“At-TENT-ion”

“The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them. Instead, they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord.” - Psalm 106:24-25

As Psalm 106 opens, the author (who is unknown, but who is believed to be David) is praising God as he recounts how God forgave the wrongdoings of Israel (God’s chosen people), saved them from their sin and blessed them. When we get to verse 23, the Bible tells us that God wanted to punish the people for their sins, but Moses stepped in and asked for mercy on behalf of the people which God granted. God continued to maintain His covenant with the people of Israel and vowed to STILL take them into the Promised Land …even after they sinned against God.

As the story unfolds (which is originally told in Exodus), even after receiving God’s forgiveness, grace and mercy and seeing God perform all sorts of miracles, the people of Israel still doubted God. In verses 24-25 above, we see that Israel still didn’t believe God’s promise to care for them and chose to stay in their “tents” grumbling.

Sometimes in life we can find ourselves in less than desirable situations and conditions because we’re still in our “tents” grumbling about our circumstances. Those “tents” can range from relationships (personal, familial, professional, and friends), jobs, emotions, and just other random things in our “circle of comfort.” …You know things that have been in our life or a certain way for so long, that whether it’s right or wrong, we accept it for what it is.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a “tent” just because it’s more comfortable to us than the uncertainty of change (like staying in relationships, no matter the type, that we KNOW are not good for us). The people of Israel were told by God that He would lead them into the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey…yet because it didn’t happen in THEIR timing, they chose to complain and not fully trust God. As Believers, we must hold on to each promise that God gives us, knowing with all of our heart that it shall come to pass, whatever the promise may be. For the Word of God declares: 

“It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” - Isaiah 55:11 …and 

“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind.” - Numbers 23:19

Now in order for the children of Israel to go into the Promised Land, they must leave their “tents”first. This means they would have had to make a choice to get up and walk away from the very “tents” they felt secure and comfortable in…but these were also the same “tents” that facilitated their negativity. Sometimes we let our fear of what’s ahead override our ability to trust God, make excuses not to follow God and to move by His Word…but I’m glad “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” - 2 Tim 1:7

Personally, I was afraid of fully committing to God because I honestly wasn’t sure if living for God would be as satisfying as the sins I was committing were (which still left me feeling empty afterwards). Yes, this is what held me back from committing to God for a long time. I was so afraid to leave my “tents” behind that I couldn’t move forward because I was still looking backwards.

It wasn’t until I realized that not only did Christ die for my sins, but He also wanted me to have life…AND have it more abundantly! God’s Word declares: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” - John 10:10

So, today I encourage you to re-evaluate the “tents” in your life and to move on God’s promises to you. Trust that God’s plan for your life is more spectacular and fulfilling than anything that you can ever dream of! Take the energy you’re giving your “tents” and give it to God, He will amaze you like never before! :-)

Allison :-)

(originally posted: May 9, 2011)

“300”

“ 1 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

 4 But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

 5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” 6 Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

 7 The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” – Judges 7:1-7

In Judges Chapter 6, the Israelites (God’s chosen people) were being oppressed by the Midianites because they had begun to worship false gods and went against God. After some time of oppression, the Israelites cried out to God to help deliver them from their troubles…and He answered their cry. God chooses the weakest family member, out of the weakest of Israel’s twelve tribes…Gideon to save the people of Israel from the Midianites.  Sometimes when we have just a glimpse of what God has called us to do, we’re blown away and don’t think that we’re qualified for the task….and Gideon thought the same thing.

Throughout chapter 6, Gideon asks God for signs that he really is the one who is supposed to lead Israel into battle and God gives him signs to confirm His word. It is at THIS point that Gideon realizes that many people are relying on his obedience to God …but the now there’s too many “other people” in the picture to give God FULL credit. God deserves ALL of the glory, honor, praise and credit.. not just some of it.

You ARE aware of those “other people” right? The ones who will only help you when they gain something? Or will help you and broadcast it to the world? Or the ones who will NEVER let you forget that they helped you …or that they helped “put you on?” Yep, THOSE “other people.” They think they’re responsible for your victories and successes…as you’ve read above, God will move those “other people” right out the way. Sometimes the odds are stacked against us so much so that it ensures WE can’t take credit either!

In the text above there were people who started out with Gideon (in preparation) but were removed BEFORE the battle and the victory. Everyone isn’t meant to be on your journey forever…read that again. The first ones to go were the ones who were afraid….but the 2nd set that left seemingly did no wrong. God just made a distinction of who was supposed to continue on the journey and who wasn’t.Sometimes people won’t make a “dramatic exit” out of your life but their season may just fade out. We have to stop holding on to people, things, places, and ideas/thoughts that God is trying to remove! This doesn’t necessarily mean that those people,things, places and ideas/thoughts are bad….but that they aren’t FOR YOU.

As Judges 7 comes to a close, Gideon and his army of 300 men (that God has chosen to aid him in battle) are victorious in defeating the Midianite army of approximately 135,000 men. What we must not overlook is that although Gideon and his army fought the battle….the victory was enjoyed by ALLof Israel… even those warriors who were dismissed before the battle! The obedience of one (Gideon) brought peace, freedom and joy to many…and also incited praises, worship and thankfulness to the Most High God!

When we move on God’s Word, we must have place complete faith and trust in Him to know that we will victorious in the end and that God wants to use our story to help someone else. Trust that God’s “300” chosen people for your journey are sufficient! For the scriptures declare, “All this is for YOUR benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” 2 Cor. 4:15 

….The thing is, we must be willing to let Him use us first :)

May the God of peace perfect the very things which concern you and give you joy that is unspeakable, unable to be contained, and unable to be measured by the human mind. I love you! (Like, I really do!)

Allison :)

 (originally posted: April 20, 2011)

“These Are My Confessions…”

“Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke.

If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.” - Psalm 66:16:20

After numerous conversations over the last few weeks, one thing that seems to be consistent across people in my age group (about 21-28ish) is that we seem to think that we are not qualified for God’s use because of things that we’ve done (or are currently involved in). But I want you to know that God loves you in spite of everything that you’ve ever done!!! Yep, in spite of EVERYTHING…even THAT!

In the psalm above, the author (who is unknown) speaks of how God will forgive us if we confess our sins to Him. A lot of times we feel ashamed about some of the things that we have done to the point that we feel like we can’t even tell God about those things (although He already knows). There are the things that we’ve done to other people that they’ve forgiven us for that we haven’t forgiven ourselves for…and there are also burdens & secrets that we carry around that no one else knows about. You know….the things that eat you up at night while you’re tossing & turning as sleep escapes you. THOSE things …like the things we felt like we should have apologized for or the people that we thought we “got over” on.

I, personally, spent MANY nights without sleeping wrestling with things that I had done that were not right, the things that nobody else knew about. I began to let the guilt of my sins control every aspect of my life, I began to shy away from people and “punish” myself because I felt like I didn’t deserve the good things in life that were happening around me. This, my friend, is not how God wants us to live the life that He intends for us to have more abundantly! A major part of my problem was that I was not ready to admit that I had sinned. Nope, wasn’t ready to admit that … but it wasn’t until I came across this scripture:

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” - 1 John 1:8-10

God knows that we have ALL sinned and fell short of His glory, but because of His unfailing love for us He will forgive us if we confess our sins. As YOU can see in the above passage, He doesn’t care to specify what sin it is, He will forgive them ALL. Nothing that you’ve ever done is too bad for God to forgive you! NOTHING! Not only will He forgive you but if YOU ask Him, He will remove those sinful desires from your heart! God loved each of us so much that He sent Jesus to bare the punishment of our sin and give us freedom in Christ.

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” - Romans 8:1-2

As we confess our various sins to God, there is one confession that must be made from each of us …for salvation. It is the confession that we are sinners, we believe that Jesus was sent to die on behalf of our sins, that God raised Him on the third day, and Jesus is Lord of our lives. The scriptures declare:

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” 

Confess your sins, lighten your heart, give your soul rest and enjoy heavenly peace. For Jesus said “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)

Allison :)

(originally posted: April 4, 2011)

Choices

^“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:14-15

In the passage above, Joshua is speaking to God’s already chosen people who have began to serve other gods. Joshua asks them to make a choice of whom they will serve, the almighty God who has been with them since the beginning, defeated all of their enemies, and blessed them in every way possible (Jos.24:1-13) …or the false gods created by the world who have done nothing for them. 

Lately, I’ve been excited to hear that people have been deciding to live their life fully, completely and 100% for Christ..which makes me happier than you probably could imagine!!! For me, it was like almost as soon as I made that declaration, people came out the WOODWORKS to try and stop me! No, they weren’t standing between God and I with “STOP” signs but they sure found time to interrogate me about my decision every chance they got. As I was surrounded by “those” people, their doubts and nay-saying began to drown out the voice of God. 

It was then that God sent an AWESOME group of people in my life that began to encourage me, edify me and speak life to/over me. I slowly began to release my doubts that I could live a life that was holy & acceptable to Christ and began to believe that it was totally possible to do so….and still have fun! Mythoughts began to change when what I was hearing changed, and what I was hearing changed when the people around me changed. (Now read that one more time). For the Word of God declares, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” -Proverbs 27:17

I’m not saying that this journey to live a lifestyle holy and acceptable to God will be easy, but I AMtelling you that it is possible through God and it’s WELL worth the trip. God will supply everything that you need to fulfill His purpose for your life! The Word of God declares that “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” - Phil. 1:6.

So don’t be afraid as you start (or continue) this journey of living for Christ, “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.” -Jer. 29:11.

Living your life for God is the best choice you can make and He will bless you for it! (Yep, even better than we deserve!) 

May the love of God consume you, the encouragement of God’s children surround you and may you find delight in the joy of new life in Christ Jesus! 

Allison :)

(originally posted: March 23, 2011)

A Family Affair

Matthew 12:46-50

“ ⁴⁶ While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. ⁴⁷ Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

 ⁴⁸ He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” 

In the passage above, Jesus is doing God’s work by talking to the crowd of people and is told that His “family” wants to speak to Him, or cause an interruption in what He is currently doing for God.

Sometimes it seems like we are on fire for God, doing our best to please God in everything we think/say/do and suddenly we begin to feel like we are being distracted or judged. Not just a “here and there” type of distraction or a fleeting type of judgement from strangers we will never meet or see again, but constant distraction or judgement from our own “family” and friends. You know, people who we have relationships with who are supposed to have our best interest at heart. Yep, THOSE people.

Sometimes it is those people who are closest to us that can hold us back in spiritual growth the most, either accidentally or purposefully. There will be people in your family (and certain friends) who will refuse to recognize the difference that Christ is continually making in your life and will try and tempt you into doing things that you once did. They will attempt to remind you of any & every natural reason for you to not think that you are qualified for God’s work. (You know, all the things that you’re proud and grateful for that God delivered you from.) 

Mark 6:1-6

^“1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. ² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

   “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? ³ Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,^[a] Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

 ⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” ⁵ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith.” 

One of the hardest things about expressing the change that Christ has made in us sometimes is explaining it to our family and friends. It’s hard because most of the time these are the people that KNOW what you did, who you did it with, why you did it, and what you had on WHEN you did it. At times it almost feels like we’re trying to “sell” them on the idea that the Blood of Jesus is powerful enough to wash away ALL of that, make us clean and make us useful in God’s kingdom. Don’t let anyone, family or friend, hold you hostage to sins that Jesus died on the cross to release you from!

If you find yourself “watering down” your walk with Christ around certain family members or friends so that you don’t “offend” them or that they won’t “tease” you, you may need to shorten your time around them. We should never place so much value on ANY relationship that it causes us to alter our relationship with Christ.

Just as Jesus pointed out, those who are doing the work of the Father are His family….God knows how to place people (His family) in your life that will encourage and edify you as you continue to do God’s work, whether it be someone at your local church, cashier at the grocery store, a Facebook friend, a follower on Twitter or even some tumblr.com post!

So…this means I’m invited to YOUR family reunion, right? :-) 

P.S.- Surround yourself with people who show you Godly love and encourage you in the things of Christ!

(originally posted: March 21, 2011)

What’s Your Focus?

Matthew 26:14-16 NLT

“14:Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” 15:And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. 16:From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.”

With reading the passage above, everyone knows what eventually happened between Judas and Jesus(and if you aren’t aware, Judas sold Jesus out to the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver)…but the part that stuck out to me were verses 15-16 …once Judas received the money (which could be any other worldly desire), he began to look to please the people of the world who gave it to him … he began to look for opportunities betray Jesus.

Once Judas’s eyes were taken off following Jesus and focused upon worldly satisfaction, it placed him in direct opposition against Jesus. Because I love YOU dearly :-), I challenge you to re-evaluate your focus today. …Which brings me to where He brought me (lol):

1 John 2:15-17 NLT

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

God has declared that YOU are blessed coming in & going out, blessed in the city & blessed in the fields, the head & not the tail, a lender & not a borrower, above only & not beneath, blessed in the land that He gives you and that EVERYTHING you put your hands to is blessed.(Deut 28:1-12) ….See, God WANTS you to be blessed so much so that you’re able to be a blessing to someone else. But as much as He wants you to be blessed, He wants you to be THANKFUL to Him. He wants to know that you appreciate Him, His kindness and that He is still the object of your affection & the “apple of your eye.” Enjoy the things that He blesses you with, but don’t make them your idol.  :-)

P.S. - Stay Focused! :-)

(originally posted: March 12, 2011)

My ‘Damascus Road’ Experience

With this being my first post, it’s only appropriate that I introduce you to Room 128! About a year ago, I decided to fully devote myself to living the life that God desires for me….you know, one that includes making conscious decisions and striving daily to live holy and acceptable unto Christ. This is a hard decision that comes with daily struggles, but it is THE most rewarding decision I’ve ever made.

A little background on me: I grew up in a series of pretty “traditional” black Baptist churches around Baton Rouge and had been in “church” all of my life. I never really got into any trouble, graduated from college (about to finish my Masters degree), don’t have any kids and hadn’t done anything to bring shame on my family… by a set of the world’s standards, people (and I) thought I was doing ‘great.’

Last year in February, I went out with some friends to a bar and proceeded to get a tad bit more intoxicated than I anticipated. Long story short, I woke up the next day feeling horrible and as I went to brush my teeth, tears just began to flow uncontrollably. Now what I haven’t told you is that, since October of 2009 I had really began to start practicing the Word of God in my life, as opposed to just listening to it weekly. And I was doing pretty good until that Friday night..smh. That Saturday morning I literally could not look at my own reflection because I was disappointed and embarassed at what I had done the previous evening. THIS, my friend, was my ‘Damascus Road’…or literally the point in my life that I heard God telling me that He desires more for my life and where I realized that I could no longer “play” church or half-commit.

It was on the Road to Damascus that Saul of Tarsus(a pharisee…or person who followed religious doctrine but completely denied the power of Christ) literally had a “Coming to Jesus” meeting and began to follow Christ (this is also where his name was changed to Paul, who would go on to write most of the New Testament, see Acts 9).

As I began to read about just exactly HOW much God loves me and how much he desires for me, I decided that I wanted the VERY best that He has to offer. Don’t get me wrong, the gifts of salvation, grace and mercy are WONDERFUL…. BUT, I want EVERYTHING! I’m talking about the anointing, peace, favor, healing, provision, prosperity, and restoration that comes from obedience to His Word.

As I began to let go of things that were contrary to God’s Word… hobbies, likes, and even friends (as hard as it was), God began to show up every step of the way. I began to give my lifestyle to God and developed an earnest desire for His presence in everything I did.

People have always told me “you’re always try to find the good in everything,” or “you always have something encouraging or nice to say,”….thus the name of this blog, “Room 128.” I’ve been wanting to start this blog for quite some time now but I was consulting with God to make sure that I do it to His benefit…and last night in Bible study, He gave me the name “Room 128.” As I listened to His voice, I was lead to Romans 12:8, which reads:

“If it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

With all of that being said, Room 128 will be a place of encouragement and exhortation for the body of believers as I love you all and want you to experience God’s very best for your life! :-)

Allison :-)

(originally posted: March 4, 2011)