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Word for the Year: Joy

John 15:9-11 (AMP)  I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me; remain in My love [and do not doubt My love for you]. If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.

I tend to be joyful person. I have been through some trials in life, and I have been known to complain when it did happen thinking that I had a sympathetic ear. I have learned to not because some people used it against me. If you do not know this about me, my husband and I took over as the pastors of our church about thirteen years ago. Before that we served as associate and assistant pastors at the same church for nearly thirteen years. This has apparently given license for people to correct me from those that I submit to and those that I serve. I have had comments from “I love to see you serve me,” to “you are going to hell.” Then there are those that weaponize my words or actions, just to see me get corrected yet again. I have been hurt by people like you would not believe, but yet I am still here.

So, when God gave me the word “joy” for 2026 my first thought was “what is going to happen now?” The first book in the Bible I read for this year was Habakkuk. We ended 2026 in our church with not very good attendance, but deeper growth for those that wanted it and better giving. We ended 2026 not in a new building, as we had hoped for all year long, and now entering year seven in someone else’s building. We even got really close the last month of the year. So, I cried out to God, why? That is when I got the word “joy.” Habakkuk starts off in chapter one with, “O Lord, how long will I call for help and You will not hear?” When we have doubts about His goodness, He is still faithful. I read this book over and over again for a full week. God said He would show up in a mighty way. God told Habakkuk it would get worse before it got better. Yet Habakkuk responded in faith.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (AMP) Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive fails and the fields produce no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord; I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation! The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army]; He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds’ feet and makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on my high places [of challenge and responsibility].

With every time correction has come into my life, I have checked it against the Word. When it lines up with His Word, I accept it gladly. It is a discipline from the Lord. He will help me change this within me. One thing I never did was bite back or disrespect the person it came from, even when malice was intended for me. I am grateful for the people that allow me to speak into their lives. I have learned from experience what it means to genuinely care for others. If we are afraid of correction, then we are missing out on something that is necessary for our spiritual maturity. There are so many babies still in the body of Christ because people are not allowing Word of God, the fivefold ministry and the body of Christ to do what they were given as gifts for.

The next book I read was Philippians. Paul is in prison, literally chained to a person that was guarding him, writing this letter. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Happiness depends on our circumstances. Joy depends on our relationship with Christ. Paul had a confident assurance of God’s love and work in his life and the life of fellow believers. The secret to joy is grounded in our relationship with Christ. There are some that say, “I have lost my joy.” Have you lost Christ? Look back at John 15. Jesus is telling us the importance of our abiding in Him (our relationship with Christ). It all goes back to love. The real reason we have lost our joy, is because we have become self-involved. We look out for our own self-interests. We start asking “what about me?” We can have joy, even in hardships. Joy does not come from our circumstances. We are not to rely on what we have or what we experience to give us joy, but Christ within us.

Philippians 2:1-5 (AMP) Therefore if there is any encouragement and comfort in Christ [as there certainly is in abundance], if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship [that we share] in the Spirit, if [there is] any [great depth of] affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel—the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ]. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility]

It is the confidence I have in Christ that I know that people have a problem with. It grieves me to know that what they most want they can have too. What is limiting others from attaining such? Not that I have arrived myself, it is to surrender more. I am pressing on. I will continue to press on. It is when we give up or find something else to get our identity in that we become stagnant in our spiritual growth. I desire for growth in all of His body. It is hard to watch people “lose their joy” yet with not receive the gift that will point them back to their dependency of Christ.

Which brings me to the third book of the Bible that I have read this year, Nehemiah. Being in leadership I have heard gripers and complainers or what our church needs to do, what we do not have that meets their needs and so forth. It is easy to sit back and analyze and talk about the problems that you see. Instead of gathering people to discuss, be like Nehemiah and pray then act. Nehemiah saw a problem, was distressed about it, didn’t complain about it, not wallow in self-pity about it, he took action. Nehemiah became a person who God could count on. He did not even allow the people who were giving false reports to distract him. He did not allow the ones who did not participate in the rebuilding get him discouraged (I need to work on that one myself). He not only rebuilt walls but wanted to align the people back to the heart of God. They spent days listening, being taught and implementing what they heard from the prophet Ezra as he read them the law. God does not want our actions without our faith. This is the book that we get “the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).” Another thing I got from Nehemiah is the importance of our praise and thanksgiving. I want to start off my closing prayer with what is written in Nehemiah 9: 6. Pray this prayer with me and add it what you are most thankful for.

You are the Lord, You alone; You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host (the heavenly bodies), the earth and everything that is on it, the seas and everything that is in them. You give life to all of them, and the heavenly host is bowing down [in worship] to You. Jesus, Your Son, was with You at the time of Creation. We were created through Him and for Him. You sent Him in fullness of Love to die for our transgressions. You have forgiven us of our inequities and we in turn at to forgive others. We repent for not forgiving as you commanded. You gave us the gift of Your Holy Spirit. You gave us this gift to mature us and grow us. You also gave us the gift of the fivefold ministry and the body of Christ. Your desire has always been that we would work together to mature into a glorious Body. We thank You for desiring so much for our lives. We thank You that You desire for us to be full of joy and peace. Thank in our submission to self-control empowered by You we are secure in who we are in Your Son. You are forgiving, gracious and compassionate and abounding in love. You will never leave us nor forsake us. Even though hardships may come upon us, even persecution, You remain faithful. You are patient and keep your covenant of love. We love you. We choose to remain in Your Son. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Former things are not now things

Philippians 3:7 (AMP) But whatever former things were gains to me [as I thought then], these things [once regarded as advancements in merit] I have come to consider as loss [absolutely worthless] for the sake of Christ [and the purpose which He has given my life].

What has happened in our past often has made us who we are today. Paul is telling us the former things really do not matter if you are not moving forward. What are you doing now?

I have been in the ministry life for a little over twenty three years now. I am not the same person I was when I started. When I began I was enrolled in a university and a seminary. Soon after I got married I had to quit the university and go into working full time. I did not have a degree but I was a quick learner and applied myself. I was able to move up in the company pretty fast.

A lot of times we want the same to translate into our ministry life. I am still a quick learner and apply myself, but that does not put me any place higher in the work in the kingdom. Paul was an educated man. Paul was high up in the chain of authority when it came to his old life. However, Paul did not expect that to translate (or even want it to) into his new life. I have heard people not like Paul because they thought he was too full of pride. I cannot agree with that assessment. A prideful person always looks out for self. Paul says it is all worthless for the real purpose of his life.

My husband and I are approached by people who are in or have currently been in ministry. Some even visit the church we pastor. They tell us of all the wonderful things that they have done in their previous churches and how they would like to add to what we are doing here. Do you know what we do? We watch. Something that you have done in the past has nothing to do with what you are doing now. All the good I have ever done is in the past does not matter, if I am not doing anything now. What am I doing now?

Matthew 7:21-23 (AMP) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’

His commands are for now. Not for when you first got saved. Not for when you get ready to do it and your life is all together. What are you doing now? Yes, He is the God of our past, our present and our future. He is omnipotent and sovereign. I still have a responsibility. I cannot lay it down.

Philippians 3:13-14 (AMP) Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

All the things that I have done in the years of ministry cannot hold a candle to what lies ahead. I look back over my news feeds and rejoice at the souls that I got to led into the kingdom. I rejoice over the hours I have spent with people to mentor and disciple. However, if I stopped today, what good am I. Would I be obedient? As long as I have breath in my lungs I should be pressing forward. We have led our church for ten years. If we stopped leading does that mean we stop putting our hands and hearts to the works of the ministry? I think we miss it when we think we are supposed to keep climbing up, when that is not how the kingdom works. Just because we pastor does not mean we do not put the sign out or clean the floors. Our title is nothing if we do love to serve.

Look at Matthew 7:21-23 again, but in the Message Translation:  “Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our super-spiritual projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’ All you did was use me to make yourselves important. I can do good things without the right heart attitude. My accolades in ministry will bear no weight if I do not serve in love. Why are we concerned with what others think? He is the only one I need to be concerned with. This is not an excuse to be lazy in the kingdom. Get out of slumber, get out of apathy and lethargy and get passionate about kingdom things. Press on!!

Our God, our Creator and our Maker, You are Holy. You are Mighty. You are worthy of honor and praise. We thank You for Your Son, the perfect One. We thank You that He laid down His life for us. We thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we can know You more. We desire Your Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. We repent for not following Your commandments and gotten off track in that Kingdom establishment. We repent for letting apathy, lethargy and slumber enter our hearts. Restore to us the passion of our fist love. Restore to us the zeal in establishing Your Kingdom. We are sorry for depending on the past as to why we have not pressed forward to the new. We are choosing to forgive those that we have stated have held us up, not one has done that but us. We are choosing to forgive ourselves for holding onto the past. We walk in Your wholeness today. We choose love today. We choose joy today. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Friendship Strained

Hebrews 10:24 Discover creative ways to encourage others and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love.

Have you ever had it happen where you knew someone and you did things together, but all of a sudden they dropped off from your life? Being a pastor, we have it happen quite often. It is one of the hardest relationships with people to navigate, but it is also the most rewarding. Like anyone else, if I did not get joy out of seeing the light come on (fresh revelation being revealed to them personally) then I would not be doing it.

Yesterday, my husband and I were walking around a local thrift store. He is a big thrifter and likes to find items to resell. My kids and him have a Youtube channel called Bama Pickin’ and Grinnin (click on the link to see what they have been up to). I saw someone out that I had not seen in years. I went up to them and said hello. I was met with, “I did not know you were in here,” as their eyes darted in all directions but me. I complimented her on some things and then went on my way. I wondered, what had I done to muster such a look of discomfort from an old friend.

My question was, did I offend them? What stronghold are they holding on against me? Then my heart hurt for them. I never want to spur others to anger. I want to do what the above scripture says. I prayed their hearts would be softened to the Holy Spirit and prayed Luke 6:36-37 (AMP) over them and myself: Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful. Do not judge [others self-righteously], and you will not be judged; do not condemn [others when you are guilty and unrepentant], and you will not be condemned [for your hypocrisy]; pardon [others when they truly repent and change], and you will be pardoned [when you truly repent and change].

There are always two sides to a story (more than one perspective). When we do sit down and talk to each other, really listen to each other. Just because a person has a different perspective than you does not mean they are your enemy, or that they are wrong (this is not talking about the Word of God). The body of Christ is stronger when it is unified and not divided in an issue. So let us (Ephesians 4:32 in the amplified) Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.

Is it really worth holding onto something for so many years? Is it really worth losing compassion? Is it really worth hardening your heart? Christ forgave me, therefore, I need to be readily and freely ready to forgive others.

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A new thing

Isaiah 43:18-19 (AMP) Do not remember the former things, or ponder the things of the past. Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

As I was ministering Sunday I said something over my church that I regret. I told them I could not share the complete vision of the next steps because of some of their doubt and unbelief. I regret these words. I repent for these words. Those words are no longer true. Those words came out of a hurt that I still have not worked all of the unforgiveness out of.

Those words came out of a hurt that I still have not worked all of the unforgiveness out of.

My husband and I took over as the lead pastors in 2013. The very last service, that marked the transition, a couple walked up to us and let us know that it would be their last service. They said, “we do not want to attend church with the type of people you will attract.” My husband and I thought, great they stirred up strife anyways.

The next blow came from a couple that left that were big supporters. We did not know how much input this couple had in the goings on in the church before our leadership. When my husband corrected them on coming up to him every service to critique his message, they left. We were in shock.

Then there was our core team. We did our best to listen, and communicate, how the transition was going. We did our best to give them tools to succeed. We were told, “This is your baby, do not expect us to love your baby the way you do.” Most of that “core” is gone now.

Then there were the ones who submitted to the former pastor, not you. They tried it, he was their pastor. If we were really going to change our church, why not use the model of the successful church in town. If you are going to succeed as a pastor, you need to be full time. Eventually, we pulled back. We took a different approach, with very little expectations. If you do not have big expectations, then you cannot get disappointed, right?

Before our property sold in March of 2019, I had gotten a phone call December 31, 2018 about an offer of one third our asking price. I laughed at our realtor and told him, you know my answer is no. That evening we had a worship service to ring in the new year. We had a guest speaker who also operates in the prophetic. It was an amazing night of worship. His message was on point for the vision that my husband had given at the beginning of that year. It was the year of “suddenly.” Then he looked at me and said that the property would sell, not to worry. Then he made a statement that I did not understand, until I spoke my words on Sunday. In two years time, this church will not be in the same place it will look completely different.

Sometimes when we think of a church, we think of a building, a physical structure. Actually, it is a people. When God reminded me of those words, I was reminded that this church does look completely different. God has placed a big dream inside of us for the church in our community. It can be pretty scary and overwhelming from looking at our natural resources. He would not have given us this vision if it could not be done though…”We exist to touch the world through our community.” I have to stand on these words:

Father we do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. Show us what to do and guide us with your hand upon us. Fill us with the knowledge of your will so that we can walk in a way that pleases you. (Paraphrased from 2 Chr. 20, Col.1:9-10)     

Isaiah 43:18-19 (AMP) Do not remember the former things, or ponder the things of the past. Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.     

Amos 9 (MSG) Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening all at once – and everywhere you look, blessings!

Father, I want to believe, help me with my unbelief. Help me with my words. Help me with my thoughts. Help me see your people the way you see them. Help me with my unforgiveness. You are the only one who can heal my wounds. You are the only one who can do the work within me, so that your purpose can be fulfilled through me. In Jesus Name, Amen.