God created family. As I’ve mentioned before, God has never been alone. He has always been 3 in 1. Remember in the Bible He tells us:

For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:24

These words were spoken by God before any other people existed. Isn’t that interesting? God had just made Eve to become Adam’s wife and He spoke about being one flesh and leaving our parents. This was God’s original design for marriage. He spoke it before it was even happening. He gave the words in advance to set up the proper order. Isn’t God good?!

We can trust that centering on home is always a good option.

I can both reach out in ministry and center at home. Remaining centered at home means I can reach farther. It doesn’t mean I hunker down and forget everyone else.

Think of it this way: If a tree grows taller and wider, but doesn’t grow deeper and stronger roots, then it will eventually fall.

Our lives are the same. God places us in families, and we are to intentionally cultivate those relationships and press into family, so when we set out to minister, we have a solid foundation from which to reach. Also, we should intentionally bless our children with deep roots so when they transplant into a family of their own, they can take a solid root system with them from which to begin growing on their own. Centering on home is a gift to every single person in your household.

What can you do to be more purposeful in this area? It can be a definite challenge at times.

Recently, I’ve had both the opportunity to see some success in root building with my kids, and felt the difficulty of deepening roots in them. It usually ends up that we do both at once.

Today I encourage you to dig deep, ask the hard questions and let God show you how you can establish stronger roots within your family. And also ask Him if any twisted roots have taken hold, so you can let Him remove those so they don’t stunt your growth.

Over the last two weeks, God has shown me a few places where I had started to just “go with the flow” of others and had been at risk of losing our families original design. Now that I see, I am pulling back and re-establishing our family’s priorities, not basing it on others. I’ve already felt a freedom wash over me. You see, one reason I realized I’d started following the crowd was, I had become miserable and had lost a measure of grace. When you are walking in God’s purpose for your life, you will always have the grace you need, but when you stray, you will feel it. When you know what to look for, it becomes far easier to recognize when you need to pull back.

Prayer Moment: God, thank You for my family. Thank You for putting us together on purpose and for a purpose. Strengthen our bonds every day. Never allow anything to come between any of us. God, when it’s time for Chris and I to let one of our children go so they can begin their own family, give us the grace and wisdom we will need. Help us to establish and maintain healthy boundaries. Teach us how to grow. I adore You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

May the Lord make you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth He has given to man. It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to silence; it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore. Praise the Lord. Psalm 115:14-18

Floodgates: a gate that can be opened or closed to admit or exclude water, especially the lower gate of a lock. A last restraint holding back an outpouring of something powerful or substantial.

So often as I begin to write, I think, “Should I tone it down? Have I pushed long enough?”, but in all honesty, I know that I’m leading a war cry. I was created for this moment and to lead the charge in whatever way I can. This is my voice.  My voice may be small, but I will use it to do whatever damage I can to the enemies plans.

You should do the same. What voice has God given to you? Where does your influence lie? Are you using it? I sure hope that you are.

Now is the time to declare the heavenly floodgates to be opened and for God to reveal Himself in our situations. What are you believing and hoping for? Not just in America, but also in your own life.

Today, I encourage you to write down the things you are hoping and believing for and then speak them out loud. When we speak things, we create a deeper agreement within our own hearts. When we speak truths, we solidify their standing in our hearts. God spoke to create the world. We speak to bring alignment within our hearts. Speaking is so important. Today I also encourage you to pray out loud. Go to God and begin to speak with your voice, not just your heart. Say the things that are burdening you, thank Him for your many blessings. Remind Him of the promises He’s spoken over your life. No, He hasn’t forgotten, but when you read scripture, you’ll find many instances of people reminding God of things. It’s a powerful thing to do, and actually it reminds you. It brings the older promises back to life in your own heart. It’s just a good practice.

So, go do it! Declare, pray, remember and do it all out loud.

Prayer Moment: God, open up the floodgates of Heaven. Pour out your mercy and truth over the earth. Release Your righteousness over us. Open the floodgates of Your dominion over us now. Spread the veil of revelation over our heads and hearts and remove the oppressive veil that has so deceptively enshrouded many. God, I still believe Your promises. I see right through the illusion that has been placed before us. I know I can’t be the only one. I know others must be able to see, hear and feel what I’m seeing, hearing and feeling. I know I am not alone, and even if I am, I stand with all of Heaven…so there is no being alone. Let the final restraint holding back Your victory upon America be removed now in Jesus’ name. Come in power. Come and deliver Your people from the grasp of the darkness that is attempting to overtake us. All in Jesus’ name, Amen.

How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts, and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, “I have overcome him, and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Psalm 13

Lately I have thought a lot about the word, “Unshakeable”.

Unshakeable: strongly felt and unable to be changed.

Now more than ever, in every single part of my life, I’m experiencing the need to remain unshakeable. When I am discovering certain relationships in my life are not trustworthy, I am constantly returning to the unshakeable place of family. Family first.

In ministry as I navigate the ups and downs and relationships that surround it, I continue to cling to my unshakeable identity in Christ. God defines me.

In the world, as everything is up in the air and our future feel uncertain, I return to the unshakeable promises of God. God keeps His word.

I’m in a season of strengthening, which means that I am often face to face with my many weaknesses. I am learning every day to not be ashamed of weakness within myself, rather I am to press into those places and find God’s strength. Walking through a season of strengthening also means being ok with allowing others to see me as weak. I mean, really, does it matter what others think anyway?

What’s happening is God is guiding me into situations where I am needing to face conflict (which I prefer to avoid). He’s teaching me though, and we all know that when we are being taught, we will likely make many mistakes. It’s normal to fumble around when you are feeling awkward and new to doing something. But even though I’m like a toddler in some of these areas, I am still unshakeable. I still put myself in hard places. I refuse to hide from things that make me fearful.

This alone shows a great amount of strength. I must remind myself of that on a daily basis.

Never think that simply because something is hard, it means that you are better off just giving up because you’re too weak.  On the contrary, I now head straight into situations to discover strength that God has hidden deep within me. I am eager to learn. I am eager to grow. Are you?

Are you willing to face difficulty so you can become more complete in Him? Are you willing to look foolish to others, if it draws you closer to Him and makes you more unshakeable?

Prayer Moment: God, please continue to grow me. Never let me become complacent and lazy. Never let my fear of others dictate the way I walk with You. Lead me into a deeper walk with You. Every day draw me closer. Fill my heart with a deep passion and excitement for You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For the Lord Your God is the One Who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deuteronomy 20:4

The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. Exodus 15:2

If you are an email follower of my devotionals, then you may have noticed that I have not been sending out 7 at one time, for a while. Lately, it’s looked more like one devotional here and two there and just barely getting them all out in time.

I have pondered this a lot and have been asking God why He has no longer been giving me a 7 day download at one time. When I heard His answer, I also saw that it was a reflection of things going on in our country. He was in fact using my struggle with timing to represent a far greater event.

God showed me that my struggle was happening to remind me that even when my earthly ideas and timing aren’t working out, that doesn’t mean that I have stepped away from God or lost anointing. Remember, He speaks all of these devotionals to me. I never write until I feel, see or hear Him. So, when these are slow coming it means that I am slower to hear Him. I’m waiting on Him.

This is very similar to what is happening in the battle for America.

We are fighting for our very way of life. As we watch the picks for offices that are made by the falsely boasting former vice-president, a sad picture is being made. All Christians should be acutely aware of the corrupt people he is choosing from his mock position.

We need to remember that he was NEVER announced as president. The media did that and they had no right to do so. It is psychological warfare to claim one thing over and over again until people just start believing it. It’s propaganda. Don’t fall for it.

Just yesterday, I was speaking with someone and she mentioned how he was elected, and I firmly reminded her that he never actually was, but the media had proclaimed it. I saw what looked like a haze pop off of her and she said, “Oh yeah, I had forgotten.”

Friends, don’t forget how we got to where we are now. We are being dupped. The media and brazen politicians are all marching out like Haman and declaring their choice, not America’s.

God’s timing is perfect. His deliverance is coming exactly when it’s supposed to come. But look at what is being revealed during this time of waiting. So much darkness and evil is being exposed. Don’t forget that God said He was going to reveal a lot of evil being done and that we shouldn’t be overwhelmed by it. Rather, we should remember God is the One revealing. His timing is perfect. I’ll say it again, the God of the universe is never late. His timing is perfect.

Prayer Moment: God, thank You for always being on time. We pray for Your deliverance. We pray for justice to come and wipe away those who stand against You and Your kingdom. This is a time of war, I see it clearly. Help all of Your people see it. Remove the cloud of deception from those believing the lies. Free them from the entanglement of the enemy. Let Your kingdom come. Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1

As I was walking and considering things with God, I heard, “Keep the home fires burning.”

One of the fun things about this covid season is that we’ve been gifted the opportunity to cultivate home. To pour into those most important to us. It’s been a unique time to take something the enemy wanted to use to destroy us, to instead strengthen our family bonds. Our time at home in the spring was so fulfilling. But now, as much returns to normal, it’s so important to maintain what God so graciously provided.

We must keep the home fires burning.

We must capitalize on what we’ve spent so many months pouring into. The most important thing…Family.

As we exhale bit by bit and return to the more normal way of life, let’s not forget. Don’t forget the glory of slowing down. Don’t forget the wonder of quality time spent with those you love most. Don’t forget doing less and “being” more. Don’t forget the joy found in not having a full calendar. Don’t forget the importance of rest.

We were forced to lean into God more and listen carefully. We spent more time worshiping and fasting. Praying and pressing in. Let’s keep those home fires burning.

When churches were unjustly closed, we gathered in our living rooms and met with Jesus at home with family. Another instance where God took something the enemy meant to destroy us and used it to strengthen us and our family units. Keep those home fires burning.

It’s good to let our homes be filled with worship. It is right to play sermons so everyone can hear them in the house. This changes the atmosphere in the home. This sets our compasses on Christ. Let’s keep those home fires burning.

All we need to do is place a little intentionality into our lives.

Where would we be without those home fires burning to keep us warm in the dark, cold nights?

Prayer Moment: God, please keep my life focused on the most important things. Remove distraction from my life. Place within me a sensitivity to the flames in the hearts of my children and husband. Keep me focused on You first and family right underneath. I desire to desire You. I require to require You. My design is to follow You, all the days of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:28

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. Psalm 127:3-5

I don’t know about you, but I am so busy right now that I feel like I’m barely holding on. The merry go round of life has been flung into full swing and I am feeling the gravity press me inward. Concurrently, as I watch so much going on in our country, I feel the constant necessity to center my spirit and lean in to hear God’s voice above all else. My life is a constant balancing act right now.

It’s no secret that I thrive most easily at a slower tempo, but as a wife and mother of four I don’t get that privilege often. I see that God wants me to spend my life, not withhold it. Meaning, if I had things my way, I’d spend copious amounts of time at home alone in His presence, but as much as He loves being alone with me, He also wants me to share what I have with others.

I remember the first time God told me that He wouldn’t pour anymore into me in the secret place until I began to pour into others. From that point to this, I have consistently purposed to share my walk.

The way I’ve chosen to walk with Him in the slow times, is what gives me the energy, focus and grace to walk through these extremely busy times. So, when my personality screams “Stop!!! I need to slow down.” I have learned to look for the moments of respite. This is what keeps me holding on.

If your feeling pressed upon by life right now, I encourage you to search out respite. If Covid has you feeling confused and frustrated, then search out a moment of respite. Seek hope. If the election craziness has you scared and heavy, find a respite. Seek peace. If daily life with marriage, kids, work and other obligations has you feeling overwhelmed. Build a little respite into your life. Seek joy.

There have been many times over the years when I have simply cried out to God from my very soul, “I just want to be in heaven!!!”. These are sacred moments, not shame filled moments. These are times when my heart and flesh cry out for the living God. This is me longing for heaven, my eternal home. There’s nothing wrong with that tension. But I cannot allow it to overshadow the fact that to live is Christ and to die is gain. I have purposes yet to fulfill upon this earth. God’s not finished with me yet.

So, until that day when I see the fullness of His glory, I will be here holding on.

Prayer Moment: God, would You hold me for a while? I feel the busyness of this week pulling on me, and I need to find rest inside my soul. Help me to walk out the rest of this week with a peace inside. Restore my joy. Restore my peace. Restore my hope. I cannot make it through this life without You. Oh, how I long for You. You alone satisfy my soul. I am surrendered to You. I am Yours. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:2

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:1-2

For a week now I have consistently had the same vision…as I pray, I will see a sword of light and steel come down straight from heaven and into my spine. God is doing something. He is strengthening His warriors with His light.

He IS the light of the world. In Him there is no shadow. Imagine this, the God of the universe is so purely light that He casts NO shadow. What an awesome and wonderful thought!

When we are infused with the Light of the world, then we will better know the difference between what is light (truth) and what is darkness (lies).

Imagine it this way, if God has placed His light within you, then you would definitely notice when a shadow comes near. When we are consumed with Light then the darkness is offensive to our hearts.

There have been so many times that I have implored God to make sure I always know the difference between what is true and what is not. What is Him and what isn’t. What is faith and what is a lie. And what I’ve realized is this, the closer I stay to Him the easier and more obvious it is to discern.

It’s all about our proximity. We MUST intentionally remain close to Him.

As I walk out this life with God, He consistently “blows my mind”. Meaning, He is regularly growing me and expanding my perception of things. He is consistently taking me to deeper places of healing that lead me to deeper places of anointing in Him. He is shining His light deeper and deeper within me in order that I would know Him better and be free to walk in the calling His has for my life. His progress in my life is ALWAYS combined with deeper relationship.

As I prayed the other day, I saw His light within me. Then I saw it shining through my eyes, out from my fingertips and toes. I started to radiate this bright light. Then I realized that what the world needs most is those who are so consumed by His presence that merely being around them will give them a desire to know Christ. As the world more consistently rejects hearing the gospel, it’s through His light within us that they may be drawn. Then once they come close, we are able to speak the gospel truth to open ears. I want my life to speak of His glory and salvation without me saying a word. But when I do speak, let my words be filled with that same light.

Prayer Moment: Oh God, You are the Light of the world. I adore You. I pray that Your Light within me would never be extinguished. Fill me with Your presence. Consume me with passion for You. Give me wisdom. Help me to never be tricked by darkness. I am Yours. Hold me close. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

While walking out a difficult season that one of my children is experiencing, I have discovered a whole new level of “Mama Bear” within my heart.

It’s likely the fact that so much of my life is requiring warfare right now weighs in on this. It seems on every front I am being taught how to fight. Once, I would have said that naturally, I am not much of a fighter. Now I fully believe that in my original design, God placed a warrior’s heart within me. But the enemy spent a lot of time in my formative years trying to stifle and discourage that spirit. Now as I walk into my calling and purpose, more and more, I see that I’ve been like a caged lioness just waiting to be released.

Being overbearing, demanding and manipulative are the things I was previously deceived into believing strong women must be, therefore I had avoided it. In fact, during my formative years, I didn’t see one single powerful woman represented in a good light. It’s taken years for God to chisel off all the layers of lies. Now, I see God placed a quiet and gentle strength within me that is stronger than steel.

My strength comes like a breeze, but with the fierceness of a warrior. In my surrender to God, I find my greatest strength. In my unwillingness to be provoked or compromise, I find a steel spine within my back.

Why am I discussing this? Because it’s time for many of us to walk into our place as warriors. I can’t be the only one who suffers from this kind of lie.

From what I see, the church (universal) suffers from a lot of lies when it comes to standing firm and with power. I wonder why? Isn’t it interesting that God told us the Holy Spirit would come in power, yet we are afraid to wield that power?

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Luke 1:35a

The Holy Spirit is power, when we deny that we deny an important part of Who He is. Why would we do that? Power in and of itself is not wrong. We are simply responsible for being good stewards of it, just like anything else.

Prayer Moment: God, I ask right now that You would release Your power over every single person reading this devotional. Let Your power surge through their bodies from head to toe. Give them wisdom and the restraint required to be good stewards of this beautiful gift. Awaken the church and let it seize Your power. Ignite Your people, those who are called by Your name. I am here God, use me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Implore: beg someone earnestly or desperately to do something.

I find myself imploring God, more and more lately. My heart and flesh seem to be crying out to Him. My soul cries out from within me. In much the same way I felt during labor, I feel myself aching to see the move of the Lord that will shatter all the enemies efforts and establish God’s plan upon the earth for all to see. I ache to see Him glorified. I groan internally to see justice and truth prevail. I cry out to the Living God.

I’m not in torment, I’m in a season of imploring.

What’s the difference? Well, I’m so glad you asked.  When someone is in torment, they have lost hope and are being barraged by enemy attacks. They are feeling like there is no way out and are losing sight of truth. In this season of imploring, I find myself aching inside with this statement, “God, I KNOW You can make light work of this, so come on and do it! Show Yourself and bring shame upon the enemy.” It’s an earnest cry for God to do what I am 100% positive He can and will do. I have not lost hope, on the contrary, I’m more set in my spirit than ever.

Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. For You have heard my vows, O God; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations. May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint Your love and faithfulness to protect Him. Then will I ever sing praise to Your name and fulfill my vows day after day. Psalm 61

It’s ok to come to God and state your problems. It’s ok to ask God to act on your behalf. It’s ok to implore God to save America. We are the ONLY country that serves as a refuge to the world. We MUST stand. The season for the other things is not yet here. We are still walking in grace. We are to be reaping the harvest of souls.

Let’s be who we are called to be. Let’s implore God for His salvation and then let’s use the extension of grace to go and make disciples of every nation, but this time, let’s not forget our own. We MUST evangelize our own country. That’s our season.

Prayer Moment: God, thank You for Your grace. I adore all that You are. God, give me courage to speak the gospel to those I interact with on a daily basis. Help me to never be ashamed of the gospel. God, I implore You to come and save America. Establish Trump’s second term, just like You said You would. Thank You for Your faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him. Daniel 2:21-22

As I type this morning, our power was just restored after a 25 hour or more outage. It’s been very cold during this time with temperatures in the 30’s overnight.

When this all started overnight 25 hours ago, I made a decision to just stay asleep and hope for the best. I had the thought that I should get up and try to do something (Exactly what I would do? Who knows.) but instead I stayed in bed and tried to get some sleep because I knew the next day we would be busy. Upon waking in the morning, I discovered the power was still out, so I began to ask myself, “What does success look like this morning?” I was wondering how to wake my kids and get them ready for school joyfully when their entire routine would be upset. So, I made hot chocolate and fried bacon and held a candle in my hand as I woke each of them. I said with a joyful voice, “The power is out, but I made hot chocolate!” I maintained a very upbeat manor and they followed suit. We were ready and out the door at our regular time.

When I got home from dropping them off at school, I decided I should receive the gift of rest. So, I stayed in front of the fireplace and tried to relax. I’m not going to pretend I didn’t feel frustrated because I did, but what am I going to do about it? There was nothing I could do. So, I sat in front of the fire and rested. Honestly, life has been so busy lately, especially with Chris working out of state, that I enjoyed having the “permission” to not do anything. Then the power came on for almost an hour.

When it clicked back on I thought the saga was all over, I got ready for the day and then as I was about to leave for the basketball games in another town, the power went out again. Disappointment. But I realized that the hour respite was a gift from God, as I was able to open my garage to get my car out and I had a chance to warm the house up some and cool the fridge off too. Blessings can be found in any circumstance.

While at the games, I kept checking my phone for power updates…they kept promising it would be on at different times, but none of it happened. Because they assured us it would be fixed that evening, we made the decision to sleep at home. The kids were exhausted from the games and we didn’t even get home until after 11pm, so getting to sleep in the cold and quiet home wasn’t an issue. Another blessing.

The upstairs gets very warm when we have the fireplace going, so the kids were actually toasty overnight, I however slept downstairs in order to keep an eye on the fireplace. I slept on the floor in front of it so I could stay warm (The temperature difference between downstairs and upstairs can be drastic….there was a 10 degree difference in temperature between the two). When I woke at 4am, I had hit a wall. I immediately felt weepy when I realized we still had no power and I worried about all the food we might lose in the fridge and freezer. Then I found my peace again. Blessing.

I was up an hour praying and asking, and then that glorious sound of power being restored, rang in the air. Like a kiss from heaven the heater began to whirl, and the refrigerator began to cool. We made it. God covered us and we made it.

Then I heard God say, “It was always going to come to an end. You would never have been without power forever.” And suddenly I knew He was showing me something else. Friends, this Covid and election process has been so hard. We’ve faced more ups and downs than most of us have ever had. The world has felt like it’s spinning out of control, but guess what? It won’t last forever. Resolution will come. Covid will end. The election will be decided. Life will go on. Order will be restored.

I speak to those who are feeling lost in this lingering nighttime. We are not alone. God is ever-present and His promises are still true. He has never failed us yet, and He won’t start now. We are simply walking through a season of fire. But that season is not forever. I encourage you to find blessings in EVERY situation and in EVERY day. No matter what news comes, I encourage you to find the goodness that God brings to you through it. Find a way to make each day successful.

Take heart, our victory is closer than you think!! Don’t give up.

Prayer Moment: God, give me the courage and conviction to continue fighting the good fight. Lord, it’s so hard not to grow weary or discouraged, but I will continually put my hope in You. You are faithful. You are trustworthy. I will lean on You. I trust You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praises. Psalm 34:1