Lord Jesus, come and breathe over me.  Come and flow like a river over my life. Fill me to the brink and then keep filling me until You pour out from every part of my being.  Let me overflow with the breath of Heaven.  Every word I speak seems like a ribbon…with the sounds, words, and sonnets of Heaven parading on it.  As I lean into Holy Spirit, I feel both fire and water well up within me.  How is it possible that You are everything at once?!  It’s so amazing to be lost in You.

I find myself at a fork in the road.  A fork with three prongs and I can choose which part of You I want to learn more about today.  Will I take the route of the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit?  I’m never missing out when I choose because leaning into One of Your parts, simply leads me to know more about all of You. 

Living in Your presence is like being on a never-ending treasure hunt and I really like to find treasure!  Thank You for being such an adventure!  Adventure with the One Who is eternal is far better than any earthly pursuit I could ever have.  You alone bring satisfaction.  You alone provoke curiosity and courage.  You alone love completely.  You alone pursue while being pursued.  It’s beautiful.

Oh, come and breathe over me Holy Spirit.  Let the wind of Your Spirit bring life to my weary bones.  “Come alive!”, I hear You say.  “Come alive!” 

I am alive in You.  Alive and satisfied, yet hungry. 

You’re the eternal loop.  Wanting more of You, feeling satisfied, only to be hungry for more at the same time…and round and round it goes.

Please don’t ever let me lose the wonder.  Please don’t ever let me be put to sleep by the world.  Awaken my soul every morning, sweet Spirit!  Awaken my soul!!

How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God.  They cannot be numbered!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!  And when I wake up, You are still with me!  O God, if only You would destroy the wicked!  Get out of my life, You murderers!  They blaspheme You; Your enemies misuse Your name.  O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate You?  Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose You?  Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for Your enemies are my enemies.  Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.  Psalm 139:17-24

When I was young, I wondered why I couldn’t ever write anything that didn’t seem “flowery”.  I noticed that any time I wanted to release my words in print, something happened and suddenly I had a more poetic way of releasing.  I laugh at these words now, because it’s obvious that I was always a writer, but when you are young and insecure, any difference, even one that will later become a solid part of you can seem humiliating.

I think part of this stemmed from a family dynamic that in no way encouraged out of the box thinking or behavior.  Therefore, any part of me that was different, felt wrong and embarrassing.  This led to a lot of anger in my life.  The more you withhold your true self, the angrier you become.

Yet even with this massive hole of insecurity in my life, I couldn’t seem to resist those things that were uniquely me.  Like music.  And acting.  Then writing music and beginning to transition to worship and over time…and many prophetic words and encouragements…I surrendered to writing.

We can’t avoid ourselves forever. 

Eventually, the person God created us to become will come bubbling to the surface no matter what.  But we do always have the choice to further suppress it or to finally relent. 

I truly believe that most of the miserable people we see are the ones who are constantly refusing themselves.  The ones who deny what is truly important to their hearts and instead co-opting for what they think others will approve of more. 

The world would become much more solid and stable if each of us could simply rest into who God created us to become.  I believe if that happened, then we would have no needs because every position would suddenly be filled by the right and anointed person for the job. 

Here’s something to consider…nobody knew that my strengths were my strengths…only me and God, at first.  Really, it was only God at first and eventually He brought me around…then as I began to stretch slowly into those things, others were drawn to those parts of me.  This convinces me that the truly part of ourselves is a natural magnet.

People appreciate others who are displaying their true selves.  Not some manufactured, rebellious, inauthentic reproduction of everyone else.  No.  Their God given identity.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous- how well I know it.  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in Your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  Psalm 139:13-16

There are some things that are far more important than others.

To ask Jesus into our hearts and to love God above all else, is undoubtedly the number One most important thing…

To love our neighbors as ourselves…is second.

I believe the next to be trust.  Trust in the Lord in all things, at all times, and every circumstance.

Trust is evidence of our love.  Being unwaveringly trustworthy is evidence of His love for us. 

Trust is one of the most delicate things.  It’s also something that once broken, is difficult to mend. 

God has never and will never break our trust.  That’s something to rest upon.  It’s also an answer to many questions…

We ask, “How could a good God do this or that?”.  The answer is we trust that God is always good.

We ask, “Why do bad things happen to “good” people?”.  The answer is we are all sinners saved by grace and the One Who saved us had many bad things happen to Him…yet He was still God.  How can we expect our lives to be more privileged than His? 

Why is it often a persons’ first response to be angry and blame God when things don’t go the way they want them to.  What if instead, we trusted that He is working something good in our lives.  We only need to trust that God is Who He says He is…on the good days and the bad. 

We are largely unwilling to suffer, have you noticed?  God calls us to be long-suffering…so how does this line up?  It doesn’t.

We owe Him our trust because He Who began a good work will remain faithful to completion. 

Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.  Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me.  Test my motives and my heart.  for I am always aware of Your unfailing love, and I have lived according to Your truth.  I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites.  I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.  I wash my hands and declare my innocence.  I come to Your altar, O Lord, singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all Your wonders.  I love Your sanctuary, Lord, the place where Your glorious presence dwells.  Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners.  Don’t condemn me along with murderers.  Their hands are dirty with evil schemes, and they constantly take bribes.  But I am not like that; I live with integrity.  So redeem me and show me mercy.  Now I stand on solid ground, and I will publicly praise the Lord.  Psalm 26:1-12

I just recently completed the book, “The Watchmaker’s Daughter”.  It is the account of Corrie Ten Boom and her family.  It is a compelling and heartbreaking story.

But the thing that struck me the most was how much our current political and media landscape is mirroring the early days…right when Hitler began his takeover.

The media was completely controlled by him and they only recited what they were told.  Sound familiar?  Many people fell in line with Hitler and his ways because it was too costly not to and nobody could ever imagine just how bad it might get. 

Corrie recounted that the hardest people for her to forgive were her own countrymen who turned her over.  Imagine, it was easier to forgive the gestapo then those who were her countrymen.  But when we consider this, it makes a lot of sense.

I have a far easier time finding forgiveness for illegals than I do Americans who are deliberately allowing our country to be invaded, day after day.  It’s hard to understand how someone who has lived in America their whole lives, wouldn’t see the evil in simply giving our country away.  If we don’t soon stop this, then there will be no country left for anyone to take refuge in.

We must decide to learn the truth about history so we don’t repeat it. 

Let’s face it, our school history books are not written by neutral parties.  They are actually written by and for those who have a demonic agenda.  I remember even when I was in school, showing my mom something in a history book and she said, “That’s not the way it happened at all.  It makes me so mad the way they do this.” 

Apparently teaching lies has been a long-term strategy.

There is a new religion on the landscape…it’s progressivism.  We can no longer pretend that it’s anything but a religion.

All those who scream about separation of church and state have no clue what that really means.  Keeping the state out of our churches was a top priority when America was founded.  

Day by day our freedoms are being infringed and nobody really has seemed to notice…at least, not until the last couple of years. 

We are one nation under God.  That hasn’t changed and neither has this…Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.  The thing that made America free was that we were a country built on God.  I pray we remember this before it’s too late.

God, I humbly ask that You would forgive us.  We, Americans, seem to have forgotten Who it is that gave us our freedom.  It is and will always be You.  We have lost our way, as a country.  Fighting amongst ourselves and living in full denial of the truth.  But God, there is a remnant here.  Please rise up and rescue us and restore the glory of America.  Let us be a bastion of peace and prosperity.  A beacon of hope to the world.  A true refuge to those who need it.  Lord, come and heal our land.  Restore our borders and free us.  Let it ring throughout the earth, that we are one nation under God…indivisible.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.  2 Chronicles 7:14

Have you ever tried to spend quality time with family only for it to end up in arguments and hurt feelings?  I’m sure we all have.  I believe this is one reason that so many families often avoid such quality time.  But I see things a bit different. 

Today as we attempted some family time, at first all was well.  Everyone was happy and having fun, then suddenly someone was mad.  The atmosphere shifted and things grew precarious.  The reason this person said they were mad was clearly not the real reason…what was really happening was that Chris was about to have to leave for work again.  He’s gone a week at a time, and each time I see the kids struggle with it in different ways. 

It would have been easy to see this blowup and confront it with the same negative energy, but that’s never helpful.  It would have also been easy to just confront it and ground that person…also not helpful in this situation.  Instead, we let it go for a bit.  Then after emotions fell back down, we were able to talk.

We need the conflicts and resolutions within our families to build stronger familial bonds.  People argue.  Sometimes we fight.  But when you are part of a family, you must eventually resolve this. 

Have you noticed the way the world is at odds?  It’s as if the two sides no nothing about how to deal with conflicts and resolutions.  In fact, one side in particular likes to paint those who don’t agree with them as sworn enemies who must simply be squashed…or re-programmed. 

It was never meant to be this way.

It’s in our conflicts that we all grow and mature. Family requires compromise.  Marriage does too…although these days people seem to have forgotten that as well. 

We must learn how to allow for others to sometimes disagree with us.  None of us is always right.  Sorry, but that’s just the truth.  Humility is a true gift in this day and hour.  We need to be wrapped in it.

The Bible says to live at peace with one another, as much as it depends on you. 

Sometimes, you meet someone who refuses to let you live at peace with them…what do you do then?

We must work to live at peace with others, but if that peace is absolutely impossible…which is very rare…then we must be willing to walk away and allow God to do as He will.  We don’t always have to have the last word.  We don’t always have to prove ourselves to be right.  Sometimes we must find the humility to walk away. 

Never pay back evil with more evil.  Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.  Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.  Dear friends, never take revenge.  Leave that to the righteous anger of God.  For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.  Romans 12:18

Many days it’s as if I can see a veil over the eyes of so many people.  It’s harder and harder to understand how some people are so viciously deceived.  So deceived that they will fight tooth and nail against everything that is true and holy.  Lord, help us.

When I seek out scripture to help make sense of this, I see that God is the one who opens eyes to the truth.  He is the One Who calls people to salvation.  He opens and closes hearts.

That’s just the boiled down truth.

Without God, none of us would be saved.  It’s so crazy when we realize that we would never have received salvation if it weren’t for Him opening us to Himself. 

Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.  We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods.  We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God.  We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.  If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing.  Satan, who is god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.  They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News.  They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, Who is the exact likeness of God.  You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves.  We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, Who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.  We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.  This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.  2 Corinthians 4:1-7

When we feel overwhelmed with the state of unbelievers, let us remind ourselves how to pray…that God would open the eyes of their hearts to receive the Truth.  Jesus Christ crucified.  The One Way, The Truth, and the Life.  One Way.  Jesus.

Today I challenge you to pray for the unbelievers in this world.  Specifically, anyone God highlights to you.  Ask Him to remove the veil from their eyes that they might see Him.  Ask Him to soften their hearts that they could receive Him. 

Come today, Yahweh, open all of our hearts to see You.  Fill us with Hope.  The greatest Hope of the world…You.  Bless those around us and teach us how to walk in the Light so they can see You.  Fill us with Joy.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I’ve spent a lot of time praying about finances.  I’ve contemplated the line between wisdom and folly when borrowing money to buy a home.  The struggle is real.  When we began to search for the first home we bought, I had a thought that God didn’t want us to have a mortgage.  I’m sad to report that the idea of that was so outside of my brain space that I heard, but couldn’t navigate obedience in that. 

I had no grid for how that could ever be possible.

In hindsight, I often wish I’d listened and heard instead of simply going along with the cultural norm.

A few years ago, God told me we would be debt free.  We lost our income that very day.  That alone convinced me that I was hearing the Lord.  He told me in order to encourage me that life would continue.  It was a promise I held to when we felt like we’d never make it.  since then, it’s been our buoy in the rough waters of life. 

I’d be lying if I said that at times in our journey through the last few years, I didn’t find the debt free word cruel.  But it’s never been about what I think, it’s about what’s real.  God said it, I believe Him.

Now, for the last few months I’ve been hearing this…Don’t owe anyone.  Not even a mortgage.

Since that I’ve been praying and believing for that very thing.  All debts paid in full, including mortgages.  Sounds crazy, I know.  But it’s what He said.  To furth prove the point, I came across this scripture in my daily Bible reading recently…

Owe nothing to anyone- except for your obligation to love one another.  If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.  Romans 13:8

Owe nothing to anyone…

I believe God is making a point.

This word may bother some of you, but all I’m asking is that you take it to God and ask Him what He has to say about it.  Maybe yes, maybe no.  But the scripture is clear…owe nothing to anyone…so I’m devoting myself to finding a way to live in accordance with that.

Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.  Proverbs 22:7

I believe it’s time for believers to reconsider a few things.  I don’t like it any more than you do, but it doesn’t change the Word of God.  It’s also further evidence of how much we have acquiesced to the ways of the world…on more issues than we imagined.

Most of my life I’ve noticed a trend of shaming families for having too many kids.  The world was really selling the idea of 2 child homes when I was young.  It’s as if all things were built to facilitate this particular family size and those who dared have more would just have to deal with the fact that they didn’t cooperate with the standard.  Larger families were made to feel inconvenient.    

Yes, I’ve heard the rhetoric that it’s selfish to have more kids.  Or why would you want to.  Or you can’t afford to have more kids.  You know what I think is frightening?  A country full of only children.  Children with no siblings.  I know that some parents can raise an only child and them not become totally self-absorbed, but that is the exception…not the rule.  I know that in my life I’ve had several friends that were only children and each of them ended up being a horrible relationship.  Those people were the most selfish and self-centered people I’ve ever known and had no qualms with simply discarding friendship the moment it was inconvenient for them.  They also struggled with learning how to become parents…as they were not accustomed to sharing or considering others.  Long suffering.  That’s a skill you begin to learn while having to deal with siblings long-term…

I am one of five siblings.  I’m here to tell you, those people can drive me crazy.  But they are also the best.  They force me to deal with my own crap because we will be siblings forever…so we’ve got to mature and change. 

I’ve noticed that most often people don’t change unless they have some sort of catalyst…many times, mine has been my siblings.  Over the last twenty years, it’s also been my husband and children. 

Family is a gift.  Family is also an opportunity.  An opportunity to mature.

I’ve had a word burning on my heart lately…

It’s time to populate the earth.

We are in a time where the enemy is yelling at us to abort our babies, not have families, not get married…the elite are consistently flirting with ideas for population control. 

Our response to the enemy should always be opposite…God told us to go forth and inhabit the earth and subdue it.

It’s time for God’s people to get married, stay married (rediscover commitment), have lots of kids, and build strong family units.  Raise their children to follow Jesus…teach them at home…not just take them to church to be told…but actually live with Jesus at home.  Be consistent. 

Parents are to teach their children about God.  Then we will know they are learning the truth.  I don’t care how wonderful you think your church youth group is…it’s not meant to be their main place of learning.  I don’t care how amazing you think your churches children’s ministry is…you are meant to be your child’s first and most attentive teacher.  I don’t care how perfect you think your public or Christian school is, you are meant to be your child’s main teacher…even if they attend a school outside of the home.  We can’t afford to not be involved. 

It’s time to populate the earth and to actually raise our own children.

Controversial, maybe…but take a while and pray on this and let me know where you land. 

Do you think this strange for a devotional?  If so, let me challenge you…our devotion to God must include asking Him how He wants us to live in all aspects of our life.  Who we marry.  How many kids we have and how we raise them.  These are areas of our lives to offer our devotion to Him.  

As we surrender all of our plans to God, He will make our path secure.

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply.  Fill the earth and govern it.  Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”  Then God said, “Look!  I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.  And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground- everything that has life.”  And that is what happened.  Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good!  And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.  Genesis 1:28-31

Today’s devotional is another reminder.  We seem to need a lot of reminding during these odd times on the earth.  When everything seems to be turned upside down and there are wars and rumors of wars…when we see persecution of Christians on the uprise in the West…when even many pastors seem to be falling into the demonic traps and are not preaching God’s word, but instead are preaching man’s word…we need to be reminded of what is true.

One thing I know to be true is this…years ago, when I was feeling stressed with the weight of knowing that end times will come and a lot of it is unpleasant…and we don’t know when it will all come to a climax, I asked God how long do I plan for the future?  His immediate response was, “Until”.

It was then that I realized that one reason things have grown so bad already is because believers are far too eager to pack it all up and retreat.  We’ve largely lost our “fight” …so to speak.  What is our “fight”?  To raise families and establish homes.  To teach our children and grandchildren to walk with the Lord.  To stop chasing that ever elusive dollar and focus on what’s real…family and God…that’s what is real.

I remember in the 80’s when the believers thought the world would end, and many gave up their retirement and just basically started acting without regard to the future and short-sighted.  We don’t have the luxury of going nuts.  We must remain focused and intentional, until.

Here’s what I believe…hard times will come to the earth at some point.  As believers we can make them longer if we are constantly living in fear of those troubled days and not doing what God said, staying focused on Him and family.  We can, instead of aggravating the trouble, lean into what is good and work to spread the gospel through the way we live and raise our families.  We can allow our lives to become a refuge to others.  That’s what I want to do.

I always keep an eye on what’s going on in the world, but I won’t allow it to make me fearful and reactive.  Because I know God will always have the final word and nothing happens without Him knowing…so I ask Him about everything and live according to what He says.  You see?

We’ve spoken of the following verse many times, but it simply keeps being relevant…

Make it you foal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.  Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.  1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

This is still the way.  Let’s face it, most of us are not made to be “influencers” on social media…but we can each and every one be influencers within our families, and that’s what matters most.

Fear God.  Love your neighbor.  Walk daily with Jesus.

I have noticed a shocking amount of people whose eyes show a deep emptiness.  The eyes are the window to the soul, yes, it’s true.  So many people I come across seem to have a deep void in their souls.  Christians and non-Christians, alike. 

Some people’s eyes show a deep darkness within them.  Others a deep anger.  But it’s the empty eyes that bother me the most. 

It’s easy to confront anger or darkness, by emptiness…that’s a very different animal.

These are the people who I have conversations with and leave wondering if they feel anything.  Do they understand anything?  Why is it so difficult to connect with them.

I believe it’s a veil over their hearts that we see.

The veil causes the believer and unbeliever to not really understand things.  It’s truly strange to me that one could be a believer, yet still live under this veil…but I’ve learned, over the years, that it’s their choice.  They don’t want to see. 

A lot of them live in that veil of the perfectionism spirit that we talked about earlier this week.  Others live in strict denial. 

Neither of these is preferable.  Both lead to stagnation and ultimate misery.

As I’m writing this God is telling me… “Next time you see emptiness in someone’s eyes, pray that they would be filled.”

Wow.  That’s so obvious, I honestly can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.  The opposite of empty, is filled.  So yes, we should pray that.

God, please remind me to pray that every person I see with empty eyes, would be filled.  Come upon the earth and make full the empty, God.  Fill me afresh every day so I will always be fully alive in You.  Take the veil off all of our eyes so we can see You more clearly.  You are such a kind God.  I love You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  Now the Lord is the Spirt, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit.  2 Corinthians 3:15-18