God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts His voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations He has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46

As I face the upcoming week, I meditate upon these promises. When I consider the pivotal election that is looming over us all like a giant cloud, I consider the words above.

God is ever-present. We need not fear any outcome. I believe in my heart that I know the outcome, but even if I’m misled, I need not fear. I will continue to look for the river whose streams make glad the City of God. While I consider all the nations in an uproar, I remember that with just His voice, God changes things. He is victory.

I love the line “Be still and know I am God.” I love that it is in the midst of wars and desolations and fire, we are called to be still. It would seem like the most unlikely thing to do in those situations, but isnt’ that just how God works? He even affirms, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” What a powerful statement. This should really resonate with all of us, because it is so clear that right now we are facing a direct attack on Christianity. The attack we’ve witnessed in many other nations, has found its way to our doorstep. Sure, Christianity has been attacked for years, but never so overtly as now. Riots are ok, but church isn’t. They say worship is forbidden. One side of the presidential ticket is insanely anti-Christian. If you can’t see that, I strongly encourage you to hit your knees, open your Bible and ask God to open you eyes and ears to what’s happening. But in the midst of all this, we can take heart because, whether people confess that God is real or not, He will be exalted over every nation and in all the earth. That is non-negotiable. The Lord is with us.

When I feel anxiety knocking at the door of my heart, I remind myself just Who is Sovereign. God alone. God alone is worthy. God alone knows the beginning from the end. God alone. So, it is in Him alone that I will place my faith, hope and trust.

I feel God saying, “If you will place your complete hope in My hands, I will make light work of it.” Our greatest dreams and desires are as a vapor to Him. What could be hard for God Almighty?

Prayer Moment: God, come and fill the earth with Your glory. Knock down all walls between us and Your Presence. Open our eyes and ears to see the true battle that is being waged in front of us. Never let us be deceived. Keep us alert and ready. Restore hope and the joy of the Lord, as You make us strong. In Jesus’ name, amen.

We’re in the season of new wine. Newness is all around us. Like a perpetual spring, we see so much changing around us. The most disappointing thing a person could do right now is be determined to ignore all the new things happening. Lean in and you will see the new things He is preparing for you!

God is exposing darkness. Why? Because you can’t destroy what is unknown. If we don’t know we have a problem, then why would we try to fix it? Don’t be afraid of the exposing that is occurring.

This exposure has been happening in the political realm, media realm, entertainment realm, and elitist realm. Don’t be surprised when it begins to happen in the church realm. It’s going to be ok though. This is a necessary part of restructuring and renewing things.

A lot needs to shift.

God has been constantly reminding me to not fear all the things that are coming out around the earth. I know He is allowing it. When we rest in this thought, then we have peace. When we know that God is showing us what lays in the hidden places, we can rest assured that He’s about to bring change.

We are living in one of the greatest times ever. We have the honor of seeing things come to pass that generations of prayer warriors have sown into. We are so blessed. It is an honor to be alive during this time.

For many generations, God’s people have known there was a rotting happening within our country but didn’t know what to do about it. Also, I believe, for many generations believers have been so busy building their church families and working hard to support their families that they lost sight of the fact that we CANNOT simply trust government to work in fair and balanced ways. Fellow believers, now is the time to take back the political realm. It’s a holy thing to engage in politics. God set up government. He is in this plan. We shouldn’t shy away from it any longer. We also shouldn’t undervalue those who give their lives to the ministry of government just because it doesn’t look like missions. It IS a mission field. We must take our rightful place and begin to steer the ship of America back into a place where conscience is valued, life is valued, worship is value and God remains at the helm.

Prayer Moment: God, You are the sovereign. Only You can steer America in the right direction. Without You we have nothing. I repent on behalf of generations who neglected our call to engage in the political realm. Forgive us for being lazy and not even noticing the damage that was being done. Forgive us for feeling so overwhelmed by the political landscape that we simply checked out and gave up. I say, “No longer.” I will not shy away from being involved. I will not miss a vote. I will fight for America in any way You lead me to do so. God, bless America. In Jesus’ name, amen.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7

A while back I kept having a vision. In this vision I would hear God say, “Bond servant” and then an earring would be placed in the top part of my ear. Instead of feeling like a negative thing though, this felt like an honor. Still I was left confused.

Bond servant: a person bound in service without wages

Then it became much more clear to me. During this season, since being laid off from my job last November, I ended a long, paid working season to enter a ministry season. I have known for quite some time that this was the season for which I was made. For the last several years of working my paying job, I felt so empty and frustrated. I felt called to something different. More than once God had said that if I would walk away from the job, He would bless our business and bless me in motherhood. It may sound crazy, but that’s what He said. When He said this to me, I told Him, “You’re going to have to convince Chris because he isn’t going to like this.” Who knew last November that God would use this shift in seasons to release me from working that job, and into a very focused ministry season. I will be forever grateful. Something wonderful happened when I was released from my job and could fully feel restored to motherhood. Who would have ever known covid would happen and send us into a hidden homeschool season? This sacred respite from “real life” was amazing and has altered our family dynamic for the better in so many ways. Day by day I felt God kiss me with the joy of mothering. I LOVE being a mom. I LOVE being a mother figure to others. I LOVE this beautiful calling. I also LOVE this season of ministry. I LOVE writing all the curriculum I’ve been writing. I LOVE writing music. So many LOVES have come to my life when I surrendered to being His bond servant. Such honor has come from this low position. Isn’t is funny how God works?! We go low to be lifted high.

Then one day this week while I was out exercising, I saw myself dressed as a geisha girl and then I transformed into a queen. In that moment I knew that God was moving me from servant to queen. What a unique and special moment.

There’s a verse that I also heard in that moment…

For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is trading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” 1 Timothy 5:18

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.” Luke 10:5-7a

I know that the compensation will be coming. God hasn’t asked me to be a pauper, rather He is setting me up to walk in full blessings. Is it wrong to say this? I don’t believe so. For many years I struggled with feeling guilty about needing to be provided for, but how crazy is that?! It was not at all God’s heart for me. He is the giver of ALL good things.

Prayer Moment: God, I receive every good thing You have planned for me. Help me to never self-sabotage myself from receiving the wonders You have laid aside for me. I want to partner with Your grace in every season. Sustain me through today and lead me into tomorrow, for I trust in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Recently while out for my exercise, I saw the ground covered in manna. God showed me how in a certain season He had provided us manna. Then in the next, He had provided doves. We had eaten to our fulfillment and even gorged ourselves. We had never had such extravagance and were excited. Then that left and we had manna again. Then God showed me giant grapes. These grapes were as big as someone’s face, and even bigger! You couldn’t eat one in a single bite but had to take it in a bit at a time. It was extravagant. Then I heard God say, “I taught you trust in the manna seasons. I taught you stewardship in the dove seasons and the manna season that followed it. Now I will release the promised land season, because now you know what to do with the “more””

No season of our lives is wasted. Some believers foolishly believe that seasons of struggle mean we are reaping correction, but that is not always the case. Sometimes we have more and then less and then more again so we can learn to trust. During these uncertain and fluctuating seasons, we learn to not trust in a job or finances, we learn that the only way to be steady is with God. Following His leading in all things leads to stability. Learning to thrive in all seasons is what true freedom looks like.

What if the struggles you’ve been walking out are for your strengthening, not correction? What if God is giving you the skills to steward what you have better, so He can release more to you? What if God is just as good as He says He is?

Are you willing to trust in the sparce times? Are you willing to trust in the stretching? Are you willing to stretch at all? This is the only way to grow. We can’t remain stiff and unbending if we want to walk into all that God has set aside for our lives. It’s a risk worth taking.

Prayer Moment: God, please help me to be flexible. You know I love routine and stability. Help me to trust in the in between times. Protect my heart from bitterness and disappointment. Lead me in joy and hope. I am Yours completely and forever. Guide me in the ways I should go because I don’t want to miss a thing. I adore You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Who do you want to be, Caleb or one of the crowd? Remember who finally got to see the promised land. It’s always a risk, but it’s a risk worth taking.

They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Para. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan. Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Numbers 13:26:30

This morning as I read my Bible, I came across these verses in Proverbs…

My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life. Proverbs 6:20-23

As I read those words, I saw a generation that is walking in darkness because they don’t have the light of their parents teaching and guidance. I have seen parents forsake the importance of leading, teaching and correcting their children. I see mothers who disapprove of the strong hand that God desires the father to lead with, and fathers who disapprove of the gentle rebuff that a mother offers. When both used in balance, create a healthy family environment. I see a world where discipline has been called abuse and self-control is absent. I see a world where taking responsibility for yourself is out of fashion but blaming everyone else for everything is normal. I see us devolving, and it begins at home.

I see there is far too much at stake for us to continue down this path, and family must be restored. Family must be favored. Our private lives should far exceed the importance of our social media lives. Instead of searching out that Instagram worthy moment, we should be creating real moments with real commitment. Instead of staging our every outing to make it picture perfect and blog worthy, we should really invest in the hearts of those who so desperately need us, our children. They need to see our eyes, not the lens of our cell phone camera. They need to have their moments protected, not used to promote the popularity and “likes” of their parents. What have we come to?

I know I am guilty of this, just like the rest of you. Today I repent. Today, I break all soul ties that I have made with the inanimate object that is social media. I’m not saying I’m closing down all accounts, but I am saying I won’t let them have such a hold on me anymore, and who knows, I just may lay them down completely if God leads me to do so. What do I have to lose? Fake influence? I’d rather have real influence.

When I read those verses in Proverbs, I could see the young rioters on the streets threatening to burn down the very country that provides them the freedom and privilege to have such strong opinions. They are mistaken if they think any other country in the entire world would allow such a thing. In their ignorance they rage against the only country that operates in this much freedom. It’s insanity.

We must educate ourselves and our children. Their lives depend on it.

(I am sorry if this devotional feels too heavy, but when I began writing these, I committed to write anything God led me to write. This is the stirring I have today. This is the hard line I feel forming. We must lead our children, lest in their youth they lead themselves into the fire.)

Prayer Moment: God, I repent of every moment wasted or constructed to appear social media perfect. I repent for every time I have forsaken a true intimate moment with my family, just to share it with the world. God, forgive me. Reset my focus. Anoint me for the task of motherhood. Restore innocence and simple fun within my family. Show us how to embrace our family life more and more every day. I surrender to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him. Proverbs 13:24

Today as I was walking, I looked up the hill toward my house. The view I had at that moment, held the home in a position directly behind a huge tree at the bottom of our driveway making the house seem hidden. Then I heard God speak, “Hiding place.”

During this season, I have repeatedly heard God say directly to me, and through others that He is taking me out of the hidden place, but this morning He reminded me that even though my season is shifting, I still maintain a hiding place. What a great reminder. God, in a flash, showed me that as He brings me to more of a “seen” place, He will provide me protection and hiddenness from the enemy. I am so grateful for that too.

I find myself much more confident to step out boldly and courageously when I know God is already providing me a safe covering. We can always trust in Him to provide such places.

We never grow out of the place of needing hiding places. It’s not a lack of maturity, on the contrary, it’s wisdom to know and acknowledge our need for His hiding places. David refers to them frequently throughout the Psalms. He affirms God as his hiding place many times. We can do the same thing.

I don’t know how you’re feeling today, but in my spirit, I feel at least one person who reads this is feeling exposed and unprotected. God is saying, “No, you are not. You only need to stop and refocus your heart so you can see My hand over you. If you will find a quiet place of resting, then I will show you how my hand has been protecting you for a long time.”

Friend find that quiet place. Go to Him and allow Him to be your safety. It’s wisdom that leads us to the Father like a little child. It’s humility that covers our steps as we move closer to His heart. God gives grace to the humble. We all need grace.

Prayer Moment: God, You are my hiding place, both now and forever. Help me to never become so proud that I forget Who makes my way. You are the Waymaker. You are my everything. I trust You. Please guard and protect me always. I love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7

You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues. Psalm 31:20

You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word. Psalm 119:114

As I sat down to write this devotional, I honestly had no idea what to write about. As soon as I turned on the computer I heard, “Fountain”. Then I began to hear the songs that say, “You are the fount that never runs dry.”

This season has been so long and hard, and many times I have felt dry. I have had to dip my cup in the fountain very deliberately. With each moment and in every day, I am pressing forcefully into God’s heart.

I have found my best position to be in the fountain of life, but what is this fountain? How do we find it?  

Psalms shows us where it comes from…

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. Psalm 36:9

And Proverbs gives us a good understanding of what releases the fountain…

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Proverbs 10:11

Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it, but the discipline of fools is folly. Proverbs 16:22

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn aside from the snares of death. Proverbs 13:14

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27

I love the way the first two examples show the contrast between God’s way and the world, and I love the way the last two show how the fountain of life can help us avoid the snares of death. Those are all powerful statements.

We are to seek wisdom and understanding. God gives to those who search Him out. Never in my lifetime have I felt more urgency to know truth. A great deception is attempting to fall across the earth. I believe it will be broken off, but we must intentionally partner with truth to keep ourselves from falling prey to it. Partner with truth and others who perceive and follow truth. Avoid those who are blinded by deception, in the same way you would avoid those who are quick tempered, lest you might fall into the same habit. This is a season where our eyes must remain wide open. We must be awake. There is no avoiding what’s happening, so we must choose to walk intentionally with God.

If we continue in His presence, we will never become dry. We will continue to be refreshed in His presence and be healthy enough to endure until the end.

Prayer Moment: God, please continue to draw me to the fountain of life. Bring others alongside me who walk in wisdom and understanding. Help me to never be deceived, but to always be fully aware. Keep my heart tuned toward heaven. Give me the grace I need for each moment. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God gave me our families “word” for 2021 two days ago. It was out of the blue, as I had not prayed and asked for it at all, but just like last year, He spoke it to me at a random time. Immediately when I heard the word, I knew in my spirit it was our 2021 word. When I read through all the definitions of this all too common word, it radiated truth to my heart. Every separate definition had another nugget of freedom attached to it.

No, I’m not telling you my word yet. Sorry. This devotional is about the word God gave us for 2020.

On a random evening, while I was cooking and cleaning in the kitchen, God spoke our 2020 word to me. He had never given me a word before, without me first asking for it. He had also never given me one so far in advance. I believe it was July or August when I heard it, and normally He’d give me the words in November.

When I heard it, it stuck in my heart like a burr. I knew with 100 percent certainty that it was our family word for 2020.

THRIVE

Thrive was the word He gave. When I reminded my husband of this yesterday, he scoffed. I could tell he hadn’t thought through just how much that word had manifested in our family over this year. To be fair, on the outside, our year has looked far from successful…as thrive would make you think it should. But upon closer inspection you would discover a HUGE transformation has happened in almost every area of our lives.

The first several months of the year, we faced unemployment. We lived off of savings and miracles. It was a hard time, to be certain, but it was also ripe with blessings. Covid struck this year and shut down America, but we thrived! Homeschool was a beautiful opportunity to reconnect and refocus. The Lord led me to make Facebook live videos, first of Bible verses and later of worship songs. I never would have done that without these unique circumstances. I have written 3 worship songs during this last few months. I have continued to write daily devotionals, I have been teaching prophetic classes and writing curriculum for it. I have taught worship classes and have written corresponding curriculum. I have begun leading worship at church. All ways I’ve thrived.

My kids are more secure than ever in school and at home. They are ALL playing basketball this year. They have all matured in some very significant ways. We have increased our family bond. All ways our family has thrived.

Chris took a different type of job that had him working and living in MO for a while. A week after starting this new thing, he was in charge of all the guys. One week later. Throughout his time working that account, he was held as highly favored by every person he worked with. All ways he’s thrived.

You see, what the enemy meant for evil…joblessness, covid, etc…the Lord used to strengthen, stabilize and grow our family! There is always good to be found in any circumstance, you simply must be willing to look for it and acknowledge it.

Prayer Moment: I want to ask you to take some time and reflect on your life this year, especially since the covid chaos. How has God been blessing you? How has He turned it into good for you and your family? I pray today that you would find renewed purpose and gratitude to become grateful for any season. God is always good. ALWAYS. And He loves you so much.

You are my King and my God, Who decrees victories for Jacob. Through You we push back our enemies; through Your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but You give us victory over our enemies, You put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise Your name forever. Psalm 44:4-8

I rose early one morning, long before the sun. When I looked outside a heavy fog was blanketing the earth. It was so thick that I was unable to see the pond in our front yard. There was something so comforting about it. It felt like the Presence of God resting on and around our home. It was an invitation to my heart. An invitation to enter into His peace and to embrace it all day.

We are in a unique season. There seems to be a constant invitation into God’s peaceful presence. Isn’t that interesting? Especially since the enemy is attempting to conquer us through fear. We must, now more than ever, press into peace. Every day that we turn from fear and embrace peace, we defeat the enemy. Every moment we choose trust instead of defeat, we issue a blow to the plans of the enemy.

The fog of that morning was an earthly representation of God’s presence. It was a physical reminder from God of His ever-present Presence.

What a beautiful and loving God we serve. What a timely reminder that He is here. I am not alone. You are not alone. We are not defeated. He takes what the enemy meant for evil and turns it for good. That’s the kind of God we serve. He is not a man, who suffers from weakness and fatigue. No! He is God Almighty. He never sleeps. Never gets distracted. Never fails.

Will you join me today in embracing His gentle and peaceful Presence? Will you stand with me in courage instead of fear? We will have victory!

Today is shorter because I want to encourage you to find a quiet place to seek out God’s Presence. Ask Him to send you reminders of His ever-present Presence all throughout this day. Make a decision to partner with joy, peace, hope and trust. Take a bite from the fruit of the Spirit and turn from the spirit of fear.

Prayer Moment: God, walk me into the cloud of Your Presence. Let the fog of Your peace envelop me completely. Let me be so consumed with Your peace that I share it with all who I am around. I trust You. I fully realize that this is a season for learning more trust. I embrace it with joy. Lead me in Your peace. I adore You, Abba. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I want to remind you of Job today…A lot of times we discuss all his trouble, but today I want you to remember the end of his story…God didn’t leave him in his trouble, his troubles had an end, and God blessed him even more afterward. That’s what I’m leaning into. That’s my promise.

After Job had prayer for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. Job 42:10:13

Yesterday a friend came over to walk with me and without thinking about it, I headed out like normal. When we came to a point where there was a cattle guard in the road, she looked at me as if to say, “Are we seriously going to cross over this?” I said, “Yep, let’s go.” She asked, “What’s the best way to cross over this thing?” And without thinking I quickly replied, “With confidence.”

I’ve learned from crossing over it multiple times every single day that the more you think about crossing it without falling, the easier it is to fall. I’ve learned to boldly walk over it, but only because I’ve been at it for a while. I’ve learned from making mistakes and literally falling through the spaces of that grate. I’ve learned how to cross it in the rain when it’s really slippery. I’ve learned how to run across it too. I’ve traversed that grate in many different circumstances, and each time my confidence has increased.

This didn’t mean I was any better than my friend or that she was falling behind in any way. What it did mean was I had information that she could benefit from. I had previous experience that could help me lead her to successfully cross that grate with far fewer instances of peril than I had. She could build upon the information I gave her and move from nervousness to confidence far more quickly than I did on my own.

Life situations are exactly the same. You never know who around you may need to know what you’ve learned. You never know who could benefit from your “hard knocks”, and whoever you may learn from because of their progress and process. The beauty we find when we learn from one another and share with each other is this, what took someone a long time to learn can be shared and can move another along much more quickly.

Sharing is caring…they always say. It’s true though.

What you have learned while walking through the trials of life are meant to help others. And what we all could use at different times is more confidence.

The more confidence we have, the less we’ll slip up. Just a reminder though, confidence and arrogance are very near to each other and we must remain diligent to avert arrogance. Arrogance is the beginning of many downfalls. It’s our enemy. Quiet confidence in God and His promises is best.

Prayer Moment: God, give me the confidence to walk through this life. Bring others alongside me to help show me how to more confidently traverse my current situations. Help me to reach out to others who are walking where I’ve been and offer them a hand to guide them. A word to inspire them or a shoulder to lean on as they learn how to more confidently navigate their own life. Help me to walk in humble confidence. Hold me, Abba. I adore You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

O Lord, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God. Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior. Psalm 38:21-22

Through You we push back our enemies; through Your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but You give us victory over our enemies, You put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise Your name forever. Psalm 44:5-8