YOU CAN COME TO ME

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Revelation 3:20 NIV

Recently I was having some trouble in my relationship with God. Not very happy with the status quo. I was praying real prayers like "Lord please make me glad that I gave You my life". I tried to listen to Charles Stanley on the InTouch Ministries app, and that usually makes me feel better, but not this time. His message of "Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him" is less encouraging when your obedience has brought undesirable results.

As fate would have it, I left the TV on a channel I seldom watch, which was airing a show I never watch. They began singing a song and I had that familiar feeling of being serenaded by God. How many times has God serenaded me with beautiful love songs; always just what I need at the time. 

Here is the song entitled You Can Come to Me on YouTube. I hope you will listen to the lyrics and imagine God singing over you. 

Waiting When God is late.

11 but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?”

Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. 12 So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”

1 Samuel 13:11-12 NLT

Anointed Messages has a text ministry. Subscribers receive a prayer at 8 am and/or the daily text at 3 pm. When God gives me a message I store it in a file and schedule it for the appointed time. 

I like having a storehouse of messages. I like when the queue is full and messages are scheduled in advance. But every now and then I don't have a message as the time approaches. There's a temptation to come up with my own message for the sake of being on time. But it's God's ministry, and the messages must be God's - not mine. God eventually shows up with the perfect message.

From Abandoned to Beloved

The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.

Psalm 118:22 GNT

When God called me to leave Chicago and move to Houston I left my cat Imzadi with my mother because he hated traveling, and I didn't think he'd adjust well. Following is an excerpt from my journal in which God spoke to me.

Journal Excerpt

Another message from God to me is Mom told me that Imzadi now loves the water dispenser I bought for him. Just like the cat bed I got him he didn’t show any interest in it at first. I was so hurt and disappointed in both cases because I bought them with hopes they would make him happy only to find him showing no interest at all. In both cases he just suddenly changed, and now he loves them both. He spends most of his time in that cat bed and he drinks excessively from the water dispenser. I got both because I know Imzadi and I thought I knew what was best for him. Well I was right after all. So my encouragement was it ain’t over, people do change, and that which was ignored and abandoned can still be loved.

Heavenly Father

You know us thoroughly and completely. At times it seems that You are leading us to people and places that aren't a good fit for us. But things can and do change, and You always know best. Help us to trust You in every situation.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,

1 Peter 2:4 ESV

But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'

Jeremiah 30:17 NIV

Lord thank You for the TROUBLE

Follow this link for the most beautiful version of this message.

 

A Message from Anointed Messenger

Why am I thanking God for trouble? Because it sets me up for double.

Recently I ended my free trial with my text delivery service and switched to a paying plan. You can read the message about how God miraculously provided here. However the day after the trial was scheduled to end I noticed the daily text did not go out at the scheduled time, and I could not access my account. The error message I received said a payment needed to be made. 

After contacting the text delivery service they extended my trial two days so they could solve the problem. 2 days later again I could not access my account for lack of payment. I was frustrated. Was this going to happen every time? Why couldn't they resolve this issue? I didn't want to deal with this problem repeatedly.

Giving Up So God Can Show Up - and Show Out

 For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
Acts 5:38b-39 NIV

A Message from Anointed Messenger

You may be aware that Anointed Messages has a text message ministry. Initially I invited a few people to receive texts, and then I mentioned it in devotionals to subscribers, and then on Facebook. The ministry grew and I could no longer send out texts using my Google Voice number. I shopped around for text delivery services but they can be rather expensive. Most charge per text sent, plus monthly fees. To send out a text everyday to a group of people can easily cost hundreds of dollars a month.

By the grace of God I found a service that is more affordable, and a friend volunteered to pay the costs as a seed. I thought that was really wonderful, but somehow we had miscommunication about how she would sow the seed. My free trial was drawing to an end and there was no further discussion about the money. I was tempted to inquire about it, but I’d already told God that I was leaving it all in His hands. If He didn’t provide the money then it wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t going to “help God” by trying to make it happen.

Mean People

An Anointed Message from Anointed Messenger

Confession: I don't enjoy people who do bad things to me. When someone is mean or cruel or disrespectful to me, I don't want to be around them. I don't seek them out. I don't go looking for them, in fact I try to avoid them. [In my finer moments I am eager to share with difficult people the Jesus in me that I know they desperately need.]

Child Things are Gonna Get Easier

Click here for the most beautiful version of this message.

 

A Message from Anointed Messenger

Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine.
Jonah 4:6 NIV

Receive this Word from the LORD:

The song Ooh Child was featured in the blockbuster film Guardians of the Galaxy (which was awesome BTW), and I was reminded of a time when God sang it over me.

Obey God & Leave the Consequences to Him

Click here for the most beautiful version of this message.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

A Message from Anointed Messenger

Journal excerpt

I do have some good news to share. On Pinterest I looked for photos by Charles Stanley (he’s a great photographer) and I saw “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.” I remembered when that was my motto, when I tried to obey and trust God for the consequences. But I felt like God led me into so many

GOD DOESN'T WANT TO HURT YOU

Click here for the most beautiful version of this message.

A Message from Anointed Messenger 

I had been having a really rough week when I came across the scriptures from Lamentations 3:31-33. Wow did they minister to my heart! Even though we may know in our minds that God loves us unconditionally (although many don't truly know that fact), there are times when circumstances get to us such that we need reminders and reassurance that God still loves us, and He doesn't enjoy causing us sorrow. God if You love me why are You allowing me to walk down this painful road? I AM because I love you, He replies.

After the Storm

A Message from Anointed Messenger

I exchange texts with my oldest brother everyday, and lately the weather in Chicago where he is, hasn't been much different from the weather in Houston where I am. If it was 91 here it was about 88 there. But recently there was a terrible storm in Chicago. Lots of lightning and thunder and many people lost electric power. I was concerned for all the people affected by the storm.

SAFE TO HOPE

A MESSAGE FROM ANOINTED MESSENGER

Anointed Messenger Journal Excerpt Mon 9/29/08

Last night I spoke with [my friend] and she sounded sad. I thought the [Chicago Bears football team] must be losing [a common cause of sadness amongst Chicagoans], but she said they were ahead. So why was she so sad? She said it was only the 3rd quarter. At first that seemed puzzling but I recalled that last Sunday everybody was excited about the Bears game. They were shouting and excited and cheering. It was a pretty intense game and went into overtime. The Bears had the lead in that game too but in the end they lost.

ACCEPTING GOD'S ANSWERS

A Message from Anointed Messenger

I had been praying intensely for someone and that person was suddenly fired from a good job which he'd had for years.  My first reaction was shock and worry, then I realized this could be God's answer to my prayer. This could be the thing that drives him to a closer relationship with God. There was no point being angry with the company that fired him; they were likely just pawns in my answered prayer.

REALIZE WHO YOU'RE WORKING FOR

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24 NLT

A MESSAGE FROM ANOINTED MESSENGER

I heard about a woman who went to law school just to learn how to study the Bible. She didn't know it at the time; she thought she was studying to become a lawyer. She went through all that training and education

Faithful - Not Stubborn

Heavenly Father

I know a big part of faith is being open to Your timing and Your ways. Help me release all preconceptions about how things should be. I realize faith doesn't mean refusing to budge from my position; but submitting to Your instructions. I want to be sensitive to Your voice, like Abraham the father of our faith. Help me go with the flow even if there appears to be a change in instructions.

More Trust Required

A Message from Anointed Messenger

I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden.
      I look to the south, but he is concealed.   
"But he knows where I am going.
      And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
  For I have stayed on God's paths;
      I have followed his ways and not turned aside.
  I have not departed from his commands,
      but have treasured his words more than daily food.
 Job 23:9-12 New Living Translation

Tangled Paths of Righteousness

A Message from Anointed Messenger

A couple of weeks ago I shared that I felt God led me to cancel a prayer meeting so I could take advantage of an investment opportunity. [Following God's voice wherever it leads] I then shared that the investment opportunity turned out to not be such a good deal. [We make mistakes, but God does not.] I assumed I made a mistake in following God, but now I recognize that route was all part of the plan. 

From Zig Ziglar Facebook

Denied or Protected?

Receive this WORD from the LORD:

A Message from Anointed Messenger

I have a friend who is raising a small boy as a single parent. Recently her son came to her and asked her not to marry anyone. Perhaps he was afraid that a husband might take his precious place in his mother's heart. He may have also feared that he would be excluded from the relationship. 

Changing Seasons

A Message from Anointed Messenger

² He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ ³ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.^[a]

Matthew 16:2-3 NIV

Recently the weather has been changing so much it's hard to know how to plan for it. I know people often complain about changing weather patterns. There's a common saying "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes and it'll change." Lately that seems to be a reality. The outfit my friend wore to church was comfortable when she arrived, but by the time service was over she was cold due to the changing weather.

We make mistakes, but God does not.

A Message from Anointed Messenger

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 New International Version

Yesterday I shared that I cancelled a prayer meeting to attend an investment seminar. [Read that message here.] I had a persistent feeling I needed to cancel/reschedule an upcoming prayer meeting. When the date of the follow-up seminar coincided with the date of the prayer meeting I thought I'd figured out why I needed to cancel. Well there was a very interesting turn of events.

Following God's voice wherever it leads

A Message from Anointed Messenger

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 
Matthew 2:9 New Living Translation

Like many of you, I start my day with devotional time. That's time devoted to the Lord in prayer, bible study, praise and worship, and general fellowship with God. Recently I was in devotion when I had an uneasiness about an upcoming prayer meeting I was scheduled to host in a little over a week. I felt like I should cancel or reschedule it. Canceling a prayer meeting hardly seemed right and holy so I tried to shake it off but the feeling persisted.