Encouragement Ink

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Regardless


The Living Bible

WHAT DID GOD SAY TO ME THIS MORNING

Have you ever had a regardless approach to anything in your life? You know where you are bold enough to say, regardless of what you say about me, think about me, or do to me, I’m still going to ___________(fill in the blank)? It’s almost like an “I don’t care” attitude, but it seemingly has more of a no-nonsense power behind it. That was the mood I woke up in this morning!

As I got up at 5 a.m. this morning to pray, I could tell it was cold outside. Y’all know I upgraded my mattress a few months ago and when I first got it, I definitely struggled with the “regardless” attitude. Matter of fact, I am just going to be honest, my attitude was more of a “push” than a regardless. Push means I had to push myself to realize that my prayer time can’t be replaced with pillow time. Push meant I had get up and pray because somebody needed my prayers and God needed me to pray those prayers, so that His will can be done on earth as it is in heaven. Without me and you, that simply can’t happen. You get that right? We are the hands and feet of Jesus. What He wants to happen here on earth is up to us. Whether you’re in a push season or a regardless season… GET UP AND PRAY!

So anyway, this morning, I got up and prayed a bold prayer. It was a regardless kinda prayer:

  • Regardless of how I feel

  • Regardless of how it looks

  • Regardless of my circumstances

  • Regardless of whether God answered that last prayer

  • Regardless of my energy

  • Regardless of how much sleep I got

  • Regardless of ____________(fill in the blank)

Regardless, I AM STILL GOING TO GET MY BUTT UP TO PRAY AND PRAISE THE NAME OF JESUS!!

Regardless of how cold it was on my floor, I laid myself flat on my face this morning in the prayer closet and prayed in the Spirit knowing that my prayers were necessary! When I got up to read the Word of God, I paused and started singing. Now I am going to just be honest with y’all because you’re my people. LOL! I mix songs like a mix master during prayer time. They wouldn’t go together TO YOU, but for me and my praise time, I am singing whatever comes to me to sing. LOL! Sometimes I hear myself and chuckle, because I believe the God who created me has as much of a sense of humor as He wired within me to have. So I laugh a lot when I am in the prayer closet because the Holy Spirit says some funny stuff to me.

I laugh in the Spirit too as I am praying. And I truly believe I am laughing at the enemy sometimes with an attitude of “you thought” LOL LOL LOL LOL! You thought you were going to throw me off with that crazy mess I saw on IG. You thought you were going to throw me off when my car started smelling like a wire had burned. You thought you were going to throw me off with that random person who said the wrong thing to me. BUT NAH…REGARDLESS OF ALL THAT…I AM STILL GOING TO GET MY BUTT UP TO PRAY AND PRAISE THE NAME OF JESUS!

Okay back to opening my Bible and reading the Word. I flipped to Isaiah 41 and 42. But y’all know when you flip open your Bible for the scriptural surprise (The Word from the Lord for that moment), He will show you everything you need to see (especially if you specifically ask Him to do that like I did).

The first thing I saw was Isaiah 40:31!!!!! YES SUUUUHHH!!! See sometimes you don’t know what you need, but the Holy Spirit does. I feel like I am good right now in my waiting season, but the Holy Spirit made sure I was prepared this morning with a nice reminder:

But those that wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 NLT

See, I don’t know what’s coming today or this week that will cause me to have to wait, but the Lord wants me to have the right perspective in my waiting.

A few other verses that stood out in my reading were Isaiah 42:20 where it says, “You see and understand what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear, but you don’t really listen.” To bring context to the text, this is about Israel’s failure to see and listen. Basically their lack of obedience to the Lord.

I don’t know who this is for this morning, but the Holy Spirit is saying why won’t you listen and why are you refusing to do what is right when you know good and well what’s right to do? I know at one point that message was for me. I knew what was right to do, and still refused to do it because I just wanted things to go my way, but then I would get caught up and come back to the Lord and want Him to get me out of it or fix it. The Lord really would prefer us to just be obedient from the get-go, verses having to come in and patch up our mess-ups, especially when we knowingly go in the wrong direction.

What’s interesting to me is how I used to pray backwards. I would go do what I wanted to do and THEN pray about it. Like seriously!!! That’s backwards! If I took that same approach in other areas of my life, people would be like…why are you doing it that way when the right way is like this? Why drive north when your destination is clearly south? Why stay in a relationship, when you know it’s bad? Why do you we do this to ourselves and then want the Lord to clean it up? Stop! Turn around (aka repent). Pray. Listen. Write. Act.

Pray = Talk to God.

Listen = Hear what He has to say about everything in your life.

Write = Take notes on what He says to you so you won’t forget.

Act = Execute on the assignments He gives you.

When you know the formula, you follow it right? When you know the recipe, you follow it. When you know the strategy for success, you follow it. So that same approach and FOLLOW JESUS…He came here on earth to BE THE MODEL FOR LIVING HERE THE RIGHT WAY!!!! The Bible shows us exactly what to do y’all. So why do we STILL think our way works? News Flash…IT DOESN’T!!! Don’t debate me on this! You won’t win! LOL!

Okay, and finally, here is what else the Holy Spirit said to me this morning:

  • Keep serving Me with gladness.

  • Keep serving Me with a smile :-)

  • Keep emptying out yourself and letting Me fill you up!

  • Continue studying My Word.

  • Continue sharing My Word. I will give you opportunities to share it. And always be the you that I made you to be, when you share it!

  • I love you Fon (Isaiah 43:4)

Before I go, there was one other verse that grabbed my attention this morning. It was Isaiah 42:1 which says this, “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will reveal justice to the nations.” Isaiah 42:1 NLT.

Be encouraged today to have a REGARDLESS kind of prayer life, a REGARDLESS kinda praise life, and simply follow the model of Jesus by being obedient and full of service to others. He has chosen you. He has strengthened you. He has put his Spirit upon you. Now YOU just have to make sure He is pleased with you with what you do every single day!

Hearts & Hugs & Love!

P.S. Have you gotten a signed copy of my book, Permission Slips yet? You did? Great! Now it’s time to get one or more for your family and friends for Christmas! Order your gifts today. An inspirational book signed by the author never gets too tight in the waist. LOL :-)


SALVATION PRAYER

If you’re not a believer and have a desire to be, openly confess and declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). When you pray that prayer out loud, you are saved. Get connected with a good, bible-based church in your community and start having a conversation through prayer with God every day. And let me be the first to welcome you to your new life with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. YAAAAY!!!!! You made the best decision you could ever make! Feel free to email me at info@onassignmentbyGod.com and let me know about your newfound life or if you need prayer for anything.


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