Little things

As you might know, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son
started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her
alarm clock didn’t go off on time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.

One of them missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.

One’s car wouldn’t start.

One went back to answer the telephone.

One had a child that dawdled
and didn’t get ready as soon as he should have

One couldn’t get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man
who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to
get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot.
He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today.

Now, when I am stuck in traffic,
miss an elevator,
turn back to answer a ringing telephone…
all the little things that annoy me,
I think to myself, this is exactly where
God wants me to be at this very moment.

Next time your morning seems to be
going wrong:

The children are slow getting dressed, you can’t seem to find the car
keys, you hit every traffic light, don’t get mad or frustrated:

God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things
and may you remember their possible purpose.

God of more

*For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which
they had taken* – Luke 5:9

As a young Christian, I grew up hearing preachers say that God only supplies
our needs, not our wants. Yet, in the Bible, God clearly shows us that He
wants to meet not just our needs, but also our wants.

For example, the famous “shepherd psalm” begins with “The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want”. (Psalm 23:1) Another psalm says, “Oh, fear the
Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young
lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any
good thing.” (Psalm 34:9–10)

One of the names of our God is Jehovah Jireh, which means “the all-providing
One”. He provides more than enough. The God of more-than-enough came in the
flesh and walked among His people. And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee,
He did not give His disciples small blessings. That is why He said to Peter,
“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets [plural] for a catch,”
(Luke 5:4) and not “let down your net [singular]”. And what a catch it
turned out to be — a boat-sinking, net-breaking catch! It was such a big and
unexpected blessing that Peter and all who were with him were “astonished at
the catch of fish which they had taken”.

Beloved, see God’s heart for you today. He wants to prosper you greatly.
Don’t settle for anything less, thinking that He only supplies your needs
and not your wants. If you need a job, know that He wants you to pray not
just for a job, but for a position. When you have a position, you have
influence and you are able to impact lives. Maybe what you need is a pay
increment. Then, pray not just for that, but also to be in a position to
give increments!

You may start out poor when you follow God. But you cannot remain poor when
you follow the God of more-than-enough. In fact, like Peter, you too will be
astonished that God supplies more than what you need and beyond what you
have asked!

God will cause your gift to prosper

*A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; wherever he
turns, he prospers* – Proverbs 17:8

When we see something moldy, we throw it away. But when Alexander Fleming
saw his culture dishes contaminated with mold, he discovered penicillin. You
see, he had a gift which prospered him.

Joseph, a Hebrew slave in Egypt, had nothing except his gift of interpreting
dreams. But look at what that gift did for him. It prospered him. He
interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and became the most powerful man in Egypt after
Pharaoh. (Genesis 41)

My friend, don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t have any gift. God has
given each person a gift which can open doors of opportunities and bring in
great blessings.

Maybe you are just not aware of that gift you have inside you, or perhaps it
has profited you nothing thus far as you have not found out how best to use
it. You need to take your gift and ask God for wisdom to cultivate it until
it becomes such a powerful tool or “precious stone” that wherever you turn,
you prosper.

This was the case with a church brother who was tremendously gifted in the
creative arts. For a long time, he lacked the confidence and boldness to
leave the security of his police job and step out on his own. But when he
began to seek God’s wisdom for his situation, God gave him boldness to leave
his job and go back to school to pursue the creative arts. In school, he
prospered, becoming one of its top students and impressing the principal so
much with his creative gift that he was offered a teaching position in the
school even before he graduated.

Now, please don’t go and quit your job after reading this. What you should
do is ask God for wisdom regarding your gift. For when the wisdom of God is
added to your gift, that gift becomes “a precious stone in the eyes of its
possessor; wherever he turns, he prospers”.

Faith That God Can See

“…You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove” – (James 2:18, Message)

We all have dreams that we’re hoping will come to pass and promises that we’re standing on. And we should always be praying, believing, and hoping. That’s all part of faith. But there’s another step that oftentimes, people leave out—you have to put action behind your faith.

Are you doing anything to show God that you’re serious about what you’re believing for? You can pray all day long, “God, get me out of this problem.” Or, “God, give me that promotion.” But if you really want to get God’s attention and see God move in amazing ways in your life, take it one step further and do something to demonstrate your faith. You may have an addiction, but are you going to a recovery program? Maybe you lost your job. Are you putting your resume out and knocking on new doors? That’s faith that God can see. And when He can see your faith, you’ll see His hand of blessing, provision, and victory in every area of your life!

Give Life to Your Faith

“…faith without works is dead” – (James 2:20, NKJ)

Are you putting action behind your faith today? If we aren’t doing something that shows that we believe God, the Bible says that our faith is dead. Dead faith won’t accomplish anything. We have to give life to our faith by putting actions behind it. And, it doesn’t have to be anything big, just something that shows your faith in God. For example, I know people who are down and discouraged. They pray, “God, please. Get me out of this discouragement. God, give me my joy back. God, give me a new beginning.” And yes, prayer is important, but it’s only part of the process. What really causes God to act is when you do something about it—you get back up, dust yourself off, and say, “You know what? I’m not going to stay down. This is the day the Lord has made! I am going to be happy and have a great day.” That’s putting action behind your faith.

I encourage you today to let your actions give life to your faith. Show the world that you are trusting God’s Word. As you do, you’ll give life to your faith, and you’ll step into new levels of His victory and blessing in every area of your life!