I mean I’ve never been in one, but I would have to assume it would be an awfully dark place. And isn’t that exactly what it’s like when you’re not in God’s will – dark?
I get it – sometimes God asks us to do really scary things. I don’t know the exact reason Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh because I’m not him. But I do know this – the reason was attached to some form of fear.
And we see where that fear landed him.
So here’s my question – which “fear” sounds worse?
1. God’s will
2. Not God’s will
If you’re walking in God’s will that means He is walking with you. Our great protector. Our refuge. The ultimate superhero if you will. But if you’re not walking with God – if you say no – then you’ll find yourself in a deep, dark place that just downright stinks.
Y’all, just say yes.
Don’t wrestle.
Don’t beg.
Just thank God that He chose you in the first place.
“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” Jonah 1:2
What to do in life, where to go, what to see, achieve, and experience. These are the thoughts I ponder that I can never answer.
Do I know what I want to do? Yes. How to get there? No.
Do I know where I want to go? Yes. How to get there? Nope.
Do I know what I want to see, achieve and experience? For the most part, yes! Yet again, I have no idea how to get there, so I ask myself, what is the solution?
To non-believers, the answer to the “how to get there’s” would be logical. Save money, work hard, be patient, and invest in yourself and others around you. But to those who follow God, the answer is, “Have Faith.”
For those of us who have been Christian for most of our memory, it’s easy to become comfortable in our spiritual routine of nighttime prayers and Bible studies.
But where is faith in that?
Faith isn’t present when comfort is, and comfort cannot co-exist with faith. Wait, what? What do you mean I can’t be comfortable in my bed and not have faith? I’m not talking about physical comfort. I’m talking about spiritual comfort.
Spiritual comfort and spiritual growth are complete opposites with each other. Faith is essential for spiritual growth. Growth cannot happen without pain, and, as we all know, pain is uncomfortable.
So what spiritual growth are you missing out on because of your comfort?
A great example of shifting from comfort to faith is when disciples were out at sea during a storm and saw Jesus walking on water.
The disciple Peter had a history of safe faith up to this point. In this passage, Peter not only examples what great faith looks like, but he also examples how we should change between our comfort to faith.
He went all in.
In Mathew 14:29, Jesus said, “Come,” so Peter got out of the boat experienced the miracle of walking on water.
To do this, he had to do two things. Peter had to trust Jesus to allow him to reach the destination that he was called to. Peter had to step out of the boat. Now, Peter made the transition between comfort and faith look easy, but in reality, he still struggled.
When Peter took his eyes off Jesus while on the water, he immediately sank into the sea.
Panic-stricken and fearful, Peter reached out his hand for Jesus to save him. At the end of his grasp, he found the hand of his Savior already reaching out to save him. (Spoiler, he will do the same for you, too!).
Reading this story from the security of my home, I’ve always wondered if I would be able to take those same steps, not only out of the boat but onto the water. How many of us could or would ever step out of the boat? Out of our comfortable routines in which we never improve our relationship with God?
The enemy wants us to fear stepping out of our spiritual comfort zones because repentance causes faith, faith causes change, change causes revival, and revival causes renewal.
Without that first step, new growth can never be reached.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I want to grow. I need to push myself out of my comfort zones. Sure it might cause some growing pains, but it is nothing compared to what Jesus endured for me.
I know my choice between comfort and faith. Now it’s time for you to choose.
“He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat…” -Mathew 14: 29a
I do not know about y’all, but I am tired!!!! I feel like all I say these days is, “I am just tired!” Well, I know this, I am tired of being tired!!
The Lord says, “ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11: 28-30.
This doesn’t mean that we still won’t be physically tired, but that we can rest and relax when we go to Jesus. The rest He gives us is a rest of pure peace.
We are living in such a busy, restless world full of distractions. We lose our focus on the blessings of today in the worry over tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year. We stay not just physically tired, but mentally tired.
So how do we find this rest of pure peace? One, we must daily meditate on God’s word. We have to devote our tired minds to seeking the Lord by reading His word. This helps us learn God’s will for each day and helps us to remember how to be obedient to God. It teaches us how we are supposed to walk in Christian love, which in turn brings peace to our lives. Psalm 1:2 says, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Second, we should pray, pray, and pray!! We need to set aside time each day to be alone with the Lord. I know if you are like me you may have a 24/7 conversation going with God, but there is something about finding a quiet place and really having true prayer time. A time where we not only pray, but we listen to what God wants to speak into our souls. A time to give our thanks for all our blessings and to also lay our worries and burdens at His feet. What peace it brings to know that He hears us and will lead us and guide us in every moment of our day. We can rest in knowing He has full control. Psalm 5:3 “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.”
The third thing I find that brings me pure peace and rest is worship. Of course, Sunday is our traditional day of going to church and worshipping God. It helps us to renew our tired minds and gives us strength for the week ahead. Some days we seek God, we pray, and we feel ready and pumped to face the day. Then there are those days we seek God, we pray, and we walk out the door and “bam” life hits us right in the face. Times like this we need a little more to get us through. In these times I find listening to worship music and singing praises to God brings back the peace and rest I need for the day. If I can’t sing out loud I just sing it in my head.
When we learn to focus on finding things in each moment, being thankful for all the blessings God gives us, and giving God continual praise, these are true acts of worship. There is not a truer or a more restful peaceful feeling for me than when I get to worship my God!!! Psalm 63:3-4 says, “Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands.”
God will always honor the time we choose to spend with Him, our praises to Him, and our worship. He is the only way our tired weary souls can find true rest.
Do you ever ask yourself, “What is God’s purpose for my life?” I don’t know about you, but I often find myself thinking about this question as a fresh college graduate diving into the world as an adult headfirst. I question why God would want me to move 1,000 miles away from everything that I am familiar with. My husband is a new pastor and my role as his wife is to support him and serve the church. This sounds so simple and pure, but some may see it as “not enough” or even meaningless in today’s world.
But here’s the thing, our purpose as Christ followers is to be obedient and follow His calling. It is to keep our eyes on Him, even when we feel less than the next person who appears to be doing “big things” in this life. It is so easy to get caught up on the highlight reels we see on social media of some celebrity or influencer living your earthly dream.
God’s purpose for our lives may not always be clear, but focus on this verse:
“The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He” Deuteronomy 32:4.
The Lord has a purpose and plan for each and every one of us while we roam this earth, whether that means you are a world renown surgeon, or a stay at home mom. Whatever that temporary role may be, it is perfectly aligned with God’s perfect plan. The Lord remains sovereign no matter what our circumstances may be at any given time.
Here are a few points to consider when pondering your God-given purpose:
1. Validation can be found in Christ who died for our sins.
2. Set your mind on a heavenly inheritance that is to come.
3. Value and recognize the work God has done in your life.
I don’t know why I’m about to write this. Honestly, it just shows how weird my thought process is. I can already see my sisters shaking their heads and smiling.
Yet here I go.
I love chocolate covered peanuts from Buccees. They’re my fav. However, it never fails that inside of every single bag there is at least one weird tasting peanut. Y’all know what I’m talking about? You bite into it, and it’s just not right – almost sour. You know it’s coming, but it’s still a surprise.
But guess what – I’m not gonna stop buying those peanuts. Like I said they are my favorite. The way I see it is there’s a whole bag of delicious, mouthwatering chocolate covered peanuts – at least a hundred – and usually just one weird tasting one. I’m not gonna let the one outdo the 100.
I said all of that to say this – don’t let one sour Christian turn you away from God. Don’t let one rotten person make you lose your faith in all humankind.
Look around you – there’s goodness everywhere.
Cling to that good.
Choose to see the positive.
Choose hope.
And if you’ve never gone to Buccees you need to make that a priority.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. – Colossians 3:1-2
It’s what we choose to do with that past that matters.
Will we continue to waller around in that mud, or are we gonna step on out of that mess and let God hose us off?
It’s our choice.
Jesus died for us. He took all of our dirty and hung it on the cross. Don’t let His death go in vain.
Be cleansed.
Be washed.
Be made whole.
🎶 Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you washed in the blood? In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?🎶
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” John 1:9
There have been times in my life when I have felt small, had a sense of loneliness, and even questioned my own worth.
I would turn to look at what other women were accomplishing in their lives, the work they were doing for the Kingdom, and would compare the opportunities they were getting to my own.
This habit that I formed became nothing more than a trap. Measuring my value through my accomplishments made me feel forgotten.
As I read Isaiah 49:16, “Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me,” I am filled with hope. The Lord spoke to Israel in a time when they felt forgotten and ignored during their exile in Babylon (Isaiah 40:27).
The Lord reminds them in this verse that He had never withdrawn Himself from them. He was always with them and never left them. They weren’t forgotten and they weren’t neglected.
The Lord speaks these same things to us today. We are never alone. Even in the times we are off searching for our significance, He is with us. We have a Father who says He “will go with you, [He] will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
As I reflect back on Psalms 7-8, I see the moments where David, too, searched for his significance. He questioned his place, but he also reminded himself of his loving Creator.
We are all designed uniquely for a specific purpose by our Heavenly Father. We reveal the existence of God every day and point others to His love. When we begin to search for significance or compare our purpose in life to those around us, we must remember who we are in Jesus Christ. We are His treasured possession (Deuteronomy 14:2).
Isn’t that such an amazing truth? You were created for a specific purpose; and God uniquely designed you to reveal His glory and show others His love. You matter to Him! The God of love created you and said He will never leave you!
“So run the race that is set before you and keep your eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-2). The race is hard, it can be full of comparison, searching for significance, questioning our value, and so many other obstacles that try to knock us off course.
We would never be able to endure the race on our own. We simply are not strong enough to carry all of this weight. But the race is already won by Jesus Christ. He already endured the pain so we wouldn’t have to.
Give thanks this morning to the Lord that He created YOU for a specific purpose, that we get to walk each and every day and share His love with others, that He will never leave you nor forsake you, and that you never have to run this race alone.
The following song has been playing in my mind on repeat for well over a week.
🎶Oh! Christ be magnified
From the altar of my life
Christ be magnified in me🎶
I’ve always had pretty janky eyesight. So when I had the opportunity to look through a magnifying glass in third grade science my mind was seriously blown. That teeny tiny seed we were examining was all of a sudden huge. I could see every single detail. In fact, I could focus on it so well that I did not want to give the magnifying glass back to my partner. Sorry Derek.
In a world that would love to skew our vision, what things are we intentionally focusing on? What things are we making “big”?
Is Christ the biggest focus in our life?
Are we truly honing in on Him in every step We take and decision that we make?
The thing about magnifying something is that the proximity from that object to yourself doesn’t change, just your perspective does.
How far away are we keeping Christ?
At an arm’s length?
Or as close to us as possible?
One last question: If the world put a magnifying glass on our words, actions, thoughts, and even our faith, what would be glaring back at them?
“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” Psalms 34:3
Supernatural Synchronicities, as described by Mark Batterson in The Grave Robber, are those moments in our life when God puts us in the right place at the right time, seemingly with no connection to the person, situation, or place where the “synchronicity” took place. Another name for this might be a miracle or that moment when you encounter a “coincidence” that you can only explain as God did this. These supernatural events cannot be created by man but can only be created by God. It is our duty as followers of Christ to say yes when God calls us.
Some may be thinking, how do I become a part of God’s miracles, or how do I know if I am doing what God intended? The answer is simple—you must talk to God and learn to love like God loves us. A specific example Mark gives to “get in the miracle game”, is performing acts of kindness for strangers. When we learn to love like God, we invite the Holy Spirit into our lives and that’s when we truly see God. Galatians 6:9-10 reminds us, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
In Sunday School Brother Larry Staggs taught me that it is always important to not halt God’s plan as He uses us to fulfill His plan. While we may not necessarily comprehend what God can do, we know that his plan is perfect and He is in control. This was often in response to fear that I would have with teaching certain subject matter, anxiety of teaching others with much more knowledge than me, giving, or just living in general.
When Daisy asked me to write for Rays of Sunshine a lot of those same fears arose. For those that know me well, putting my business out on the Internet is way out of my comfort zone. But after several nudges by God, I said yes.
After coming to my senses and understanding that I’ve got a call to answer, my first thought was about the little boy who gave Jesus his loaves of bread and fish to feed the multitudes. What if that child decided not to hand over his day’s work? I’m sure if he knew what was about to happen, he would have handed it over without question. However, the Lord doesn’t work that way, so that child made a donation out of faith and with a servant’s heart. What seemed like such a small gift from an ordinary child with just a little bit of faith, ended up with Jesus transforming the child into a superhero. That child’s gift keeps on giving still today. We never know the boy’s name, but does that make his impact any less special? I try to think of this story when I give, as I may never know if my gift made an impact, but I know that God can do more with it than I could by myself. I also don’t know what He’s going to do with it, and I’m ok with that—He’s got a plan and it’s perfect.
When Daisy first started this non-profit it hit close to home. I would tell her, do what you got to do, just don’t tell me how much it costs us! Growing up in South Carolina, we didn’t have much money. My dad was a welder, and as many that are in that field know, it’s either feast or famine when it comes to work. Periods of sustained work history were often met with long periods of unemployment. Often, my family and I received support from schools, churches, and charities such as Rays of Sunshine Inc. Today, I want to share a story of how a single donation impacted me and how God plants seeds in our lives.
For those that know me, you know I’m a huge basketball fan—coach it, play it, watch it, or talk it—I can’t get enough! I was able to trace that love back to a time when my mom and I went to the arcade and played basketball. Let’s just say, I was destroyed that day. My mom won so many tickets, had the buzzer go off for high score, and she did it all by using the backboard (a la Tim Duncan)! That love for basketball would grow, and eventually we found an area in our yard that was covered in shade by a dogwood tree that would become my basketball court. The ground was relatively flat and grass-covered, there was a large root going right through the middle of the court, and the tree was curved—but it was perfect for me. I didn’t have a basketball at first, so I would take socks, a duct tape ball, anything roundish, and I would do layups up against that dogwood tree with a small circle that I drew on the trunk with chalk. After some time, my Dad nailed up a piece of plywood and a rim that was given to him to make a basketball goal. My brothers and I eventually wore down that backboard until we were once again shooting off the tree. I have several fond memories of the games out there, both against friends & family, and the imaginary games against ACC opponents in my head!
One day, my mom asked me for my shoe size and if there were a certain pair of shoes I wanted. We had fallen on some hard times, but luckily there was a local charity that was going to donate shoes and other clothing items to us. This was right around the time of the Reebok Pumps (for my sneakerheads out there) and I wanted them so badly! However, I couldn’t bring myself to ask for them, so I settled on a pair of high-top white Reeboks that I could wear everywhere. I loved those shoes! It was very important that I took care of them because someone gave them to me. Now I felt & looked like a real basketball player. While they didn’t make me jump higher or run faster, they led to a release from stress, a sense of pride I didn’t previously have, they gave me confidence to play the game I loved, the confidence to try out for the team, and the courage to strive for more.
When you are in the moment, it is often hard to see or appreciate God’s work at hand. As I reflect now, love from “my community” and a small act of kindness had a profound impact on my life. Had God’s calls not been answered by those generous strangers, would I be telling the same story today?
I would love to say that my story results in me becoming a basketball superstar. In all actuality, even with my new “kicks” I didn’t even make the team the first year I tried out. The gift however did lead to confidence, which led to courage to try out for the team in the first place. Trying out was the first time I said I want something more and I’m going to have to work hard to get it. It was also a realization nothing worth having will just be handed to me and I can’t blame my circumstances for what I don’t have. I made the team the next year and my confidence and courage continued to grow more and more as I got older.
Basketball has continued to be a large part of my life and that love has transferred over to my children. I’ve coached a lot of kids and have so many fond memories and friendships from these experiences. It’s allowed me to play for some outstanding basketball coaches and afforded me the opportunity to meet even more outstanding coaches that were positive role models and showed me a righteous path. Basketball has given me opportunities to share God with people, mentor others, and even learn skills to improve my career. It has made me strive to be a positive role model to many. While I’m sure the charity that gave me that pair of shoes thought they were helping one child for a season, they didn’t know God’s plan and how He was going to multiply that gift.
When you give with love in your heart it may just be meeting a need for that moment, but it could just be the gift that changes the trajectory of one or more people’s lives. You will not get the glory, that’s just for God. God will call on you with an opportunity to help fulfill his plan and you don’t want to miss that call when it comes!
In closing, I hope you takeaway these messages:
1) God has a plan and it is perfect. It is not our job to understand it, it is our job to be vessels to fulfill his plan. Also, answer God’s call—do not hit “Ignore!” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
2) Love your neighbor like God loves you. (Mark 12:31)
3) A small act of kindness or a prayer can open the door to “Supernatural Synchronicities.” While you may never get to see the plan fulfilled or even your prayer answered in your lifetime, God promises to us that he answers every one of our prayers and we will be blessed for doing his work! (John 14:13 & Luke 6:38—to name a few)
Here’s my question to you? What random act of kindness did you receive that made an impact on your life? Share your story!
Thanks, Daisy, for asking me to share and as always, I adore you!
This is not often the most popular message; however, it is necessary as a Christian. We read this scripture “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways.”Matthew 16:24, but often we tend to skip over the denying yourself and taking up your cross part and go straight to the following Jesus part. However, we MUST die to us before we can ever truly follow Jesus.
I recently had a dream of my own crucifixion. It was one of the most beautiful, humbling, powerful experiences I’ve ever had with Jesus. The reality is, we must crucify our flesh, our desires, our opinions, our thoughts, our plans, our characteristics, so that we can take on more of Him.
It says in Galatians 2:20, “My old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah and no longer lives; for the nails of his cross crucified me with him. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me— we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine!”
Our wonderful Father is not asking us to die to us because He wants to create robots. He’s asking us to die because without the death of us, we cannot be fully alive in Him, operating in everything Jesus died for. Fully alive in Jesus means that we look like Him. It means that we walk in the greatest love, kindness, boldness, passion, compassion, patience, joy, peace, etc.
This world needs Christians fully alive in Jesus. We’re not fully alive if we haven’t died to us yet. We sacrifice our obedience to God because we haven’t died to our comforts yet. When we’re fully dead to us and alive in Jesus, obedience to Holy Spirit is always top priority. This world doesn’t need Christians that look like self. This world needs Christians that look like Jesus. This world is waiting, groaning, longing for Christians who look like Jesus. They need face to face encounters with the King.
Let’s take a moment to pray. Make this personal to you.
Holy Spirit, I ask You to come. I ask You to show me what it means to die to me so that I can fully live in You. I ask for a personal revelation of crucifying me. I want to stay close to Your spirit, close to Your fire, the fire that purges me so that I become like You. I love You God and I thank You for inviting me into this death. Dying to me so that I live freely in Jesus is the most wonderful invitation and I say yes. Amen.
Rays of Sunshine inc 