 The ENTIRE football team from NC A & T visited my church yesterday. I was completely unaware of their attendance until the coach was thanked for choosing to worship at Mt. Zion and asked them to please stand for acknowledgement. Imagine my surprise when DIRECTLY behind me for at least four or five long rows back the whole football team silently stood in unity. My spirit leaped as I looked behind me and swept a glance across all of those tall, hulking players. (Man, they were enormous!) I promise you that in the spirit I didn't see a football team at all. I saw twelve legions of angels looming over and providing for me (Matthew 26:53); a great cloud of witnesses watching out for me. In that instance I was immensely humbled for I "saw" God's confirmation that He is Jehovah- Shammah. Moments later I warmly embraced several of the players during the meet and greet. With evident strength they embraced me back and it was if I were briefly visiting with archangels. Returning to my seat, I felt sure the Spirit whispered to me, "I've got your back." If you took the time to read this, that whisper is also for your life today. No matter what you may be going through even in this very moment... GOD'S GOT YOUR BACK. Period.
 Anybody remember Whodini's song, "The Freaks Come Out At Night?" Maybe your era played Wilson Pickett's crooning "Gonna wait til the midnight hour, that's when my love comes tumbling down." Lol! We know these songs referred to people getting ready to get their club and their "hustle" on but that's not my perspective tonight.
What comes to my mind is that MIDNIGHT ain't always a bad or negative time frame that only yields foolishness! It can actually be a wonderfully blessed time for the children of God. I don't hear Whodini and I don't hear Wilson Pickett but I do I hear Fred Hammond belting out: "LATE IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR, GOD'S GONNA TURN IT AROUND! It's GONNA WORK IN YOUR FAVOR!" A very familiar passage of scripture supports this in Acts 16: That it was at MIDNIGHT that Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. A word to the weary: "LATE IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR, GOD'S GONNA TURN IT AROUND! It's GONNA WORK IN YOUR FAVOR!" Watch the evidence of the day show how God worked for you at midnight. Selah.  ... for "While they were saying among themselves it cannot be done, it was done (H. Keller)." No handicap, limitation, lack of education or resource, witch or warlock can stop the Spirit of God from hovering over your life and commanding the divine exchange of FORM for void and LIGHT rather than darkness.
Balak wanted Balaam to curse the people and had the utter audacity to get angry when he heard blessing instead: “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it (Num 23)." Balak failed to realize that the GOD we serve has a way of steamrolling right over so-called "problems" and will use anything and anybody in order to bring about His sovereign will concerning you. Our response is to believe that His strength really is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9) and then marvel, giving Him the glory, when He confounds both the enemy within AND the enemy without.  The Holy Spirit is continually... INCREDIBLE! LATEEE in the mid[night] hour & all through the night the Lord made obstacles REROUTE & turn favor's corner in the lives of His people everywhere. At mid[day] today I heard the term "Breakthrough" & though already knowing what it means I felt compelled to look it up. "Breakthrough" is defined as: 1) an offensive THRUST that penetrates and carries beyond a defensive line in warfare, 2) an act or instance of breaking through an obstacle, 3) a sudden ADVANCE especially in knowledge or technique and 4) an important discovery that happens after trying for a long time to understand or explain something. I know it's been a minute now and has seemed that breakthrough might never come but the decree has been issued and it shall be for you just as the Lord has said! Eat the dust of defeat? Never! You're more than a conqueror so go ahead & praise Him because it's already done! Oh , clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is AWESOME; He is a great King over all the earth. (Psa 47:1-2). Shalom, Shalom.
 The "IT" referred to is "THE FATHER'S BUSINESS." When I got up this morning to prepare for meetings I looked in the closet & said, "Lord, what do you want me to put on today?" When we truly understand that we carry the glory of the Lord everywhere we go, it ought to show from the inside OUT! (Prov 31:21-22)
3 Tips for dressing like you mean it: 1) Just 'cause you can get in it doesn't mean you should wear it! 2) Let there be light - add a pop of color to balance that serious look! 3) Once you have it on... OWN IT GIRL! The rain, thunder, and lightening earlier made me think of my little 4'7" Great-Grandma Mary. She was more afraid of a thunderstorm than anything in this world! She would close all the blinds, unplug everything, get her switch in hand, and then make all of the grands sit on the floor in a cricle... DARING us to move or speak a single word! LOL!
I'm so glad that I am not afraid of thunderstorms. In fact, when I'm at home during a thunderstorm the only reason I'm compelled to be quiet is because I feel the Spirit moving. Today, during the storm I felt within me that a shift was taking place in the heavenlies. I believe God is showering down his blessings in a torrent of storms that will usher in His presence like never before. All I can say is turn your umbrella upside down and receive it. Selah. Study Nugget: I Kings 18: 41-46 Yesterday someone said to me, "Your text tagline is right - favor is working for you. Things just open up wherever you go!" This morning as I was getting my prayer jog on with my pitbull, I thought it over and began to proclaim increase. I asked God for more! I spoke over my own life that not only am I walking in the favor of God, but I walk in UNCOMMON FAVOR! Everything around me has got to line up or it has got to go!
Sisters & brothers the enemy doesn't want us to fully know who we are. The enemy doesn't want to see God use common people to do uncommon things. But can I remind you that God created us in His image to reflect His nature and character... Can I tell you that if God said it.... Can I decree that if He began the good work... Selah. Study Nugget: (Philippians 1: 1-14)  "Favor Ain't Fair!”
There are two sides to every coin and it’s the same with the favor of God. We can get with it when FAVOR brings the obvious goodies in the form of promotions, houses, and new rides but we have trouble recognizing God’s favor ANYWHERE when it is being birthed through gross darkness and what appears to be “unfair” affliction. Who joyfully signs up for favor through the gift of pain? Hagar initially found favor with Abram’s wife, Sarai, but my how the tables soon turned! Once she conceived Hagar was treated so cruelly by Sarai that she fled into a wilderness place. Feeling utterly STUCK between a rock and a hard place, she thought that God had forsaken her. She didn't realize that FAVOR was just showing its flip side of entrance! Joseph’s brothers in jealousy sought to slay him, not realizing it would be impossible to kill the dream. Whoever would have thought that a hideous pit and a hellacious PRISON would become routes to obtaining great FAVOR as governor & second in command over all the land of Egypt?! And until Gabriel announced to Mary that she was CHOSEN to supernaturally birth our Savior in a time when unmarried women were disgraces to be eliminated, she had no idea that what was a curse for others was actually a highly favored blessing for her. As we move out of 2011 and into 2012 let’s brace ourselves for great victory no matter the route of the favor. It won't be cozy or conventional but in the end it will be worth it. Instead of crying out “the devil is a liar!” so quickly let’s consider that it just might be God’s favor. Selah. |
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