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Miracles Come From Gratitude

Thanksgiving is a time when even those who don’t regularly practice gratitude try to. Social media posts are filled with challenges to be grateful for something every day, while others post funny turkey cartoons wanting to spread some laughter and joy. It’s the one time a year that we emphasize remembering the details in life that really matter and for which we should be most grateful. There is something about gratitude that compels us. We want to give to those who have given to us.

In 2 Kings 4:8-17, we read of one such event. Elisha, on many occasions, travels through the town of Shunem. Each time, an unnamed woman invites him to stop in for a hot meal before continuing on his journey. She senses that he is a man of God and wants to bless him. So she talks with her husband, and they build a room especially for him so that when he passes through, he not only can have a meal but a place to stay and refresh.

This act of generosity so impacts Elisha that he asks his servant to call her so he can speak to her. He asks her, “is there anything I can do for you?” But because she gave her gift out of pure generosity and with no expectation of reciprocation, she responds with “no. My family takes good care of me.” She wanted nothing in return, only to be a blessing.

Her response made Elisha more determined. He asked his servant, “what can we do for her?” Gehazi, his servant, perceived a great need. She had no child, and her husband was old. She may not need anything now, but without a son, her future might look very different.

So Elisha calls her back and tells her, “next year at this time, you will be holding a son in your arms!” She cried out, “No, my lord! O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.” But the scripture says that sure enough, by that time the following year, she was holding a son.

Friends, it was gratitude that prompted her miracle. It was gratitude that brought back to life a dead dream. It was gratitude that did the impossible. Saints, let gratitude birth your miracle. And this time next year, we can testify once more to the goodness of God, continuing the blessing of Thanksgiving.

Jaime Luce

Photo 188329241 / Gratitude © Maria Marganingsih | Dreamstime.com
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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

Photo 105550084 / Coat Many Colors © Bohuslav Jelen | Dreamstime.com

 

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What Does Surrender Look Like?

What does real surrender look like? Surrender doesn’t mean laying down or throwing up your arms in defeat. Surrendering means wrestling.

God had spoken to Jacob through a dream and told him it was time to go back home and become the man God had purposed him to be. But going home meant facing his brother, whom he had run from and who vowed to kill him, leaving Jacob in the middle of two undesirable scenarios. He was currently mistreated by his trickster uncle Laban who’d deceived him into marrying off his oldest daughter, stole his livelihood by changing his pay ten times, and accused him of theft. All the while, Jacob had caused Laban to prosper greatly. Neither staying nor going was promising, yet God had spoken, and it was time to go.

The original trickster had no more moves. When Jacob realized he had no way to save himself, he prayed this prayer of surrender in Genesis 32:9-12 (NLT). 9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ 10 I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! 11 O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. 12 But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.'”

In this prayer, Jacob faces who he was. He had done nothing to deserve God’s love or kindness and was asking for God’s help. After this prayer and by faith, Jacob sent his family and all he owned ahead and was left alone. We want to think that at this time, God would swoop down and encourage Jacob, give him a pep talk, and assure him that everything would all be alright, but that is not what happened. Instead, a fight ensued.

A “man” came and wrestled with Jacob. Wait. What? Why would God come and fight with Jacob when he was trying to obey? He was already terrified? Because God knew what Jacob did not. For Jacob to go home and face Esau and inherit the promise God made him, he would need to do it as Israel and not Jacob. Verse 28 (NLT) says, 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on, you will be called Israel because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” The KJV says, “prevailed.” He needed to go back as a victor.

Surrender means we must now contend for the promise God has made us. We realize that on our own, we can do nothing. Left to our own devices and old natures, we will fail. God wants to give us every promise we are believing for, but that means becoming God’s man or woman. He never blesses flesh. What’s born of the flesh is flesh. Jacob’s conniving to receive blessing only birthed Laban’s false blessing in his life. Real blessing, the blessing that was spoken over Jacob before his birth, was that of the Spirit. We wrestle with God over it. We contend and don’t turn loose of it until we get it!

That wrestling match is for your growth. God is not intimidated by you wanting to wrestle it out with Him. He intentionally initiates it. The result will be a change in your walk that’s permanent. No longer will you lean on your own strength but on the surety of God’s word. You will have prevailed. You will walk into situations knowing you are already the victor. Like Jacob, you can advance and face your fear because your identity is no longer that of the guilty or undeserved. Your name has been changed, you’ve received the blessing, and only promise lies ahead. 

Don’t lay down and quit. Surrender, and get in the ring. And don’t turn loose until you get what God’s promised.

Jaime Luce

Photo 23385970 / Wrestling © Cwastudios | Dreamstime.com
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To dream or not to dream…

Photo by Glogster

Frustration is a killer of dreams. How many times have you had a dream of achieving some goal but once you began the process it seemed to take much longer than you imagined. You ran into obstacles and maybe even attempted something that failed leaving you feeling that it was just a pipe dream. You now look at it and think it was unrealistic to dream it in the first place. If you think this way at least you can put some of the pain away and not feel responsible for having not achieved it. If it is someone or something else’s fault than we are off the hook. Or are we?

These kinds of dreams don’t seem to really ever go away. They just seem to bury deeper and deeper into our subconscious and only come out every once in a while as a fleeting memory. The problem is the older we get we revisit them with a new frown thinking that time is running out. “If only” becomes our thought.

While attending my son and daughter-in-loves baby reveal party I had the opportunity to look at the moon through a very high powered telescope. I could see with clarity so many things about the moon likes it’s hills and valleys, it’s craters and seemingly rough terrain. I wanted to just stare and try to take it all in. It seemed as if I could reach out and touch it yet the moon is 239,000 miles from earth. It occurred to me that this is the proper way to see our dreams.

In the book of Genesis God gave Joseph a dream about his position in the future with such clarity that Joseph immediately told his brothers and parents thinking it to be close enough to touch. The clarity of it made it appear as if it was right in front of him. In actuality it was 13 years and a different country away.

Think about this scenario. NASA looks through their highest powered telescopes and see’s the moon. They decide they want to put someone on the moon. They have the vision with focus and clarity. Now what? They have to do as much research as possible about every known element from space and rockets to human ability. They build and go through simulations of trial and error to find problems and solutions. Every possible idea must be tested and all possible candidates forced to go through all physical extremes.

This is the crux of most frustration. We like NASA will go through trials and errors in order to be properly prepared for the dream ahead and all of this takes mountains of time and endurance.

Joseph had to go through betrayal and slavery to build an inner character that would not only forgive his brothers but be prepared to care for them and their families in their time of need. That is a hugely difficult and emotional trial. But God chose him for the job because he knew he could do it. He knew that he would do it.

Can God trust you with that kind of power?

Then Joseph was lied about in the worst way. The end result put him in a dungeon prison when he was guiltless of all charges and had actually acted honorably and ran from the prospect of being involved in a disloyal and sinful act of betrayal. Then while in prison on trumped up charges he is neglected and forgotten after helping those he was imprisoned with.

It may seem unfair but the dream was a big dream. Are you dreaming a big dream. God may have shown you the future through his very clear high powered telescope. It is not a lie. What he showed you is real. Though the vision tarry, wait for it. I like the way the New Living Translation puts it. Habbakkuk 2:3 “The vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If is seems slow in coming, wait patiently for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.”

The waiting is not a waiting time. It is not a wasted time. We are to prepare and learn during the waiting. The waiting serves a great purpose. We may go through trials and errors but those trials and errors are some of the best teachers.

Throw off your frustration like an old garment and remember the dream is for an appointed time and the God who is faithful believes you can do it. He’s given you all that you need for the step you are taking toward it now. When it is time to take the next step you will be ready for that too.

In time, like Joseph, you will get the call out of the prison and into position. To quote a line from “The Patriot”, “Make ready!”, for the dream will surely come to pass.

Blessings to you and yours,

Jaime Luce