“Excuse me. Excuse me, please. I’m sorry; I’m just trying to get by here. Can you let me get past here? I’m trying to make it to the front. Excuse me, if you’ll just let me squeeze through here. Thank you so much, I’m just trying to make some room here.”

Can’t you just see it? You’re wondering how on earth God is going to do what He’s promised you. He’s given you this wonderful gift, and somehow your gift is going about its business, making room for you. That’s why I love Proverbs 18:16: “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.”

God gave me this revelation a few weeks ago. I started laughing as I envisioned my gift making room for me. “Excuse me, excuse me, please. I’m just trying to squeeze through here. We’re just trying to make it over there so we can do what we need to do.”

For whatever reason, many folks aren’t walking in their purpose, not walking in their gift. With some, it’s because they’re shy. Some don’t know how to go about it. Some don’t want to come off as being showy. And some have been knocked down and knocked back so many times that they’ve decided to just sit and not bother trying anymore. But this scripture states, “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” Maketh is present tense. Your gift makes room for you. I’m smiling as I think about how our gifts will not only make room for us, but will also bring us before great men. Am I the only one shouting with a smile on my face right now?

Your gift makes room for you. “Excuse me, making room here.” And then your gift brings you—bring being an active word, an active verb. Okay, let me break it down like this. Your gift is not only making room for you, but it’s grabbing you by the hand, grabbing some of you by your collars, and bringing you before great men. Wow!

I think about some of the people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting during my lifetime. Some of them have been known greats, but a lot of them are greats who don’t have a clue who they really are. They have gifts and talents and purpose, but they think they are nothings and nobodys. And that’s what they act like—like they’re nothing and a nobody when in truth they’re great because God made them and He has called them to greatness. Not to boast or to lord over others, but greatness to minister…to serve others. I’ve been asked more times than I can count if I’m a minister. Well, yes and no. No, if you want to attach it to me as an official title. Yes, if you understand that the word minister means a servant of God, and I am indeed a servant of the Most High God.

May I have a “Word” with you? There is too much work to be done for you to continue playing small. God gave you a gift. Your gift will make room for you if you’ll stop trying to sit your gift down, telling it how it doesn’t look right for it to be up there trying to bring you from point A to point B. Your gift will make room for you, and you need to learn to go with your gift. Allow your gift to do all God has placed in your hands to do. Allow your gift to make room for you, to bring you before great men, and to minister and edify the body of Christ. “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” Eyes have not seen nor have ears heard all that God has in store for those who are willing and obedient. Oh, the half has not been told. “Excuse me, excuse me, please. Excuse me. I don’t want to be late. We’re just trying to get there.” That’s my gift talking. So, tell me: What does your gift have to say?                                                                

Copyright © 2009 Vanessa Davis Griggs All rights reserved.
Vanessa Davis Griggs is a speaker and the author of seven novels which includes: Blessed Trinity, Strongholds, and If Memory Serves. Coming May 26, 2009, book number eight: Practicing What You Preach. Visit her Web site at: www.VanessaDavisGriggs.com

Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying, "Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us." From the Bible, I'd like to direct your attention to Mark 11:22. "And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God." 

It's now 2009! For the past few years, I've tried to incorporate what each number signifies in Hebrew. Five was grace, seven for completion, eight for new beginnings and now there's nine. Most folks know about nine months when expecting. But nine is also for fruitfulness. When a woman is expecting a baby, all with the knowledge of it, look toward the pregnancy going full term and then the delivery. Nine months, when expecting, is the time for full-term. Nine months is the period to expect delivery.

This year expect to produce that which has felt like it has been germinating forever (some of you know what I'm talking about). That dream or vision God has planted feels like it's been a long time coming. But this year is the number nine. It's time to harvest that which has been planted.

Mathematically, the number nine has its own uniqueness. There's something supernatural to nine when you look at the multiplication components. Here's what I mean. When you multiply 9 x 2 you get 18. Add 1 + 8 and that equals nine. Same thing for 9 x 3 = 27, you add 2 plus the 7 and you get nine. 9 x 4 = 36. 3 + 6 equals, you got it, nine! 9 x 5 = 45 and 4 + 5 = 9. 9 x 6 = 54 and again 5 + 4 = 9. You can do the rest of the nines and see that this remains true all the way through. This was a lot of fun, but it should serve as encouragement to you this year, 2009: the year of the number nine.

You see, I know many of you have stood and held fast to the confession of your faith. God has told you something, told you to do something, told you He was going to do something, and you've wondered when it will manifest. You've waited patiently on the Lord and you're wondering how much longer you must wait. Well, I'm praising God already as I know there are about to be lots of testimonies on what God is doing this year.

May I have a "Word" with you? Jeremiah 29:11 says that God has and knows the plans He has for you and your life. Plans to prosper you. Plans to cause you to triumph. Plans that will cause you be victorious. You've carried this baby even when it wasn't easy. Now I'd like to give you one more word to see you through. And that word is: Push! Yes, that's right, push. When you feel the pain…push. When you feel like you can't go on, push. When you feel like people don't believe, keep pushing, and if necessary, push that much harder. Push and know that while you're pushing, God is holding your hand. He's smiling, letting you know just how great you're really doing. God is saying for you to keep on keeping on. And do you know what? I can't wait to hear about your delivery and the bundle of blessing(s) you've brought forth into this world! Twins, triplets, God is an expert when it comes to multiplication.          

Copyright © 2009 Vanessa Davis Griggs All rights reserved

Vanessa Davis Griggs is a speaker and the author of seven novels which includes: Blessed Trinity, Strongholds, and If Memory Serves. Coming May 26, 2009, book number eight: Practicing What You Preach. Visit her Web site at: www.VanessaDavisGriggs.com

www.VanessaDavisGriggs.com

by Vanessa Davis Griggs

"And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. And he said unto them, I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the Lord hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said." Deuteronomy 31:1-3

I've not written anything regarding the presidential election although I have not only been actively watching, but participating in ways I've never participated in a campaign before. But as I write this, several things have happened that cause me to write what I am doing today. First, Barack Obama has made history being the first African-American nominee for a major party for the president of the United States of America. Those who have walked a few years on this earth realize the significance of this, as well as where God has brought us, as a people (black and white), from. I not only congratulate the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, Senator Barack Obama, but I congratulate those who have worked so hard and tirelessly to get things this far.

But there was something else God showed me today even though I first saw it on television the day it actually happened. There was a ninety-five year old African-American man in the audience in Virginia where Senator Obama was giving his first major speech after securing the delegates required to become the nominee. This man was with his family who were able to get Senator Obama's attention during the question session. This man handed presumptive nominee Obama a walking stick—a staff if you will. Senator Obama took it and made a statement about it possibly coming in handy, and when I first saw this, I didn't get it the way I got it this morning when the Spirit of God spoke to my spirit.

Moses had a staff he used when he was sent out of Egypt technically to die. When it came to Moses going back to Egypt to deliver the Word from the Lord, God told Moses to use what he had in his hand. He had a staff—good for walking, good for tending sheep when needed. Most of us can picture Moses with that staff in Egypt as well as in the wilderness. Moses held up the staff when he reached the Red Sea, and God parted the Red Sea for the children of Israel to cross when Pharaoh's army was pursuing them. Moses used it to hit the rock when God instructed Him to, but He also used it to strike the rock when God told Him to speak to the rock (there's a message in this as well, but I'll keep to the subject at hand).

When that ninety-five year old African-American man who has seen a lot in his time on this earth, this man who knew that God would someday deliver His people from Jim Crow rules (drinking from separate fountains, sitting in the back of the bus, using separate restrooms). When this man who knew that the dream Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed came from the Lord above: a dream that saw a day when little black boys and little black girls would join hands together and be able to sing that old Negro spiritual, "Free at Last, Free at Last, thank God Almighty, we're free at last." When that ninety-five year old man handed that staff to what was once a skinny young black kid from the south side of Chicago with a funny name, skin that had been kissed by the sun from the Lord above. When that man handed that staff to the presumptive nominee Senator Barack Obama, yes, I saw the passing of the staff from Moses to Joshua.

May I have a "Word" with you? God is still in control. None of us really know what God is doing, and He doesn't have to tell us or ask our permission. But I thank God that He loves us and He promised to never leave us nor forsake us. When God says there's a Promise Land, He means what He says. And He loves us all: black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, young, old, rich, poor, educated, uneducated. John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the WORLD." We have got to come together down here on earth. There's no use in waiting to get to Heaven for us to learn to live as one, one spirit in the body of Christ, we must work to do that now. (Just think of it as practice for what's to come.) For how can we say we love God yet hate our brother? Saints, we cain't.

It's time for us to come together and reach the Promised Land. There are many Moses(es) today. Many of them right here in Birmingham, Alabama—those who were forced to cross their own Red Seas when Pharaoh was in hot pursuit. To you, I say thank you. And I thank God that He has allowed us to see this day in history. To that man who handed the staff to Senator Obama, I saw the spiritual side of that. Yes, I got it! Senator Obama, the Joshua generation, was given the staff of Moses. I say to Senator Obama as I say to you who are in Christ, "What do you have in your hand?" Well people of God, use what you got.                                                                                                                 

Copyright © 2008 Vanessa Davis Griggs All rights reserved.
Vanessa Davis Griggs is a speaker and the author of six novels which includes Promises Beyond Jordan, Wings of Grace, Blessed Trinity and her new novel Strongholds. For more info, visit Web site at: www.VanessaDavisGriggs.com

All of us are familiar with school and having to take tests (whether you've done it or are doing it now). Sometimes, the tests are scheduled; sometimes, it's a pop quiz (one you weren't expecting). Second Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

First off, we need to study before the test. In life, there will be things that show up, and you'll discover: it's only a test. James 1:2-3 reassures us, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience." Understand that there will be trials and tests in life. It matters not whether the test comes from the world, Satan, or from God, the fact remains: God has provided you with the answers to every question, problem, or equation you may encounter. The answers are in the Book—the Bible. But unlike some testing where you must memorize as much as possible and are only allowed to use what you can recall from what you've read or heard, we have the pleasure of being able to search the Book for our answers DURING our test, if need be.

It's an open book test.

Yes, it's great when you already know the answers and can just whiz through your testing time. In fact, that's highly encouraged. But should you need to look in the Book during the test, it's not considered cheating when it's an open book test.

Some of you may be saying, "Wait a minute; God doesn't test us." What you have to understand is that any good teacher will give you a test from time to time just to see where you are and what needs to be worked on to ensure you're prepared. Those of you who are living by faith would never know how strong your faith was if there weren't any test along the way to show you just how powerful and how much faith you do have. James 3:14 says, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" If you have faith and your faith is never tested, then how do you really know you have it?

Okay, back to our test. Let's say the question is: "What should you do when you've done all to stand and you just want to quit?" For the answer, turn to Ephesians 6:13(c)-14(a): "…and having done all, to stand. Stand..." Question 2: "You're worried about things and you don't know which way to turn. What should you do?" One answer can be found in Philippians 4:6: "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

What if you're having negative thoughts, and they're causing you to feel bad and/or defeated? Then turn to Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Do you have people in your life who are trying to take you down? Well, the answer for that is as close as Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." Feeling sick? Isaiah 53:5 (d) "…with his stripes we are healed."

What to do when you find you need some help? For that answer, turn to Jeremiah 33:3, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Feel like you're all alone and going against the world all by yourself? Feel like no one is on your side, and you're wondering what you should do? Look at Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

May I have a "Word" with you? Second Timothy 3:16 clearly states, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." When tests and trials come, don't worry. You see, you already have the answers. And if you don't know them from memory, well guess what? This is an open book test—the answers are in the Book! Class, let's take out our Books and begin.  

Copyright © 2007 Vanessa Davis Griggs All rights reserved

"And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more." That scripture can be found in Genesis 37:5, but how many of us can take Joseph's name out and replace it with our own? Dreams. One of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most famous speeches begins with "I have a dream."

I, as many of you, also have a dream. And I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but not everyone will be happy for you and your dreams. So was the case with Joseph. His dream indicated that his brothers would one day bow down to him. "And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words." (Genesis 37:8)

Joseph was excited about his dream from the Lord, but as you can see, his brothers were not. One would think if Joseph was in a position for this to occur (his brothers bowing down to him) then that would most likely mean others would be bowing down to him also. This would mean that their brother (Joseph) would be a person in high authority, and as his brothers, they should have been excited about that fact. But they weren't. The first lesson we can glean from this story is: Be careful when you share your dreams, realizing that not everyone will be happy for you. But then, that's okay.

Another lesson: When God gives you a dream, He'll always tell you the end at the beginning, but rarely will He tell you all that will happen in the middle on your way to reaching that glorious end. However, don't get discouraged. You need to keep on keeping on regardless of what things look like. Keep your eyes on the prize until you get there.

As encouragement, let's look at all that happened with Joseph. He dreamed a dream, but God didn't tell him he'd be put in a pit by his own brothers who, incidentally, wanted to kill him yet would be persuaded by two of his other brothers not to do it. That instead of killing him, they would sell him into slavery to the Ishmaelites who would bring him to Egypt. God didn't tell Joseph that Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh (captain of the guard), would buy him and he would become successful there. That he would be made overseer of Potiphar's house (sounds good) and all would be placed under his hand.

God didn't tell Joseph that he would indeed be a blessing to that house, but that Potiphar's wife would want to sleep with him. Or that in being a goodly person and doing the right thing by his master and refusing her, she would catch him when he happened to be in the house alone, tear his garment as he tried to flee, and later lie on him saying he was the one trying to get with her. God didn't tell him that Potiphar, upon hearing this, would be angry and put Joseph in prison.

God didn't tell him while there; the king's butler and baker would offend the king and end up in prison. That they would dream a dream and he would interpret those dreams for them. That after he interpreted the butler's dream, he would ask him to remember him and make mention of him unto Pharaoh and bring him out of prison because he hadn't done anything to warrant being there in the first place. God didn't tell him that when the chief butler is restored back, he wouldn't remember him (not good).

Joseph wasn't told he would be in that prison for two years, and at the end of that second year, Pharaoh would have a dream. That nobody would be able to interpret the dream, and the chief butler would then remember while he was in prison, the young Hebrew man who had interpreted his dream. That Joseph would then be called before Pharaoh, and he would correctly interpret Pharaoh's dream, letting him know there would be seven plenteous years and seven years of famine and how those years should be handled. Genesis 41:38 says, "And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is?"

God didn't tell Joseph that Pharaoh would then set him over all the land of Egypt, take off his ring and put it on his hand, dress him in fine clothes, and put a gold chain around his neck. But the dream from God did tell him that his brothers would bow down to him. In Genesis 42:6, it says, "And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth." God is faithful in His promises.

God doesn't tell us all we may have to go through in order to receive the manifestation of our dreams, but rest assured, God sees and knows all that's going on in our lives. So don't get discouraged when things don't look like they're going in the direction of your dreams. As with Joseph, know that God is faithful to His Word.

May I have a "Word" with you? If God said it, it will come to pass if you faint not. Do what God tells you to and allow God to take care of the "how" it will be done. Then when you reach the dream and you look back over all you came through getting there, you can say as Joseph said in Genesis 50:19-20: "And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." In other words: What Satan means for bad, God will use it for good. Trust God. He is faithful! 

Copyright © 2007 Vanessa Davis Griggs All rights reserved

Vanessa Davis Griggs is a speaker and the author of four novels: Destiny Unlimited, The Rose of Jericho, Promises Beyond Jordan, and Wings of Grace. Look for her new novel Blessed Trinity. To visit her Web site, go to: www.VanessaDavisGriggs.com.  Join her as a friend at www.MySpace.com/VanessaDavisGriggs

I've often heard the question asked, "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" It's a great question. But I'd like to know what you would do if you truly believed Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Paul spoke these words in connection with the verses that immediately preceded this declaration. To sum up those verses, Paul said he knew how to live skillfully when things were going wonderfully (abound), and he knew how to live skillfully when things weren't so wonderful (abase).

There are times in life when you might attempt to do things, yet feel like you're not getting anywhere. There may be times when it seems no one is trying to help or support you in any way. There will be times when people will look for and sometimes it may even feel like they're praying for you fail. And yet, there will be times when everything you touch seems to work out wonderfully and everything you touch appears to turn to gold. Times when someone comes along and encourages you or lets you know how much they also believe in you and what you're doing. God will place people in your path that will do whatever they can to help you and they may not even understand why they're doing it (that's called favor).

Allow me to encourage you here. Before you even begin desires, dreams, and goals, set yourself with the same mindset of Paul's. Declare from the beginning, "I can do all things through Christ." Notice this scripture says through Christ—not with or in but THROUGH Christ. And there IS a difference. John 15:5, Jesus says, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."

Get it? Jesus is the vine. In the natural, we understand when it comes to a grapevine that you can't have live, productive branches apart from the vine. The vine feeds, sustains, maintains, and causes branches to bear fruit. And when the vine is a good and true vine, it will produce MUCH fruit. Jesus is the True Vine. Therefore, I (a branch) am being fed by, held up, caused to be healthy and bear much fruit THROUGH Jesus. A branch that desires to be more than merely dry wood must stay connected to the vine because once a branch breaks off, truthfully, it's dead. Sure, there may have been fruit on it already, but without the vine . . . without Jesus, there's no way life will remain. It's through the vine . . . through Jesus, that the branch (you and I) can do things, and not just things, but ALL things.

So when you're working toward your dreams and goals, and you feel like you're not getting anywhere . . . if what you're doing doesn't feel like it's enough to make a difference, I'd like you to consider snowflakes. That's right—snowflakes. Snowflakes are small and light in weight. But when you add one snowflake after another, eventually the landscape will begin to change until eventually it's totally transformed. As snowflakes continue, they begin to collect enough to garner some real attention . . . in some cases, enough to cause avalanches. Now that's a lot of power to have begun with what might not have appeared to have been much to start with. So keep your snowflakes coming; stay connected and put your trust in the True Vine—Jesus the Christ. Then watch as this collective force makes a thundering difference.

Is there something you've always wanted to do but either you or someone else talked you out of it? I can't speak for you, but as for me: I'm confident in my dreams and goals no matter how things look. Why? Because I CAN do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens me.

Got Dreams? Got Goals? Then what are you waiting for? Get up and get going! Walt Disney once said, "All our dreams can come true—if we have the courage to pursue them." So don't be afraid to do something new or different. God has not given you the spirit of fear, but of love and of power and of a sound mind. And when you or someone else begins to question whether or not you can do what God has given you, remember this: An amateur—called by God—built the ark; it was professionals who built the Titanic. Oh yes, you can do ALL things through Christ!

Copyright © 2007 Vanessa Davis Griggs All rights reserved

Vanessa Davis Griggs is a speaker and the author of four novels: Destiny Unlimited, The Rose of Jericho, Promises Beyond Jordan, and Wings of Grace. Look for her new novel Blessed Trinity. To visit her Web site, go to: www.VanessaDavisGriggs.com. 

Vanessa Davis Griggs is a speaker and the author of four novels: Destiny Unlimited, The Rose of Jericho, Promises Beyond Jordan, and Wings of Grace. Look for her new novel Blessed Trinity. To visit her Web site, go to: www.VanessaDavisGriggs.com.