Encouraging and empowering people to live victorious lives in Christ

Posts tagged ‘Prayer’

Following God’s Lead

Early this morning, I let our dog Champ out so he could ‘go.’ Our backyard is partially fenced, so when we let him out, someone has to go with him to make sure he doesn’t leave the yard.  As he was roaming the yard, he heard a sound and immediately ran toward it.  It was a noise coming out of the hedges and it didn’t take him long to locate where the sound was coming from.  Champ’s ears were fixed on this sound, and because I didn’t know what it was, I wanted him to leave it alone. I had to take him by the collar and pull him away from this strange noise (not an easy thing to do for a curious dog).

What do Champ’s keen ears have to do with you, you may ask?  Champ heard this sound and his instincts told him to immediately investigate, to act on it quickly.  When you hear God’s voice giving you an instruction, how immediate are you to act on it?  Are you following God’s lead? I promise you, this message is not meant to condemn (I’m asking myself the same question).  

As we are in tune with God’s voice, we will receive an instruction about a particular thing.  The instruction may be related to a prayer we’ve prayed or maybe even a heads up on what’s to come.  Sometimes, the instruction doesn’t make sense to us, or it’s something that we really don’t want to do.  We may say things like, “God, do you really want me to pray for that person?”  or “God, why do I have to do it that way? Isn’t there another way?”

Think about the life of Jesus: while He lived on earth, He was both fully divine and fully human.  And as He prepared to be crucified, we see a glimpse of Jesus’ humanity when He prayed to the Father: He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Matthew 26:39, NLT)

Despite Jesus’ struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane, He knew the assignment and moved forward in obedience to the Father.  God’s desire is for us to heed the instructions that we’re given also.  The ask may not make sense, and we may not want to do it.  But, what’s on the other side of our obedience is far better than the difficulty of the request.  

I encourage you today (as I encourage myself) to follow God’s lead.  Continue to spend time in His word so you can know His voice more and more.  And trust Him for the outcome of your obedience.

I would love to hear your thoughts; feel free to comment on this post below. Thanks!

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Still and Listening: Meeting God in the Quiet

Earlier this week, I posted this thought on my personal Facebook page:

“Sometimes what we need most isn’t a book or a devotional—it’s simply to sit in God’s presence.”

This idea came to me as I was thinking about how we can grow spiritually.  I recently preached a message at my church regarding spiritual growth and victorious living (you can click here to listen in!).  I shared some things we can do to help us; activities such as prayer, bible study, fasting, etc.  All of those activities are good, but there is something we can add to that list, something I believe we don’t do enough of.

When was the last time you sat quietly in God’s presence?  When was the last time you just sat in a chair or knelt or just paused to be with God?  Since God is omnipresent, we don’t need to go to a particular place (like our local church) to be in God’s presence.  Nor do we need a book or a devotional or worship music (although there is nothing wrong with using these tools) to usher us into His presence.  All we need is a true desire to spend time with Him! And guess what: God desires to be with us too!  

Sitting in silence may make us uncomfortable.  We are so accustomed to there being constant noise around us, so when things are quiet, it may feel awkward. But the quieter we are, the more prepared we are to receive from God.  Our intentional silence is our way to get in position to hear what He has to say.

When should we seek God’s presence?  All the time!  Not just we have a specific need, but whenever we want to just be with Him.  Think about a good friend:  although life can be busy for all of us, unless we maintain some connection, we may grow apart.  If we are not intentional about seeking God’s presence, our connection with Him can weaken.

So, what are you going to do today to enter into the presence of God?  Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in how you spend that time. And as we spend intentional, quiet ime with Him, He can speak to our hearts as we are drawn closer to Him.

Does this post resonate with you? Please comment below and share this post with a friend!

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Joy Is Still Possible—Even in Hard Seasons

As you read the title of my message today, you may wonder how joy is possible in hard seasons.  You may even ask how ‘joy’ and ‘hard seasons’ can exist in the same sentence! Hard seasons are hard!  And there’s probably nothing good about what we may be going through: nothing good about losing your only source of income, nothing good about losing a loved one.  So, how is joy possible?

Paul, in his letter to the Roman church, says this:

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

Paul is coming to the end of this letter to the Romans, a letter that has been filled with doctrinal truths about the sinfulness of man, Jesus and the forgiveness He offers and how we should live as a result of our new lives in Christ.  In all of that important information, this verse in Romans 15 really stands out in my mind.  

Paul is offering a prayer on behalf of the Roman believers, and because we too are believers, we can also receive it.  His desire is that the God of hope would fill us with joy and peace as we trust in Him.  This verse reminds us that God is the source of our joy, no matter what we may be experiencing.  The verse also says that, because of the joy and peace we receive, we will overflow with hope!  This kind of hope is not just a wish, but it’s a confident assurance of what God says we have in Him and an assurance of who we are in Him.  Again, this is regardless of our circumstances.

This message is just a quick reminder to you that joy is possible, even in hard times.  As we trust in Him, we can experience the joy, peace and hope that will carry us through our difficulties.  Things may be tough now, but we have an assurance that God is with us in the tough times and provides exactly what we need when we need it. AMEN!

If you know someone who is in the middle of a challenging season, please forward this message to them.  Also, I would love for you to share your comments below.

Be blessed!

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Have you prayed about it?

Are you starting to make plans for the upcoming new year? Goals you want to accomplish, vacations you want to take or money you want to save don’t just happen automatically; they need a plan, right? But before you decide on what your focus will be and start formulating a plan (I’m an advocate for those things, by the way), have you prayed about them? That’s the question I want to ask you today!

This is what happens with me when I get an idea about something: I marinate on it and bathe it in prayer. What do I mean by that? I get quiet so I can hear what God has to say about my potential plans. And I spend some extra time in the Word (outside of my normal devotion time) so I can be sure I’m hearing Him clearly (and not myself). Invariably, God will clarify the goals for me and give me specific instructions to move in that direction. Or, if it’s something that’s not in His plans (for right now or maybe not at all), He’ll let me know that too! 

So before we jump out there making big plans to do big things, don’t forget to consult the One who has the wisdom we need to make the best decisions! One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 16:9 (NLT):

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.

I want God to direct my steps! I want to be in His will and operate in His wisdom. Especially if I’m moving into new territory with my new plans that have me outside of my comfort zone! What about you?

As you make your plans, be sure to pray about them. Alignment with God is key!

I would love to hear from you! Please share your comments below, and please tell a friend!

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What is my biggest lesson for 2021?

by Brenna Fields Hayes

2021 has been a year of firsts and change for me. My first book “Returning to Wholeness” was released in late 2020, so 2021 was filled with several new experiences (podcast appearances, book fairs, speaking engagements, and new ministry opportunities). As I reflect on the year, I realized that these were things I’d prayed for over the last few years, not having an idea of how or when they would come to pass.

As I began to reflect on how God has kept me and blessed me in 2021, I asked myself these questions: “What did I learn in 2021? What lesson from this year will I carry into future years?”

Before I reveal what the lesson is, let me share a little bit about what’s been happening over the last 18 months. There was a period in the middle of 2020 when I decided to look for a new ministry opportunity. I found a company that matches churches with open position and potential candidates. I submitted the required paperwork and interviewed with the company, explaining what kind of position I was looking for. The meeting went well (or so I thought), and the interviewer said he would get back to me a few days with a strategy on how we could move forward.

Well…to this day, I have not heard back from the interviewer (not even an email to say the company no longer wanted to work with me). Imagine my disappointment…we left our conversation on a very positive note (or so I thought), and I was left wondering what went wrong. Nothing went wrong… God closed that door. I had taken my search for a new opportunity into my own hands, and God, in His wisdom, shut that down! After I got out of my feelings, I decided to take my hands off this part of my life, while I continued to serve in the ministry position I was in.

Fast forward to November of 2020. I receive a direct message on social media from a local pastor. He shared that he had been listening to my weekly teachings on Facebook (God had instructed me to do my weekly messages again after a hiatus) and was very interested in meeting with me to get to know me.

To make a long story short…we met, we began dating, and we were married in July of 2021. Not only did God bless me with a godly mate, but he also blessed with me a new ministry opportunity.

So, what’s the lesson for me in 2021 is…let God be God! We may sometimes get impatient while we wait for the things we’ve prayed for. Proverbs 3:5-6 comes to mind here. As I was waiting for the answer to my prayer to provide a new opportunity, I decided to lean on my own understanding (thankfully, God quickly reversed what I was trying to do). When I chose to be obedient and “trust in the Lord with all my heart”, God opened a door that no man can shut!

Another scripture that comes to mind is Psalm 37:5: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act” (ESV). Once I committed my way to God, he acted in ways I could never have imagined.

Lastly, as I waited, I needed to lean on Romans 8:28 (all things work together for the good of them who love God and are called according to His purpose). I had to trust that a closed door of opportunity meant that God would open a better for me. And that definitely was the case!

As we prepare to enter a new year in a few days, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on what you learned in 2021. How has the lesson impacted you? And now that you’ve learned the lesson, how will you move forward into 2022?

Happy Holidays!

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Lessons From My Second COVID-19 Vaccine Dose

I received my second dose of the vaccine about 4 days ago, and today is the first day I have felt almost 100% normal.  The experts say it affects every person differently, and I know that to be true!  My almost 80-year-old father had very little side effects, while I seem to have had every last one of them!

Being down for the last few days has given me some time to think (between chills and body aches 😊) This is what I’ve learned:

Never take your health for granted

Good health is a blessing!  I assumed that my second dose wouldn’t affect me, so I had a whole agenda for the weekend planned.  I had no choice but to set most of it aside.  If you are relatively healthy, do your best to maintain it (eating healthy, exercise, self-care, etc.), and be intentional about taking care of yourself.

Pray for others

While I could do nothing, I was led to use that time to pray for others. After all, we really should be interceding on behalf of others anyway!  God kept reminding me of people who were experiencing difficulties, and I would stop and pray for them right then, or even send them a text message to let them know I was praying.  As you are going through, don’t forget there are others also experiencing challenges.

Allow people who care about you to help you

I was raised to be independent, but sometimes, we need the help and support of others.  When I really started to feel the effects of the second dose, I thought I would be able to go to the store myself to get Tylenol and other things, but my body would not let me.  I’m grateful for friends who checked on me and went to the store for me.  We are not super men and women; set pride aside and allow others to be a blessing to you.

Listen to your body

If your body says rest, then rest!  If your body craves water, then drink it!  Your body will tell you exactly what you need; all we have to do is pay attention to it.

Count your blessings

While most of my Easter Weekend (including my vacation day on Good Friday) was spent at home, I am grateful.  Now that I’ve been fully vaccinated, I can plan a trip home and visit family members I haven’t seen in over a year.  My challenging few days are worth it.

What lessons can you learn from your challenging times?

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Exercise Patience

by Brenna Fields Taylor

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-3, NKJV)

When we go to the doctor, he or she may tell us that we need to start exercising.  Exercising is not an easy thing, and we may not want to do it (because it takes effort, it takes work); but it is required so that we can maintain or improve our health.

During the season in which we’re finding ourselves, I believe God is calling us to exercise patience.  By now, many of us thought that the pandemic would be coming to an end and that we could start returning to our normal lives (and as of the time of this blog post, that is far from true).  And on top of the pandemic, the racial, economic, and political climate is one that we in this generation have never seen or experienced.  And yet, I believe God is calling us to be patient.

In the epistle of James, the author teaches us to consider it joy when we face difficulties. Why? Because it’s going to produce something good in us, and that is patience.  No one likes to wait, but as we exercise patience, we are growing, we are maturing, and our faith is increasing.  So James says that we are to allow patience to do a work in us.

When we engage in physical exercise, the more we do it, the better we become.  Our muscles grow stronger, we can walk or run faster, our bodies function better, we sleep better, and we reap all kinds of benefits from physical exercise.  When we exercise patience, we’re reaping spiritual benefits:  we are growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, our faith is increasing, and we have a deeper relationship with God (we pray more, we trust Him more, we have the peace that passes all understanding).

Look at your life before the pandemic and now: Are you praying more? Are you seeking God’s face more? If the answer is yes to those questions, that’s means we are exercising patience! We have no idea when the situations we face will come to an end.  Until they do, I encourage you to continue exercising patience.  And as we do, watch what God does in your own life as well as in the world and His kingdom.  We will reap the spiritual benefits if we continue to exercise patience.

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Hold On

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

by Brenna Fields Taylor

As I write this blog, it is April of 2020, and the world is in the middle of a pandemic called COVID-19, a virus that is spreading rapidly throughout the world, taking the lives of countless people.  Because of the contagious nature of the disease, many communities are living in a complete shut-down (or at minimum, are sheltering in place, rarely venturing outside). As a result, the times in which we are living are unsettling, unusual and unprecedented.  History records that there have been many plagues of diseases that have impacted the entire world, including the flu pandemic of 1918 and a cholera pandemic that ran from 1852-1860.  While the experience of pandemics is new to us, it is not new to the world and certainly not new to God.

In the midst of these trying weeks, I have witnessed God’s healing power restores friends and loved ones, and at the same time I’ve seen when God has chosen to call others home to be with Him.  It has been an emotional rollercoaster!  What we are being told about this current pandemic seems to change almost daily, and a lot of times, we are unsure whose report to believe.  Churches don’t know whether they should meet in person or not, and sadly, there are debates among Christians on faith (or lack thereof), depending on churches’ decisions on this issue.  Vacations, conferences, class and family reunions, and weddings have been cancelled or postponed.  And since no one has any idea of how long this thing is going to last,  our lives seem to be on hold.

Even in the midst of all of this, I want to encourage you (and me) to hold on.  Isaiah 41:10 in the NLT says “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

This virus has many of us hesitant to leave our homes and to be in close proximity to other people, and rightfully so. But this particular passage says that we shouldn’t be afraid.  This virus may have some of us feeling discouraged because we see so much sickness and death around us. I will admit that, even as a minister, I have been overwhelmed by the many prayer requests for healing and comfort, even as my own family deals with the aftermath of death.

But in this passage, God tells us that we don’t have to be afraid and discouraged, because He is with us AND He is our God.  God has given us three promises in this one verse: He promises to strength us, to help us and to hold us up.  I encourage you to lean on and lean into God and these promises, that He will strengthen you, to help you and to hold you up.

What I find interesting about this passage is that it’s not just any old hand that is holding us up.  It is God’s “victorious right hand” that is holding us up.    The right hand of God symbolizes power and might.  It conveys authority and blessings.  Not only is the hand of God powerful, but it is also victorious.  So if God is holding me up with his victorious right hand, he is giving me power, strength, authority, blessings and victory, even in this precarious time.

I know we are overwhelmed, tired and unsure…but hold on.  God has promised to strengthen us, to help us, and to hold us up.  Let’s trust God together.

 

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God is Speaking…Listen!

by Brenna Fields Taylor

I was in my devotional time today, and I began to pray for a friend of mine who is going through a situation similar to what I have just recently experienced. I called her name in prayer, asking God to give her bold faith to persevere through this trial. Since I am beginning to emerge from my own circumstance, I’ve come to recognize that my faith in God has increased!   What I’m currently facing seems to be challenging, but I am declaring by faith that God will handle it (I am not worried about the ‘how;’ I just know that He will). This is the prayer I prayed for my friend.

God is an amazing God! After I finished praying, I turned to the daily devotional I read, and this is what the scriptural reference was:

Isaiah 46:3-4 (NLT)

Listen to me, descendants of Jacob,
all you who remain in Israel.
I have cared for you since you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born.
 I will be your God throughout your lifetime—
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.

Talk about an on-time word! God spoke directly to my situation as well as to my friend’s, and I had literally just called her name in prayer minutes before! If you ask God to speak to you about a situation, trust that He will do it! And it will be unmistakable that it is HIS voice!

What God also said to me in this short amount of time is that when you are listening for His voice and walking in faith (bold faith, I might add), when the fiery darts of the enemy come your way (Ephesians 6), they affect you differently. Yes, the enemy may shoot them, but our faith doesn’t allow them to burn us! Our bold faith, based on the Word of God, is protecting us…we don’t have to worry about what the enemy throws our way. We are aware of the enemy’s tactics and schemes, but we keep moving forward in faith, knowing that God WILL care for us, carry us, and be with us!

Be encouraged, friends! We serve a God who speaks to us and to our specific situations. Ask Him to speak to you and then listen for His voice. And walk in faith!

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Be Courageous!

By Brenna Fields Taylor

During a recent difficult season, a friend of mine told me that I was courageous. She explained why she felt that way, but, in the middle of my drama, I certainly didn’t feel that way. In fact, the last thing I believe I was at that point was courageous. Frankly, in that moment, I felt weak and powerless.

Courage

I recently saw an adaptation of The Wiz, and if you’ve seen the movie or the Broadway production, you know about the Cowardly Lion. Although the lion is supposed to be the king of the jungle, this particular lion did not see himself as such, and he wanted The Wiz to give him courage. As the production progressed, although the characters had not yet made it to The Wiz, little by little the Lion began to do courageous things (and he didn’t realize it). As the play concludes, the Lion realized he possessed courage all along.

As I reflect on my life and the challenges I’ve faced (many of them in the last 2 years…most of them ongoing), I’ve started thinking about courage. What is it, really?

To me, courage means stepping into the unknown. Many times, we like life to be stable and predictable. Speaking for myself, I enjoy the regularity and routineness of life. It’s safe, it’s comfortable, it’s orderly. And yet, if you’ve lived for any length of time, you know that life can be far from stable and predictable. Times come when we are shaken out of our comfort and need to move into something different. Sometimes moving into something different is what we want, and other times it’s something we must do (we have no choice in the matter). In either case, when we are stepping into the unknown, the thing we’re facing is different than anything we’ve ever experienced. We don’t know what to expect, or even what the next step will be, but we step. We don’t know in which direction this step will take us, but we step. To me, that is courage.

I also believe that courage is facing a situation you may have avoided for a period of time. I know a person who knew something was going on in his physical body, but did not seek medical attention. He ignored the situation, hoping that it would somehow go away. If we’re dealing with financial challenges, they are not going to magically get better (no money will rain down from heaven). If you’re faced with health challenges, short of a miracle, they will not just go away. Again, if you’ve lived for any length of time, you know that issues don’t just disappear. They must be faced, confronted, dealt with. Courage is recognizing there is a problem, understanding that it is bigger than you can handle, and taking steps to move toward resolution.  Recognizing a problem is looking it square in the eye and acknowledging it exists.  The issue is there, and will not go away until we admit it’s there. Once we’ve honestly acknowledged its existence, we can do things to move toward resolution, such as prayer, wise counsel, research, etc. The issue may not (and probably will not) be resolved overnight, but exercising courage means we are addressing something we’ve avoided.

The last point I want to make about courage is this: being courageous means we are taking a risk. I have a tendency to be risk averse (as I said earlier, I like stability). But being courageous means getting a little uncomfortable and moving forward in the face of fear. Conditions will never be ideal for us to make a move forward, but if we want our situations to be different, we must make a change. The time will never be right to start that business, go back to school, start saving for that house, to rebuild your life. But if you don’t start, how will the thing ever get done?

What have you been procrastinating about? What’s that one thing you desire to do or need to face? Today is the day…be courageous and take one step. After you’ve taken the first step, take the second, then the third, then the fourth. As you do that, just like The Lion in The Wiz, you are exercising courage you didn’t realize you had. Be courageous!

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