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MANIFESTATION OF HIS GLORY NETWORK, INC. WORD WEDNESDAY BREATHE - Acts 17:28
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Welcome to Word Wednesday with Manifestation of His Glory Network, Inc.
I am grateful that you have taken time to meet me here around the Word of God today.
Today, I want to give you permission to do something that sounds simple, but for some of us has become difficult.
Breathe.
Not quit.
Not abandon the assignment.
Not become careless with what God placed in your hands.
Breathe.
Take a moment.
Take pause.
Reflect.
Reevaluate.
Look at what God has already brought you through and what He has already enabled you to accomplish.
And before you rush into the next responsibility, the next assignment, the next deadline, the next problem, or the next thing demanding something from you, take a breath and tell God:
“Thank You Lord.”
Because we live in a world that constantly tells us to keep moving.
Produce more. Build more. Accomplish more. Respond faster. Work harder. Go to the next thing.
And sometimes we become so consumed with what our hands are doing that we forget to thank God for the hands that are able to do it.
We become so consumed with what our minds are producing that we forget to thank God for the mind that can think, create, imagine, strategize, and solve.
We become so focused on where we're going that we forget to worship God for how far He has already brought us.
Listen to me closely.
You can be moving and still need a moment to breathe.
You can be strong and still need a moment to breathe.
You can be called and still need a moment to breathe.
You can be anointed and still need a moment to breathe.
You can be productive and still need a moment to breathe.
Breathing does not mean you have lost your fire.
Sometimes breathing is how you keep from burning yourself out while carrying the fire.
Let's pray.
Father, in the name of Jesus, thank You for this moment.
Thank You for life. Thank You for breath. Thank You for strength.
Thank You for the ability to think, create, work, build, serve, love, lead, and accomplish what You have placed before us.
Father, quiet the noise long enough for us to hear You. Teach us when to move and teach us when to be still. Teach us how to carry responsibility without allowing responsibility to consume us.
And while we breathe today, bring us back into awareness of You. Let Your Word renew us, correct us, strengthen us, and remind us that everything we are able to do begins with You.
In Jesus' name, Amen!
Now, let's get into the Word of God!
Acts 17:28 says:
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being.”
Acts 17:28, KJV
Don't read past that too quickly.
In Him we live. In Him we move. In Him we have our being.
That means before there was anything on your schedule this morning, there was God.
Before there was an assignment, there was God.
Before there was a business, ministry, career, family responsibility, project, vision, or deadline, there was God.
And the very ability you have to put your hands to those things came from Him.
Your creativity came from somewhere. Your ability to solve problems came from somewhere. Your ability to envision something that did not exist and then begin building it came from somewhere.
Your ability to endure came from somewhere. Your ability to get back up came from somewhere.
In Him we live, and move, and have our being.
So maybe today isn't about asking God for another thing.
Maybe for a moment, today is about breathing and saying:
“God, thank You for what You already gave me.”
Thank You for the mind You gave me.
Thank You for the creativity You placed in me.
Thank You for the work You have entrusted to my hands.
Thank You for the strength I didn't know I had until life required me to use it.
Thank You for the wisdom You gave me when I didn't know what to do.
Thank You for keeping me when I was moving so quickly that I didn't stop long enough to recognize I was being kept.
And this brings me to my first point today, men and women of God.
Breathe Long Enough to Recognize God
Sometimes we can become so accustomed to God's provision that we stop recognizing it as provision.
We wake up and immediately start thinking about what needs to be done. But you woke up.
We start thinking about where we need to go. But you have the ability to move.
We start thinking about what needs to be created. But your mind is still producing ideas.
We start complaining about everything our hands have to do. But your hands are still able to work.
Psalm 150:6 says:
“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”
Psalm 150:6, KJV
Did you see that?
If you have breath, you already have a reason to praise.
Before the situation changes. Before the answer comes. Before the door opens. Before everything on your list gets completed.
You have breath.
And sometimes you need to interrupt your own schedule with worship.
Not because the work doesn't matter. But because God matters more than the work.
We cannot become so committed to what God gave us to do that we neglect the God who gave us the ability to do it.
That's where some of us need to reevaluate.
Have I become more consumed with the assignment than I am connected to the One who assigned me?
Have I become so busy building that I stopped worshiping?
Have I become so focused on producing that gratitude has become an afterthought?
Breathe. And remember Who gave you the breath.
Now stay with me here, because breathing does something else.
When you stop long enough to recognize God, you also create room to examine where you are.
And that brings me to my next point.
Pause Does Not Mean You Have Stopped Progressing
Somebody needs to hear that today.
Pause is not always the absence of progress.
There are times when stopping long enough to evaluate where you are prevents you from continuing in a direction God never told you to keep going.
Psalm 46:10 says:
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10, KJV
Notice that stillness and knowing are connected.
There are things you recognize about God when you stop moving long enough to pay attention.
There are things you recognize about yourself too.
When you breathe, you can ask:
Am I still doing this the way God instructed me?
Is this still producing what it was supposed to produce?
Am I carrying something God never told me to carry?
Have I said yes to too much?
Am I moving because God said move, or am I moving because I don't know how to be still?
That's reevaluation.
And reevaluation is not weakness. It is wisdom.
Sometimes strength looks like continuing.
And sometimes strength looks like having enough discipline to stop, assess, adjust, and then continue correctly.
You don't have to prove your strength by exhausting yourself.
You don't have to prove your commitment by never taking a moment.
And you certainly don't have to run yourself empty trying to convince people that you are capable.
God already knows what He put in you.
You need to know when to breathe through what you're carrying.
Breathe through the transition. Breathe through the decision. Breathe through the disappointment. Breathe through the season you don't fully understand. Breathe through the pressure.
You don't have to respond to everything immediately.
Some things need prayer before they need your answer.
Some things need discernment before they need your decision.
Some things need reflection before they need your reaction.
And some things will look completely different after you have been still in the presence of God.
That's not losing momentum. That's refusing to waste movement.
And this brings me to my final point.
Breathe, Then Move with God
The breath is not where we stay.
It prepares us for how we continue.
Isaiah 40:31 says:
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31, KJV
Look at the progression.
They wait. They renew. Then they move.
They mount up. They run. They walk.
There is movement after waiting.
But now they are moving from renewed strength.
That's the difference.
God doesn't need you moving merely because you are afraid to stop.
He wants you moving with Him.
There is a difference between being busy and being led.
There is a difference between activity and obedience.
There is a difference between doing everything you can do and doing what God has actually called you to do.
So breathe.
And while you're breathing, worship.
While you're breathing, listen.
While you're breathing, thank Him.
While you're breathing, reevaluate.
While you're breathing, let Him renew you.
Then get up and move again.
Not depleted. Not resentful. Not running on fumes.
Renewed.
There is still work to do.
There are still assignments with your name on them.
There are still ideas God has placed in you.
There are still people you are called to reach.
There are still things your hands are called to build.
There are still places your feet are called to go.
But you don't have to destroy yourself carrying what God gave you.
Breathe through it.
Men and women of God, before we leave today, I want you to take inventory.
When was the last time you thanked God not for something He gave you, but simply for the ability He placed inside of you?
God, thank You for my mind.
Thank You for my hands.
Thank You for creativity.
Thank You for ingenuity.
Thank You for wisdom.
Thank You for endurance.
Thank You for another opportunity.
Thank You that after everything I have experienced, I am still here.
And I can still breathe.
And as long as God has given you breath, there is still an opportunity to know Him.
Maybe you've been moving through life, accomplishing things, handling responsibilities, and doing what you know to do, but somewhere along the way you lost your connection with Jesus Christ.
Or perhaps you have never surrendered your life to Him.
Today, you can.
Romans 10:9 says:
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Romans 10:9, KJV
You don't have to have everything figured out.
Come to Jesus.
If that is you, pray with me.
Father, in the name of Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and I need a Savior. I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins and that You raised Him from the dead. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Make me new. Jesus, I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Teach me Your Word, order my steps, and help me follow You from this day forward.
In Jesus' name, Amen!
If you prayed that prayer and believed it in your heart, welcome to the family of God!
Get into the Word of God. Develop your prayer life. Connect with a Bible believing church where you can be taught the Word, strengthened in your faith, and grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
And know that we are rejoicing with you right here at Manifestation of His Glory Network, Inc.
Let me pray for you before we leave this online sanctuary.
Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for every person reading this Word.
For the one who has been carrying too much, breathe fresh strength into them.
For the one whose mind has been overwhelmed by responsibility, give them peace.
For the one who has been afraid to pause because they thought everything would fall apart, remind them that You are God even when they are still.
Give us wisdom to know when to move, when to wait, when to adjust, and when to simply worship.
Thank You for our minds. Thank You for our hands. Thank You for creativity. Thank You for ingenuity. Thank You for strength.
Thank You for every gift, ability, idea, and opportunity You have entrusted to us.
We give the glory back to You.
Renew us so that when we move, we move with You.
In Jesus' name, Amen!
Before we leave today, I want to give you an opportunity to worship the Lord through your giving.
If Manifestation of His Glory Network, Inc. has encouraged you, strengthened you, or helped you grow through the Word of God, I invite you to partner with us as we continue carrying the Gospel beyond the walls.
You may give through PayPal, Cash App, or Tithely.
Give as the Lord leads you, and thank you to everyone who prays, gives, shares these teachings, and supports the work God has entrusted to this ministry.
Men and women of God, thank you for joining me for Word Wednesday.
This week, don't allow life to move so quickly that you miss God in the middle of it.
Do the work. Carry the assignment. Build what He told you to build. Create what He gave you to create. Keep moving.
But breathe.
Pause long enough to recognize Him.
Reflect long enough to appreciate what He has already done.
Reevaluate long enough to make sure your movement still agrees with His direction.
And worship long enough to remember that without Him, none of it would be possible.
In Him we live.
In Him we move.
In Him we have our being.
My prayer remains the same:
That you logged in one way and you are logging out another!
May the Lord renew your strength, settle your mind, order your steps, bless the work of your hands, and remind you that you do not have to lose yourself while fulfilling what He placed inside of you.
Go in peace.
Go in wisdom.
Go in renewed strength.
And don't forget to breathe.
God bless you!
Apostle Dr. G. Denise Gray
Lead Apostle & General Overseer
Manifestation of His Glory Network, Inc.
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