Practice the Promise
Posted by Beverly on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 9:46am
When I was praying for a husband I was very specific on what I wanted. Physical, spiritual, financial, social -- I had all my requirements listed. One day as I once again presented my list to the Lord, He spoke these words into my thoughts, "Are you what he is praying for?" Wow, I hadn't thought about that. So I decided to prepare myself to become the kind of wife a godly man would be praying to have. My first stop was "virtuous woman", Proverbs 31:13-22. I took each of these verses and dedicated a day to living it. One day I sewed, then I made crafts, then I shopped (that was the easy one), and so on, until I had practiced each attribute a godly wife should display. I met my husband on my 35th birthday, just months after I did this exercise in Proverbs. It may sound silly, but my attempt at practicing the promise of God was noticed and greatly rewarded. "The proof of expectation is preparation." That is a Beverly Medley Jones-ism, but it is very true. Any prayer request we have must include expectation and preparation. James 1:6-7 tells us that if we doubt, we should not expect to receive anything from God. So if I have expectation, I will make myself ready to receive (clean out the garage if I am expecting a new car). Just as Proverbs 31 helped me prepare for the arrival of my husband, God has inserted many other guidelines to help us prepare for our answers. "Wealth and riches are in his house." (Psalm 112:3). Those who fear (reverently respect) God can confidently practice this promise. God instructs us on how to behave once this wealth is established in our lives. "Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others." (1 Timothy 6:17-18). So, to practice the promise, we should conduct ourselves as wealthy people NOW. 3 John 1:2 tells us, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." Prosperity and health are connected to our soul. So, to practice this, we must prosper our souls. "Bless the Lord, O my soul" (Psalm 104:1). "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (Psalm 42:2). If we direct our soul (mind, will, and emotions) towards God, we can practice the promise and prepare for prosperity and health. Think about what you are praying for. Now, think about Scriptures that address that need. Most promises include a condition, an act of faith on our part. Begin to practice that promise by preparing your mind and your environment to receive it. As we add preparations to our expectations, we can receive and keep what God has promised we can have.
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Zoom Out
Posted by Beverly on Friday, February 5, 2010 at 2:00pm

I have a camera. Well, it's much more than a camera. It's a computer with a lens. And, no, I don't know exactly how to use it. But, thank God, I have teenagers at home who use it for me. I was reviewing my pictures one day and I saw one that looked like a huge fuzzy brown blob. I called my son to decipher this image for me. He said, "You have to zoom out, Mom." Foreign jargon to me. "Zoom out." My son showed me the zoom button. As I pushed it I began to see the blob become part of my eye, then the rest of my face appeared, then the total picture; an image of me dressed in a gorgeous multi-colored African dress and head wrap, posing on a white over-stuffed chair. That undefined blob had become (I say this humbly) a truly majestic portrait. Once I was shown how to zoom out I could eventually see the whole picture. I really believe that life is a series of snapshots that God can put together to show the world a colorful view of His grace. Every shot, carefully placed in position by the hand of God, is a necessary part of the final picture. Each fuzzy blob, each undefinable moment, when yielded to the Father of everything good and perfect (James 1:17), can demonstrate its purpose in building the picture of a beautiful and victorious life. Zoom out. We must not take a mere glimpse of life -- a present trial, a current challenge, a glaring disappointment -- and interpret it as the image of our entire existence. Be encouraged, this difficulty is a fleeting part of the story, only a detail in the glorious view of the life God has planned for you. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28).
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Ready, Willing, and Able
Posted by Beverly on Friday, January 29, 2010 at 9:07am
"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him" (Philippians 2:13). As I investigate the character of God and the personality of His Holy Spirit, I am discovering the level by level process of communicating with Him. I am beginning to understand that prayer is not telling God about problems and asking Him to fix them. But prayer is the process He uses to prepare us to receive the answers. Daniel shows us how communication with God can make us ready, willing, and able to do whatever we need to do. In Daniel Chapter 1 we see Daniel and his friends, Jewish captives in Babylon. They were brilliant young men whom the king seated at his dinner table. But they were men of prayer, and wanted to obey the dietary laws God had given Israel. "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank" (Daniel 1:8). Because of Daniel's loyalty God gave him the idea of a contest. For 10 days Daniel and his friends would eat only vegetables and drink water. At the end of 10 days they would be compared in strength and wisdom with the young men who ate the king's food. "And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them he found them 10 times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm." (Daniel 1:20). Daniel was now ready. His life of prayer and integrity prepared him for the life of adventure that lay ahead for him. Later Daniel would interpret two dreams for King Nebachadnezzar (Daniel 2,4). Then he would interpret King Belshazzar's handwriting on the wall (Daniel 5). Because Daniel spent time in prayer, talking with God and seeking His face, he was always ready to be used by God. Daniel's readiness was noticeable. He and his friends stood out among all the people who did not know God. Our lives, as we prepare ourselves through prayer, will shine also. Isaiah 60:3 tells us, "Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." Communication with God also gives us a willingness to do what is right. Our flesh, our natural desires, are not geared towards pleasing God. Often the biggest battles we face are against our own stubborn will. But, as Daniel teaches us, the establishment of a prayer life molds our will into the shape of God's will, even in the face of danger or loss. Daniel would face death if he prayed to God in disobedience to the king's law. But Daniel's bond with God would overcome even the threat of death. "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room with his windows open to Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks to God, as was his custom since early days." (Daniel 6:10). Daniel chose to pray and give thanks, willing even to lose his life if necessary. God works to change our desires as we pray. We know that as we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). That's because as we cultivate a life of prayer our desires will change, becoming aligned with God's plan for our lives. When we talk to God, He makes us ready and willing. When God talks to us, He makes us able. We know God is able, but we need to know that through Jesus we are able. WE can speak to the mountain and it will move (Matthew 17:20). WE can tread on all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). WE can abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). Through Christ we can do all things. We who know God need to believe what He says. He has given us everything we need for success and prosperity in this life. We should stop begging God and start believing what He says. We can experience all the victory He has promised us if we hear His Word and trust that what He said is truth. Daniel went into the lion's den with the voice of God ringing in his heart. God showed him that he was found innocent in His sight (Daniel 6:22). Daniel was able to stare into the face of death because he had confidence in the God he served. "So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God." (Daniel 6:23). Talk to God; let Him prepare you to receive from Him. Talk to God; let Him conform your desires to His perfect will for you. And listen to God; let Him work through you to perform the great and miraculous acts that will bring Him glory in your life.
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Fresh Mercy
Posted by Beverly on Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 7:12am
"He's the God of a second chance." I've heard this chant many times in Christian circles. But the more I experience the limitless mercy, the boundless compassion, and infinite grace showered on me daily, I have to acknowledge that God gives much more than a second chance. "The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness. His mercies begin afresh each morning." (Lamentations 3:22-23, New Living Translation). God does not hold back His love from anyone. He does not close His ear to one of His own who sincerely calls on Him for help. He never declines an invitation to bring healing and restoration into a repentant heart. God will not restrain us from any opportunity to know Him better. We miss it, we fail, we stumble and fumble. But our faithful God is there to pick us up, dust us off, and put us back in the game. Be encouraged. Perfection takes time, and God has all the time in the world! If we use up all our mercy today, God will give us fresh mercy tomorrow.
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2010 -- It's Time to Stick Out
Posted by Beverly on Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 10:50am
At my house my bedroom window is above the roof of my garage. Occasionally I look out and see a roof nail sticking its head above the shingles. I try not to make a big deal of it, but the nail head seems to whisper for my attention. As the nail gets looser, it rises higher, and takes a prominent position among its peers. At that point, it gets noticed, and demands a response. I believe God has loosed His people to rise and take our prominent place among our peers, on our jobs, in our homes, and even in our churches. "Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you; rise to a new life]! Shine -- be radiant with the glory of the Lord; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you! (Isaiah 60:1, Amplified Bible). God will wrap His glory around those of us who have cooperated with Him, who have found our joy in His presence, and have acquired a craving to worship at His feet. Let's stick out in 2010. Let's take our places above the darkness of this world, as the ambassadors of Christ He has called us to be. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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