Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Most of you will remember that previously I’ve shared about a vision I had where I am in a fire. My first posture in that fire, was crouched on the ground in a prayer position. Then in a shift, God moved me to my feet where I was walking through the fire and feeling myself getting stronger while doing so. Now, I see myself running confidently through this same fire. When I see myself running, I am steady and not running out of fear. Rather, I find myself running with purpose.

In the same way a shift has happened in my earthly person. I find myself engaging in things that I previously felt no leading to be involved in, but something has shifted, and God is taking me out of my comfort zone yet again. As I am walking into these new places, I can feel the flames whipping around me and I feel the fear of man burning off me. I feel the critical thoughts I have toward myself burning off.

As one thing after another is burned off, I feel a certainty in God that I’ve never known before. I see His delight over me constantly. I see His power revealed. I see His higher works happening as we watch earthly things seemingly become unraveled. My God is steady and certain. He is not confused. When I look into His eyes, I see a calm that is so sovereign. As the earth seems more and more confused and uncertain, I feel a solid and unbreakable certainty and steadiness that has taken root in my very soul. I am feeling the unshakeable God.

My steady Peace, He walks me through the valley of the shadow of death. I fear nothing when He is beside me. I don’t fear getting out of alignment with Him because His rod and staff are there to make sure I don’t wander off. If I take a wrong course, I trust Him to pull me back.

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m going to mention it again…we WALK through the valley. We do not set up camp, build a house or send out address cards. No. The valley is temporary. We move through it. Never stopping, just moving forward.

Friends, we are in the middle of a war. As a daughter of the Most High I will stand as near Him as possible. From there I can trust that I am in the right place at the right time in every circumstance.

Imagine yourself on a battlefield. Then ask yourself, “In what position will I feel safest and have the most covering?” I think you know the answer to this question. As close to the Father as possible. The closer we are to Him during battle the easier it is to know what He will do next or what He wants us to do next. It’s not complicated, but it does take a lot on intentional behavior.

Prayer Moment: God, teach me how to remain ever closer to You during my walk through this valley. Almost all of life feels like a valley right now, and God You are the only way through. Give me eyes to see the parting of the clouds in the distance so that I don’t forget this is temporary. Hold me close. Hide me in Your shadow. Embolden me. Give me courage. Remove all the splinters of fear from my heart. God, I don’t want to be a coward. Lead me into bravery. Lead me to be the warrior You created me to be. The warrior I feel beating in my heart. Let it come out more and more. Cultivate the gentle warrior in me. Gentle fierceness, that’s what I’m created to walk in, and I feel it. I feel it coursing through my veins with each heartbeat. Gentle fierceness that tears down demonic kingdoms and strongholds with one song of worship. That’s me, when I’m surrendered to You. I surrender now Lord, strengthen my song.

 

How can we know that God will always guide us down the right paths? Because He promised He would, and for Jesus’ sake.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:3

Friends, there is always a righteous path to be found. There is no situation that is devoid of a holy choice. It may be the harder choice, but it’s worth it.

Don’t listen to the loudest and most forceful voices and opinions, stay tuned to the still small voice. If you do, then you will undoubtedly have a far greater chance of remaining on this good path. Let it also be said that just because your most “godly” friends are all on a certain path, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the righteous path. Only One is infallible, that is God alone. Your friends can be led astray for many different reasons. It’s of utmost importance to remain in focus of the path God has set before you. On that same note, your friend’s paths may vary from yours on occasion, so it’s best to stay tuned to God and continue along the path He has set before you.

We all walk a different path, but there is only one way to heaven and that’s through Jesus Christ. I know you guys know that, but I would be remiss if I didn’t restate something that’s obvious to most, especially because I know there are some very influential celebrity voices who shamelessly celebrate an idea that many paths lead to heaven. That is most certainly a lie, trick and deception of the enemy. If there’s one thing the Bible makes very clear it’s this, Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

I know to you this may be elementary, but it has become a necessary statement to continue making. As I see the pool of deception growing upon the earth, I am acutely aware that I must remind myself of the most basic foundations of my faith so that I will not be led astray by these word tricks and deceptions. Simply put, we must know what we know to be true. Personal truths don’t exist. God is truth. Truth is not up for discussion or interpretation. Truth is truth. God is truth. Be solid in what you know of Him.

Stay to the righteous path no matter what path others are taking. When you do, you will always be protected and provided for. Staying to the righteous path will keep you under the shadow of His wings. That’s where we find safety.

Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 17:8

Prayer Moment: God, give me courage to stay on Your path for my life. Help me to never be led astray. Hold me near so that I can always be certain that I am stayed on Your course. Help me to not envy another’s path, but to be grateful for the way You lead me. Guard my heart and mind from deception and let me be a beacon of hope and truth upon this earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.   Psalm 23:2

God leads us to rest. He leads us to walk in peace and refreshing.

If you are caught up in the swirl, you must find that place of peace and refreshing. For me, that place is often found during morning devotions. Reading scripture and writing out all my troubles and concerns in a prayer is so helpful and begins to lift the burden. Getting exercise is also where I find this peace. God meets me daily when I’m exercising. It’s become the most certain place for me to find Him, even more easily than during devotions. I think that’s largely because when I’m exercising my mind goes into a neutral posture and He can more easily speak in a way that I notice and hear. Lastly, going to my piano to worship always takes me into His presence. I know that no matter how I feel, once I surrender to that most holy place of worship, He will come. He will listen. He will speak. At the piano, I often figure out what it is that I am thinking. Sometimes, I simply don’t know what’s bothering me, but when I go to the place of worship, He unravels my mind. When the words I sing suddenly become His words sung over me, I know my mind is being renewed. It’s a most beautiful and special place where He brings me back into alignment with all that He is and when I see into heaven my perspective is restored.

Wherever it is, figure it out so you can always go to that place knowing you will find Him. We all have default places where we know that God will meet us. If you have yet to discover this place in your life, then I encourage you to begin the journey of discovery. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

God is nearer than you think. He is more interested in you than you will ever know. Ask Him to introduce you to the places where He waits for you.

“You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all Your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 29:13-14a

Prayer Moment: God, I long to be in Your presence. My heart’s greatest desire is for You. Lead me into Your presence. Show me where You are always waiting for me. Where You can be found by me. Help me to remain by the still waters of Your presence. God, restore my soul every day so that I never grow weary of walking with You. Restore my soul so I can consistently share You with others. I want to share Your kingdom with all who need to know You. Use me. Fill me. Restore me. I am Yours completely. In Jesus’ name, amen.

This week we are going to go on a journey through Psalm 23. I know I’ve written a devotional about it before, but there is so much to glean from this chapter, so for the next six days we will break it down further and focus on one verse each day.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. Psalm 23:1

One reason I felt God nudging me to do this series is because of our desperate need to be tightly tethered to His word of truth right now during these most uncertain times. The world is daily speaking lies over us. If we are not holding onto the truth, then we will struggle to make it through each day.

Consider the first verse as a lifeline…

The first promise of this week is that He is our Shepherd and we will NOT be in want.

No matter what happens, God will provide for those who love Him. He promises this very thing multiple times in scripture. Here’s another reference.

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. Psalm 37:25

I truly believe these words because I have lived them so many times. Even in the tightest circumstances I have seen God show up. I have received money miraculously more than once. I have received an encouraging word during a desperate time. I have watched God protect even my life in miraculous ways. I’ve seen Him provide for others in ways that cannot be explained through earthly means. He is Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider. You can trust Him.

If you read on to the next verse you will also receive instruction for how we are to conduct ourselves at all times. This behavior, I believe, is one of the major keys for us to continue to live in abundance during all seasons.

They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.           Psalm 37:26

To remain in the blessing, we must continue to be a blessing. Don’t ever forget that. When we feel like things are tight, our first response can often be to withhold, but that’s not at all what kingdom looks like. So, no matter where you may be feeling lack, I encourage you to ask God how you can walk in generosity. It takes many forms and is far easier than you may realize. Also note, that it’s because of our generosity that our children are blessed. This is also mentioned in other places within scripture. When we are generous and righteous, we leave a legacy of Godliness and provision.

Prayer Moment: God, thank You for always providing for me. Please help me to always look for ways to bless other people. Keep me in alignment with Your heart which is always bursting with abundance. I adore You, and I want to represent you well. Forgive me for any time that I have withheld out of fear. Help me to never do that again. Let me be known for my spirit of generosity. Mold me, Abba. I am Yours. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I had a vision, and in it I saw people being afraid to move forward. Fear had essentially put heavy braces upon their legs which restricted their movement, but God was calling them out. Then, just as Forrest Gump did in the movie, they started running and when they did the braces broke off completely.

This is essentially what’s happening all across America right now.

Fear was used to bring in a controlling spirit, and even though the vehicle they used to invite it in (covid), has been proven to be far less of a problem than originally presented, many refuse to move forward. It’s almost like people enjoy walking in fear. I’m baffled every day.

Friends, we have some certainties in life…

1. Everyone is born
2. Everyone will die
3. God is Sovereign over both things

Why do so many believers have such a fear of death anyway? We know where we are going. I am fully confident that I won’t arrive before I’m supposed to. My mind is like this scripture…

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

Every day I long for heaven. Why would I let a sickness that often has no symptoms and that I have a 99.96% chance of surviving hold me captive?

We need open eyes and open hearts to see what’s really happening.

The enemy desires to steal, kill and destroy. Right now, he’s attempting to steal our livelihoods, freedom and Godliness that our country was founded upon.

God came that we would have, not just life, but abundant life. When we refuse to partner with the crippling fear, we choose life. We choose God.

I refuse to relent in my pursuit of abundant living. When we choose to trust God with our health, we find such freedom.

Prayer Moment: God, help me to partner with Your life-giving words and not the lies of fear. Give me boldness to move forward with life, not fearing anyone or anything. Forgive me for any time I’ve been lulled to sleep by the spirit of fear. Help me to run out of the shackles of earthly bondage. I am Yours. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge. But He overthrows the words of the faithless. Proverbs 22:12

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.              Galatians 6:18

God is real. God is ever-present. Let me tell you a story…

This morning, I wrote out a very specific prayer in my journal. Now, this request had been a thought I’d been rolling around my heart for a while. I had wondered if it was ok to ask. I then wondered if I received it, would I be able to do it with success. Finally, this morning I felt the Spirit fall upon me as I thought of it again and so in an act of bravery, I wrote out my true heart’s desire and requested it.

Right after I completed the writing, I opened my Bible to Psalms and this stared me in the face…

May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. Psalm 20:4-5

Full body chills went over me.

In those 2 short verses, God met every single thing I’d been concerned about in the request. Was it ok to ask? May He give you the desire of your heart. Would I be able to have success in doing it? And make all your plans succeed. Then in an extra blessing, as I read the next part, I could see heaven responding to my victory. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will life up our banners in the name of our God. And then a final affirmation to wrap it up. May the Lord grant all your requests.

Our God is so good.

Today, I want to encourage you to present your requests and hearts desires to God. He cares for you. We are allowed to boldly come before Him. He enjoys the interaction. I hope that reading about what He did for me today, will give you even more boldness. He loves you as much as He loves me.

Prayer Moment: Thank You God for caring for me. Thank You for never failing to meet me right where I am. I love You. You are so good. Help me to walk boldly in Your promises and not hold back my heart from being honest with You. I adore You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For Who is God besides the Lord? And Who is the Rock except our God? It is God Who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights. Psalm 18:30-33

As we move on from the past two days of considering the mocker and intimidator, I want to remind you of this. Many of those operating from the spirit of the mocker and intimidator are one encounter away from giving their hearts to Jesus. What if you offer that one encounter?

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field. Matthew 9:37-38

Far too many believers receive the gift of salvation and then seem to fall asleep. Knowing they will go to heaven seems to satisfy them and they leave all the rest to fend for themselves. It may sound harsh, but that’s a truly selfish mindset. We are the light of the world! We aren’t called to only think of ourselves. We are called to make disciples of every nation.

We are called to the harvest. Will you accept that call?

All of those people in the world who are quite obviously under the spell of the enemy need you. They need to hear about Jesus. If they don’t hear it from you, then who?

Who will accept the call?

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Me?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

I want to be like Isaiah. When God asks, “Who will go and share Me with the world?” I want to respond, “Me! I will!”

Instead of fighting those who oppose God, what if we let our lives serve as examples of His grace? What if instead of hating them, we acknowledged that they are being held captive to a spirit and need relief. What if instead of cowering to their bullying, we respond by standing firm and therefore, bringing back healthier boundaries to our world. We carry the Hope of the world! Let’s discover how to let Him be that in and through us.

Prayer Moment: God, I will go where You send me. I will serve as an example to those You desire me to. God, give me courage to not hide and instead to boldly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am here! Send me! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1-5

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” John 14:6-7

I think most of us remember the story of David and Goliath.

Goliath, the Philistine giant stood in front of Israel’s army day after day, mocking God and them. Day after day the Israelites trembled in fear and hid. Then came David.

David was small, but full of the Spirit of God. The only thing that set him apart was the fact that he really knew God. He had an actual relationship with Him. He knew Who God was and what He could do. He had killed the lion and the bear and knew God watched over him. That history with God led him to defeat Goliath and the mocking spirit he carried.

I have seen the mocking spirit roaming the earth. There are so many people who respond to all things Godly with open contempt and an all too common tactic they use is mocking. As followers of Christ, we must learn how to respond to the mocking spirit.

I admit that in the past, when confronted with a mocker, I would often shut down. It’s strange how, when a mocker would come, I would suddenly feel unarmed. The mocker seeks to make you feel embarrassed and ashamed. It attempts to make you feel foolish. It’s another form of intimidation. To face the mocker successfully we need to be completely certain of what we believe and why.

This is pivotal to the Christian walk. We must know exactly what we believe. We must also know why.

This hinges largely around reading your Bible. It also hinges upon having a true and current relationship with Jesus. You can’t expect to win battles without ever training. We must be steeped in scripture and actively pursuing closeness with the Father. It brings Him delight and strengthens us at the same time. What a mighty God we serve!

Prayer Moment: God, I pray that You would give me the courage and wisdom to face the mocking spirit. Help me to walk in Your truth. Teach me to be wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove. Lord, You say that You make wise the simple. Please make me wise. I adore You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I hope you’ll take time to read all of 1 Samuel 17 today…but here is one verse I wanted to leave you with.

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give all of you into our hands. 1 Samuel 17:47

There has been a ton of intimidation happening in America, as of late. The enemy has been openly gnashing his teeth at every possible occasion. It can feel as if all is lost and hopeless, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Remember how we talked about walking through the fire yesterday? Well, this intimidating spirit is one part of the fire we must proceed through, but we have no reason to fear. We have the God of the universe on our side. The One Who created the world and everything in it with just a word, stands guard over those who love Him. And remember this, our God is a consuming fire. His fire consumes all others.

When you begin to feel the flames of intimidation spark around you again. When you feel hopeless because the only sound you hear is in opposition to God and His people, don’t fear because it’s just the shouts of the enemy trying to drown out the Hope of the world even though he knows he can’t.

That spirit of intimidation doesn’t come from God.

How do you fight intimidation? Well, in much the same way as you deal with a wild animal that rushes toward you. You stand your ground. Stare the opposition in the face and firmly trust the One Who is the foundation of the world. Don’t let that which can be shaken try to shake that which is set upon a firm foundation.

The enemy knows he has lost the war. All he’s doing now is trying to cause as much damage as possible. Don’t lose sight of the fact that the “mob” is operating from a spirit. You aren’t fighting against people, rather principalities of darkness. The people who are screaming and intimidating others also need to be saved. They need Jesus. They need to be set free of that spirit so they too can dwell in perfect peace.

The other day when I was thinking about the wicked actions of a certain celebrity, God began to convict my heart and He provoked me to ask Him about her heart. I saw her as a little girl, then I saw things that had been done to her. The sinful actions of others toward her had never been healed in her heart. She doesn’t know her true worth and value, so of course, she’s attempting to get it in sinful and damaging ways.

The world needs a Savior.

Prayer Moment: God, help me to respond to the spirit of intimidation the right way. Give me courage to stand with and for You at all times. Teach me how to walk out love for those who act unlovable. God, bring their hearts to You. Visit them in dreams and visions. Heal their hearts. The world needs You. Please come. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge. Proverbs 14:32

A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.              Proverbs 11:17

Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free. Proverbs 11:21

Recently, I have repeatedly seen myself walking through the fire. I remembered that weeks ago, God showed me that I was in a fire and the only way I’d survive was to be near Him. Man, do I feel that.

Today while I was out exercising, I saw myself in that fire again. I said, “God, I am in the fire. I feel it.” But at the same time, I felt myself growing stronger. And then I saw a glowing white figure come and stand next to me and I heard, “I am the cool in the fire.” I immediately felt relief. The burning and complete discomfort of the moment fled, and I was at peace. Perfect peace.

He is with us in the fire. We read about it when He was literally in the fire with Shadrach and his buddies. That same God is the God Who stands with us now in whatever fire we may find ourselves going through.

God is the cool in our fire. His presence is the refreshing that we need. His Spirit brings the peace we cannot live without.

Learn to look for Him when you feel the world is on fire all around you. Learn to seek Him out when the flames feel too hot to endure any longer. He IS there, it’s just that sometimes we forget to look for Him. If we’d spend more time focusing on Him and less time focused on our discomfort we’d live in so much more peace.

Life is all about what you are choosing to focus on. Whatever captures our focus, will also be paramount in our hearts. Let that be God.

Prayer Moment: Today, I made the devotional shorter than usual because I wanted to lead you to an opportunity. My prayer is that if you feel you are walking through a fire, you’ll take a moment and see yourself there. Can you imagine it, the flames whipping all around you and the intensity of the heat? It feels overwhelming, but you continue to move forward through the fire. Now, ask God to reveal where He is in this moment. Do you see Him standing next to you? Can you feel the relief of knowing you are not alone in this moment? God, I thank You for being with me in this fire. Thank You for providing me comfort and relief. Thank You for always loving me. I trust You in this moment. Thank You for using this fire to strengthen me. In Jesus name, Amen.

For the Lord God is a sun and shied; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You. Psalm 84:11-12

Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your love toward me; You have delivered me form the depths of the grave. Psalm 86:11-13