Your Daily Cup of Inspiration!

Thank God for Preparation!

I went downstairs to the kitchen yesterday morning to take the chicken out of the freezer so it would be completely thawed out and ready to bake by 5PM. It always helps to know what I'm cooking early in the day so I can prep it. That way, everything goes smoothly once the hour rolls around to make the evening meal for the family. There's nothing worse than neglecting to do the proper prep and then, staring at a hunk of meat that's frozen solid when I need to whip up something in a hurry. Don't you hate it when that happens?

Whenever I do forget, although it's not the end of the world, it does prolong the time it takes to get dinner on the table. Plus, the kids get all antsy, as if they're gonna die of starvation at any moment. After hearing, "Mooom, is dinner ready yeeeet?" about 30 consecutive times in the span of ten minutes, from four different children, I start kicking myself for not remembering.

When I was younger, I never quite understood my mom's annoyance when I heard her say, "Shoot, I forgot to take my meat out!" Now that I'm older and have a family of my own, I sound just like her when I say it and I think to myself, "I, Dianna Hobbs, am turning into my mother..." Guess that's just the cycle of life, huh? Well, it's safe to say that, these days, I fully understand why preparation is the key to keeping a house running smoothly.

As we mature, most of us can readily see the importance of preparation when dealing with everyday tasks like thawing meat out,  laying clothes out for the next day, organizing and prioritizing duties. But when it comes to our spiritual walk, we often struggle with the preparation phase, don't we? We want everything right away. We want it to happen now, or better yet, like yesterday.

Still, no matter how frustrating that waiting period can be, God knows that it makes things flow more smoothly in the end. During our preparation phase, the Lord will keep us "on the shelf" and let us sit a while. While this is going on, we often feel unproductive, as if we're lagging behind in some way. But, quite the opposite is true.

During our personal time of preparation, God is refining, positioning and readying us, so that when our set time arrives, there will be nothing lacking in our ability to seize the moment. Consider Esther and how she had to undergo a full year of preparation before she was ready to go before the King (Esther 2:12). When her time came, she was ready and ultimately, found favor with him.

In the Kingdom of God, no one gets to skip over the preparation phase. God has to work on us all before releasing us into our destiny.

Right now, I admonish you to embrace the season you're in. If God has you in a place of waiting and prepping, accept where you are and allow Him to work on you. You can be sure that when your time of release comes, everything He's poured into you during your time of preparation will truly work together for your good in your time of elevation.

Instead of complaining, thank God for preparation. If you endure the process, it will indeed work in your favor.

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

Dianna Hobbs

www.eewmagazine.com

God Has a Word for You

Yesterday evening, someone sent me an inspirational email. When I began reading it, I felt as if it had been written especially for me. It was just what I needed and in that very moment, I began thanking God for using that individual to sow a seed of encouragement into my life.

There's nothing like receiving an on time word from God. You never know how He'll send it, but you can rest assured that when you need it most, He'll speak a word into your life. Although He's able to minister to you in your private time of prayer, Bible study, or worship, He may choose to get a message to you some other way.

It might be through a song, a word of knowledge, discernment, prophecy, a book, testimony, or a daily devotional. God uses all kinds of methods to infuse us with the strength, motivation and fortitude to continue on the path He has laid out for us. Don't ignore His messages and don't write off those "God encounters" as mere coincidences. There are no serendipitous moments in the Kingdom, but there are divine setups, where the Lord orchestrates a masterful plan to feed your spirit with a revelatory word.

The thing I love about hearing from God is, when you receive a message from Him, it's like being injected with a strong dose of joy, peace and strength all rolled into one. Your burden instantly gets lighter. What felt unbearable before, no longer weighs you down. Where doubt crept in, faith takes over... with just one word from the Lord.

He wants to talk to you and commune with you. He wants to minister to those areas in your life that may be broken, hurting, or in disarray. He loves speaking peace in the midst of your storm and comforting your heart when you feel overwhelmed. "...when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2). God is your refuge, shield, sword, strong tower, shelter from the storm and lifter up of your head. (Psalm 3:3)

God has a word for you.

Today, you might be longing for God to speak to you. You might need a word to inspire you to launch out and do what He's called you to do; you may desire to hear from God to lift your spirits while you're going through a valley experience; this might even be a season when you feel uncertain about what your next move should be and you want God to send a clarifying word to give you direction.

Whatever the case, He's got just what you need.

Right now He's saying, "All you have to do is open your heart to hear from Me and I'll meet you right where you are." As the song says, Speak to my heart Holy Spirit, give me a word that will bring new life, words on the wings of the morning the dark night will fade away, if you speak to my heart...

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

Dianna Hobbs

www.eewmagazine.com

Believe in His Authority

"Mom, Kaleb won't give me back my doll," Kaiah told me with her pouty face. So, like a dutiful mom, I intervened and stopped the three year old from pestering  his older sister.

"Kaleb," I said firmly, "give the doll back."

"O-tay," was his reply and just like that, he returned the Baby Alive doll back to its rightful owner. Everybody was happy. Then, moments later I heard my name being called in surround sound... again. This time, the "victim" was his older brother, Kedar. "Moooom," he whined, clearly frustrated, "Kaleb won't give me back my caaaar!" 

I knew the drill, so, I got up the second time, trying to put on my best serious "do what I say right this minute" face and told little Kaleb to cut out the shenanigans and give his big brother his car back. Once again, without protest, Kaleb relented and released the car back to Kedar.

It's always interesting to observe how Kaleb,  who likes to confiscate the possessions of his older siblings just for kicks, blatantly disregards their pleading requests and demands, until I walk into the room. Without yelling or getting boisterous, all I have to do is speak the word and he listens.

It's because of the authority I have, that Kaleb obeys. 

I'm reminded of the New Testament story of the centurion official (Matthew 8:5-13) whose servant was very sick. When Jesus offered to come to the centurion's house, he felt unworthy to have Jesus come under his roof. Yet, he understood the principle of authority and knew that if Jesus only spoke a word, his servant would be made whole. In verse 9 he says to Jesus,

"For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.'"

In other words, he told Jesus, I understand what it means to be able to command it to be so, and see the manifestation of it... and you, Jesus, possess that power over all of the unseen, spiritual, natural and supernatural elements.

After hearing that, Jesus, the one with authority over disease, authority over nature, authority over demons, authority over sin and authority over death, was so impressed with this man's faith that He granted that request. The centurion official returned home to find his prayer answered; his servant was healed.

Today, I encourage you to believe in the authority and power of Jesus Christ. The same Jesus that spoke the words "Lazarus come forth," (John 11:43) thereby cheating death, is the same Jesus that has the power to speak life to your situation. 

But you've got to believe that "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (I John 4:4) 

No matter how hard your situation seems, or how insurmountable the obstacle, with just one word the King of Kings and Lord of Lords can make it alright. I admonish you to hold onto your faith. Despite what it looks like or feels like, continue to believe that the power and authority that Jesus Christ possesses, is at work in your right at this precise moment.

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

Dianna Hobbs

www.eewmagazine.com

He'll Keep You Anchored

Last evening, Kyla, Kaiah, Kedar, Kaleb, Kenya and I stood around the dining room table gazing upward, after observing what  appeared to be the loosening of the the chandelier from the ceiling that sits above the dining room table. But, upon closer inspection, I could see that the bolts holding the chandelier in place, were actually still screwed in tightly and just the canopy, also known as the back plate, that covers the nails, wiring, and hardware underneath, had somehow dislodged. 

I breathed a sigh of relief knowing the chandelier, at least, wasn't going to come crashing down from the ceiling. That would have been really dangerous and it could have severely damaged the ceiling, as well as anything else it smashed into on its rapid descent. Thankfully, when it was all said and done, it turned out to be a pretty quick and easy fix, since the light was still firmly anchored, which was the most important thing anyway.

This made me think about a principle that applies to our walk with the Lord.

No matter what comes unglued around us, as long as our souls remain anchored in Him, everything will be alright. I remember an old song we used to sing that says, "Be very sure your anchor holds and grips the solid, the very solid rock...that rock is Jesus." Remember that song?

When everything else fails and we see chaos all around us, as long as we remain rooted and grounded in the Lord, we won't come crashing down. You know, after the brief ordeal was over, I thought about something. I would have never known quite how secure that light fixture was, had I not gotten a glimpse of the bolts beneath the canopy. Something had to fall apart on the outside, to reveal how strong and secure the chandelier was underneath it all. That sounds like real life too, doesn't it? Sometimes we don't know our own strength until things fall apart externally, yet we don't fall apart internally.

Of course, we might not like it very much when our lives are in disarray. Nevertheless, when we cleave to God, we will come out on the other end stronger, better and wiser every time.

Perhaps, you're going through a difficult season and things seem a bit out of hand. If so, don't fret. Just remember, Christ is the anchor of your soul. He'll help you remain strong and steadfast in the midst of it all. "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen" (Jude 1:24-25 KJV).

Don't worry when your "back plate" slips. God's got you firmly in His grasp and He'll keep you anchored. There's another song I love that says, "On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand."

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

Dianna Hobbs

www.eewmagazine.com

Seek His heart, Not His Hand

I often talk about how I didn't have much growing up, so I wasn't one of the popular kids at school. I learned early on that many people, unfortunately, are superficial and cling only to those they consider "suitable" or worthy to be a part of their club. I didn't wear the right clothes or run in the right crowd to be accepted, so I was overlooked and often, harshly ridiculed.

Those who seemed to have it all, however, always had a big crowd around them. They were a part of the social elite and could do no wrong.

For some, being excluded and marginalized would rouse a desire in them to be a part of those groups that shut them out. But, I felt just the opposite. Instead of longing for the companionship of those who judged me on the basis of what I had or lacked, I wanted to be in relationship with only genuine people that loved me just for being me.

So, how do you think it makes God feel when we cozy up to Him only because of what He can do for us? Where are all the people who love Him genuinely and truly? Sadly, these days, more and more believers treat God like a good "networking" opportunity. They talk to Him, because He can make stuff happen for them. And maybe if they stick around long enough, God will put them in touch with some of His influential contacts, and make all their dreams come true.

It's a shame, but that's how many of us behave.

But, now is the time to get it right, by putting things back in perspective. Instead of being preoccupied with working toward the attainment of things, we have to return to seeking the heart of God and not the hand of God.

Expounding upon what I said yesterday, I believe in 2010, God is calling us back to a place of authentic communion and fellowship with Him out of pure love and devotion. Instead of having our hands out, we need to have our hands up in total surrender to Him.

That doesn't mean we can't seek God concerning those areas of need in our lives, because He promises to take care of us. "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Notwithstanding, when our relationship is built on the basis of having our needs met, rather than genuine love, that's how we mess up.

It is His will for us to develop a true thirst, passion and desire for Him. It must cease to be about what we can get and more about what we can give for the advancement and upbuilding of God's Kingdom.

I believe God is raising up a remnant of people who will draw close to Him out of a pure heart. These are the ones He will use to reveal His glory in the earth.

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

Dianna Hobbs

www.eewmagazine.com

Take your Burdens to the Lord

Hey, thanks for logging on to read The Daily Cup once again. Hope your week-end was awesome. Mine was great, at least up until late Saturday evening.

Here's what happened...

I was in my bedroom when I heard a loud crash coming from the direction of the bathroom. Immediately, I hopped up and made a mad dash in that direction, hoping that none of the children were hurt in what sounded like some sort of nasty accident. Well, thankfully, no one was hurt... yet.

Turns out that, my full length mirror, with this heavy wooden border, fell off the wall it had been mounted on, for no apparent reason. I walked into the bathroom to find huge shards of glass scattered all over the floor and in the tub... and no, I'm not superstitious. I'm not at all fearful of the ridiculous "7 years of bad luck curse" and I certainly will not be throwing any salt over my shoulder. ;-)

But, I digress.

The bathroom was a mess, though I wasn't complaining. Honestly, I was too busy being thankful that no one was in the way when that happened. Had that mirror fallen on one of the kids, they could've been badly  cut, or injured some other way, especially because it is (Well... was) a very heavy mirror.

After about 15 or 20 minutes, I got the glass all cleaned up and proceeded to toss the frame into the box too, which contained only half of the mirror--the rest of it had gotten swept up in the trash pile and dumped into the same huge cardboard box.

Even broken, the mirror was still pretty weighty.

In my haste, however, I snatched it up the wrong way and pulled a muscle in my back. Mmmm, mmm, mmm... talk about pain. For the rest of the day and most of yesterday, I could barely move at all, simply because I was careless in the way I lifted that heavy object.

Similarly, we can get pretty careless when it comes to bearing the weight of our heavy burdens. We assume we're strong enough to handle things and figure them out on our own, even when our lives are all shattered, just like that broken glass mirror on my bathroom floor. For some reason, we'll try to pick up the pieces, clean up the mess and carry our load without any help. Consequently, we end up strained, hurt and wounded, because we couldn't manage pulling all that weight alone.

I don't know what areas of your life you may be personally struggling in, but I do know how important it is to lean on God for the help you need. You can't stand up under that pressure by yourself. If you try, you'll go through unnecessary hardship and setbacks, that could have been averted and avoided. In the end, you'll be worse off, despite your best efforts.

Today, I'm encouraging you to lean on God more. It's alright to lay your burdens at His feet. In fact, the Bible tells us to do exactly that. In the New Living Translation of 1 Peter 5:7 it says, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." Just like the old song says, you've gotta learn how to "Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there."

When you do that, your load will get a whole lot lighter.

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

Dianna Hobbs

www.eewmgazine.com

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Daily Cup readers! You and I are so very blessed that we made it. I personally know quite a few people who went home to be with the Lord last year, which makes me even more appreciative that God has seen fit to allow me and you to see the incoming of another year. I want to take special time out to say thank you for all your support of this blog.

Some of you have been with me from the beginning when this blog was called "Empowered to Prosper" and others just discovered "The Daily Cup of Inspiration" in 2009. Whatever the case, I want you to know that every time you log on to read, leave a comment, send an email and spread the word about this blog ministry, it warms my heart.

I'm so humbled, honored and truly amazed that you take time to read everyday. Inspiring you to be all God has called you to be is both my calling and my passion. Some of you I've met and thousands of you I have not. Yet, I feel that each one of you is a part of my family. 

I sincerely do.

As we look ahead to great things to come this year together, we're going to draw from the lessons we learned this past year and apply them to our lives in 2010. I believe that living what you've learned is going to be the key to receiving all God has in store for you.

I encourage you to do more than "remember" the situations you've been through. Rather, take things a step further. Extract those lessons, both painful and pleasant and allow them to shape you into a more effective vessel for the Kingdom. 

Once again, Happy New Year!

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

Dianna Hobbs

www.eewmagazine.com

Don't Burn Out!

I was talking to a discouraged family friend yesterday. She's a very warm, typically joyful woman, who loves God with all her heart and truly strives to live a focused, mission-driven life. Well, when I spoke to her during a routine conversation, she began opening up to me about what had her feeling depressed and down in the dumps lately.

Graciously, she gave me permission to use her dilemma for today's blog post.

Well, for more than two and a half years, this friend has been diligently pouring her heart and soul into a business venture. She's a one-woman-operation, so the onus is on her to make the business grow without any outside help.

It's certainly not easy doing everything alone.

While passionate about what she's called to do, lately, she's been feeling burnt out, particularly because the company's growth has been very slow over these past couple of years. As we talked, she admitted that she believes God chose her to do what she's doing, but the small amount of "fruit" being produced from her labor, is slowly causing her to reconsider.

Have you ever felt like that?

If so, you know what it's like to experience that feeling of "burnout" and discouragement. During times like these, the enemy will come in and rob you of your destiny if you allow him to. He'll convince you that what you're doing is in vain. He'll tell you that you're wasting time and that, all you're pouring into your vision is for nothing.

If you buy into the enemy's lies, you'll burn out... quickly! But, if you remain confident that your unique mission has truly been ordained and inspired by God, you'll keep moving forward.  So, don't burn out, because God cannot prosper what you will not pursue. If you stop, you immediately cut yourself off from the favor and blessings of God reserved for that particular area.

If you believe He's called you to it, then go after with all your heart. Do it, not just to see "results," but as an act of obedience to God's calling on your life.

Today, I admonish you not to allow Satan to steal your zeal, enthusiasm and commitment to your God-ordained purpose. Simply refuse to allow him to talk to your mind and convince you to jump ship before you get to the "other side" of destiny. Resist his lies and disparaging words.

Sure, I know it can be downright tough to persevere when you don't see bountiful fruit, but here's what you have to remember.

No one plants a garden and receives a harvest overnight. You have to water those seeds, nurture them and patiently await the season of growth and finally, reaping.

Listen. No matter what you've been hand-picked by God to carry out on earth, there's no way you'll fulfill your mission without resoluteness and determination. You've got to refuse to give up. Make up in your mind that, whether you're called to reach 1,000,000, 1,000, 100, or just 1 other person in this world, you'll do it gladly as unto the Lord.

In the meantime, keep on believing and trusting God to manifest His favor and supernatural provision. Most importantly, become resolved, at this very moment, to do everything the Lord predestined for you to do before you leave this earth... even if you've got to do it all by yourself!

Be encouraged and know that, as long as you remain submitted to the will of God, you'll see His glory revealed in your life.

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

Dianna Hobbs

www.eewmagazine.com

You Have Access

Keanu Reeves (Star of The Matrix), was in my hometown yesterday, shooting scenes for an upcoming film he's starring in. The local television news stations in Buffalo, NY were all abuzz with coverage of this "major event" in our city. Although this didn't evoke any feelings of excitement in me, still, the story made front page news and to top it all off, lots of folks gathered to get a glimpse of "The One" for themselves.

"It's something you don't usually see rolling across Main Street in Buffalo; a Hollywood spotlight, microphones and props," said Josh Boose in a write up.

I suppose the rarity of this occurrence, is what made it seem so spectacular to movie buffs and fans.

Certain parts of downtown were blocked off and heavily guarded by security teams. Fans and spectators who would have loved nothing more than to get next to the celebrity of the hour, couldn't.

There was no direct access.

As I learned of all the safeguards that had been securely put in place to keep people out of the space of this Hollywood actor, I immediately began thinking about what a privilege and honor it is to have direct access to the only true and living God Himself.

It's so reassuring to know that, through Jesus Christ, we have a blood-bought right to boldly come to the throne of grace in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16) Thankfully, God will, with open arms, receive us into His presence and allow us to rest in Him.

No matter what we're going through, in the midst of it all, God doesn't mind us getting next to Him. In fact, the Bible encourages us to draw near to God and God will, in turn, draw near to us.(James 4:8)

You don't ever have to stand behind barricades, wishing and hoping you could get a little face time with God. He's never too busy for you to reach Him. Aren't you glad we serve a God who sits high and looks low. He cares about every single detail of our lives. Best of all, He's welcoming, willing and waiting for you to run to Him.

You have access, so use it. 

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

Dianna Hobbs

www.eewmagazine.com

It's a Good Pain

RECENTLY, I'VE RESUMED MY REGULAR WORKOUT SCHEDULE and modified my diet after the ordeal I blogged about not too long ago. I'd somehow allowed the busyness of life and the demands on my time, to get me off track and out of balance. So, I decided it was time for a change and subsequently, took the plunge.

While I feel good inwardly about being responsible for my health, outwardly, I feel sore and tender from challenging my body to to get into shape. Of course, the more I work out, the more my body grows used to being challenged and the soreness minimizes a bit.

As you know, any muscle that's been out of commission for a while hurts something awful after it is re-engaged through exercise. Cardiovascular workouts, floor exercise and strength training regimens are all highly effective, but also, quite intense. Because of this, most people find themselves sweating, hunched over, grimacing and saying, "I can't do this anymore..."

So, they don't do it anymore and with that decision, all the health benefits of regular exercise, go out the door, just like that. In the process of giving up, that person can't see that it's a good pain they're experiencing. The body is merely reacting to the breaking down of those muscles, which are ultimately being built up though the process.

This is a similar struggle that many folks face in their walk with the Lord. When they discover that pain is a part of the process that leads to progress and productivity, they run away. But, there can be no real growth, maturity or strength, without first facing and overcoming an intense challenge. Sure, you might feel worn down and at your breaking point, but it's natural to feel that way.

Still, you and I must strive to understand pain in the right context. Otherwise, we'll do everything in our power to get rid of the pain, while ridding ourselves of the benefits of that pain as well.

I remember more than ten years ago, when my husband and I went to our first lamaze classes. The instructor taught us not to be afraid of pain, but rather, to see it as a good thing and as a healthy sign of labor. It's the body's way of preparing women to give birth, and it's how we know our body is doing what it's supposed to do. Of course, that sounded crazy to me, because I couldn't see anything good about pain.

It hurt. Period... that was my only revelation of it.

But, when the fullness of time came to deliver the baby, because I had opted for an epidural, I couldn't feel the pain. Now, initially, I thought this was a good thing. In reality, however, it created a serious problem for me.  I had no feeling from the waste down, so when my contractions peaked (the perfect time to push) I had trouble pushing.

I had no sensation whatsoever! The doctors and my husband had to read the monitors to tell me when I was having a contraction. They had to tell me when to push and when to stop. But, if I could have felt the pain, my body would have instinctively known those things. Maybe then, it wouldn't have taken me a full hour of pushing, to deliver my first daughter.

Sometimes, to eliminate pain, is to eliminate productivity. What hurts us can also help us, if we're willing to embrace it.

Perhaps, you're dealing with a painful or intense trial today. Don't worry or fret. It's all working together for your good. Just push through the pain and before you know it, you'll give birth to the promise.

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

Dianna Hobbs

www.eewmagazine.com