Thursday, July 28, 2011

Every Little Step We Take

Proverbs 3:5-7
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do,
everywhere you go;
He's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.

Things are a bit hectic these days,  all around us, and at times even in our own homes.  It seems like there is always a decision to be made, an issue to be addressed.  If not by us, by someone that is connected to us that often relies on us for a wise word...for an answer.

There may be days when we become physically and spiritually weary.  However, with every step we take, with every move we make, we must remember like never before to Trust in the Lord with all of our Hearts, and Lean not to our own Understanding.  We cannot be tempted by quick fixes, nor lured in by fleshly pride that wants us to believe that we know exactly "what Jesus would do" because we've been walking with Him for a minute. No. We must Acknowledge Him, Inquire of Him, and then Submit to Him all of our ways, and His promise is that He will direct our Paths.

The Answers.  You see, He has the answers. He knows the Plans He Has for us.  So, here it is again.  Every little step we take, Every little move we make, we keep God first.  He is here for us.  It is a proven fact; while we are trying to figure it out, He's already worked it out.

Copyright 2011 - Victoria L. Burse
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Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Patience in my Process

1 Corinthians 2:9
King James Version (KJV)

 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor Ear heard, neither have
 entered into the Heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love Him.

While many are unaware, you are not. You know exactly what it is God has called you to do. You have dreamed it, seen it in visions, and perhaps even had an opportunity to live in it for a moment. In both spiritual and practical ways, you have felt the anointing that rests upon you, the shear excitement and the exhilaration, as you go forth in your destined area.  You have been given a Glimpse of your Destiny!

However, it seems that all you can point to at this time is that glimpse. As you scan your sphere at work, at home, or wherever you spend your time these days, nothing in the natural looks anything like what God has shown you He has for you.

Be Encouraged, you are in Process.

Often God will allow you a glimpse of where He is taking you, and then pull you back in. I clearly remember it almost feeling as if I were being drawn back in from the wrong end of a vacuum cleaner. It is as if He says. Daughter, or Son…. Here is where I am taking you….Now, here is your first step. And that first step can seem like a step down; it may be in the natural, but in the Spirit, it is not.

No matter what you have seen or think you have seen, or what you have heard, or think you have heard, you cannot comprehend the fullness of what God has in store for you without the time, the experience, and the intimacy that is developed with God while you are in “process.”

I am convinced that God can and does use everything, and every situation, that is a part of your life at this very moment to prepare you for your next step. You consider it a dead end job – God is using it to build up the patience and endurance you will need as you start your own business from the ground up and experience the frustration of things not “taking off” as fast as you would like them to. You are frustrated because you are not working at the moment; God often uses these times to teach us of His sufficiency and daily provision, as well as the difference between a want and a need. It is essential that you understand this as you oversee and properly steward the finances God releases unto you to fund your dream. I could go on and on, but I think you see where I am headed with this.

If you only have a glimpse of the Blessing, then in the same vane, you really only have a glimpse of what it will require of you to stand and endure – under the weight and responsibility of the Blessing God has in store for you.

Don’t waste this time second guessing God…ask Him moment by moment what He has for you to experience and learn right where you are. In His time, when He is sure that you have grabbed hold of Him, and the important lessons of this season of your life, He will surely usher you into the next phase. May the Lord, grant you Patience in your Process!


Copyright 2011 - Victoria L. Burse

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Playground or Battleground

Matthew 18:18
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The madness has gone on for days. Finally, we think “now wait a minute, this is really crazy, something is not quite right. Oh, I see, this is an attack; an attack of the enemy.” We shake ourselves, and God then reminds us of two important things.

First, our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with principalities, powers, and the ruler of darkness of this world. We can’t conversate or compromise with the devil. We must simply “Bind (tie or fasten to render immobile) him up."

Second, God has given us exactly what we need to overcome this type of battle and the Weapons of our warfare are not carnal (temporal or worldly,) but mighty, and able to tear down Strongholds.

So why does it take so long for us to see through the madness? Why do we linger in situations far to long, striving in our own power? Why do we not immediately remember to use our spiritual weapons; to Bind up… what we know is not of God, because it is confusion… and God is not the author of confusion!

We need to be more Spiritually ALERT, (prayerfully watchful, prepared, and ready to act.)
It seems to me it boils down to this one question. “Am I on the Playground, or am I on the Battleground?” You do not fight a war, using the plastic playground toys you take to the park or to the beach. And when we take a stand against the enemy, we are to use God’s Strength, and open His war chest of spiritual weapons. We cannot fight a spiritual battle in the earthly realm.

I’m finished now. It’s Thursday, the week is not over yet. I shall recover, and you shall too. God has given us the KEY. We find the specific instructions in His Word.
Be Encouraged. You may have lost one battle, but you can still win the WAR!

Ephesians 6:10 – 18 (The Message Bible)
10 -12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

13 -18 Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.


Copyright 2011 - Victoria L. Burse

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Doing the best I can with what I have! Christ Centered Stewardship!

Matthew 25: 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.


The word of God admonishes that we are to be good stewards of our time, our talents, and our treasures.  Well, what does stewardship mean?  Stewardship is defined as follows: administrator, attendant.  Some synonyms for this word are: custodian, keeper, trustee, even servant.  Well I ask you, which of these denotes ownership.  The answer is None of the above.  Actually, they all denote a place of one who is taking care of something which belongs to someone else.

I wonder if we have forgotten the words of the old Christian song, All that I own belongs to Jesus. They are very simple, yet very profound.  You see, all we have belongs to Him.  This includes our material possessions, jobs, homes, cars, money, etc...Our physical bodies, our children.  Spiritually, it includes our hearts and minds, and emotions.  Everything, everything belongs to Jesus.

Well what then does that say for ownership, does that crush the American dream to own a fine home, or be a CEO, or an entrepreneur - owning your own business, No, certainly not, it simply means, don’t forget how you got there, who allowed you to be there, who gave it to you.

Let’s further explore owning versus managing.  Let’s take a  different look at the parable in Matthew 25, of the men who were given the talents by their master.  Certainly it is true that the servant who did nothing but bury the talent given to him by his master, did not handle the gift wisely, but there is one attitude that was pervasive, and the same among the three.  They understood that what they had was given to them, and still owned by someone else, so they choose to do what they thought was best to protect it. 

Now, for the one who held on to the talent, give him just a little credit.  He did understand that it was not his to do with as he chose.   At least he did not leave town and not return, thus stealing the talent.  So in short, we can say he was a steward over this talent.  But, the word says we are to be a Good Steward.  Now, was he a good steward, no, he did not do the best he could have with the talent.  Actually, he hid it away.  In the other servants, as opposed to the one, was the desire to take what was given to them, and to make it produce more, so that they would have more to present to their master.  Let’s also keep in mind that at a given time, they had to present back to their master what they had done with the talent, as will we.  The question is, will God be pleased?



My point; realizing that all we have does not belong to us; we are simply managing it for the Lord.  Even if we are a CEO, we will one day have to present what He has loaned to us, back to Him.  What will we be presenting?  Will we have done the best with what was given to us?  Will what He gave have produced fruit?  Have we been wise and used wisdom in our management?  Have we allowed someone else to take what was given us?  Have we allowed what was given to simply die, because of lack of use and nurturing by us?  Think about what He has given you.  Has he given you the ability to write, or to sing, or a keen business mind? Are you using it? If so, how are you using it?  If not why aren’t you using it?  Has fear gripped you as it did the one, so that you have buried this thing away, simply to return it as it was given to you some 30, 40, or 50 years ago, while you were in your mothers womb.  Or, are you, like the one, keeping the talent to yourself, it is in use, but it is not being shared?  If Christ had to give you a reference to another employer based on your managerial skills, what would that reference be like?  He does you know, for the word tells us that he intervenes and intercedes for us daily to God the Father.

Review your Stewardship this week, while taking comfort in the fact that you are not CEO of your life.  The stress level is actually a little less.  As the word says, we don’t have to worry about our needs being supplied, our CEO does that; we only have to be concerned with managing them. 

If we do this, I believe some of us will find we have been working a little harder than we ever needed to...
Copyright 2011 - Victoria L. Burse