Tag Archives: Inspiration

The Wilderness is a Part of the Journey

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My Holy Ghost Downloads blog was a year old on Sept. 30th, and it’s interesting to see that the messages from the Holy Spirit has had a common thread throughout.  The Holy Spirit has been very specific about us looking really close at our respective journeys and determining where we are in God’s process.  One day, I’d love to reread all the posts of the blog to Him speak to me again with new revelation and share with all of you, and I’m sure I will. 

But for now, let’s take a moment to look where our journey began… Our very first post was about the children of Israel coming out of bondage from Pharaoh, the ruler in Egypt. The Holy Spirit has helped us to realize our own freedom from bondage and search the many facets of our own journeys, for instance, waiting on the Lord, having faith, dealing with our feeling, experiencing doubt, yet having hope and so much more.  But then we spent a lot of time, with one of my newfound, very favorite scripture in Isaiah 43, which has been interwoven throughout the Holy Ghost Downloads and I’m sure will continue to be …

For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

isaiah 43:19

So, we must understand that the Wilderness is a part of the Journey…

If we were to look back over the last 12 months, what would we see?  Now, if we could look ahead 12 months and what would we see?  Are we looking at all the pieces of the puzzle, are we connecting the dots? Are we seeing the Order of our steps?  Or have you found that we are in the wilderness? 

Let’s go back to the children of Israel…  They left Egypt and instead of being able to take the short route, the Lord took them the long way around.  In Exodus, Chapter 13, the Bible calls it, Israel’s Wilderness Detour!

17 When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.[c] Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.[d]

Exodus 13-17-18

20 The Israelites left Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. 22 And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.

Exodus 13-20-22

But then we all know that the Egyptians came after the Israelites, and they crossed the Red Sea.  Now I’m sure that you may be wondering why is she giving us another history lesson?  Because I need for us to understand that what should have taken 11 days turned into 40 years of wandering, but either way the wilderness was a part of the journey.  Although, the Lord may lead us into the wilderness and provide for us while we are there, the manna wasn’t meant to be permanent.  God will sustain us to survive, but He didn’t mean for us to get too comfortable with it and settle in the wilderness. 

We can’t allow our expectations, resistance or fear of the outcome influence our ability to change course at the risk of not moving at all.  Planning to move, will only take us to the starting line, it won’t get us moving.  Our purpose works differently, it will drive us forward, regardless of what goes right or wrong.  So, when we relentlessly hold on to our purpose, versus our plan, we will surrender to the direction God wants to take us.  So, what’s it gonna be?  11 days or 40 years? 

Again, it’s our choice, but either way the wilderness is a part of the journey! So be sure to always take a moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

The Lord is Not Done with us Yet!

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For some reason, the Holy Spirit wants me to stay on this topic of the “Clay in the Potter’s Hands” a little while longer.  If we go back to Jeremiah 18, the Lord told Jeremiah to give the children of Israel a message:

 6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.  Jeremiah 18:5-6

Jeremiah 18:5-6

Therefore, the Lord is not Done with us yet!

It’s very important that we look at the context in which this verse was written.  Many times, we forget to do that, but there’s a part 2 to this story.  I would urge you to read the whole story, but what I believe that we need to gleam from this is that the Lord has sent another message to Israel to help to keep them on the right path, but their response was “we hear you, but we’re cool. Life is pretty good right now” (paraphrased, of course). So, needless to say, the Lord was not pleased.  So, there’s a slightly different perspective of this topic that we all must consider.  I heard a pastor say the other day, the Lord doesn’t have an iPhone, not does He have call waiting. So, is He still trying to call us, and He keeps getting a busy signal? 

The Lord chose to create us before the foundation of the world, for a very specific purpose and I realize that I’m beginning to sound like a broken record.  But once we have decided to stay in the Lord’s hands, we will begin to see our destiny a little clearer.  Clarity will give us the confidence to go where the Lord is taking us.  But we must answer His call.  We really don’t want to attempt to live this life according to our own personal agenda.  So where are you in God’s process?  Are you still a ball of clay or have you decided to allow the Lord to continue to mold and shape you into what you were created to be?  It is critical that we Live on Purpose because He is Not done with us Yet! 

But, to do this, we must take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

It may Get a Little Hot…

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Last week, I suggested that we all take a closer look at our own respective journey through life.  As the Lord molds our wet clay on the Potter’s wheel, the process may begin smooth and gentle, but at some point, it may get a little Hot…

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said,

 2 “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” 3 So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. 4 But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. 5 Then the Lord gave me this message: 6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. 

jeremiah 18:2-6

So, let’s look at where you might be in this process…

Are you still a ball of clay trying to decide whether you want to stay in the Lord’s hands?  Are you wandering aimlessly with no real direction, just hoping, and praying that you make it through this season of the journey?  I find it interesting that when we are a ball of clay, we must fully surrender to the will of God, and we must allow Him to mold us as He knows best.  Every jar that He creates has a unique design to serve a specific purpose.

Once we’ve decided to allow the Lord to mold our wet clay into a new jar, we will be able to see our destiny a little clearer.  The Lord’s gentle hands will glide up and down the wet clay to make sure that there are no cracks or bumps, as He smooths out our rough edges.  But if perchance, the Lord discovers that we are not turning out the way He had planned, we may have to be crushed into a ball of clay once again.  We must be willing to be crushed whenever it’s needed.  This implies that we may become a ball of clay numerous times, but what I find interesting is that the Lord will ALWAYS use the same clay, He doesn’t make us over, He just reforms us into a new jar, as we enter a new phase of life. 

We must understand that our journey never ends.  Once the Lord has made us into a new jar, it may get a little Hot!  He must make sure that the clay solidifies and begins to harden, so He must apply some heat.  The heat may become intense at times which may be very uncomfortable, even painful.  But we must remember that as the jar is hardened, the Lord will bless us with a unique design of gifts, talents, wealth, knowledge and so much more to serve a very specific purpose that will benefit others and glorify Him. 

Wherever you may find yourself on this life’s journey, you are Always in the Lord’s hands being molded and shaped into what He needs you to be, even when it gets a little Hot!

When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. 

Luke 12:48b nlt

So, Remember to Always take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

God is Shouting…

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I must tell you that the Holy Ghost Downloads and the messages that I’ve hear over the past week, has been nothing less than incredible, yet so very overwhelming.   It’s as if the Lord is Shouting at me!  Now, many of us have been taught that the Holy Spirit only speaks in a whisper, with His still small voice.  But do you believe that at times, the Lord may become somewhat frustrated with us and because when He whispers, we don’t really listen, so He Shouts!  There’s a noise in your spirit that is so very loud that you can’t ignore it.   This is not a shout of chastisement, it’s more of a wakeup call, so that He can give us our next set of instructions.  I believe that this may apply to some of you, and you know who you are…

Let me begin by saying that there was so much in last week’s episode, “Preparing for the Journey”.  Now I must give you a disclaimer, I do not have the gift of prophecy, although some say I do, but that’s not the point.  I believe that there’s a major shift happening in our lives and the Lord has had to result to shouting at us, because time is of the essence.

We are being shaped like clay in the potter’s hand into the version of us that we need to be for what’s ahead of us, as we prepare for the journey. I find it very interesting that He uses the same ball of clay to mold us into a new pot.  Visualize with me, His hands are so smooth and gentle, as He molds the wet clay.  The potter’s hands go up and down and a pot takes shape.  But once the pot is formed, it takes time for it to solidify and harden.  So, we can’t rush the process or else the clay may be crushed into a ball again and He will have to start over, but remember, He will use the same ball of clay.  There is no better place for us than in His hands.  The Lord says…

I will teach you wisdom’s ways
    and lead you in straight paths.
12 When you walk, you won’t be held back;
    when you run, you won’t stumble. 

Proverbs 4:11-12 NLT

As I said last week and will continue to say, the Lord is constantly leading us towards our destiny and many times, we don’t even know it. He is ordering our steps and guiding our decisions, as we move from one place to another in this life.  However, the question begs, are we ready to listen to the Holy Spirit or will He have to continue to shout.  The choice is ours. 

Over the next few weeks, unless the Holy Spirit says otherwise, I would like for us to look a tad closer at our own respective journeys.  Let’s consider where we are in our potter’s clay molding process.  Are we still a ball of clay?  Are we wet clay on the potter’s wheel?  Or are we a new pot that has begun to solidify, as our destiny becomes clearer? 

I pray that you will join us… and always remember to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying!

Preparing for the Journey

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Imagine with me, for a moment, that someone very close to you; spouse, sister, best friend, someone who knows you, almost better than you know yourself, told you that they were taking you on a trip.  You will be gone two weeks, but they are not going to tell you where you are going.  Now if you are like me, there is already a problem, because I would really want to know where we were going!  But again, we are just imagining, so they give you a few details, so that you can prepare:

  • It’s going to be warm about 70-75 degrees, but it may get cool at night, and you may have to be prepared for rain.
  • We will be doing a lot of walking, so bring comfortable shoes.
  • We may have dinner in a fancy restaurant, so bring something nice to wear.
  • We may work on our business plan for a few days, so bring your computer…  

And that’s all, no more details, you must just get ready for the trip!  But the details are so vague… a lot of walking, where?  Fancy restaurant, how fancy?  So, are you excited or just a tad apprehensive or maybe a little bit of both?

Isn’t the Lord the same way and He knows us better than you know ourselves? 

So, how are we preparing for where the Lord is taking us? Or are we going to just go with the flow until we get where we are going?  For some reason, I don’t think that that will work.  We must get ready, although we have no idea where we are going, and He will give us just enough information to prepare for the journey.

For a moment, I’d like you to consider that before God decided where we were going or what He needed us to do [our purpose], we were created for His Glory.  Sometimes, I think that we need to be reminded.   

Bring all who claim me as their God,
    for I have made them for my glory.
    It was I who created them.’”

Isaiah 43:7

So, He doesn’t have to tell us where we are going, we just have to get ready and put things in suitable order for the journey.  We must understand that the Lord wants to do a new thing in our lives, something that we have never seen or even imagined before.  Thus, we have no frame of reference of what our destination may be. The Lord says…

19 For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

isaiah 43:19

At times, we may think that if we just knew where we are going, we’d know what to wear and we could plan for what we’d do when we got there.  But do we really what to know?  Remember Daniel… He saw a vision of the future and as he was trying to understand, God told Gabriel to tell him what the vision meant.  I can only surmise that after fainting three times, he would have rather not known!  Personally, at this point, I am ok with the small details that the Lord is willing to give me. 

We cannot afford to get too preoccupied with where God is taking us, however, we must strongly consider our decisions along the way, with the information that we have. Recently, I read that even “a good decision does not mean a path without obstacles”.  Many times, God will take us through the process of elimination, so the first thing God shows us, isn’t His final answer.  Then we get frustrated when the first thing doesn’t work.  This doesn’t mean that it wasn’t from God, nor was it a bad decision, it’s just a part of getting prepared for the journey.  God’s way is not just right, it’s the very best route and He makes Himself responsible for us arriving safely to our destination. 

Although, at times, we wish that we had even as much detail as was given to us regarding our two-week trip with a friend to a place that we’ve never been before, but to prepare for His journey…

We really must be listening intently to what the Holy Spirit is saying ALL along the way…

Once We are in His Overflow, We will be Stretched…

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Last week, we talked about living in the overflow, meaning to be saturated with God’s presence to the point we begin to overflow His Glory. Since we cannot contain His Glory, the overflow becomes the catalyst to our calling.  We all have the same calling: to glorify God in everything we do. This is why we are here. Scripture says God created us for His glory (Isa. 43:7) and instructs us to “do everything for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Logically, this sounds reasonable, however, spiritually, we will be stretched beyond our own ability.  To be stretched means to cause something to reach, often as far as possible, (beyond normal limits) in a particular direction and that can be extremely uncomfortable, even painful.

We cannot afford to be so preoccupied with just living life that we forget why we were created! The Lord is constantly leading us towards our destiny and many times, we don’t even know it. He is ordering our steps and guiding our decisions, as we move from one place to another in this life.  Although this scripture may be very familiar, it should reveal something new to us every time we read, say, or hear it.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take [what decisions to make].

Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT (paraphased)

Our obedience is the key.  Sometimes we think we have a choice to obey God, and yes, we have free will.  However, no matter what we choose to do or choices we make, for our fruit to grow, God must make it rain.  We may decide that we just want to live the simple life and the Lord will let us settle for simple, even when He knows that He has a better life for us.  But to have better, we will have to be stretched, pulled beyond our self-imposed limits. 

As we all look back over the last three (3) years, even in the midst of some of our greatest challenges ever, the Holy Spirit has continued to create opportunities for us to utilize our true God-given gifts and talents.  So, as we live in the overflow, we should not be surprised when our assignment triggers our inadequacies. Many of us may tend to underestimate our abilities, especially during difficult times, but remember, we are being stretched! 

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthews 5:16

As we move forward, we cannot afford to be too busy doing things that be fruitful and miss the moment(s).  They may not be BIG moments, according to our expectations.  But we must be ready when the door opens, because it’s the small opportunities, at just the right time, that may count the most,

…which is why we must always be listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying!

Living in the Overflow

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Over the past several weeks, I had begun to see and hear the word “overflow” in a lot of different places, for example, in sermons, bible plans, even on social media.  Oftentimes, I believe that it’s the Holy Spirit tries to tell us something, so although for a while I hadn’t it a lot of thought, I decided that it was time for me to pay attention. 

So, let’s look at what it means to “live in the overflow”.  First, I googled the biblical definition, I found this and was rather overwhelmed, it said; It’s in this place of prayer [in our constant conversations with the Lord] that we get saturated with God’s presence to the point we begin to overflow His glory. Wow!  I believe that the Lord always intended for us to live in His presence, which is why He put His Holy Spirit in us.  When God created us, we were never meant to simply live or exist. However, there may be times, when we do things that although they make sense, they may not please God.  The Lord expects us to allow the Holy Spirit that’s in us to lead, guide and direct our steps (our decisions) as we walk through this life. 

20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen

Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT

We should never settle for less than what God has for us, so let’s always live in His Overflow!

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 15:13 nlt

There’s Just No More Room…

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Today’s message is in my confession… so please allow me to explain.  It’s early Sunday morning and I’m lying-in bed and there’s already a thought in my head that’s on instant replay and I’m struggling to really know what my Holy Ghost download would be for this week.  Originally, this message with going to be, “The Noise was Just too Loud”.  The reason being that so many things had gone on last week that my thoughts were so loud and so distracting, that I felt that I had not heard the Holy Spirit the way that I should have. But instead, today’s message is “There was Just no More Room” … or So I thought?” 

While in a mode of self-condemnation, I had to get up, pray and tell God that I was sorry. But as I prayed, He said, “don’t give the enemy that much credit”, you still heard me, you just ran out of room in your mind for ME.  So, my message to you today is that we cannot afford to get so overwhelmed with the cares of life that it feels like we have run out of room in our minds nor our hearts for God. We must make sure there’s always space for those things that the Holy Spirit brings to our minds that we need to hear, so that we will know what He needs us to do. 

Once I had talked with the Lord, I got up off my knees and the Holy Ghost downloads were flowing.  So, although, there were other “feel good” messages that I thought that you would prefer today, the Holy Spirit said no. Have you ever got in a debate with the Holy Spirit?  I know that has never happened to you, but it’s happened to me and let me tell you, Number One, it’s a very bad idea and Number Two, you are NOT going to win.  So, while I tried to share something that I thought you would prefer to read, I opened my Bible plan for the morning and it said, “At times, our lives are so full of other stuff that we aren’t giving God space to move through us!” So, of course, I had to concede and give you what the Holy Spirit had given me for you.  There’s someone reading that needs to know that although it feels like they’ve allowed other things to occupy the Lord’s space and He wants you to know that [He] is able, [and wants to], through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. … but we must be sure that we make room.

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Now before I go, I want to share with you the moral of this story.  On Friday morning, on top of everything that was already in my head, we discovered water leaking from the ceiling into my family room.  I won’t bore you with all the details, but ultimately, the problem was resolved, and fairly quickly, I might add.  But what’s funny, is that on Sunday morning, after prayer and I’d allowed the Holy Spirit to put things into perspective, my husband asked me to come and sit beside him. He said that he remembered the time that I would have absolutely “spazzed out”, when I realized that the ceiling was leaking, and he is soooooo right.  He said that wouldn’t have gotten any sleep and he wouldn’t have either.  But all I could say, was I’ve grown… the Holy Ghost had given me a calm that made no sense. There was an assurance that the problem would be resolved, and my only real concern was that it would cost me a fortune, which it did not.  So, it was interesting and sort of funny at the same time, to realize I hadn’t truly run out of room.  Those things that we would consider huge, are never so big that they will occupy all of God’s space in our mind and heart. The Lord will do His part, if we let me, so that we can do our part… and I’m sure that that goes for you too…

Provided that you always take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying.

It’s Just Not Gonna Make Sense…

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I believe that our biggest opportunity in life today is that we keep trying make it all make sense! I’m sorry that I have to be the one to tell you that it’s not gonna make sense no matter how hard we try.  Our lives are in God’s hands, when we allow Him to take control.  We are God’s children; He knows everything about us.  We are His AMAZING creation, and we must stop trying to figure out the Creator!  

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!

Psalm 139:1-6

I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!

psalm 139:7

Unfortunately, in the midst of the chaos of this world, we are being inundated with all kinds of the negative information and numerous distractions and if we are honest, we have to admit that it becomes more and more difficult not to ask God why.  Contrary to what many of us have been taught, it’s ok to question him. However, we must Wait for an answer and Have Faith!  Keep in mind, that you may not get an answer and or the answer you get is just Not gonna make sense!

A friend sent me a song by Donald Lawrence, called, “Not Making Sense, Making Faith”.  The lyrics go like this…

Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
The evidence of things not seen.
It lives beyond the senses,
You can’t see it, you can’t feel it, you just have it.
I’m in a season that requires GREAT faith.
Fear and doubt are all around me.
But I’m standing on what The Word says.
Faith is the evidence of what I can’t see.
And when people doubt the things that I do.
When I do what God told me to…
For the rest of my life I’m not making sense,
I’m making faith.

*********************

And with that …Drop the mic!

Do You have a Destination in Mind?

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Over the past few weeks, we have talked firstly about recognizing that we are different.  The Lord choses who He will, based on His standards, not ours.  We talked about that once we are chosen and are given our assignment, we must do it His way.  The way everyone else does it, just won’t work for us.  So, as we complete each task, “how would we define our success?”  I’d like to suggest that this question may be a tad premature.  I believe a better question would be, as you move forward, “do you have a destination in mind”?  

We know that although the Holy Spirit will lead us and direct us towards our ultimate goal, He will not give us all the details.  Therefore, it’s alright for us to have a vision or a dream, or something that we’ve always wanted to accomplish. Or is it that you can see where you want to go, but it seems that everything keeps getting in your way? May I suggest that once we see our destination and we are determined to get our destination, we may face obstacles…

I’m reminded of the story of Nehemiah.  The Lord called Nehemiah to leave his position in the palace to go rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.  But when he got Jerusalem, he was met with opposition from all sides.  However, he would not back down.

19 But when Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab heard of our plan, they scoffed contemptuously. “What are you doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” they asked. 20 [He] replied, “The God of heaven will help us succeed. We, his servants, will start rebuilding this wall. 

Nehemiah 2:19,20 NLT

We must understand that there will be people that just won’t be on our side.  You will have to read the whole story, but no matter what came against Nehemiah, he would just tell the Lord about it. 

3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!” 4 Then [he] prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! 5 Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in front of[c] the builders.”

Nehemiah 4:3,4 NLT

Remember, this is the Lord’s work, not ours.  Now, we don’t want any harm to come against our naysayers, we cannot allow them to stand in our way.  We must know who’s side we are on and who’s on our side! 

The Apostle Paul says it this way:

30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. 31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Romans 8:30,31

It’s Always very important to take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…