What Does Faith Mean to You?

What makes faith real to you? Faith has been given various definitions, yet there are moments when I question whether I possess the substance needed to attain the reality I seek.

Today, as I sit watching a movie, I am reminded of the Israelites who left Egypt. They witnessed battles and victories but often fell back into bondage. I found myself asking my sister, "Did these Israelites easily forget?" It didn’t take weeks, months, or years for their past to slip away; they often forgot God’s faithfulness. The currency we need to trade for the reality we desire is not lacking, yet we fail to recognize it.

Today, however, I gained a new perspective on faith. I see it as creating or holding a vivid mental picture of the reality I desire, one that becomes stronger than the opposing circumstances surrounding me. So as I approach God, I come with the intention to reclaim my purpose.

Defeat can stem from the many bonds we've faced. Sometimes, after being bound for so long, we fail to see what God is trying to do. I trust that God has a plan to bring us to the Promised Land. We have witnessed His abilities—His signs and wonders—but we most time still struggle to muster the strength to envision the end, the Canaan that God desires for us. Exodus (The Exodus)

Today, let us not only thank God for the victories we have won, but also ask for the strength and courage we need to birth the reality He intends for us. Carry with you the conviction that faith is a powerful mental picture of the future we desire. As JJ said, when God wants to raise seers and prophets, He first works on their minds, for every picture He shows us is a reality that needs to be birthed or altered.

For too long, the enemy has held our minds captive. When the Lord declared, "Without your transformed mind, I can do nothing," He understood that the negotiations we must make, the history He wants to change, and the battles to be won all begin in the mind. 

When these words resonated in my heart, I asked the Holy Spirit to work on my mind. Though I may not have lived for a hundred years, the time I have spent has brought experiences of hurt, rejection, failure, slander and victories. As I become vulnerable to God, He performs a miraculous work—He heals my soul and renews my mind. Without a transformed mind, He can do nothing. 

Stay Revived!

I Kept Wondering: At What Point Did We Lose Our Freedom?

 I Kept Wondering: At What Point Did We Lose Our Freedom?

At what point do we forget the name of God?  

At what point do we forget how to lay hold of the Great One?  

At what point do we forget to search Him out?  

At what point did the enemy creep in and bind us?  

At what point can we be made prey to the enemy's toys? At what point do those toys become our god?  

These thoughts crept into my mind a few nights ago. After watching a movie about Moses, I conversed with JJ, who asked, “But how did these once-great people become slaves? How did they get to the point where taskmasters were placed over them?” 

I replied with a biblical reference: “A Pharaoh who didn’t know Joseph and all he did for Egypt arose.” But then I wondered, what if it wasn't just the Pharaoh who forgot Joseph? What if the Israelites also forgot who their God is? Yes, they knew that their forefathers had a God; they kept talking about going to worship Him. But what if they had forgotten that this God could be their source of everything? Because they forgot, the enemy laid claim/stole their freedom through the mouth of Pharaoh.

Bondage doesn’t just come upon a person; one becomes bound when they stray from that which makes them free. God's Word in John 8:36 states:

"So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

However, when we lay low and forget how to engage with the Son of Man, we forget how to trade with Him. The enemy doesn’t just sow tares; he claims our freedom. 

While men slept, the enemy sowed tares. When we thought that our character didn’t matter, the enemy seized that opportunity to plant seeds that would bind our marriages, our businesses, our children, our ministries, and our ability to transition between seasons.

Because we slept and forgot how to do business with the Great One—the one who has the ability to keep us free— we began to play with foreign objects and succumbed to the tricks of the serpent's spirit, telling ourselves it didn’t matter. We convinced ourselves that we were on the right path.

But there is only one way: Jesus. We must choose His way to truly know whether our path will lead to freedom or bondage.

Stay Revived!

Nighttime Victories

I had a profound conversation with a very respected head of my unit in church. During our discussion, he mentioned a person he knew who had interceded for hours over the years. He concluded by saying, "You can see the result of his secret place in his life; it is quite evident." Those particular words planted a seed in my heart and marked the beginning of a new season for me—a fresh call to deep waters. It felt as though the Lord had ordained those words for my own victory.

Unable to navigate the afternoon, my nighttime began to transform into my time of seeking. At first, it began as mere human effort, but suddenly, the floodgates opened. Even during moments when I wanted to sleep through the night, it seemed the Lord had been waiting for me to start this journey. Much like Moses, who climbed Mount Sinai after years of being a shepherd, I began to encounter the Lord at this mount, and that was when my liberation started. Once liberated, my mandate unfolded.

Just as my summons became a communion, there were moments when it felt like a choir was being held within me, prompting me to arise to this communion. The Lord wants us to stray; in the beginning, it might just be our strength, but He takes it from there, granting us victories in unexpected places. The more I showed up, pressed in, and sought Him, the more I was being freed from strongholds I never knew existed. 

I had waited so long for victory, but as I came to the Lord daily in this nighttime season, He worked in me, one victory after another. At exactly three a.m., I felt these words in my heart: "While men slept, the enemy sowed tares."

Matthew 13:25:

"But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away."

 This isn't just a saying; it's a reality. There are victories to be claimed at the gates of the night, if only we would rise up and lay hold of them. In that moment, we can seize the enemy before he even attempts an attack.

God wants to reach out to you, but He is waiting for you at the gates of Adullam. There are tares to be uprooted, and there are victories to be won.

Stay Revived!

Don’t Give Up Yet — God Is Working Behind the Scene

 

Have you ever poured your heart and soul into something, set everything up just right, only to feel like your efforts were in vain? Maybe you’ve done all you know to do, and yet the results you hoped for haven’t come. The silence, the waiting, and the lack of visible progress can feel defeating.

If that’s where you are, take heart. It’s okay to feel low sometimes, but don’t allow that feeling to define your journey. Just because you haven’t seen the fruit of your labor yet doesn’t mean the harvest isn’t coming. Even when it’s not visible, God is always at work, behind the scenes, aligning things in your favor.

There are moments when we pray and wait, and still feel like heaven is silent. Our challenges seem endless, and the answers feel delayed. But the truth remains: the Lord is never idle. His timing is perfect. What you’re waiting for will come to pass in His appointed time.

So, don’t give up yet.

I may not know the specifics of your journey—how long you’ve been holding on, how many doors have closed, or how much it feels like time is slipping away. Perhaps others seem further ahead. Still, friend, I urge you: don’t quit now.

The journey may be painful. It might have left you weary and questioning. But hear this: God is saying, “I will work it out.” It's not the end. Hold fast. Wait on Him.

“Real help comes from the Lord.” — Psalm 3:8 (MSG)

Waiting isn’t easy. God’s timetable often stretches our faith. But those who refuse to grow weary in the wait will one day rejoice. His Word promises, “Those who wait upon the Lord shall be like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved.” (Psalm 125:1)

Be encouraged.

Don’t give up yet. God is near. He’s working all things together for your good. And in due season, your laughter will be heard in the open.

Stay revived!