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Author: Sharon Ricks

Sometimes It’s Going to Take a Pressing

Sometimes It’s Going to Take a Pressing

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The song, You Made a Way, by Travis Greene sums up how I am feeling today. 

God never ceases to amaze me. He keeps making a way out of no way. Just when you think nothing makes sense…He does something to show you that there is a plan in place and that if you hang in there He will show you some amazing things.

I was thinking about how God works when the Holy Spirit dropped in my spirit that sometimes to get fresh oil…to get a fresh anointing…there will be a pressing. It may appear that things are not getting any better, and you are not going to make it. But that pressing is bringing out the best in you. That pressing is not going to take you out…it is going to make you stronger. 

The Lord is moving mountains for you. He is causing walls to fall. He is removing obstacles and opening doors that no man can shut. But none of that will happen until you give up your right to be right. God needs you to know that in Him is where you will find your strength, your joy, your peace and your power.

God will never fail you. Nothing about what you are going through is random. God is bringing out of you what you will need in the days, months and years to come. He knows what you are going to come up against, so He has already sent ahead of you what you will need when you get there.

There will be things that are going to try to make you quit, but God will not allow you to abort your purpose. 

Right now you may be going through a pressing…just know that it is not designed to take you out, but to build you up, and strengthen your relationship with Him. God is always with you. Trust the process.

Until next time…

Be blessed

It’s that Next Level Worship for me!

It’s that Next Level Worship for me!

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Praise is good. Getting it…giving it…it always feels good, but let me tell you there is something about worship that just takes your praise to the next level. 

I know they feel the same, but there is a difference. I can praise you for doing a good job, but I will never worship you. My worship is reserved for God. I worship Him; I adore Him and I love Him with a love that can’t even be put into words. He is the great I AM and there is nothing or no one greater than He is. 

Meditating on His greatness makes me want to run around the block. 

Whenever we sing songs about the blood in our church I get this overwhelming feeling of reverence for Him. The Bible says there is power in the blood of Jesus. It is cleansing. It is healing. It is freeing. And I am a witness that the Blood still works.

Sometimes we have to go through those low places….those valleys in our lives, and it’s no fun. But let me tell you…God is there in that place…teaching, training, and loving us through it. His blood reaches every area of our lives. Look, what that song says is true…that blood never loses its power. Oh my goodness! I feel that. 

Somebody needs to know that what you are going through is not because you did anything wrong. It is God preparing you for your next level.

I felt Holy Spirit touch my heart today, and He took me to that place where only God and I can reside. It’s in that place that you can ask anything, and know with certainty that He hears you. 

I pray today that you fall in love with Him all over again…that you dedicate your life to Him all over again, because for this next level, we are going to have to forget all about what we want, and just focus on what God wants for us. 

Pull close to Him, because when we do that…He will take care of everything else.

Until next time…

Be blessed

What Happens To Us Matters To God

What Happens To Us Matters To God

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God keeps blessing me over and over again, and not because I do everything right, or that I am so special. I know that I am special to Him. I’m not sure about a lot of things, but I am sure that God loves me. And I know it, because that’s what His word says.

It says that…at the moment I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, I was redeemed, I was justified…I was changed, 

It’s still so amazing to me that God cares for me…that He cares for all of us. 

  • It matters to Him when someone hurts us. 
  • It matters to Him when we don’t live up to our full potential. 
  • It matters to Him that sometimes I still get afraid. 

We are His creation, and He takes great pride in our achievements. When we don’t do what God has called us to do we are living out of order, because if He says we are…we are, and if He says we can…we can.

God had a plan for all of us way before we were born. What we do matters to Him, and it should matter to us. We sometimes get so down on ourselves, especially when we compare our lives to other people. 

God doesn’t feel that way about us, and He doesn’t want us to feel that way about ourselves. God needs us to help carry out His ministry on the earth. Don’t get me wrong…God can do it without us, but He gave us specific gifts and He wants us to use them for the Kingdom. That’s what it says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

So, that’s really all I wanted to say today….

You matter to God, and what happens to you matters to Him.

Until next time…

Be blessed

Approved

Approved

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I was at the store one day, and I used one of those express lanes that you check your own groceries out, and I finished my purchase, paid for my items with my card and proceeded to my car. When I got to my car, one of the employees came running out after me, and told me that I hadn’t paid for my items. 

I told her that the machine had said approved, but she said it still showed I owed money. I went back in and sure enough, it said approved, but there wasn’t enough money on my card, so it bounced back. Who knew? I always thought that if there was no money on the card, it would say so. I guess not…..sigh. I added the needed cash, paid again for real this time and left.

All of this made me think about how we are always “approved” with God. We can never run low with Him. Our bank account is always full. 

We sometimes have to deal with a lot in our day to day living, and our spirits can take a beating from trying so hard to do what is right. But when we give our lives to Jesus Christ, God justifies us. That means that our relationship with Jesus makes us right with God. 

We don’t have to worry about doing anything. It is already done. God loves us just as we are.

That means that we can stop worrying about the things we can do nothing about…especially when it comes to other people. We sometimes worry so much about what others think that we lose focus of what God thinks. That their opinion of us means more than God’s opinion of us. And nothing should be that extreme. God’s opinion is the only one that really counts anyway, right?

So, whenever that little credit card reader says approved…first make sure your transaction actually went through…lol.

…And then give God a little thank you.

Until next time…

Be blessed

This Joy I Have

This Joy I Have

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I remember not too long ago I went to visit some patients at a local rehab center, and for some reason that night it felt different than it had on previous visits. It seemed like everyone we visited was so full of the love of the Lord that it was almost overwhelming. They couldn’t wait to talk about how much they loved Him and trusted Him. 

The best part was that they didn’t feel like their current circumstances meant that they were being punished for anything. Sometimes we feel like God is not pleased with us so He takes it out on us. That is so far from the truth. And the people in the rehab center that day knew it. They knew that they could still have the joy of the Lord in the midst of what they were going through. They didn’t doubt that God was in control, and that what they were experiencing was His all-encompassing, all-consuming, all-powerful grace.

It brings me joy just thinking about God’s goodness and how His grace is so amazing. And the really awesome part is that we can’t do anything to deserve it, or to get more of it. God just gives it to us brand new every morning. The word says that we are blessed in the city and in the country (Deuteronomy 28:3). We are blessed going out and coming in (Deuteronomy 28:6). God covers us no matter where we are, and He never has, or ever will turn His back on us. Amen.

The joy of the Lord says that even when you have a hard time feeling His presence, you can be assured that He is always there. That’s His promise. I love knowing that because you and I mess up…sometimes big time, we can still have joy knowing that trouble won’t last always. Nothing we do will ever stop how He feels about us. He delights in us, and He looks forward to blessing us. And we will always be the apple of His eye. Praise God!

Until next time…

Be blessed

Being Loved Abundantly

Being Loved Abundantly

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When I think about my relationship with God one of the first things that comes to mind is how blessed I am that He loves me. It still blows my mind that He not only waited for me, He sent His Son to save me. How awesome is that? 

Before we give our lives to Christ, most of us spend so much time trying to measure up…to fit in. When it’s not really necessary. For a while, it may even look like we are having some success. But it’s all a facade’. 

In Christ, we are abundantly blessed. God supplies our every need. He actually will give us more than what we need. The Bible says that He will give us exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think (Eph. 3:20). 

We spend so much time running from God that we miss how blessed it feels to be in His presence. I often wish I had given my life to Him sooner so that I would have more time loving Him, because He already loved me…I just didn’t know it.

God loves us abundantly, and nothing we do will ever change that.  And that is worth far more than anything money can buy.

Until next time…

Be blessed

Are You Happy?

Are You Happy?

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That’s the question I want to start this post with today.

As I was contemplating what “happy” really meant, it made me wonder why being happy is so important. We work really hard at finding happiness, or trying to make someone else happy. What I realized is that a lot of it is based on what they show on television, right? The kind of life where the guy always gets the girl, (or the girl gets the guy), and all of our problems get worked out by the end of the show. That would be nice, but that’s not reality. At least not for many of us.

What I found is that happiness can be fleeting, because it’s dependent on something external. Something has to happen for us to be happy. We have to get the promotion, the new job, the mate we have always wanted….something. 

But what if we sought “joy” instead?

The toughest storm can’t even affect it. I know that sounds confusing. Storms in themselves can be terrifying. But the Bible says that in the Lord we have the “fullness of joy.”  The kind that the world can’t control, or influence. It doesn’t matter how strong the storm may seem…this joy comes from the inside. It is God-given.

It is not dependent on anyone doing anything. 

This kind of joy happens when we give our lives to Christ. It is given to us through the Holy Spirit that dwells within all of God’s people. It is part of our inheritance.

There is nothing wrong with being happy. Life is too short and God has been too good to live a miserable life. But, if you want the kind of joy that the world cannot give…the kind that strengthens, the kind that transforms, the kind that comforts, the kind that is everlasting…only God can give you that. 

And all you have to do is just ask, and then believe you have it…

Until next time…

Be blessed

It’s Time to Get to Work!

It’s Time to Get to Work!

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I know…I know. I have been missing in action. April was my birthday month, and I decided to take that time to re-group. I wanted to hear from God, because if He is not in it…I don’t want to be in it either. 

I believe God is working on something amazing for His people right now. Of course, He is always working on something amazing, but this is different. So much is going on right now, and dragging your feet is not an option. Not anymore.

Maybe you have been sitting on a dream, or just letting life idly pass you by.

Maybe this is the time to dream bigger, and believe bigger than you ever have before. 

Maybe you have always wanted to go places you have never been, and try things you have never tried. 

God is about to put super to your natural. 

Now is the time to stop waiting and claim your inheritance! The things you have been believing God for…keep believing. You cannot afford to let any opportunities pass you by.  Look for God in everything. Remind God of His word, and speak His word back to Him. God wants to bless you, but He needs you to believe that you should be blessed. 

You have the favor of God on your life. Act like it, and then walk in it. 

Right now, the spirit of fear is taking control, and the enemy is laughing his head off. Really let yourself picture him just sitting there laughing at you biting your nails. And then say to yourself, “NOT THIS TIME!” 

I declare that you will not let your dreams drift away.

This is a new day, and you owe it to God to live the abundant life the Bible speaks about. He wouldn’t have given you those gifts if He didn’t want you to use them, right?

God is just waiting to open doors…and it’s time for you to get to work. 

Until next time…

Be blessed

Look For The Daily Blessings

Look For The Daily Blessings

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Lately, I have been hearing a lot about being blessed suddenly or having unusual blessings. And I got so caught up with looking for these suddenly blessings that I was beginning to overlook the ones God blesses us with daily.

Don’t get me wrong…there are some unexpected, supernatural blessings that definitely need to be acknowledged, and God does those on a daily basis too. But, what I’m talking about is when we look so hard for those type of blessings that we miss how God wakes us up one more day, or how He causes the sun to rise or the wind to blow just enough to give us a cool breeze. I don’t want to take those blessings for granted. I want God to know that I appreciate every blessing.

I am a firm believer that God looks for ways to bless us. Why wouldn’t He? He loves us and just like any good father, He wants to see His children prosper and succeed. Psalm 1:3 says, “He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” I want to be like Paul and be content no matter what state I’m in (Phil. 4:11). God knows us and He knows exactly what we need…even though sometimes we believe He moves a little too slow.

I did a google search for what God says are blessings and here are a few scriptures I found:

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” –Phil. 4:19

“Out of His fullness, we have all received grace in place of grace already given.” –John 1:16

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.” –Psalm 138:7

I am blessed…we are blessed. Sometimes we just have different ideas about what that really looks like. Daily blessings are all around us. Don’t be so busy that you miss them.  

Until next time…

Be blessed!

We Can Never Pray Too Much!

We Can Never Pray Too Much!

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As believers we should be getting outside of our church walls to do something to make a difference in the world. 

Our world will never get better if we all lock ourselves in our homes, and shake our heads at the problem. The saying goes that if you are not part of the solution…you are part of the problem. I want to be a part of the solution. But what does that look like?

I think it looks something like this…

The children in our world deserve a chance. They should be able to experience what it feels like to run and play without the fear of being abducted or shot. Today, we hardly ever see little girls playing hopscotch or jacks, or little boys playing baseball in the neighborhood. It shouldn’t be that way. 

When I was a little girl, we ran all over the neighborhood, and we didn’t worry about coming home until the street lights came on. Our children today will never know what that kind of freedom feels like…not unless we do something about it.

One thing we can do for sure is pray. 

Pray for change. Pray for direction. Pray for strength. Pray for peace. Pray for your neighbors…and your neighborhood. Pray for those who don’t have a relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ. Pray that God continues to show this world mercy. Pray because His grace is sufficient. Pray that love will grow more and more until there is no room for hate.

We can never pray too much. I know that may seem idealistic to some, but I believe it’s possible. The Bible says that anything is possible to those who believe (Mark 9:23). I believe. I believe in the power of prayer. And I hope you believe too. God’s word says that whatever we ask in Jesus’ name, He will do it (John 14:14). So, believe that it’s already done.

Don’t stop praying. And don’t stop believing that when the time is right…God will answer.

Until next time…

Be blessed