Make something with what you have
Have you ever fallen into the trap of the enemy where you feel like you don’t have everything you need to make your next move? Do you feel like you’re missing something, operating in lack, or just are not properly prepared for the next place God is taking you? Have you felt like God gave you a vision, yet He didn’t supply you with what was needed to see it come into fruition? Yeah, I’ve been there. Sometimes, I’m still back there.
The enemy attacks our mind quite often, and his main goal is to steal, kill and destroy (see John 10:10). He wants to steal your joy, kill your dreams and destroy all hope you may have of the future. That’s exactly what he did to the widow in 1 Kings 17. She was so heartbroken and living in lack, the enemy had convinced her that she only had enough for one more meal. After that, she and her son would die. So when she was approached by Elijah who requested she bring him some water and make him some bread, she couldn’t escape the limiting mindset that she had accepted.
However, with the mustard seed of faith she had left, she did as she was instructed and watched the Lord provide for her and her family. Through obedience to God through Elijah, she exemplified that she had more trust in the Lord her God than the nasty lies the enemy was trying to feed her. Going forward from that ambitious step of faith, verse 14 tells us that there was always enough flour and oil left in her containers. She never lived in lack again.
Imagine the simple fact that God is just trying to get us to make something with what we have. He’s encouraging us to take a step of faith with what He’s already given us. I’m not sure if you’ve ever felt like you had so little that you were about to die, and yet even then, our unfailing and faithful God has promised to provide what you need. Are you seeking God first or the things you think you’re missing?
Our Jehovah Jireh was faithful then to the widow, (He even raised her son back to life!), and He will certainly still be faithful to you now.
Trust. Believe. Then make something with what you have.
Until next time.
Stay Inspired,
KO
The faith filled friend
Friend, do not underestimate the power of people who recognize your need and bring you to the One who can meet it. By definition, a blind spot is an area in your range of vision that you cannot see properly because of an obstruction. For the paralyzed man, he couldn’t physically bring himself to Jesus to receive healing. If he could heal himself, I’m sure he would have.
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
17 One day, Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a mat, and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Luke 5:17-25
I wish I could take you all back to the exact moment I heard this scripture. It was a while back, and I was listening to a sermon. I don’t remember the exact message, but I remember a particular part of the sermon when the pastor brought his friends on stage and demonstrated the characteristics of a faith-filled friend. That’s not what he called them, but from their actions, I deemed them to be faith-filled because where else could you find a group of individuals crazy enough to do what they did? The example he played out was from the story of a paralyzed man who was healed and forgiven due to the faith of his friends! The pastor called his friends to the stage, and he laid down and essentially told his friends to lift him up. Now, the pastor was a fully grown man with muscles, and his friends were different ages, weights, and heights. He pointed out how it took a collective effort for them to not only lift him up but also carry him. The part that I will never forget is how he talked about having faith, not just for your friend but for yourself, to believe that your efforts were actually helping your friend. Because there will come a time when lifting someone else up can feel heavy, burdensome, and weighed down, but seeing someone else’s faith—i.e., the faith of others in the group—will help you remain faith-filled.
Even if you’re not receiving the healing, you still need faith to carry you while you carry others.
Now, years later, that illustration is impressed in my head, and this scripture is imprinted on my heart. My head swirls with ideas of what it means to be a faith-filled friend and how God honors group effort.
So what is a faith-filled friend, and how do I become one? Simply put, a faith-filled friend is a friend who is filled with faith so much that they choose to come alongside you and bring you closer to Jesus. So, if you or someone you know is a friend and brings you closer to Jesus, you can consider them a faith-filled friend.
Faith-Filled Friends Recognize Your Need and Bring You to the One Who Can Meet It
“Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.”
Friend, do not underestimate the power of people who recognize your need and bring you to the One who can meet it. By definition, a blind spot is an area in your range of vision that you cannot see properly because of an obstruction. For the paralyzed man, he couldn’t physically bring himself to Jesus to receive healing. If he could heal himself, I’m sure he would have. And that day, the room was so crowded, meaning many people were also looking to receive healing. One step you can take today is to ask those closest to you what are some areas in which you have blind spots and if they would be willing to not only point them out but lay them before Jesus.
When There Is No Way, Faith-Filled Friends Make One
“When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.”
Do you have friends that just believe anything is possible? What others call an obstacle, they call a mountain waiting to be moved, and they just know their faith is the one that can move it. In most spaces, I’ve been labeled the positive one or the one who sees the good in everything. However, when God unveiled my identity in Him, He revealed that all along, it was the Spirit of faith—a total trust, confidence, and reliance on God—that if there was no way, a way would be made. That only comes from walking by faith and not by sight. With our own eyes, we often see no way out, but sometimes the way out is in doing something only you and your crew have faith to do.
Faith-Filled Friends Work Together by Actively Pursuing Christ and Having Confidence in Him
“When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said, “Man, your sins are forgiven.” (AMP)
Now, this verse gets me every time because the Amplified version states it was their active faith which came from their confidence in Him. I could imagine Jesus, in my Jesus voice, saying, “Now look at this, these people really believe so much so they are carrying this man, and I know he’s heavy!” If I were Jesus, that would have done something to my own faith, and I believe that’s how God responds when He sees us all on one accord, acting as a group of believers. There’s a line in the song “More Than Able” by Elevation Worship that says, “Imagine what we could do with all this faith in the room.” I believe this man’s testimony not only changed the faith for himself but also for all those in the room because, remember, the room was standing-room only. So, imagine a crowd of witnesses seeing a man lowered through a roof and receiving healing. The point is, people are watching your friendships. They may never say anything, but many people gain faith just from seeing how you have faith for others.
So, when you are feeling faithless, call a friend, and when a friend is in need, you can always bring them back to the One who is more than able to meet their need!
Reflection: What is one thing you can do to evaluate the level of faith in your friendships?
“Love Always, In All Ways”
Who Do you think you are?
The hardest part about knowing who we are is overcoming what we think we are. A lot of us are still defining our lives by either the world’s standards or who we were in the past. If someone were to walk up to me and ask me how I defined myself before Jesus, I’d have to be honest and say that I was a liar, a thief, promiscuous, jealous, an addict, a victim and countless more negative things. This is part of the enemy’s plan.
Hey friend!
Now, don’t get offended! I didn’t mean to call you out in the title. I mean, I kinda did, but let me explain myself!!
This question “Who do you think you are?” has stumped and troubled me in the past, and if we’re being honest, it still does in the present. I believe I’m a lot of things; a wife, a dog-mama, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a creative, a homebody, and the list can go on and on. However, all of those titles don’t even scratch the surface on who I really am.
I’m chosen (1 Peter 2:9), fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14), set apart (Hebrews 10:4), anointed (2 Corinthians 1:21), a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10), called (2 Timothy 1:9), redeemed (Galatians 3:14), reconciled (Romans 5:11), and made new (2 Corinthians 5:17) - and so are you.
Do you believe that? If we crossed paths and I asked you this question out of the blue, would any of those things come to mind?
The hardest part about knowing who we are is overcoming what we think we are. A lot of us are still defining our lives by either the world’s standards or who we were in the past. If someone were to walk up to me and ask me how I defined myself before Jesus, I’d have to be honest and say that I was a liar, a thief, promiscuous, jealous, an addict, a victim and countless more negative things.
This is part of the enemy’s plan. He wants to keep us blinded so that we’re unable to see and believe the truth the Word of God says about our lives. The enemy wants us to dwell on our past mistakes. He desires to keep us in bondage to fear, shame, guilt, embarrassment and condemnation. BUT GOD.
When Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross for our sins and was raised back to life, by our belief, we too, were raised into a new life with Him (Romans 6:4). This truth is such a blessing and should challenge us daily to see ourselves how God sees us: completely worthy.
Do you walk around with the confidence of knowing that you are worthy?
Worthy of grace.
Worthy of forgiveness.
Worthy of unmerited mercy.
Worthy of the greatest sacrifice known to man.
I came to tell you today to walk like it. I also came to tell you that it should be what you think you are. Our thoughts are so extremely powerful. They impact our words, then our actions, then our futures. We need our thoughts to align with the truth and promises of God. So friend, I encourage you to pull out your bible (or the YouVersion app) and research the scriptures sprinkled in this blog. Get familiar with who God says, thinks and believes you are. You can also download this Scripture Affirmation List. I encourage you to print it out and hang it somewhere in your view daily to remind yourself of who you really are. Until next time,
Stay Inspired,
KO