Category Archives: Uncategorized

Let’s Make a Deal!

5 Replies

Day 22 of #31dbc!

Are you a “deal maker”?

Can you walk into a car dealership and walk out with a really, really great deal? Can you see through the “smoke and mirrors” strategy?

Some people are natural born negotiators. They are just good at bargaining, it’s not a bad trait to have in the business world. I always heard if your name was Sam, you had it made when it came to making a good deal. Sam was just a “good ‘ole boys” name and the “Sam’s” of this world knew how to pull off a transaction!

But can you rightfully negotiate with Almighty God? Is that cool?

Sometimes yes. Sometimes NOT.

Let’s look at a couple of examples of Great Negotiators that God was pleased with.

Moses had led the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage. No longer were they slaves to Pharaoh, they were wandering in the wilderness trying to get to Canaan. While Moses was up on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from the Lord, they were busy down below having a “high-old time” making a golden calf to worship.

When Moses sees what is going on, the Lord tells him that He is going to destroy the wicked people of Israel.

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.’”  Exodus 32:9-10.

It is said in the Bible that Moses walked with God and God spoke with him “mouth to mouth”, some versions say “face to face”…God even chides Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ siblings, for wanting to be God’s mouthpiece, and He tells them that there is no one like Moses!

“My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold…” Exodus 12:7-8.

Moses is terrified at the prospect of God destroying the children of Israel and he begins to “negotiate” for their lives.

“Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, ‘O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’?

Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.” Exodus 32:11-14.

Did it work? Obviously it did, Israel is still a nation to this day.

You mean we can change the mind of God?!!

Yes and No.

This does not make God weak! He is looking for people like YOU and ME to stand in the gap for others! He wants to do good for His people, He is moved by compassion and is full of love and mercy.

But He doesn’t do our bidding every time we decide we want to negotiate…we will get to that in a minute.

Abraham was another great negotiator. His story of bargaining with God for the city of Sodom and Gomorrah is a famous one. Let’s peek in:

Abraham and Sarah had just been visited by the Lord and told that they would have a child…in their “very old age”. Maybe you remember Sarah laughed. She said she didn’t laugh, God reminded her, “Oh but you did laugh!” I always get the giggles over that part. (Genesis 18:15).

Then as the men and the Lord are leaving, Abraham walks along with them and the Lord says to the men that are with Him, “Should I tell Abraham what I am about to do?”

God is about to destroy the wickedness of the twin cities and Abraham is prepared to intercede because his nephew, Lot, and his family live there. We are privileged to “listen in” on this conversation between Almighty God and Abraham: “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?” Exodus 18:23-24 NKJV.

The Lord is gracious to Abraham’s request and replies in kind, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”

Abraham is pretty excited that he is gaining ground so he decides to ask for a little better deal and tries for 45 righteous.

Boom! He gets 45!

He’s getting more brave and asks for 40…Done! “How about 30, Lord? Would you destroy it if there were 30 righteous?” The Lord answers in the positive for 30…Abraham cannot believe how well this is going!

How about twenty then? Okay, if there are 20, you got it.

At this point he is a little nervous about pushing his luck but decides to try one more time…all the while Lot and his family are on his mind. “Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?”

The Lord in His mercy finally answers, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

Now you may be saying to yourself at this point, “But Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God in the next chapter!”

That’s true, they were. Lot’s family was less than the ten that Abraham bargained for and the wicked city was destroyed. But Abraham’s relationship with God moved Him to compassion to show love and mercy.

Negotiating with God hopeinthehealing

What we have been talking about is really called “interceding for others”.

Are there any times we are not to deal with God? Oh, most certainly!

We all have done it. “If you get me out of this mess I have made, God…I will serve you the rest of my life, I promise!”

“If you answer this prayer, Lord, I will give 20% of my tithe from now on, until eternity!”

“Lord, if you let me win the lottery this week I promise I will give half of it to missions!”

We all know that kind of dealing with God is immature, foolish and He would not be pleased, nor do I think He is sitting up there waiting to shower us with lottery winnings.

But when our “negotiating” or the better word, “interceding” is for others, the Lord listens, His compassion is stirred and He will hear our cry.

Don’t be afraid to ask God for help.

If your motives are pure, not selfish or for self-profit, He might just show up, surprise you and save the day.

 

As we enter this season of thankfulness, I thought it would be good to hear from you, from your corner of the globe and right here close by too. Some of you I hear from regularly, some read but have never commented. What I would love to know is three things:
  1. Something God has done for you in 2013, what you are most thankful for.
  2. What you want to see accomplished in your spiritual walk in 2014.
  3. How you and your family will be celebrating the Thanksgiving Holiday if at all.

Mention what state or country you are from. You can email me your response to ynannette@gmail.com . I would like to use the information in my Thanksgiving post and show what God has been doing around the world! I will only use first names so you don’t have to worry about confidentiality. But if you do not even want me to use your name at all, please say so in your post and I will respect your wishes.

This will be a great blessing! I hope you will take a couple of minutes and answer the questions for me. I love and appreciate every one of you. These last eight months have been some of the most rewarding of my life and I thank you for being a part of the journey.

Sharing with Walking Redeemed, Encourage One Another, A Little R & R, Wise Woman Builds, Winsome Wednesday, Women Living Well 

Sailboats, Safety Nets and Comfort Zones

6 Replies

31 Days of Hope & HealingDay 21 of the #31dbc!

Staying safe is easy but there are no rewards and there are no challenges.

Just like the quote in the picture, you can buy a big beautiful boat; keep it all shiny and attractive. People can come by the dock and admire it. They will want to touch it, ask if they can come aboard and see all of the knobs and gadgets. Run their fingers across the leather seats and reach up to brush against the sails. They will pummel you with all kinds of questions about boating and you would be proud to share your knowledge of the sea or lake.

Then they ask the inevitable, “How many times have you taken her out on the water? How does she handle during a storm? What is your favorite part of sailing?”

And standing there beaming you reply, “Oh, I have never unleashed her from the dock! She has never left the port!”

ship in port hopeinthehealing

As proud as you are of her beauty, you are too afraid to take her from your comfort zone, too terrified to take that first step.

She is safe in the port, she won’t get scuffed up, her sails won’t get wet, her lines won’t get tangled, and the anchor won’t get stuck.

Never will you have to worry about a storm coming up. You are secure…at home…where she belongs.

We are just like that sailor and his precious boat. We live in our sailboats (or houseboats), safety nets and comfort zones, all secure and tucked away, happy as clams as long as no one asks us to do anything that would “rock our boat”.

But is that any way to LIVE?

Furthermore, is that the way Jesus would have us to LIVE?

According to His Word, it is just the opposite.

He told Peter to “…feed my sheep…” John 21:17.
When He appeared to the eleven disciples, He admonished them to “…Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15.
Paul was walking on the Damascus road when He encountered Jesus and their conversation went something like this: “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’” Acts 9:3-6 NIV.

Does that mean we have to drop what we are doing, sell everything we have and go walk the streets shouting, “Jesus Saves”?

What it means is; where is your heart? Where is your desire? Are you hiding in your “houseboat”, behind your safety net and fluffy comfort zone? Praying that Jesus doesn’t come and require too much of you?

Friend, we have it so “made in the shade”!

I am preaching to myself when I say we need to step out of our little worlds and take a look around and see what we could be doing different to impact this literal creation that God has given us to care for. Living and breathing human beings that will spend eternity somewhere. We just might be the only Jesus they ever have a chance to come in contact with.

Let’s not leave Him at home in our “houseboat”.

Under our safety net.

Hidden in our comfort zone.

Get that boat out on the water!

Let’s take Him with us and share Him with our world.
As we enter this season of thankfulness, I thought it would be good to hear from you, from your corner of the globe and right here close by too. Some of you I hear from regularly, some read but have never commented. What I would love to know is three things:
  1. Something God has done for you in 2013, what you are most thankful for.
  2. What you want to see accomplished in your spiritual walk in 2014.
  3. How you and your family will be celebrating the Thanksgiving Holiday if at all.

Mention what state or country you are from. You can email me your response to ynannette@gmail.com . I would like to use the information in my Thanksgiving post and show what God has been doing around the world! I will only use first names so you don’t have to worry about confidentiality. But if you do not even want me to use your name at all, please say so in your post and I will respect your wishes.

This will be a great blessing! I hope you will take a couple of minutes and answer the questions for me. I love and appreciate every one of you. These last eight months have been some of the most rewarding of my life and I thank you for being a part of the journey.

 

Sharing with Modest Mondays, Monday Praises, Playdates with God, Unite!, The Gathering Spot, Counting Our Blessings, Women Helping Women, Teach Me Tuesdays, Titus 2sdays

Expecting Great Things…

10 Replies

31 Days of Hope & HealingDay 20 of the #31dbc!

Do you expect Great Things from God?

Do you believe He wants the very best for you?

Or have you lived a beaten-down life?

Are you living under the Law and not under Grace? Still tied down to rules and regulations?

Friend, Jesus nailed all of those things to the cross over 2,000 years ago. He wants you to experience His grace! You are to be able to come boldly and freely to Him today and every day. The veil in the temple was torn in two when He said, “It is finished…” and that signified that no longer did we have to go through a mediator to get to Almighty God!

It also did away with the sacrifices of bulls, goats and other animals.

The only sacrifice He wants is YOU.

He wants you to give your life back to Him. Not in a physical sense as He did on the cross, but in a spiritual sense as He wants you to LIVE for Him with all of your heart. To love Him, serve Him and give Him your all.

“So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27 NKJV.

You mean I can live any old way I want? There is no Law any longer? No, that is not what it means. 

Paul said without the Law, we would not know sin! “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’” Romans 7:7 NKJV.

God didn’t do away with the Law; it reveals our need for Grace.

Grace is unmerited pardon of past sins and forgiveness with real repentance.

Grace will cause you to want to live a life that is pleasing to God.

The New Testament leaders did not do away with the Law, including the Ten Commandments. “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” Romans 7:12 NKJV.

And John said, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3 NKJV.

Grace is God’s unmerited favor, kindness and mercy. It does what the Law can NOT do… Roman 6:14. “For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law, but under grace.”

But it doesn’t give us license to sin or to ignore His commandments. For Paul goes on to say in the 15th verse, “What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.”

Under the Law, if you broke a commandment, the penalty was severe and instantaneous. Sometimes it meant you were cast out of the “camp”, or your family. Totally cut off. Other times, according to the sin that was committed, the sentence was death. There was no mercy!

But under Grace, we no longer live under the penalty of the Law. We haven’t thrown the Law away!

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

“That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1-4.

Under Grace, we come to the Lord Jesus Christ and repent, ask for forgiveness and receive mercy. If there is sin that has consequences, sometimes we have to pay for those mistakes, we are not exempt from the law of man. We do not have a license to sin repeatedly and keep running back to God just because He will forgive us.

But a true relationship will cause us to want to please God. We are no longer under bondage, rules and regulations but are free to live a victorious life in Jesus Christ. Filled with His spirit, full and overflowing with the Love of God and expecting great things in our walk with Him.

We will want to share what He has done for us with others, how can we keep it to ourselves?!

Have you been set free?

Are you living an overcoming life?

Are Grace and Mercy freely spoken in your home?

Or is the Law hanging over your head like a cloud?

We can receive forgiveness for our mistakes under grace, not a license to sin. But even better than that we are offered a relationship with the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

I’m expecting Great Things today, how about you?!

Great Things hopeinthehealing

 

 

As we enter this season of thankfulness, I thought it would be good to hear from you, from your corner of the globe and right here close by too. Some of you I hear from regularly, some read but have never commented. What I would love to know is three things:
  1. Something God has done for you in 2013, what you are most thankful for.
  2. What you want to see accomplished in your spiritual walk in 2014.
  3. How you and your family will be celebrating the Thanksgiving Holiday if at all.

Mention what state or country you are from. You can email me your response to ynannette@gmail.com . I would like to use the information in my Thanksgiving post and show what God has been doing around the world! I will only use first names so you don’t have to worry about confidentiality. But if you do not even want me to use your name at all, please say so in your post and I will respect your wishes.

This will be a great blessing! I hope you will take a couple of minutes and answer the questions for me. I love and appreciate every one of you. These last eight months have been some of the most rewarding of my life and I thank you for being a part of the journey.

 

Sharing with Let’s Get Social Sunday, The Weekend Brew, Sunday Sync, Sunday Stillness, Proverbs 31 Monday, Motivation Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Amaze me Monday, Expecting Great Things, Modest Mondays, Monday Praises, Teach Me Tuesdays