Your Daily Cup of Inspiration!

Will You Still Believe?

When there are giant obstacles to overcome before you're able  to see the manifestation of God's will for your life, will you be discouraged by the way things appear, or will you believe God even when the odds are stacked against you? This is so important  because there comes a time in every believer's life when unfavorable circumstances directly contradict what God has spoken. As a matter of fact, there will be times when the situation you face seems to threaten the possibility of even carrying out the mission that God Himself has given you.

In times like these, will you still believe? Or  will you doubt God's word?

I wonder if you've ever endured one of those seasons when you felt like, "God, if You're the one who told me to do this, then why isn't it  working out? Why is so much coming against me?"

I know it doesn't make much sense, but there's a purpose for our tests during these seasons. They come to take us to new levels of faith and position us for our elevation.

It's just like when God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice His only son Isaac on Mt. Moriah. (See the book of Genesis 22:1-19) , Abraham trusted God to the point of being willing to sacrifice all for Him.

That's when God released his blessing. "The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time  and said, 'I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,  I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me'" (vv. 15-18)

See that?

God honors faith. He did then and He still does today!

So I'll ask you again...will you believe or will you doubt?

Listen, when God allows you to be challenged greatly by your circumstances, don't quit. Don't fret. Continue believing. Your faith is what releases your blessing and breakthrough.

As the old hymn says,"Trust Him and never doubt. Surely, He'll bring you out!"

As always, thanks for reading, and until next time... may you  be empowered to prosper!

Dianna  Hobbs
www.eewmagazine.com

Stay In His Will

If you read this blog with any consistency, you know I advocate goal-setting, determination, motivation, and hard work. However, I never want you to forget that all of our efforts are null and void without the wisdom and the purpose of God at work in our lives.

I never want you to get so caught  up in self-motivation, that you get off into self-reliance. When you begin "leaning to your own understanding", that's when you mess up. In all of our attempts to get ahead in life, we must never forget our reason for existing-- to bring glory to God.

He specifically fashioned us for a unique mission. No one else on earth can fulfill our purpose. That's why we must take our cues from Him. Only the Master Designer knows His true intent for each and everything He has molded.

You see, God has taken great care to place inside of you every gift you'll ever need to bring forth the destiny He has ordained for you. So, never get off course. Never begin thinking that you can "figure life out" without Him. Never make the mistake of believing that you can chart your own course,  aimlessly meander through life, and ultimately end up fulfilling His will.

It doesn't work like that. You must seek Him. Give ear to His voice. Pay attention to how He speaks... sometimes, He'll even use life's circumstances to show us what we need do, or how we need to change. Become resolved that you are willing to obey His voice, whenever and however He speaks.

Most importantly, before you strive to reach any goal, dream, or aspiration,  make sure  you have clearance from Him. Be certain that your decisions are rooted and anchored in the center of His will. It's the best and safest place in the whole wide world.

Until the next time... may you be empowered to prosper!

Dianna Hobbs

You're Fighting the Wrong War

Stop showing up to a spiritual battle using carnal weapons. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds"  (Ephesians 6:12 KJV). Whenever things seem to be going haywire in your life, don't start focusing on the circumstances. Rather, zone in on the spiritual battle that's being waged. If you don't do that, you'll end up fighting the wrong war.

Recognize that Jesus Christ, "The Greater One," lives inside of you. (See 1 John 4:4) When the enemy comes against you, you must know how to respond. Instead of sinking into a deep slump and allowing depression, and despair to overtake you, speak the word of God over your life.

Please hear me. You better learn how to rebuke the devil! Don't let him get in your ear and spew out lies, curses, and venom. You'll end up so downtrodden, that it'll be hard to believe what God has said about you. Don't let that happen to you.

Don't ever stand passively by while Satan is speaking death, defeat, and destruction over you. Don't you dare begin agreeing with his falsehoods and fabrications. No! Declare the word of the Lord. You've heard it said, "You are a victor and not a victim." So, stop walking around allowing the enemy to beat you down. Resist the devil and he'll flee.

Well, what's the best way to effectively shut him down? I'll tell you. Praise God right in the midst of that battle. After all, praise is your weapon! That's how you fight... with praise. Quit worrying about circumstances. Remember this: "Spend less time appraising the situation and start praising God!"

Why? Because whenever you waste time trying to figure things out, you tend to get upset with God for not working things out. You get frustrated because situations aren't turning out the way you had hoped. What you need to do is, remind yourself that God is on your side, but the enemy is against you. God loves you, the enemy hates you. God wants the best for you, the enemy seeks to destroy you.

Don't get caught out there fighting the wrong war. You don't want to be fighting against God's will, when you should be fighting your chief nemesis, Satan. Sometimes you'll be struggling within... fighting yourself, and fighting others... when really, you need to be waging war against the enemy.

Today, I want you to declare that he is a defeated foe, and that no weapon formed against you is going to prosper! (See Isaiah 54:17) You belong to the Lord. He is with you. His anointing is on your life. He has an awesome purpose and plan for you. Favor rests upon you. Your destiny awaits you.

...And because the devil knows how important you are to the Kingdom of God, he's going to do everything in his power to undermine and discredit the word of the Lord concerning you. But today, I want to speak into your life and remind you that, you are victorious through the blood of the Lamb!

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:7, 8 NKJV).

Until next time . . . may you be empowered to prosper!

Dianna Hobbs

Are You Living On Purpose?

The Lord has been dealing with me about something today. So, of course, I'm going to share it with you. As I was seeking Him for guidance and direction regarding some business dealings, as well as my personal ministry, He began speaking to me.

I'll spare you the long discourse and instead, share the meat of the exchange.

Essentially, we, as a body of believers have to begin voicing and standing by our Godly convictions. You see, our divine purpose has to be at the center of everything we do in our lives. Many opportunities will come, but it is our duty to sift through everything that comes across our path and ask, "Does this align with my purpose? Is this what God called me to do? Am I really abiding in my calling?"

If you can't answer "yes" with certainty, then, perhaps you're not living on purpose. The enemy is crafty and cunning and he desires to sift us as wheat. But if we learn to follow our Godly convictions, rather than our fleshly desires, we would experience more productivity in our lives.

We must understand that the world we live in is diametrically opposed to the things of God. The philosophies, trends, ideas, and ideals, do not reflect God's statutes. It is our job to uphold the tenets of our faith, and shine as a beacon of light to our generation. In order to bring God glory, we MUST live on purpose.

I wonder; are you living a life of purpose? Not your own purpose, but the one God intended for you before the foundations of the world? Have you consulted Him regarding His will for your life? Are you striving everyday to please Him in all you say and do?

If not, you're off purpose. And until you find your way back to doing things in accordance with His will, you won't be happy. You won't be fulfilled. A void will remain in your heart... and it's one that only God can fill.

Once you make up your mind to extract everything that is contrary to God's will from your life, He will show Himself strong on your behalf. He will manifest His best for you. I want you to remember this: "Nothing should be attached to you that is detached from your vision for your life. If it's not connected to God's will, it should not be connected to you."

As you read this post, I want you to recognize that from this moment forward, God is holding you accountable. That's right, He's holding you to a higher standard. Why? Here's why... "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked" (Luke 12:48b NIV).

God has invested so much in you and entrusted so much to you. He wants you to live everyday on purpose, so that He can get the greatest return on His greatest investment. Oh, He has such good things in store for you. But you've got to stay in the center of His will in order to reap the bountiful harvest of blessings!

Until next time . . . may you be empowered to prosper!

Dianna Hobbs

The Blessing of Abraham is Yours!

I want you to begin this week with prayer for clarity and divine inspiration. The Lord wants to speak to you and give you direction for your life. But you need to be conscious of His leading. This is not time to get caught up in the cares of life and neglect your spiritual walk.

 

On the contrary, you’re at a crucial point in your life. God is about to break some things wide open for you and bless you beyond measure. However, you must be open and sensitive to His voice in order to perceive what He’s doing in your life.

 

Don’t get side-tracked. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t get off track. Stay the course. Although the enemy doesn’t want you to have what God says is already yours, he is a defeated foe. So, before you begin following after your own desires and leaning to your own understanding, stand still. Wait on the Lord and He’ll strengthen your heart.

 

Listen my friend; your victory is on the horizon. God has heard your prayers and supplications. He has heard your cry and He has already worked things out. All you must do is position yourself to receive of His goodness and abundance.

 

All I ask is that when He manifests Himself and bestows His manifold blessings upon you, share His goodness. Be a blessing to others. Help them understand that just as God brought you into your place of abundance, He can do the same thing for them.

 

This day, grab hold to the blessing of Abraham and claim it as your own. God said to Him, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2, 3 NKJV).

Those are His words to you today. Receive them now and believe that it’s done in Jesus’ name!

Until next time . . . may you be empowered to prosper! (I attached a video of one of my favorite songs. Listen to it and internalize it!)

Dianna Hobbs

 

 

 

Don't Listen to a Liar

I’ve got a quote I want you to remember. “Sometimes, your destiny is determined by what you’re willing to ignore.” Think about that for a moment. There are some things that you don’t even need to listen to. Some folks, you don’t need to give an audience to—especially when negativity is at the heart of the message.

For example, we know the devil is a liar. Here’s what Jesus says about him, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44b NIV).

Now, that’s pretty plain, huh? Basically, Jesus was letting us know that the enemy has no new bag of tricks. He’s been employing the same old tired, insipid, trite, and pitiful methods for thousands of years now. He’s doing the same old thing today. Can a leopard change his spots? Nope. Can the enemy speak truth? Nope. Lies originate with him.

Now, let’s consider something else, shall we? If we know that the devil is a liar, why do we willingly lend him our ears? Why do we feed into the lies he hurls at us? Why do we allow him to decry, devalue, and disparage us? Why do we allow him to diminish our trust in God? Why do we allow him to send us into a tailspin and convince us that life is spiraling out of control?

We sink into the depths of despair after letting him get in our ear. He tells us, “It’s all over.” “You’re goin’ down this time.” “It’s not worth it.” “Give up.”

Why would you trust anybody who never has anything positive or uplifting to say? Why do we trust in a liar rather than putting our full faith, hope, and assurance in the only One that loves us beyond measure?

Stop giving your ear to the enemy. Instead, rebuke him and put him in his place. Do you know where that is? Under your feet! But as long as you let him stay in your ear, you can’t keep him under your feet.

You see, once he has your ear, it’s fair game. Then, after he latches on, he’s not letting go . . . not unless you resist him by the authority of Jesus Christ. Here’s what you have to do: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 NIV).

I want you to take your ear back, take your mind back, and snatch your joy back. Tune that old liar out and hear what God is saying today. He wants you to know that you’re the head and not the tail. You’re blessed and highly favored. You’re victorious through Christ Jesus. Let God build you up. Let Him strengthen you. Let Him speak life to you today. Let Him minister to those wounded areas.

Remember, when you give God free reign in your life, the enemy has got to flee. “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered” (Psalm 68:1a).

 

Until next time . . . may you be empowered to prosper!

Dianna Hobbs

 

Stop Panicking and Start Praising

Are you a highly reactionary person? Do you panic and go to pieces easily? Well, I want to help you get over it because if you want to make significant strides in life, you’ve gotta learn how to relax.

 Seriously, it’s a terrible thing to constantly worry and stress out over every unfortunate thing that happens. It does you no good. It reminds me of one of my favorite questions in the Bible. Matthew 6:27, in the Contemporary English Version says, “Can worrying make you grow taller?” Of course it can’t, right?

 So, why does the scripture ask us something seemingly so silly and blatantly obvious? It’s to help us see how futile and fruitless it is to waste time fretting over trifles and trivialities in life. You know, the other day, I was on a website that houses thousands of articles, right. Anyway, under the “women’s interest category” guess what the number one article was . . . It was called “How to Make Yourself Taller by Doing Stretching Exercises.”

 How ironic! But doesn’t that perfectly illustrate my point? We obsess over such insignificant things and God wants to get our attention. He wants us to realize that He is with us. He has our best interest in mind. He has great plans for our lives.

 But as long as we remain in a perpetual state of panic, we can never hear God. And certainly, His peace can never rule in our hearts if we’re spending all of our time worrying. Look, I know things get tough sometimes. Truth be told, we all have moments when we can’t see our way clearly. Still, losing our composure and going ballistic isn’t going to change anything.

 Then, what will change things? I’m so glad you asked that question. You may even know what I’m going to say . . . PRAYER. That’s what turns circumstances around. When you seek God fervently and diligently, He’ll come to your rescue.

I don’t care what you’re going through or how difficult the obstacles may seem. God’s word is still true and I know for myself that, the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous avail much. (See James 5:16) One of my favorite Psalms says, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25 KJV).

So, if by chance, you’re going through some changes. I want you to compose yourself and enter into a state of repose. Know that God is on your side. You’re coming through this thing and guess how the story ends. You win!

You had to click on this post today to get the message that things are turning around in your favor. I want you to begin declaring right now, “It is well with my soul! Everything is already worked out. Provision has already been made for everything I need.”

For the rest of this day and beyond, whenever you feel like panicking, I want you to start praising instead. Stop complaining and start thanking and watch what God does.

Until next time . . . may you be empowered to prosper!

 

Dianna Hobbs

Don't let your Heart get you in Trouble

If you believe in “following your heart,” you need to read this post today. Why? Because sometimes, God will tell you to do things that are contrary to what’s in your heart. You’ll want to go left and He’ll tell you to go right. And if you don’t learn how to choose His way above your own, you’re headed for a whole lot of grief and sorrow.

Have you ever been in a situation that you really wanted to work out, but God said no? Isn’t that a tough place to be? However, it’s better to go through the pain of self-denial, than to ignore God’s warnings and end up hurt.

You know, sometimes, what He tells you and shows you won’t be at all what you want to hear or see. It won’t feel very pleasant. Truthfully, there will be moments when you won’t want to deal with the truth. But deal with it anyway.

Because whenever He tells you to do something, He already has the end in mind. He knows how it will turn out. He is intimately aware of the path you’re traveling. And even though you think you may have the right answers, it would be a grave error not to heed His voice.

Too many times we take God’s goodness for granted, don’t we? We think that we are nearly invincible and can navigate our way through almost anything. But I’m here to let you know, unless God is riding through the storm with you, there’s not a chance that you’ll make it out victoriously.

Let me share something with you. Don’t ever be like the children of

Israel

in the book of Joshua 7:1-9 (make sure you read it). They tried to defeat their enemies at Ai, but they were outside of God’s will. In their arrogance they were convinced that this battle would be easy. But the Bible records in verse 5, that they ended up being chased and embarrassed by the opposing forces.

What happened? They failed to obey God’s voice and took of the “accursed thing.” This immediately put them outside of His covenant. They were doing their own thing and ended up in a bad situation.

How many times have we done that? We know God is telling us to avoid certain people and things. But do we listen? Noooo  . . . we get caught up in our own plans and ideas. Then, we end up following after our own hearts instead of God’s will.

Remember this. Sometimes, your heart will tell you to do things that aren’t necessarily good for you. Unfortunately, there are times when your heart will take you down a path that leads to nothing but trouble. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind . . .” (Jeremiah 11:9-10a NKJV).

I know that if someone asked you to describe what’s in your heart, “deceitful” and “wicked” probably wouldn’t be the first adjectives that come to mind. But the truth of the matter is, your heart will get you into some stuff that you don’t know how to get out of!

That’s why you have to surrender to the Lord and ask Him to guide you. I know we often say, “Follow your heart.” But sometimes that can be the worst advice to listen to. You can’t rely on your feelings, emotions, and desires to dictate the best choices to make. The only One you can trust is God.

What I want you to do is, give your heart over to the Lord and let Him guide you. Let Him teach you. Let Him tell you what to do. After all, He only wants to protect you. He doesn’t want to see you hurt. He doesn’t want you to veer away from His ark of safety and end up treading dangerous waters that you’re ill-equipped to handle.

Instead of following your heart ask God to guard your heart and cleanse it, so that your will, may be completely and totally sold out, and surrendered to Him. Pray and ask God to do a new work in you. Say, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew the right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 KJV).

He’ll do it if you let Him. And once you say yes to His will instead of trying to do things your own way, see if He won’t open the windows of heaven and pour out His goodness upon you.

Until next time . . . may you be empowered to prosper!

Dianna Hobbs

Pray for Wisdom

This week, I want you to join me in seeking God for increased wisdom. If you’ve never asked Him before, I want you to go to Him fervently and pray for clarity and divine revelation. There are some things in your life that you may currently be blind to, that God wants you to see.

 

His word tells us that if we ask for wisdom, He’ll freely give it. But we must first ask. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5 NIV). You see, without His power at work in our lives, we don’t have the ability to decipher people’s motives and intentions. We are unable to distinguish between what’s good and what’s harmful. Certainly, there are some things that are blatantly obvious. Then, there are areas where ONLY GOD sees and knows what’s really going on.

 

It is only by revelation that we can understand the ins and outs of certain situations. All too often, we grow comfortable with our level of “wisdom.” We think we have the ability to discern all things. We think we’ve lived long enough, and experienced enough diverse circumstances to make sound judgments. And while this may be true on some level, there is some opposition that we can’t anticipate. There are some things that cross our paths that we don’t readily recognize.

 

Listen. There is a difference between seeing something and discerning it. What do I mean by that? I’ll make it real plain. Just because you encounter a situation, doesn’t mean you understand everything about it, let alone how to deal with it. It takes God to open your eyes.

 

Don’t you want His guidance? Don’t you want His will for your life? I know I do. As you seek the Lord He will bring some things into focus for you and lead you on the path to your purpose. I believe that good things are about to happen in your life. So, open up your heart and mind to receive all God wants to say. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NIV).

 

Until next time . . . may you be empowered to prosper!

 

Dianna Hobbs

Worship Is Not a Style

All day today I've been thinking about how we, as a body of believers, need to return to true worship and holiness. It's what the Father so deeply desires for each of us. Now, I don't want you to click away from the blog because I said holiness! Don't act like that . . . hear me out.

It's so easy to get caught up in the idea of worship and miss the true essence of it. You see, worship is not a casual, contrived, mechanical act that we engage in, from time to time. It is not a song. It is not a tongue. It is not a particular type of music. Rather, it is a lifestyle.

Worship is exemplified in the life we live before God. Furthermore, the life we live is an outgrowth of the condition of our hearts. Now, ask yourself, "Is my heart pure before the Lord, or am I merely going through the motions, without a real commitment to Him?"

Truth be told, many individuals lead worship service, but don't have authentic communion with God. They're adept at "having a form of godliness . . . " But, in reality, they don't really know Him at all. I know this may be a little heavy for a blog post, but it needs to be said.

I want to pause a moment to say, I don't want you going around feeling condemned. That's not what this is about. I'm not claiming that you need to be perfect to be a worshiper, because that's untrue. If that was the case, David, son of Jesse, would have been out of the running. He was an adulterer and a murderer, yet He was a worshiper and a man after God's heart.

So, don't get legalistic on me now. Please realize that, according to 1 John 2:1,  if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father. Thank God for Jesus! He will plead on our behalves, but God's desire is that we say no to sin and say yes to Him. Just because He is gracious does not mean we have an excuse to live any old kind of way. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Romans 6:1)

See . . . you've got me preaching now. All I need is a Hammond B3 and an "Amen corner."

I'm reminded of  my earlier years growing up in my father's church; I  the choir presdient. Well, when I was a teenager, we used to have good old fashioned testimony service. Remember that? We would sing a few "call and response" songs like: I'm a soldier, Have you tried Jesus, Victory shall be mine, This is the day that the Lord has made . . . If you grew up Pentecostal like I did, I know you've got a few of your own you can recall (Be sure to email them to me). Well, we would sing, testify and have a shoutin' good time. And all of the testimonies would end the same way . . . "pray for me that I'll grow stronger in the Lord."

Then, something happened. The new "in" thing suddenly became praise and worship service. As a result, testimony service was phased out. All of a sudden, it wasn't cool anymore to follow the old format. So, I started learning more Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Testimony service was treated like the crazy step cousin and had to be saved until Sunday night.

On Sunday morning, we started singing "Hosanna Music," or at least the best Fred Hammond songs we could find to fit the bill. The congregation was required to stand THE WHOLE TIME, lift up their hands, close their eyes and . . . wooooorship, halleluuuuuujah, gloooooory, God we looooove you. Now, everything had to be drawn out, said very slowly, breathy, and quietly. That meant you were really sanctified! Don't get deep. You know I'm telling the truth.

Don't misunderstand me. I have no problem with a more contemporary style of worship. I enjoy it immensely. So, don't lie on me and say I'm anti-praise and worship. And please, don't break out the petition for everyone to return to testimony service, because I'm not signing it!

Here's my point. It doesn't matter what kind of songs you sing, or how you show your love for God. What's most important is that you don't mistake the outward expression, for the true essence of worship. That's all I'm saying.

God requires that we walk circumspectly and live holy. He's searching for those that have a heart after Him. Are you the one? Can God trust you to present your body as a living sacrifice unto Him? (See Romans 12:2) Do you love Him in deed and not just in word? God doesn't want us to merely cry out to Him with our lips when our hearts are far from Him.

I don't know about you, but, I don't want to just talk and sing about loving God. I want to make sure that my life reflects His image, so that I can bring glory to Him everyday.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16 NKJV).

Until next time . . . may you be empowered to prosper!

Dianna Hobbs