He is Faithful! February 10, 2010

In recent days/weeks I have been struggling with doubt and unbelief in certain areas of my life. The primary area has been regarding my finances and this condo I purchased in 2006. And in the midst of this doubt & unbelief that was bombarding my thought life the Lord has once again proven his faithfulness to me!

This post is quite long, but the revelation of the Lord is INCREDIBLE and I know it will encourage you! There is a message for me personally from the Lord, but I know there is a message for you too.

As you may recall, I signed a contract in 2005 to purchase this condo out of (what I believed to be) obedience to the Lord. I had no desire to own a condo, but truly believed it was God’s will to buy it. After much confirmation, I signed the contract. The Lord miraculously provided the $2000 earnest money deposit, He confirmed his plans through random words from other people, and He gave me scriptural support for what He was telling me to do.  I was confident I was doing His will.

One of the things that I knew God told me was that He was going to use this condo to pay off some past debt that I had accrued. I would buy it, sell it at a profit and pay off my debt. But what I didn’t “hear” or factor into the equation was “time.”

So I signed the contract for it to be built… it took almost a year….property values climbed as it was being built and by the time it was completed in 2006, the value was up $25,000+ from the purchase price! So I put it up for sale and waited for God’s plan to unfold….

Well, I’m still waiting.

Meanwhile, the recession has set in and (because of foreclosures in my condo community) property values have plummeted. I would be fortunate now to even sell it for what I paid for it (if I could even do that.) Additionally, my property taxes are not escrowed so at the end of this past year (since I’m collecting unemployment) I made the decision to put the property taxes on a credit card. It was that or let them default, therefore putting a lien on my property and making it even more unattractive to buyers. Right, wrong or indifferent…. I cried out to the Lord about how much I hated doing this. Everything in me felt like it was wrong to do, but I also felt I had no alternative. I waited until the last possible day to pay them, and had believed God for a financial miracle up to that day. So to avoid a 10% late penalty, I put it on my credit card. Thus the beginning of my recent season of doubt and unbelief.

To recap a bit, you may also recall my blog posts from Oct & Nov regarding my friend who has been living in the condo while I’m waiting for it to sell (I no longer live in the city the condo is in. The Lord relocated me from there shortly after it was built and have never lived in the condo – which was also part of what He told me would happen. However this didn’t bother me because in my mind it was going to sell right away anyway.) Long story short, the Home Owners Association has regulations about leasing and they were over capacity. So they informed me I could no longer have a tenant. I was devastated. How can I pay that mortgage without a tenant? (But God…!)

Just as I was full of doubt and unbelief this fall, I was considering just dropping the price and unloading this “burden.”  But the word of the Lord came to me through a man of God (who was unaware of the situation he spoke of) and he told me “God gave you a certain price not to sell your condo for less than… don’t move on your price. You’ll get that much or more.” This was true… God did give me a minimum selling price back in 2006. He was faithful to remind me not to budge from that price during this season of difficulty.

Subsequently, I was granted favor to allow my tenant to stay in my condo through June 30, 2010. What will happen at that point is known only by God.

So last week I found myself in a conversation with a new acquaintance who did not know this condo testimony. The nature of our conversation led me to share it. Upon sharing, they said to consider that if it had really been God telling me to buy this, He would have provided the taxes too. The fact that He didn’t may show that He is allowing me to deal with the consequences of my own choices. My initial reaction inside was “Don’t receive this.” But as the days went by, I began thinking…. “Are you trying to tell me something God? Was this not your will? Have I created a mess that I now must suffer in?”  I reminded myself that regardless if it was God’s will or not, my decision to purchase it was completely pure. I truly believed I was doing God’s will. There was never any rebellion as if to say “Well, I don’t know if I should buy this or not God, but I want a condo so I’m going to buy it anyway.” The fact of the matter is that I didn’t want to buy it! It was a complete act of obedience (or what I believed to be obedience.) Nothing more, nothing less.

As a result, for the last week my mind has been fighting this doubt and unbelief again and I have been desperately trying to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:4-5.) But I haven’t always been successful.

On Monday I went to class as usual. My professor opens each class with a devotional and this week he came from Jeremiah 32. As he began reading… it was very familiar. Of course I had read it before, but specifically, God had led me here in 2005 when I was praying for confirmation about whether or not to buy the condo! I recall reading it back then and not having clarity as to what God was saying…. The text seemed a bit negative at times so I wasn’t sure if God was saying “buy it” or “don’t buy it.”  So I relied on other Scriptures and confirmations instead to make my decision.

But on this day my professor’s devotional was all about “taking risks even when it seems like the wrong thing to do.” He pointed out how God gave Jeremiah a word that his cousin was going to come to him and ask him to buy his field in a certain city. God had previously shown Jeremiah that the enemy was about to come in and take over that city, so in the natural this would not seem like a good thing to do. But sure enough, just as God said, his cousin asked him to buy the field. And the Scripture tells us that Jeremiah bought it because he knew it was of the Lord (even though it was a HUGE risk!)

Jer 32:6-10  And Jeremiah said, “The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Behold…[your cousin]… will come to you, saying, “Buy my field which is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.”‘  Then…[my cousin]… came to me …according to the word of the LORD, and said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth…’ Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. So I bought the field …  And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales. NKJV

(Interestingly enough, it was during this season that God told me to start a blog. He told me He wanted people to witness what He was doing!)

After purchasing this field, God gave Jeremiah another instruction:

Jer 32:14-15  ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days.”  For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.”‘  NKJV

WOW! God told Jeremiah that he was going to own this field for a while!

Now Jeremiah, who was probably feeling like “I can’t believe I just did this,” went to the Lord for understanding.  He prayed this prayer (which is much longer and worth reading, but here is the beginning of it:)

Jer 32:16-19  “Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying: ‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.  You show loving kindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them — the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts. You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. NKJV

WOW! Did you catch all that?? (I know God had my professor do a devotional on this AT THIS TIME to encourage me and renew my hope!)

• THERE IS NOTHING TOO HARD FOR YOU – Jeremiah prayed this b/c he KNEW his recent act of obedience created a situation that looked TOO HARD or impossible.
• THE LORD OF HOSTS – Jeremiah chose to refer to God by this name because it means “The Lord of the Army that is ready and waiting for the appointed time.” He knew there would be a process of time that would seem difficult but was encouraged that God was going to remain in control.
• YOUR EYES ARE OPEN TO ALL THE WAYS OF MEN – there are multiple meanings in this for Jeremiah, but in my case it encouraged me that God knew my heart and motives were right when I decided to buy this property and He knows my motives were PURE.

This entire scenario, I believe, is what God was trying to show me back in 2005. But I didn’t have adequate understanding of the text at that time. God was trying to warn me that after taking this risk and purchasing this “field”, the enemy was going to lay siege (the recession) and I would own it for a time that would “last many days!”  He was also showing me how to pray to ward off doubt and unbelief:  “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You!!!”

A little further in the prayer, Jeremiah says:

Jer 32:24-25  ‘Look, the siege mounds! They have come to the city to take it; and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword and famine and pestilence. What You have spoken has happened; there You see it! And You have said to me, O Lord GOD, “Buy the field for money, and take witnesses”! — yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.‘” NKJV

The Lord’s word of the enemy’s attack had come to pass. The situation looked IMPOSSIBLE. But once again God said:

Jer 32:26-28  Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. NKJV

Friends…. This speaks so loudly of God’s SOVEREIGNTY in the midst of this economic recession. If you continue reading the text you will find that God said He is allowing the enemy to take over and devour this city because the people had turned away from Him and were worshipping other gods! I believe God is getting people’s attention in our country by allowing the things they worship to crumble so they will fall to their knees and cry out to Him. HE IS A JEALOUS GOD WHO LOVES HIS CREATION WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE. He will allow us to be reduced to nothing for the sake of knowing Him intimately.

In my case specifically, I know God has revealed to me that He is allowing this in my life to cause me to become OH SO DEPENDENT on Him, that even when everything turns around, being dependent on Him will be a consistent state of being.  I admit there are days I say “If this condo would just sell, everything will be fine. If I just got a job (paycheck), everything would be fine; if I was only debt free, everything would be fine. NO! God is saying…. I AM YOUR SOURCE! I AM YOUR PROVIDER! I AM JEHOVAH JIREH! Find peace and security in ME, not in those things! He wants this to be SO deeply engrained in me…. thus the process of time. (If you do anything long enough it becomes habit, right? lol! ugh.)  Today is a day the Lord has made… I WILL rejoice and be glad (and secure) in it!

After telling Jeremiah what He is doing, he tells him His promise:

Jer 32:36-42  ”Now therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’  ”For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them. NKJV

We can trust the Lord in the midst of this difficult time because He is sovereignly in control! Yes, these Scriptures speak specifically into my condo situation, but there is a message in here for all of us.  IF WE STICK WITH GOD, HE WILL SEE US THROUGH IN THE END! HE WILL USE YOUR TRAGEDY TO BRING GLORY TO HIMSELF (people are witnesses to what He’s allowing in your life!) AND TO FULFILL HIS PROMISES TO YOU!  (Gee, sounds like what Pastor Maurice has been sharing from Ruth…. I guess when God wants to get a point across, He makes sure we keep hearing it!)

I will close with the word of the Lord from the next Chapter of Jeremiah:

Jer 33:14  ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised….’ NKJV

BE ENCOURAGED!

The Eleventh Hour God… November 13, 2009

I am excited today to give you an update to my blog post from October 30^th…. We serve such a faithful God!

In a nutshell, I was waiting for direction from God regarding my condominium in Alpharetta.  I no longer live in Alpharetta, and a friend and her daughter have been leasing the 2BR unit while I’ve had it on the market to sell. This has required the approval of my Home Owners Association (HOA) as there are limits on how many units can be leased in the community. But as of mid-October I had been notified that due to excessive leasing in the community, my leasing status was being revoked (along with several others) and my tenant would have to move out by Dec 31. I was told this was a final decision… end of story… period.

This put me in a predicament:

1. Move back to Alpharetta and find a roommate as of January 1
2. Leave it empty and trust God to provide the mortgage each month (which He has had me do before and He was COMPLETELY faithful!) – you could smell my flesh burning off for miles…ha!  S – T – R – E – T – C – H….

I was praying for God to give me clarity.

So since the last blog post, I was telling a friend I used to work with about my situation. She just happened to be at the point of needing to resign her lease or move. I proposed a price for her to be my roommate and she agreed. So we began to pray for confirmation if we were to be roommates. She had to sign a new lease or give her notice by Thursday, November 12^th so time was of the essence.

On Tuesday, November 10^th I was on my way to a class that I’m taking on the prophetic. I was talking to my current tenant and she said “Mary, lately I feel like I should personally write a letter to the Board in an appeal to give me more time to move.” You see, she had recently been laid off her job and without employment it can be very difficult to lease anywhere. Initially, I’ll admit, I felt like there was no point. They were adamant about this and almost didn’t let her continue leasing last June, so I felt the odds were small that they would change their mind. So I told her I’d get back to her.

That night at class, the instructor wanted us to practice prophesying. She knows my situation, but the students in class do not (I had just met most of them for the first time at this class. They did not even know I owned a condo, etc.) So she told everyone that I had a situation where I needed to hear from God. She asked them to pray and see if God had a word for me. Each of them wrote down what they believed God was saying.

Everyone had something that was on point for different areas of my life! It was awesome to know that these were all clearly words from God. But one woman had something that I felt may be about the condo. She said “The person who has been giving you a hard time will have a change of heart.” Hmmm… could that be the HOA Board?? My tenant had just told me on the way to class that she felt led to appeal their decision.

So I called my tenant and said “Write your appeal! Let’s get it in ASAP because the friend who is considering being my roommate must decide by Thursday at 5pm.” We submitted it promptly. And then we waited…..

Well, on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12^th at 4:30pm (the 11^th hour!!) I received a reply from the HOA giving her permission to continue leasing the condo until June 30, 2010!

God is so faithful and I wonder how I (we) can every doubt Him or worry about anything! But we do! I guess our humanness will always come into play to some degree. But God has used this whole situation to show me what an important role the prophetic plays in our lives:

• In September God gave me the word reminding me not to lower the price of my condo (see blog post from Oct 30 for details)
• And now this prophetic word is what made me allow my tenant to send a letter of appeal. I almost relied on what things appeared to be in the natural and failed to give God the opportunity to do what seemed impossible.

I am thanking Him today for His FAVOR, His FAITHFULNESS and for the FULFILLMENT of His will in my life!

So what will happen if my condo doesn’t sell by June 30. 2010? I have NO IDEA but I know WHO does! I trust Him completely to show me the next step in His perfect timing…. (even if it’s June 29th at 11:59pm!)

GO GOD!  YOU ROCK!

Heb 10:23 – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

1 Thess 5:24 – The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

2 Cor 6:2 – In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Luke 1:13 – Do not be afraid… your prayer has been heard…

Luke 1:30 – Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.

Luke 2:14 – Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.

Approaching the Thick Darkness… Where God Is. October 30, 2009

If you watch the video above, I think you’ll agree that we all have days or seasons in life where we feel like this ship. Well, I’m in one of those seasons right now… it’s one of those times where I am completely aware of the sovereignty of God and my utter inability to do anything. Just like this ship, I am completely dependent on Him to carry me safely through the storm.

In recent days, I have been trying to be like Jesus and “rest” during the storm. However, I have been acting more like the disciples than Jesus:

Matt 8:23-27  Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”  He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.  The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Such is the life when you’re following Jesus. Why is there such a misconception in the church and world today that if you follow Jesus everything will be smooth sailing? Au contraire! In fact, just like with the disciples…Jesus Himself will lead us to the boat, and WITHOUT WARNING, ferocious storms can come up on us in the blink of an eye.

Many of you know the story of the brand new condominium God had me purchase in 2006. Though I resisted this entire idea, God confirmed his will through many ways. During this process , the Lord told me three things: 

• Do not move in when it is completed.
• You are going to sell it at a profit and it will pay off all the debt from your past.
• Do not sell it below a certain dollar amount.

Ok… great! So when construction was complete, I listed it on For Sale by Owner fully expecting a quick turnaround of this property.  After all, God said not to move in, so that MUST be His plan! However, it didn’t sell. For several months I walked completely by faith, trusting that God would pay for what He authored. And He faithfully did! The mortgage payment has been paid every month since.  Finally I listed it with an agent at the price God gave me…but still no sale.

At one point a friend moved into the condo. The condo by-laws do not allow for leasing without approval from the board. So I explained that I didn’t live in Alpharetta anymore and that I was trying to sell it, therefore they approved my friend to live there until it sold. Well…. two years later, and a downed economy, it still has not sold.

So that brings me to today. The board notified me last week that they can no longer extend my hardship leasing status. Therefore my tenant must move out by Dec 31. Additionally, I had just spoken with a real estate agent and found out that several units in our complex had foreclosed and were sold by the bank for next to nothing. Therefore, current appraisals on units being sold are coming in below what I paid for the unit (therefore well below the price God told me to sell for) OK LORD! So now what??

Interestingly enough, God knows me so well that He already put some things in place to help me through this storm. In September I received a random prophetic word about my condo. The person said “God told me to tell you not to sell it for less than the price He gave you. You will get that price or more.” Now keep in mind that this person had no idea God had given me a price to stand on. So I know this was a direct word from God. And had I not had that word, I’ll admit that I probably would have dropped the price this time around. After all, God told me that back in 2006 and I NEVER thought I would still own this condo in 2009. I was beginning to doubt that I heard God correctly and was considering dropping the price because of “what I can see.” But since God was gracious enough to give me that word just prior to this situation, I now must choose obedience and trust Him in the midst of this storm.

There are so many lessons I have learned simply from owning this condo. They are:

• When we hear God, sometimes we add things onto it and assume too much. We need to listen carefully and tryto carry today’s instruction all the way out but try not to determine future outcomes. For example: When God told me not to move in there in 2006, I realize now that my translation of that was “You will never live there.” Where did I get that from? Well, in my mind I was going to put it on the market as soon as it was built, it would sell immediately and I would be debt free. 1…2…3…done. Therefore there would not be a chance for me to ever live there. Boy was I wrong. Here I am three years later still owning this condo. I totally assumed it would sell right away. So when my tenant moves out on Dec 31, if the condo is not sold, am I to move back to Alpharetta and live there?? Hmmm. On this I need clarity from God.
• I have also learned that God uses AND ORCHESTRATES (or CHOREOGRAPHS) situations like this to kill my flesh over and over. He used (and is using) it as a way of keeping me dependent on Him so that I’ll remain dependent on Him even during smooth sailing.
• Since I believe God is going to use the sale of this condo to pay off debt from my past, I have come to realize that He is PREPARING me to be delivered. I’ve learned that if deliverance comes instantly or too soon, we may not be mature enough in certain areas to MAINTAIN that deliverance. So God will delay things to do a deep INWARD work in us so we can stay delivered in the end!
• Obedience to God will often defy logic and reasoning by the world’s standards.

So the question is: What are you going to do when the dark clouds come? Are you going to run away from them, or recognize that God is in them, divinely working out your destiny?

 Ex 20:18-23  When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.

Today I am repenting for allowing fear to grip me the last few days. I have been unintentionally distancing myself from God by trying to figure out my own solutions. I have been making other gods alongside Him… gods I can see, worldly solutions, plans I wrongly believe I can rely on.

Instead I am choosing to be like Moses and approach the thick darkness where God is… smack dab in the middle of my storm. I am going to trust and rely on my God who can calm the winds and the waves at His command. I am trusting and submitting to the inward work that He is doing in me to prepare me for my deliverance and destiny. I am trusting for Him to divinely show me my next step and I will obey no matter now unreasonable it appears.

Today I am thanking God for the Perfect Storm and rejoicing with gratitude in the midst of it.

Blessings to all!

Mary