ç'est la vie RN

Tag: God

  • He’s in the room

    He’s in the room

    I’ve been running around like crazy the past two days, but I had to come share a quick story about yesterday. The day started with me getting up super early to have an expectations conversation with a pair of feuding nurses. I wasn’t ridiculously concerned about having the conversation, but the energy required to counteract negativity can be mentally draining. After I completed that task, I proceeded to my office. About two hours later, one of the pharmacy techs was passing by. We exchanged morning greetings, and a few seconds later she reappeared at my door. She said, “Jesus told me to tell you He loves you.” She said initially she was going to keep walking, but it hit her spirit so heavy she knew she couldn’t. Not even two hours later, one of the nurses asked if we could chat. I invited her into my office, and we went through her checklist of items. She begins to tell me how there is a change in the atmosphere with my presence and says, “You must have brought Jesus in here with you.”

    Later that afternoon, another nurse came to visit me. We discussed a number of things for about fifteen minutes and before she leaves, she closes the door and says, “I wanna tell you something.” She continues to tell me how I am doing a great job, and she feels I was sent there specifically for that staff…I got chills. It’s confirmation that…1) I am clear about my purpose. 2) I was anointed before I was appointed. 3) The Lord is with me! It gives me confidence and certainty of victory that is to come. How gracious of God to send blessed assurance in such an unexpected way! I may have not overtly felt the Lord’s presence for myself yesterday, but He made sure I KNEW He was there. And knowing so, gives me such joy!

    Psalm 16:11 speaks of the deep joy and fulfillment found in God’s presence. The passage highlights that true life and satisfaction come from walking with God. It points to the eternal joy and pleasure that can only be experienced in communion with Him, both in this life and for eternity. It reminds believers that God’s guidance leads to lasting peace and joy that surpasses anything the world offers. Do you have joy or do you need a closer with Thee?

  • Monotonous or marvelous?

    Monotonous or marvelous?

    This past week has been a whirlwind! Always so much to take in when starting a new job (no matter what the industry). In healthcare, there are regulatory competencies and education that are completed by all workers, regardless of the work setting, patient population, or geographic location. HIPAA for example…is federal legislation that requires annual compliance training. Breaking that law can get you into big trouble. On Tuesday, I rushed my way through hours of modules on content I feel I know very well. Most seasoned healthcare workers take this same approach. You can be competent of the knowledge and still choose to be ignorant, or should I say laxed for a better usage of words, when it comes to application. Based on my previous example, if I had a dollar for every time a computer screen was found unsecure with patient information sitting on a maximized screen, I could retire.

    On my way home today, I got to thinking about how we often take this same approach to God’s Word. And not just us in modern times but throughout history. Generation after generation, trial after trial, and circumstance after circumstance, we are taught the same lessons. We experience the sovereignty of God, not when we know the word, but when we apply it. Did you know the phrase “Do not be afraid” appears in the Bible 365 times?!?! Moses struggled with fear and doubt that he should be the one to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Elijah, a prophet, at one time feared for his life and fled to the desert. Jonah ran away out of fear, only to find himself in an even more precarious situation, in the belly of a whale. All these men knew of God and His word. It was only when they acted in faith that their fears were overcome, and the Lord led them to do marvelous things AKA His work.

    I guess, my point is don’t just keep approaching the word with a mundane mindset…finishing scriptures you know mid-sentence when the pastor is preaching but have yet to put action to. Use your knowledge to be a doer of the word. Show the Lord you are committed to His will and His way, and allow Him to bless you as He sees fit.

    “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does.” – James 1:22-25

  • Ignorance is not an excuse

    Ignorance is not an excuse

    My insides are still in motion from Desperate for Jesus 2024 this past weekend! Speakers Dr. Nicole Massie Martin, Carol Kent, Jackie Hill Perry, as well as musical guests Niya Cotton and Amber Bullock used their gifts to fill the sanctuary with the Holy Spirit.

    If you are someone or knows someone that needs a good talking to about our LORD and Savior, Jackie is the ONE they need to hear from! Often we are afraid to speak on our experiences because we don’t wanna insult folks or hurt their feelings, but your truth is your truth. And I love hearing Jackie speak it, because it’s the truth. And the truth is (I’m paraphrasing here), we (as a collective) have grown to be morally bankrupt because some preachers just ain’t preaching about Jesus no more. You go to church, do all the things, check all the boxes and still are no closer to your salvation, still sporting phony faith. I can say that my perception growing up was there was a whole lotta preaching to us, about us, which included the installation of fear for God. I was never taught about the love of God, so I missed out on an entire different aspect of His character that I needed to know!

    Here’s the thing though….just like everything else in life, ignorance is not an excuse. At some point we have to take on the responsibility to find out who the Lord is and experience Him for ourselves. Even if someone tells us what we think is “right”, we need to pull out that bible and fact check, because His Word is the foundation. I was in the car this morning and the Holy Spirit gave me this analogy. I’m a registered nurse right. Let’s say I’m about to go round on my patients and another nurse tells me, “Don’t worry about room 123. I just walked by and the patient is asleep.” Let’s say I decided to take their word for it and let my patient sleep. Almost two hour later, I go into room 123 during the next set of rounds to a lifeless, still body. You’re probably thinking, Tiffany, that’s a little dramatic…is it really a life or death situation? YES, SALVATION IS A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION!!! Without it, there is no access to eternal life. And, once you realize and take in the gravity of what needed to occur to GIVE us salvation (not earn, buy, steal, or borrow), it changes you.

    “…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.: – Romans 10: 9-10

    The Word is the absolute source of truth for verification. Don’t live off hearsay. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). To know the Word is to know God. Learn who He is for yourself. Start today!

    Image from Instagram account @ocbfchurch
  • Waiting season

    Waiting season

    Since having passed the six month mark without a job, I’ve been like, “Lord, now what?” So many emotions tend to bubble up when we don’t know what happens next. I have been intentional about using my moments of angst to fuel my faith. I went to church Wednesday night. The sermon was about what happens during the waiting. Pastor Bryan Carter referenced King David and how he was anointed as king more than a decade before he actually was appointed to the position. Pastor Carter shared 3 attributes about the waiting time:

    • 1. Waiting time is testing time.
    • 2. Waiting time is working time.
    • 3. Waiting time is NOT wasting time.

    As I have reflected on my own situation the past couple of days, I can say I know these 3 things to be true. The YouVersion app started going over Psalm 23 this week for the verse of the day. This morning was verses 5-6, and what spoke to me through the spirit was, “You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.” It was a rhema word. I remembered Pastor Carter said anointment comes before the appointment. During my interviews last week, instead of saying all the right things I know everyone wanted to hear, I answered with the truth. I can honestly say I feel the antointing God has placed over this area of my life. And when I read those verses this morning, the Holy Spirit told me my appointment is coming. Do not be afraid of the challenges that will arise; I can be reassured God’s presence will be with me. And all the overflow from my cup will spill into the lives of those that surround me. Isn’t that goodness worth waiting for? If you are in a season of waiting, remember this…

    • God wants to see your true character during the test(s).
    • God is always working during the wait.
    • God wastes nothing. He uses every season.

    Thank you Pastor Carter for message. Hope y’all have a great week!

  • Victory is mine…Maybe?

    Victory is mine…Maybe?

    Dr. Tony Evans has been doing a series called Unbound: Releasing God’s (blank). This morning, the blank was victory. The scripture was 2 Kings 13:15-19. King Joash went to see the prophet Elisha to request divine intervention for victory over Aram. We see in the scripture a transference of power when the prophet places his hands on the king’s hand, sanctifying that first arrow. After, the prophet instructs the king to strike arrows to the ground. The king only struck 3 times. This act would stifle the power of the king’s victory.

    A few things I noted about this sermon:

    • God will place His hand on our problem AFTER we have placed ours, and He sees we have taken responsibility.
    • God will do as much as we are willing to do. We can limit God in our lives…not His abilities, but His decision.
    • How far we are willing to go on on our own before God steps in requires 2 things: trust and obedience.

    I have been reflecting on this word, asking myself if I have truly been “all in” for my work in the things that I seek to claim victory over. How about you? Are you waiting on the Lord for something, only to now understand He is likely waiting on you or only delivering based on the effort you put forth? Do you have full trust in God? Proverbs 3:5 calls for us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not to our own understanding. Have you been disobedient? Growing up, I only considered my actions disobedient when they included some form of outward disrespect. Truth is, when a parent tells their child to go wash up for dinner, and they continue to play on the video game or watch Tik Tok, that is disobedience. What has God called or commanded you to do that you have not fully yielded to? As much as I hate to think I’m the affliction of my own desires, in some areas of my life, I know it to be true. As we head into a new week, I encourage you to obey the Lord and place all your trust in Him, actively living it out, knowing His promises are true.