You are the Apple of His eye!

I was recently in the produce aisle of the grocery store and a Bartlett pear spoke to me. Well, the fruit did not actually speak, but as I made my selection, God spoke

I carefully selected my strawberries, inspecting each one to make sure there were no blemishes and bruising, and proceeded to the pears. The pears were rather small and a tad hard, but I need my fiber. I loaded my bag and noticed that I had selected a few with brown scars. Not bruised, but simply kissed by nature. “Why would I pick this one with all of these marks?” I asked myself. Instantly God spoke and said, “that’s how I often pick people.” By judging the outside of the fruit I was underestimating the value inside. “There’s some good stuff in there.” I heard as I massaged the fruit.

“This is good, stuff,” I thought, wishing I had a pen and paper to write this revelation down.

Have you underestimated your value because of what things look like on the outside? Have you ignored your calling because you are more concerned with what people will think? Have you underestimated someone else’s anointing/assignment because God did not personally e-mail you that He qualified them?

So often, we disqualify ourselves because of our pasts. We walk around paranoid that someone is going to uncover our hidden secrets or begin a testimony period: “I knew her when she use to…be at the club…be at the hotel….cuss like a sailor.” You fill in the blanks.

Did you get the memo that God knows the raw material He’s working with?

If you only take one thing away this week, remember this:
“Get in alignment with your assignment”.

We align our tires; why not align our lives with God’s will?

So often, we hear God speaking to us about our assignments, but we second-guess the message and ourselves. We underestimate God’s ability to see our hearts.(See 1 Samuel 16:7)

I am not advising you to quit your good job or use what’s left of your retirement to follow a wild dream, I just want to remind you that YOU are so much more than your listing in the employee directory or the label on your name tag. Today, if you have not already done so, ask God to help you get aligned with your assignment. Ask Him for instructions on what He has given you to do. Ask him to remove the fear and mute the negative self-talk that prevent you from being all He wants you to be.

Even if you have been bruised, bitten into, left to rot, or stripped of your protective skin, know that there is still something good inside of you that God can use for His glory. No matter what you look like to others, you are still the apple of His eye!

Enjoy the blessings of the Lord and continue to pray my strength!
Arlecia

I Have Seen Him Work

Hebrews 11:1-2 (NIV)

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ²This is what the ancients were commended for.

I am not sure how restful my nights are, as I awake most morning with my mind saturated with a million thoughts, a list of things to do, and revelations that came through the night. On Monday morning after only five hours of sleep, I woke up thinking, “I wish I could bottle up some faith and distribute it.” If it were that easy, all of you would have a few ounces of the faith highlighted in Hebrews 11.

Today, I want to make this Testimony Tuesday in an effort to help strengthen your faith.

I am currently in the midst of one of the biggest faith walks of my life and if I had faith to disperse, I would probably have to maintain every ounce I had for the weeks and months ahead. In sharing the circumstances of this walk, I have found myself giving mini-sermons on faith:

“How many times in your life do you really get to activate your faith?”

“We can trust God with little things, but when do you get a chance to step out on the water?”

“You have to decide whether you’re going to stay in the boat or you if you’re going to walk out on out. “

“Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean God can’t do it!”

No matter the sermon, some faith walks must only be shared with other water-walkers. Like Peter, you might want to walk out on the water, but it is impossible when fear overrides faith

(See Matthew 14:22-33). If you tell people who normally choose to stay in the boat, you might hear:

“You gonna drown.”

“You better get back in this boat.”

“Did you see how rough those waves are?”

“You have a nice, safe boat here; I can’t understand why you would possibly want to go in that chilly water?”

In those moments, you must remember who made the winds and the waves. Peter had to remember who invited him to “Come.”

Today, I cannot package faith and distribute it, but I can tell you that you just have to step out one foot at a time. Because I have seen God work on my behalf in so many areas of my life, I cannot do anything but trust Him. My degrees, skills, gifts, affiliations or sense of humor cannot do for me what He can. I have not only seen God open doors, but He’s replaced roofs and rezoned neighborhoods so that houses with larger doors could contain those things He had for me.

As I was writing, God reminded me of the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:20). I could only imagine what some of the bystanders had to say as the woman made her way to Jesus. “Why doesn’t she get off that ground?” someone said.

“Does she really think she’s going to get through all of those people? I told you she was crazy,” her best friend said from afar. They had a whole lot to say, but obviously, they had no healing powers at their disposal. No matter what they said, the sick woman realized her situation would change if she could just get in where she could fit in. Jesus recognized her faith and healed her. (Matthew 9:22)

Can you operate in faith even when others around you cannot believe? When they call you crazy? When they question you, your faith and your God? Can you trust Him when you cannot trace Him? Today, I am thankful that one of my greatest possessions in this world is my faith. I do not know what I would do without it. If you took away my degrees, I would figure out how to make it in this world. If you took away my faith, I would become what the old saints sang about, “a ship without a sail.”

Today, I pray for people who have lost faith and hope, and for people who no longer believe in themselves. If you are a water- walker, I pray that you will share your testimony of faith to encourage someone else.

As for me, I am going to stand in faith as I walk and run on to see what the end is going to be!

Hallelujah!

P.S. Feel free to share your testimonies in the comment box below.

Arlecia

Don't Wait Another Day - It's Not Promised

I am thankful to find revelations in my day-to-day experiences. This past weekend, I traveled to Norman, Oklahoma, to participate in an academic conference. It is a time where scholars fly hundreds or even thousands of miles to shake hands and make presentations that last no more than 15 minutes. After a 13-hour flying day on Sunday, I did not think it was worth it. Thankfully, God used an experience attached to the opening reception as my true reward.

On Friday evening, our group traveled to Oklahoma City where domestic terrorism took place nearly 14 years ago. As a junior in college, I watched television as events unfolded at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. On Friday night, I stood on the grounds where 168 lives were taken and over 800 people injured. The lighted memorial is an amazing site to behold; however, it was in the museum where I heard God. Museum visitors take a chronological tour through the events of the day. Video of the news reports replay, survivors tell their stories, and then there are the images that remind you that the events of April 19, 1995, involved more than a building. Children were orphaned, spouses widowed and dreams remain unfulfilled. A rumpled calendar from someone’s desk and a personal Bible found in the rubble are examples of the artifacts on display. While I had noticed other group members sniffling and shedding tears, I was good. That is, until I viewed the memorial space for a couple who died that day. Along with their photos, family members chose two small Bibles with a bronze plate that read:

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

I read the passage and I was out for the count. The server at the hotel restaurant as well as someone at the museum hinted that it was an emotional place. That night, that space also preached a few sermons with topics ranging from loving your neighbor to realizing that life is but a vapor. What words were left unsaid and how many “I Love Yous” went unspoken that morning? How many phone calls were never returned?

That night, I was challenged to consider how others would remember the life I lived. Would people remember me as a Christian? What artifact would my family donate to represent my dash?

I am not sure how the Lord has spoken to you after reading this post, but I pray you will take a moment to consider the things you must do that cannot wait another day.

Today, I pray for the survivors, loved ones, rescuers, and people of that city whose lives were forever changed.

Arlecia

P.S. At the outdoor memorial I looked for the space of brothers Aaron Coverdale, 5, and Elijah Coverdale, 2. I've always remembered their grandma, who looked like someone who could have attended my church or lived on my street. She dropped them off that morning, and after the bombing their father walked the streets with their photos. Aaron and Elijah were among the 168 victims.

For info on The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, visit http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/index.php

“Be grateful. Because there's someone else who's worst off than you.” -Walter Hawkins

A few Iowa winters ago, I was walking up the hill and lamenting that it was frigid and snowing. As the wind snatched my breath, God sent me a heavenly text message reminding me that the situation could have been worse. I looked ahead and my eyes spotted a young man in a wheelchair. He, too, was making his way up that same hill. His chair had no bells or whistles, so its movement was dependent upon his arms that maneuvered the wheels forward. His lower back was exposed, but he did not procrastinate as the snow fell. I wanted to pull his jacket down. In hindsight, I wanted to cover his back because I needed to repent for complaining. Instead of thanking God for the little legs that eventually reached their destination, I wanted to curse the snow and that cold walk.

God brought this story to my remembrance to remind you that no matter how bad you think your situation is, someone else would love to walk in your shoes. You may consider your kicks too tight, too old, too scuffed, or simply out of fashion. Yet, someone else would call them a blessing.

God knew what today’s lead story would be even before the reporter learned about it. He knows what is going on in the earth. He knows what you need. He hears your prayers and your cries.

Today, thank God for the little things. Everybody’s change is a little strange and money funny, but I am thankful that my Father claims every beast of the forest and the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalms 50:10). Walk in faith and profess that Jehovah Jireh shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory! (Philippians 4:19).

Until next time, walk in your blessings!

Arlecia