Rebecca Brand
"God is within her, she will not fail." Psalm 46:5
Are You Strong Enough?
I have never met a physically strong person, yet, who hadn’t put in hard work and determination, to become what I could see.
There are those of us who like to think that ”enhancers” help achieve this goal, but it boils down to, an individual deciding to take the time and effort to set goals, and one day at a time, work towards them
The same thing applies to our Spiritual strength…
How many of us want to take ”enhancers” with our walk with Christ? To wake up one day and we aren’t only strong in our faith, but we are walking in our calling right there and then. No preparation needed – because we are that good.
Yet, the reality is, anything worth having, takes time, commitment, hard work, and determination.
There are some of us looking for a ”quick” how-to-guide, for Christianity…
We want the results, now
The muscles, but not the process of the ripped fibres being strengthened and repaired after the work-out.
1 Thessalonians 3:13 gives us the means to our hearts being strong. It’s the guide for our Christian walk with the Lord…
The result (from us walking with the Holy Spirit) is a strong heart, which means we become blameless (by seeking out that daily workout with Christ- with determination, and strength), that we ultimately become Holy in God’s eyes.
That is the sanctification process.
We walk with the Spirit to become like Christ and fulfil our God-given purpose, as a Son or Daughter of the Most High.
The result of that intimate relationship with God – is the Spiritual muscle (or our calling) but there has always been a time of preparation, blood, sweat and tears, for anyone walking in that call
It’s time for our Spiritual workout.
Don’t take shortcuts
God gives to Unbelievers
Have you ever thought…
”Lord, what are you doing?”
For me, this is usually when someone gets put into power that I never thought would – a dictator, a bloodthirsty individual, or maybe someone who doesn’t put the needs to their people first etc.
Yet, King Nebuchadnezzar and even Pharoah were used for the purposes of God.
These people ruled powerfully, yet both were unbelievers, and God still made them successful because of whom they raised under them. For Nebuchadnezzar, it was Daniel. For Pharoah, it was Joseph. These men were seen as a strength not to be reckoned with, because of the reputation that went before them.
Yet, God softened their hearts to let His purpose prevail. This plan pre-written before the beginning of time has been carefully orchestrated to ensure that glory will ultimately be God’s.
Nebuchadnezzar had the Gospel revealed to him through his dreams, and some believe ultimately that he found God through the events that followed in the book of Daniel.
However, one thing that’s certain regarding Nebuchadnezzar and even Pharoah:
The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.” Proverbs 21:1 NLT
Never underestimate God’s sovereignty to rule over all
Today, let God reveal to you, what you have become disheartened with? What is the lie that you were believing?
I want to encourage you, that we hold onto the Gospel of truth, and believe, that even in the darkest day, God’s glory will always shine through.
The Mist of our Lives
We live across the road from a Farmer’s field, but regularly, you see the early morning mist covering the field’s true identity
As I watched the mist being slowly burnt away from the sun, I felt reminded by God, about our walk with Him.
There are times in our lives when we feel like we can not see what God is doing, or if in fact, God is there with us, at all, but it’s remembering our identity as we walk through the mist of our lives
Satan deceives, and therefore our truth becomes distorted when we focus on the mist, and not the reality behind it
So I want to encourage you today to ask God for your spiritual eyes to be sharper than your natural ones.
That you receive a revelation of the morning mist in your life, that is stopping you from your true identity, found only in Christ Jesus.
Father, I pray that the morning mist is revealed for what it truly is – temporary.
I pray Lord for peace and wisdom to follow your voice, even if you seem far away, because, in reality, you are right next to us, walking each and every step, in footsteps that have already gone before us
Thank you, Father, that my identity is only found in You, and that you are my anchor in times of need, pain, or even uncertainty
We love You, Jesus, and give you all the praise and the glory, for what is to come.
Today, set your eyes on God’s truth…not necessarily what you see in front of you
Having the Strength to Do What’s Been Asked
I started reading the next chapter of Daniel this morning, which I love because it has one of God’s many stories of triumph, in how He delivers His children from the brink of death
This is the chapter where King Nebuchadnezzar has given the ultimatum to those, who he thinks, should be able to interpret his dream. Nebuchadnezzar wants them to interpret his dream, or die, along with all of the otherwise people in Babylon.
However, the magicians, enchanters, and astrologers fail to do so, and therefore the King decrees that all the wise people will die, but when the guard comes to find Daniel and his friends to kill them, Daniel asks for more time in order to reveal the meaning, because he knows the only One who can do, as the King desires
Daniel and the three others pray to God, and seek His revelation (which comes through Daniel), but Daniel humbled himself and does nothing different in how he explains to the King that he is unable to interpret the dream, yet then, he points the King towards God – which is what the magicians, enchanters, and astrologers failed to do
The courage that Daniel shows here is beautiful…
Would you rather have died from someone else’s mistake, or like Daniel, died trying?
Daniel didn’t know what King Nebuchadnezzar would do, yet Daniel praised and thanked God for the wisdom and strength he had received, to deliver this message
That is what I feel we can sometimes miss…
How many of us pray for wisdom over a situation in our lives, and then forget to ask for the strength to carry it out?
So many of us have been given revelation from God, or words to speak, directions to take, dreams to pursue, warnings, or courage to overcome fears etc. etc.; yet we hold onto those truths, because of the unknown
Today, I want to encourage you, if God has answered a prayer, praise Him for Who He is, and thank Him for what He has given, then step out, in boldness, and bring glory to God’s name, knowing Who it is we ultimately serve – because if God is for us, then who can be against?
I Need More!
This song is literally my heart cry…
I was listening to it last week, and suddenly the words tore open a floodgate, that has not been able to be closed since
This isn’t a desire, a want, or a longing…it’s a need, a must have – no matter what the cost.
I need more!
It’s a heartfelt cry deep within, that’s rising and overflowing as I lavish in His presence, wave after wave
Like a thirst that never ends. I need more of Him, and although I know I’m full, I’ve not satisfied my quench
I was thinking about this song (again) this morning as I woke singing it, but, the reason my spirit is crying out for more, is because I feel, there are times in our lives when God calls us deeper.
To be more intentional. More intimate. To bring a more significant revelation. An understanding of what it means to be in “over our heads” with God’s presence…
For the first time in a long time, God is calling us to go into uncharted waters. To go beyond the deep. To discover. To journey. To breathe Him in, and breathe Him out. To trust. To know. To let go. To be engulfed by the wave, breaking over our souls, and allowing the rip to simply take us
No struggles
Because we understand what real freedom looks like…
I need more!
The Spiritual Growth Chart
Yesterday, I was talking with my daughter, Sarai, in her bedroom when her ”Growth Chart” caught my eye.
This is something that I hold precious to my heart because it’s a carved wooden flower that shows my little girl’s growth over the decade since she was born.
It may not seem a lot to some, but to me, it’s the journey of growth…the struggles, the good, the bad, and the ugly, of life.
It’s a daily reminder of God’s goodness to us as a family, because He blessed Kieren and I with a baby, to nurture and love.
So many of us forget how far we have come in our spiritual walk, that it made me think about what people could reflect on if they could see their ”Spiritual Growth Chart.”
The Scripture in 1 Peter reminds us, like babies, that we need to crave pure Spiritual milk to grow, and I don’t know about you, and whether you have experienced it personally, but I certainly remember Sarai letting me know when she was hungry as a baby!
There is always another level that God is calling us too, like a proud Father, He is watching us grow, waiting for the next milestone to be achieved. Desiring that hunger and thirst from us, to see the Spiritual nourishment be received
Friends, if you could look at your ”Spiritual Growth Chart,” what would you see?
This isn’t to shame or condemn or to even promote or gloat; this is about an individual growth chart that your Daddy has proudly hung on the wall so that He can help you grow when you call out to Him
And let’s face it, as cute as most babies are, imagine a world full of them that remained as newborns – forever – never reaching their full potential, never experiencing what it is to grow into the full experience of salvation in Jesus Christ, and therefore, never developing into the person that God predestined them to be…
Maybe this last season has been challenging. Perhaps it’s been the worst season of your life. Or, it’s been the best season of your life, and things just got busy
Either way, if your growth has stopped, then I encourage you to cry out to God, today, and hunger and thirst for more, because as our Father, He wants only the best for His children
”Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.” 1 Peter 2:2-3
Them = You + Me
This verse fills me with joy. This verse also gives me hope. This verse challenges me, just because, there is so much I can take from this one verse!
What do you think of or imagine when you read this verse?
Travel? Journies? Adventure? Missions? Purpose? All of them, and more? Me too!
Jesus came to set everyone free, and for us to experience freedom, just as it was always intended, but most importantly, to have an intimate relationship with the Father.
Yet, so many of us are still stuck in the cocoon of our world.
I love to travel…anywhere and everywhere – highways and byways. I always made a deal with God (that sounds worse than it is!) that wherever He called me, I would go.
I want to experience as many cultures, journies, testimonies of God’s goodness, and to see the world through His eyes. To bring joy and light, into the darkness of this world.
Am I a missionary? Yes, and no. I am called to set people free (with Jesus) from strongholds, fears, and to walk in their purpose in life – wherever that takes me, God only knows, but I do know that He will open those doors for me to travel.
We have a natural tendency to pick out the good bits and disregard the rest (when reading Scripture), but time, and time again, Jesus reminds us:
Just as God sent Jesus into the world, Jesus has sent ”them” – that’s you and I, my friend, into the world as well.
This life is about experiencing God’s glory on a daily basis, and to prepare us for what is to come. Don’t live in fear of the unknown, when an adventure with God, awaits
It doesn’t matter if the part of the world you are supposed to travel too, is two blocks from where you are now, or around the world three or four times in your lifetime…
What matters, is our faithfulness and obedience to Christ, and that, the part of the world you were predestined to change, does change for Jesus
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