Barbara Bryant Ministries

Do What Makes You Strong In Christ

Barbara — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:36:13 +0000

Taped across my bathroom mirror is a sign I made.

I put it there because I knew I would see it every day; it is literally “in my face.” Forced to see the sign, I would have to stop and take account of it. And therefore, daily, be reminded.

The sign says, “Do What Makes You Strong in Christ.”

Let me explain the “why” behind this reminder to myself, and then “what” I do in response.

If you haven’t noticed lately, the world we live in is draining. Utterly draining. We rush through our days with barely a moment of sanity. When we do pause, we don’t even have time for an email; we text, facebook or twitter instead. It’s quicker. Meanwhile, all day long, an activity (whether it be church, school, work or personal) is constantly in our face with a barrage of constant stimulus. And just when you think you have a minute, your cell starts ringing from people who need some type of action from you. Seriously – how spacious does your day feel? How many free moments do you have in a normal day – and do you feel free to enjoy them?

Even if you dislike the pace of your life, you get caught up in it. You feel like you’re not doing enough unless every moment is filled with activity. And not just one activity; we multitask. We read email while on the phone. We make lists while in bible study. We text or eat when we drive. We watch the news when we exercise. Seriously – if you are not multitasking, it feels irresponsible, like you are slipping behind.

And the effect of this is utterly draining, body, soul and spirit. And when we are drained, we are vulnerable. Vulnerable to spiritual attack.

For example, you don’t give way to despair when you’re having an awesome day; you fold when you are at your rope’s end. You don’t drop your guard right after a wonderful time of worship; you drop your guard when you are too tired to care. It is when we are drained that we give way to the assaults of the enemy – the lies, the accusations, the agreements with overwhelmed. It takes strength to hold your ground; it takes strength to take a stand; it takes resolve to send the enemy packing. So he uses our business to wear us down, then uses our flesh to make us even weaker, and then slams us with open assault.

And that is why I need to remind myself to do whatever it is that makes me strong in Christ. Not things that makes me popular, important or busy. I need to do those things that make me strong in Christ. Permit me to name a few:

- Taking in truth, whether by Scripture or a Christian book. (2 Timothy 2:15)

- Praying Daily. This is a very powerful act of consecration. (Luke 18:1)

- Listening to music that draws you to God. (Psalms 96:1)

- Spending time with people who build you up spiritually, not drain or tear you down. (Romans 15:1)

- Laying aside meaningless things. (Hebrews 12:1)

- Worshipping God throughout the day. (Psalms 99:5)

- Observe nature as a powerful way to get closer to God. God created everything and nature is a representation of His glory, His splendor and His beauty. (Psalms 24:1)

- Getting some measure of silence and solitude every day. (Even if it is only fifteen minutes)

(Isaiah 30:15)

- Walk, don’t run. I noticed this awhile back, noticed that even when I go to get some “down time” what I usually did was run (to exercise) and so I made a change. I started walking instead of running, because when I walk I notice life more and can hear my own thoughts and talk to God. (Acts 24:16)

- Spend a day doing absolutely nothing.(Genesis 2:2)

I’m naming a few essentials – every person will also have those things that uniquely help you draw upon the strength of Christ to fill your body, soul, and spirit. Ask yourself, “What would I do, deliberately and intentionally, if I was serious about getting stronger in Christ each day?” Then, by all means, do it! Ephesians 6:10 says, “Says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”

It’s Just Halftime, Get Back In The Game

Barbara — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:16:07 +0000

Last month, many watched the NBA Championship game; the Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Boston Celtics. I am quite sure there were a lot of passionate speeches offered by both coaches trying to motivate their teams throughout the game. At halftime, the coaches probably broke down their respective teams and told the players, “You have got to do better if you want to win.”

The coach who went into halftime up by a few points most likely told his players, “Be careful, stay focus, play smart, we are not leading by that much. You are the league’s best team. Play like you know who you are.”

The coach who went into halftime down by a few points, probably told his players, “Don’t give up, we are not down by that much, we are still in the game, make a few changes and we are right back in it. We can win this game. We didn’t come this far to be defeated.”

I don’t believe either coach went into halftime saying, ” Quit trying. Give up. It is hopeless. We lost. Just play out the second half quickly so we can go home. Let’s just go through the motions in the second half.”

The month of July marks the half-way point of the year. And I am wondering which coach has your attention for the second part of your 2010? Are you listening to the Lord or is your ear inclined to the lies of Satan? Do you believe that you have already won in the second half? Or do you feel like quitting and giving up because the first half has been challenging and stormy?

As the coach of the Gifted to Be a Gift e-newsletter, my halftime speech for you is pretty simple. Regardless of how things look right now (especially if they are looking bleak, sad, disappointing), your real blessing is directly in front of you. You may not be able to see it in the natural realm, but if you smash the smoke and mirrors that the enemy has used to distract you these past six months, you will be able to see it coming to past within the second half.

You see, Satan wants us to look at our situations as we see them now. He wants us to get dragged down by things that we haven’t accomplished yet, or things that we need to work on but are currently lacking the resources to do, relationships that aren’t panning out the way we want them to, and the list goes on. When we start paying attention to things like that, and that depresses us, that is a distraction. Focusing on the negative things like I’ve just mentioned, distracts us from the blessings that are yet to come.

There is a blessing directly in front of you. There is a blessing coming your way. And it is greater than your last blessing. How do I know it? Haggai told me. The prophet said, “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house” (Haggai 2:9 NIV). Haggai declared these words because he was coping with a disappointed people who had listened to the glorious picture of their return painted in Isaiah 40-55, which had not materialized. The “people of the land” were letting their former house (what used to be) overshadow the present house (what shall be). All of this took place during half-time. Haggai, chapter 2, verse 1 says “In the seventh month (July).”

My friend, don’t become discouraged, quit or give up now. I discovered that God can do some pretty amazing things at halftime.

So during the second-half of this year, I want you to live with peace and expectation of God’s blessing in your life. I want you to get back in the game and anticipate the promises of God being fulfilled, your prayers being answered and closed doors swinging opened. I want you to walk with the hope that your present days will be greater than your former days. I want you to declare victory. I want you to walk in your authority and believe that your best days in 2010 begin, right now. Get back in the game to win. It’s not over, until God say’s its over.

All That God Has Spoken To You Remains True

Barbara — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:17:25 +0000

“All that I have spoken to you remains true.”  Jesus said this to me some time ago; I think it was about five months back, when I was wrestling with life and the latest round of uncertainties that had struck at the time. It was a precious word to me, just what my soul needed. I had been asking God for a fresh word from him, a new assurance. But instead he said, “All that I have spoken to you remains true.”

This encouraging Word led me to read Luke 1:45 in the bible:  “And blessed [is] she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord” (ASV). After reading this scripture, Jesus said to me again, “All that I have spoken to you remains true.”   It was better than some new insight from God. It settled me in a much deeper way than the “next thing” would have. Let me try and explain why.

Life is a wonderful thing. Sometimes it brings us to tears; other times it takes our breath away. Bottom line, life is good, in God.  We don’t just know in our heads that God loves us – we know it in our hearts. We’ve experienced it.

But what begins to happen as we go through life is a shift, a turning from the objective to the subjective. We shift from reality to our experience of reality. We begin to measure our progress and well-being on “how we’re doing.” Our gaze turns to the gift rather than the Giver. And we are set up for a fall.

The fall comes when our experience is no longer life-giving. Because we all face the erosion of life upon our souls, we lose even the best of memories and the firmest of our convictions. It leaves us wondering what happened. Where is God? Why can’t I find my way? Did I do something wrong?

The Enemy jumps on this and says, Yes, you did. You’ve done something to make God pull away. Or, he puts the blame on God, You see – he’s not that reliable. You really are on your own. It can be a deeply distressing time, even for the most faithful and stouthearted.

And that is why we need to hang onto what is true, what remains true of God, despite the flow of time. This is what the saints meant by clinging to the faith once delivered (Jude 1:3). We need to hang onto that objective reality which really exists, whether or not we feel it to be true.

God fulfills God’s promises. He is trustworthy. He will not forget you, abandon you, blow you off, or let you down. You can count on God. His Kingdom does not change, nor does its’ King, who remains the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). That is why I’m writing to remind you,

All that God has spoken to you remains true.

Nothing has changed between you and God. So be encouraged and may your heart respond to the beauty of this lasting reality.

I’m Gifted to be a Gift,