The other day as I was in prayer, I was feeling a friction.  I couldn’t identify what I was really feeling.  I kept asking God what was going on and why there was so much friction happening.  Suddenly, I saw a car and the gear shift, and the Lord said, “I am changing gears.  Get ready to go fast.”

Later that day, I went to Hobby Lobby with Hannah and while there we saw a Hurst Gear Shift…as pictured above.  Wow!! Isn’t that the coolest thing?!

I thought this was a personal word just for our family…but right now, as I sat to write, I heard another trusted prophetic voice say the exact same thing.  Literally, as he was speaking, he was saying all the things I had seen a few days ago…about God shifting gears…

Now I know this is also a word for everyone.

One thing I have seen shift in me, personally, is fear of man.  What was once a major obstacle for me, has been shockingly diminished.  I discovered as much when I preached at a friend’s church two weeks ago.  I hadn’t realized how much I’ve grown in that area, until I had an opportunity to be a conduit of His Presence in a group of people.  Oh, what freedom I felt!!

I was able to worship Him so freely and when I spoke, I felt such a peace and abandon…as if all that mattered was Jesus and sharing Him with these people.  During the ministry time, I found myself on the ground and inviting others to come and just be in His presence as we pressed in. 

I no longer cared about anyone’s expectations.  I didn’t care what they thought about me or how I looked in the moment.  I didn’t even care if they all understood me.  I only cared about Jesus.

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.  Proverbs 29:25

Safety…that’s what I felt.  When I move in the Spirit freely, I always feel so safe.  As if nothing and nobody could harm me in any way because I am so protected.  What a wonderful freedom there is in this protection.  Thank You God.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name 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.  The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from 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 will rescue His servants; no one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned.  Psalm 34:15-22

God is shifting gears.  One thing I know is that we can trust Him to do this.  It’s time to advance.  Don’t fear it, lean into it. 

Come Lord and do all You intend to do.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

We are in the strangest time I have ever known.  A time when the government is purposefully attempting to suppress us.  I mean, they’ve been doing it in covert ways for many years, but now it’s blatant.  No attempt at pretending it is happening anymore, it seems. 

It’s interesting to watch people see these things happening right in the open, yet they are still unwilling to admit it’s true…but I digress.

No matter what our government, or any other government does…I know I am hidden in Christ.  He is my refuge and strength…a very present help in trouble.  We must remember this as we proceed.  We are not called to fear or be subservient to anti-Christ advances.  We are called to the boldness of a lion.  We must switch from defense to offense.  It’s time.

For too long we’ve cowered and thought if we remain amicable and still, then we’ll fly beneath their radar…not realizing their sights were always set on us…and our unwillingness to stand up allowed them more ground.  It’s time to advance the kingdom of God. 

Advance.

Advance.

We are to actively advance God’s kingdom on this earth.  That requires us to go on the offensive instead of just responding to what they do to us.  We are in a “take it by force” portion of time.  Taking back the ground we lazily gave up to the enemy. 

Standing requires sacrifice.  That’s why many don’t want to do it.  But sacrifice is necessary, it always has been.  God our Father was the best demonstration of that…He gave up His one and only Son for us…for our freedom.  To give us full access to Him.  What more example do we need?

This world has nothing for us.  Nothing. 

We must shift our focus from what is temporary to what is eternal. 

The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.  Isaiah 60:14

Does not wisdom call out?  Does not understanding raise her voice?  On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud: “To you, O men, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind.  You who are simple gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding.  Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right.  My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.  All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.  To the discerning all of them are right; they are faultless to those who have knowledge.  Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.  Proverbs 8:1-11

God is Provider.  Provider of all things.  Finances, yes, but also relationship, peace, opportunity, future, etc.  He is the Source.  Him and Him alone. 

Do you lean on Him that way?

Have you come to the place where you lean fiercely upon Him, and realize that nothing you have has come from you or your cleverness?  Nothing that has been provided for you, has been provided by you…really.  He is our Source.

We can’t have if He doesn’t allow it.  We can’t move ahead unless He clears the way.  We can’t establish if He doesn’t pour the foundation.

You may be thinking, “There are lots of people who have things, and do things without even considering God.”  And you would be right…but if they do it all on their own, then they are only biding time before it is washed away. 

The only way to a secure future is through God…not in spite of Him.

Does this make sense?  Scripture talks about this plenty…

The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.             Proverbs 21:12

The success of the wicked is always temporary…and it provides a stumbling block for them.  Wealth in the hands of the righteous is a tool. 

It’s time for the great shift of wealth.  The wicked have had their time…now it’s time for the church to break out of the poverty spirit and begin to walk righteously in wealth.

Let me ask you this question, “Who do you think benefitted the most from making God’s people think living in poverty and lack was a form of righteousness?”  Certainly not God.  The enemy knew it was a wonderful way to curb the influence of God upon society.  Wake up!  We must wake up and realize we’ve been dupped. 

The Lord is abundant.  Our lives should be abundant in every way when we walk closely with Jesus because He works ALL things together for our good.  Even when we walk through lean times, He is abundant within our homes.  Even when we walk through seasons of strife, He sticks closer than a brother. 

I’m here to testify that no matter what season we are in, as believers…sons and daughters of God, we can live abundantly. 

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.  Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.  Proverbs 26:1-2

Lately I feel stirred up.  Like a hornet’s nest of low rumbling anger has been riled within my heart.  It’s a passion I’m not real accustomed to feeling.  As a southern lady I was raised to withhold a lot of temper, but right now I feel like a lioness stalking in the secret place and fiercely watching over my lion cubs.  I am madder than Hell.

No, I’m not cussing.  What I’m saying is…I see the anger of Hell manifesting itself on our streets in the form of all sorts of godlessness…I see what the enemy is attempting to do to our families, children, and country and every bit of it is connected to the anti-Christ spirit and it stirs up a fire in me.  A righteous anger.  A feeling that it’s time to fight.  Time to stand.  War time. 

A time when we lay aside false pretention and fight for what we love harder than Hell is fighting to destroy it…

Is this making sense?

For far too long, being a “good” Christian was conveyed as being quiet and just going along with things so as not to disturb anyone…because “God is love”.

It’s true that God is love…but it’s not true that love allows all things.  Love is truth.  Love is having boundaries.  Love is wise.  Love carries the fruit of the Spirit…one of which is self-control.    

Loving all, doesn’t mean we have to go along with their sin…even condoning it as normal.  No, love sets a standard.  All this “going along” with sin is just manipulation and laziness.  When did people stop having enough conviction to offer those lost in sin, a way out?  That’s what love is.

The lost are so miserable.  They are so desperately looking for a way out but are completely unaware of it…so they flail and throw tantrums and act like we have the problem.  They are like overgrown toddlers.  And for some reason, the church has largely responded to them with kid gloves, instead of our call to respond with truth.

It’s time to stand for truth out of the love in our hearts.  An unrelenting commitment to the Truth.  Honestly, it’s the most merciful thing we can do. 

Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.  When they chose new gods, war came to the city gates, and not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.  My heart is with Israel’s princes, with the willing volunteers among the people.  Praise the Lord!  Judges 5:7-9

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.  The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory rests with the Lord.  Proverbs 21:30-31

Most of you know that God shows Himself to me often through dragonflies.  They glide around the sky with seeming effortlessness, and for longer than I can remember have served as reminders that God is near…that His promises are true…that He is faithful.  I feel such delight when I see them. 

But what most of you don’t know is that dragonflies began speaking to me before I even really knew I could have a real relationship with God.  I have been drawn to them my whole life.  Even my bathroom décor in college was dragonflies.  Those were my darkest days…yet there were dragonflies…even when I didn’t know much about His constant presence.  Sure, I’d been saved young…but I didn’t act like it, and I certainly didn’t know how intimate and near He was.  Yet, He positioned Himself and His love offering to me right in the midst of my dark days.  Dragonflies have almost been like a physical manifestation of His steadiness. 

You may think it’s crazy, but what does it matter…they bring me so much hope and always make me feel cherished. 

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I hadn’t seen one in quite a while…but then there they were again.  Not as many as before…I believe the mass of them is waiting to light on our next property, the same way they used to cover this one.  But one fun encounter occurred this weekend and I wanted to share it with you.

A dear friend sent me a picture that her son took of his arm…and on it was a beautiful dragonfly.  When the text came through, I immediately felt loved, even though it wasn’t on my arm.  Here’s the really cool thing…

I had very recently sent this friend’s son a graduation card, and in it I had released blessing over him.  When I saw the picture of the dragonfly on his arm God said, “See, the blessing has landed.  I heard you.” 

What a powerful and tangible evidence of the power of prayer. 

I love my friend.  I love her son.  I do truly desire to see him blessed.  When I wrote the card, I was full of the Spirit and meant every word I wrote…the writing was a prayer from my heart. 

What a beautiful encounter. 

In a time when I am still petitioning heaven for our family’s breakthrough in so many different areas, here was another symbol of Him hearing me.  I am fully confident that one day, I will be writing about a series of major miraculous breakthroughs occurring for us.  In that moment, I want to savor each one.   Celebrate each one.  Honor God for each one.  Share each one. 

Until that happens, here’s what I know.

I am heard.  I never doubt that.  If I don’t have an answer, then I just keep moving forward with the knowledge that I’m still learning something.  God is good, whether I’m experiencing answered prayer today or not.  God’s goodness isn’t determined by what I see with my earthly eyes.  It’s determined by Him…His character will never change, and He is good.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.  Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.   Psalm 90:1-2

As I lifted my hands toward heaven and declared the name of Jesus, I noticed something amazing.  When I am in a position of surrender and have fixed my eyes on Him, He comes front and center, and He eclipses all other things.  He’s all I can see.

I keep calling out to Him and He comes…right in front of me.  Front and center in my view.  All I can see is Him.  Isn’t He worthy?

Imagine yourself today…standing before Jesus.  Invite Him to come into the room with you, and when He does, look into His eyes.  What do you see?  Take a deep breath and ask Him to come closer still.  Ask Him to let you see His heart.  What do you see?  It beats over you…it beats over me.  Oh, the beautiful heart of Jesus.  Take another step closer to Him and ask Him to hug you.  Can you feel His arms around you?  Can you smell Him?  Everyone has a smell…what is His smell?  Breathe deeply.  Let the fragrance upon Him flood your whole body.  Peace.  He is oozing with peace.  It’s a marker of His presence.  What a wonderful God we serve.  Take one more step toward Him, this time disappearing into His Presence.  Do you feel it?  It’s light.  As we step into Him, we discover a lifting…a lightness…this is when we hand over our yoke and burden…and simply ask Him for His.  Oh, my goodness, His yoke is so easy, and His burden is so very light.  It’s unreal how dramatic this shift is…as the weight of the world lifts off of your shoulders and you experience Him.

Let yourself dwell in Him…and He in you.  Let His presence eclipse all the worries, weight, and distractions of the world.  Be held.  Be still.  Be known.  Isn’t it a wonderful feeling?!

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope, we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what he already has?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.      Romans 8:18-27

When we wonder what is going on inside people who seem bent on destroying all who are around them…people who seem to have no regard for others…those who appear to live only for themselves and require all around to bow to their will alone…I remember this portion of scripture.

Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.  They have no fear of God at all.  In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are.  Everything they say is crooked and deceitful.  They refuse to act wisely or do good.  They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots.  Their actions are never good.  They make no attempt to turn from evil.  Psalm 36:1-4

There are those who, unfortunately, will not turn away from evil.  It’s just a fact.  We have to accept this.  But this doesn’t mean we don’t fight through these dark days to plunder hell as much as we can!  God doesn’t desire that anyone perish. 

We should charge at these last days and rip as many out of the grip of hell as possible.  Let’s look now to the next portion of the 36^th Psalm…

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the ocean depths.  You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.  How precious is Your unfailing love, O God!  All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of Your wings.  You feed them from the abundance of Your own house, letting them drink from Your river of delights.  For You are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.  Psalm 36:5-9

I love these illustrations of His faithfulness and righteousness and justice…what a beautiful expanse we reside under! 

I want to wrap this devotional up with something that’s hard to discuss. 

When I intercede for the salvation of a person…I have noticed that there’s a time when God gives me grace to pray faithfully…and then with a couple of people, there were very clear moments when God asked me to stop praying for it.  It was time to fully release them.  Almost as if, for the time being, they had made their choice.  As I read the last portion of the Psalm, I see sometimes people just are bent on facing hell.  It’s a terrifying reality…and I hope that most will choose God in the end…but it’s still a reality.

Pour out Your unfailing love on those who love You; give justice to those with honest hearts.  Don’t let the proud trample me or the wicked push me around.  Look!  Those who do evil have fallen!  They are thrown down, never to rise again.  Psalm 36:10-12

Only God knows the end.  Only He knows the path we will each take.  I just ask that He would pour out His unfailing love on me as I walk out my portion…Isn’t that what you hope too?

It struck me today, that every single person on the earth will have an inheritance.  Every one.  The Innocent (those washed in the blood of Christ) will receive an inheritance that endures.  A hope filled and bountiful inheritance.  An inheritance in the Lord.  As one of God’s children. 

The wicked also receive an inheritance…an inheritance of death.  For the wages of sin are death.  I know this is not a popular topic, but we’re past the point of pretense.  The lines are being drawn, as I have said many times before. 

Let’s look at this portion of scripture.  Read it and really absorb what it is saying. 

Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.  They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.  But the wicked will die.  The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field- they will disappear like smoke.          Psalm 37:18-22  

Very clearly, He describes the two options.  We each choose…we’re either part of the family of God or we are living as enemies of the cross.  It’s time to stop pretending that every “nice” person goes to heaven.  They don’t.  There is one, and only one, way to get to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ. 

The promises for the godly continue in this Psalm…let’s read and be encouraged.

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives.  Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.  Once I was young, and now I am old.  Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.  The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing.  Psalm 37:23-26

Here we see beautiful promises.  Oh, the wonder of God. 

I know so many people, like myself, who are currently in a season of awaiting major breakthrough and instruction.  We’ve been living on faith and trusting.  We’ve been holding onto peace when others tell us we should just move on recklessly.  We’ve held to the promise and are believing for the fulfillment.  For His glory to shine on our lives in a way that draws the lost to Him.  Promises so extreme that the world sees and falls to their knees in praise because only He could do it.  Promises that are not more important to our hearts than relationship with Him.  We wait.  We hope.  We believe. 

Here in the scripture above it’s reinforced that the waiting will be worth it…He will direct our steps.  He delights in every detail.  He will never abandon us.  We will have enough to loan generously.  Our children are a blessing. 

I believe it.

I hold onto it and speak life to it. 

But I never let it take precedent over my love for Him.  I choose Him over it all.  Over every promise, hope, and dream.  He is my true inheritance.  And there you have it…that’s what it is all about.  Jesus.

As the above Psalm goes on, there are two more verses I’d like us to read together.

Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever.  For the Lord loves justice, and He will never abandon the godly.  Psalm 37:27-28

Once again, God is making a plea to the lost…”Choose Me!,” He says.  “Choose Me and live forever.” 

How gracious our God is, it’s unreal.  Then lastly, He reinforces His love of justice and once more, that He will never abandon us. 

It’s true, He will never abandon us.  Let that soak into your heart like a gentle spring rain.  He will NEVER abandon you.  You can trust Him to see you through these days…no matter what comes.  He is near.

This is a season of God removing the chaff in our own hearts.  Clearing the fields inside so that He can grow and restore.  He is clearing out the interference within our minds so we can hear and see Him more clearly.  This is a necessary process…and reflects the process the earth will go through in time.  One day He will clear the threshing floor and all the chaff will be sent to the fire…

“I baptize you with water for repentance.  But after me comes One Who is more powerful than I, Whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”  Matthew 3:11-12

He is using a time of refining within His church, I believe, to bring us to a place where we care for the lost more…and are able to minister to them without so much pride in our hearts…a place where we put a higher value on sharing the gospel than just tending to our own lives.  A time when we stop having parent-centric homes and develop into true families, each preferring the other and serving each other.  It’s time to be transformed into the “Church”. 

When I say “parent-centric” I mean…our lives aren’t all about us…we have a spouse and children and should work for the greater good of the whole family.  It’s not about how much alone time or space I think I need…it’s about serving the family God gave me…as Christ served the church.

It’s time for God’s people to be healed and refined so we can work the great harvest. 

There’s been a long season of the church…during which…everyone seemingly became obsessed with their own self-care.  God cares for us, but we don’t have to be distracted from others in order to be cared for.  Listen, I am filled most when I am also pouring into others. 

Even though I am a major introvert most of the time, God is consistently drawing me to serve others in very specific ways.  Ways that bring life to me, my family, and others.  When we partner our emotional health, service to God, and balance of family with God, then we will be filled and not depleted.

Yes, I’ve had seasons of pulling away, but each one was at God’s direction and not for worldly self-care…they were seasons of refining.  Refining needs to occur in each one of us…and not just one time…we are in a constant state of refining.  But when I surrender to the process, there always comes a moment when God has me begin pouring into others again…

Refining, for me, has always led to pouring out more. 

When I first got saved, I tried to pour out but needed a lot of change in my heart and mind, and quite honestly, I probably hurt others around me.  I needed to discover my identity in Christ and to know why I was created and how that would function within His body.  But it was through these mistakes that I discovered the truth and experienced the grace of God…learned to grow and forgive myself.  Over the years, I’ve become more of an asset to God because I’ve grown through healing, being in His presence, and fully surrendering. 

Surrender, that’s been quite the process.

My original version of surrender looked so different than it does today.  When I first walked with Jesus, I had a very selfish and faulty view of surrender, but it was the best offering I had at the time.  So, I offered.  And through process, time, and revelation I’ve grown into seeing surrender is a daily choice. 

Letting go of my circumstances and letting God move, requires full surrender.  Releasing my agenda and my idea of success, has led to the greatest surrender of my whole life…and I feel so much more peace…the peace that surpasses all understanding.

I stand today, as one who is open handed, arms raised and fully released all my cares, dreams, wants, and desires to the Giver of all good things.

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, Who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all He created.  James 1:16-18

This morning, I’ve been reflecting on the journey of being a parent.  Parenting is hard.  It requires so much sacrifice…and much of that sacrifice comes in the shape of laying aside your desire to make things about you…and realizing your kids are going through things too.  One of the greatest mistakes I see parents make every day, is to view everything their kids do, through the lens of, “How does this affect me?”   Which is funny, because we’re always telling kids, “It’s not all about you.”

Ponder this for a moment.  It’s true, isn’t it?  Most people are naturally selfish and self-centered…it’s the Christ in us that makes us more aware of others….more willing to sacrifice…more willing to serve.  Without Christ it’s hard to have proper perspective in any way.

All of these thoughts led me to this one…

Do you desire to have God know you more than you desire to know Him? 

In other words, do you demand He work your way, over His?  Do you feel angry when He doesn’t meet all your needs the exact way you feel He should, or do you accept that He knows best?  Do you want to be revered?  Do you revere Him? 

He is God.  There is no other.  When we demand the above things, and more, we make ourselves as a god.  Now that’s a sobering thought, isn’t it?

There is no God beside Him.  He alone is on the throne. 

Oh, that all of creation would desire to know, serve, and love Him.  Oh, that all the earth would revere Him so much that they would accept His way in spite of their own desires.  Oh, that all of us would simply seek His face.

Jesus…it’s all about Him.

I have come to the point in my journey through life that I no longer require explanation from God.  I don’t need to be told why the bad things have happened.  I just need Jesus.  My desire for His Presence has eclipsed all my other desires.  He stands alone.  No matter what is happening, I simply turn toward His face.  That’s the only place I find peace.  In Christ alone.

We sing the sone, “In Christ alone, my hope is found.”  But do you mean it?

In Christ alone.  That means, no matter what and separate from all things…I find all I need and hope for in Christ alone. 

Can you honestly say this?

Today is a great day to repent of desiring your way over Yahweh.  Then ask Him to come closer…ask Him to be with you.  Just pray, “Jesus”.  This is the only prayer we really need…

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