Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Boaz Is Dead




Are you praying and preparing yourself for your Boaz? Are you working diligently hoping that he will notice you?  Are you waiting for him to appear and sweep you off your feet, court you, date you, propose to you, and marry you? Just the way that Boaz did Ruth?  Are you sure that is the way it happened for Boaz and Ruth?  If the story of Boaz and Ruth is your example of how you should wait for your King, and what you are praying to God for, then you may be waiting for a LONG time.  
            First, know that God's plan for you is specific, exclusive and filled with purpose. Second, if you are praying for Boaz (or a man like him) then you have to understand that their connection was for a divine purpose and what God has for you is going to be what you need in a husband.  Third, Naomi sent Ruth to charm Boaz.  Fourth, Ruth asked Boaz to marry her, and he didn’t accept her proposal immediately, because there was a kinsman before Boaz, that had the right to marry Ruth first, (I won’t even mention the huge age difference or the fact he died shortly after the wedding). 
            The Book of Ruth is not a love story, of sorts.  Well at least not the Eros type of love, the love that we desire to have, but more about the Storge type of love that Ruth had for Naomi.  The Book of Ruth doesn’t truly fit, into our fantasies, dreams and prayers about the path that we desire to follow to find love or marriage, and honestly, I think because the story of Boaz and Ruth is what many women pray for; it is one of the main reasons (in my opinion) that there are so many women, who are single, waiting and bitter, more like Naomi, than Ruth.  If you read Ruth 3, you can clearly see where Naomi devises the plan to have Ruth bathe, perfume down and adorn herself in her best, in order to charm Boaz that he would consider marrying her.  Then after a night of feasting and in a Great mood, Boaz goes to sleep, and at this time Ruth places herself at his feet. Boaz awakes and notices her lying there, she has laid her cover over his feet, which in that day and age was a proposal of marriage, LADIES.  This was the intent of Naomi’s plan, however, it was a part of God’s divine plan, and God has His divine plan for you as it pertains to marriage too.  So, I ask, is this what you really want? Because if you are praying for a Boaz, then these may be some of the steps you will have to take to get him.
            The reason I am bringing this to light is, because at one time I too wanted what Ruth had.  I too thought if I was working the field my Boaz would just notice me, Boaz knew who Ruth was, not  only because of her stellar work in the fields, but word of leaving her homeland to follow Naomi to her homeland, spread throughout the town about her decision to stay with Naomi to go wherever she goes and also serve the God she serves. I too didn’t realize that Naomi’s plan was for Ruth to charm Boaz into marrying her; as well as, not realizing that Ruth proposed to Boaz, not the other way around.  Out of pure ignorance, and what I would hear preached, I desired a Boaz.  But God said, “No”!!!!! That’s not whom I have for you, Boaz was Ruth’s husband, and the only thing your husband and Boaz will have in common is, they both will have served me.  So, stop praying that dead prayer and begin to pray that I send you whom I have for you.  Seek the kingdom, work the fields, work My ministry, and be busy about Me, God.  Find a true healing for yourself, keep your body, keep your mind focused on me, and I will send you whom and what you need.  Boaz wouldn’t be able to compete.  So ladies, I pray that you change your prayers, as it pertains to your mate.  Get yourself right, so when your (enter his name here), finds you, he would have found his good thing!!!!

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Cheating On God






 
Are You Cheating On God?

God's Word says that we are not to put any form of gods or idols before Him. We are to always seek and glorify Him first in all we say and do.  For if what we say and do does not glorify Him, we need not say or do it.  To do otherwise would be an act of cheating on God!
True story: prior to my recent divorce, I was in a hopeless and broken marriage. I was sincerely laying everything before God because I wanted a miracle to happen in our relationship. In my brokenness, it was easy to surrender my all to Him because I wanted something from Him. I was determined in my mission to cross my ”t’s” and dot my “i's”, but once my marriage was over, I found my relationship with God beginning to slip. I began to creep and cheat on God by consuming His time with "things" that would keep my mind off the disappointment of my failed marriage. My already busy schedule got busier and at first, I wasn’t using that as an excuse to hinder my relationship with God but after a while it did.
For example, to have one-on-one time with God, I would sacrifice my sleep every morning to pray, study the Word and meditate on Jesus before I corporately joined the 6am prayer line.  My cheating first started when I began to ignore my 4:45 a.m. alarms. Every time I snoozed or canceled that alarm, I was satisfying my own desire to choose sleep over God.  I was cheating!
My studies as a Social Work major are often times overwhelming. My evening routine included me spending some devotional time with God before hitting the books.  However, my cheating continued when I chose to only do schoolwork and exclude my devotional time with God.
I absolutely love being a grandmother! I get so much joy being with my grandkids doing all sorts of silly and fun things with them.  Sometimes these "things" we do can go on for several hours and by the time we're done, I'm too pooped and worn out to do God or anything else for that matter.  Please don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting that snoozing a little or furthering your education or loving your family is wrong. God forbid! What I am saying is that if what you do from day to day happens before you do God, then you, as I, are guilty of cheating on God.
Let us pray…Dear God, please forgive us for not operating in the purpose you created us for continuous honor, glory and praise to you first, before we do anything or anyone else.  Please reveal to us the errors of our ways so we may nip our "cheating" ways at the bud.  Help us to be obedient to Your Word to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (rest, education, family, money, etc, etc, etc) shall be added unto us”.  In Jesus' precious name we pray, Amen.
I Am her - Debbie Wallace