Author: sherrellwalton

God spoke s to me while in prayer. I acknowledge God daily because I need HIS direction, correction, protection, and affection, so I look to the Lord, from whom comes my help. I’m not made to spend time with Him; I draw near because I have a relationship. I value his thoughts of me and his words that are spoken to me. My God is awesome. (Praise break). But as I was in tune with God, I heard him speak about a situation concerning me. So often we have prayed prayer after prayer, wanting God to fix situations that have arisen in our lives or the lives of others that we love and care for. We wonder why God hasn’t performed the miracle or moved on our behalf.  It’s not that God doesn’t hear us, and it’s not that he doesn’t see. Our Father in heaven already knows what we need. God knows where you are. God performs miracles when believers (his children) do the work. So often we sit idle and expect God to show up and show out. But sometimes God wants us to show up so that we can witness him show out. When we do our part of believing and trusting, God does his part in saving souls and shifting mindsets. There are times when we’ve done what God has asked us to, and still, we don’t see any movement. God hasn’t forgotten or forsaken us; everything is in His perfect timing. Not our will, but His will be done.      

As I think about the topic God gave me to write about, I hear some of the questions being asked: God, where is my healing? When you start believing for it. God, where is my financial breakthrough? When you start trusting me more than your job. God, where is the peace you promised? When you keep your mind and eyes set on Jesus. God, where is my mate, when you love me with all thy heart, soul, and mind? We often ask God, “Where is my everything?” without being willing to give anything. I know some of you have been waiting for a time to see God deliver, heal, provide, or perform miracles on your behalf, but please be encouraged that God is still working while we wait.

I once had a dream of a little girl waiting on her daddy to pick her up from school. When the little girl came out of the school, her daddy wasn’t there, so she sat on the school bench and waited. Teachers and other school officials walked by and questioned the little girl about who was coming to get her. She responded, “My daddy is coming.” They began to say, maybe he forgot, but the little girl was adamant that he was coming. Nightfall came quickly, and still the little girl waited. A school official tried to persuade the little girl that her daddy wasn’t coming and offered to take her home, but she refused and waited. Darkness came and covered the sky, and the only light was the street lights, but then the little girl saw her daddy coming up the street.

            I shared that to encourage those who are reading this. No matter how long it’s been, God is asking, will you wait on me? Many of us have grown weary and tired in our body and spirit because we’ve been sitting and waiting a long time. Waiting a little longer on the Lord will be worth it because he will perform what he promised. “But those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 41:31).

I observed someone shouting to God to help them. They were calling on him out of frustration, weariness, and angry. A flood of emotions poured from them as I watched in peace.  I didn’t say anything while they were unraveling in emotions, but I did think to myself, “when we walk with God daily, we don’t have to shout when things aren’t working out. When we walk with God daily, we let his kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. When we walk with God daily, we learn to trust him with the uncertainties. We understand there is a time for everything. A time to speak and a time to refrain from speaking. A time to laugh and a time to cry. I did understand there was a deeper root to the unraveling. There is something or somewhere in her life where she hasn’t surrendered to God. As the song says turn it over to Jesus and he’ll work it out. She hasn’t learned to trust him or to cast her cares onto the one who cares for her. Many of us have confessed that we know him, but when you know him instead of knowing of him, it will reflect in our actions and reactions.

                I nodded my head to the statements that she made. I agreed with what she was saying, I disagreed with the delivery. I listened. I showed grace and mercy because I don’t know what her roles and responsibilities are, or what stress she may be carrying. But I do know that Godly leaders don’t carry weight, they delegate. They see value in others more than themselves. Some leaders try to carry all the pressures so they can get all the praise. The praise belongs to God. It is our responsibility to teach, and to help others grow. It is not effective leadership when only you know. Then everything and everyone points to you. She walked away, frustrated and still angry and the workday just started. I prayed for her and the Lord spoke concerning her. I told her what the Lord said and maybe she is working on it. God hears and he heals, but we must be heart ready to receive.  “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13).

In the bible, 1st Samuel 2, a woman named Hannah wept bitterly before the Lord for a child. She desperately wanted a child of her own.  As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.  Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk  and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.  Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

The heart speaks when we weep before the Lord. We don’t have to do things on our own. If we trust the Lord with all of heart and lean not on our own understanding, he will direct our paths into his promises, prosperity and peace.

Reading God’s Word, worshipping him, and praying will strengthen our relationship with the Lord. Walking in obedience to the Lord will build trust in the relationship. This will enable us to become a good steward over his resources and our time.

Success requires sacrifice. It takes discipline to move to the next level in anything you wish to accomplish. It requires you to move out of your comfort zone that keeps us stuck in that same situation and the same place.  We can become so programed in our everyday lives that we look and act robotic. I believe many of us take the same route to work, do the same daily routines, and repeat. Sacrifice sounds like a profound word because it requires work. Sacrifice is defined as an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. You cannot expect a change and stay the same. Many of us have become complacent. Limiting ourselves but there is greater in store for those that love the Lord. It is more for those who are willing to operate in faith and move forward. There are so many things that can hinder our process and progress, so we must maintain focus. Focus enough to reach our expected goal. We must touch it every day to accomplish it. Whether it be an hour or several because doing nothing leads to nothing. Moving from great to greater requires strategy and submission that will lead you to success. You must have a plan for what it is that you wish to accomplish. If your ambition is to save money, then you must have a financial goal in mind and a plan to get there. A dollar a day gets you closer to a hundred dollars than nothing. Success requires sacrifice, and we were born to be successful and not to settle. Jesus said, “I came that you may have life and life more abundantly.” (John 10:10). 

 “Write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run who reads it.” (Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV). The Lord instructed Habakkuk to write down the revelation that was being shown to him. And even though it was not for the right now, it still had an appointed time to be fulfilled. God is faithful and when he sends his word forth it does not return to him void. If you do the work, it will work. He has put dreams and gifts in each of us, something we can use to prosper us and others. But do we believe and if so, then why are we not moving on it or walking in it. God had a plan to redeem man back to himself with the sacrifice of his Son. (John 3:16). Jesus Christ stayed focused and no matter what the enemy threw at him he was successful in achieving the task set before him. He did the will of his Father all the way to the cross. God had a plan, and the plan was fulfilled because God’s sacrifice and Jesus’ submission brought success. And that process works the same way in our story. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). 

Making changes is not always easy when it comes to  tasks we are unfamiliar with. Whether it be starting a new job for better pay, leaving the old neighborhood to broaden our horizons to new places and people, or implementing the dream inside of you. Changing our mindsets requires sacrifice and submission to become successful. The old way does not work when you are aiming for something new. It takes character and courage to beat the challenge. But when faith meets works, the internal reward will give you great victory when you proclaim, “IT IS FINISHED.” 

We live in a society where we are always striving for better. We want better houses, health, finances, jobs, cars, spouses, friends, children, and co-workers. We often want to better ourselves so that we can elevate in seeing better internally. In efforts to create the better we desire, we take self-evaluations, self-help classes, and attend church, hoping for a better life than when we first began. We are constantly on a journey to build ourselves and others close to us. In our lives, we strive to become better so that we can have the life we desire.  Everyone wants the best. God created us that way because even He desires the best and the better version of us. God wants us to become in the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ, who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that in Him we may become the righteousness of God. (2^nd Corinthians 5:21). God had a plan to redeem man back to him before the beginning of time. God knows all and nothing is too hard for God. He took the better approach in saving mankind.

Abel was a righteous man who did right by God. When it was time to give to God, he gave the best, or should I say the better, of his first fruit, while his brother Cain gave what was left. Abel gave the fat portions of his flock to God. God favored Abel because of his desire to honor God with his best. Cain became jealous of his brother because God favored him. Cain killed Abel. God spoke to Cain about his brother, he said, ” Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Abel’s blood wanted vengeance, retribution for what was done to him. Cain was commanded to leave God’s presence with no way of returning, but Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross, cries out a different cry: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Jesus blood cries redemption—a cry filled with love, grace, and mercy. Jesus’ death brought us back into a relationship with the Father. “And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.” (2^nd Corinthians 5:18). Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world but to save the world by paying for our sin with his blood. A blood sacrifice that was satisfying to God, which brought us into salvation and sanctification instead of death. “For the wages of sin is death.”

But we have a better way provided to us. According to Hebrews 12:24, Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Jesus’ blood calls for our redemption, not revenge. It creates a closeness to the Father, not a closure. Cain was commanded to leave Eden after the blood of Abel was shed, but after the blood of Jesus was shed. The veil was torn, and we can now approach the throne of grace. “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrew 14:16).

Jesus made a way for us to inherit the Kingdom of God. He offers us a better covenant, a better blood, a better word, a better way. He is the Way, the truth, and the life. For no one can get to the Father unless they go through him. The blood that was spilled for our sins never loses its power, and today it still speaks a better word.

In times of uncertainty, we tend to lose focus and hope. We become frustrated and saddened about the way things are going, and our need to control becomes unbearable. We worry about things way in advance or dwell on the past for too long. During uncertain times, many people fall into depression or suffer from anxiety. The need for control, companionship, or comfort rises. In times of uncertainty when we don’t know which way the winds blows we must trust God. Our focus should be on the one who makes all things possible. The one who knows our needs before we ask. God is still the same, today, tomorrow, and always; take hold of his unchanging hand.

As you begin each day, take time to be with God. Reading his word, praying and praising him will make a world of difference when you allow the one who created the day to lead the way. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it” (Psalm 118:24). He removes all fears and worries so that you have a carefree day. “Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.” (1st Peter 5:7) “So do not worry, saying, ‘ What shall we eat? or ‘ What shall we drink or ‘ What shall we wear for the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” (Matthew 6:31-32) God isn’t caught off guard by events happening in our lives; instead, He is working for the good of those who love the Lord according to his will and purpose.(Romans 8:28). God has a plan even in times of famine; faith must arise. We must learn to lean on the Lord, who is willing and able to help all in need.

Daily, we must eat to sustain our physical energy. We must use the same technique for our spirits. We must feed ourselves spiritually. The daily bread that God provides. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but from every word that comes from the mouth of God.” It is the essential existence for our being. We’re so consumed by the pleasures of the world that provide temporary happiness, and we’re missing out on the joy that the Lord graciously gives. We spend too much time worrying about tomorrow that we forget to savor the moments with the Savior. God provides great meals; take some time to sit and sup with him today. “Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Revelation 3:24). God gives us our daily bread, and those who eat are well fed. Nothing is more pleasurable than sharing a great meal with a friend, especially one that will last until the end.

Friends, we must spend time with God while we still have time. He is the author and the finisher of our faith. We spend so much time worrying about this life that we miss the one who came to give us life and life more abundantly. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can get to the Father (God) except through him. (John 14:6). Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who hopes in him. (Psalms 34:8)

Fear is not a gift that the Lord has given to those that trust in him. 1^st Timothy 1:7 tells us, I have not given you the spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind. As we trust in God the fear that enables us to move forward disappears. Fear is the enemy’s greatest weapon and is a stumbling block and a stronghold for those that allow it to operate in our lives. It is where the church has become stagnant and unable to move on what God has in store for those that love him. If we are afraid of what God has for us, then we will never have what God has for us. “If God be for us then who can be against us.” Fear is a natural, powerful emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. There is fear that overcomes us when danger is present, but even during a storm God did not give it. Jesus demonstrated it inside of the boat when the storm rose.

(Mark 4: 35-41 NIV) That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

                Fearing means that faith is not fully activated in our lives. Many of us are afraid to step out in what God has called us to do because fear has paralyzed us to do so. We have so many disagreeing thoughts that we thought ourselves out of a good thing. The good is God. The goal is to trust Him. If we believe that God knows the plans that he has for us, the plans for good and not to harm us then what has stopped us from moving forward for his glory. There will be challenges along the way. The enemy is not going to easily allow break through without trying to deter you. But move by faith anyway. Faith is the substance of things hoped for but the evidence of things unseen. (Hebrews 11:1). We are called to walk by faith and not by sight. To believe without seeing and to trust without knowing. “But the people who know their God shall be strong and carry great exploits.” (Daniel 11:32). Great exploits mean achieving remarkable, sometimes supernatural, feats, or breakthroughs.

God is our present help in times of trouble. David wrote this in Psalm 46:1 and Jesus demonstrated it when he walked the earth. God is faithful even when we are fearful so we can step out while we are afraid and do great things. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John14:12). Fear will not just disappear; you will have to replace it with faith. Believe God and GO.