The Waiting is Worth It…

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Early last week, I was listening to a message about Mary and Elizabeth in Luke 1. I won’t go into the whole story, but the essence of the story for me was the fact that the Lord waited until Elizabeth was 60’something before He blessed her with a child.  I’m sure that it was not a coincidence about her age; since I’m 60’something too.  However, my message today applies to all ages.  I want everyone to know that “The Waiting is Worth It”.  There’s absolutely no benefit in rushing the Lord’s process.  No matter the length of time that we must wait, He is teaching us to be patient while He continues to perfect us, grow us, and mature us.  So, as we pursue our purpose, success, and greatness, we realize that it ALL will happen in His Divine Timing.  He will give us what we need, not necessarily what we want, exactly when we need it. 

The Scriptures say:

15 The eyes of all look to you in hope;
    you give them their food as they need it.
16 When you open your hand,
    you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

Psalm 145:15-16 NLT

Unfortunately, if we’re honest, we tend to compare, so we may wonder “Why did I have to wait until I was 40 to get married and she got married at 25″, or “I’m 60 and I’m still waiting to get what the Lord has for me”.  As I’ve said, more than once over the past few years, I am living my best life; I know that I am truly living on purpose.  The Lord said to me, “Now you understand why you had to wait, because I had to know that I could trust you”.  Yes, the Waiting is Worth it!  It doesn’t matter what you are waiting for, the Lord needs to know that you can handle it, that means spouse, new career, new house, new business, money, fame, influence, etc. 

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

1 Peter 5:6a

The icing on the cake for me was when I got to my first appointment early last week.  I was talking to my client, who by the way is my age.  The Lord has just escalated her to an executive position with everything that she’d ever wanted.  The Lord has so much more for us, we just need to get out of His way.  You may have to trust me on this one, but no matter what you’re waiting for, the Waiting is Worth It!

Now, on the other hand, have you ever gotten something that you would have rather not have, because you were impatient?  I know I have and in almost all cases, you cannot give it back.  There are just some things that we don’t want from the Lord until we’re ready.  In the meantime, we must stay on track and allow the Lord to order our steps, because there is greatness ahead of us.  We must keep sowing, even when we don’t see the harvest…

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season [at just the right time] we shall reap, if we faint not.

But remember, our work doesn’t stop while we are waiting. 

7 Be ye strong therefore and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

2 Chronicles 15:7

We must understand that although we are anointed for the task at hand, we must continue to perfect our skills, if we want to be great.  I am by no means promoting conceit, but we can no longer just settle for good…

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Living on Purpose

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Is your life today what you pictured a year ago?

My life is even better that I could have ever imagined. I’m learning to love myself the way the Lord loves me. However, it is still a daily challenge and I have to constantly remind myself not to compare myself to others I see on social media. Many times, we discover that it may not be what it seems. It’s not about material possessions, fame, influence, or fortune, it’s about being comfortable in your own skin.

I’m by no means boasting… it’s not that my life is perfect or that I don’t have daily frustrations and discouragements, but I am in a place in my life that I am grateful for every moment. As I posted a few months ago, I’m learning not to Sweat the Small Stuff! I’m taking it one day at a time, one step at a time…

The steps of a good man [woman] are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Psalms 37:23

Our Journey Continues…

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As we move into 2023, I have so many thoughts swirling around in my mind about what the Lord has in store for us in the coming year.  As our journey continues, we all know that life will continue to happen, but in the midst of it all, the Lord has a plan.  Throughout 2022 and many years before, the Holy Spirit, if we allowed Him, has spoken through us in the moment when someone needed to be encouraged the most, even when we didn’t realize it.  Therefore, we must continue to be mindful of not only our assignment, purpose and calling, but our gifts and talents.  I read that “our nothing in the Lord’s hands becomes something”.  We will have a supernatural transformation of our perspective, especially as it pertains to those aspects of our life that we consider insignificant.  The more we pour out the anointing that the Lord has placed in us, the more it will increase. 

I’m reminded of the story of Elisah and the widow.  When she asked the prophet for help, he did not give her money.  He said, “What do you have in your house?”   She said, “I have nothing, but a small jar of oil“.  He told her to go out, borrow jars and start pouring. It wasn’t until she stopped pouring, that the oil ceased.  So, have we stopped pouring?

With our lives changing so rapidly, we must resist the desire to simply bury our gift out of fear and just move on.  We know that is not just a very bad idea, but for us, it is not an option.  Remember the parable about the servants and the talents, to refresh your memory you might want to read Matthew 25:14-30.  Let’s just say that it didn’t end well for one of the servants.

As I was reflecting on my last 12 months, which now seems to have flown by, I thought about one Friday morning in early September, when my business coach, who is an expert in digital marketing and a pastor of a church in NY, sent me his latest business-oriented podcast. The topic of the podcast was about branding.  So, entrepreneurs, who are reading this, may want to pay close attention. I’d always thought that branding was simply business logos and brochures, but he said that branding is from the inside out, we must bring our authentic selves to the table. He said that the clarity in which our brand is speaking, the greater it will shape the impact we have on others, which was right in line with my new venture into life coaching.  I want to inspire people, primarily women to release whatever is holding them back from moving into their destiny and living on purpose.  I want to encourage and empower those who struggle with self-worth and help them to see themselves as God sees them. 

In my excitement, I scheduled a coaching call with my business coach and the Holy Ghost downloads flowed right back to Preparing for the Journey.   We must make sure that we listen to the small details that the Holy Spirit gives us as we go along this journey called life.  With the dream and vision that we have been given by the Lord, He may have shown us a glimpse of where He is taking us, but again, we have no idea how we are going to get there.  He continues to move us beyond our current understanding, desires, limitations, and obstacles. 

We must be willing to expand beyond where we are and be willing to make changes necessary for our own good and the good of those around us.  When we stay close to God, He will direct our steps.  We must keep moving forward, heading in the right direction because every step counts. 

Spirit of Prophecy, Marsha Burns 9-26-22

The Lord is expanding my territory and increasing my influence, which means that I will have a measurable impact on others’ decisions, behaviors, and to affect their outcomes. I must accept this assignment with humility and obedience, not popularity, NOT for me, but for His Glory! 

What’s ahead for you in the coming year?

Our Journey Continues and the Lord promises that…

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

Change is Inevitable

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We don’t always have to make change happen, in our lives, in our careers, or in our businesses, we simply must allow it to happen and not resist it!  We can’t allow our expectations, resistance, or fear of the outcome to influence our ability to change when necessary.  Change is sometimes difficult to navigate, but we can take only one step at a time, as we transition into the unfamiliar.  We cannot afford to stand still, while waiting to see what others may do before we take another step.

In Isaiah 41:10, the Lord says, Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

The Lord is constantly telling us how to build our lives, our careers and yes, our businesses and He’s given us a firm foundation.  I heard the other day that we know what to do to be successful; whatever way we want to define it, but without wisdom we won’t apply what we hear from the Holy Spirit.  The Lord will tell us how to build, but we must do the building. 

Although we would rather not discuss this reality, failure is an acceptable part of success and without it we will not get out of the starting gate.  Many times, failure is also inevitable, however, we must know how to manage what we cannot avoid.  The fear of failure will make you want to bury our gift and pretend that we must not have truly heard God calling. But we must understand that the Lord has us in a security net that allows you to fail safely*. 

So, let’s face change head on!  There will never be the perfect time to take the next step, if we don’t sow, we will not reap. 

“Farmers who wait for perfect weather [will] never plant [and]  If they watch every cloud, they [will] never harvest.   

Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT

Above all, we must realize that we have God’s Favor, even when faced with adversity, ask Joseph.  Remember the pit, the prison, and the palace.  Dr. Dharius Daniels defines God’s Favor as undeserved, unexplainable, irrational, preferential treatment. His Favor puts you in the right place at the right time, but we must remain humble.  God must be able to trust us with what He has given us.  Our gifts will get us the palace, just like Joseph, but our heart will get us our purpose.  We can’t forget what the Lord has given us and why He’s given it to us!  

As the Apostle Paul said, “I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back”.  Philippians 3:12-14 MSG

*Taken from “Facing your Giants in Business” by United Christian Broadcasters (UCB))

NOT TODAY!

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This week may be a week of NOT TODAY!! The phrase “NOT Today” must be written in bold letters, in All caps, and with several exclamation marks. But, the preferred method is spoken with the voice of righteous indignation. Some of may have encountered a few of those days already, maybe last week or even the week before.  However, this is very interesting, considering that this week we will probably be spending time with friends and family for the Thanksgiving holiday. For some this may be the first in-person holiday that we’ve had in a very long time. 

Now, normally I would advise people against giving the enemy too much credit, especially when they run into a tough situation or unforeseen circumstance.  Believe it or not, there are times when the Lord is a source of our frustration because he’s stretching us outside our comfort zone. He knows that we grow stronger physically, mentally, and spiritually when we are met with resistance and opposition.  But there are other times when we must tell the enemy NOT TODAY!  We will not entertain one taunt, threat, distraction, discouragement, or setback.

The Bible says that, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue[even our own tongue] that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn”. 

The New Living Translation says it this way, “But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord, have spoken!”  Isaiah 54:17

We must remember that although spiritual warfare is real, our enemy is not people.  So, I would suggest that we pray for all of those that may cross our path this week. 

Take a moment to be still, be slow to speak and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

Stay Connected…

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God Forbid! But have you ever lost your phone?  In that moment, did it feel like maybe the world had stopped?  Isn’t it interesting that for some, even if we were able to borrow a phone to make a call, we don’t have family phones numbers committed to memory, which may I suggest that you might want to write them down somewhere, just in case!  But, luckily, in today’s world of technology, our phone carriers can ship us another phone overnight and, in most cases, recreate all our contacts and recover our pics.

Well, as we consider just how devasting the thought of losing our phone would be, what happens when we find ourselves disconnected from the Holy Spirit? I would like us to consider that although the Holy Spirit dwells within us, it is possible to lose our connection.  I would venture to guess that we almost always know where our phones are, so that we can stay connected to the outside world.  So, how does this apply to staying connected in our world within?

The Holy Spirit keeps taking me back to the wilderness story and as you may remember, just like in that story, the Lord may be taking us the long way around because we’re just not ready to go to short route. So, it is critical that we stay connected, because we simply don’t have all the details needed to make the trip!  No matter how much God talks to us, there are certain things that He is going to leave out.  There are things we just can’t take right now… And HE knows it. So, how often do we grow impatient and just hang up in the middle of the conversation?  Although we may be saying, God why is this taking so long, He is saying we are still not ready.  We may think that we are ready, but we are not.

As I mentioned last week, I still don’t have the answer to whether I should go back to my church, or bigger yet, I still don’t have a clear picture of where the Lord is taking me. I know that I’m headed in the right direction, however, I don’t have His final answer.  It seems like a reasonable and simple request, especially regarding the church, but I must realize that I may not be ready for what lies ahead and until I’m ready, it’s just going to take time.  If He would allow me to take the short route and go by way of the Philistine country, I could get beat up and I might want to go back the way I came; back to my old ways, back to Egypt.

As the Lord perfects and matures us, we grow stronger in our faith, we become more prepared for battle and we are more sensitive to His Spirit, His direction, and decisions because easier, while we are waiting for His answers.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

Philippians 1:6

Let’s take another look at that vital organ that we talked about early, you know the one I mean, the one that keeps us functioning daily, our phones!  We have access to everything we need at our fingertips.  But on the other hand, when we find that we can’t breathe without it, possibly we have become too reliant on it.  We need the Holy Spirit to be our lifeline, the one that if we lose the connection, we can’t breathe without Him.  He is the one that will lead and guide us along the path that the Lord has laid for us.  Our phones are simply a tool that if used properly can help us to be productive, but if we lost it, we would still survive…

It’s imperative that we ALWAYS take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

Are you Loyal to a Fault? – Part II

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Now before I tell you the rest of my story from last week, I want to remind of the question at hand, are you loyal to a fault? Loyal to a friendship or a relationship, even a family member, who may have become a distraction or a disruption in your life.  This may even apply to a grown child, (wait, that may be for just me).  Now I am by no means suggesting that we sever ties with those that we love, however, we may have to set some boundaries or possibly establish some distance, so that the Lord can do what only He can… or maybe we are loyal to a job, a position, even a church, that we have lost sight of our purpose and even ignored our calling.  The Lord may be allowing us the time let it go, or He may just have to take it away. You may want to think about that for a moment.  May I remind you that the Lord knows what’s Best for us and His Timing is perfect.

So, back to my story, amid the agony of my decision regarding returning to my church, I realized that this was not just about COVID concerns.  My church and I have changed a lot over the past 3 years.  However, the Holy Spirit said, “Call your Pastor, you cannot just walk away without a conversation.  I have not taken your church away from you, you will need to have a spiritual covering of a Pastor, no matter where I take you.  I just want you to know that a church nor anything else can stand in the way of your calling”.  

I believe that we all must understand that as we make choices and decisions in all aspects of our lives, our desire must be to be in the Will of God.  Of course, all our choices will not be the “right” ones or the “best” ones, however, we should have a standard for our friendships, relationships, (well, we can’t pick our families!), jobs and even churches that are in accordance with His plan for us and aligns with God’s Will for our lives. 

So, back to my story, the Holy Spirit reminded me that shortly after joining his church, it was my pastor, who recognized and helped me to acknowledge my calling to the Word of God, to preach and to teach.  I cannot even begin to tell you the details of my conversation with my Pastor, but one of the most important things, he said to me was that he has seen me on the various social media platforms, he recognizes my anointing and my ministry, and he is there to support me and with that I had the peace that I needed.  But, although the Holy Spirit had addressed my concern, in essence, He hadn’t answered the question. 

Remember when I said in an earlier post, that there are times when the Lord’s first answer, may not be His final answer.  For me, I must always stay connected, and so should you, so that we can hear His entire answer.  We can’t just take the first part or just any part and run with it.  So, I was listening to a message and the preacher was talking about the story of the prophet Samuel.  You may remember, Samuel was Hannah’s son, who was called to be a prophet at a very young age, that’s another powerful message, but that’s for another day.  What was interesting to me is that the preacher focused on Samuel’s hearing and recognizing the voice of God.  Near the end of his message, he spoke a word of prophecy and said, “Return to the first place where you heard His voice, that place of chaos and confusion”.  So, it definitely got my attention, but was that for me and what would that mean? 

Well, I guess I’d better keep listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying and wait for His final answer…

Are You Loyal to a Fault?

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The Lord told me a long time ago that the more transparent I am, the more His light would shine through me, so I have a little story to tell you.  For the last several months, I have been struggling with the idea of returning to my church.  Since the pandemic, my husband and I have spoken many times about going back into the sanctuary.  We’ve continued to pay our tithes and we are not actively look for another church home.  In 2008, the Lord opened the door to us at our church with a Man of God and First Lady, who were not only our pastors, but our friends, when we truly needed it the most.

So, early one Sunday morning, the Holy Spirit asked me this question, “Have you become loyal to a fault and in essence, lost sight of where I need you to go” and I started to cry.  For me, crying is a sure sign that I am in the presence of the Holy Spirit, and He has truly overwhelmed me.  But as I believe that some of us have done from time to time, I pushed past it and started to go about my day.  Interesting enough my husband got up early to have coffee with me before I went to work (on his day off, on a rainy Sunday morning… I should have known that the Holy Spirit was setting me up!).  So, I got dressed, went down for coffee and simply began to share with my husband what the Holy Spirit had said and I really start to cry to the point that I could hardly speak.  At that moment, I knew that this is another major turning point in my life and in my ministry. 

The Holy Spirit told me to call my Pastor and just share my thoughts.  Over the past 14 years, my Pastor has been there for us through so much.  He and First Lady embraced us with love like we had never experienced before, not just as pastors but as true friends.  I now realize that no matter where the Lord is taking us, we cannot simply walk away without at least a conversation.

If you may remember a few weeks ago, I said that there is someone, including myself, that needs to hear that the Lord has delivered us from our own place of bondage, which is probably not a physical place.  It’s a place in our mind or heart that we have allowed ourselves to be stuck in.  However, it will become a place of the Lord’s provision and protection until we are ready for where He needs us to go, in accordance with His plan.  I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit then too. 

So, if you have found yourself being “loyal to a fault”, the Lord will allow time for us to let “it” go or He may just have to take “it” away, so that we can move into the place that He has promised us. I now don’t believe that this is about whether I attend a specific church, but more about me being secure in my calling, no matter what!  So, what have you allowed to get in the way of what you were created to do? What has the Lord asked you to let go of?  If you are truly pondering those questions, you may want to have a conversation with Him.  We wouldn’t want Him to have to move “it” for us…  Stay tuned, there’s more to this story!

Missed Moments

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Do you have those close friends or relatives that you don’t talk to often, but you are very close?  You may see them on Facebook from time to time, but as life happens, years may go by without actually talking to each other.  But, in a moment, the Holy Spirit will say just call them.  Now this is the challenge, do we take the moment to call or do we put it off or maybe you just text to say Hi. 

Now be honest, how many of you are thinking that I may have lost a close friend?  Well, you can breathe, that’s not the case… But how many of you thought of a close friend or relative that you haven’t spoken to and maybe you need to call?  There are many different scenarios that may come to your mind.  But for me, a few days ago, I received a call from a close friend, and I must admit that when I saw his name on my phone, unfortunately, I knew it wasn’t good news.  He told me that a friend of ours had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and the outlook was very bleak. 

This blog post is NOT about death, because we know that it’s not over until God says so, we must keep praying, because miracles still happen every day! Mike was the 2nd person in a week I know that was diagnosed with cancer… but what’s interesting is that as I was preparing this message, I was listening to a message about God is a Healer, coincidence I don’t think so and then when that one ended, I switched to another message and the woman was singing about “A Season of Miracles”, so I posted it and within minutes Mike responded to my post.  So, although I had been reluctant to talk to him, I called him immediately and we had an amazing conversation.  The Holy Spirit always works in mysterious ways. But unfortunately, I also realized that although I worked with Mike for many years, there were moments that I missed, because we were just too busy.

This episode is about LIFE, and we really can’t afford to miss a moment and although, I’m almost sure that we may say that all the time, do we live life to the fullest, being grateful for every moment.  We must admit that the pandemic has changed a lot of things, but it should have made us even more aware that we need to say in better contact with each other than ever before.  We have technology that allows us to see each other’s faces even when we are thousands of miles apart.  Oftentimes, the Holy Spirit will bring someone to mind that you haven’t spoken to, but what about those moments with friends and family that may live right down the street or even in our own homes.  Are we pushing past those moments when our daughter or son may be out of sorts, but they really don’t want to talk about it and we are kinda busy anyway?  Or maybe our spouse is a little more irritable lately, but we know that it too shall past.

Then, on the other hand, a friend texts us to invite us for lunch, but we don’t have time, we’re very busy at work, not realizing that our friend just really needed to talk.  However, technology can be a two-edged sword, because I believe that we have lost the art of communication, to text is faster and easier.  But now, we don’t have the opportunity to read the body language, or sense how people are feeling by just their tone of voice…

Life is too precious, we can’t afford to miss a moment, especially those quiet moments when we need to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…

“Stop Sweating the Small Stuff!!” – A Personal Reflection

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Over the past several months, I’ve taken an even closer look at my own path on this journey called life and I pray that you have too.  Last month, I turned 66 and although I know that my steps have been ordered through all the good times and the bad, I finally have a confidence that I’m truly living on purpose.  You may not know this, but along with my podcast, I create short reels/videos on Instagram, also prompted by the Holy Spirit.  So, please check it out.  Right after my birthday last month, I filmed “Stop Sweating the Small Stuff…”, so I wanted to share my thoughts in a little more detail with you, some of which I’m sure that I have mentioned before. 

However, for the past few years, especially since the pandemic began, I have pursued the Lord’s face like never before.  I hunger for His Word, and I’ve been very intentional about listening to the Holy Spirit.  To say that my life is so much better, would be an understatement.  But please don’t misunderstand, this fresh revelation has not made my life easier, as we may define it.  My life still has its challenges, but I’ve learned to “stop sweating the small stuff, I turn the big stuff over to the Lord, and if I’m not sure what size it is, I give it to Him anyway.  But, you really don’t have to wait until you’re my age, these days can be your best days.  When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our every step, every day, we can actually live Philippians 4,

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

I’m reminded of an old song by Kirk Franklin and the chorus says,

I know that I can make it
I know that I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in your hands

With Jesus, I can take it
With Him, I know I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in your hands

So, walk in your Calling, be the person that you were created to be

and Live on purpose,

and do what you were created to do and,

Make sure that you remember to take a quiet moment to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying…