I'm troubled about something.

And the thing that is troubling me leaches onto me like some sort of parasite. Sucking. me. dry. No matter what I  try, I cannot seem to shake it loose. So, that means, it is, for this season, my "thorn in the flesh."

I recently had a conversation with a dear friend - still aggrevated about this relentless thorn. I was frustrated and I told her about this thing that is troubling me. And, for the life of me, I cannot understand why someone else's decisions about how they choose to live their life haunts me - except for maybe this reason - we are to help our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

My friend reminded me of just that. 

None of us deserve God's grace - His unmerited favor, but He gives it to us freely. He has extended it to us such that we can have access to everlasting life. God sent His Son - He didn't have to. But He did. God's Son, Jesus, lived a holy life; taught us the way that we are to live; and then He laid down His life for us on the Cross. Thankfully, He was resurrected from the dead and ascended back to Heaven. It's all part of the Master's plan to redeem us and make us His own. But the choice is ours to make. We don't have to choose light. We can choose dark. But in the process of living our lives, those of us who have found the light are charged to share it with others.

And that's why this troubling thorn haunts me. It nags at me. So this is what I've decided to do... I commit to pray for this thing that is troubling me. The Bible clearly shows me and the "thorns" that what's going on is wrong. This "thorny" decision that my thorn-inflicting friend is making is unholy. So, I'll pray. Not that my will be done, but instead the Lord's will be done. I'll pray that the light of God's truth cast itself over that situation. That's what I am supposed to do. I will tarry with it in prayer and wait to see what God will do.

Truthfully, my flesh is not excited about it right now. My flesh says "You've tried, they didn't listen. Leave them be and let the chips fall where they may." But I know that this is the direction that I must take. Following the will of God will take you to places that you never imagined. You just have to be obedient and willing to go. I don't know where this journey of intercession is going to take me. But, I'm willing to launch out on the journey of prayer for my "thorn in the flesh" and know that God will get the glory when His will, not mine, is accomplished.

I tell you this today because I want you to always obey God. There may be a situation in your life that is akin to a "thorn in the flesh" that you want removed...right now...but tarry - hang on in there, (even if your flesh screams) - until God removes the thorn. And if He decides to let the thorn remain, know that in your deliberate obedience to His will and His way, you've done your part and God will get the glory.

Yeah, yeah, yeah!!! Happy dance! Woot!! 


Thanks be to God, the message has been delivered. Last week, I asked for your prayers and y'all, you delivered. Although I had started my preparation earlier, I spent last week really hearing from God concerning the message that I gave to the Singles Ministry this weekend. 


God was good to me. He used me to bring forth His message and everything worked out the way that it was supposed to. We all had a wonderful time at the conference. So many wonderful folks - I didn't realize that I was surrounded by so many great folks! I made some new contacts and even went bowling. Good times! 


Anyway, this blog post is just simply to tell you THANK YOU for walking this journey with me the past week. It was heavy on me but with the help of the Lord and the encouragement of your prayers, I made it through and did what was being required of me to do. 


I'll be back later in the week with another blog entry. 


Cheers! 

The message that I am preparing to give this coming weekend is cutting me every which way! It is true that you live the Word before you get a chance to preach it. And thus, knowing that this occassion was coming, I got my box of bandages ready. I've been doing all that I need to do to get ready. Kind of like training. Kinda. Cause I cheated a few days and slept when I needed to be training. I'm just saying...The funny thing is though - even though I've had to come through some tough stuff to get ready for this weekend, it feels good.

Now, I'm not crazy. I don't like to hurt. But I do like the feeling that comes when I get the victory over something that has had it's foot on my neck. Do you know what I'm saying or is it just me. No, I don't think it's just me. There some other "get-your-foot-off-my-neck-cause-I'm-training-to-be-triumphant" folks in the blog-o-sphere.

So, this week, I expect the my blogging will continue to be light. Sad face. But y'all, I want to make sure that I'm getting all that I need to get from the Lord so that I will have something to say when it's my turn to speak. I'm counting on, leaning on, and depending on God to do all that needs to be done. But that doesn't excuse me from doing my part. If you are so inclined to pray with me through this weekend, know that I appreciate it.

Talk with you soon!

Hey everybody,

Thanks for hanging in there with me while I've been away. I had some ground to cover with some coursework. One word - discipline. That's what it has taken for me to get the assignment in. Now that I have, I can relax just a tiny bit. I am also working on a talk that I will be giving soon. I've been given the topic by the conference organizers and I'm working with it. I just need God to do what He does when I speak and then it will be okay. I'm trusting Him to do it. 

Part of what I am preparing for the conference deals with obedience. I know that just reading that word makes some of your flesh scream out to just go to another blog. And, if that's you, it's okay. My flesh has pulled that on me before too. One thing the flesh hates is obedience. It wants to do things in its own way, sans rules and order. And if we factor in obedience to God, then the flesh really wants to have a thrown-down pity party.

That's to be expected. But obedience to God is required if we are going to be His kids. I know and can plainly see that parenting rules are much different than they used to be. So many parents want to be friends with their kids and have abandoned even what the Bible says about discipline. But know this, even if you decide to parent in lax ways, God has not taken the same route. So many times throughout the Bible, we see the fruit of disobedience when the "children" went against Father God. There is always a cost to it. And there will always be a bill to pay for it.

So, let's just get it set in our minds now that we are going to be obedient to God. It takes the shape of doing His will in His way and in His time. It takes the "but I want" and turns it around into "what does God want me to do."  It becomes more intimate and personal when we look at it from the perspective of "how can my actions appease God?" It becomes closer to our hearts when we will ask ourselves "how can I obey the Sovereign Lord of the Universe?" And it's more personal when we say "God sees me. God knows me. And how then might I serve Him through my obedience today?" You see, when we want to obey, we will obey. But if we want to see things as what we can't do instead of what we can do, we remain locked up in our own self-will.

It's time to step out of that. Step out of the self and into a relationship with God where obedience is the banner. You're never going to thrive the way you could if you do not do what you should. Obey God.

I love the music ministry of Israel Houghton. Something about his music ushers me into the presence of God. Each time he releases an album, I go to the store to purchase it with expectation. I expect that the music will continue to usher me into God’s presence and I expect that the music will give me a deeper desire to worship. I expect to worship then and there. And lastly, I expect to get lost in the music, such that when the entire album has played, I look up and wonder where the time went. God uses this musician and his music really is that good.

Photo from Israelhoughton.net