Breaking News!!! Evil-fiery darts headed in our direction; take cover in the secret place (see Psalm 91). And, fear not; God has given us everything we’ll need. However, even though we have angels guarding us, the Word equipping us, and the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us, we still have to exert our faith in order to get maximum results.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy (1Peter 4:12-13).

Who’s the target?

When a fiery dart comes to interrupt our lives, we shouldn’t take it matter-of-factly with an attitude of: Oh well, that’s life. Darts hit for a reason. It’s important to identify the target, then if we can, find out what caused it in the first place. This will help us to strategize our counterattack. Think about it, we wouldn’t use the same type of brush to paint a house as we would to brush our teeth.

Darts aimed at us!

At the moment, I can think of two reasons (there are probably more) why darts would aim for us: 1. The consequences of our own making. 2. The enemy trying to kill, steal, and destroy us.

If the dart is because of our wrongdoings, and we’re not willing to repent, we can wield all the faith we have and stand in all the prayer lines in the world, but it won’t redirect that dart—

Bullseye!

But, if we have done wrong and we’re truly remorseful, God will forgive us. Subsequently, we might still have to bear the chastisement of our erroneous actions, but the good news is we have the power, love, and mercy of God to walk us through.

Quoting Scriptures not enough—DO the Scriptures!

Then there are those random darts of fear that will attack our minds; no fault of our own. When those strikes happen, we can’t just read or quote Scriptures; we have to do the Scriptures. For example, 1Timothy 6:12 tells us to fight the good fight of faith (action word: fight); Ephesians 6:13 tells us to put on the full armor of God (action: put on); verse 14 instructs us to put on the breastplate of righteousness and stand firm (action: put on and stand firm); verse 16 charges us to take up the shield of faith, and the sword of salvation (action: take up), and finally verse 18 directs us to pray always (action: pray).
We fight illegal suggestions (lies) that will attack our minds by exercising our faith. The devil hopes we’ll get tired of putting on the armor (suggestion: never take it off), but if we concede—he’ll take over our thoughts and control our lives.

Darts aimed at God!

A perfect example of innocent people who underwent fiery darts for our Savior is found in the second chapter of Matthew. In Bethlehem, King Herod ordered his soldiers to slaughter all male children under two years old in order to kill baby Jesus.

Today there are martyrs who are being persecuted; sparing not their own lives in order to spread the gospel to those living in restricted countries. There are people in our part of the world taking darts every day because of their love for God. You might be one of them who are ridiculed and hated because of your stance with Christ.

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you (John15:18-19).

As life unfolds, there’s no way to avoid all the fiery darts; even if you live a life of compromises and negotiations; buddying up to the enemy—trying not to tick-him-off. The devil will still throw evil darts as if to say, “You knew I was a snake.”

Darts won’t stop coming; stay in the secret place; “Do” the Word of God!

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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If we think a few gestures, gimmicks, and fancy religious words will fool satan into thinking we’re somebody that we’re not, then we’re sadly mistaken. We might be able to deceive one another, even ourselves, but the devil, the master deceiver, can spot a pretender. The kingdom of darkness only respects the Word when it’s spoken in faith by someone who has the backing of the Holy Spirit. Someone who has a close personal relationship with God. The devil will test us to make sure we are—who we say we are. And, to do that, all he has to do is wink; then check to see who’s still standing on the Word of God.

[God] He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved
(Psalm 62:2).

The seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-16 tried to cast out an evil spirit in a man when they said, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.” The enemy knew they didn’t have the authority to use the name of Jesus; therefore, the spirit looked at them and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” As a result, the evil spirit overcame them; they fled naked and wounded.

Our authenticity in Christ is our greatest weapon!

I don’t care how “smart” we think we are, as long as we’re in these human bodies we are subjected to deception. The Holy Spirit is the only One who can give us the wisdom to outsmart the deceiver. However, those of us who know God must be fully committed to His Word; then the enemy will recognize who we are in Christ.

Furthermore, we want him to know—that we know who we are in Christ. Also, we want him to know—that we know—we have been validated with the authorization to use the Lord’s name against the principalities of darkness.

Therefore: Through Christ—we can discern the evil devices and tactics in our lives. Through Christ—our steps are unimpeded, and when we run, we will not stumble (see Proverbs 4:12). Through Christ—we are able to walk by faith and not by sight (see 2 Corinthians 5:7).

We must stay prayed up, alert, and ready by faith to use our spiritual weapons; not as simulated mock-ups, but as genuine, undisputable children of God.

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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When it’s time to make decisions, we can read all the books; consult all the experts, re-research all the research, but it’s still incomplete, inadequate, piecemealed information without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is the only One who knows where the icebergs of our best laid plans are hidden.

Do we trust God’s insight?

We’ll never know everything about anything. That’s where are faith in God comes in. If we put our trust in the Lord, we don’t have to know everything—just Him. We run into problems when we want to take matters into our own hands and bypass the conditions that are required to walk by faith. It says in Proverbs 3:5-7 not to put our trust in ourselves.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Ponder this:

• Do I have faith in God’s insight to lead me down the right paths?
• How can I develop that level of trust in God?
• Can I let go of my wants and desires for His will?

Divine illumination

How wise is it to ignore God’s divine illuminating light shining on underlying factors? Our superficial understanding: will include people into our lives who we should exclude; will take the wrong job; marry the wrong person; buy the wrong house, only to leave us scratching our heads thinking—if the walls had only said something.

We know what we know, but is that enough? 

I’ve run into enough icebergs head-on to know not to make any choices on what I, or anybody else perceives to be true without the input of the Holy Spirit. My faith works best when I pray first; then wait to get clearance from God. Sometimes, however, I can’t discern His leading, but I’ve learned His silence is one of His techniques to develop my spiritual ear. Can I sense His Spirit by faith?

That’s when I slowly move in my desired direction knowing everything is going to be alright because I acknowledged and honored God before I ventured out. He will pull me back if I’m headed in the wrong direction if I’m paying attention; wanting nothing, but to please Him.

Would you rather hit an iceberg with or without God?

We won’t be able to circumvent every iceberg in our lives (see John 16:33; Psalm 34:19). Nonetheless, icebergs don’t have to take us down. God knows beforehand what’s ahead; nothing catches Him off guard. Therefore, when we depend on the Holy Spirit to walk us through; those hard-pressed encounters won’t destroy us, but will grow us.

God knows where the icebergs are—do you?

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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We routinely take the same route; red light stop—green light go; change lanes; turn right, turn left; go straight; more lights, and before we know it,

Tadaaahhh—we’re there!

When it’s time to leave, we robotically return home; stopping at the same lights and making the same turns. The brain automatically placed that boring commute into a human databank ready to perform on demand—great!

However, not so great when the brain automatically turns our praise and worship into a thoughtless religious-ritual. Even though we love the Lord, if we aren’t mindful of the enemy’s tactics, we could find ourselves worshipping from an archive of dead religious clichés.

It’s good to outsmart the brain, every now and then, so it won’t unexpectedly place our praise and worship into a powerless spiritual-database of routines. Our Lord deserves more than prefabricated praises.

Words without power equals no faith.

How can we tell if our praise has slipped into a mindless practice? We can tell because robotic spirituality lacks the power of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit is a part of our worship, He brings healing, comfort, and other aspects of His love. Also, we can tell we’re not linked to the Source when our faith yields too easily to doubt and unbelief.

The idea of worshipping turning into a ritual came to my mind the other day when I deviated slightly from my usual morning routine with God. Instead of praying before sunrise, the sun had already risen, and I changed from praying first to reading Scriptures. That’s when the devil told me my prayer wasn’t effective because I didn’t follow my regular format.

Red flag moment!

What the enemy said was so ridiculous that it made me stop and think: Am I so dependent on a mindless rigid routine (churches can be guilty of this, too) that the Holy Spirit’s freedom of expression is smothered? Are my praises coming forth out of habit or from my heart?

Worshipping God is more than a ritual.

We must honor God’s spontaneity. If He wants us to sit in silence and listen with our spiritual ear, or sing a song, or read His Word, whatever He wants us to do, we should be willing to relinquish our routine, and allow His Spirit to direct our praise.

Almighty God deserves more than a routine praise.

Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comey (Psalm 147:1).

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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We are witnessing what happens when global warming is ignored; glaciers melting causing water levels to rise; arctic wildlife threatened with extinction; weather patterns gone haywire, and air pollution worsening are a few problems that have been emerging. But there’s another type of global warming that should get even more of our attention:

Hell fires!

These demonic fires are melting away (among other things) our decency; the moral values of this world. What used to be wrong is now acceptable; what used to be right is now outdated and old-fashioned. The Word of God warns us not to compromise (see Galatians 1:6-7; Matthew 6:24; James 4:4).

So, how can we slow this inferno down? Notice, I said slow down; I’m not naive enough to think we can stop it altogether; these roaring flames began simmering sometime in the beginning. . . However, just because it started once upon a time, doesn’t leave us blameless without anything to do.

Don’t get pulled into this molten world!

Pointing fingers is not what I call doing something; if the truth be told, we are all playing a part in this meltdown, either by passively surrendering our self-respect to a perverted world, or by being a direct or indirect contributor. To delete moral decency and think everything will be fine, is like trying to hold water in our bare hands—won’t work! We must not give way to this demolition of values.

Fight fire with the FIRE!

God is the all-consuming fire (see Hebrew12: 25-29). Jesus came to earth and modeled how we should hold our stance against this meltdown. His armor (see Ephesians 6:10-18) when put under the most extreme conditions—won’t melt.

Fight indecency with decency!

Our love for Christ will give us the passion and the faith to stand on the side of right. The world might be slowly melting, but God’s people are standing firmly on the solid Rock.

• Treat people the way you want to be treated (see Luke 6:31).
• Give mercy the way you want mercy given to you (see Matthew 5:7; James 2:13).
• Leave vengeance to the Lord (see Romans 12:19).
• Overcome evil with good (see Romans 12:21).

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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Water dissolves sugar; gasoline dissolves oil; vinegar dissolves calcium, and God dissolves confusion. So, if you find yourself confused, call on God to dissolve it. And, since He’s not the author of confusion (see 1 Corinthians 14:33) guess where it’s coming from?

Are you confused about anything?

I’m constantly learning about the benefits children of God have through Jesus Christ. But, many of us don’t use our faith to receive these privileges because of a lack of knowledge (see Hosea 4:6). God’s Word serves many purposes; however, I feel one of those functions is far too often overlooked. We see the Bible in its broader sense, but what about how it offers practical advice for everyday mundane situations like being confused about something. Do we tolerate this spirit of confusion thinking it’s just a part of life, or do we oppose it vigorously knowing it’s not from God?

As I’ve stated, I’m still learning about the privileges I have as a child of God. But one thing I have learned, and that is not to put up with confusion. Confusion is a red flag for me to stop and call on the Almighty. He knows the way I should go; so, why not ask Him? I would like to share two examples of how God dissolved confusion in my life.

Example #1: I was in a church committee meeting when we found ourselves in a ball of confusion trying to decide what to do and which way to go in a matter. Around and around, and around we went until God put this into my spirit: Ask Me what to do?

When I told the committee what God said, we stopped and prayed. In a couple of minutes, we noticed the Holy Spirit had filled the room with peace and we were able to think clearly.

God dissolved the confusion.

Example #2: Back when I was an elementary school principal, I can’t tell you how many heated disputes I witnessed between parents and teachers. When the battalions came to my office, they each told their side of the story.

As they vented, I would sit silently at my desk, with my eyes automatically shifting back and forth to the person speaking at that moment. Anyone would have thought, “She’s listening intensely to everything that I’m saying.” However, the truth of the matter, I wasn’t listening at all, but instead my spirit was bowed down to God pleading and crying: HELP!

God always heard my cry and calmed the situation by telling me the perfect thing to say. All those conferences, and I do mean ALL, ended with either a handshake or hug.

God dissolved the confusion.

The devil loves it when he sees us wasting time trying to untangle commotion he instigated; instead of entertaining him, we should use our faith and get help. We should never assume we can handle the enemy’s plots without the help of the Holy Spirit, because even small elements of confusion can mushroom into something greater if ignored or mishandled.

Children of the Most High don’t have to tolerate what is not of God. We have certain rights, privileges, and benefits through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore—

Ask God to dissolve any confusion in your life!

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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When life drains all your fight-back energy, it can leave you feeling despondent. Nevertheless, even though you’re beaten-down and cornered in, you manage to find a tiny seed of faith that you humbly exchange for an enormous miracle. It’s not easy to believe such a meager offering will be sufficient for God to bring “it” to pass. However, He knows when you’re doing your best to trust Him. He can interpret your heart’s intent, and turn your little faith into a gigantic miracle.

God knows a seed’s authenticity.

In Luke 17:6 it says, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

If God said He will do it, then He will do it. If He spoke it, then it will come to pass (see Numbers 23:19). Unlike man, God can’t lie. He knows everything about the situation you’re facing; He knows what needs to be done, and He has the power to bring it to pass with your little, not quite sure, seed of faith.

That’s exactly the state I found myself in a few weeks ago when I was crying out for a miracle. As I was praying, the Holy Spirit brought Psalm 37:3-5 to my attention.

Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Let me tell you, when God interrupts your prayer in order to give you a Scripture, you better pay strict attention, and do whatever it says for you to do. Hold on to that Word; it’s your confirmation that it will come to pass if you met the conditions. Every time doubt tried to creep in, I used those verses like a Sword and chopped the enemy down. You can’t receive anything better when you are believing for an answered prayer than to get a direct Word from the Most-High.

Watch Me bring it to pass!

The Holy Spirit spoke to me directly from His Word. Not only did He speak His Word, but He empowered it with revelation as it pertained to my circumstances; He put the following in my spirit from Psalm 37:

• Verse 3 says to trust God and do good. God let me know that being kind was not my problem, however, trusting Him was a different matter. He enlightened me that my trust wasn’t where it should be; that I still doubt and worry more than I should. But He knows I’m working diligently on it as demonstrated in verses 4 and 5.

• Verse 4 says to delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. God put in my spirit that I do delight myself in Him, because the quality time I spend with Him is increasing out of the mere fact I want to be with Him. I include Him in everything that I do, and wouldn’t think about making a decision without His directions. The Holy Spirit knows I have an insatiable appetite for the things concerning Him.

• Verse 5 says to commit your ways to Him and He shall bring it to pass. God let me know that I’m doing the best, in my flawed ways, to commit to Him, and since I’m meeting the conditions of these verses, in spite of my imperfect understanding, He knows I’m sincere. Therefore, when the devil comes with a lie, I should confidently tell him, “That’s not a desire of my heart.”

I shall bring the desires of your heart to pass!

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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We are lit to light. Here’s what I mean: Our encouraging words could light the fire that will inspire someone to go after their dreams. A smile given to a despondent stranger could be the light that says: You have value. Even the hardships we have gone through, empowered us with the sensitivity, wisdom, and understanding needed to ignite faith to those hurting. We are lit so we can light the light—in others.

We are lit to bless.

If God had wanted our lives to be lived in isolation, He wouldn’t have put so many of us, jammed packed, on earth. These living conditions causes us, like it or not, to inner act with one another. To say it differently, we need each other. While I’m lighting your fire, someone is lighting a fire in me. Consequently, the gifts, talents, and other attributes that we are blessed with are lights to be shared.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house (Matthew 5:14-15).

We have no idea how many lives we are influencing.

But here’s the problem, the adversary doesn’t want us to share the blessings of God. Therefore, he will plant thoughts like jealousy, greed, and resentment. The devil doesn’t care what type or method of discord is used as long as it impedes our lights. Of course, we know these are not thoughts from the Holy Spirit; so, as soon as these ills are detected, we are to start pondering on godly things (see Philippians 4:8). And even if our hearts are pure from strife, the enemy will cause us to doubt that we have any lights to share.

Last week when I was volunteering at a food pantry, another volunteer spotted a client in distressed. The volunteer looked at me and said, “Somebody should see about her.” It struck me that the volunteer was the “somebody” with the light—it was her heart that was moved with compassion. How many times do we pass off our responsibilities to help when we are the somebodies with the light?

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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You’ll get no argument from me; I agree, there are some pretty scary stuff happening on this planet. There are bloodcurdling, run for your life, moments occurring somewhere all the time. It’s true, not every fear falls into the hair-raising category, however, they are still fears—no less.

Don’t fear the wrong fears!

As alarming as our personal everyday circumstances can be, many of those incidents don’t merit the caliber of fright we attach to them. Or, maybe I should state it this way: We allow the fears that are spawned from hell too much control over our lives. It tells us in Isaiah 14:12-17 that everyone will gaze upon satan and ask:

. . .Is this the man that made the earth tremble, that did shake kingdoms (vs. 16).

It sounds like he doesn’t deserve the respect of our fears. After all, he was thrown out of heaven; why would anybody be persuaded to follow him? The fears we validate the devil with are displaced! He doesn’t deserve our fright.

Be more afraid of what God will do when you disobey Him, than the devil.

And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him (Luke 12:4-5).

There’s nothing coming out of hell that a child of God should fear.

God has given His children the faith to be able to overcome anything discharged from the pit of hell (see Luke 10:19). The power we have shines light on the deceptive shadows of fear. What is there to fear if we have the faith to put on God’s armor? (See Ephesians 6:10-18.) You tell me, what demon can come against an angel of God? (See Exodus 15:6; Psalm 91:11-13.)

The other day when I was fearfully worried about something, God had me to remember an old familiar line parents used, and some are probably still saying:

“If you don’t stop crying, I’ll give you something to cry about!”

My heavenly Father’s message to me:

If you don’t stop worrying, I’ll allow something to worry about!

Whoa! I don’t have to tell you I straighten up—INSTANTLY. Fear and worry lost that round. As the Scripture in Luke warns: Fear the One who can cast you into hell.

Make sure your fears aren’t displaced!

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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It’s so good to know that when we come before God, we can drop our masks and be ourselves. Unlike dealing with people, we don’t have to put on a plastic smile to cover-up our tears; or fake a love from a hateful heart; or pretend to have faith when we’re really in doubt. But with God, it’s so refreshing to be able to come before Him just as we are; nothing pretentious, but down-to-earth openness.

Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. 2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications (Psalm 130:1-2).

God knows the real person behind the mask!

O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off (Psalm 139:1-2).

Even though God knows everything about us, it’s still necessary for our emotional healing to humble ourselves and express our honest feelings. How else can we get to the truth of the matter if we keep our true selves covered up? When we drop the masks (even the ones we wear privately) we might learn a few things about ourselves. What a relief it is to be able to take the masks off, and just be real with God. Whew!

God is multilingual—He translates our grunts, groans, and moans.

There is nothing that’s so awful or reprehensible that we can’t talk to God about. We don’t have to use pretty-flowery words; as a matter of fact, we don’t need words. Our groans and grunts will speak volumes. The pressures of life can sometimes have us feeling like we’re in a sealed can ready to erupt. How dangerous is it for that impact to explode at an inopportune time, like on our jobs?

God knows how to relieve the pressures.

But when you take your burdens to your heavenly Father, He will relieve the mounting pressures. All you have to do is approach Him by faith with a sincere heart. God will not tell your secrets; so, you can tell Him everything that is weighing you down. You can tell Him things you wouldn’t, and perhaps shouldn’t, tell another living soul. You can just be yourself and let the Holy Spirit comfort you as you confide in Him. He will hold you in His arms and lead you in the way you should go.

Afterwards, wipe your eyes and blow your nose, and keep trudging forward, because you have dropped the mask and received supernatural strength from the Lord (Psalm 121:1-2).

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

 

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The earnest-heartfelt prayers of the righteous, moves heaven. And when heaven moves—hell trembles. The enemy knows he can’t stand up to the power of the Almighty; therefore, his strategy is to come after us. Our challenge is to keep our faith in God.

The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working] (James 5:16b, AMP).

We shouldn’t let hell’s tremors frighten us.

There are times when life can throw us in sudden turmoil. However, we shouldn’t be frightened because our loving Father is monitoring the whole situation. There’s not a move hell can make that heaven doesn’t know about. That should give us all the comfort and assurance we need.

The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry (Psalms 34:15).

God knows how much weight we can take, and when the burden gets too heavy, He will make a move (see Corinthians 10:13). We might not think we can endure, but if the Holy Spirit allows it, His mercy will sustain us if we put our trust in Him. It’s the enemy’s mission to deceive us into believing we’re alone and no one cares. We don’t ever want to sit around and let those depressing thoughts occupy and take root in our minds. Instead, we should run to the Comforter (see John 14:26). Keep in mind, just because we can’t see anything happening, we know by faith there’s always movement in heaven.

I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears (Psalm 34:4).

In John 16:33b it says, In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

God has equipped us to be conquerors (see Ephesians 6:10-18). All we have to do is be obedient to His Word, and let Him fight our battles.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Isaiah 41:10).

When heaven moves, hell trembles!

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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Maybe I believe God will do it; maybe I don’t—just pencil that in. Don’t bother penciling “that” in; faith is written with permanent markers. Faith is not a social function where it’s acceptable to be penciled in when our plans are in doubt. When it comes to faith, either we believe or we don’t. James was straightforward when he said, don’t expect anything from the Lord if your faith is wavering.

. . .let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord

(James 1:6,7).

Penciled-in faith is not walking by faith.

Down through the years, I can’t tell you how many times I heard and read that Scripture. But today when I read it: BAM! This was an eye-opener for me. The Word of God is forever revealing on-time truths. That’s why we can’t read the entire Bible or even a Scripture and think: “I got this!” God continuously opens our understanding as the fluidity of His Word fits into all the nooks and crannies in our lives. There are no circumstances that can hide from or overpower God’s Word (see Hebrews 4:12).

Through the gift of faith, we are connected to that power. But far too often this gift is not received in a manner where it can exert its full potential. It can’t be over emphasized the need for faith development. Whatever level our faith is on; there’s always room for growth.

Our problems are too important to worry about.

How dear is the problem you’re praying about? Based on the Scripture in James, you know it’s not alright to sit around all day and worry about it. Not only is that a worthless endeavor, but it’s detrimental to getting your prayer answered. The familiar saying: “Less is more” can be applied here. The less you worry, the more supernatural power is generated. Pray for God’s will to be done, and do your required responsibilities concerning the situation. Outside of what’s required of you, dismiss it knowing: Heaven’s got it; so, what needs to be done, will be done.

Faith is a permanent marker—not a pencil.

When we put our trust in God, no matter what is known or unknown, we’re signing our confession with a permanent marker saying: I trust You Lord! As long as Peter kept his focus on Jesus, he was able to do the miraculous—walk on water. But as soon as he started paying attention to the harsh conditions that surrounded him, he began to sink (Matthew 14:28-31). Peter put more confidence in the winds and waves taking him down than he had in the Lord lifting him up. I guess one could say Peter’s faith was penciled in.

Penciled-in faith fades———————away!

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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Is there a fork in the middle of your plans, dreams, or ideas? Don’t fret. Sometimes those forks are divinely planted so you’ll have to stop, take a breath, and analyze the situation. Who knows—you might end up thanking God for that fork?

Stick a fork in it!

All obstructions should not be viewed the same. Some obstacles are there to block us from bad ideas; some are there to stop us from good ideas, while there are others strategically placed to grow and challenge our faith. And, to complicate matters even more, God’s ideas are not necessarily free from adversity. We can’t assume just because there are hurdles to jump over, and demons to bypass, that it can’t be God. Now of course, the only way we can really tell which-fork-is-which, is to ask the Holy Spirit.

Who put that fork on the road?

When the Holy Spirit tells us to overtake and conquer a fork, He doesn’t expect us to do it in our might (see Zechariah 4:6). Therefore, we shouldn’t turn away in defeat, but zero in and attack it in the in the power of God. How many blessings have we passed up because they weren’t handed to us problem free? Anybody can travel down forkless roads, but the victor is the one who knows how to step out by faith.

The only way we can walk in that realm of boldness is to have a close relationship with God. Think about the connection David had when he offered to go up against Goliath. He had more than a superficial awareness of his Lord. That’s why he affirmatively said, he was going to cut off Goliath’s head and give the carcass to the fowls of the air. David knew heaven would back up every word. (See 1 Samuel 17:45-47.)

Why is this fork on the road?

Well, the same God is here for us when we come up against forks in our lives. But, if we want the David type of results, we have to do what he did prior to receiving those results. David put in the time that is required to build such a strong unyielding bond.

If our plans, dreams, and ideas are God inspired, we can’t let forks stop us from moving forward; if we do, we won’t get much accomplished, because there will always be forks on the road.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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If the only time a Christian can sense the connection, power, and presence of the Holy Spirit is when they’re around spirit-filled believers, they’re in trouble. It’s that false sense of spirituality that will leave them scrambling and ill-prepared to endure the personal battles—which are coming. When the hardships show up, they’ll scream defenselessly that the devil is attacking them; but it could be God showing them they need “me time” with Him.

The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth
(Psalm 145:18).

The Word tells us to assemble ourselves with other believers (see Hebrews 10:25). Nevertheless, that doesn’t negate the importance of spending time alone with the Holy Spirit (me time). God will not let other people and things take His place in our lives. Therefore, some situations will require us to approach the Throne for ourselves. How can our faith grow if we only know of and about Him through other people?

Me time isn’t swappable.

The devil will tell us serving in a church can be substituted for our alone time with God. The enemy understands that a relationship with our Lord is our greatest weapon against the kingdom of darkness. He knows the more time we spend seeking the Lord, the better we become at distinguishing our Savior’s voice. He’s counting on the fact if we doubt our hearing, we’ll have problems being led. That’s another reason why the enemy will throw all kinds of hindrances in our way to keep us from this valuable time.

If you know this alone time is important but you’re having trouble, for whatever reason, setting time aside, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Ask Him to put a burning desire in your heart for some me time.

Developing a relationship with God should be our number one ongoing priority. I used the word ongoing because the majesty of our Lord is too grand to be understood in a single lifetime. His love, mercy, and grace will forever amaze us. However, we’ll never get to know Him in a personal way if we don’t spend personal time with Him.

Do your actions reflect your love?

Seek yea first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you (see Matthew 6:30). Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (see Psalm 37:4).

Simply said: We find the time to be alone with the ones we love. The people who have discovered how wonderful “me time” is, want others to enjoy this phenomenal experience. However, it’s one of the enemy’s secrets, and he will do whatever he has to—to keep it—a secret.

Our Savior deserves our “me time” with Him.

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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Think you got this? Are you sure you don’t want to wait on the Lord? He has a good plan already mapped out, but if you steamroll ahead—you’ll mess things up. And if that happens, the wait could take even longer, if not permanently derailed.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

Believe it or not, God knows what He’s doing!

There could be any number of reasons (none of which God has to discuss with us) why He wants us to operate within His time frame. He could be: ripening our fruit, developing our faith, preparing the manifestation, or maybe it has nothing to do with us directly, but more about other people who are in the equation. Then again, all these considerations, and others might be in play. All we have to do is relax; knowing the Holy Spirit will guide us, in His timing—in His way.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

When has jumping ahead of the Holy Spirit worked? I guess a better question would be: Who benefits, and who loses when we don’t wait? Anytime we don’t submit to the sovereignty of God, the enemy wins—we lose. If the enemy can’t sway us away from God’s plan entirely, he’ll pressure us to give birth—prematurely.

Making a conscious decision to step over God’s timing, is allowing pride (I know what’s best attitude) to dictate our actions. A prideful heart is an abomination to the Lord (see Proverbs 16:5).

Can’t clock faith!

Last week while waiting on God to answer a prayer, I found myself telling Him: I’ll be too old if you don’t hurry up. That’s when He reminded me that He knows how old I am. Not only does He know how old I am, but how many seconds I have left before I take my last breath. If what I’m waiting for is part of His plan, He will fine-tune, alter, and tweak what needs to be adjusted. Once we put a time limit on our ability to believe, it’s no longer faith.

Here’s how I know when I’m stepping ahead of God:

• God whispers in my spirit: Wait!
• I feel an uneasiness about moving ahead.
• A state of urgency attacks my emotions.
• My heart rate increases.
• I feel a supernatural push against my better judgment.

It took years for me to identify these five triggers. As time goes on, I’m sure this list will increase. Can you identify your warning signs?

Are you among the ones waiting on the Lord?

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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Got a mess on your hands? Is the enemy claiming victory? Don’t worry; he claimed victory at the crucifixion—until the resurrection. If your problem is due to your own wrongdoings, ask the Lord for forgiveness; repent, and don’t forget to forgive yourself (see 1 John 1:9; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 8:12). If the problem is not of your own making, but you’re in the middle of it, pray for wisdom (see James 1:5-7).

God can turn our messes into fertilizer!

If you follow my blog, you know I see the world as a giant classroom. Can’t help it; I used to be a teacher. All the adversities we go through can be valuable learning moments if we use our faith to locate the gems under all the chaos and negativity.

Our Almighty Creator can flip our messes in such a way that will leave us in awe. He can recycle the worst smelling garbage into sweet life-changing testimonies that will benefit generations to come.

It’s through those hardships where we learn our greatest most memorable lessons;
sooner————or later.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

The devil, on the other hand, will tell us that our situation is hopeless; he wants us buried down in so much guilt and shame that we can’t receive God’s love, mercy and grace. Instead of us leaning on our heavenly resources, the enemy would rather we come up with slicker ways not to get caught the next time—at least not until he’s finished using us.

However, trying to muddle through our circumstances without the Holy Spirit’s guidance is—piling mess on top of mess. But what’s so amazingly awesome about Him, even though we can make matters worse trying to fix things on our own, the Teacher will not waste even our arrogant, egotistical, self-righteous attitudes to teach us:

You can’t do it without Me!

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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During a conversation with a lady who had been a Christian for over sixty years, told me she couldn’t discern when the Holy Spirit was talking to her. As far as I know, this person truly loves and is dedicated to the Lord. However, she depends on other people to tell her what the Spirit wants her to do when making decisions. I’m not saying God won’t speak to us through others, but I am saying He wants a relationship where we can hear Him speak directly to our spirits. The role of other people should be confirmation. Worth noting: How can we tell if the person doing all our hearing doesn’t have a spiritual-hearing impediment?

Why settle for lunchmeat when you can have Filet Mignon?

Unlike some people, God doesn’t speak just to be talking. When the Almighty Creator speaks, we should be humbly-honored that He would say anything to us. We should never—take anything—God has to say—for granted! How many blessings have we missed because we couldn’t hear, then obey the commands from the Holy Spirit? God knows the way we should go; but can we hear it? (John 10:3-5)

We are better off being physically deaf than spiritually deaf.

The enemy wants us spiritually deaf; I wonder why? What doesn’t he want us to hear? He’ll tell us we can’t hear from God; but that doesn’t make any sense. How can we be guided daily by our heavenly Father if we can’t hear His directions? (Proverbs 3:5-6) How can we have an intimate relationship with someone we can’t communicate with? How can we understand God’s Word if we can’t hear spiritual revelations of the Word?

If we only take a religious approach to Christianity, we’ll miss the “meat” of knowing our Lord on a personal level. My precious spiritual moments weren’t within the walls of a church, or even with other Christians, but alone with the Holy Spirit.

What if Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Esther had been spiritually deaf?

I have never heard God’s audible voice; that’s not His typical mode of communication. However, some have experienced this rare phenomenon. For me, He speaks through: revelation of His Word, softly nudging my spirit, placing ideas in my mind, gut feelings, or just placing me in certain situations and circumstances where I can detect His leadings. I don’t always hear Him perfectly, but I’m not going to fall for the devil’s lie that he is the only one I can hear from.

Developing the faith to hear:

The more we hear a person’s voice, the more we are able to distinguish their voice from others. We learn God’s expressions the same way. Spending quality time alone with Him familiarizes us with His voice. When what we’re hearing lines up with His Word, then we must step out on faith, and act as directed. Still if we’re not sure if it’s God talking, tell Him why you’re unsure.

When I’m uncertain, I step out on what I think the Holy Spirit is leading me to do; as long as it lines up with His Word. I slowly walk in that direction asking Him to redirect me if I’m headed the wrong way. This is when I pay particular attention to the slight: nudges, promptings, gut feelings, and circumstances.

Another good way to develop your spiritual ear, is to jot down and date what you think the Holy Spirit is saying to you. Of course, I use the Paulette Talks Faith Journal and I recommend that you do, too. Nevertheless, the main point is not what you use to record, but that you record what you think the Spirit is directing you to do. When you write down what you think you’re hearing, it draws your focus to your spiritual ear.

If you mistake the Holy Spirit’s voice, don’t let the enemy discourage you. Those experiences will uncover the many deceptive voices of the devil; all the while, teaching you to better distinguish God’s voice.

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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If you’re not holding on to faith—check yourself; you might be clinging to fear. Faith places you on the Rock; fear dumps you in the rocks. Why would anybody choose to hold on to the very thing that frightens them; the thing that stops their progress; the thing that causes them to doubt God? My guess is for the same reason people repeatedly take harmful drugs; they’re addicted.

Fear’s intended purpose is to keep us from harm or from doing something harmful. But when the devil perverts it, fear becomes a vile tool to control our lives; a way to keep us loaded with burdens. He doesn’t care if our phobias are real or imaginary; as long as the results sway us from God’s plan.

Don’t negate your faith with a “yeah but” fear.

When a person knows the enemy is lying, yet they accept and respond to his illegal suggestions as truth; they are addicted to fear. Not everyone, of course, has this problem, but those who do must realize—something is wrong when unsubstantial worries always cloud their good news with a “yeah but” response. Think: Who benefits if the good news doesn’t come into fruition?

What is the devil up to?
Why is he trying to scare me?

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
(2 Timothy 1:7)

Intervention: Revelation of God’s love.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)

When fear continuously bombards our thinking, we should examine our relationship with God.

• Do we have a practical understanding of God’s love for us? If not, we can be easily seduced by fear tactics.
• Is our relationship with God strong enough to believe His Word over the devil’s lies? If not, ask Him to identify where the vulnerable areas are, and reveal ways to overcome them.
• The best intervention is to consciously involve the Holy Spirit in every aspect of our lives. What is there to fear when God is with us?

When we have an intimate relationship with God—

We won’t be addicted to fear.

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:26, NIV)

© 2019

See you next week on Paulette Talks Faith.

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