“The letters of the name of God in Hebrew… are infrequently pronounced Yahweh. But in truth they are inutterable….
This word {YHWH} is the sound of breathing.
The holiest name in the world, the Name of Creator, is the sound of your own breathing. That these letters are unpronounceable is no accident. Just as it is no accident that they are also the root letters of the Hebrew verb ‘to be’… God’s name is name of Being itself.”
The other day, I was sitting in traffic on 9a and just started thinking about all the time we spend waiting in life. We wait in traffic, wait in line at the grocery store & starbucks, wait for a promotion, wait for a relationship to turn around or wait for a prayer to be answered. It seems we spend a lot of time in the waiting room of life!
God sees us and is saying to us today, “I want you to wait the right way.” What is the right way to wait? If you look up the word “wait” in the original Hebrew, it’s translated to mean “hope and expectancy”. See, God wants you to wait in Him. He wants your hope and expectancy to be in Him. Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (NKJ)
God has promised that if we wait the right way, then we’ll have the strength to wait. We won’t feel overwhelmed, frustrated and “zapped” of all of our energy. If you wait in Him, you’ll run and not be weary, walk and be lifted up, and soar like the eagle. This verse tells me there are seasons of waiting. Sometimes we have to walk through some things while we wait. Sometimes we run and the season goes by quickly. And sometimes, we’ll just rise above the circumstances and soar through the season of waiting. No matter what, God promises to strengthen and empower us when we wait on Him.
How do we wait in Him? First of all, we need to wait with praise and worship in our hearts and mouths. Praise always precedes the victory. God says He inhabits the praises of His people, and when God shows up, the enemy has to flee!
Another way to make sure you are waiting the right way is by watching your words, thoughts and attitudes. Your thoughts direct your words which ultimately direct your life. Make sure your words line up with His Words. Come in agreement with Him because your strength comes from your unity with Him.
You’ve probably heard it said that your attitude determines your altitude. If you want to rise high above the storms of life, you have to set your mind on things above, not on the cares of this earth. You have to keep your focus on Jesus because He is the Author and Finisher of your faith.
Today, if you’re waiting, make sure you’re waiting the right way. Keep an attitude of faith and expectancy and a song of praise on your lips. Know that He is faithful, and He will renew your strength and lift you up when you choose to wait in Him.
Have you ever been riding in your car, listening to your favorite radio station when suddenly it starts to get a little fuzzy? And your tempted to change the station, but then suddenly, it comes back on and it’s clear again. It wasn’t that the station was having a problem, but there was interference with your reception.
Sometimes, that can happen in our relationship with God. We are going down the road of life and everything seems good, and then suddenly, we think we can’t hear Him. But He is still there. He is still speaking. We just have to stay tuned in to Him and not let the distractions of this world pull us away.
You know, there are a lot of other voices we can tune in to for direction. There’s the voice of the world that says, “Just do whatever you want. Worry about yourself.” There’s the voice of “the fear of man” that says, “Put the opinions of others first. Do what everyone else thinks you should do.” There’s the voice of condemnation that says, “You can’t do anything right. You messed it up before!” There’s the voice of fear that says, “Stop! Don’t do anything!” But this is all interference. It’s white noise. It’s not the truth. When you tune in to the voice of God, He will set you free.
His voice says, “Be at peace, I am always with you. I am leading you. You are strong and well able. Your future is secure. You can do all things through Christ. I have a plan. Trust Me. Listen to Me, and I will show you great and mighty things!”
Today, if the voices of the world have plagued your mind, tune in to the voice of God. Set aside time for Him each day. Even now, just take a few minutes to focus your heart and mind on Him. Let Him fill you with His peace. Let Him fill you with His joy. And let Him lead you in the good plan He has prepared for you!
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21, NIV)
Lord I wanna touch Your heart
No longer standing on the outside looking in
Lord I wanna see Your smile
And know it’s there because I’m pleasing You
Lord I wanna touch Your heart
So tired of standing on the outside looking in
Wanna be where You are
Lord I wanna see Your smile
And know it’s there because I’m pleasing You
Deeper on
To the place where it can just be me and You
I want to get closer Lord
Gonna find Your heart and lose myself in You
Oh take me deeper on
To the place where it can just be me and You
Wanna be alone with You
Oh oh oh
I want to get closer Lord
Gonna find Your heart then lose myself in You
Deeper Lord
Closer Lord
Deeper Lord
Be strong,
Be closer to You
Deeper Lord
Closer Lord
Deeper Lord
Be strong,
Be closer
Deeper
Deeper Lord
Closer Lord
Deeper Lord
Be strong,
Be closer to You
I wanna be where You are
Deeper Lord
Closer Lord
Deeper Lord
Be strong,
Be closer
Deeper Lord
Closer Lord
Deeper Lord
Be strong,
Be closer to You
Deeper Lord
Closer Lord
Deeper Lord
Be strong,
Be closer
Deeper Lord to the place where I can be alone with You
Closer Lord
Gonna find Your heart and lose myself in You
I wanna be lost in You
I wanna be lost in You
Deeper Lord to the place where it can be me and You
Shall I be outside
Closer Lord
I wanna be closer
Just wanna find Your heart then get lost in You
Deeper Lord
Closer Lord
Deeper Lord
Be strong,
Be closer to You
Deeper Lord
Closer Lord
Deeper Lord
Be strong,
Be closer
This is my desire
Deeper Lord
Closer Lord
Deeper Lord
Be strong,
Be closer to You
Deeper Lord
Closer Lord
Deeper Lord
Be strong,
Be closer
Have you ever felt like you were running into a brick wall? Have you ever said “God why can’t I get passed this wall?” Have you given up because the wall seemed so big? Have you thought “God what am I doing wrong! that I can’t get over this wall?!?!?!”
I’ve felt that way this past week, and I couldn’t see how to get past it, and I’ve learned I was looking at my situation all wrong, I was to busy looking down and defeated, I was to busy looking at the wall in front of me thinking I can’t do this, I until I read Joshua.
In the book of Joshua chapter 6, it talks about the Israelite and how God told them they were going to overtake the city of Jericho. Many of us are very familiar with this story. But this week as I read it, and I’ve been facing this wall not knowing how to get over it, this is what came to me.
The City of Jericho was a city that was completely surrounded by a wall it was completely fortified, and the bible says that no one could go in to it and no one could come out of it. Now here is the part I love God said the the Israelite, But I will give you the land! I will give you Jericho, the king and all the mighty men of valor. You know what that says to us? That no matter how impossible it may seem and no matter how high that wall may seem to be. If God says i’m giving it to you than he means I’m giving it to you.
The Next thing that happens in the chapter God begins to tell them how to over take Jericho. But instead of telling them that he wants them to get on the weaponry they have and instead of telling them he wants them to get all the men they could get to over take the city. Instead of man made things he tells them this I want you to go and just walk around the wall for six days straight and than on the seventh day he said I want you to walk around seven times. Now here is the thing he said the priest will carry the Ark of the covenant Which represents the presence of GOD, you see that is the thing that will give them victory is the presence of God will go before them. Its not by might, It’s not by power BUT its by HIS SPIRIT that we will overtake and that we will overcome!
Now this is the last part! And than God tells them after you have walked around the walls of Jericho, now he doesn’t tell them to go some where and sit down and be quiet. The bible says that he told them to lift up the trumpets and the horns, and than he tells them I want you to SHOUT! I Want you to SHOUT!!! I want you to SHOUT for the VICTORY! I want you to SHOUT before you SEE it. I want you to SHOUT before you know how its gonna work out! I want you to SHOUT now and the WALL will come DOWN.
We need SHOUT for our Victory, it’s time for us to SHOUT unto GOD with the voice of TRIUMPH because he is giving us the victory.
Stop
dwelling on past events
and brooding over times gone by;
I am doing
something new;
it’s springing up – cant’ you see it?
I am making a road in
the desert,
rivers in the wasteland.
– Isaiah 43:18-19
Reading this Scripture I knew that God wanted me to understand that He was indeed doing something new in my life. In fact I had heard those verses before and really liked the idea of His doing something new that He would make a way for me where it looked dry and wasted. But this time I knew He wanted me to see verse 18 and that the two verses really did go together. That got me to thinking.
I didn’t need to ask if I really was dwelling on past events. I was the queen of brooding over times gone by. When the God brought this to my attention there were a few things that I found interesting. First of all, whenever I would start dwelling on past events, on wrongs done to me or on wrongs that I had done to others, I would start to relive the feelings of the past and get angry, depressed, you name it. If I had either forgiven or asked for forgiveness, then I was purposely going back to the filth of those sins and wallowing in them probably not such a good thing to do. Then there’s the word “brooding.” Now, some people use that word to mean fuss or fume over something, but this is the same word that the God uses in Genesis when He says that the Spirit of the Lord was brooding over the face of the deep during creation. There is a sense of care and nurturing attached with this word. Was I really caring for and nurturing my feelings of pain and frustration that are attached with those times gone by? You bet I was! Lastly, if I really was dwelling on past events and brooding over times gone by, if my attention was focused there, could I really see the newness that the Lord was bringing to my life? Very simply, it was extremely difficult to do so because my attention was not on the Lord.
God is indeed doing new things in our lives. He wants to bring us to new places of intimacy with Him. He wants to heal us emotionally, physically, and spiritually. But we have to cooperate, let go of what lies in the past, focus our attention on the Lord, and be amazed at what He does for us!
Two farmers badly needed rain to grow their crops.
They both prayed to God for rain.
Only one farmer tilled his field and prepared it to receive the rain.
Which one do you think God gave the rain to?
Which are you?
Are you waiting for something to happen before you proceed on a project or idea? Are you waiting that elusive sign?
Heres the message: Dont wait. Have trust. Trust that those things that are necessary will fall into place when you are ready to receive them.
Stop waiting for everything on the checklist to be completed before you move on.
The only thing you are likely to achieve thru inaction is more inaction and waiting.
“Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as though you were working for your real master and not merely for humans. Col 3:23
There are times we all face giants in our lives… and like the football video above, they knew the were going against a giant in their case a football team and before they even faced them they already had the attitude of defeat. So many times we have that same attitude we face a giant in our life ad we just give up! Before we even face our opponent we are already waving the white flag, we don’t even try. Because we let satan put thoughts in our head we aren’t good enough.
I think about a time someone faced a giant, and when I begin just to read on David facing Golith, God begin to open my eyes about another giant, a Giant that I didnt look at as a giant before, and its the story of Joshua and the children of Isreal. Heres The parphrased story…
~Joshua 3~
Now Jericho was tightly shut up Because of the children of Israel None went out And none came in And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given unto thine hand Jericho And the king thereof and the mighty men of valor And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war And go round about the city once
Thus shalt thou do six days And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams horns And the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times and the priests shall blow the trumpets and it shall come to pass that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet all the people shall shout with a great shout and the wall of the city shall fall down flat and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him For the Lord hath said unto Joshua SHOUT for I have given you the city
The inhabitants of Jericho were perverted by sin and corrupt Surrounded by walls so thick that chariots raced on top With ladders, catapults and spearheads readied and blazing in the sun The armies of Israel stood ready for commands of war to come For 39 years Joshua was trained under Moses’ righteous hand And it was Joshua who led nearly three million Israelites Into the promised land Now Moses was dead and the real test came Could he simply follow God’s word And do something that to the natural mind Would be utterly absurd Without Moses to ask advice of Or an advisory committee God said the walls will fall Just tell them SHOUT for I have given you the city
Now God was putting in operation a principle of war Setting at our disposal weaponry that drops demons to the floor Something with tremendous power that assassinates fear and doubt Its the high praises of victory unleashed by a shout When David played his songs of praise, demons fled from Saul As Paul and Silas worshiped God, the chains began to fall it lifts us above the circumstance and lets God’s power flow
The shout of victory binds the devil with chains that won’t let go So with the confidence of warring angels Israel stood stone ready To obey Joshua, speak to their mountain And SHOUT for God was giving them the city
Six days they marched around Jericho and the last day they marched seven While the Canaanites jeered from their evil walls Israels faith reached Heaven Before any manifestation, with every brick still in place
Eyeball to eyeball they looked fear dead in its face They didn’t wait to feel some earthquake or to see a lightning flash They didn’t need to hear a theatric rumble or a mind-blowing crash They prepared their souls for victory Now its God’s turn to come thru They’d scream their lungs out Simply because… they believed…
God’s word was true.
So, with the high praises of God in their mouths, Came a massive… there came a volcanic sound And Israel shouted in victory And they shouted in faith And the walls came tumbling down
Now Joshua Could have looked at this giant of a wall which chariot raced on top.. it was huge!.. he could have said God I cant do this.. and he had all these people who he was in charge over can youu imagine walking around a wall seven times and knowing thousands of people were going to be quiet as they walk around this wall? and having to walk around 9-10 hours a day! and these people being so tired and not giving up?… but Joshua trusted God, he wasnt walking around this wall for himself he was doing it for God he was believing and trusting God that the walls were going to fall!… and after seven times when they shouted the walls came down!… so what would happened if we just looked at our giant and shouted a shout of victory and watch him fall…
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9
What ever you’re facing today don’t give up because you think you cant do it anymore that your tired that it’s too much.. because like the coach was beside his player yelling DONT GIVE UP!!.. God is besides you yelling DONT GIVE UP! IM RIGHT HERE BESIDE U! YOU WILL MAKE IT!… sometimes we are so close to victory and we give up because the giants to big.. but my GOD is bigger.. he will strengthen you.. So whatever your facing keep going to don’t give up. and trust GOD and shout with a SHOUT OF VICTORY!.. and watch the walls fall…..
Luke 10:19 (The Message)
18-20Jesus said, “I know. I saw Satan fall, a bolt of lightning out of the sky. See what I’ve given you? Safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions, and protection from every assault of the Enemy. No one can put a hand on you. All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God’s authority over you and presence with you. Not what you do for God but what God does for you—that’s the agenda for rejoicing.”
Starbucks & Parking Lots 