If you’re not careful a whole summer can pass you by without you ever taking a breath or a moment just to relax. We were on vacation two weeks ago, and I had trouble laying down the concerns of the busy weeks to come. I was allowing the intense future schedule to poison what should be a relaxing vacation. The Lord spoke to my heart, “You’ve got a license to chill!” After He said that, I thought of all the scriptures that tell us not to worry about tomorrow. I asked God to forgive and to help me live in the present. I don’t want my family vacation to be a check mark on my list. I want to enjoy my life! Be encourage to take time and chill, don’t worry about anything.

Driving back home late the other night, my husband Jay and I were playing a game trying to guess the song from a one hit wonder. It was a fun game because honestly you cannot remember who sang the song. While we were playing, the Holy Spirit begin to talk to me about how our lives as a Christian, as a child of God, should not be a one hit wonder. Meaning, your greatest moment hasn’t happened yet with the Lord. You have not lived the best season yet of your life. We were made to see one victory after another victory through Jesus! We are more than conquerors winning more than one victory. Also in the book of acts, it says that we repent turn to the Lord and our sins are wiped clean so that times of refreshing can come from the presence of the Lord. So, the word times is not meaning just one time, but many times we are to experience a refreshing in the presence of God. It’s not just a one time event when we encountered God but time after time again we are in his presence. This will empower us to have a hit after hit when after when pursue God’s presence in our life!

If Jesus is your savior, then Jesus is your healer! When Jesus is the Lord of your life, not only does He move in and save you from your sins, He also comes as your healer. We need to have the same confidence in Jesus our healer as we do in Jesus our savior. Jesus paid the price for both. In the Bible, it says, “Forget not all of His benefits, who forgives all of our sins and heals all of our diseases.” Jesus forgives all and heals all. Today, be encouraged knowing your savior is also your healer!

Many times your own thoughts and reasoning will try to pull you off the perfect path God has intended for your life. In the book of Proverbs 3:5, you are instructed to lean not to your own understanding but in all our ways knowledge God, and He shall direct your path. You could say if you’ll listen to God, He’ll make your way straight. Sometimes, this can be easier said than done. Your senses want to control your decision making ability. If you can allow your spirit man to hear from the voice of God, and not be swayed by your own thoughts God will make your path a super victorious one.

What if we saw storms in life differently? I believe storms can reveal what is inside of us. Through the storm, what you are carrying will be revealed. If you’re full of fear, it will show. If you’re carrying peace, you will be calm. Storms reveal what is inside you. Without the storm, what you are carrying would not be able to come out of you. The purpose of a storm is to get you where God is calling you, not to destroy you. The storm was sent to propel you into your destiny!

You can recognize the voice of the Lord clearly in your life. In fact, the Bible compares us to sheep. The sheep on the farm know their shepard. They know his voice, his scent, and even his footsteps. The sheep rush to meet him when he enters the barn. There is a completely different reaction when a stranger enters. The sheep immediately flee and try to run to the pasture. In our lives, we need to be quick to hear our Shepard’s voice, the Lord Jesus Christ. Any other voice, we will not obey! We will follow Jesus, for we know His voice.

God spoke to my heart and said, “You’re first class in the kingdom.” I was preparing to speak at a meeting that had a Downton Abbey. If you’re familiar with that show, you know the first class people live upstairs and their servants reside downstairs. Immediately, I understood what God was saying. There’s no need for us as His children to live a downstairs life, feeling like a servant when we have been called sons and daughters of God. Through Jesus Christ, we have been made joint-heirs with Him. Therefore, you belong upstairs. The word of God tell us we have been raised with Christ and made to sit in heavenly places far above the powers of darkness. Stop living beneath your benefits of being a child of God. Come live upstairs!

Answer the call! God is standing at the door of your heart calling you into your destiny. You may ask, “How do I answer?” First, you much say yes to Jesus as the Lord and Savior of your life. Secondly, you must get in position to hear God calling. Think of it like this, ever miss a call on your phone because you were in a noisy place? The same can be true spiritually speaking. Distractions in your life can drown God’s voice. The best way for me to hear from God clearly and without distractions is when I am worshipping. God is looking for those to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Your worship will create the presence of God in your life making it so clear to hear from Him.

I remember being little and my parents saying, “Watch your tone!” My parents were never moved by whining or complaining. Our Father God is much the same way. He is only moved by faith. So instead of whining, start talking like a champ. Jesus has already won the victory. That is why we are instructed to shout unto God with a voice of trump. Watch your tone, change your attitude from a whiner to a winner and watch God move into victory.

I was thinking of this legal term called expunge. It means to erase or remove completely; to destroy or obliterate. A few years ago a friend asked us as her pastors to write a letter to the judge explaining how she had turned her life around for the better. She was successful in expunging a felony off of her record. It’s like it never happened! Her record is clean. Expunge is what the blood of Jesus does for us who choose to accept the wonderful gift Jesus provided when he died upon the cross for mankind. Jesus is the only legal advocate who can expunge our sins eternally!

In order for your faith to work rightly you need confidence and consistency. Confidence will come from knowing what God’s word says. When you know the promises of God, you can stand firm, boldly in faith declaring the word. For example, confessing, “We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ,” this is a language not of conceit but one of confidence. You must holdfast to that confession of faith. This is where consistency comes into play. We never change our confession of faith from the word. No matter the circumstances or what we feel like, we stick to the word. The word never changes, therefore we never change our minds. We confidently & consistently believe God and receive His promises by faith.

It is a challenge sometimes to say YES to what God is asking you to do. Think about it like this, there’s someone waiting in need on the other side of your obedience. Joyce Meyer said, “Obedience is far-reaching; it closes the gates of hell and opens the windows of heaven.” Your obedience comes with a great reward even affecting your children with the benefits. My little niece June, 2 years old, comes carrying Play-Doh to her mother knowing this is messy, she looks at her and says, “Say Yes!” This is so funny to me. She knows it might be messy, but it will be fun. What God is asking you to do may seem messy or even hard, yet if you SAY YES, there will be a great reward for your obedience. SAY YES, today to the plans of God.