WEDNESDAY'S WORD - TRANSITION - 06/26/19 Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, re-think priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want." - Kristin Armstrong - Athlete    Baseball hall of famer Willie Stargell said, "Life is one big transition." As I get older, I see more clearly the truth of that statement. TRANSITION is the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.  The word is derived from the Latin transire, which means "to go across." In books or screenplays, a transition is a piece of writing that smoothly connects two topics or sections to each other. Transition in pregnancy is the final phase of the first stage of labor, where the woman progresses from seven to ten centimetres, often in less than an hour. Transition comes just before the pushing stage, and it's the hardest part of labor. The woman has a myriad of emotions. They can feel ill or vomit. This is the point at which they are ready to hurt their husbands. Are you figuratively in a birthing transition?   Life stages are our most obvious and inescapable transitions. It's hard to see ourselves going through them because the process seems gradual. Slowly but surely we change: infant, toddler, preschooler, kindergarten, elementary, middle school, high school, college, adulthood, career, marriage, parent, grandparent, great-grandparent. That's 14 transitions, and I haven't mentioned the  transitions within transitions, like moving from one job to another, changing cars or homes, or acquiring new friends. Transitions are a constant. I wonder why no one ever told us how to embrace them! Quincy Jones and Bebe Winans penned these beautiful, well known lyrics, "Everything must change, nothing stays the same. Everyone must change, no one stays the same. The young become the old, and mysteries do unfold. Cause that's the way of time. Nothing, and no one goes unchanged."    One of most notable transitions in Scripture is the saga of the Children of Israel. They are delivered into Egypt because of a famine under Joseph, then eventually are enslaved in the same place of their deliverance. After 400 years, God brings them out from their captors with great wealth. The promise of entering into Canaan and defeating the enemies there is reiterated by  Moses. "It is the LORD that goes before you. He will not leave you or forsake you Do not fear or be dismayed."  Israel transitions out of Egypt into the wilderness, but it takes generations for them to enter into the promised land. Once there, they still have to fight by faith and action for what He's promised, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  Transitions are scary. They reveal what's in us. Will we trust God through shifting and unpredictable changes? Are we emboldened by change or do we resist it?     We would not have the Apostles if the disciples were not willing to transition from being fishermen, doctors, and tax collectors to followers of Jesus. If things stay the same in our lives, we will not learn or grow, and our faith will not be strengthened. Throughout the book of Acts, you'll observe directional shifts and movements of the Holy Spirit as He guides the Apostles to establish the New Testament Church around the world. A walk of faith requires agility and flexibility. Refusal to embrace transition leaves us stuck. Where would we be if Jesus had never transitioned from His throne on high to become a man? What if He'd refused to suffer on the cross and transition into death, burial and resurrection? Transitions, even painful ones can birth tremendous blessings, so embrace the transition you're in!

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - NEW - Sadell Bradley - 06/19/19 - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

   

"Move out of your comfort zone, You can only grow if you're willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new." - Brian Tracy  - Author & Speaker 

 

NEW is word that has been marginalized to purchasing and acquisitions, "I just got a 'new' house or car." We rarely consider the full scope of this word. NEW means not existing before; made, introduced or recently discovered for the first time; not previously used or owned. NEW can also imply that something already exists, but is seen, or experienced for the first time; it's unfamiliar or strange. NEW could be an addition/or qualitative innovation to something that exists. NEW might denote that something has been reinvigorated or restored and is now regarded as better than what went before. These definitions bring illumination to the breadth of possibility in the LORD's self-descriptive statement, "Behold, I make all things new." (Rev. 21:5)

 

The Apostle Peter described the Day of the LORD's return in 2 Peter 3:10-13. "But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness 12as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with God's promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells." Artists have tried to depict this, but it's important to understand that sometimes, what is new only comes after what is old has been thoroughly destroyed. Why? 

 

Because what is old and what is new are at times incompatible.  Jesus' Messianic rule brought upheaval to both the religious systems of the day and to the lives of individuals, "16 No one sews a patch of unshrunk (new) cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and a worse tear will result.17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." (Matt. 9:16-17) Referencing our salvation from sin, we are told that, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become NEW." (2 Cor. 5:17) We struggle when we try to mix old mindsets, perspectives, ways, values or habits in with the NEW thing God is bringing to our lives. Are you engaging a new season or opportunity in old and negative ways?  Changing to something new can be difficult. Former Navy Seal and ultra-triathlete David Goggins said, "You have to be willing to go to war with yourself to create a new identity."  Making the adjustments to be ready for a new thing can be very rewarding. 

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - UNVEIL -06/12/19 - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

   

"I stay true because whatever the project is, I'm still looking for inside of that character. It's the thing that connects him to me and to everybody else. So, the search is the same. It's to unveil the truth, and that's how I stay true, because my purpose isn't altered." - Forest Whitaker - American Actor 

 

The Bible talks about God's mysteries, not as things He wants to withhold from us, but things He chooses to UNVEIL at the proper time. . . There's an old proverb, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." It amazes me how long it takes for me to be ready for an unveiling of a new truth. To UNVEIL means to remove a veil or covering from, to uncover as part of a public ceremony; to show or announce publicly for the first time. The word VEIL has many meanings: a piece of material worn by women to protect or conceal the face (above); or in Jewish antiquity it was the precious cloth that separated the sanctuary from the body of the Temple or the Tabernacle.  Figuratively a VEIL is a thing that conceals, disguises, or obscures something. To unveil means to remove what conceals, disguises, or obscures.

 

The best modern example of unveiling that I've seen is found in the movie The Matrix. The prophetic mentor Morpheus initiates his protege Neo into his new life path as the chosen one. For Neo to assume this role, he has to know the truth of the systems of the Matrix, where what you see isn't really all there is, and sometimes what you see isn't even what you're looking at. Morpheus offers Neo the choice to stay in bliss of ignorance or allow what's behind the curtain to be unveiled. "You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." Neo takes the red pill and is shown all kinds of unbelievable and previously hidden things about the world he lives. In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul describes a similar unveiling, to see the glorious Truth of God's original intent when a person comes to the new way of faith in Christ, and is no longer bound to following the precepts of the law of Moses:

 

12Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14But the people's minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. 16But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.     

Jesus said, "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free." (John 8:32) You can't be freed by a truth you don't know. It might be glorious, or daunting, but at one point or another, we all chose a pill. Which one will it be?

 

 

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - DOUBLE - 06/05/19 - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

   

"My father always taught me that when you help other people, then God will give you double. And that's what has really happened to me. When I have helped other people in need, God has helped me more." - Cristiano Ronaldo - Footballer/Soccer Player   

 

I recently attended a meeting at which leaders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cincinnati were gathered for a lunch and learn with officials from the State of Ohio. I've heard people say, "There's no free lunch," but on this occasion, lunch was included   ; ), so we picked up our boxed lunches. Why do we experience this like kids opening presents on Christmas? You know exactly what's in there: a sandwich, some chips, a cookie, a pickle, condiments and a napkin, Lol! Anyway...to my great surprise, I opened my sandwich and it was really thick. I thought, wow, is Panera is making Dagwood-style double-decker sandwiches now? So I found a knife to cut this huge sandwich I couldn't get my mouth around. I initially thought it was a layered sandwich with three slices of bread. Then I realized it was actually TWO sandwiches. I had been given a real life DOUBLE portion! Of course I got really spiritual, "That'll PREACH!"   

 

DOUBLE - means consisting of two identical, or similar parts or things; having twice the usual size, quantity, strength, amount, or extent. To receive a double portion is not an everyday thing, it is an unusual occurrence of favor. In 2 Kings 2:9-11, as the prophet Elijah is ready to pass over into glory, he says to his protege Elisha, "Ask what I may do for you, before I am taken away from you?" Elisha says, "Please let a double portion of  your spirit be upon me." (indicating succession and a mantle of leadership and anointing)  Elijah replies, "You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so." Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha, his dedicated servant and apprentice saw him...and it was so. He received the double.

 

In Hebrew tradition, the first born son receives a double portion of their father's inheritance (Deut. 21:7) Because of the love and favor that was on his life Joseph, who was not the eldest son, received a double portion. (Exek 47:13; Gen 48:5) Hannah's husband Elkanah, loved her so much that he gave her a double portion of all he had despite the fact that she was childless. (1 Sam 1:3)  Double portions like these and the one promised to Israel in Isaiah 61, connote abundant blessing, and can be conferred to the LORD as a Divine exchange for trial and difficulty. "Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs." (Isaiah 61:7)  Double portions are given by Divine intervention and interruption. Sometimes, like me, you don't even know that or when your double portion is coming. I pray that sandwich is a prophetic indication of the doubling of greater things in this season!