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Do The Hard Thing!

Do the hard thing even when people don’t understand you. Paul had it in his spirit to go to Jerusalem. His friends, who were believers, even prophetic, told him not to go. They tried to convince him not to do it. But Paul knew what was in his spirit. He told us in 1 Corinthians 4:4 that he conducts himself in all good conscience. In Acts 24:16, speaking of Paul, “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”

Don’t disobey to please people if you know that you have heard from the Lord. Keep your conscience clear. Men won’t always understand. That’s because God didn’t speak that to them. They weren’t on a zoom call with you to hear what God said to you. People have good intentions, but they won’t always understand.

If Daniel were facing his choice to be thrown in the lion’s den today, people would have told him, “Dude, listen. You don’t have to do this. Just close your windows and pray in secret. That way, you won’t offend anyone and not risk your life.” But Daniel did what Daniel knew to do. Daniel going headlong into the lion’s den was the very thing that brought glory to God and influence with the king. It was the exact place Daniel was called to serve. His actions caused the removal of those with corrupt influence and the establishment of righteous influence.

If the Three Hebrew boys were facing the fiery furnace today, people would have justified them bowing down and even encouraged it. They would have told them, “it wouldn’t be God’s will for you to die. If you die, how will you do anything for God? That isn’t necessary. God sees your heart.” Ehhh—wrong! The act of being thrown into the furnace influenced the king, causing him to declare that God is the only real God. It was their willingness to do the hard thing that caused their bonds to fall off, and it was that hard thing that brought glory to God.

The kingdom of God is the invisible, influencing the visible. It is the unseen influencing the seen. Like the wind, you see its influence without ever seeing the wind itself. People won’t see that God is influencing you. They will only see later what the impact was. People won’t understand you. Accepting that will help you go from being a people pleaser with no influence to a God pleaser with tremendous influence. Do the hard thing!

Trouble may come before the thing is finished, and people will say, “See, I told you.” But you can’t worry about that. Those same people don’t ask you for your opinion before doing what they think they should do. They aren’t worried about what you think or if you agree. In fact, for Paul, Daniel, and the three Hebrew boys, it looked like they were right.

Let’s look at Paul. If he had listened and not gone to prison, we wouldn’t have most of the New Testament. The influence and reach of Paul’s obedience to what God put in his spirit still speaks over 2,000 years later. We still cling to what he taught us about following Christ.

Don’t waste time judging others. It isn’t your business, and it isn’t your calling. Do what God speaks to you to do so you can influence and make the impact you need to make.
Do the hard thing!

Jaime Luce

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The Hard Truth

Truth is truth regardless of how hard or offensive we may think it is. Our culture has programmed the masses to believe that truth is only truth if we like or agree. Those of this mindset Jesus confronted. After feeding 5,000 people, the number of followers Jesus had multiplied. They were entertained by the miracles and satisfied by what Jesus provided them. But as soon as Jesus told them the hard truth about what they really wanted and what was really necessary to follow him, they were offended.

John 6:60-64 60 Therefore, many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” 61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.”

Jesus let them know that they would find the life they were seeking if they believed the truth. Without it, all of their efforts would profit them nothing. The hard truth was that they would need to change their minds. They would have to let go of their preconceived ideas. They would need to relinquish the control they clung to. The culture to reject truth was so pervasive that Jesus turned to the twelve and asked if they would leave Him too. Would they be like those who were hard-hearted and only see from a carnal natural perspective? A perspective that only wanted to satisfy their flesh. Or would they be those who lived after the Spirit? Those who would live for eternity and not just the here and now.

Those who love truth respond like Peter. John 6:68-69 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

What was the game-changer? How did Peter jump from the dull of hearing to the rock the church was built on? The answer is in verse 69. He knew Jesus. He continued with Him, followed Him, sought Him, and came to believe. It’s ok if you’re in the process of knowing Him. Stay the course and seek the absolute truth. Not the false truth that makes you feel good or that you and everyone else agrees with. Be a seeker of real truth, the hard truth, that you must eat Jesus’ body and drink His blood. That your life is not your own and that you are called for a purpose greater than yourself.

That group is much smaller. But that’s the group that can stand through any storm. Those are the ones who see the miraculous take place. That group of people carry boldness and are not timid or fearful but full of faith and power. This band of believers will get out of the boat and walk on water, and this group of people will shake the world for God’s glory. They will make an impact. They are those who love and proclaim truth! 

I challenge you today. Take a hard look at what you accept or criticize about the Word of God. Jesus said in Mark 8:34-38 34, When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

The choice remains yours. Choose wisely.

Jaime Luce

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You Have What It Takes

There is a misconception that is prevailing in the church. The dangerous and misleading belief is that you just need to say a prayer of salvation, and you’re good. You’ve got a ticket to heaven, and all will be well. Why it’s misleading is because you can receive the mercy and grace of God by just asking. But once you have moved from the children of darkness into the children of light, there is something for you to do. And what he calls us to do has great consequence for us and the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 25:14-30 tells us the parable of the talents. Verse 14 begins like this. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.” In this parable, the man is dealing with his own servants. He isn’t talking about strangers or outsiders. He is talking about those are his. He then gives one servant five talents, one servant two talents, and the last servant one talent. He gave each according to their ability, so nothing was required of them that they could not handle.

Heaven operates this way. We’re given what we have the capacity to increase. There are no excuses. We should be doing something to grow what we have been given. To bury it is to bury your future and, ultimately, your eternity. It is that drastic!
The servant given five talents made five more, and he heard the words in verse 21, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

Likewise, in verse 23, the second servant was given two talents and heard, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

However, in verses 24-25, the third servant who was given one talent made excuses while placing blame on his lord and said, “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.”

But look what his lord said to him in response. “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And Cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

This parable closely resembles another parable Jesus gave of the wedding feast in Matthew 22. Someone comes into the wedding without the proper garments on, and the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into out darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

I know this can sound hard but hear me out. You won’t be required to do what you aren’t capable of doing. However, sometimes you’re called to do what you think you can’t do. Moses thought the people wouldn’t listen to him and that he was insignificant and asked the Lord how. The Lord asked him a question in response. “What do you have in your hand?” He then successfully led millions of people to freedom with the rod that was in his hand. And God will do the same with you. You do have what it takes. There are no excuses. God has given you everything you need to be fruitful in this life and the next.

Don’t worry about the one with five talents or the one who has two. Just do what you’re called to do with what you have, which will produce an increase. And when you do, what a reward you will receive when you hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” What a day that will be! So go for it. Do something with what you have and watch God do the impossible through you.

Jaime Luce

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Press On!

Phillippians 3:13-14, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Are you pressing? Though the road has been challenging, are you pressing forward? Though all may have forsaken you, are you pressing? Even though you have a past, are you pressing? Even though you’ve had some successes, are you pressing?

Paul had experienced it all. He began with a past that left him feeling he was the least. A worm at best. He had been blind, beaten, shipwrecked, bitten by a snake, and abandoned, to name just a few. He knew failure in ministry and relationships. He wrestled with his flesh, saying he didn’t do the things he wanted to, and he did the things he didn’t want to do.

On the other hand, he was rocking the world by bringing the gospel to the gentiles. He had brought the baptism of the Holy Spirit to those who hadn’t so much as heard that there was a Holy Spirit. He healed the sick and raised the dead. He mentored and fathered new Christians to lead, and he mended and reunited relationships with those once torn. He authored thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament and finished his race well.

With a new year upon us, let us remember what Paul taught. Forget what is behind. There is a prize to win that God has called us to win. The enemy would love to keep us locked up in the things we can’t relive. It isn’t an easy thing, of course. Paul said he strained forward. The original Greek for that word means to exert oneself to the uttermost. It’s hard work. It’s a stretching, and stretching is painful. But like a rubber band, once it has been stretched, it will never be a small as it once was. It has grown.

We, like Paul, must press on. That word press means to move rapidly and decisively toward. To hasten and to run. Before we know it, 2023 will be at the door, and what will we have done? Let’s press on. Let’s leave the past in the past and stretch toward the prize. To look back is not to press but to regress. It’s time to advance with precision. We’ve got a race to win, and 2022 is just the year to do it. Press on saints. Let’s win the prize!

Jaime Luce

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You Will Still Be Victorious

The obstacle in front of you does not necessarily mean that God isn’t with you. When God wanted to set His people free from the grips of Pharoah, He hardened Pharoah’s heart to show His great power over the God’s of Egypt, using the very plagues that mirrored the God’s they served.

Each plague represented when Pharoah said “no” to Moses’ demands. Each “no” represented a more demanding situation for the children of Israel. But it was God who hardened His heart. God was definitely going to set His people free. He had already declared it and sent Moses to get the job done.

But to look at it with natural eyes, you would think that God couldn’t possibly have sent Moses since Pharoah kept refusing. It would seem that God was not with them nor desiring to deliver them.

We see this happen again when the children of Israel are preparing to go to battle and take their promised land. God tells Moses to have them attack King Sihon of Heshbon, who had refused to let them pass through his land while they journeyed in the wilderness. In Deuteronomy 2:30, Moses says this, “But King Sihon of Heshbon refused to allow us to pass through because the Lord your God made Sihon stubborn and defiant so he could help you defeat him, as he has now done.

God again hardened the heart of an enemy He wanted to be defeated. That news should be a massive place of hope for us. Most people would think that if God told them to go battle something, it would be easy. They believe if God told them, the doors will fling open, and no battle is necessary. A battle doesn’t represent God’s absence. In fact, it could represent the exact opposite.

If you are following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and you feel you must enter the battle, then yes, God will give you the victory. However, you may still have to battle. God can’t lose a fight. And sometimes He hardens your enemies’ hearts against the plan of God in your life. If He does this, it is because He plans to destroy that enemy in your life completely. He allows their cup of iniquity to fill so that you can utterly destroy the works of the enemy in your life once and for all and take new territory.

Don’t be discouraged. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (Eph 3:10) If God is for you, then who can be against you? (Romans 8:31) If you must fight, then fight. God will surely give you the victory!

Jaime Luce

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The Main Thing

In every circumstance and every situation, there is one determining factor that has the power to alter, change, restore, and make brand new. It alone holds power to manifest an answer where only questions abound. It is the single factor that set’s you apart. This one element is the golden ticket, the treasure map, the compass of direction. The single key that opens every door tears down every wall, and defeats every enemy is the presence of God!

In Exodus 33, Moses is having an exchange with God about continuing with his assignment. We’ve all been there. We begin and see the mighty power of God displayed as we set out in faith to accomplish the task He called us to do. Somewhere along the line, things go sideways. The people who were with you are now against you. Where you thought you’d be and where you are now look nothing alike. Even your conversations with the Lord are discouraging because He’s just as fed up with everyone’s lack of faith as you are. Though God promises you that He will still use you and accomplish what He said He would, you feel depleted and not comforted.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Keep the main thing, the main thing.” What Moses was worried about was the main thing. He knew that even if he continued forward with a new plan, that would still eventually accomplish his task; without the main thing, it would mean nothing. This is where most people miss it. This one main thing is why God chose Moses.

All Moses cared about from the beginning was God’s presence. It was his only sure thing. It’s as if to say, “If God goes with me, I know it will go exactly how God says it will go.” Moses was so attached to this truth that God would speak to him face to face. And even in that seemingly perfect relationship, Moses wasn’t satisfied. The cry of his heart was, I need to know you more. He says to the Lord, “Show me your glorious presence.” In essence, he was saying, “I know you talk to me, even intimately, face to face, but I want to know why you do what you do and how you think. I want to know all of your ways and how to walk in them.”

King David had this same heart. That’s why it is said of him that he was a man after God’s own heart. God’s presence going with you, leading the way, is the secret of every victory. To know that God is with you, fighting for you, preparing the way, is the peace and courage of every giant slayer. It is the ammunition for every weapon you wield. It is the ultimate prize. To have the presence of God is to have peace that passes all understanding. It is strength to continue to fight the next battle. It is assurance that you’re going to be ok.

If you seek anything today, may you seek His presence. Keep the main thing, the main thing. Nothing else really matters. Though the season is busy and chaotic, remember where peace comes from. It won’t come from checking off all the boxes and finishing the must-dos. It will come when you’re face to face and hear Him say, “I’m going with you, and I’ll show you all my goodness.” There is nothing like the presence of God. Make Him your priority, and watch Him make the difference.

Jaime Luce

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Work Your Favor And Use Your Gifts

Favor is a funny thing. It’s not garnered because you desire it. It is bestowed for reasons only the one giving can determine. Jacob had 12 sons, but it was the 11th that captured his heart. Joseph was the firstborn from the woman he’d worked 14 years to marry. Because she remained barren for so many years, Joseph was not conceived until Jacob’s old age. Finally, seeing the fruit of that love gave Joseph the favor that no other son could achieve. The giving of a gift showed Jacob’s favor and affection. A coat of many colors.

But as they say, “Favor ain’t fair.” His brothers hated and envied him for it. Their perception of his favor, dreams, and gifts was that Joseph was a threat. Though they were older and had more position, they would lose that status if Joseph’s dreams were true. They blamed their possible feat on Joseph’s favor and gifts. They hoped if they removed him and his glaring coat, they’d not feel the lack of their own dreams. Yet stripping Joseph of his colorful coat and selling him into slavery only exacerbated their problem. Now they had to continually witness their father’s grief and sorrow, cementing forever the favor that belonged to Joseph.

Potiphar’s wife had a problem with it too. She thought she could manipulate and use Joseph’s favor for personal gain. She wanted to partner with it and share in his favor. What he carried was so evident that though she held position above Joseph, she wanted what he had for herself. By keeping his coat, she thought she held power to control Joseph’s future.

Even in prison, Joseph’s favor was present, putting him in charge. God was positioning him for his breakthrough.

You may feel like Joseph. Your situation seems to be going from bad to worse. Even if you’re still in a prison, feeling forgotten, use your gifts anyway. Bring heaven’s interpretation to the lives of those in the prison with you. Don’t entertain the lies of the enemy. You are destined for greater things.  If your dreams are still unfulfilled, hang on. Envy, manipulation, and delay can’t stifle the gifts God has given you. This is not how your story ends. You have not lost your favor. There are countless numbers of people who need your gift. Your position is being set. So, work your favor and use your gifts.

Jaime Luce

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It’s An Opportunity, Not a Setback!

Can you imagine? David, just a shepherd boy, singing and playing his instrument while watching his father’s sheep. When out of the corner of his eye, he sees a lion jump from his hidden position to attack the sheep. By himself, David jumped and ran toward the lion, killing him and saving the sheep.

Now, can you imagine that instead of celebrating his great victory, David instead sits down to say, “Why God? Why did you allow that lion to attack us? I’m no good at this. This is too hard. I guess I shouldn’t be a shepherd. You must not want me to do this.”

Let’s take it even further. David is again worshipping the Lord and watching the sheep graze when out of the shadow comes a bear that is running full force straight at them. Alone again, David kills the bear and saves himself and the sheep.

David could have thought, “Why does this keep happening. I’ve already had to fight a battle. God must not be with me. What am I doing wrong? Why do I always have problems?”

When faced with another problem or another battle, the temptation is to take the victim mentality even if you’ve won the previous battles and think you have a setback. If your self-talk sounds something like, “Just when things were going good, this had to happen.” Or, “Why does this always happen to me?” Then you’ve got to shake yourself loose from the grip of self-pity.

Like David, your past battles had a purpose. They worked for you to enlarge you. The fight you are facing right now is not a setback. It is an opportunity. You can take even more territory. God has more for you!

You can be like David doing a task that seems menial and mundane. You may think this is all there is. Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not. God has opened an opportunity to enlarge you. But taking territory and enlarging is a battle. Anyone who has tried to grow a company understands that enlarging is hard work. It’s an uphill battle with many obstacles. And at every place of enlargement comes a more significant, more intimidating struggle.

David was just delivering bread and cheese when he heard Goliath vomiting his threats and mockings. At that moment, David could have thought, “not again…,” “not another fight.” I’ve already had to deal with a lion and a bear. What more does God want from me?” Thank God he didn’t think those things. Instead, he said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who defies the armies of the living God?” After finding out the reward, David’s immediate reaction was to run toward the battle. Ours should be the same.

Revelation 1:6 says we are kings and priests unto God. We are overcomers, not down and outers. We advance the kingdom of God and take territory. Like David, we don’t shrink back. (Hebrews 10:38) That day, David was positioned for the palace. The previous battles prepared him for this giant. Just like before, David took that giant down and cut his head off. And saints, so can we!

We are not living in a setback moment. It’s time to advance. It’s time to take new and larger territory and slay our giants! Don’t be intimidated. Don’t listen to the lies and tricks of the enemy. Think from the proper perspective. Take every negative and defeatest thought captive. Deny fear any entrance and march forward in faith. Your victory will position you for your greater purpose and will bring deliverance to you and all those around you.

Jaime Luce

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Misinformation

We’ve all jumped to conclusions. We see something, hear something, or imagine something because we saw nothing and heard nothing. Relying on senses alone will lead to a conclusion that is just as imagined.

After selling Joseph to traders, Jacob’s sons brought Joseph’s coat that was shredded and dipped in blood to their father. They simply asked, is this your son’s coat? Immediately Jacob’s mind took him to the worst-case scenario. He declared that Joseph had certainly been attacked by wild animals and was undoubtedly dead.

Satan uses this method with precision. We watch professional propagandists while ignoring missing facts. News stations and social media platforms hurl accusations as “misinformation” but with no investigation. Though these sources are no longer trustworthy, countless conclusions are made. Finding truth means uncovering all pertinent questions and answers, but the enemy keeps the most valuable information hidden, simply showing us a shredded bloody coat.

Saints, we’ve got to quit falling for this tactic. We don’t have to settle for the devil’s lies. We don’t have to fear the devil or the plans he has for us. We are overcomers. We overcome sin. We overcome death. We overcome oppression. We overcome poverty. We overcome sickness and disease. We overcome fear. I could go on and on. Our God is not mocked. When we know the truth, we are free indeed. Instead of jumping to conclusions, we must say by the Spirit, “and in conclusion.” We need to be declaring it to ourselves and each other. The conclusion is that God has already defeated the enemy. He has pronounced his punishment and declared our victory.

Go to the Word of God. Declare His promises over your life. Ignore the “false evidence” that the devil is waving at you with an “It is written.” Don’t agree with your enemy. Instead, speak life and promise. God’s word is the final say on the matter. Psalm 138:2 “I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.”
There is no higher truth than God’s word. Declare truth today and receive your victory!

Jaime Luce

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Surviving The Waiting Season

Hang on, saints! God is faithful. And He is going to see to it that the promise He made you comes to pass. Staying encouraged in the waiting season is key. But to do that, we need to look at the first promise. In that promise, we see three important factors about promises.

God told Noah to build an ark of safety for the coming flood. He was asked to prepare for something that no one had ever experienced before. Everything about this call would sound crazy to anyone who heard it. He would be mocked and ridiculed for years. Yet despite public opinion, Noah obeyed and survived a flood that destroyed everyone else.

After a year on that boat, God told Noah to leave the ark of safety. Noah’s first act once off the boat was to build an altar and make a sacrifice to the Lord. The scripture says that the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and promised that he would never again flood the earth and that as long as the earth endures, there will be seed, time, and harvest. It was a tremendous promise that their future would be secure and blessed.

Then, to give Noah a continual reminder, God placed a rainbow in the clouds as a symbol of His promise. So in every time of rain, Noah wouldn’t need to fear. He knew where to fix his gaze. He could look up and see God’s promise.

The first point in this promise is that it would not only affect Noah. Its reach still covers us today. When God gives us a promise, it endures. Our God is eternal, so His gifts are eternal. Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” No matter how much time has passed, God hasn’t changed His mind about you. The promise stands, and it will bless you and those after you.

Second is the necessary element of time. God said there would be seed, time, and harvest. The promise is the seed. But after you receive the seed, there will be time. How much time? The right amount of time. God’s perfect plan has a perfect time. “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by faith.” Habakkuk 2:3-4 (NKJV) If you remember that time is part of the promise, you won’t be so discouraged in the waiting.

The third element of this promise is perspective. God put the promise in the sky. For Noah to see it, he would need to lookup. Luke 21:28 (KJV) “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” This scripture reminds us that even when we face the chaos of a fallen world, we can look up and know God is faithful to His word. Just as Noah was safe on the ark, God will keep you.

Your promise is for an appointed time. Look up. It will come to pass.

Jaime Luce

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