Hearing the Lord's voice through all life's distractions

The Lord is speaking can you hear what He is saying?

In this season of time and especially with this presidential upset (so to speak), people are so charged up with their thought's, opinions, beliefs and their hopes of how things should be. It's during these times that believers in Christ should settle themselves to hear just what is the Lord saying about these things. He does have an opinion after all He holds the whole world in His hands.

I believe true prophets and false prophets got things wrong with this election because they were swayed by their opinions, beliefs, their desires and their own logic. They prophesied from what was the logical choice. And some prophets were just deceived -period. They listened to another voice but it wasn't the Almighty's voice. Yet, there were some who got it right. There's was a very unpopular prophesy and one that I'm sure got them into a lot of trouble with others. I'm sure some were ready to throw rocks and stones to silence the "foolishness." Nevertheless, the Lord's message is usually a very unpopular one. It's a message that people usually do not want to hear. It's one that takes courage and trust in God to be able to say among the people.

What can we learn from this? We must be skilled at tuning out the world's chaos and drama and even our own feelings and desires to be disciplined enough to pull away; silence the noise and ask the Lord, what are you saying about all of this? I believe that He will speak to you if you are quiet and steadfast enough to listen.

The bottom line is this: the Lord can NOT be put into a box. We can never count Him out! He moves when He wants to move and does what He deems best. The Lord takes the foolish things of the world to confuse the wise (1 Cor. 1:27).

Wake Up Body of Christ

I believe that we are in a divine time where the Lord is revealing His hand to all those who are paying attention. There are many self-proclaimed prophets of God who are speaking prophesies "from the Lord" and these prophesies are not coming to past. This is the time for all to repent and turn back to God.

As I have sit back and watched the unfolding of this election on the early morning of Nov. 9, 16, I was in total shock and awe at the results. There were so many that prophesied that Hillary Clinton would win and that is not what we saw.  As the red electoral votes lit up the states of the US, I had chills all over. This was not only a win but a landslide.

Now some have said, since the believers came together and prayed, the Lord turned it in the 11th hour while some prophesied years and months ago saying that the Lord showed them that Donald Trump would win. At the end of the day, one thing is certain and that is regardless of who is on office, God remains on His throne. He is in control and knows the beginning of things and the end. The Lord is not the author of confusion. We must be able to discern the time and the hand of God when He reveals it. Like it or not, He has revealed His hand.

Saints it's time to get serious. It's time to decide whose side you are on. It's time to turn from sin to righteousness. It's time to be bold and courageous. It's time to open our mouths and speak the truth according to the gospel. It's time to wake up and stop sleep walking.

STOP PLAYING WITH GOD

Ladies and Gentlemen we are in a very serious hour. It's an hour of judgement and exposing. It's a time of reaping what has been sowed. Judgement begins in the house of the Lord ( 1 Peter 4:17) and He is cleaning up His church. Whether you believe it or not, the Lord is coming back for his bride (the church) with neither spot or wrinkle. Its time for true repentance and a turning back to God with our whole hearts. You don't want to play with God in this hour. He will not be mocked.

God is patient, loving and kind. Slow to anger not wanting one to perish. But God is also a God that is true to His word. In spite of what we see or what it looks like (people disrespecting his name, denying who He is, living in opposition to His word, living in sin-fornication, lusts and perversions) it may look like people are getting away with things but it won't be like this forever. We will all have to answer to Him, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One true living God, who sees all and knows all.

I pray that our hearts will not be hardened and that when we hear Him knocking at our hearts we will answer Him. In this hour, we have to stop playing with God. We have to stop the pretending, the faking, the hot and cold, the form of godliness but denying the power, the christian on Sunday but living wreckless every other day. Time out for that. We have to be transparent. If we need help, ask Him. If we need deliverance, call on Him until He answers. He loves us and wants the best for us but He will also bring an end to the defiance and sin at some point. We can't keep taking His grace and mercy for weakness. Don't let it get to the point where you have a terminal illness that we decide we will surrender to Him. Because at the same time there is an enemy that wants to seek, kill and destroy all of us.  And when we live in habitual sin, we have given the enemy the license to wreak havoc in our lives.

Let's turn back to God for real and start living for Him today. If you are in need of prayer requests please feel free to leave a comment or send an email to loiellc@gmail.com. God Bless you.

Murmuring and Complaining..BEWARE!

It's so easy to get caught up in talking about and thinking about what you don't like in your current situation or what is bothering you. Before you know it, your spending excessive time complaining. I didn't realize how much I really do complain. It is so easy for me to point out what I don't like and what is going wrong as opposed to focusing on what is actually going right. Beware of murmuring and complaining. Nothing good comes out of it. Plus it keeps you stuck in your current situation, hinders you from seeing beyond and what the Lord may be doing in your life. Challenge yourself to see the bigger picture or better yest ask God to show you the bigger picture.

Pressure bursts Pipes

This year, I have been going through immense seasons of pressure. Most recently, I went through a dreaded move and although it was painful, it taught me a lot.

Sometimes we have so much (clothes, shoes, furniture and things) that there is actually no room to receive. I mean really no room to receive any blessings. We are blessed to be a blessing to others.

The weight of things can also way us down in the spiritual realm and as a result we may not understand why we feel so weighed down, heavy and or weary.

Just know that the Lord does not waste anything -any feeling, emotion, rough patch He uses ALL OF IT for our good.

Whether we realize it or not we are in a battle. The enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy. It's not a game. Stand girded in the truth of the word. Choose a scripture to hold on to and confess it out of your mouth as many times as needed. Make up your mind that come what may, you will wait on the Lord without wavering. Know in your being that despite what you see or are experiencing, the Lord's promises will be manifested in your life. It's WAR TIME y'all. Will you win the battle?

Just Do It

My Pastor preached a critical and time-sensitive sermon on Sunday and I wanted to share:

The 3 ways that the devil defeats us:

1) Not having a plan and/or no commitment to the plan.

2) Losing focus.

3.) Moving to slow.

It is my hope that in this season, not one is left behind from walking in their God ordained purpose an assignment. If you have fallen off, become side-tracked or distracted, GET BACK ON TRACK.
Re-focus, re-commit to your plan and do not delay.

The Time is Now

The time is now...Ready...Set.... GO! Are you ready?

The time is now to move forward with your dreams, plans, visions, persistent thoughts, whatever it is that has been placed in your heart to do. Do it! Don't miss your season of execution. If you do, you will have to wait until this season comes around again.

I've been thinking...

CAN WE REALLY BE ENTANGLED IN THIS CULTURE AND TRULY FOLLOW CHRIST?

This question has been floating around in my head over the past few days. I've seen some beautiful and powerful young people share their testimony and passion for living for Christ. And as I peruse their social media pages, I also see a resemblance (whether in style, expression, dress or likes) to the current trends of our culture. I'm optimistic for them as I admire their zeal and declaration for Christ in a time when many are openly defiant. However, I still can't help but hear that still quite voice ask, "do you think that you can do both?" It's a question that has put me on pause for a moment for deeper reflection.  And for that I defer back to the Lord and ask, can we do both?

SEASONS & TIMING

Sometimes we wonder if we will miss God's timing. We are fearful that we might be so distracted that we miss something. We may even wonder did we already miss it (the gift, the promise or answered prayer)? I just want to encourage you that if you remain in close fellowship with the Lord, rest assured that you will not miss anything that HE has in store for you!

The Lord is a God of seasons and time. The word says that He makes all things beautiful in its time (Eccl 3:18) and to every thing there is a season and time to every purpose under heaven (Eccl 3:1). So no, you have not been forgotten. 

Lord it's been 20 years- You have not been forgotten.

Lord, I have seen no movement in this area of my life- You have not been forgotten.

Lord, do you hear me or even care? - You have not been forgotten.

Life as I know it has been shaken for me over the last month. Nothing is stable except for the word of God in my life. The Lord has and is moving. He has yet again pushed me out of my comfort zone. He has created uncomfortable situations that has forced me to step out and do what I previously did not have the courage to do. He has opened locked doors and bestowed His favor among me in the land.

I have learned from this that when your season comes, YOU WILL KNOW!

When it's time for a change, There will be no denying it.

When He's ready to answer your prayer, You will NOT miss it! And you won't have to make things happen, it will be effortless. Trust God. Trust the Process. He has not forgotten you. He works in seasons. Wait on His timing!

Marriage Defined

God created this institution called marriage. It is a union that He takes very seriously. I personally believe that after accepting Christ as your personal savior this is one of the next most important decision that a person can make- choosing a life mate. For a decision that is so weighty, we MUST seek the Lord! I don't know any way around this. He knows all. He knows what's in the heart of man and He knows what lies ahead.

I was thinking about marriage this morning (which inspired this post). You have singles who desperately want to get into this union and married couples who desperately want to get out. We run from our single season not wanting to use it to sharpen us and in our married season want to run back to our independence and freedom. LOL, it is car-zy (not crazy) when you think about it! How can we bridge this gap? These two extremes suggest to me that there is a disconnect somewhere.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert and I don't have all the answers. As I inquire of the Lord on this matter, a lot of ideas and thoughts flood my head. What I deduce is that marriage should consist of: two imperfect individuals who have decided to rely solely on the Lord first in their own lives that then decide to unify and to rely solely on the Lord together. I don't believe this institution was created to function appropriately any other way.

We are now seeing the demise of many marriages both in the world and in the church. I believe that the Lord wants to revive and restore marriages especially in the church. But what will it take to get there?

We have to go back to a true dependence and personal relationship with God. It starts and ends there. This relationship includes reading his word to know what His thoughts are. Praying to Him, talking to Him, listening to what He has to say and waiting on Him for further instructions. When we get to this point and realize that we just can't do it without Him, then I believe, we will see true revival and restoration in marriage. The church should be setting an example to the world period not reflecting the same results or stats as it.

Instead of looking at our single season as a curse or not embracing it, use this time wisely. It's fleeting and goes by quickly especially when it's wasted. It can truly be one of the most beautiful time period in your life especially when you can see the treasure in it. Especially when you are able to view it from the Lord's lens. Remember the enemy wants to steal this truth away from you so he makes you want to reject it and feel that you are losing out on something. That is a lie. The fuel that you need to sustain a marriage starts in this single season.

So instead, build and strengthen your relationship with the Lord. Let Him love on you, heal you, talk to you and console you. He will, if you let Him. I'm learning that in our single season our relationship with the Lord should be a reflection of our earthly relationship with our spouse just like our relationship with our spouse should be a reflection of God's relationship with the church. And when we can grab on to that fact in our single season, we will be ready and able to ensure that our marriage will be reflective of what the Lord truly intended it to be.  Wowsers, I didn't intend to get this deep guys :) !

Stay tuned...

Waiting.........on the Lord

Waiting on the Lord to answer a question, a prayer or a need is never easy. We can believe, confess, pray and fast but when it comes to waiting on the Lord for something that we are desiring deeply...it can be challenging. First let me say, do not allow the enemy or people to make you feel bad about becoming frustrated with the wait. It doesn't mean that you are less holy or lacking true faith. If we are all honest with ourselves, we can admit that waiting on the Lord at times can become tiresome. I guess that's why so many decide not to wait for His best, His answer and/or His timing....

With that said, the Lord sees the bigger picture. He knows all the pieces to the puzzle. He also knows how to strategically put the pieces together perfectly in His time.

Many of us right now, have become weary.
Many of us right now, are debating giving up.
Many of us right now, are struggling to stand.

I want to encourage us all to Wait on the Lord! The writer of Psalms said:

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed 
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living (Psalms 27:13 NKJV).

The 21st century KJV says:

I would have fainted, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of 
the Lord in the land of the living.

It gets tough sometimes saints but through these tough times, let's decide to trust God. Let's decide to take a stand. God is building our faith as we wait. Let's decide to wait on Him until it is manifested. BE ENCOURAGED!