Rebecca Brand
"God is within her, she will not fail." Psalm 46:5
Promises
We need to remember that when God makes a promise, He will keep it, but it can be so difficult to remain faithful in the hard times.
God promised Abraham, David, and Jesus amazing things over their lives, and whilst Jesus fulfilled hundreds of promises, all of the promises for each of the men took decades to see come to pass. There are some promises, still, to come true for Jesus.
Today, God continues to make promises to us, but every promise is now a “yes” in Christ.
Therefore, the hardest thing for me is to think of God making a promise, and like Abraham, I may not experience its fullness in my lifetime.
Would we still follow God if we knew the promise over our lives wouldn’t come to fruition?
Could we say yes, when the job hasn’t materialised? When the debt is still mounting? The womb is still empty? The cancer is still attacking our body? The promise seems void.
Could we say yes, that on our death bed, with our last breath, we look back and see that the promise is still to come? Would we feel bitter? Resentment? Anger? Sadness?
I think it is a valid question to ask, because, in order to inherit the promises, we have a responsibility to our faith, in God.
When we say yes to Jesus, it’s remembering who God is and that ultimately, God is good and faithful until the end.
When we say yes, it’s God’s will over our lives, no matter what.
Stop
I realised years ago that I no longer had to pretend to have it all together…that a scary thought, but it transformed my life.
Most of us will know what I mean when I say that I was a professional pretender. I had a mask for most things. Especially being English – we most certainly do not air our “dirty laundry.”
Yet, over time, Jesus revealed to me that when I admitted that I am weak – in whatever area I am struggling with – He meets me where I am so that I can carry on.
Weakness is our weapon in life because when we rely on God rather than our own effectiveness, it deepens our worship to Him. I feel most alive and powerful when I am on my knees in prayer because I’m not a conqueror until Christ is right by my side.
It’s time to stop being a professional pretender.
Perspective
This morning, I felt lead to re-read Isaiah 40, but these two questions I asked in my mind and instantly I heard myself say, “no-one.” I loved how my Spirit instantly reaffirmed what I know to be true.
In this chapter, Isaiah speaks about God’s power through creation, that He sustains us, and is always present to help His children, because God is all-powerful, and yet, He still cares for each of us, individually.
We need to stop trying to compare God because we limit our understanding of Him and His power when we try to compare Him to what we experience on earth.
These thoughts always put things into perspective for me, and no matter what I am going through, ”God is enough,” because to put it simply – there really is nothing or no one that compares to God.
The Altar
Who else loves this new song? And although all the lyrics are beautiful, it is the first line that captured my heart.
There are hundreds of references to altars in the Bible but an altar was built to commemorate an encounter with God and show future generations what He had done.
These were places that people wanted to fully surrender and consecrate themselves to the Lord – in other words when they offered a sacrifice, they were saying to God, that it was about His will, not theirs, and they were dedicating themselves to Him.
This is why the first line of this song took my breath away, because most of us are broken in some way, and yet, God delights in us when we offer our lives to Him.
God know every single thing about us and yet, He still loves us.
But the most beautiful thing of all is when we surrender or consecrate our lives to Him, and also surrender to His love, He can shape us into all He has created us go be.
”I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.” Genesis 35:3
The Log in Our Eye
Are we tearing other people down in order to make ourselves look, or feel better?
Jesus warned that instead of being critical about others and judging them against our own moral code, let God be the judge in His perfect timing. Because, we may have a clear conscience with a given situation, but we are definitely not innocent in the whole scheme of things.
Sometimes, we need to let go of the fight because God has ultimately won the battle.
So, let’s remember grace…just as God gives to us each morning
It Can Be So Easy
It’s so easy to live to only make a good impression on others or to simply please ourselves, but Paul showed us in Philippians that we need to love one another, and that means to be one in Spirit and purpose.
Selfish ambitions can ultimately ruin relationships, but that doesn’t mean that true humility allows others to treat us any less than we deserve either.
It’s not about putting ourselves down to remain humble, because if you think about it, although we are all sinners before God, through His grace, we are saved and therefore we were paid at a high cost. We are valuable and should treat ourselves that way.
However, Jesus loves others. It was the second greatest command and so, when we consider them before our own needs, we become One with Jesus’ Spirit and His ultimate purpose.
We need to remember that we serve out of love, not guilt or fear. But, we also need to choose the attitude to which we serve in.
So reading Philippians this morning, I was reminded that I want to have an attitude that reflects Jesus.
What Started It All Off
I feel like God gives us pivotal moments in time, where our hearts truly connect with His, yet it is from these moments, dreams come forth, or passions are ignited for Jesus – but ultimately, they are God’s will for our lives.
I love how gracious our God is, and what I mean by that is, God will always give us the ability to choose whether we partner with Him. Yet, it’s kinda comical when you think about it, because the creator of the Universe wants to help us fulfil our dreams deep within, and yet so many people say ”no” to His call.
18 months ago, I realised the next part of my ”call,” by simply reading the scripture in John 8:36.
You see, my heart breaks for the ”sleeping church.” I have a passion for everyone to be walking in their God-given purposes and so when we are set free from the strongholds in our lives, freedom comes, and lives ARE changed.
Homes…Cities…Nations…even the World, can be saved when God’s children are obedient to the call on their lives.
So, I have written a book, simply because I was obedient to what God was asking me to do. My book is called, ”Life’s Greatest Battles” and it is based around John 8:36, but it also goes through the strongholds in our lives that stop us walking in the freedom Christ died for. This book will be published, soon, because it’s a book for this season that the body of Christ is in.
God is currently positioning His church and we need to be ready. We were created for such a time as this, and my prayer is simply that every person that knows Jesus as their Lord, and Saviour, is walking in true freedom so that we are united in Christ and moving powerfully in what God created us for.
Don’t Doubt God
The serpent revealed his master plan in the Garden of Eden but unfortunately, we still fall for this question, time and time again
But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.” 2 Corinthians 11:3
How many times have you heard from God, received confirmation that this is what He wants for you, and then somehow, this simple yet profound question has got you doubting why you even thought this was from God in the first place?
”Did God really say that?” As soon as we pause…boom, doubt has crept in and our attention gets taken away from Christ.
There is someone reading this, and the enemy has asked you that same question, but you are about to walk away from your God-given purpose and dreams. Remember, that sometimes the things that God asks of us, are hard work, but it’s in our weakness that we find God’s strength.
I pray that reading this today, you will realise what was about to take place, because the serpent is as cunning today, as he ever was, but let’s face it, he’s not THAT smart, because once you know his plan, the red flags become very obvious in our lives and that is when we can start to come back to Jesus, fully devoted and our eyes and hearts, fixed on God.
God’s Faithfulness
I adore watching my Daughter’s relationship with God, grow.
There are times when Sarai strengthens even my own faith with a simple Bible scripture or a reality check of God’s goodness. I love that she is growing up knowing the goodness of God!
But, there can be days when you question God – and that’s okay because it’s about having a relationship with Him that’s based on His faithfulness and built on truth and love.
Yet, in those moments of becoming a beautiful mess, God always gently reminds us of His promises.
The rainbow is something that is so simple, and yet most Christian’s are instantly transported back to the covenant God made with the earth, as soon as it appears in the sky.
A rainbow is visible after it rains, but we need to remember that no one had seen rain before the earth flooded, and therefore, it is a sign to all, that God keeps His promises, because the rainbow reminds us of God’s faithfulness to His word.
Sometimes, I see a rainbow and I smile because I feel that God gave that specific one, to me.
Jesus’ Prayer
Everything Jesus did, He wanted to give the glory back to the Father. The other day, I was thinking about what I ultimately want to be known for?
I hope that people will say, that I point others towards Jesus, and I always show them God’s love. I also want to be known as a woman who was able to go to God, not only in the low moments of life but in the praise-filled moments as well.
The whole chapter in John 17, is a beautiful prayer that Jesus prays towards the end of His life. It’s a moment of reflection and ultimately, giving everything back to God.
Whatever we do, let’s remember to bring honour and glory to God. Let’s remember to go to the Father in the highs and lows of life, because if you’re anything like me, I want to know Him more intimately, like Jesus.
I am Who I am
Have you ever looked at another person and wished for something they have? And I don’t mean when you were five-years-old either!
It could be as simple as their clothing style? Or, their hair colour? Maybe their laugh is not as loud as yours? (Which is something you’re conscious of.) Or that you just blatantly wish you could be them?
Comparison kills dreams. It kills purpose, and it can even kill the individual themselves.
I am a twin, and we were compared our whole lives – which is ironic, because being non-identical, in some ways (in nearly every way) we are the complete opposite, and yet, people felt compelled to mold our identities together.
It’s only after the last few years that I have felt free to not take on other people’s expectations or assumptions, which means that, I have decided to live and become who God created me to be.
It doesn’t mean that some days aren’t hard, but I feel that we need to be people who look to God for our affirmation and step into that identity instead.
We need to be unapologetic about who God has created us to be, because, this world needs love and grace, not more clones.
Be bold…in the pursuit of realising what God says.
Be brave…and uncompromising in our faith.
But most importantly, just remember, to be you.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am.” 1 Corinthians 15:10
He has Everything
God could have anything He wanted, and He still chose us.
That takes my breath away.
He created this world simply with His words, and the earth will literally stand still at His commands, and yet, the most important part to God with His creation, is that we say “yes” to His gift of eternal life.
He wants us to be with Him forever.
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