A Cup of Stretch

And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."  And the Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. Ex 14:13-16 (NKJV)

The Plateau is a familiar place for those who are trying to reach weight loss or weight training and muscle-building goals. It is the spot where you seem stuck and can’t go any further. It is easy to just accept it or maybe give up and stop trying altogether and return to your previous unhealthy ways. Never mind how it felt to be weak, lethargic, and enslaved by unhealthy habits. It is a good thing to have someone to encourage you to press forward at this roadblock lest you be tempted to throw all your hard work down the drain.
I think many of us can relate to children of Israel’s predicament. They are finally free of the unhealthy enslavement of the Pharaoh and Egypt. They make it to the Red Sea and then progress seems to stop. They reach “The Plateau”. Discouragement, doubt, and fear begin to settle in and right on the verge of a great breakthrough they consider giving up and returning to ways of enslavement.

We also come to moments in our lives that mirror that Red Sea moment. We work hard to make progress in our lives. Things seem to be going well for us, then; suddenly we come to a roadblock, our Red Sea moment. The chariots of our past are coming with the intent to bring us back to the life we just left. The hoof beats of doubt, fear, hurt, abuse, negativity, and enslavement resound in our ears. Our eyes are fixated on our present Red Sea. The obstacles and roadblocks before us seem insurmountable and cause fear and hesitation. Our minds ponder the unknown that awaits us the other side. The fear of the unknown is one of man’s greatest fears. Yet, when we know the God who reigns over the unknown, we can find the strength and courage to press forward knowing He will take care of us.

God was showing Moses, as He had many times before, that he had been given everything he needed to accomplish his purpose; for Moses it was his rod. For us it is the knowledge that our God has a plan and purpose for our lives, a plan which includes peace, victory, success, freedom, provision and all else we need to complete this journey. As with Moses’ rod, God has already equipped, empowered, and encouraged us to accomplish all we are called to do.

We, like Moses, must stretch forth those things that we have been given. We have gifts, talents, and callings that must go forth. We must stretch forth our faith to breakthrough to the other side. Once we make that bold decision we will see a way open before us, a way that allows us safe passage yet makes no allowances for the things of the past.

There is something better awaiting us. We must have the courage and strength to STRETCH forth, walk through, and believe God for the victory.  Don't give up. We can do it because He has given us the power to do so.

One, Two, Three….STRETCH!

A Cup of Encouragement

Exodus 17:18  But the midwives had far too much respect for God and didn't do what the king of Egypt ordered; they let the boy babies live. The king of Egypt called in the midwives. "Why didn't you obey my orders? You've let those babies live!"…^20-21 God was pleased with the midwives. The people continued to increase in number—a very strong people. And because the midwives honored God, God gave them families of their own. (The Message)

PUSH! For those who have been present through the labor and delivery process, whether pushing, coaching, or watching, that is a familiar phrase.
Before the wonderful world of updated medicine that word usually came from the midwife. Many women today still choose the voice of the midwife to coach them along the process.

Midwives have great responsibilities. They attend the labor and birth. They handle some postpartum care. They keep a watchful eye on the birthing process. Because of their unique positioning they are aware of most dangers and obstacles that can cause problems. They seek the well being of mother and baby during birthing. Most of all they encourage and direct the mother during labor and delivery. They are needed!
We also need spiritual midwives in the body of Christ today, those who are willing to say, like the midwives of old, “No, I won’t kill that which God has conceived in others. I will not kill destiny and purpose in my sister or brother.”

The midwife’s role is to speak life and to encourage others during the birthing moment.
In Genesis 35:16-18 we see another good example of the role of a midwife:  “…When Rachel went into labor—hard, hard labor. When her labor pains were at their worst, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid—you have another boy."  18 With her last breath, for she was now dying, she named him Ben-oni (Son-of-My-Pain), but his father named him Ben-jamin (Son-of-Good-Fortune)” (The Message)
Now remember, because of her positioning the midwife probably understood the seriousness of Rachel’s situation yet she chose to encourage her by focusing on the good that would come out of the pain. She spoke life!

We also must be willing to encourage one another in the midst of the pain of spiritual birthing. No matter how bad it may look, we are to speak life. Sometimes we are put into the midwife position in other’s lives, not looking down on them but staring right into the messiest part of the process. We must still speak life! We are not called to mislead with flattery or false hope, causing them to push before being fully dilated so to speak, for that would harm the child, but we must be aware of, through the Spirit of God, the timing of when to say “PUSH”.

Men, you are not excluded from the midwife position.  In II Kings 19 we read about King Hezekiah who sent a message to the prophet Isaiah in distress:
"A message from Hezekiah: “This is a black day, a terrible day—doomsday!  Babies poised to be born, No strength to birth them.” (The Message)
We also see Isaiah’s response:
And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” (NKJV)
You see, the King was fearful, discouraged, doubtful, and worried. Isaiah, in the role of a midwife spoke life! He encouraged King Hezekiah to not fear but PUSH! Push through the fear, discouragement, doubt and worry. As we read later Hezekiah was encouraged enough to pray and praise God in the midst of his fear. One word of encouragement, from the Lord, can change a person’s outlook on a situation.

We all need a trusted midwife in our life. We should make it a goal to be a trusted midwife in someone's life.  We must learn to speak life to others no matter how bad the situation may seem. If there have ever been times we may have spoken “death” with our mouths or our attitudes we can purpose in hearts to do better.
The time has come to stand up and say “No, I will not harm my brother’s or sister’s baby. I will speak life their situation. I will encourage them through the rough spots.”  I promise you, just like the midwives during the time of Moses, who put their own lives on the line; God will bless you and favor you for your willingness to encourage others.

Will the real midwives please rise and say in one loud collective voice "PUSH!"

A Cup of Courage

“The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain…²¹ Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’  Deuteronomy 1:6, 21 (NKJV)

Here is  “the great stand still”. I am sure we all, like the children of Israel, have  our moments when we just don't feel like we're ready to move on to higher ground. Yes, we grow tired of dwelling in our own personal “Horebs”, which represents that dry place of desolation where nothing seems to be growing. It is the place where the air is thick and the land is barren. We know there is something better ahead for us. We know our “Kadesh”, that place which is set apart for purpose, is waiting for us to arrive. We build up the courage and strength to make our move to our Kadesh. But then something happens that keeps us from fully entering into our place of purpose.
Like the children of Israel we begin to look at the sacrifices it will take to enter our place of purpose. We hesitate. We make excuses. We allow ourselves to be discouraged and distracted by the voices and opinions of others. We allow fear to elevate itself in our minds. Then, we get stuck at the bottom of the mountain,circling our purpose but hesitating to embrace it. Sometimes we walk away from it all together and go back  to that place of discouragement and distraction, which yields no fruit for God's glory.
My friends, the time has come to possess the land that has been set apart just for you! You have dwelt long enough at the bottom of the mountain where fear, indecision, and discouragement run amuck. You have a purpose to be fulfilled and a destiny to be revealed. You must make the decision to go up in the confidence and boldness of the Lord. He has a prepared purpose for you. You must be prepared for your purpose.
Do not fear what lies ahead. Do not fear the sacrifices that will be necessary for success. Just decide that you are tired of dwelling at the bottom of the mountain and go up and possess your land and give God’s will a chance to manifest itself.

A Cup of Trust

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear.  What can flesh do to me?  Psalm 56:3, 4

Being afraid happens to all of us no matter how mighty, how wise, how brave, how powerful or how anointed we are. It happens! King David was afraid. This is after he has boasted about killing a lion and a bear; after he killed the giant, Goliath, and after he was chosen and anointed to be king. He was a skilled musician, a warrior and even kind of handsome, yet he, like all of us, had his moments of fear. Yet, it was his response to the stressors that provoked his  fear that made the difference. It will be the same for us also.
Being afraid is just a state of mind within a circumstance. Fear is a natural reaction to that circumstance and actually reverencing that situation above what we know to be true about our God. Trusting God, on the other hand,  in that space of fear is a conscience effort. Trusting in God is taking refuge in Him. It is being confident and placing your hope in Him. Trusting God enables you to praise Him in the midst of your fear. Your ability to praise God in the midst of a fearful situation will immediately change the focus of your thoughts and feelings about the situation. Praise instantly elevates God’s power to save, protect, deliver, heal, and  manifest His victory above any “fleshly” circumstance you may find yourself  faced with at any given time.
Fear is natural. Trusting in and praising God in the midst of your fear is SUPERNATURAL! I encourage you to read Psalm 56 in its entirety and then answer the following questions:

1. What promise can I claim from this passage?
2. What attitude or behavior do I need to change?
3. Who can I share this with today?

Father, we praise You because You are mightier than our circumstances.