The Foolish Things God Chose

“God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise.” – 1 Cor. 1:27 NLT

A Pastor said “Poll after poll has proven that most people’s number one fear is speaking in public. Death ranks number two. That means some people would rather die than speak in public. Why? It’s the fear of looking foolish…but faith is the willingness to look foolish.

Noah looked foolish building an Ark in the desert. Sarah looked foolish buying maternity clothes at ninety. The Israelites looked foolish marching around Jericho blowing trumpets. David looked foolish attacking Goliath with a slingshot…The wise men looked foolish following yonder star. Peter looked foolish stepping out of the boat in the middle of the lake. And Yeshua looked foolish hanging half naked on a stake….but that’s the essence of faith.

And the results speak for themselves. Noah was saved from the flood Sarah gave birth to Isaac. The walls of Jericho came tumbling down. David defeated Goliath. The wise men found the Messiah. Peter walked on water. And Yeshua rose from the dead. What foolish thing has God chose you to do? Step out in obedient faith and let the results speak for themselves.

The greatest breakthroughs, miracles and turning points in scripture can be traced back to someone who was willing to look foolish. Why? Read this scripture: ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isa. 55:8-9).

Prayer is Your Power Source…Tap In!

The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) is able to accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power]. – James 5:16 AMP

When it comes to Prayer, there’s a few scriptures I turn to but mostly these two. “Yeshua tells His followers: “So I tell you, whatever you ask for ‘in prayer, ‘believe that you have received it’, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:2). And secondly, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Messiah Yeshua” (Philippians 4:6-7).

When we come to God in prayer,  we must be honest and open, knowing that He is our heavenly Father and He is omniscient (all-knowing). You can’t pull a fast one on Him!  The Word says, “They that come to Him must first believe that He IS and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). This means you come to Him knowing who He is and that “He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all you can ask or think” (Eph. 3:20).

For example, I had a situation where I was summoned to court. But my past experiences and run in with judges were never good. So, I prayed and told God I did not want to go to court and asked Him to work things out where I can solve the issue without going to court. I called the Clerk at the Courthouse to make arrangements to work out an alternative route. She let me to know, I could not do that and had to show up in court on the appointed day. Well, your girl became a nervous wreck and anxiety began to overtake me.

I went before God again and said, “It must be your will for me to go to court because You did not grant me favor with the Clerk.” Then, I applied Philippians 4:6-7 and poured my anxious heart out to Him in prayer, by making my request known to Him and don’t forget it says, “with thanksgiving”, so I thanked Him for what I had not yet receive. Pausing for a moment, I received His Peace that He will be with me. Remember, Mark 11:2? It says, “Whatever you ask for IN Prayer, BELIEVE THAT YOU RECEIVE IT, and you will have it.” You don’t believe that you receive it when you actually have it. No! You believe that you receive it right in that moment IN prayer. In that very moment, you have what you asked for already. This is why you thank Him and His peace comes to guard your heart and cover your mind from anxiety and fear. He says, “According to your faith, be it unto you.” (Matt. 9:29) Now, I’m ready to go in faith, not fear. Every time anxiety rise up, I just thank God that He is with me.

As the time drew closer, I asked several friends to accompany me. One Pastor/friend of mine agreed she would go. On the appointed day, I went to court…alone. I forgot all my documents in the car; I was twisting and turning in my seat because I needed them as evidence of my innocence. The lady next to me felt my twitching and asked me what was wrong. I told her and she went to the Clerk to ask her to allow me to grab my documents from my car. When she got up to walk off, I heard the Lord say, “You don’t need them.” Hmm…I still went for those documents. Long story short, the judge asked me to state my name for the court, so I did. I did not have to say another word. God turned that judge into my defense attorney. I did not need the documents and I did not have to pay any fees. Case dismissed! What a God! Now, that’s what the prayer of faith can do. It releases the power of God to work on your behalf and reward you with the answer according to His will in your situation. He just wanted the opportunity to show Himself mighty on my behalf. (2 Chron. 16:9) And He did!

What about you? Are you facing a situation that seems impossible for you? One where you’ve tried everything and nothing’s working out...Now, you’re nervous or feeling fearful of what the outcome will be? Why don’t you try applying the scriptures above and take God at His Word. Jeremiah 1:12 says, “Then said the Lord to me, …for I am alert and active, watching over My Word to perform it.” “So shall My Word be which goes out of My mouth; it will not return to Me void (useless, without result) without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11). Come on, tap into your power Source, through prayer today!

Arise To Greatness: Glory to Glory

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

God wants to bring the best out of you. You can rise above the life that you’ve been living. Life’s greatest failure is to not be true to the best life God has put inside of you to live. You’re a failure when you just settle and don’t become what God has called you to be. You can be better than you are. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

There are so many undeveloped gifts and talents lying dormant in God’s people. The best that is in you is waiting to be heard. Don’t lie in your worst when you can rise to your best. Jesus gave His life because He saw that you could be better. He saw that you could be something that you’re not being now, and that’s why He came and shed His blood…so that you could have a personal relationship with Him and be something better. Jesus sees the unseen best and yearns to bring it out to bless the world. There’s a better you that you have never met.

There’s greatness in you and God wants to bring it out. God looked at smelly fishermen and said, “There’s a better catch in you. You catch fish pretty well but come be fishers of men” and they ended up catching thousands of men in one throw of the gospel net. God looked at Gideon and said, “You’re the one I have chosen. Go and deliver my people. The Lord is with you.” But Gideon forgot God was with him and started talking about his own insufficiency. You may have forgotten that your sufficiency is not of yourself. Your sufficiency is not in your talent, gift, intellect, or great personality. Your sufficiency is in God. When God’s angel addressed Gideon he said, “You are a mighty man of valor” even though Gideon did not yet see it.

I know because God looked at a pregnant teenage drop out and told me, "Your life is not over. You will have your own business and write great books. I will take you places you've never dreamt of going, to help Me deliver and transform the lives of other women like yourself". I began to tell Him of my inadequacies, as if He didn't already know them. But He gave me a vision of myself doing exactly what He said and I’m doing it right now…and He’s not finished with me yet. What I saw was me outside of Christ and He revealed who I would be IN Christ. Yes, right where you are God sees who He predestined you to be before the foundation of the world, and not who you are in this season of your life.

There’s two great revelations: the revelation of who Jesus is and the revelation of who you are IN Him. When you learn who you are in Him, there is a confidence that arises and an unshakeable faith that says, “I can move mountains and I can walk on water if Jesus is with me. I can run through troops and I can jump over walls and no weapon formed against me shall prosper.”

God sees and seeks to surface the very best in us. Listen to this scripture in Micah 5:2, “Bethlehem, though you be little among the thousands, of thee shall a ruler come forth.” He was saying, “You see yourself as small. You see yourself as insignificant. You see yourself as an inch, but I see you as a ruler. I see something that’s going to come out of you.”

God sees something in you. No matter how little your own appraisal of yourself is, God sees something in you just like He saw that little nowhere place called Bethlehem and said, “There’s something great that is going to come out of you.” We know it was Jesus. That was a prophecy. And God looks at us and we may belittle ourselves and we put ourselves down and we diminish our importance, but God looks at us and says, “There’s something great that can come out of you. There’s something significant that can come out of your life. There’s something powerful that you can do. Don't settle for good or even better but believe Me to bring something great out of your life.”