This week, God began to speak my name to me.  While He was doing that, I realized I don’t like hearing my name.  Somehow hearing my name triggers feelings of being in trouble.  It’s like I feel instantly guilty when I hear my name.  I also seem to feel inadequate when I hear it.   I honestly can’t tell you exactly why I respond this way, but I do know that God wants to change that part of me now.

Lisa: Consecrated to God.  God is my oath

Our names prophesy over us.  Mine prophesies that I am set apart for God.  The sound of my name says that I have made my choice to be devoted to God.  What a wonderful name!

I think the consecrated part has been the hardest part for me to receive.  The feeling of impurity used to plague me in my youth and young adult life.  God has restored my purity, now it’s time for Him to restore my name.

I wonder, what does your name mean?  Do you enjoy the sound of your name when people speak it?  Does it illicit a lacking response, like mine has for me? 

Today, I encourage you to discover the meaning of your name, if you don’t already know.  Then stand before God and allow Him to speak your name over you.  What does your name prophesy?

God certainly has become the oath of my life.  My devotion to Him is certain.  I have faced many battles, and multiple defeats, but I remain focused on my oath to God.  Now, I ask God to restore my view of consecration. 

Consecrate: make or declare sacred; dedicate formally to a religious or divine purpose. 

I am sacred to God.  I am His vessel.  To Him I am sacred.  This speaks to value, and I see that even though I’ve fought the battle of restored value before, I am needing to fight it again.  This last season and the things that have occurred and the way certain people treated me, made me feel de-valued.  That’s not from the Lord.

I am not too proud to realize that I need to re-visit this once conquered battle again. 

Friend, I don’t care how many times you’ve faced your current battle…I don’t care how many times you feel you’ve conquered it…please don’t ever be too proud to meet God in that broken place again.  If He is leading you there, then there’s obviously something more to address.  One thing I hate to hear from someone is, “Oh, I’ve forgiven (so and so) for that already.” Or “I’ve already dealt with that.”  What if instead we began saying, “I thought I had dealt with that, but if it’s coming up again, I want to investigate and let God speak to me about it again.”

The humble way is the only way forward.

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”  Joshua 3:5

As I was trying to go to sleep tonight, I felt restless.  Instead of trying to force sleep, I felt like getting in the bathtub while listening to a sermon.  I opened up a sermon that I began early this morning…

Sometime during it, I began to hear God speaking to me, “The land of Goshen.”  I knew it was in the Bible, but I couldn’t remember what significance it had.  I used my phone to look it up and saw that it was the land in or near Egypt that God led the Israelites out of when He freed them.  But what struck me was that at first the Land of Goshen was a blessing to the Israelites…It’s the land that Joseph’s family lived in once God reconciled them to him.  Joseph, son of Jacob, placed his family there.  It was described as the best land in Egypt, suitable for crops and livestock.  It wasn’t until later when Joseph was long gone and all those from his generation, that the Egyptians began to fear the Israelites being there because they were so bountiful.  They’re population had increased so much in this blessed land, that they were a perceived threat to the Egyptians. 

Isn’t it interesting that the land that once represented restoration and provision, later became a prison, and then they were delivered from this land and eventually into the Promised Land. 

It’s almost like it was the land of the “in between”. 

I feel this so much. 

When we traveled out of Pennsylvania to move back down south, it was an epic moment.  It was a release into our homeland, and we were so ready.  This land originally brought us so much restoration.  But over the last three years, it’s felt like a prison.  Now we are in the midst of waiting for God to deliver us into our final destination…our Promised Land.

That’s been the word we’ve heard…Promised Land. 

Hidden Acres. 

Our family is waiting for our Deliverer to come and release us.  We are not waiting in vain though.  We aren’t just twiddling our thumbs and sleeping.  No!  We are continuing to establish our family unit.  We are ministering in the ways that God directs us.  We are building into our legacy.  We are pouring into our children in ways we’ve only dreamed of before.  We are worshiping.  I lead worship from home.  I have been teaching women in the 6-month journey of the heart.  I am writing.  My children are becoming.  They are leaning into their prophetic voices.  They are moving in their individual anointings.  Art.  Music.  Writing.  Our family is full of these anointings. 

So, as we wait, we are sowing…and I know when we leave, we will enter our Hidden Acres (Our Promised Land).

It’s important to know your season.  Are you in the abundance of Goshen?  Are you in the prison of Goshen?  Are you living free in the land?  Are you living in chains?

God, reveal to each person reading or listening to this devotional, what their season is right now.  Give them wisdom and discernment to see.  Open their eyes and hearts.  Come with honesty.  Come with fullness.  Lead us with heavenly direction.  Come Lord Jesus come and move us exactly where You want us to be.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what you son Joseph says:  God has made me lord of all Egypt.  Come down to me; don’t delay.  You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me- you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.  I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come.  Otherwise, you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’” Genesis 45:9-11

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up!  Leave my people, you and the Israelites!  Go, worship the Lord as you have requested.  Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go.  And also bless me.”  Exodus 12:31-32

As I have been praying over the many things going on in our country and around the world, I keep hitting my head against confusion about how to pray for certain players.  Some people seem to be fully given over to the enemy and his agenda.  Some seem hell bent on worshiping Satan and leading others astray.  They abuse, manipulate, lie…and the list could go on and on…how do I pray for that type of people?  Is there a line where I stop praying for their salvation and just begin to pray for them to be stopped?  Where is the line between mercy and simple stupidity? 

I won’t pretend to know the answers to all those questions, but I do know this scripture…

Therefore, God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.  Romans 9:18

This means that God hardens some hearts.  We must remember this. 

I also know that in my personal life, I have felt God lead me to the line of changing my prayers over a person.  In those rare moments, He has led me to stop interceding for salvation and instead to pray for release from them and whatever ill they are causing in our lives.  I trust the Lord in those moments…and every single time this has happened, He came through and delivered us shortly after. 

I can’t explain it all, but I can trust and obey.

It’s not my job to qualify everything God tells me to do, it’s just my job to obey.  Responding is huge.  I am simply to respond to His leading.  That’s what trust looks like.

I believe in this time that there are certain players in the political spectrum who have crossed a line.  I don’t know where God has drawn the line.  I don’t know what’s occurred in their private lives, but I know in my spirit that they have crossed into evil territory. 

In regards to those, I simply pray that every move they are making to partner with the enemy will be stopped and all hidden evil would be exposed. 

A couple of years ago, God spoke to me that He was about to expose things and that I shouldn’t be afraid.  Since that time, I’ve seen no end of exposing occur.  It’s still happening.  Once again, He’s been true to His word, and He even loved me enough to warn me.

The evil one…the anti-Christ spirit is roaming the earth.  We must be awakened to those hardened ones who are partnering with it.  We should be praying for them to all be stopped and their plans destroyed. 

But I always remember this…

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

I try to hold onto hope for each person, as long as possible.  At any moment, they could make an eternal decision and become our sister or brother. 

We need the blessing of the Lord in America.  We are still one nation under God.  We are supposed to be standing united.  “One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”

As believers, we should daily be asking God to bless our country.  This should be obvious and should never be questioned, yet here we are in such a peculiar time.  Voices with influence tell us if we love our country, then we are Christian nationalists.  They say this as an accusation.  I don’t understand it at all.  Why wouldn’t we be? 

Nationalist:  Loyalty and devotion to a nation

Christian:  Relating to or professing Christianity or its teachings

Well, yes…I am definitely a Christian…and shouldn’t the member of any nation prefer their own nation?  It seems to be a natural thing.  I refuse to be ashamed of my love and devotion for America.  When you honestly look at the origins of our nation and why people left for a new land in the first place, it seems very clear to me that it was a move of God.  I honestly believe that God called them to set out and establish something new. 

All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.  Micah 4:5

Those brave explorers set out to establish a homeland with religious freedom.  They desired to be out from under the Roman Catholic church.  I don’t blame them. 

Were mistakes made?  Well, yes.  Does that negate the entire history of our country?  No, it shouldn’t. 

Who on earth has ever done anything completely without fault, except Jesus?  Nobody.  It’s really that simple. 

I want to take a moment and remind you of something.  When we are faced with whatever it is that people have decided to be offended about on any given day, the first thing we should do is stop.  Think about what’s true.  Then, proceed while standing firm upon your convictions. 

My convictions don’t need to change based on someone’s offense.  My convictions are based on God given direction.  They don’t change on man’s whim.

We need to remember what we are standing firm upon.  What do you truly believe?  Whatever it is..lean into it and allow God to engrain it upon your heart as deeply as possible. 

Do you know what you believe? 

The hour is growing more and more intense, and we must each settle in our hearts that which we find to be unshakably true.

There’s something I’ve observed in all married couples that I know.  Those who have been married a long time and are still noticeably in love have one thing in common…they have made a constant decision to swim under the wall of pride for the sake of staying connected in relationship.  That’s how I saw it this morning, as I was on the treadmill before the sun rose.  The Lord’s presence was all around me and I was crying because of it.  His hand was teaching me. 

During the 18 years that Chris and I have been married, I am 100 percent certain that the main reason we have remained in a position of increasing love and respect, is because of all the times one or both of us chose to cross over to the other. 

Pride, like a barrier wall, stands between people.  In marriage it stands as a guard between one heart and another.  In everyday life, it can stand as a guardian wall around a single person.  Pride is ugly.  It is a liar.  It is a thief.  I hate pride.

In marriage, it robs if we aren’t careful.

But He gives us more grace.  That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”  James 4:6

When I see newly married couples or almost married couples, I can most often see where the pride is and I know the secret, God places us in marriage as a refining.  Sure, it’s full of pleasure, joy, and fulfillment, but it’s also an invitation to grow.  I believe that’s why the divorce rate is so high…people by and large have become selfish and unwilling to face the hard stuff.  Marriage is hard.  Marriage is worth it though.

This morning, as I completed my exercise and headed into the shower, I made a conscious decision.  That decision was that I would again, swim under the wall of pride and reach out to my husband even though we’d irritated each other the night before. 

It’s not lost on me that God showed me pride in a water setting and going low was the only way through…humility brings us low in the best way.  I’m not saying I loved going low this morning, or even that I did it flawlessly.  But I know God saw my effort and He will bless even the most meager effort. 

“What’s on the other side of pride?”  This is the question I asked God this morning…and He showed me it was everything good.  No good thing stands with pride.  All good things are free of it. 

What’s on the other side of pride?  Fullness in life.  

May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.  2 Thessalonians 3:5

I keep seeing myself sitting at the side of a well.  I have my bucket constantly moving between dipping it in to fill it and pouring it out into others. Pouring it into my people…my family and those God brings alongside of me.  I am the woman at the well continually being filled and pouring out. 

The simpler my life becomes and the more grounded I feel, the easier it becomes to dip into the well…and the more willing I am to pour out that water that is eternal.  Everything else is a waste of time.  Every vain attempt to fill myself with my own prideful activities, is a waste. 

During times of deeper reflection, I have been searching out the root of all my behaviors to discern my true motives and examine my heart.  Our hearts are deceptive, the Bible tells us so…this is why I’m taking this time to discern my real motive in all things.  I believe this is one of the most important seasons of growth I’ve ever had.  It’s revealing, in both good and bad ways.  It’s definitely humbling.  But I’d rather know any and all areas where I’ve compromised so I can pull back, re-focus, and make sure I’m doing all that I do for an audience of One.

Wouldn’t you?

Have you dared to do this type of examination over your own life?

If not, I dare you to begin.  It’s hard, yes.  But it’s worth it. 

As a worship leader, writer, and speaker, I am required to continually regain focus.  It is necessary for the posture of my heart for me to always recommit my focus to the Lord.  I believe the church would be a much different place if every one of us began this practice.  Daily small compromises can eventually lead to a heart led astray.  A heart that is easily influenced by negative things. 

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.  See darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you.  Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of Your dawn.  Isaiah 60:1-3

Find Him…find Him when the world is swept away and all that remains is what is sure.     Find Him…find Him when everything is turned upside down and suddenly you discover what is most important.  Find Him…find Him and lean into His heart, preferring Him over all others.    Find Him…and be found.                           You’re not lost, you’re found. 

We are chosen, as we discussed before.  Since we are chosen, we have responsibilities…but not as the world gives, as God gives.  We are called to be merciful, kind, humble, etc.  We cannot gauge the way we are to behave by the world.  We can only look to the Lord.  Here is what He said…

Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you.  Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.  For as members of one body, you are called to live in peace.  And always be thankful.  Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.  Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives.  Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.  And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.  Colossians 3:12-17

Let the message about Christ in all its richness fill our lives.  That is a powerful statement.   Have you done this?  Received the message of Christ in all its richness fill our lives.  Do we even know what “in all its richness” means?  I’m actually not sure.  But I do want to find out. 

Lord, Let the message about Christ in all its richness fill my life, in Jesus’ name Amen.

“Clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony”…I want to look at this portion next.  Our world has worked overtime to attempt to define love, and they have failed miserably.  The love the world describes isn’t love at all…it’s self-serving, manipulative, demanding…but when we remember 1 Corinthians 13…we know love is none of those things.  In fact, it’s the opposite.  Not only that, but love can disagree.  Love stands on truth.  Love doesn’t compromise with a lie.  Honestly, when you look at it, the world has taken hate and put a mask on it and called it love.  It’s an illusion.  It’s a lie. 

“And always be thankful”…this is the next portion I wanted to discuss.  We must remain thankful.  It’s not an option, it’s a standard.  We have to learn gratitude as a knee-jerk response, not a begrudging action.  Imagine how drastically your life would change if your first response was gratitude…not lack.  What if you chose gratitude over never being satisfied…you see how transformational this would be?  There is more than enough of everything for you…so you can always be thankful without attaching a further need to it.  Just be thankful.  Thankfulness is an act of trust…which attaches it to faith.  Thankfulness is an act of faith.  Let that sink in.

Finally, “Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord”…do you do this? 

This is really a convicting portion of scripture.  I think we could probably all work harder to walk in this way.  Today is a good day to begin!

Lord, help me to always live my life as if I know I am representing you.  Forgive me for every time that I’ve fallen short in this area.  Heighten my awareness of Whose I am.  I adore You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

We have been raised to new life.  We were born again through Christ Who died for us.  Never forget that now you are no longer a slave to sin.  Now you are a co-heir with Christ.  You have a new identity.  Now your sights should be set on Heaven…not on earth.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.  And when Christ, Who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory.  Colossians 3:1-4

There will most assuredly be a day when we will be allowed to share in all His glory.  His glory will be revealed to the whole earth one day.  Every knee will bow.  Every tongue will confess He is Lord…This is not just a possibility, it’s a reality.  It’s so important to keep life in a true perspective. 

This verse shows us our true perspective…

In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free.  Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us.  Colossians 3:11

Christ is all that matters.  He alone sets us apart and when we get saved, He lives in all of us. 

Re-read that verse again…as the world keeps highlighting race and other surface things, remember that those things don’t matter.  They shouldn’t divide us.  They shouldn’t be a focus at all.  When we have Christ inside, we have a unifier.  A common ground with all other believers. 

Christ is all that matters. 

Christ alone matters. 

Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.  Colossians 3:10

When we step aside from the shifting focus of the world, we find our true Focus and then we are filled.  Then we really experience what it is to lack no good thing.  Only when we allow Christ to be our full identity, will we be satisfied.

Return again to the beginning…

Christ died to save us all.  We are nothing without Him.  He is our Hope. 

Do you ever feel incomplete?  Are you always searching for where you will belong, or have you become overly consumed with where you are connected.  Do you put others praise above your love for the Father? 

Friends, I know I have mentioned some about this before, but it seems to be a continually unfolding revelation. 

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.  For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.  So, you also are complete through your union with Christ, Who is the head over every ruler and authority.  Colossians 2:8-10

In Christ we have all the fullness of God.  In Him we are complete.  We don’t need anything. 

Within the church there is a sub-culture that places hefty requirements to “prove” our salvation to them.  There are those who follow the Hebrew calendar…which I think is wonderful…but some of them act as if those who don’t feel led to do that are not as spiritual.  That’s nonsense…

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.  For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come.  And Christ Himself is that reality.  Colossians 2:16-17

None of us can say what God is requiring of another.  We are all accountable to God separately.  My husband can’t save me.  My parents, kids, and friends can’t save me.  Jesus saved me.  He also shows me the way to walk out my daily life. 

I’m not saying that I don’t receive feedback and accountability, but I AM saying that I don’t let any person decide my walk with God.  It’s a personal relationship.  God and me.  God and you. 

You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world.  So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle!  Don’t taste!  Don’t touch!”?  Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them.  These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline.  But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.  Colossians 2:20-23

Live freely within the boundaries that God sets for you.  Be confident in that.  Stay in line with Holy Spirit and you will always know which way to go and what to do. 

One time I had an encounter that settled deep within my heart that I am complete…I saw Jesus standing next to me, then I noticed the Father standing behind Him, and the Holy Spirit was right in front of me. Then I heard God speak, “Your family is complete.”

I pray you also have a revelation similar to this and find yourself fully aware of how complete you are.

In a world that is convoluting everything.  In a nation who can no longer even identify what is what…we can feel confused.  We can easily be distracted.  It’s easy to begin to focus on all the wrong things and how deep those trails take us, but every time I’m taunted to go and search out the darkness, God reminds me that Jesus is enough.  The cross was enough.  My focus should always be on Jesus and anything that usurps that focus is an idol. 

I keep telling you that God’s word over my life and the lives in my family, is “simple”.   This scripture brings that back to center…

This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around.  Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.  Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.  Jeremiah 6:16a

Has God transformed Himself to become more culturally acceptable and current?  Absolutely not.  God is timeless.  There is no reason for Him to change.  He never changes.  We do. 

I just don’t understand why current church culture does backbends to appease people.  That’s the complete opposite of the gospel.  Jesus never changed His message to please others.  The apostles didn’t either.  They all died for the sake of the message. 

There are certain people who construct their entire lives in such a way that they draw to themselves, opportunities to be offended.  It’s a sad, but true state of affairs.

This doesn’t change God.  It doesn’t change the gospel.  It doesn’t change the Word of God. 

Christ is also the head of the church, which is His body.  He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.  So, He is first in everything.  For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself.  He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.  Colossians 1:18-20

God reconciled us to Himself.  He did it all.  The cross is enough.

This includes you who were once far away from God.  You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions.  Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body.  As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.  Colossians 1:21-22

God brings us into His presence as holy and blameless…without a single fault. 

Jesus’ blood made us faultless. 

He did it, not us.

We don’t get to change His message. 

He wrote it in His blood.

Let the One thing, remain the One thing.