Have you ever felt silence? You know, the moments when the silence seems to want to speak to you? There have been many times when a very powerful silence has fallen in the room and after sitting in it for a moment, God would begin to speak. I think these silences are when the presence of God’s glory is filling the room. The only challenge is that in our human nature we can often curtail silence because it’s uncomfortable. Experiencing silence can be stretching.

Lately, I have felt such a silence repeatedly.

God is moving here on the earth, and He is speaking to those who are willing to listen. Those willing to suffer the discomfort of silence that sometimes precedes His glory and His voice.

I have a very clear memory from a church we used to attend. We had reached the end of service and the pastor had us join together acapella to sing a song. Suddenly, I felt a heavy silence fall upon us, and I knew it was God. The air began to feel thick with the glory and holiness of God, but because it was mildly awkward the pastor interrupted it to ask the piano player to return to the stage and play. As soon as he spoke the glory that was filling the room left. I was so grieved. I have often wondered what may have happened if we had tarried, embracing the silence with reverence and allowing the glory of God to fill the room.

Oh God, I so strongly desire to learn how to steward Your presence better.

What do you think might happen if we let God have room in our lives and church services? I wonder what kind of shift could occur? There’s no better time than now to press into this glory.

Prayer Moment: I encourage each of you to sit in God’s presence today. When you go before Him, begin with worshiping Him and praising Him and then just sit in the silence and see what happens. But the real challenge is to sit past the point of comfort. You might be shocked to see how quickly you feel ready to move on with your day, but I encourage you to sit just a little longer than you would normally. Press into that place where His glory fills the earth and ask Him to meet you there. What do you have to lose? The question really is what could you gain?

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Exodus 40:34

The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing the east. Then the Spirit filled me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. Ezekiel 43:4-5

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.   Acts 2:1-4

Tonight, as I came into my room to relax before bedtime, I felt drawn to some old videos that I have on my phone. It was surprising how deeply these past memories stir me. Then I felt led to listen to a couple of recordings that I have of prophetic words that have been spoken over me. One in particular, I listened to over and over again.

Then I heard the thought, “Do whatever it takes to remember God’s goodness. To remember that better and more prosperous times have been and will be again.”

Our family has been going through such a lengthy stretching period. We were already stretched before this Covid nonsense happened, so it just felt like one more thing for us. Then riots and all the uncertainty of events that followed. I don’t ever remember feeling more stretched than now.

Since Covid has disrupted the earth, I know all of you are also experiencing different sorts of stretching too. During these times I pray that you’ll do what I’ve done, and continually remind yourself of God’s promises and faithfulness in your life.

It ain’t over til it’s over…they say. This is true. God is still God and until He says different, He still has plans for us. Plans to prosper and not harm us. Plans to give us a hope and future.

Do whatever it takes to remember the good.

When we begin to partner with the death, destruction and fear we see in the earth, then we have stopped partnering with God. Now that’s a sobering thought isn’t it? But Biblical principles remain the same even if our world is changing.

I encourage you to all find a way to partner with your hope and future today. We strengthen ourselves when we choose to imagine our future instead of fearing and dreading it. Fear and dread are what the enemy of our souls wants us to do. When we partner with hope, we partner with God.

Every time I partner with hope it feels like I’ve just taken a deep, calming breath. If you have been struggling with anxiety, this is one way to begin to find relief.

Prayer Moment: God, You are my Hope and Future. Remind me to stay focused on Your goodness over my life. Help me to never partner with the father of lies. Rather, help me to remain steeped in Truth. I will not relent in my pursuit of Hope. I adamantly refuse to give in to the hopelessness and fear that is trying to choke out our lives. God, give me strength every day to face what comes. I am Yours and I will always believe in Your goodness. Thank You for all of Your blessings in my life. 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

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

 

If you wear a mask, fine. If you don’t, fine. This devotional isn’t about shaming. This is just an encounter I personally had with God that led me to really become firm on knowing and walking with only the Spirit of God and not the spirit of fear. Just bear with me and we will walk into a deeper understanding of things. And by the end of this writing, you will see that whether you wear a mask or don’t, you can speak health over yourself and that’s what matters most.

Masks bother me. From the start I felt something far greater than simply a health issue. The masks represent something spiritual to me. The one time I saw my daughters wearing them I felt chocked up inside that I was leading them straight into oppression. Does this sound extreme? Maybe, but let me lend my perspective to this. Masks have triggered some deep places inside of me.

When I was growing up I was without a voice. There was never anyone to listen to me. My opinion didn’t feel valued and as a verbal processor, I was very pent up without a single person to talk things out with. So, when I discovered my voice and began to release it, I found such great freedom. With that history, I have been strongly leading my children to learn the art of communication. I work hard to make room for them to speak freely to me. I would fight for their ability to be heard. These are the things that are stirred within me when I see masks.

Yet, I still felt another deep nagging toward mask wearing and still couldn’t pinpoint it. I kept asking God, “Why do I feel so strongly against forced masks? Am I completely rebellious? What’s wrong with me?” Then God showed me. I refuse to partner with sickness. When they require masks, they say, “You wear a mask because you may be sick and not know it.” This was yet another trigger for me. I am healthy. God keeps me walking in consistent health. I don’t fear sickness, and I refuse to pretend that I may be sick by wearing a mask.

Does any of this begin to bring a new perspective to you?

While I love people, I found it truly offensive to be required to pretend I may be carrying something that I am not carrying.

So where does this leave me now? School is starting and masks may be required. Our city narrowly passed a mandate, in spite of us only having 11 cases.  What am I going to do now?

I’ve been praying heavily about it, and here’s what I’ve come up with.

If I am ever in a situation where I have no choice but to wear a mask, or to put one on one of my children, then I will speak first. “I am well.” “You are well.” If it is necessary for me to mask up, then I will first pray up. I will partner with the Voice of truth and proclaim that I am well first.

Prayer Moment: Every day we have a choice. Will we partner with the lie or with the truth? I am healthy and strong. I already speak this over myself every day. Now, I will just be extra intentional to do so. As we’ve been learning, our words are important, so I will remember that and on purpose speak life, health and power over my children. What are you declaring every day?

Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge. Psalm 16:1

To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. The Lord works out everything for His own ends- even the wicked for a day of disaster. The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Proverbs 16:1-5

So often I look at people and their actions and think, “How did they come to the determination that this behavior is ok?” Still I see other people acting, well honestly, like toddlers demanding their own way and railroading anyone who disagrees with them. They seek to destroy those who dare to question them. It can be shocking. Then I always think of the above portion of scripture that states, “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” This continually causes me to keep myself accountable. When I see people championing things that are clearly not from God, I think to myself, “Somewhere in their hearts they have found a way to validate this behavior.” And this is where America is today.

Thousands of people are living from a place of wounding, both inside and outside of the church. Many of them fatherless. Far too many who have never heard the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and some who have only seen the negative sides of the church. They operate under a great amount of assumption and lump everyone into one category without realizing that each of us is different and in all things, there are the good and bad eggs.

Thus, the plans of the heart are borne and from that foundation they are broken from the start.

This story has two sides. One looks at the plans and motivations of others. When I see a movement or a person moving in a motivated direction, I ask God to show me the true motives and heart of it before I join the cause. I will never simply join in on anything. In everything I present to God my options and ask Him to direct me to only partner with things that are founded upon Him. We are responsible to do this, as believers. It’s not up to others to make us aware. We are each responsible to go to God and determine what is true and noble.

The second side is far more personal. We must each weigh our own motives. We are responsible for bringing our hearts before God for regular inspection. That’s a personal responsibility. We don’t just get saved and then suddenly our hearts never lead us astray. No, we must continually bring all our thoughts and motives before God and give Him permission to weed out our motives. On this earth, we will never achieve perfection, therefore we know that any of us can succumb to deception if we aren’t careful and ever aware. So, as an act of humility and surrender, will you present your heart to God and allow Him to weigh each of your motives and guide and direct you to the truth?

Prayer Moment: God, I know that as a human, I am susceptible to deception. Please guide and direct me always. Give me wisdom to remain in a posture of humility before You because I know that only You know my heart. I give myself to You completely. I am Yours. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

I’m still reading through Proverbs and Psalms, and as I do, I am still in awe of the current relevance of the wisdom found in the Bible. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit can breathe on the words and bring them to life right before your eyes.

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment. The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and He adds no trouble to it. A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom. What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted. When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm.    Proverbs 10:20-25

We are seeing a lot of blatant evil right now. It can feel so overwhelming, but when we remain grounded in scripture, we find eternal hope and perspective. We must remain completely tethered to God if we are to walk through this life with peace. Isn’t that a desire you have…to walk through life with peace?

Here in the scripture above we are given some great insight.

The words of the righteous are choice silver. Our righteous lips are to nourish others. Our words are to be like food to others around us. We are to delight in wisdom. We receive the blessing of the Lord that leads to wealth, without any trouble added. Our desires will be granted. When the storm is over, we will stand firm.

Man, those are some comforting and inspiring words!!

Knowing that the heart of the wicked is of little value sure does lend a perspective to some things we are seeing unfold before our eyes. Fools love evil conduct…really places a new lens on some behaviors we are seeing right now. Then we are told that the fears of the wicked will overtake him, and they will be swept away by the storm. While the Lord is the Judge, we can sure see evil in the intentions of many right now, and while I pray for mass salvation to fall upon these groups I also realize that they are operating from an evil heart. It’s ok to acknowledge that. It’s not ok to treat them with hostility though. While it is wisdom to discern the actions of a person, it’s still our position to remain in love. To walk out the fruit of the spirit. I’m grieved to know that many people will never see heaven. This makes me more determined to pray over them and live in true love, not manipulated love, toward them. I don’t have to cater to their wrong beliefs and thoughts in order to love them. I never have to compromise my core beliefs in order to love others. Loving them comes out of the overflow of a God led heart. Loving them well means, I stand firm on what I know to be true and reach out from that place of grounding and say, “Come meet the God that I know.” An invitation wrapped in loving kindness can pierce the hardest heart.

So now we have several promises to cling to, and also some perspective. How does this feel? Does this make you feel a little less out of control? Does this make you feel more hope?  I sure do hope so. Friends, God is still good, and He is still on the throne. He will see us through this time of uncertainty.

Prayer Moment: God, I trust in You. You have always been faithful, and I trust You to continue to be faithful to me and my family. I love You and I trust that You still have good plans for me. God, keep my perspective turned toward You and Your truth. I praise You because You are worthy of all praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

 

Today is the Sabbath, so let it truly be a day of rest and peace for you.

I encourage you to find space to get on your knees and lift your holy hands and exalt our Father. Let your heart and mind become covered in true peace. That peace that surpasses all understanding. It is real. It is available.

Peace.

Our God is the God of Peace.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:15-17

The peace of Christ rules over me. I am called to be a carrier of peace. When the spirit of fear comes knocking at the door, remember that Christ rules over you. Then you can close the door to the lie and allow the Spirit of peace to continue to reign.

I see you (the reader) standing at the front door of your home and a Light is shining from behind you. That Light is overwhelmingly beautiful and when you open the door as fear knocks, I see you smiling in the face of fear as the Light behind you comes forward to consume the darkness of fear. In that instance, it vanishes. In that moment you become light. Then as that carrier of the Light, you can proceed into the world and as you do the light within you eats up all the darkness.

This is what’s available to you. Every day.

Prayer Moment: God, let today be the day that each one of us realizes the Light of the world lives within us and consumes all darkness around us. We carry that Light inside. God, shine brighter. Be bolder. Let that Light accompany me everywhere and let it eat up all the darkness and fear. Everywhere I tread let, the Spirit of God blaze a path in front of me and all around me that the world will know Who You are.

Therefore, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed- not only in My presence, but now much more in My absence- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life- in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So, you too should be glad and rejoice with me.             Philippians 2:9-18

What can make you white as snow? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This song began to sing through my mind the other day as I saw myself standing in front of a waterfall. The only peculiar thing was, this waterfall wasn’t flowing water, it was flowing with blood. I saw myself standing in front of the blood waterfall and then I began to see an overview of the scene and as I stuck my hand into the flow, it came out the other side completely clean. No evidence of blood, just white as snow. My hand appeared almost shiny when it came out the other side. And I thought, “Why wouldn’t I want to go through this completely?” So, I go through the blood waterfall and come out glowing. Almost looking like glitter all over me. Then I was reminded by the Love of my life, “This is what I did when I saved you.”

Sometimes, when we’ve been saved for a long time it can become easy to forget what God did upon our salvation. And not only that, but that I am continually made clean. When I walk out life and make mistakes, God has already made me clean. He renews in my heart this cleansing when I return to Him, as a child, every time I see myself sin. I don’t have to allow shame to overcome me when I fail. Instead, I can return to this waterfall and remember. I can walk through it again, if I need to, just to remember what He’s done. My salvation is intact even when I fail, but I can still renew my heart by returning to the waterfall of grace.

Nothing but the blood of Jesus makes me whole.

It’s ok to return to the beginning of your walk and remember. In fact, it’s from a heart of gratitude that we would be led to this place. Returning to this waterfall place, reminds me that I am no better than anyone else. That I too have come from a sinful past. I was once walking around lost, but now I am redeemed. I am to remember. So are you.

Prayer Moment: God, take me back to that place when You first washed me clean. Help me to never forget the bottom point of my life so that I can offer grace to those experiencing their bottom place right now. They are not behind. I am not ahead. We are simply each on our own walk toward You and I want to stand as support for them, not condemning but embracing. Teach me Your ways, Abba. Give me Your heart for others. I adore You. In Jesus name, Amen.

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. 1 Timothy 2:8

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. John 3:3

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.             John 3:16-17

I have been spending a lot of time reading scripture lately. Particularly, Psalms and Proverbs. There is unending wisdom to be gleaned from these books. While reading the other day, I came across this…

From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things, as surely as the work of his hands rewards him. Proverbs 12:14

And as I continued, I ran across this…

From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the unfaithful have a craving for violence. Proverbs 13:2

It is obvious that God wants us to understand that our speech matters. What we say bears fruit whether we believe it or not. Then there is also this very familiar verse…

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.          Luke 6:45

Based on all three of these verses I think we can see that we bear fruit from what we speak and what we speak is directly connected to our hearts condition.

So, my question to you today is this, what is the condition of your heart?

We must regularly evaluate the condition of our own heart. Sometimes, it is far too easy to become consumed with the state of everyone else and what their hearts are screaming. The danger of focusing on other’s hearts is that we can all too quickly forget to hold our own selves accountable.

Yes, I want to lead others to Jesus, but I also acknowledge that the only One Who knows hearts, is Jesus. My heart can be deceived. I must keep it closely tethered to God. While I’m standing firm upon what God has called me to be firm, I must also remember that God alone knows other’s hearts. I believe this is why we are called to not judge, because we don’t know where another’s heart is in its process. Only God knows that.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”              Luke 6:37-38

Prayer Moment: God, teach me how to walk without judgment but also standing firm upon Your truth. Teach me what walking out non-judgment actually looks like, not as the world says, but as You say. Also God, retrain my tongue to speak only good things into my life. Convict my heart anytime I speak a frivolous word. Help me to walk out the taming of my tongue. Make me ever sensitive to Your Spirit so that I can be wise. Remove all negative thought patterns and heart conditions that lead me to speak negative things. I long to have Jesus be the overflow of my heart. In Jesus name, Amen.

Lately, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about just how easy it is for Christians to become afraid and seemingly forget Who God is and what He is like. It’s unreal to me how just a little worldly resistance has caused so many believers to, well, basically stop believing. At least that what it appears.

God is still God. He hasn’t suddenly stopped being sovereign. He isn’t surprised by anything. He is Omnipresent. He has good plans for us. He still plans to prosper us and give us hope and a future. He still has set His banner of love over us.

The God I know hasn’t changed, have you?

Have you found yourself suddenly confused and feeling overwhelmed, seeing and believing only the worst? I love this verse…

He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it. Proverbs 11:27

This is a good reminder that we are to always look for the good. There is always good to be found. Always.

When you feel overwhelmed with all the negative, I believe it’s time to step back and begin to re-focus your eyes and heart on the positive. All the good God is doing.

Yes, the governor of California has banned singing in church. But now they are having outdoor worship events night after night. See? The bad was there, but the good then took over. In fact, it was the negative that spurred on the positive.

In this world there will always be trouble, but God has overcome the world. We can rest in that.

We may feel uncertain about our future, but God isn’t. He wrote out each of our stories before we were even alive to live one. How can we suddenly doubt that He is here? He is here.

Prayer Moment: God, I thank You for being sovereign over all things. Help me to walk out life as if I am constantly aware of Who You are. Forgive me for any time that I stopped trusting You. You are always completely trustworthy. I know that full well. Establish me in Your love. Help me to be an ambassador of Your truth. I am Yours completely. In Jesus Name, Amen.

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.            Proverbs 12:28

 

The other day when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed, I had a very clear vision. I saw myself sitting in the dirt. I was in the middle of a huge field and my hands were digging in the soil. I knew I was planting seeds. After a minute, I saw myself looking up toward the sun that was beating down on me. I was tired and sweaty as I wiped my brow. Then I heard God speak, “Those who sow in tears, will reap a harvest of joy.”

I have read that verse so many times that the true meaning of what He was saying was lost on me at first, but then a loved one who I confided my vision to reminded me that He was giving me a promise. He was promising me that I WILL have a harvest of joy. It’s not a possibility or a maybe, but it’s a certainty.

After I heard God speak those words in that vision, I also heard Him say, “Stop holding back your tears because they are water for your fields.”

Like a spear through my heart, I knew that somewhere during this walk I’d once again started to hold back my tears because it felt like I had too many of them. Now, God was releasing me into a season of tears. He’s done that before and I am acutely aware of the benefit. Here I am again.

As a person who is a survivor, it can become easy to stop crying because I’m always simply moving forward and looking for the best case scenario. I’m always trying to see a blessing in all things. While these are mostly healthy habits, I can’t deny that at times I need to simply cry. In all honesty, I am very aware that I’m actually in a grieving season. So many things that Chris and I had hoped for seem to be laying around us completely dead. Every day I wake and wonder what tomorrow will look like. God has already told me to just grieve, but I find it so difficult sometimes.

Today, as I sit here alone, I feel an invitation. I see the tears that have accumulated within my heart. They have all but flooded my insides, to the point that I’m crying inside all the time even when I’m smiling on the outside. So, today I will water my fields. I will cry the tears that God will count. The One Who truly cares for me, also cares for my sorrows.

Prayer Moment: God, help me to stop trying to be strong. I know that in the place where my strength ends, Yours begins. Lead me to that place today. Help me to be strong when You ask, but help me to be weak when You invite me to be. I don’t want to stop being vulnerable, and I know that is what’s at stake. So here I am. Me and my mess. Hold me Abba. Hold me tight and don’t let me go. Give me the release that I am so desperate for. I trust You. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Lord watches over you- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm- He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:5-8

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. Psalm 126:4-6