One Moment in Time

"Give me one moment in time

When I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time

I will be

I will be

I will be free."  

Source -  http://www.musicbabylon.com 

The news of Whitney Houston's death on Saturday flooded me with a range of emotions as I'm sure it did you.  Having friends and family who have battled, are battling and have lost their battle with addiction, Whitney's death hit really close to home.

Gratefulness. I am grateful that God allowed her to share her angelic voice and talent He gave her. Truly there has never been any one like her. I also felt selfishly grateful - grateful that I never received the call of a fight not won. For half of her life, my sister battled with her addiction. So much time lost, so many relationships compromised, so much of herself masked by this enemy's trap. It is truly by the grace of God she is delivered from her addiction. She will be sober and clean for five years. I am so incredibly proud of her. I saw her struggle first-hand and felt completely helpless. All I was able to do was pray for God's intervention. Whitney's death reminded me of how grateful I am for my sister's life.

Anger. At drug lords and drug dealers who to me are the devil incarnate. So much pain has been caused by drugs for those who take them and those they impact around them. Mostly I am mad at Whitney for underestimating the power of addiction and taking the first hit. For throwing her God-given talent away and not using it for good and God's glory. At the fact that we never got to see her comeback. I really wanted her to comeback! I wanted to believe that someone who grew up in the church and knew God was able to fight this and be a victor. I know that there are things we will never know about God's ways. I know that they are not our ways. I just really was hoping for a different ending and am trusting that through her very public life, someone is saved. God, I know you have your reasons and trust You.

Sadness. I was really praying for her to pull through. I remember watching her on Oprah a few years ago and just praying that she was able to channel God's strength (the strength she knew when she was singing gospel in the church choir as a teen) to conquer the yearning, the desire, the sheer temptation. Sadness for her daughter, her family and her friends who will no longer see her.  The journey to freedom from addiction is a long, arduous one - sometimes filled with U-turns instead of do-not-enter signs.

Relief. I feel an incredible sense of relief for Whitney. Relieved that she is no longer a slave to her addiction or the things of this world. Relieved she is with God now and blessing the heavenly choirs with her angelic voice.

In the end it is her life, her music, her voice, her beauty that I will celebrate and remember - not her death.  May you rest in peace Whitney...we'll see you one day for your earthly life was just "One Moment in Time" and you are free.

Dear Lord, I lift up Whitney's family and friends. Grant them peace and comfort. I lift up all those who struggle with addiction Lord. In Jesus' name I pray for the release of the bondage and stronghold the enemy has on them. I pray that they seek you more than the drug they chase. Lord so many of our brothers and sisters let the weight of this world drive them away from you when they should be running towards you. Lord remind me to always run toward you. Let me not take the talents you have given me for granted. Use them and me for your purpose. Lord, finally I pray that we see the good that you want to come out of this situation. In Jesus' holy name I pray. Amen.

7 Reasons Why Your Prayers Haven't Been Answered...Yet!

I used to share the story below with leaders attending my programs to inspire action. I decided to share this with you because I feel it simply portrays, and in some ways, parallels my prayer life, and perhaps yours as well. 

Hope faced some struggles during the year and desperately needed a financial miracle in her life. She got down on her knees and prayed, "God, I really need a miracle. Please let me win the $216 million dollar Powerball jackpot tonight. If I win, I promise I will do anything you ask of me. Amen." Later that night the Powerball numbers came out, and nothing.

The following week the jackpot crept up to $311 million. Hope got back down on her knees and prayed, "God, maybe you didn't think last week was a good time for a miracle, but I am hoping you can make me a winner this week. Again, if I win I will do anything you ask of me. Amen." You guessed it, the Powerball numbers came out, and not even ONE number. Really?!? Yes, really, not one.

The jackpot continued to rise and was up to $402 million. So for the third week, Hope pleaded, "God, I really need a miracle. Please I beg you! Please, please let me win the Powerball jackpot tonight. I promise I will do anything you...."

Before she could even finish she heard God call her name. 

Shocked, she replied, "Yes Lord?" 

"My child Hope, I heard you the first two times. You need to buy a ticket first!"

Are you laughing (or at least smiling)? I always got a few chuckles from the audience when I said the last line. It's funny at the surface, but when I really analyzed it, it's very telling.    


How many times have you been Hope - someone who desperately needed a miracle? Maybe you need one now. I've been her a couple of times. I intentionally chose Hope as her name because in the story, that was all she had, hope...hope that God would perform a miracle. You need more than hope. How many times have you prayed about something and not received an answer? If you are like me, you can't even remember all of them. Yes? 


Based on the moral of this parable along with my experience, below are reasons why it seems your prayers are not being answered:

1. Oh ye of little faith. God does great things according to the amount of faith you have in Him. If you have little faith, God will do small miracles. As your faith grows, so will His miracles. The measure of your miracle is dependent on the the amount of faith you have in God. How much faith do you have in God in relation to what you are asking of Him? Don't ask for more than you have.
2. Let's make a deal, Lord. "If you do this for me God, I promise I will do that." God is not a conditional God. He does what He does for you out of pure unconditional love. I'm not saying not to make promises (or not to keep them), but doing so is not going to influence God one way or another. When He chooses to answer your prayer, it is because of who He is not because of anything you have done or will do.  Are you waiting for (or challenging) God to give you a miracle before you do something you should already be doing? Do it anyway. It might just be the missing piece. 
3. But I want it now. God's timing is not my (or your) timing. You may need a miracle now, but God may not feel now is the time. Sometimes He gives us time to makes sure what we are asking Him for is indeed what we want or what He wants for us. See God has the big picture. He sees all things and how they interconnect. In this day and age of microwave mentality, we want things NOW. Why wait? God doesn't operate like that. He's working things out for you - things you don't even know about. Those things take time. He hasn't forgotten about you. When everything has been worked out - then God's timing is revealed. Is there something you've prayed for that you think God has forgotten to answer? He hasn't.
4. I'll do it myself. Be patient. Why is God taking so long? Sometimes I get restless and impatient. So I take things into my own hands instead of accepting God's timing and letting Him work things out. That causes even more of a delay. It's like being stuck in traffic and deciding to take a detour to get to your destination quicker, but it sets you even more behind schedule. Be patient and who knows, the traffic might just lighten up over the hill if you stay on course. Are you tempted to do it yourself and speed things along because you can't wait anymore? Don't do it. Wait for God's answer.
5. All on you God. Do your best and God does the rest. You have got to DO (or stop doing) something first. Just praying about it isn't enough. God doesn't just make things happen without asking you to take some action or the first step. Would God have allowed Hope to win Powerball if she bought a ticket? Maybe or maybe not. However, she needed to buy the ticket FIRST to find out. What are you praying for that requires you to take action? Take it.
6. I can't ask God to do that.  Ask boldly and be specific. The only limits God has are the ones WE place on Him because He is limitless. Are you asking God to just get you through a specific situation or are you boldly asking Him to breakthrough your current situation? Are you asking Him to meet a specific need for yourself or are you boldly asking Him to meet your needs so you have more than enough to meet the needs of others? What limits are you placing on God? Go and release those limits. 
7. I'll ask, but doubt he'll answer.  Expect your prayers to be answered. If you pray with hope, faith, and patience without expectation, it's like baiting a hook, throwing a line and waiting for a bite in a pond with no fish. It's all for nothing. Expect that God will always answer your prayer, because He will. It may not be the answer you want, but an answer nonetheless. I can think of many men that I wanted to date and prayed for God to draw them near me. I think there is a country song called, "Thank you for unanswered prayers." Enough said! When you pray are you expecting an answer - even if it's not the answer you are looking for? Always expect an answer - whether you agree with it or not because you will get one.

"Lord, I come before you, united with each person who prays this prayer with me, and boldly ask for your favor and hand in my life and theirs. You said, ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find. Lord, I ask you to place the words in my mouth to ask for all you want me to receive and the desire in my heart to seek all you want me to find. Light my path Lord so I can clearly see the steps I need to take to draw closer to you. Reveal the obstacles I need to remove so you can finish the good work you've started in me and on my behalf. Bless and prosper me so I can be a blessing to others. Use me Lord for the glory of your name and kingdom. In Your precious and Holy name I boldly pray! Amen."