Category: Christian Living

 

Sometimes the inability and limitations of our humanity fail to properly express the fullness that we are so eagerly hungry, thirsty, and filled with hope.

These seasons come much like an event on the stage of life where once the scene ends the curtain closes.  However, what remains is hidden and skillfully being crafted by God for the set time of His favor.

Yes, there are those whom God takes of this world to showcase His glorious grace as He plans from the beginning of time to mold and squeeze the divine skin of wine revealing within the fresh new message in a modern-day role revealing the truth of the greatest story of old.

The Ancient of Days never delays even though we may feel wasted and cast aside, there are always prophetic plans in motion that God has devised.

For isn’t it said, that even going through the valley of Baca, He makes a well springing up and He brings rain that fills the pools of life again?

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God,”   Psalm 84:5-7 KJV.

It is through the times when things are veiled, dark and hidden that our resolve is deeply tested.

Our faith is tested when we are holding on to this hope that we cannot see.  Believing in hope and through that hope we are not ashamed! It is through this season that we find out what we believe within our total being.

God already knows what we believe, but He wants us to see what we really believe.  It is during these times of testing that conflicting mindsets surface when we are pressed and we wonder why it is so seemingly dark, dead and dry.

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.And patience, experience; and experience, hope,”    Romans 5:3-5 KJV.

For who has hope for a tree that has been hewn down?

Why would confusing, doubleminded times come?

God doesn’t do anything without a dynamic purpose in His mind.  You are His creation and His design as the master builder builds you so you will be defined as you are prepared to step into your destiny divine.

God is the same yesterday, today and forevermore.  He hasn’t changed His mind towards you.  He loves you and nothing changes that fact.

It is during these times that doubts surface when pressure reveals the reality of our own belief system.

When we face what we really are, then we can find the revelation of finished work of Christ and the rest of faith in His ability to be kept by the power of God.

It is in this place that The LORD lays out His plan and defines the next scene of our life.  God wants to take our worry and give us a real-life story!

That’s what it’s all about!  The Church and the world need to hear the message of redemption by hearing the individual message of our own story.

We are the living, walking testament of God, as epistles seen and read by all men.

Though the times of the drawn curtain seem dark, and not much seems to be happening, this is the most critical, revealing evidence of our belief of faith! Move forward in faith, hope and love and do not deviate!

Much has been hidden, yet behind the scenes things are being remodeled; the set is coming together, the curtain is beginning to open for the next scene of events!

Soon you will again see what was waged against you and now becomes the source of our growth in faith and fortitude.

However, it is what goes on behind the scenes of your life that is measured by God.  Like that drawn curtain; many cannot see their worth, value and destiny that God has waiting for them!

God’s plan and measure is to come up higher by beginning to understand what Christ did so that we are able to function steadfast in understanding the new level of grace and mercy towards ourselves and others!

There are many levels in the kingdom of God and it takes those hidden times behind the curtain to learn to be led by faith without seeing a thing happening.

It takes faith, hope and discipline to pick up our cross and follow in Christ’s steps.

As we learn these things we will be prepared vessels fit for our Masters use as he uses our story to help win the lost and to build up the body of Christ.

 

In HIS Grace and Mercy,
~ Sherry Edwards Mackey

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Do you really want to be in ministry?

Do you think you have a high calling of God on your life?

Do you truly know the way of the cross?

Are we picking up our cross and following Jesus every day?

I can tell you the truth; The degree of our calling and purpose will be the level of preparations as we learn to grow deep and our roots grow deep as the winds blow strong.

During storms, we may lose every piece of fruit and leaf on our tree, but when we are established by God in our root system we will learn to sway with the winds but the storms will have no power in uprooting us from our life source.

To be rooted deeply in Christ takes our yeildedness towards the process of knowing Him and our willingness to face anything and anyone in our determination to follow HIM.

In becoming the vessel fit for the Masters use will cost us everything!  It is through the process of life and death to self that processes us through the measurement of trials, tribulations, temptations, loss of all things and sorts, even to sorrow that leads to death itself.

The depth of our heart is unearthed through our experiences.  Even though God see’s the end result we must go through the process that proves to “ourselves” and exposes our capacity to be able to carry the weightiness and vastness of the secrets of God.

God doesn’t share His secrets to just anyone.  We must be found faithful to HIM and HE knows when we are ready and that happens.

To be filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit happens to those who have learned to wait on Him through experience.

To be of corporate use, we must learn to yield to the Holy Spirits training.  As we learn the process through Christ, He will prepare us to expand exponentially within by going through the process of death to self, arising in newness of life in Christ.

This isn’t a one-time deal either; the bible tells us to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.

When we all fail and miss the mark and sin, there is always forgiveness when we truly recognize our condition and state of existence and repent.

Repentance is learning to turn away from that sin.  We learn throughout all our lives how to respond to our Father, and what breaks his heart.

God does not look for robots in doing just what is expected.  He wants us to respond to Him as Father and Abba.

We His children must realize our love relationship with Abba is to learn and know the nature and character of Christ.

This relationship and repentance are part of learning to walk in the increased processes of restoration and reconciliation of our continued learning with Him.

Returning to God in repentance is not to return to religious bondage and scary fear nor is it to serve through drudgery and robotics.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind,”    2 Timothy 1:7 KJV.

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee,”   Jeremiah 31:3 KJV.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent,”   Revelations 3:19 KJV.

Thanks be to God that the sacrifice of Christ was done as the final payment for all the sin in the world.

However, there is an action we must apply through repentance.  When we fall and sin, we must be truly sorry apply that blood once again to cover our mistakes as we must turn away from sin.

There is always hope and a new beginning as long as we have breath in us, for it is Christ in us the hope of Glory!

As we learn through yielding our entire lives to full capacity, we thus learn what the abundant life is all about!  As we learn that overflow isn’t just for us and our experiences, but more importantly, it is for others.

“To the direct degree of His purpose in us, will be the proportion in weightiness we will be made to carry.”

When weight lifters fail and injure themselves they must refrain from training.  There is a portion of time necessary to heal and once they return to training these must start back at a lower level to prepare those muscles to handle greater weight again.

It’s a process beloved. If we are determined to carry the weightiness of Christ, we must be trained, seasoned, and patient through the process of healing when we fail, and are injured.

“The LORD will not give you something you are clearly not ready for.”

God will not give us more than we can handle or bear.  The LORD knows what we have been built with and when it appears or feels that we are coming apart at our very seams, we must remember the cost of the cross.

Our experience at that moment may feel like the end of our lives, but HE promised us would be with us and that He will not give us more than we can bear.

I am not saying this is easy, as depending on the depth of price and calling, God has you in mind, and in the mind of God your very plan has been in motion since before in your mother’s womb.

God seasons us through the process of time and when there is a greater anointing there are greater seasons of training and the greater opposition.

Do you know before you can truly be a vessel fit for His use you must be crushed like grapes in all your temporal glory to make wine?

Being crushed is being put to death of what we were, to become what HE is; and is something much bigger.  The process is hard but it is necessary to make you into that vessel filled with HIS SPIRIT.

If a ministry tells you it is all good with no bad they lie!  They may teach you to never confess anything negative, or they may tell you to suppress the truth by continually saying you’re blessed when you are actually in despairing misery in need of help!

These false ministers confess how together they are but it’s a lie!  If we could see behind the scenes the hypocrisy and false doctrine we would run!  These are the type of ministries that are false, legalistic and led by pride filled bondages.

If you find yourself in one of these types of ministries, it is best to run and get out every and anyway you can, because it will never get any better.

Getting free from this type of abuse will give yourself good mental health and there are plenty of good ministries out there that follow the way of the truth of Christ and His Church.

Pray and find the one you fit in.

Serving Christ is the hardest thing you will ever obtain but the most satisfying and awarding.  Truly knowing HIM and finding him in the deep cannot be measured against, for HE IS PERFECTION!

We do measure ourselves against Him, because it isn’t us who live, but CHRIST who lives in us!  To really know Him in Spirit and Truth will make us the most influential person in many of our relationships.

Learning to be who we are in Christ is all about knowing HIM in ALL seasons that makes us REAL and well rounded.  Our identity is found in Christ, and those who be as Christ have crucified the flesh and the lust thereof.

We cannot produce The Fruit of The Spirit in our own power for we are simply the conduit of his power.  The Fruit of The Spirit is produced through seasons.

We are planted, fertilized watered, pruned, cut back, go through seasons of change so we will grow and thrive.  Christ’s Zoe’ vine life flows through our branches and it is not our power that does it.

We are to learn how to abide in relationship with Christ so that the power of Christ will be made known.  For He must increase and we must decrease.

How can we help others if we pretend perfection?  What a lie and A very BIG revelation of false teaching, prophecy and false churches.

Beware of these types of people and be not conformed to their rapt approval in attempting to flatter you and puff you up later to capture you in a web of deceit!

Once they ensnare you, you find yourselves after their attention and supposed acceptance, and you cannot understand why they treat you differently and keep you unsure of your acceptance in everything and unsure how to step.

You quickly become a number to them and one they control. Jezebel works like these, and she still weaves her works today in many ministry and churches.

If you are not as free to leave as you were to come in, you are in a cult!

If condemnation (rather than a healthy disappointment to see you leave) and emotional manipulations are seeking to control you, be glad that you left!   It will never get better.

“We are called to be part of the body of Christ.  You are free to serve, free to live and free to do right!”

The stronger the control and bondage of false ministers, ministries and churches, the more likely you are to face unpleasant and unhealthy consequences.

Please keep praying and look until you find what gives you good mental and spiritual health and treat people with respect and honor.

 

In HIS Grace and Mercy,
~ Sherry Edwards Mackey

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“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life”   Proverbs 13:12 KJV.

Do you feel totally exhausted, extremely agitated and frustrated to the point of total mental, physical and spiritual failure?

Does it feel so different than you have ever experienced?

Are you facing another trip around the mountain in the spiritual desert?

Are the frustrations in your ministry, job, home, family or any other life situation beyond anything you have ever felt?

There is a reason!

God in His Mercy is allowing such pressure to bring us to the breaking point.  He is very serious about His Love and deep concern and purpose for us!

He will not allow you to press through into the next stage until His work in us has been completed in this current one.

The pressure has frustrated you for a very long time, not realizing the source has kept you chained to things you do not comprehend.

These things are being made manifest and suddenly you are getting glimpses of things you thought were dealt with long ago.

Things that have kept you stuck to past failures and loss.  You haven’t understood the deep grief, sorrow and mourning of soul.

However, the pressure is bringing deep rooted issues to the surface.

You have not understood what to do as you are desperate and feel like you are going down, drowning to the point of death, grasping at anything or anyone that you feel could help you.

This great disappointment has surfaced in areas that have cost you with family, friends and opportunities.

As you see the glimpses surfacing, it brings great mental pain and anguish like you felt so long ago when the events initially happened.

What’s worse, is you are not able to rectify the situations of those who were deeply hurt and are no longer there.

You have been haunted by deeply embedded mistakes.  What had stressed you manifested physically and became stress to others.

Realizing the facts, caused deep remorse.  It caused you to back away because you do not want to damage others.  We become jaded from life and with those who truly want to help us because of preexisting conditions.

You have carried a deep-seated root in your heart unrealized.  You knew something was wrong but never fully comprehended it till now.  To even think of trusting and surrendering to another causes great shaking anxiety.

Due to the past wounds, you fear and will not trust those who are in authority.  It is causing you to be afraid to look at yourself and what you think God is saying to you.

You think authority figures will be like all the others.  Yet in all the fear and confusion, deep down you really want to begin again, for your destiny cries deeply within!

Even in such vexation of heart and mind, the vestiges of pride surface.  You don’t want to admit you need help.

Humility and obedience open the door; Faith drives all fear away, for faith worketh by love.  Reach out for help, He is standing at the very door.

Your heart has carried great disappointment, sadness and disillusionment, in feeling like you have been disqualified due to loss of time and hope.  The LORD is here to establish and heal you beloved; Trust Him today.

It is God’s will and desire to deliver and heal you today.  In the depths of your very soul make a move towards what you believe he is saying.

Trust Him and stop worrying about what people think about you.  Don’t be afraid to reach out to whom God shows you.

God has not stripped you of your rank, He wants us stripped of every weight that so easily besets us.

He may have removed your authority over others for a season, but he never removes His Gift.  It is His Love that desires you to be free.  He has come to set the captive free.

Are you giving place to things that you thought were long gone, past and settled?

Are you giving place to thoughts of past issues about people and even negative thoughts about yourself?

Beloved, hear me!

By doing this, you are inviting the accuser of the brethren back in to wreak havoc!  You will chase the wind and reap the whirlwind.  You must let go and let God!

Have you felt the condemnation of self-hatred and unforgiveness in your own heart? Sometimes forgiving ourselves is the hardest lesson we will ever learn. Forgive yourself beloved.

If you have done your best, and they can’t receive your forgiveness, it’s best to forgive them, release them and let them go!

Like the caterpillar shrouds itself in a cocoon in seemingly death of what it was, the process must be complete before newness can come.

Take a step of faith, step out of the boat and test the waters.  Show God and everyone that you are going for the mother-load!  You are headed for destiny or bust!

Throw fear aside and prepare to enter into who you really are!  You have come to the crevice of exhausting all possibilities.  Take that leap of faith!

There are no more options for expansion you have gone as far as you can go on this level, and what worked before will not work where you are going.  You are no longer that same person!

Let go and enter into who you really are!  You cannot be happy being someone you’re not.

Life is full of challenges and each of us choose how we live it.  We must choose how to find our niche in life. no matter how many mistakes or how old we are.  Your age has nothing to do with it. It takes simple obedience.

We have God given gifts to pursue in our lives as we pursue HIM.  New things require a new beginning.

Some giftings are ministry related and some are secular, however the gifts and callings of God are without repentance; The LORD does not take them away.

As we learn God’s principles to pursue and plan, we find out with excitement, that our whole life can be reinvented!

God is all about reinventing our lives!  For example, the emergence of the butterfly from a shrouded tomb, speaks of the marvels of His way to reinvent purpose into His greatest of creation; MAN! Oh how He loves us beloved!

We are His greatest prize!  Oh beloved!  Let Him love on you today!

In HIS Grace and Mercy,
~ Sherry Edwards Mackey

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In all our learning, we must find a great correlation that balances our lives.

As I get older, I may sound redundant at times, but I assure you, I need to hear things over, over, and over.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

The LORD has had me at times focus on just this one truth and it was, WE must be aware of our surroundings and learn to study to be quiet, listen, deeply focus and discern our own words before we ever release them to others!

We must have mastered us and then prayerfully listen to what comes out of our own mouth for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Look at the manifestations and how we react.  It is not just the outward actions but what is the inward.

There are not only the natural personality manifestations but there are those that come from a deeper level of the heart; that are deep seated and rooted.

Often deliverance happens in layers upon layers like an onion has layers.  God knows we must gradually peel back the pain and adapt to our changing lives.

By faith we walk out God’s word. It is a process of His presence at work in us for he watches over his word to perform it.  May we keep ourselves interdependent on The LORD.

May we keep a watch before our mouth and a guard before our lips.  We don’t always know the ramifications of influence we carry nor understand totally the living results of our choices we make and have in our lives.

We walk by faith and not by sight.  Death and life are in the “POWER” of the tongue.

Our words and our tongue will speak or write a continuous image as we reflect ourselves to others. We must learn to communicate according to what

The LORD sees. We are to base all communication against the Holy Bible.  We must learn and remember how he sees us and cares for us by basing our every thought, word and action by aligning ourselves to the Word of God!

The path of the righteous
shining brighter and brighter
There is no place he would not go
For He is there at all times
He wants us to really know

He wants us to realize the victory true
Of our immeasurable faith
And the valuable cost of you

In the face of our relationship
It is never divided for a moment
He has never turned away you or me
For He is everywhere we be
We must see, hear and be who
Christ is our victory!

Out of the abundance of
Our heart our mouth speaks
Help us oh Lord to rise above
the clamor of negativity
So our words will be swords
To all our enemy…..Selah

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh,”   Luke 6:45 KJV.

 

In HIS Grace and Mercy,
~ Sherry Edwards Mackey

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