–Pharoah had a dream—he woke up and then had a second dream. It says in v8 of Genesis 41 that in the morning his mind was so troubled that he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharoah told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. v9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharoah, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings”…he recalled his imprisonment with the baker and how they both had dreams and the young Hebrew who was there interpreted the dream exactly and things came to pass according to his interpretation.
In v14 So Pharoah sent for Joseph—was he BITTER? Sold into slavery, imprisoned falsely, forgotten…Actually the Joseph that Pharoah found was humble and living in the fear of the Lord. When Pharoah asked him about interpreting dreams, Joseph said “I cannot do it, but GOD can” Pharoah was not telling his dreams to a BITTER man–He was telling his dreams to a BETTER man. Joseph explained to Pharoah that the dream appeared in two forms because the matter had been firmly decided by God–and God will do it soon. Joseph then said, Genesis 41:33 “and now let Pharoah look for a DISCERNING and WISE man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. So here’s that answer from God…WISDOM…not the “why” or the “how long”
Joseph proceeded to lay out a strategic plan to save all of Egypt and make it the most prosperous nation in the world. The plan seemed good to Pharoah and he asked, “can we find anyone like this man, ONE IN WHOM IS THE SPIRIT OF GOD? Then Pharoah said to Joseph, since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so DISCERNING and WISE as you. YOU’RE THE MAN–you shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders–only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you. That day because of GOD’s WISDOM in his life and his CHOICES to allow the trials to make him BETTER and NOT BITTER–God’s ultimate plan for his life was ACCOMPLISHED!! Later when Joseph saw the manifestation of the abundance and famine–his brothers came to him looking for food and assistance. After several encounters–Joseph revealed himself to them in Genesis 45–a BITTER man would have sought revenge and inflicted suffering, but this BETTER MAN said, “Because it was to SAVE LIVES that GOD SENT ME AHEAD OF YOU–it was not you who sent me here, but GOD. He made me FATHER to Pharoah, LORD of his entire household, and RULER of all Egypt.
In the accounts of both Naomi and Joseph, the CHOICES are clearly difficult and they are tremendous tests of their ability to believe God, and WAIT ON HIM by keeping their faith and trust Him. Doubting GOD will make the door open wide for Bitterness. Believing and loving GOD despite the circumstances opens WIDE the door FOR BETTER–according to God’s plan and will.
So YOU and I have a CHOICE…how we live becomes a matter of accepting and living in GOD’S wisdom or NOT….BITTER or BETTER. Choose wisely.
Blessings,
Randy
Bitter or Better – A Revelation of the choices – Part 2 by Randy Blue
Wisdom is sometimes described as experience; shrewdness and Vines Bible dictionary uses the noun CHOKMAK for wisdom and it’s defined as the “knowledge and the ability to make the right choices at the opportune time.” The consistency of making the right choice is an indication of maturity and development. The prerequisite for “wisdom” is the FEAR of the LORD. The person who seeks wisdom diligently will receive understanding. Proverbs 2:6 says “For the Lord gives wisdom and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” It now becomes clearer that our desire to follow and imitate God through His revealed self–Jesus Christ is DEVELOPED OR THWARTED based on our HANDLING of wisdom and the choice to be Bitter or Better.
In the James 1:5-8: –“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him, but when he asks, he must believe and not doubt because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord, he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
In the story of Ruth and Naomi–there is a choice to be Bitter or Better. Naomi had life crash on her in a devastating way–loss of her husband, loss of her two sons, loss of stature. Being devastated especially because of the loss of something valuable is always difficult and usually prompts the most questions. Naomi’s choice….Bitter or Better. She initially chose Bitter. She even renamed herself Mara which means Bitter–she blamed God and said Ruth 1:20-21 “Because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty, why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; The Almighty has brought misfortune on me”
At the end of this story, Naomi is turned around because of the LOVE of Ruth–she went from Bitter to Better–In Ruth 4:14-15 The women said to Naomi, “Praise be to the Lord who this day has not left you without a Kinsman-Redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age for your Daughter-in-Law who Loves you and who is Better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
Stay tuned for Part 3…
A Revelation of Choices
Well after all the resistance, I’ve decided to join the Bloggers. I’ve always been a reader, but I’ve authored only for personal use or teaching. This is a bit different, but it’s where God is leading me. It’s an opportunity to share and reinforce what is relevant, inspirational, funny at times, and always LIFE.
I have a choice to be BITTER or BETTER. We are all faced with trials of different kinds. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that it is part of the path for all Christians. All those who call themselves children of the Most High God. We surely don’t always understand or readily accept this process or the word from God concerning its purpose. James 1:2-4 says – “consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Whenever we face trials and deal with life’s difficulties–we find ourselves sometimes asking “why?” asking “how long?” asking “what’s the purpose in all this?” asking “Lord what am I supposed to learn from this?” The Lord does not obligate Himself to us by saying He will answer all those questions. Ask Job, Ask Jesus. No, what God promises is to give wisdom.
Stay tuned for Part 2.
RK Blue's Blog 