In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. Micah 4:1-5

What glorious days we have before us. As we walk out whatever part of the last days we are in, let us keep our hearts and minds steadfast on these truths. We are walking toward ultimate and final victory. We must take heart and not fear man or even the devil, because there is only One Who is eternal, and He has spoken. We have read how this story ends, so why should we fear?

In my heart, I don’t fear the last days. I don’t fear them because I know how very near God is and as I read accounts from the apostles, I know that in true times of shaking, God moves. He covers His people. Every time I see bad things in the world, I am confident and even expect to walk under a supernatural hedge of protection because that’s what God has promised to me. What has He promised to you? It’s good to sit with God and speak to Him about all these things. You can ask Him what role you have in His kingdom coming to earth. When you know more about why you were created, it gives you far more boldness and confidence to walk out stretching times.

The deeper revelation is this, wherever our path is headed, ultimately, I’m looking toward my final destination. Heaven is where I’m going. I look forward to it every single day, and I view life through that lens. I view this all as temporary and I have recently become far more aware that all of the systems and governments of this world, fall impossibly short because they are all run by humans. I yearn for God’s government. I long to see those who partner with God’s systems of justice rise to more powerful positions. Even though we live on earth, God desires for us to look to Him when we establish governments. He desires us to partner with Him even in our courtrooms. Imagine how wildly the world would change if believers stopped being afraid to move into these positions, or those that are already in those positions who are believers, stop compartmentalizing their work with their relationship with God. They are to be forever partnered.

I don’t keep God in one part of my life and forget Him in the day to day tasks. On the contrary, I keep Him front and center when I take any position or make any decision. What if more believers did the same? Things would be so different. My heart longs for this to be the more common practice.

Prayer Moment: God, help me to partner with You in everything that I do. Help me to not fear earthly success or to see it separate from You. I know You place Your people in strategic places to advance Your kingdom. Place me where You want me. Give me courage to partner with You in all things. I am fully Yours. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, you His saints for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Psalm 34:4-10

I have been seeking the Lord at a different level lately. I have asked to come much closer to His Presence than I ever have before, to be consumed by Him completely. As I reflected upon this request, I began to hear, “Ancient of Days”. God is the Ancient of Days, but why was He speaking this to me now?

During my morning quiet time, I came across the above verses again. The line that reads, “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame,” really resonated with my heart. But still I wondered how that linked to God as the Ancient of Days, so I turned to Google and looked up the name, and it referenced some scripture in Daniel. One particular portion brought it all full circle for me…

“As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of His head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.” Daniel 7:9

As I read those words, I realized why my life has felt on fire lately…I’ve been coming closer to the throne and the heat from it is consuming my entire life. The heat of His glory. His throne flames with fire, this means if I am asking to draw nearer to Him in the throne room of Heaven (which I have specifically asked) then I should expect my life to catch fire. A deep, cleansing and holy fire.

That is my season. Now it’s all starting to make sense. And you may be asking, “Is it still worth it? You’ve had so much discomfort and pain, do you wish you’d never asked for this?” and I would soundly and deliberately answer, “Yes, it is still worth it. No, I will never regret asking to be closer to Him.”

The purpose of my whole life is to be nearer to Him all the way to heaven. What else is worthwhile? Nothing.

Let all my life point to Him, and when I die may there be no regret of holding back anything from Him. I will relentlessly pursue Him all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Prayer Moment: How close will you dare to get to the Lord? Does my story make you feel afraid? I don’t blame you one bit if it does, but I also hope it makes you feel hungry. Hungry to be nearer to Him. Desperate to be consumed by His fire. What burns are the things of this world that don’t matter and what forges is a steadiness in your spirit that cannot be broken. Simultaneously, I feel broken and whole, every day. What a beautiful exchange. Are you brave enough to go where few desire to go? If so, then give Him permission. Ask Him to bring you to His throne room and be forever changed.

Another word that God whispered in my ear, was preeminently…

Preeminently: above all; in particular

I felt Him saying, “What is preeminently important right now?” That rang through my spirit like a bell. The deep sound of a large bell with a pull chord. With the world full of distractions and noisiness it can be easy to lose sight of the main things.

The preeminent things in my life are my walk with God, my marriage, and my children. If I base all my decisions and prioritize my time and emotional energy with these top 3 in mind, then things are far less likely to spin out of control.

Daily when I decide how my time is spent, I visit these things and weigh everything against them. Is doing a certain activity going to drain me so much that I won’t have anything left to give my family in the evening? Is a certain stand I want to take, going to conflict with my walk with God and ministry that He’s placed me in? Will a certain relationship with a friend draw me further from my husband or does it encourage me to draw nearer to him? These are all valid and important questions. We are responsible for maintaining the relationships God has placed in our lives, especially family relationships.

When weighing political candidates what is preeminent?

Well honestly, I don’t vote for personality, I vote on principle. If a candidate stands for abortion, I am not voting for them. That is a first and foremost deal breaker for me, because if a person doesn’t value the unborn then how can they value anything else in proper perspective? Also, I have a personal past, and so do ALL candidates, what I’m more interested in, is what they are like right now. I believe in the redeeming power of Christ, and that doesn’t all of the sudden stop mattering when it comes to politics. I also look at the family that surrounds them. What are their kids like? Are they honest and hard working or entitled and troubled? This all begins to give me a clear picture of the heart health of the person, and that is SO important. I don’t make decisions based on what the media tells me, rather I look at record and family and listen to God above all. He is never wrong. He has without fail shown me which direction to go in every election, whether local or national. It’s important to partner with Him in this too.

Prayer Moment: God, I ask You to be preeminent in my life. Help me to always have focus and not be distracted by the illusions the world contrives. Give me a heart that knows. Help me to grow in wisdom and understanding. I give myself to You, completely. Teach me Your ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:5

This word began to swirl around my head several weeks ago. I didn’t know what it meant when I first heard it. It’s always fun when God whispers new things to me.

Here’s the definition…

Duplicity: deceitfulness; double-dealing

There is so much of this going on now, but if we were honest, we’d admit it’s always been happening. Even in the Bible we see ample examples. Judas, for one. Ananias and Saphira felt the immediate effects of their duplicity.

We see it every day, in many different people.

I have fallen victim to the duplicity of others many times. In the past I’ve just taken everything at face value. I never expected people would try to deceive me, but sometimes they do. It happens to all of us. If we’re honest, we’ve all done it at some point. The question is how do we trust when the world is so full of deception?

It is far too easy to become jaded. It is easy to just shut off and refuse to let people close, but that’s really not healthy and brings no joy. Right? So, what is the remedy?

I’m still working it all out, but here’s what I’ve been practicing lately. When a new person comes to me and begins to open up to me, I actively listen. I listen to exactly what they are saying and also what God is saying. I watch body language and hold a neutral position most often.

Just the other day a person was pouring out their heart to me, but at some point, I felt a prick in my spirit. When that happened, I immediately took a step back and began to ask God to show me if something was “off” with that person. Then I kept listening with a pleasant facial expression, and after a few moments that person revealed to me exactly why I was bothered. They never knew it, but because I took a moment to recognize that prick in my heart and then partnered with God for the remainder of the conversation, God protected me and gave me wisdom.

Lastly, let’s talk about the elephant in the room…The news…

Friends, when we listen with our spirits before we listen with emotion, we are far better served. If you feel a news report tugging at you emotionally, then it’s very important to first step back and take it to God, ask Him to give you true wisdom. If you have Jesus in your heart, then you can listen with your spirit, but it’s important to practice. You have to learn how to lean into the spirit inside of you. It’s worth it.

Prayer Moment: God, give me ears to hear You in all circumstances. Open my eyes to see truth and help me to never be led by emotion. I surrender my “right” to respond, to You. I give You my whole heart. I want to represent Your kingdom well. Help me to mature more every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to Him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.           Proverbs 6:16-19

As I was walking the other day, I was deep in prayer. I was thinking about our needs right now and how I was struggling to feel hope. The land felt dry. My heart felt dry. Even though I spend time every day in God’s presence, I have struggled to feel refreshed. When I feel refreshed for a moment, the feeling doesn’t seem to last long. It is like I’m currently walking through the desert, and the sun is at noonday position blaring its heat on me and burning my skin and drying me out. In the heat of the day, the desert is so hot that even when you drink water, you need more soon after. You need a constant source of hydration to walk in the midst of heat like that. But how do you have a constant source of water when you are walking through?

In the middle of these thoughts, I began to have a vision. I saw all around me, in very close proximity to one another, thousands of covered wells. These sources of hydration were just sitting there, waiting to be uncovered. So, I asked God to come and uncover them.

It felt like a breeze began to stir as I saw myself bending down and uncovering the well nearest to me. Then I dove in and was fully immersed in this welcome water source.

I am no longer content to simply drink from the wells of God, I want to be fully immersed.

My longing and need for God has far surpassed any slight dedication, it is all in. I am all in. even if others don’t understand or misunderstand me, I have no choice at this point in life, than to be all in.

Since that moment, I have noticed I’m surrounded by places to find His presence, even in a crowd. Even when others may be watching. But I don’t care. I will meet Him anywhere and everywhere because I am so desperate.

I hope the waters of hope wash away all the fear of man and leave me in a naked state before the Lord. A place where I allow His thoughts of me to clothe me, as I become fully vulnerable to Him. I need Him. Without Him I can’t even take my next breath. It’s still funny to me that the more I mature in my faith and walk with Him, the more I discover how very dependent I must remain upon Him.

So, I lean. I lean into Him and learn. He gives me life and hope. He is my One.

Prayer Moment: God, lead me to the wellspring of hope today. No matter what happens or what news comes, let me be fully immersed in Your Presence. God, I pray for good news. I know You have good in store for me and I’m so thirst for good news. I love You and will follow You all the days of my life and with my whole heart. You alone are worthy of praise. I surrender to You, again. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it; but the instruction of fools is folly.              Proverbs 16:22

Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:23-27

I had a birthday last week and as I was out exercising that day, I saw a notary stamp come down from heaven and stamp my forehead. I heard God say, “September 15, 2020 I certify you.” Having previously worked with documents and being familiar with notarization, I realized God was doing something significant. When a document is notarized, the person who has the document must have supporting documentation to receive the stamp. The one stamping it, the notary, is certified and has met the qualifications to stand as one trusted to be honest and receive all the proper supportive documentation before stamping the document. There are stiff penalties for lying and stamping something without supportive documents.

God is the only One certified to “notarize” any of us. He alone can certify us because He alone knows our hearts. This was a big moment, one that I understood I needed to remember.

God has been releasing a call over my heart for quite some time. It is multi-faceted and encompasses a lot of different areas, but it is my unique call. I’m understanding more and more every day that the things to which I’m called are specifically designed to fit not only my talents but also, bring life to my spirit. These same callings might make another feel overwhelmed or bogged down, but as I recognize and embrace my uniqueness, God has made it all seem lighter and lighter to me.

We each have our own specific calling. Yes, it may coordinate with others around us, but it will remain unique to us individually.

I suppose the message today is two-fold…

First, don’t try to accept another person’s calling. Even though you may experience some momentary success, in the end you will feel defeated and heavy laden. Denying your own call in order to take on the call of someone else because it seems more glamorous or whatever, is folly. No call is without its own set of sacrifices that must be made.

Second, don’t belittle the call you receive. God fashioned you specifically for certain purposes in His kingdom, so saying it’s not as important as someone else’s, is actually saying to God, “You made a mistake. I don’t like what You’ve given me.” I seriously doubt any of you would want to talk to God in such a way, right? Instead, I challenge you to embrace the calling He has on your life and begin to move forward in it, even in a small way. Any forward motion is success!

Prayer Moment: God, thank You for the unique calling You have placed on each of our lives. Help us to embrace all that You have placed within us and help us to never look at others with envy. Never let us rob ourselves of the fullness You’ve called us to because of jealousy. I receive the full calling You have given me. Teach me to walk it out daily. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to one hope when you were called- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1-6

For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. Romans 11:29

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

I’ve truly been feeling the impact of this statement, more now than ever. As I’m walking into areas where I am teaching and training others more and more, I am coming face to face with this truth. I cannot have man as my primary focus. God must remain my primary focus, if I’m going to continue to be influential in a positive way. I must only receive my value from Him, not those I’m instructing.

How many times have we all seen a leader rise into the public limelight and then either plateau or plummet to the ground? That person undoubtedly must have had their sights set more on the praises of man than right standing with God. It is truly that simple. When you begin to really search out your motivations, you may be shocked to discover just how much you are motivated by that fear of man. It can be humbling and shocking.

It is true though, that fearing man is a snare…it will without fail cause you to stumble.

Today I want to leave the devotional shorter because I hope you will spend an extra minute getting with God and asking Him to reveal to you the main focus of your heart and actions. Are you more focused on God or man’s praise? Be really honest with yourself. Take time to ask God to reset your focus on Him. Begin to trust Him in new ways.

If we chose to walk in trust with God, then nothing we face will find success against us. Our trust in Him will keep us safe.

Prayer Moment: God, let my heart trust You more and more every day. Never let the fear of man eclipse my trust in You. Forgive me for the times when I’ve let fear of man move me in the wrong direction or hinder me from releasing what You’ve put on my heart. Help me to never again succumb to that fear. I want to be faithful to You alone. I am surrendered to You completely. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4

When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? Psalm 56:3-4

I mentioned previously that I fasted for God’s Presence last week. That day and the next I felt so hidden in the cloud. I was walking through normal day to day activities, but I was not fully present because I kept being drawn into heavenly thoughts and visions. I so enjoy living in that place.

The area the requires the largest balance of my life is the space between living in His Presence and living on the earth.

How do you live a life in the presence while still being present for those who need you here on earth? This is the big question. How do you live a spirit led life without becoming completely useless to the practical things? These are necessary questions.

I’m still sorting it out, and honestly, I imagine that I will always be doing so. I don’t believe there is a clear answer, but I do know some things that I’ve found to be helpful.

First…When I serve my family, that is an act of worship. For years, I felt I was only worshiping when I was singing or sitting in the Presence and then one day God showed me clearly that being there for and serving my family was also an act of worship. What freedom that gave me! Then I began to seek to excel in motherhood even more because it stopped conflicting with my “God time”. It became something for me to find Him within every day.

Second…I can pray and talk to God all day, every day. As I go about my daily duties, whether it’s at home cleaning and preparing or going out and interacting with others in a variety of ways, I am consistently calling my mind to prayer. I am deliberately asking God what He has to say to the person I’m speaking with or what He has to say about a situation I’m walking out. I even ask simply, what do you want to speak to me, right there in the middle of basketball games and school pickups and drop-offs. Everything I do can be worship if I include God.

Third…I try to exercise every day and that is a definite act of worship. God ALWAYS meets me when I exercise. It’s an opportune time to set my mind to a neutral place and let God pour over me. As I surrender my body to maintaining physical fitness, God keeps my mind fit, as well. Without fail, He meets me during exercise.

Fourth…not a day goes by that I don’t start my day with Him. I intentionally rise earlier than everyone in my family so I can spend a moment with Him. I write, read my Bible and ask for Him to speak to me. Some days I have more time for this than others, but it’s a daily routine that I will NOT go without. It is a daily act of worship.

So, what I’ve found is, my life can be an act of worship in its entirety, if I let it. It’s a choice to partner with and listen to God at any given moment. It’s a choice to include Him in my daily life.

Prayer Moment: Will you give Him your day? If you do, I guarantee that it will begin to transform your life. He is worthy of every moment. He is our most trustworthy Friend. He loves to do life with us.

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:6-8

One day recently, I realized that I’m not breathing like I normally do. As in, literally. I discovered that I’m holding my breath a lot and not breathing deep most often. Life and the world around me has been stealing my breath. Stress and the strain of so much unknown in life has robbed my breath. Uncertainty at the kid’s school and all of the new restrictions, makes me feel like I’m being smothered. Chris’ work situation continues to make me feel like I can’t breathe. Stepping out in faith and moving into new places in ministry takes my breath away too, only that’s not a bad thing.

Whatever the reason, I have intentionally had to stop myself and take several deep breaths on multiple occasions. In fact, it’s becoming a new exercise…Sit still, breathe several deep breaths and then carry on with the day. Repeat as needed.

Isn’t it crazy that this would ever become necessary? I once heard someone say that breathing is the most natural thing we do, and our bodies do it effortlessly for us. Well, that might be true most often, but it’s not right now.

What am I to make of this? Isn’t it a slight bit interesting that our breath has been the topic of much conversation, as of late? With covid there have been so many restrictions made to our breath. Constantly being under scrutiny for wearing or not wearing a mask makes me feel worn out. It makes me feel short of breath.

Something occurred to me though, for me to have a voice I must have breath. For me to sing God’s praises, I must have breath and breath support. I find it no coincidence that breath is the threat. The enemy knows our greatest strength is the ability to praise and proclaim God’s faithfulness. We sing to proclaim His goodness. We pray to see healing…we pray to even receive salvation.

You see friend, the enemy is trying to steal something far greater and more significant than you could imagine.

So, I encourage you, when you feel short of breath or under a lot of stress, stop and take a couple of deep breaths. If you feel anxiety or fear of the future, stop and breathe. If you feel something trying to steal your voice, stop and use that same breath to praise God. Use your breath while you have it.

Prayer Moment: God, steady my breathing. Help me to take long and purposeful breaths so I can remain fully focused on You and Your plan for my life. Lord, I release all into Your hands. I know that only You can sustain my life. Surround me with a cloud of Your Presence. Let me never walk alone. Let the testimony of Your faithfulness in my life, serve as a steady rhythmic breath to my lungs. I trust You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn, I will praise You, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples. For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Psalm 57:7-10

As I walked the other day, I began to think about things that have happened in my life. Things that could make me bitter if I let them. Then I heard God say, “You must pick up the litter in your life.” In a moment, I knew what He meant. I must forgive and release those things to God…It’s the same as picking up the litter and throwing it in the trash.

The sea of forgiveness runs deep. None of us are immune to the need to learn to forgive.

Litter can also be wrong thoughts we’ve entertained and have let cloud our view of God, ourselves and others. That too must be picked up. Cleaned out and removed forever.

It’s time for many of us to do some public beautifications to our minds and hearts. In the same way that cities will clean up parks and then plant flowers and add playground equipment and trails, we must clean our minds of refuse and then invite Holy Spirit to come fill the now empty places and bring beauty.

If we don’t release the litter in our minds, then it surely will become a stumbling block and bring about a stench to our lives. You wouldn’t want that, would you?

When I think about releasing all the hurts and lies, I am reminded of this Psalm…

Lord, who may dwell in Your sanctuary? Who may live on Your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken. Psalm 15

We can always return to scripture anytime we need a solid reason to do good. It’s worth it. Always.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9-10

When we don’t see our reward on this earth, we can be assured of a heavenly one. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. It’s far better to be pointed toward a heavenly reward. On earth we will have wins and losses, and in heaven we will receive our eternal reward.

Prayer Moment: God, clean out the litter in my heart. Help me to walk out forgiveness toward any and all who have wronged me. Give me courage to love those who don’t love me in return. Help me to be a carrier of Your Presence and Your grace. Teach me Your ways. Lead me closer to heaven every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.