He Has Not Abandoned You!!!

“O Jacob, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles?
O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.” – Isaiah 40:27-28

This is a word that I have on my heart for my brothers and sisters that have been faithfully serving our Lord and His people. To those of you who have been diligently pressing forward in your faith in the face of persecution, trials, and testings. For those of you who are going through difficult times and are crying out to God with a broken heart or contrite spirit. I feel lead to tell you,

“Our Lord has NOT abandoned you!!!”

He knows you are tired and weak. He knows you are hurt and angry at your oppressors. He knows that you are grieving your loss. He sees the struggle with your loved ones. He sees you and He IS with you in your trouble. You are not alone in the storm.

Ready for ANYTHING and EQUAL To Anything Through Christ

Here's an article I wrote for WeUsed2bu Ministries.

Ready for ANYTHING and EQUAL To Anything Through Christ
On my journey with my Savior Jesus, I have discovered that He has not left me alone in this world full of sin, corruption, evil, and destruction. He is actively present in my life, helping me and bringing me comfort, hope, and security through the promises in His Word. There have been times where I have felt like I am just going to break under life’s pressures, that if one more thing happened, I was just going to lose it! But how quickly and faithful the Holy Spirit is to bring to my remembrance the promise in His Word which says,

“I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!” (Philippians 4:13)

Harvest Of Right Living For Those Who Are Trained In This Way

“As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.” - Hebrews 12:7, 11-13


The definition for discipline is:

1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.
2. Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control.

Over the past weeks the Holy Spirit has brought me to different scriptures in the Word showing me where our heavenly Father uses trials, testing, and hardships as divine discipline or training to produce in us godly living and Christ-like character, and also to prepare us for our callings. Even those terrible attacks that the enemy will try to use to destroy us or those bad things that happen in life that we just don’t understand, God turns for our good. He did it for Joseph, Jacob’s son, the dreamer who was sold into slavery by his own brothers.

I’ll give you the very short version of what happened to Joseph. Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him and they intended to rid themselves of him forever so they sold him into slavery. He suffered loneliness, betrayal, and sadness. While Joseph was in slavery God never left him. He gave him favor, wisdom, and prophetic dreams with the gift of interpretation. He used these giftings to lift Joseph up to a position of authority and prominence in Egypt. Many years later a famine hit the land and the only place to find grain was in Egypt. So that is where his family went to buy food. Joseph forgives his brothers and the family is reunited. In the end Joseph looked back at all that had happened to him and finally understood why God allowed everything to happen the way it did. It was so that He could use Joseph to save the lives of many, including his own family. (Genesis 50:20)

Now I want to take you to some other scriptures that our Lord brought me to and showed me specifically how He uses life’s troubles to do the following:

Humble us and to prove our character, whether we would keep His commandments or not and to teach us to rely on His Word.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3 “2 Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. 3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (NLT)

To test the genuineness of our faith

1 Peter 1:6-7 “6[You should] be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations, 7So that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed.” (Amplified Bible)

To reveal or demonstrate to us the true quality of what‘s in our hearts.

2 Chronicles 32:31 “31 However, when ambassadors arrived from Babylon to ask about the remarkable events that had taken place in the land, God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart.” (NLT)

To teach us patience endurance, maturity of character, joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.

Romans 5:3-4 “3Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. 4And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.” (Amplified Bible)

To develop steadfastness and Christ-like character

James 1:2-4 “2Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. 3Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. 4But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.”

It can be difficult while we are going through these holy trials and tribulations. But we must remember that our divine God sees the future and He has always had good plans for our lives. (Jeremiah 29:11) These scriptures confirmed to me that trials and testing are meant to test the reality of our faith and produce the likeness of Christ in us. They are meant to bring out the best in us, if we will allow them to. It’s part of our remolding and refining process. So let us not lose hope when we our heavenly Father lovingly trains us up. He has assured us that EVERYTHING that happens in our lives works together and is fitting into a plan for good to and for those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose. (Romans 8:28)

As I write this I am reminded of when our Heavenly father told the prophet Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So Jeremiah did as He told him and Jeremiah found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. Brothers and sisters, God is our potter and I believe the Lord is saying to us today,

“Can I not do with you as the potter does? (Jeremiah 18:6)

Let’s allow Him to continue the good work He has started in us and trust Him in the middle of the refining fire. He is here with us. We will come out unbound and with stronger faith. So keep joyfully and hopefully pressing on! (Philippians 1:6, Daniel 3:26-27)

Pressed In On Every Side

“We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair;

We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed;” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 – Amplified

The Lord reminded me of these verses this morning. I read it out of the NLT and then the Amplified. It really hit home for me. You see I am currently going through a season of intense discipline and training through many trials and temptations. (Hebrews 12)The demonic attacks are so evident. I have felt pressed in on every side by spiritual oppression in some of my closest relationships. Even my children are under attack. At times I feel crushed and overwhelmed. The problems and trials I face often times feel like too much to bear. I would be lying if I said that thoughts of giving up don’t run through my mind. But I know who I am in Christ Jesus and I WILL NOT not be driven to utter despair! I know that our Lord has NOT deserted me or my family and left us to stand alone.

I am sharing this with you because I want you to know that if you are suffering through many troubles, trials, and temptations YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Listen to what the Holy Spirit has said through Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13.

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.” – The Message

Here’s parts of this verse out of the Amplified.

“NO temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance..

But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [CAN BE TRUSTED] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [ALWAYS] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.”

Did you see it? Our troubles are not new to human experience. Many others before us and many now are going through the same or very similar problems that we are facing today. Others before us have overcome by remembering how faithful God is to His promise to never leave or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we see that He has promised to never allow the temptations or trials that we face to be more than we can endure. He will ALWAYS provide a way of escape to overcome any temptation the enemy will put before us. He will also ALWAYS provide a way for us to go through whatever trial it is that we may have to face.

No matter what it is that we are facing we need to remember that He is our Strength and WE CAN do ALL things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us! Here is Philippians 4:13 in the Amplified. Read it. Receive it! Believe it! Confess it!

“I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].”

The Lord has spoken to me so many words of encouragement, affirmation, and comfort over the past several weeks. His Holy Spirit has ministered to my heart and given me peace at times where I probably would have fallen apart. He has hugged me through the arms of other believers full of his love and compassion. His presence has filled my room as I slept I knew that He was there with me. His love has sustained me through this all.


He will do the same for you as he is doing for me! Do not give up hope! He is by your side. You will see His promises to you fulfilled. Just keep believing! Keep trusting! Keep seeking Him in prayer, fasting, and in His Word. Keep your eyes on Him and you will not be destroyed. Fight the good fight of faith!

I will continue to share with you the scriptures that He has brought me to in this season of my life. God bless you all and remember what our Lord has said to His disciples,

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” John 16:33 – Amplified

"Please God Help Me!"

I want to share with you a short story. It was a little over 14 years ago when I was at one of the darkest places in my life. I was strung out on drugs, homeless crashing at my aunt’s house, and in violation of my probation. My first daughter had just turned a year old. I sent her to live with father’s parents. I was so depressed and sick. I didn’t know what else to do. I believed that Jesus was real and that He would help me if I prayed and cried out to Him. So I did.

I will never forget that night and the series of events that happened from then on. I was lying on the top bunk of my cousin’s bed crying, “Please God help me! I am tired of all of this. I need your help! I want my daughter back. I want my family back. Please God help me!” I cried myself to sleep that night. The next morning I went ahead living my dysfunctional life. I went off to work and on my lunch break I got high and ended up committing a crime. I was arrested for not only that charge but for violation of probation. I knew that I was facing a prison sentence. I was scared, but I also had a sense of relief. No more running. No more hiding. Finally!! All of sudden I remembered my prayer from the previous night. “God this is your idea of answering my prayer? Ok??”

Our Lord in His mercy and grace gave me favor once again with the judge. After three months in jail I was sentenced to a drug rehabilitation center as an alternative to prison. If I completed this six month program my probation would be reinstated and I could move on with my life. But I was still so full of rebellion. I ended breaking the rules and violating my stay. Back to jail I went to await sentencing. This would be the third time that I would violate and the judge promised me that if I messed up again that I would be sentenced to prison for sure. That’s exactly what happened. I was sentenced to five years in the Florida State Prison.

Seems like a terrible story huh? Well it isn’t! What I didn’t share with you is that from the day that I got locked up I began drawing close to God and He drew close to me too. I got a bible and I would read and ask God to help me understand His Word. I did not know that what I was asking would result in the process of renewing my mind. I began to pray and seek Him like never before. He put a beautiful woman of God in my life, Sonia, who was not only strong in her faith but strong in personality too. He knew I needed someone like her to mentor me and speak into my life words of faith, truth, hope, and power. We meet at the rehab center where she had volunteered for an outreach event. She promised that she would write me. I did not believe her but she wrote me letters weekly from then on. She became my spiritual mother. It was through her that I first really experienced the love of Christ. She is still by my side today.

By the grace of God my five year sentenced ended up being eighteen months instead. Those eighteen months the Holy Spirit taught me the Word of God and filled me to overflowing with His Spirit. One day I received a card from my Sonia with my name and the meaning of it. Lisa comes from Elizabeth, which means consecrated to God. Consecrated means set aside, or to declare or set apart as sacred. All of a sudden I realized that the Lord allowed me to be sent to prison not only to save me from my destructive path but so that I could be set apart for Him and His purpose. Without the rest of the world and drama in my ear I could finally hear from God. My life has not been the same since. Everything that I lost and that the enemy took from me God has been restored to me in abundance. The years of pain, loneliness, and sadness have been replaced with joy, peace, and hope. Today I am surrounded by people who love me. I have undeservedly been rewarded with the blessing of several children. Our God has been faithful to build me up in Christ Jesus. I am no longer a victim of life’s circumstances. I am an over comer in Christ Jesus!

I wanted to share this with you because I believe that there is someone who has been crying out to God, “Help me God! Please help me!” and it may seem that your situation is getting worse, but it isn’t. God may not answer your prayers the way that you think He should but you cannot rely on your own understanding. His ways are so much higher than ours. His ways are so much better. You may not see it right now, but God is working in the midst of everything. Learn to walk by faith and not by sight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I don’t know what your situation is but as I’ve shared I had created such a mess of my life that even though He saved me the moment I believed and cried out to Him, He still needed to do some major reconstruction to my entire life from the inside out. In my rebelliousness I planted some bad seeds and I still needed to reap what I had sown and face the consequences of my actions. I could have gotten angry at God but it wasn’t His fault that I ended up in prison. It was mine. It was my own foolishness and rebelliousness that got me there. It was our Lord in His mercy and grace by the power of His Holy Spirit that gave me the strength, courage, and perseverance to endure through it all without becoming angry and bitter.

Proverbs 19:3 says, “People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.” There are people who get made at God when they are overwhelmed with debt but they mismanage their money and are tightfisted, scared to give their tithes and offerings. Others get mad at Him because they don’t see a breakthrough in their families but instead of speaking words of faith in their home they are speaking words of unbelief, doubt, and defeat. They are tearing apart their own homes by the words of their mouth. There comes a time where we have to accept responsibility for our disobedience, repent, and ask God to help us back onto the narrow road. We have to learn to desire God’s will more than our own.

When God is restructuring our life we cannot get angry with Him. We must remember that God is the Master Potter. He is working at His wheel. We are the jar of clay that He had a very specific plan and divine purpose for from the time that we were in our mother’s womb. However, because of our desire to have our own way and all the resistance we gave Him we messed the jar up some. So he has to start over remolding and shaping us. But this is a good thing because when God is working with a willing vessel they become one of His vessels of honor which He uses to make the riches of His glory shine through. (Jeremiah 18:1-7, Romans 9:21-23)

I want to encourage you to let go of your own plans and your own will. Become a willing vessel and trust the Lord through the remolding process. Allow Him to continue the good work that He has started. He knows what He is doing. We can trust Him with our lives. We can be sure that the end results and reward will be better than the beginning. Hold on to the verses in Isaiah 43:18-19

“But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

You cried out, “God Help Me!” now it’s time that you let Him help you HIS WAY, NOT YOUR WAY! Obey and trust Him you will not be sorry.

"Why Are You Afraid? Do You Still Have No Faith?"

Matthew, Mark, and Luke give an account of a day when Jesus and His disciples got in a boat to cross over the Sea of Galilee when suddenly a great storm broke out. The waves and winds were tossing the boat to and fro. Water was getting into the boat and they were in real danger. Mean while Jesus was resting taking a nap. Luke says that the disciples woke Him up shouting, “Teacher, don’t You care that we’re going to drown?” (Luke 4:38)

When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. ‘Even the wind and waves obey Him!” (Luke 4:39-41)

Is this you? Is your life in the middle of a storm? Are the cares of this life tossing you around and making you feel unstable in your faith? Are the winds causing you to panic and forget that Jesus is in the boat and everything is going to be ok? He does care! When you go through deep waters, He will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. ” (Isaiah 43:2)

Jesus asked them “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” These guys spent intimate time with Jesus. He spoon feed them the Word of God. He personally taught them about kingdom matters. They saw Him do many miracles, heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. What would it take for them to reject fear and put all of their faith in Christ Jesus? What will it take for us to be sure without a doubt that He will never leave us or forsake us?

Jesus is our Savior. He died a brutal death for us so that we could have peace not like the world gives, but that peace which surpasses all understanding as we trust in Him to see us through every situation. Remember the words in Isaiah 53:5,

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

He suffered so that we could have freedom in Him. We don’t have to be fretful Christians. We are supposed to be sure without a doubt that our Lord is faithful. We are to be at peace knowing that our Lord is on our side no matter what. We are supposed to be at peace knowing that no weapon formed against us will prosper and that we can overcome all things through Christ who strengthens us and empowers us by the power of His Holy Spirit.

To the reader who has been fighting against the lies of the enemy. To the reader who has been fighting anxiety and fear about you calling or the changes that are to come in your life. To the reader who has allowed the storm to wear them down and has almost lost hope I say, “Be still and know that He is God.” In the name of Jesus I rebuked the wind and the waves in your life and I say, ‘Silence! Be still!”

Our Lord is saying to you right now, “Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]” John 14:27

Be encouraged…

Sincerely,

Trophy of Grace