After hours of feasting and good-natured family friendly competition the evening came to a close and we found ourselves exhausted and happily cleaning up leftovers.  How could leftovers be possible when I had not purchased enough food for our hungry crowd?

Have you ever found yourself in a position where you had little to give but God turned it into exactly what was needed?

Luke 9:10-17 reminds us of a time when Jesus did just that.  Jesus and his apostles had spent some time in the villages of Galilee preaching the Good News and healing the sick.  They were tired and were in need of rest so they slipped away toward the town of Bethsaida seeking solace.  As the apostles were telling Jesus of their adventures in ministry they noticed a crowd following him. 

​Despite his need for rest and rejuvenation, Jesus welcomed the crowd and continued teaching and healing.  As the afternoon faded into evening the apostles begged for Jesus to send the crowd away so the masses could get food and lodging before nightfall. At this point Jesus stunned the disciples with three simple words, “You feed them” (Lk 9:13 NLT). Collectively they came up with a decent excuse to offer the Lord—we don’t have enough food!

Luke 9:13 explains that there were only five loaves and two fish.  Clearly this measly amount would not be enough to feed the crowd of over 5,000 who were gathered.  As Jesus organized the people into small groups and gave thanks for the small picnic, he made sure that every person there was not only fed, but fully satisfied. After the meal, the disciples filled twelve baskets of leftovers!

God takes the little we have to offer Him and increases it to fulfill his purposes. 

Are you feeling tired, weary or drained but the day hasn't even started yet?  Or maybe the weekend is too far away to think about?  Offer what you have to the Lord.  He can take the meager bits that you hold in your hands and turn it into something more useful and productive than you could have imagined.  Is there an area in your life when you feel like there is never enough money, time, focus, energy, effort, appreciation or compassion? 

Ask God to take your sparse supply and supernaturally upsize it!  When we offer God the little that we have and trust him with it, he does the miraculous! And don’t be surprised if you have baskets of leftovers; He specializes in abundance!

Would my weary head ever hit the pillow?

My heart was so overwhelmed and my thoughts couldn’t keep quiet any longer. I surprised myself when I heard my tired confession. “I have nothing left to give you, Jesus!” I blurted out. That deep frustration bubbled up to the surface and forced its way out of my mouth.
​
In my moment of overwhelming defeat, I felt incredibly vulnerable. I didn’t realize how hard I had been trying to manage my day. I didn’t realize how helpless I felt on the inside. I didn’t realize how tired I was. It wasn’t the end of my day yet, but it felt like the end of something. Like the woman at the well in the city of Sychar, which translates to “end,” I had come to the end of myself.
 
The Samaritan woman went to the well at the hottest part of the day to avoid seeing other people. And yet Jesus went out of His way to meet her. Jews did not associate with Samaritans. But still the Messiah spoke straight to her heart. In a moment when she least expected grace and mercy, she received both in abundance.
 
In my own “woman at the well” moment, God spoke to my heart. He reminded me that I don’t have to muster up strength to meet with him. I simply offer my heart and he meets me in my mess. He knows my weaknesses and shortcomings. And just like Jesus visited the woman at the well at noontime, He visited me at lunchtime when I didn’t know how I was going to get through my day or put food on plates. When I had nothing left, Jesus reminded me that his strength is sufficient in my weakness. His love and forgiveness for the woman at the well shows me that his love and forgiveness for me not only redeems me, but gives me the strength to keep going.
 
Jesus’ invitation to drink from the living water extends to every tired mother in the noontime hour or any other hour of need. Have you ever felt stuck in a cycle of sin or shame? Maybe your burden was so heavy that you went out of your way to avoid others? When we receive the living water, the Holy Spirit, we can be filled to overflow for our people. But it all starts with Jesus. Nothing inside of me is strong enough to make it to 5’oclock. It is only from His living water, the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39), that I can drink and not become thirsty.
 
Jesus knows us at our most vulnerable; He sees the secret parts and loves us more than we can fathom, just like the Samaritan woman. Not only does He see us, but He offers His Holy Spirit to fill us up. Do you need encouragement? Are you weary? Remind yourself of this powerful truth today. Jesus meets us right where we are! Yes, He meets us in our sin, shame, and self-defeat. He meets us at the end of ourselves, whether in the noontime or midnight hour, and offers the living water to sustain us.
 
The next time you feel like throwing your hands up in defeat, lift them just a little higher, look up to where your help comes from, and ask Jesus to give you a drink of living water.

​I ran to get the ruby necklace and put it on. The little necklace helped me get my bearings and remember not only who I am but who I am created to be. It gave me the courage to go to God and ask for forgiveness. Simply remembering changed the course of the entire day. Knowing who we are changes how we live.
 
Even Jesus’ ministry started with God declaring Jesus’ identity.
In Matthew 3:16, immediately before beginning His ministry, Jesus approached John to be baptized. When Jesus came up out of the water, God the Father declared, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
 
Immediately after God’s declaration, Matthew 4 tells us Jesus was led into the desert to be tempted. After forty days of fasting, the devil came to him and questioned Jesus’ identity saying, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3). That statement was an attempt to get Jesus to question His identity and then feel the need to prove who He was. Jesus was so firmly established in who He was, He felt no need to prove Himself. Instead Jesus replied in verse 4, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Bringing Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, Satan once again tempted him to prove Himself in verse 6 saying, “If you are the Son of God... throw yourself down.” Jesus answered, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (Mt 4:7). He again did not succumb to the temptation to prove Himself because His identity was firmly established. The Father’s truth was stronger than the fleshly need.
 
That little necklace reminded me of who I am and helped me resist the temptation to act like who I am not. Whenever I get a bit testy, I have found I am often trying to protect a piece of my threatened identity, but when I remember who I am to God, that need dissipates.
 
You may not have a little necklace to remind you of what is true, but remembering who we are has the power to change us. We will act like who we believe we are. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, through Him we are:
 

• More than conquerors (Romans 8:37)
• Dearly loved children (Ephesians 5:1-2; I John 3:1; John 1:12; Romans 8:14-15
• A new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• God’s masterpiece created by Him (Ephesians 2:10)
• Friends of God (John 15:15)
• Chosen and holy (I Peter 2:9)
• Beloved (Colossians 3:12)
• Forgiven (Ephesians 1:7)

 
We do not need to prove who we are because God has already declared it. As His children, we get to live in the identity HE has given us.

​My husband had been so gentle and patient with me, even after I had come down on him like a ton of bricks. I knew I had to apologize.  As I drove into the parking lot, I saw him standing there, propped up against his car. He had already dropped off my girls in their Sunday school classrooms but he had come back for me. I was pleasantly surprised to see him. Stepping out of the car, I apologized and I asked him, “Why did you wait on me?” Taking my hand, he looked me in the eyes and said, “I thought maybe you needed me.”
 
As the people came to understand what Ezra was preaching, they also understood they had sinned. They were ashamed, but their remorse was a promising sign. Ezra then tells them to get up, and celebrate. Yes, you read that correctly.
 
These are Jesus’ words: “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7)
 
Heaven celebrates when you repent! Jesus is telling us that repentance is an act of humbling ourselves, and admitting a desperate need for a savior. If God never shed light on our sin, how would we be able to fix it? If you don’t know what there is to be sorry for, you can’t deliver a proper apology. When we are able to acknowledge our sin, and bring it to God, the Holy Spirit works on our hearts, bringing us into a deeper relationship with Him. 
This is what Ezra wanted the people to understand. Not only was the wall accomplished, but when they acknowledged their sins, it showed God had been up to something bigger. He had worked on their hearts.
 
Why did he say not to mourn? Didn’t they need to feel sorry for what they had done? Yes, and they did! But there is a difference between repenting and dwelling. When we dwell on our sin, we can become discouraged. Repentance is not just about our sins, it is more so about our need for Jesus Christ, who indeed paid for all sin.
 
To dwell means to “live in.” We were not meant to live in our past mistake. We are told by Jesus Himself to live in Him: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me”  (John 15:4).
 
Repentance is a sure sign that the Holy Spirit has not left you, sister; it means that the Spirit is working in you! Come to Jesus, the one who has the power to take away all sin. He is waiting for you and He is glad to see you. You are never too far gone for His love. Dwell in Jesus and celebrate with Him!  

Every time we moved on the Lord’s unction, walking in obedience, it was as if the devil was moving with equal force.
 
But still, knowing that this was the Lord’s Will, we kept exploring our options - we kept trying. In the end, we circled back to trying Facebook messenger’s video chat one more time.
 
And, finally, Glory to God, success was realized!
 
In Nehemiah 2 - 6, Nehemiah was given favor with King Artaxeres by God to, once more, bring redemption and restoration to the Jews. He was sent to Jerusalem to rebuild the ruins of the city and rebuild the wall surrounding it. While Nehemiah and his fellow builders were busy doing what had been ordained, they were met with aggression, intimidation, and even schemes to undermine and harm Nehemiah - opposition upon opposition.
 
But, what the Lord wills, no man can disparage.
 
Nehemiah, instead of being discouraged or giving in to doubt or fear, responded with holy defiance and blessed assurance, “Our God will fight for us!” (Neh. 4:20b).
 
When faced with physical aggression, Nehemiah girded his men with weaponry, stationing half at various points in the wall and the other half continued with the work at hand. Therefore, can we not say that when we are pressed from all sides, we can call forth the holy covering of the Lord, donning ourselves in the Armor of God and standing firm against our adversaries, knowing that we are well equipped and victorious.
 
When met with intimidation, Nehemiah rose up with holy indignation, rebuking the falsity. So then, when the enemy tries his best to disrupt our confidence in the Lord and His Will, we must rise up, heartened in the knowledge that His Will is the only will, casting out the emotional oppression with faith ablaze. 
 
When his very life was being threatened, Nehemiah responded with wisdom, outwitting his oppressors. Can we not also respond in the same manner? When the very fate of our spirits are threatened and goaded, we have every authority to pull upon the wisdom given us by the One from Whom it flows, allowing us the comprehension necessary for our next steps into blessed favor and sanctified security.
 
When Nehemiah faced trials and oppression, he didn’t stop, he didn’t question, he didn’t bow down to fear - he persisted, and in 52 days, the wall was complete. Even more, all the oppressors who once stood against him, now cowered at the realization of what Nehemiah knew all along: the Will of the Lord had been realized.
 
Sisters, brothers, friends, be emboldened! When we are walking in obedience down the path of the Lord’s will and find ourselves toe to toe with antagonism, we must gird ourselves with that holy defiance and blessed assurance, responding with wisdom and righteous rebuke. Take up arms, not the physical weaponry of Nehemiah’s time, but the Holy armor of God; stand with confidence, because even as the fight against us approaches, they could never stand a chance against the One who sent us.
 
Because, my friends, if God is for us, who dares to be against us?