May 2010
Psalms 91:1 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest/abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (NIV)
In reading the verses following, Psalms 91:2-16, one gets the sense that the writer of the Psalm was encouraging either himself or someone else, that our God is a refuge, a place of protection, and also a deliverer from the attacks against us. For years, this was my view of this passage as I would often quote it whenever I needed those very things from my God. However there is more to it than that!
God is NOT asking us to run to Him every now and then in times of trouble, but rather to permanently relocate from the place where we’ve been operating or fighting from.
In Psalms 91:1 the word “dwells” is the Hebrew word “Yashab” which means to sit down, to settle, to marry. The word “abide” is the word “Luwn” which means to stop, to stay permanently! Now read that verse again, replacing dwell and abide with the Hebrew meaning of those words!I for one, have always felt that to go under the “shelter of the Most High” was something that we soldiers should do whenever we got wounded or weary from battle. Then after being refreshed and healed, like George Lopez, I would tell God… “I got this!!!” I was fighting with my own strength, wisdom and even plan, when all I had to do was relocate!
The “shelter of the Most High” is the place from which we are suppose to operate. When you were in your parents house growing up…it was the place from where you learned, cry, fought, developed and through it all were protected… our office to life! Once we moved out and went to live on our own, we had to fend for ourselves. Sadly, that is exactly what many of us do in the spirit, we go out and set up our own shelter and run to Daddy/God only when the enemy is upon us.
Though this is a good thing, and we should run to our Daddy, how much more powerful, more discerning, more effective, better preachers, better leaders, better soldiers, better sons and daughters we would be if we not just visited Daddy every once in a while… for a sermon, for a song, for healing, for a bailout, for a solution for the immediate problem… but we relocated and made the “shelter of the Most High” our place of operation!
My brothers and sisters if you are already there STAY THERE, and for those of us who have set up our shelter down the road...LET US PERMANENTLY RELOCATE!!!
God bless,
JT
JT Devotional – November 2007
Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." NIV
One of my favorite old songs is titled “Love comes from the most unexpected places”. I am learning that the same can be applied to the blessings of God. God’s blessings also, can come from the most unexpected places and get this…unexpected people. The question then is “Can we stand to be blessed?”
In my recent travels, preaching the gospel in several countries, the Lord has me preaching to people about the fact that God wants them blessed and that they are not to see God in a small way. I often find myself preaching like a madman, speaking great faith over people, telling them not to fear but trust God for the impossible and that He can take them out of any situation, not knowing that I would be tested on the very thing that I was preaching.
About a year ago, my Trudy and I were led by the Lord to help a lady and her son that attended our home church by providing them a place to stay until they could find a new place to live. We were so thankful to know that we could be such a blessing to someone in their time of need. Later, only to find out months later, in obedience to God, when we moved to Oklahoma we would end up literally without a house to live in! There we were traveling half way across the country, to Oklahoma only to find out that the house we thought we were closing on had fallen through. New City, New Church…No place to live. Well, God showed up in the form of a single white lady from Piedmont, Oklahoma, who just happens to be our realtor! We had spoken over the phone but have never met her in our lives, yet she opened her home to my family (3 children and my nephew who was visiting at the time). I can still remember her standing outside when we drove up to her home saying “Well now I know why Jesus gave me such a big house…come on in!” Honestly, it really bothered me to know that I had to lean on someone else for what I needed, when I KNOW THAT I WAS DOING THE WILL OF GOD by coming to Oklahoma. Then one day while praying and complaining to God, He asked me this question, “Son, can you really stand to be blessed?” My answer was “is this really a blessing? Did I miss it or is this punishment?” Then He said “Your problem is, you like to be the one who is doing the blessing but you don’t like to receive one. Son, can I make you uncomfortable and use you to be a channel for someone else to be blessed? You had no problem when you were giving the help, now you are unhappy receiving help? Are you better than the person whom you helped?” This brought tears to my eyes as the Lord showed me who I was at that moment. I really had a problem receiving from someone I didn’t know, and also of a different nationality…to come and live with them…but God really taught me a lesson. His blessings are sometimes wrapped up in packages that are very different than what we are used to…not Jamaican or even a fan of my music…just a sister in Christ from Oklahoma.
This reminds me so much of the story of the woman in II Kings 4 who was so willing to bless the man of God by being hospitable but when asked what can be done for her she stood in the door way and almost missed her blessings by acting shy. For the woman her sin was acting as though she wasn’t worthy, mine was pride…acting like I can give a blessing but couldn’t stand to receive one.
The Word of the Lord states…“shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap” it didn’t say from what place or through which person God would do it. All we need to do is just receive, kill the false humility and the pride and just let our Daddy work anyway He chooses!
Stay blessed,
JT
P.S. I apologise for the long delay in posting this devotional. It has been quite a struggle since we have relocated. We should be moving into our home at the end of November. If you remember us please pray for favor.
JUNE 2007
One of the things the Lord has been really dealing with me about, is the subject “His ways are always higher than mine”.
As far back as I can remember, I have always been a person who loves to know the plan and I would work hard to accomplish it.
About 4 years ago, God spoke to my wife and I about getting ready to plant a church in Kingston, Jamaica. Yes, Jamaica! At first, I was not happy, as this was not MY plan. After much prayer and God turning my heart, I found myself excited and ready for our pastors to release us to go back home. We were aiming for 2008 and I was putting MY plan in place. Only for God to direct us, this February, to move first to Oklahoma City to walk closer with our Bishops and to learn more before going home. "OKLAHOMA?" This broke my heart as I was so focused on Jamaica. I felt as though I was finally ready to be married only to hear I can't have my bride yet!
The Lord had to deal with my heart and remind me that I was the one who made HIM LORD of my life... (notice the lower case “my”). He also reminded me of the many times I had sung…"If you can use anything Lord, you can use me". Then He asked me "Did you mean that?" My answer was “Yes Lord”, and then He said “I will do what I want with your life”.
Then it hit me… “God, you are sooo loving!”... Not only would He give us an awesome destiny, but He will make sure that we are equipped to fulfill that destiny. The Bible says in Psalms 37:23 “The steps of a good man (or woman) are ordered by God”. That means every step we take, we must consult and trust the one who orders them. We must be careful not to exclude God - by hearing the plan and try to carry it out on our own.
Anything God calls, He will cover and it will accomplish what it was created to do… Hang on this is going to be one exciting ride!
Thanks be to God,
JT
P.S. If this devotional has been a blessing to you, please share it with a friend. I would also love to hear from you. Drop me a line in our contact section. Log on each month as I will have a new one posted.
