Stand Out

Stand Out

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. – 1 Cor. 1:27.

The more we stand by faith, the more we stand out. To stand out means to project something out of the ordinary, to be distinctive and prominent. It’s when we stand for the things of God with great determination that we stand out the most.

On the sea, to stand out is used to express maintaining a course away from the shore. In Christ, it’s maintaining opposition to the oppression of satan, the world, and the flesh. When we stay away from temptations, we stand out. We stand out when we don’t submit to the pressures of others. We stand out when we hold on to our position in Christ despite everything that tries to influence us.

Our continued transformation in God is noticeable to all. The way we walk in love, peace, and joy instead of hate, anger, and fear is supernatural. The way we seek after the cloud, the Lord, instead of the crowd, is uncommon. We stand out like a lighthouse for others to know that if God did this in our life, surely, He could do it in theirs. It is God’s presence that stands out in our lives, from glory to glory! 

Called Out

Called Out

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. – 1 Cor. 1:9

When we are a child of God, we are called by God. To be called means to be summoned. The Lord has summoned us to be His vessels of glory. His calling is to be believed and received. It unfolds by His grace. Foremost, when we are born again, we are called out. We are called out of our past, our old habits, our mistakes and what we used to be. He translates us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

He summons us out of the old into the new; out of despair, into hope; out of blindness, into sight; out of war, into peace; out of rejection, into acceptance. We are called out. God calls us into all that we are and have in Him. With God, there is no calling out without being called into something divine. There is no going back. Everything the Lord does is to bring us closer to Him.

He calls off everything in our life that might be a hindrance to what He is calling us to be and to do. The specifics might be unknown, but the call is loud and clear. He uses situations in our life to get us to call upon Him in new ways. He then answers with a reassurance of the call on our lives. God continues to call us, from glory to glory! 

Wonderfully Made

Wonderfully Made

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.- Ps. 139:14.

If we emphasize something about ourselves, it increases the focus on it, negative or positive. If, for example, we notice a zit on our face, no one else will…until we mention it. Then it seems to grow, and everyone seems to talk about it. The moment we speak forth what we assume is negative about ourselves, we bring attention to it.

The way we see ourselves, or the way others see us, cannot compare with how God sees us. God leads us to see ourselves the way He sees us: as perfect, flawless, beautiful pearls. We belong to Him and He’s very protective of us; He loves to shower us with His love; He loves to hang out with us; and He rejoices when we answer the call to spend time with Him.

The enemy speaks words to belittle us, so God’s Word must be our focus. We learn to hear God’s voice instead of other voices by spending time with Him and in His Word. We cannot question the potter regarding the clay. We are wonderfully made. With a grateful heart, we praise Him, for we are His workmanship. We walk in our divine identity, from glory to glory! 

In and Out of Season

In and Out of Season

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. –  2nd Tim. 4:2.

When we are called out by God, we are always on call. We can expect God to call upon us to obey His unexpected leadings. Even though we might not feel able to do what comes our way, we remain available for what God calls us to do and be for His glory. His assignments can come at any moment.

Because we are on call, we cannot be involved in a situation that hinders us from responding to God’s instructions. We must set healthy boundaries because we need to always be ready. The phone might ring with a request, or someone might step into our path. Everywhere we go, whether on our job, with our family, or even at the grocery store, we stand in our position as ministers of the gospel.

Because it is God who called us out to be on call, we can trust that He will bring unction for every function. For every person or circumstance that comes our way, it is God who calls things out of us because He called us out. There is something inside of us He wants to call upon for such a time as this. Let’s trust Him as we step into His call, from glory to glory! 

The Power of Christ

The Power of Christ

And he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.- 2 Cor. 12:9

Learning to yield to God’s ability, and not our own ability, takes time. When the Lord guides our steps into something new, a sense of being inadequate can come upon us attempting to stop us. We experience His power in and through us as we step out with faith in His power.

We hear of an opening for an employment position we have been waiting for but are afraid of rejection because of our lack of qualifications. A door opens for a new relationship, but we feel insecure about the future. As the Lord strengthens us in the power of His might, He continues to bring opportunities our way to take us to a place of confidence in Him. It is so we know that even when we are unable, God is able. 

Our heart wills do His will and our desire to follow Him overtakes our inability to do so in our own strength. The power of Christ enables us to obey, one step at a time. When we come to the end of ourselves, He begins. When we stop, He starts. God is able and unchangeable. His power rests upon us, from glory to glory! 

Do Not Take Offense!

Do Not Take Offense!

Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! – Mt. 18:7

The Greek word for offense is “skandalon,” defined as a trap stick, a snare. Our adversary places offenses as traps in front of us. Instead of reacting to it, we should move away from it as quickly as possible before we get trapped. Like unforgiveness, they hurt us more than they hurt the other person.

We acknowledge the potential snare and refuse to take the bait by walking in love and truth. It doesn’t mean we ignore what they say or do, but we address it, so the stumbling block is removed. We seek communication by asking questions for clarification to the person when possible and seek the Lord for His help in moving past the trap.

The most difficult offense to perceive is the one we have already taken. In that case, the enemy may bring denial, so it’s not handled. We also must watch for becoming offended when someone is with us or coming into agreement with another person’s offense. Our path contains stumbling blocks, but they can only stop us if we don’t handle them with the authority and power we have in Christ, from glory to glory!