“Boogity, Boogity, Boogity”

My husband and I like to watch NASCAR racing. We each have a favorite team and we enjoy the thrill of a loud roar of a very fast and effective engine. It is amazing to watch them go as fast as they do and stay in control (most of the time). One of our favorite announcers says something at the start of every race that has become very famous in NASCAR: "Reach up there and pull those belts tight one more time! Boogity, Boogity, Boogity let's go racing boys!"

Today I feel like this is the cry of the Holy Spirit's heart. That we as His people would pull our belts tight, hold on and run the race He has set out for us! To just say "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity" let's go for it! Let's rev our engines, let's go with God with great speed and force, and let's use everything available to win the race we are running! I feel an excitement building in the Spirit as God is moving on the hearts of His people to step out of their "boats" and walk on water with Him, to trust Him fully and run without looking back or looking to either side but with focus and determination, with zeal and complete strength.

Oddly enough this phrase that has become a trademark of this very well known announcer and former champion racer was not born with him. This phrase or a portion of it has been "used for over 60 years, the story as told by this announcer is that, as a driver, he got tired of hearing his spotter or crew chief say "green, green, green" at the start of every race and wanted to hear something more original." That made me think… How long has God been yelling in our head phones "green, green, green"? He is there as our "spotter" and "crew chief", He is orchestrating every detail and putting in to place all that concerns us, He is encouraging us and cheering us on and he is doing all of this as one who has been where we are. Maybe we have stopped listening because we are tired of hearing "GREEN, GREEN, GREEN!". The spotter is yelling, the crowd is on their feet and cheering and if we do not step on the gas full force at the drop of that flag at the start of the race we will miss our chance to win. I believe today is the start of a new race for God's children and that He is changing it up with a cry we can hear and obey: "Reach up there and pull those belts tight one more time! Boogity, Boogity, Boogity let's go racing boys!"

“Display”

I have been reading and studying in Psalms lately and a few weeks ago I was focusing on Psalm 77. Since that day I have not been able to get out of my mind verse 14, which says: "You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples." In particular the word "display" has been the focus of my meditation. What does it mean to display something? As I have been thinking and praying about this I have become more and more excited about what this means for my life and for my walk with my Lord. On my inside I am worked up as I immediately thought of the fact that when something is "displayed" everyone can see it, feel it, hear it, experience it, be affected by it; it is evident, and real. It also got me thinking about who the "peoples" are? Wait a minute! I am God's "peoples" you are God's "peoples!" God's miracles and power are to be displayed in my life. This is not some far off distant hope or something good I happened to read in my Bible one day. This is what I have begun to cry out for, to see God's power and miracles displayed in my life and displayed through my life.

Curiosity got the best of me and I looked up the word "displayed" in the dictionary, it literally means to unfold, to put or spread before view, to make evident, to exhibit ostentatiously and it is synonymous with the word show. Some other Bible translations use the words "made known" and "demonstrate" in place of the word "display". It seems whatever way I focused on this verse the bottom line is clear; God is one who does miracles and displays His power in my everyday normal life! For too long in my own life I have been waiting for the God I have heard and read about to show up when really He has just been waiting for me to take Him at His Word and believe Him. This week I have continued to think about this verse and trust that God is the God of miracles in my life, today, and He is the one who "displays" His power in my life and in my circumstances!

God is not a behind the scenes God, far off or distant. God wants to be known and seen and glorified for being evident and real in our daily lives. God longs to do miracles and to display His power – that is who He is, not something He does occasionally. God IS the God who does miracles; who displays His power among His peoples! God is!

“Need or Gift?”

A few years back I was involved in heading up a significant project. I was well able to do it and excited to be involved. However, I found myself met with many frustrations both internal and external with no real solution in sight. After the project I spent a good deal of time reflecting. Reflecting on the mistakes I made, on the things that could have been different, and on how to do it better the next time. In my reflection, I was wise enough to seek God and heard Him clearly tell me: "Just because you can do this job does not mean that you should." I have remembered that and applied it to many things that I set out to do and I frequently have asked myself "should" I do this? Interestingly, over the last six months or so I have felt this truth being revived within me only now to a greater degree. Now, I am hearing the Lord tell me that I need to move out of the "need" and into my "gifts." My husband and I have spent considerable time seeking God on this topic and even in the midst of what God is speaking to us personally I sense Him speaking this to the Body as a whole. We have spent too much time doing what "needed" to be done. Yes, there is a season where this is required of us, but I believe it to be a short season of fulfilling the "need" before God moves you into your "gift." Too often I see people getting stuck in the "need." Maybe due to fear – will anyone take my place if I step out of this area? Maybe due to a false sense of security – if I step out I am moving into unknown territory… I can only say this because I have contemplated these thoughts and have been the one who stays in the "need" longer than I was supposed to. I do believe we are in the season where every gift needs to be operational! God is calling His anointed to enter into their anointing. You and I are God's anointed! Now is the time to use your gifts that God gave you. Now is the time for each of us to be perfectly positioned to build the Kingdom and see His Glory come. We are people of faith, right? Why do we not trust God to fill the areas of need with those that are gifted for it? As each of us step out of the need and trust God, as each one takes their gifted position, I believe that all the "needs" will automatically be filled. Don't we serve a God that is big enough to cover every area? I believe that God gave gifts to His children so that they would be operational and be used to build the body of Christ! Let's step out of the "need" and into our "gift"!

“Dressed for Faith”

My husband and I were watching one of our favorite movies together last Sunday night: "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe." I know there are many parallels that can be made from this movie, but this one struck me as brilliant for where I am right now and for where I believe the body of Christ to be right now. In one particular scene Lucy, my favorite character in this movie, just came back from seeing Narnia for the first time; she has shared what she saw with her siblings but no one believes her and one sibling even made fun of her. In the next scene it shows Lucy getting up in the night; as she sits up on her bed she looks down at her house slippers and some boots – she chooses to put on the boots… It got me thinking, how many times do I hear something from God or see something in His Word that I know to be true but I dress in the slippers instead of the boots? Not only did Lucy believe what she saw regardless of the response she got from others, she chose to dress appropriately for what she knew she saw. It caused my husband and me to have a great conversation about how we are "dressed." It is good to take stock of what I believe and then to see if I am walking in the way that is conducive to receiving what I believe. How many times do we say we believe something but we are wearing the slippers instead of the required boots? If we really believe then we must dress appropriately in that. Are our actions lining up with what we claim to believe? Is my life lining up with what I claim to believe? There is something in me that continues to tell me that God is up to something amazing right now and I long to be a significant part of that. Am I ready? Am I dressed accordingly? Am I dressed in prayer, time in the Word or Godly relationships? Am I dressed in a right attitude that is seeking God in spite of what I see with my natural eyes? Am I dressed as an encourager of God's Word or am I complaining? We always have a choice, at every crossroad there is a choice. Am I going to choose the slippers or the boots? Am I going to go for what I know to be true or am I going to shrink back? My vote – let the slippers lie under the bed, put on the boots and run into the territory you know that God is showing you to take! Make the choice to dress according to your faith in every area of your life.

“Promises, Promises”

I find myself at a place, where I am really crying out to God to grow my local church and to grow the areas of ministry that I am involved in. I am saddened sometimes that it seems no one wants to press in for the bigger or better or more. Why is this? Is it a defense we have within ourselves in an effort to prepare for disappointment if nothing happens? Are we living in the concept that it is better to be happy with what you have rather than ask for more and possibly be disappointed if the more never comes. My prayer is that this view is shaken off of us! In a book I recently finished reading the author states that He believes God for church growth because he knows "without a doubt that the best thing that can happen to my community, my nation and the world is for the church of Jesus Christ to be strong and powerful. We are the salt of the earth and without the church, the world would have no hope at all." I agree completely! I do not want to settle for the church that is maintaining, I want to see the church thrive as people are added to our number daily. There are people with needs to be met and hearts to be touched and I believe for most of them the only way is for God to reach and touch them. If the church settles in with "we are good enough" and does not press in, then I believe there are people that are left without receiving what God has for them. There is more at stake here than just saying I go to a big church or this ministry is thriving. God wants to have growth and God wants to see us thriving because He knows that when this is occurring people are being changed by His presence. The heart of God is for people to be reached and needs to be met so why aren't we stepping up and agreeing with God? God promises to add to the church, He promises to meet our needs, He promises to heal the sick, He promises to provide for our every need, He promises to overcome in and through His church! I, for one, am crying out to see the promises of God manifested in and through my life and in the life of my local church. God promises that we will see "greater things" than what we have read about in the Word. I am ready to enter in to the "greater things" that God has. I am ready to receive more of His promises and I am ready to see others experience more of the promises of God as we all begin to walk with Him to a greater degree. After all promises are for receiving! Faithful Lord, I thank you that you are the God of many promises. A promise is a promise – the ball is in our court, we are either going to go for the promise or we are not. Promises, promises come!