Friday, April 29, 2011

Just Like He Said

Matthew 28:6 reads, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”


This time of the year, I can’t help but meditate on the wonderful work of our Savior, Jesus Christ. His birth, His life, His death and most importantly His resurrection. Because if He did not get up, everything else would almost be meaningless. Because of Him I have been made free. And if you have made Him Lord of your life, LORD OVER ALL, you have been made free, as well! And I love made free as my husband and pastor teaches… because if you’re set free, you can be caught again…. But Hallelujah, if you’re made free, SIN can’t hold you, death can’t hold you. Nothing can hold you, no matter where you are.


But as I have been meditating on Easter and the cross and the sacrifice and just the love of God, these words marinate in my spirit. HE IS NOT HERE… HE HAS RISEN, JUST AS HE SAID.


And I am reminded of a song (and actually a word I shared some time ago about this) and the song is by Donald Lawrence, and it’s called simply, Matthew 28. And as I was listening to the song, there is a part where Donald Lawrence says repeatedly, He is not here… He is not here… He is not here! And then he slowly says ‘For He has risen… just as He said.’ And it grabbed me. And my spirit leaped at the revelation. He is not here. He has risen just as He said He would.


And as those words rang over and over in my ear, I could hear God saying, that we can take Him at His Word. If Jesus has spoken something to us, He will do exactly what He said. HE IS NOT HERE… HE HAS RISEN, JUST AS HE SAID.


I am reminded of when Jesus saw the faith of the woman that touched the hem of His garment, HE SAID, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that very hour, the Scripture says. JUST AS HE SAID.


And when the ruler came to Jesus and told Him that his daughter was dead, Jesus told him, Believe only. And when Jesus arrived at his house, the Scripture says that after Jesus told the people to make room, for the girl is not dead but sleeps, they laughed Him to scorn. BUT when He went in the house and took the little girl by the hand, she got up. JUST AS HE SAID. She was sleeping. Just like He said she was.


At Passover time, Jesus told the disciples to go into town and there they will find a donkey, tied, which they were to unloose and bring to Him. And when the disciples got there, they found the donkey, JUST AS HE SAID.


He said that one of His disciples would betray Him and it happened JUST AS HE SAID. That before the cock crowed, Peter would deny Him THREE times. JUST AS HE SAID.


He said that they would destroy His temple, but in three days He would rise again. And He did! Just like He said He would!


He is not here… He has risen, just as He said.


And I want you to get this in your spirit, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. So hear this over and over and over again. He is not here.. He has risen, JUST AS HE SAID.


If He has told you that by His stripes you are healed, you are healed. Just as He said. Take Him at His Word! If He told you that He shall supply all your need, He will supply it. Just as He said. If He told you that you are the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath, that no weapon formed against you shall prosper, you are and it won’t happen. Just as He said.


Take Him at His Word.


God is real. We simply have to believe Him.


A servant of the Lord,

Sis. E


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Why Have You Replaced Me?

I see you, you know
You used to come to church
Every Sunday
But not anymore
Why have you replaced Me?
Allowing your ‘special’ activity to take precedence.

I see you, you know
Christmas would come around
And before the month even grew warm
You were already celebrating my Son.
Why have you replaced Me?
Speaking of the holiday, compromising the reason.

I see you, you know
The home-cooked family meals
Were more than just an opportunity to eat
It was that once a week chance you all had to fellowship
With Me
Why have you replaced Me?
Grabbing a quick fix and sitting in front of the TV.

I see you, you know
You used to play 21 with your son
And throw a couple of balls around.
I enjoyed watching you enjoy each other.
But why have you replaced Me?
Now your son does that with his coach.

I see you, you know
You used to stand for Me when school interfered with my plan.
But not anymore..
Now My plan has to be in line with the school's.
Why have you replaced Me?
A snow day can take the place of Good Friday but not a vacation day…
Without a word spoken. Without a complaint murmured.
I heard you say it’s okay. It’s just a day after all.
Why have you replaced Me?

I saw you, you know.
The death, burial and resurrection of My Son
Doesn’t take on new meaning for you anymore.
After all you have your salvation. What more can you need?
It’s a done deal.
Let them get theirs I heard you say.
But why have you replaced Me?

Every time you allow someone,
Some thing,
Some place
To take my place… you replace Me.
Every time you put yourself first,
What YOU want to do,
What YOU think is best,
What YOU feel,
You replace Me.

I saw you, you know.
When they spit at My Son
And mocked Him and He spoke not a Word.
I saw you.

When He got up on that cross
And allowed Me to put YOUR sins,
and the sins of the world on Him.
I saw you.

When they pierced Him in His side.
And the blood came gushing out.
I saw you.

When My Son cried out to Me,
Father, Father… Why have You forsaken Me?
And I didn’t answer…
Because I saw you.

In the midst of all your sins...

And let Him take your place…
because I saw You.

But why have you replaced Me?

Friday, April 8, 2011

You Betta Recognize

A while back there was a saying, “You betta recognize!” Which pretty much meant realize something, acknowledge something, get to know it. Much like the saying, “if you don’t know, you better ask somebody!” And I’ve been hearing in my spirit a lot lately, God saying that, “You betta recognize.” I hear Him wanting us to realize that He’s here. That He’s walking right along with us, that He is talking to us. And we don’t even know it.

I am reminded of the woman at the well, (in the book of John, chapter 4) who was having a conversation with Jesus about water. Side note: If Jesus is going to sit down and have a conversation with us, we ought to make sure it’s a worthwhile one. But anyway, the woman was talking to Jesus about water and as they got into the conversation, she began to reveal things to Him that He already knew of course, but she thought she was telling Him something. Like she told Him, “I know that Messiah is coming. And when He comes, He will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus had to tell her, “I am He Who you speak of.”

And God said to me that part of the reason why we don’t recognize Him, is because we have this preconceived notion of how He will come. We don’t really believe that He will come and we don’t even expect Him to come. And then like this woman at the well, some of us think that we know too much. She had all the answers and was so busy focusing on what she thought she knew that she didn’t know that Jesus, the Messiah, was right there with her. Like this woman, we think we know it all and because we know it all, we really don’t know anything. And that is why we can’t recognize Jesus.

God is speaking. Jesus is speaking. The Holy Spirit is speaking. God speaks through the people He sends our way, those He sends across our paths to encourage us. He speaks through a Word, through a song that you hear walking around a mall, in a store. He speaks in a conversation in a movie. And we don’t even recognize Him. God says my sheep hear my voice and a stranger he will not follow. But how many of us are following strangers, because we are not recognizing the voice of God?

In Luke 24, as two disciples walked on the road to Emmaus, Jesus joined them. Jesus had just been crucified and they were saddened by it and Jesus came along and He asked them why they were so sad. And they began telling Him (things He already knew), what was the matter. And Jesus walked with them and He talked with them and just like the stranger that God sends across our path, He encouraged them by sharing with them The Word. (An example of how we should encourage each other. With the Word). He told them what the Word said, that He would be crucified and He would suffer and die. And challenged why they had not listened to the prophets, who spoke of this. And I hear Him asking us the same thing, when we speak of things that we were told would happen. He says, “Why didn’t you believe it? Where is your faith? I told you, you would be persecuted for my name’s sake. That if you want to reign with me that you will also have to suffer with Me. Why did you not believe my prophet? Why aren’t you believing Me?”

Jesus was walking and talking with them, His disciples, and they didn’t even know it. And then the Scripture tells us that after a while they arrived to where they were lodging and Jesus would have kept on going if they had not asked Him to stay. Still Jesus, (a stranger to them), but yet had to be invited to come into their home. And after they sat down to eat, and Jesus broke and blessed the bread, that is when they realized Who it was that was speaking to them. And then immediately their eyes were opened, the Scripture says, and then they said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn?”

The disciples, who knew Jesus, missed Him. He appeared on their road of despair. He walked with them, He spoke with them and they didn’t even realize it. We miss Him too. Jesus steps in on the scene during our moments of “despair” and we don’t even recognize Him.

How is that possible? God said, people share a Word with us to encourage us. A Word that He has placed in their mouth, but because we think they don’t know what they’re talking about, we dismiss it. Because we think they are too young, we dismiss it. Because we think they just like talking, or hearing themselves talk, we dismiss it. We dismiss people (God speaking) to us, when they say something we don’t want to hear. Or we just don’t like them. We don’t like the way they look. Or we think, oh, that’s just Deacon so and so. Oh, that’s just Sister this. Oh, that’s just the pastor’s wife, she’s not the pastor. I don’t have to listen to her. And some of us even dismiss the pastor (the man of God, ordained by God, to speak life into your soul). God has placed words in that person’s mouth for our deliverance, just like the woman at the well, and not only do we not recognize it, often we dismiss it.

And then sometimes when it does finally hit us, that it was Jesus, a light goes off and somehow we get the revelation, maybe through a mannerism, or something that is ‘familiar’ with Jesus, Jesus leaves the scene. Just as He did with those disciples, when they realized it was Jesus Whom spoke with them, Jesus disappeared from their presence. We want to recognize Jesus while He is yet with us.

God wants us to get this. He is speaking. He is showing up in our circumstances, walking and talking with us and we are not recognizing Him. He says draw closer. He says expect Him to show up. He says look for Him. See Him in everything, everywhere. He is there; if we would only be open to hear from Him.

God is real. And He’s speaking. It would be wise if we would recognize Him.

Be blessed.

A servant of the Lord,

Sis. E

Be blessed.

A servant of the Lord,

Sis. E

http://sis.e.home.comcast.net

http://www.ongoodground.org