Oftentimes on Sundays, I enjoy giving large chunks of scripture to you.  The purpose is to simply read and re-read and soak in the scripture and ask God what He would say to you about it.  This is a great time to journal out some thoughts to God and allow Him to refresh and reset your heart before we begin another week.

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the great deep.  O Lord, You preserve both man and beast.  How priceless is Your unfailing love!  Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of Your wings.  They feast on the abundance of Your house, You give them drink from Your river of delights.  For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.  Continue Your love to those who know You, Your righteousness to the upright in heart.  May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.  Psalm 36:5-11

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.  Fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.  The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.  Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.  Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.  Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.  The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.  The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him form them all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.  Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.  The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.  Psalm 34:8-22

Prayer Moment:  God, we need to see Your face in scripture.  Ignite our hearts to partner with Holy Spirit, so we can understand and hide this word in our hearts.  Give us each a hunger that only time in Your word and with Your Presence can fill.  I long for You, Abba.  Let me never be led astray.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

As I have been thinking through all that is going on in our lives right now, I have realized that things have come to such a climactic place that any breakthrough will result in so many different people giving glory to God, all around us.  Then I wondered, has this all just positioned us to reflect his glory upon the earth?

The Bible says: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28.

It also states:  You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20. Basically, God uses what the enemy plans for evil and He turns it for good.

I also remember this verse:  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And we all 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 3:17-18

What if by walking out this life led by the Spirit, instead of being led by fear or my flesh, I can be positioned to reflect the glory of God onto the earth?

So, avoiding uncomfortable things, which is what I would prefer, would actually rob the earth from seeing a measure of His glory.  It would at the same time, deny God’s glory from being more evident in my life and on the earth.  That’s a sobering thought.  No, I’m not being self-important, but I am saying, we each have opportunities to reflect His glory onto the earth, are we avoiding them?

Now, I don’t want that at all.  I want to always be willing to walk with God wherever He leads and to not be afraid of the days when my life looks shockingly different from most other people.  When you are unemployed, many people would just say, “Go get any job you can.”   But if I did that, I’d be living out disobedience, because He’s said, “Wait”.  We have been following His lead and doing specific things He’s directing us to do.  Our days are so full, we are not sitting around being lazy, instead, we are investing in wise places (a.k.a. where he tells us to).  It’s not easy, but He hasn’t called me to just do whatever I can, He invited me to do His will.  Sometimes, that will look odd to the world.

Prayer Moment:  In this day and age, as we are more and more focused on being comfortable, I think it’s lulled us to sleep in a way.  It’s made us uncomfortable with another person’s struggle.  I readily admit that I’ve been on both sides of this equation.  Watching someone walk out a long struggle can be so tough.  It can make you want to pull away from them and wonder if they are, in fact, walking in God’s will or not.  I get it.  But don’t you see, this is when they need friendship the most?  I challenge you to reach out to someone today.  Ask God who He desires you to love on while they walk out difficult things.  Instead of avoiding something hard, be a part of reflecting God’s glory onto the earth today.

 

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your majesty’s hand.  But even if He does not, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.  Daniel 3:17-18

 

Even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.  Psalm 139:12

Recently while running, I had the most powerful vision.  I was feeling strong in Spirit, revitalized even.  And I felt the Lord move on me, then I saw myself marching with purpose, straight to what looked like hell and taking back ALL that the enemy had stolen from me.  As I marched forth, I saw that the darkness couldn’t infiltrate the strong Light that was surrounding me and was making a large space around me.  Almost like a bubble of light around me.  I was not the slightest bit afraid and I was fully confident anything the enemy had taken that belonged to me, must be returned in that very moment.  As I was running, I almost felt like I was flying, that’s how powerful this encounter was.

There is nothing the enemy can steal from you that God can and will not restore.  No matter how today feels, hold onto the hope of tomorrow.  Tomorrow will become today, and you will see the recompense of the Lord.

When I had the above vision, I knew that a large part of me taking back that which was stolen, was for me to continue to walk steady through all the uncertainty of today, to continue to hold fast to every promise that God has spoken over me, especially when it seems impossible that the promise could ever become reality.  I don’t serve myself or God well if I’m flailing around complaining and fearful of tomorrow, but not even the gates of hell can prevail over me when I stand in faith.  All the faith we have inside originates from God.  He gives us each a measure of faith, so when we stand on that faith, it’s just like standing on the name of Jesus, and the enemy must flee.  I believe that oftentimes, our greatest point of breakthrough stands on the other side of our greatest moment of pressure to concede.

When faith fills the room, it chokes out all the lies of the enemy.  The darkness must flee at the Presence of God and our faith carries that very Presence.

Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.  James 4:7

All we need to do is surrender to God and resist the enemy.  It can feel like a long battle sometimes, but as I grow older and fight longer and longer, I discover each victory is coming a little more quickly than the one previous.  It’s worth it to cultivate this strength.  The strength to resist, and the heart to surrender.

Prayer Moment: God, help me to stand firm on You.  Don’t let me, in my weakness, concede any promise that You have spoken over and set aside for me.  Even in my weakest moment, don’t let my fingers lose their grasp on Your hope.  Hold me tight Lord, keep me ever closer to Your heart.  I need You in ways I’ve never needed You before.  But even here in this moment of great need, I trust You.  My faithful Father and Love forever.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:9-11

For by the grace given me, I say to every one of you:  Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.  Romans 12:3

One final part of the walk out of the cloud was this, I kept having a vision of God coming in and resetting my spine.  As if He was a chiropractor, I would see and feel Him adjusting me back into alignment with Him, and I kept hearing “realignment”.  So, I began to pray constantly, “God, realign me.”

Sometimes, without even realizing it, we can move out of alignment with God.  Maybe we’ve been following Him a long time and started out on one path, but then just continue to move forward in that same direction, not out of His instruction anymore but just out of habit.

During the time where He spoke “realignment” to me, I began to widen my perspective of what Chris’ job options and opportunities could be.  I began to say, “God, if You have something different for Him, then please show us.  No matter what it is, just show us.”  I knew I needed to get my imagination out of the way, so I affirmed to God that He was far more creative than me and I couldn’t even fathom what our next move should be, so I wasn’t even going to think it out, I was simply going to await further instructions.

It came in the most interesting way.

One day (as I described in an earlier devotional) when I woke up before my alarm and couldn’t wait to get up to my office for quiet time and to read my Bible, I found myself back in my office after dropping my kids off at school.  I felt firm in a mission to begin organizing my office and I also have several devos I needed to write, so I got busy.  I felt refreshed and full of life and hope as I set about my tasks that day, and honestly, every day since!  But what happened downstairs with Chris, while I was out of his way was what I’d been waiting on.  Apparently, God had been stirring him and moving in his heart, because when I came down for a quick lunch, he informed me of his work plan (which I was really excited about) and he even began making strides to move toward that goal that very day.

It’s amazing what God can accomplish when I get out of the way 😊. I am laughing at myself, but isn’t this really a true statement?  Sometimes our biggest hindrance in moving forward is ourselves.

Since I allowed God to come and realign me, He had room to speak to and move in Chris, and now we are embarked on something that feels so right for our family and we have hope for our future once again.

Prayer Moment:  Is it possible that you are standing in your own way, or even standing in the way of your spouse or children and their pursuit of God and their purpose?  It’s a very convicting thought, I know.  It’s a hard one for me too, but that doesn’t mean we should shy away from it.  Let’s face it together!  God, forgive me for the times when I have been a hurdle in my own life or the lives of others.  Please teach me how to stand to the side so You can always have freedom to move in, around and through me.  I love You, and never want to dishonor Your presence with my inflexibility.  I trust You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.  You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.  Selah.  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding, but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.  Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him.  Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!  Psalm 32:6-11

 

Recently, I described a very challenging week I had in which God spoke to me that I was under attack.  Today, I wanted to highlight one of the most important things that consistently happened during that time.

When the fog was all around me, and I couldn’t see a way through.  When my emotions were all out of whack and I wondered how I would find my way out, I kept hearing a voice inside (Holy Spirit) saying, “This is an illusion.  This is not true.”  So, I kept repeating that to myself when I would hear the many negative thoughts and outcomes that kept plaguing my mind.

You see, I am not subject to my thoughts.  My thoughts are held captive to the Light of His Presence.

I learned long ago that we would be better served to stop acting as servants to every whim and erroneous thought we have.  It’s not the original thoughts that are sins, no, it’s when we entertain them and eventually live them out that they become our sin.

We have power over not only our own actions, but our thoughts.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:5

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.  The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.  You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.  And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.  Romans 8:6-9

Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:2

So, when the enemy was trying to convince me that I had no future and life was so bad it would be better if I wasn’t even living it anymore, I was telling God, “I know this isn’t real, and I also know I must be on the verge of the greatest breakthrough of my life.”  For real, that’s what I said.  Then I would continue to do all the normal things I usually do and refused to allow the enemy to pull me into the pit of despair.  I kept on going just like the “little engine who could”, except I didn’t just “think” I could make it, I knew!  For nothing is impossible with God.  Luke 1:37

Prayer Moment: God, I pray that I would be so steeped in scripture and in Your Presence that each and every time the enemy tries to plant the seed of a negative thought in my life, I recognize it immediately and bring it straight to You so I can be free.  Lord, forgive me for times in the past when I allowed myself to fall under the thoughts and plans of the enemy for my life.  Help me to always partner with Your thoughts from this day forward.  Show me Your plan and purpose for my life so I can walk in Your ways and not be deceived.  Lord, I trust You.  I trust You enough to share every thought with You, without any fear.  I know that You know me, and You know my heart.  Protect me.  Lead me.  Teach me.  I am Yours completely.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.”  The jailer told Paul, “The magistates have ordered that you and Silas be released.  Now you can leave.  Go in peace.  But Paul said to the officers:  “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison.  And now do they want to get rid of us quietly?  No!  Let them come themselves and escort us out.”  The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.  They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.  After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them.  Then they left.   Acts 16:35-40

When I read this story, which we began with yesterday, I am so struck by the ending.

Number one, imagine if the guard had indeed killed himself when he thought Paul and Silas escaped.  Completely unnecessary.  Isn’t that just like the enemy?  Right before the jailer and his whole family would be saved, and the next day God would work it out, so nobody was in trouble for anything that had occurred overnight, the enemy tries to get him to commit suicide.  Never, ever give in to thoughts of suicide.  This doesn’t mean the thoughts might not come, but if they do please realize, those thoughts are not YOUR thoughts, they are suggestions of the enemy trying to steal your life.  I pray you are never fooled into thinking that we don’t have an enemy.  Oh yes we do, and his work is pure evil against all of us.  But take heart, because this story isn’t over!!

Number two, when they said Paul and Silas could go free, Paul said, not yet.  Can you believe it?!  So often when I read this I think, “Go!! Run away as fast as you can.”  And then I realize that I have yet to walk in the full confidence of God.  Paul and Silas were so set and confident in who they were in God that they were unafraid to demand recompense.  They weren’t afraid to tell the magistrates what they had done wrong and demand to be escorted out.  When God comes through in our lives, how often do we just walk away simply feeling grateful to have survived, when sometimes it’s an invitation to continue praying it through into recompense.  If you’ve been standing against the enemy’s lies and obstructions and thievery, then you too can demand full recompense.

You better believe, I’ve already been praying for full recompense over this time we’ve been struggling with work and finances.  God showed me and spoke to me clearly, that it was an attack of the enemy, so I know with full confidence that I am owed “back wages”.

Prayer Moment:  Are you finding yourself in either of these scenarios right now?  If so, ask God to give you the courage to not only stand and continue to fight, but to also restore with interest any and all things taken from you during this time.  It’s time for us believers to become more confident in the things of God, and to discover more about what it means to be a co-heir of Christ.  Are you ready?!

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  Psalm 23:5-6

 

After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.  Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.  About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.  Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.  At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.  The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.  But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself!  We are all here!”.  The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.  He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved- you and your household.”  Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.  At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.  The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God- he and his whole family.  Acts 16:23-34

There are moments in life, when it feels like the midnight hour has come.  It would seem all is lost, and you are tired and war weary.  Maybe you’re feeling broken and trapped in the inner cell, so to speak.  It’s what we do in these moments that separates the overcomers from the overcome.

We worship.

When all seems lost and we don’t know how to escape, we worship.  When we need breakthrough, but one has yet to come, we worship.  When we are being accused wrongfully, and don’t know how to be delivered, we worship.

It should become so ingrained within us that it is an almost involuntary response.  I’ve learned, especially over this last few months, that worship is my default.

When I don’t know the answer, I worship.  When I’m scared, I worship.  When I am wrestling with the arm of anxiety and trying to avoid it’s choke hold, I worship.  When my husband and I need to be led by the Spirit and not by fear, I worship.

It may seem crazy, but when I take a stand on earth and stop in the middle of the madness to simply worship God, it changes all the momentum around me and again refocuses me and my surroundings on the things above.  Either I believe God is my All in All or I don’t, and how I respond in times of stress and trouble is a true revealer of where my heart and my hope really lies.

What’s also very important to point out is that the worship of Paul and Silas, not only freed them, but everyone else around them.  And then it brought salvation to the very one charged with confining them.  That’s the true power of worship.  It should release freedom into the atmosphere surrounding us.

Prayer Moment:  What have you found your default to be?  My worship default didn’t just happen on accident, no it happened from many times of doing it simply because I knew it was the right thing to do.  You can start today and retrain your heart and mind to stop and re-focus on the things above when times of trouble come.  Or even just in the day to day.  Daily life is a training ground for our souls.  When the earthquake of your deliverance comes, where will you be found?  I want to be found worshiping.

Today, I want to give you scripture to read and allow God to speak directly to your heart through….

 

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in You I trust, O my God.  Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.  No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.  Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths, guide me in Your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.  Remember, O Lord, Your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.  Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to Your love remember me, for You are good, O Lord.  Good and upright is the Lord; therefore, He instructs sinners in His ways.  He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.  All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant.  For the sake of Your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.  Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord?  He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.  He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.  The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them.  My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.  Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.  The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.  Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.  See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!  Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.  May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.  Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!  Psalm 25

 

Prayer Moment:  When I read through this Psalm, I cannot believe how many different parallels it has to my current life.  If I ever needed encouragement to press on and love the Lord through it all, this is it. Soak this Psalm into your own heart today and see what God has to say directly to you.  Take parts that stir your heart and write them down so you can return to them for encouragement later.  There is so much to be drawn from this.

A few months ago, when I went to be alone for a couple of days so I could begin writing these devotionals, I had a very clear vision.  I was driving out to stay alone at my parents and was nearly there when in a vision I saw a hand come from heaven and place a seal on my heart.  It was like those stamp seals that you’ve seen.  God said, “I am placing My seal upon your heart.”

It was a powerful moment, and immediately I, without question, knew that I was indeed hearing from God that I was to write these devotionals.  After that, He invited me to just rest in His presence for a while.  It was beautiful, and much needed.  I felt that God was inviting me into a new level of intimacy with Him throughout this journey Deeper with you.

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave.  It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.  Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.  Song of Songs 8:6-7

God’s love for us is far more intense than we can even imagine.  I am so grateful for the love He lavishes upon me.  Were it not for that insatiable love, the world would have consumed me long ago.  I need that love.  I yearn for it.  I crave it.

This devotional may seem unusual, but what I wanted to do was bring you to the place of God’s love where you walk from what’s comfortable and “acceptable”, into what’s real.  Into the place where His love becomes a consuming fire that you cannot and don’t want to contain.

Prayer Moment:  My challenge for you today is this, go before God and ask Him to show you a greater depth of His love for you.  Sometimes, it can feel shocking or even “wrong”, but it’s because it’s so intense and we are earthly and struggle to comprehend how the God of the universe can be so enthralled with us.  Will you give Him permission to crash in on you today?  To take you past comfortable and into intense?  If so, give Him your “Yes”.

 

My lover has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies.  I am my lover’s and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies.  Song of Songs 6:2-3

This is love:  not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  1 John 4:10

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  1 John 4:16

I have learned, over time, that it is important to know your position before God.  What do I mean?  Well, as scripture tells us even though we are here on earth in our earthly bodies, we are simultaneously positioned in Heaven.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 2:6-7

Years ago, I was having a time of worship with a friend and I saw myself in the heavenly places.  I was sitting at the Father’s feet worshiping Him.  For years after, I was so confident as I lavished my praises upon Him knowing that I was ministering directly to Him.  It gives a person confidence to know where they stand.  Do you know where you stand?

A couple of months ago, I saw myself in heaven again, this time I was seated by God’s feet again and then He had me move to stand directly in front of Him.  In that second I saw from my own eyes directly into God’s and He told me that I was in a season where God was giving me permission to ask Him for anything I desired.   Then my view panned out and I saw myself before God and He said, “I am also going to give you instruction and send you out.”

WOW!  Talk about awe inspiring!! Isn’t God cool?!

In one moment, my position in the heavenly places had changed.  What was really interesting though was when I had that vision, I was on my face laying on the ground.  It’s so crazy how as my heavenly posture moved from seated to standing, my earthly posture moved from standing to laying down.

From that moment until this, I have presented my requests with thanksgiving to God.  It’s been such a different experience, but so great.  I’ve even brought my kids and husband into the equation.  We (at God’s direction) made specific prayer requests to pray every day until we see them come to pass.  Before this felt awkward and maybe ungrateful, but God said to keep bringing them to Him over and over again.  Even recently, when I feel behind on praying these requests, God brought it to my mind again and said, “Bring me those requests.  Don’t stop.”

I know He is teaching me something.

Prayer Moment:  Take time today to ask God to show you your position in the heavenly places.  Get quiet and believe Him when He shows you.  He is a good and loving Father.  It is not arrogance to ask this.  I believe God longs for us to know more about these things because it makes us more effective in our daily walk on earth and it continually reminds us that there is a place beyond this earth that is our home.  I yearn for it every day.

 

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.  Jude 1:20-21