December 30, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters Romans 13:11 "Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than we believed."
As a year comes to a close, and a new one is around the corner, may we realize the time has come to let go. 'Lord, there are parts of me that continue to worry and fear what is ahead, but doing that keeps us from enjoying Your presence now and trusting You not just with our today's, but trusting You with our tomorrows. Today, You want to break our chains. You want to open our eyes wider to see You clearer, to expand our hearts to breath You in deeper. But we have to choose. Lord, we choose to take You at Your word, that You are God and have plans for us, to prosper and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future. We have hope. Because of the Cross, we, who believe have an eternity to spend with You. That eternity starts now. Now, we have the opportunity to give You more, which allows You to bring us to life in new and more beautiful ways. Lord, help us to let go of whatever we're holding onto that may be inhibiting the growth You're aching to bring us to. Lord, we lay it down and choose to rest in Your arms. We ask that You light our path today and give us the strength to live in love, not selfishness. To walk with faith, not fear. To stand in confidence, not in apprehension. To trust in You, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Lord, this is Your day. Draw us closer and lead us in a life with more of You. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
There is no greater time than now. He holds grace, peace, wisdom and strength. He holds healing, comfort, hope and life. May we receive His joy this very moment as we realize His love for us will never fade, never falter. All we need to do, is take His hand and allow His strength to carry us through, allow the same Spirit that brought Jesus to life, to awaken us to a new and more beautiful way to experience God today. It's a beautiful view, when we see from our Father's lap. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
December 29, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 27:8 "When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart heart said to You, 'Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.'"
'Lord, among the myriad of distractions, may we hear Your call. Of all the longings in our heart, may we understand You are the salve for them all. You call us to come and seek You, not to keep us from life, but to keep us from death. You call us to come to Your table so that You can remind us of Your goodness that we may have forgotten by staring at the waves for too long. Lord, it's not about the waves, it's about realizing that You're in the boat with us when the waves come. It's not about what we can or can't do, it's about what You can and will do, in and through us. Lord, continue to mold our hearts so that when we hear Your call, we come running because we know what You have to offer. Open our ears so that we can hear You over the distractions we tend to take direction from. Lord, may we taste and see Your goodness today, and may we cling to You. May our hearts rejoice as we recognize that the Creator of it all, makes time to hear our calls, comfort our hearts, revive us with life and set our feet back on firm foundation. Lord, this is Your day. Thank You for it. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
There's nothing more beautiful than realizing how precious His love is...and that it is for us. It breaks down strongholds that the enemy has built and silences the terrible lies that joy just isn't for us. But joy is here. Hope is found in the arms of the One who gave His life to set us free. May today be more than a beautiful day, but a beautiful day spent in our Father's arms, as we rest in His perfect love. Have a great day. I love you all.
'Lord, among the myriad of distractions, may we hear Your call. Of all the longings in our heart, may we understand You are the salve for them all. You call us to come and seek You, not to keep us from life, but to keep us from death. You call us to come to Your table so that You can remind us of Your goodness that we may have forgotten by staring at the waves for too long. Lord, it's not about the waves, it's about realizing that You're in the boat with us when the waves come. It's not about what we can or can't do, it's about what You can and will do, in and through us. Lord, continue to mold our hearts so that when we hear Your call, we come running because we know what You have to offer. Open our ears so that we can hear You over the distractions we tend to take direction from. Lord, may we taste and see Your goodness today, and may we cling to You. May our hearts rejoice as we recognize that the Creator of it all, makes time to hear our calls, comfort our hearts, revive us with life and set our feet back on firm foundation. Lord, this is Your day. Thank You for it. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
There's nothing more beautiful than realizing how precious His love is...and that it is for us. It breaks down strongholds that the enemy has built and silences the terrible lies that joy just isn't for us. But joy is here. Hope is found in the arms of the One who gave His life to set us free. May today be more than a beautiful day, but a beautiful day spent in our Father's arms, as we rest in His perfect love. Have a great day. I love you all.
December 28, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Hebrews 10:35-36 "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised."
'Lord, we need to remember, this is not our home. We need to remember, You are preparing a place for us, a beautiful, awe inspiring place where we will sing of the glory of Your goodness and enjoy Your presence in the most incredible way. Until then, may we cling to the hope we profess. You have saved us, made us new. You have paid the price, washing us clean from the very things the enemy wants to condemn us of. But we are Your workmanship, Your masterpieces who continue to grow and lean on You more and more as we understand: You. Truly. Love us. Lord, remind us that the love that saved us is here to renew our hearts and draw us closer to You. Remind us that the same Spirit that rose Christ from the grave is here now to lead us to a place of peace, to Your arms. Lord, may we not forget who we serve. You are the Unshakable Rock, our Mighty Fortress, the Beautiful Lover of Our Souls. Lord, this is Your day. Help us to see what You have for us to see and love those You call us to love. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
He just wants us to understand He is with us. He doesn't want us to be afraid or feel we just aren't good enough. He wants to remind us that the price has been paid, and that He is calling us by name in the most loving way, 'Child, don't you know I love you? Don't you know I care? Don't you know I'm with you? I am always here. Lean into Me and let me show you what I have in store: peace, joy, healing, grace, strength, hope...life.' May we spend today in confidence understanding His great love for us will never fade, it will always remain. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
'Lord, we need to remember, this is not our home. We need to remember, You are preparing a place for us, a beautiful, awe inspiring place where we will sing of the glory of Your goodness and enjoy Your presence in the most incredible way. Until then, may we cling to the hope we profess. You have saved us, made us new. You have paid the price, washing us clean from the very things the enemy wants to condemn us of. But we are Your workmanship, Your masterpieces who continue to grow and lean on You more and more as we understand: You. Truly. Love us. Lord, remind us that the love that saved us is here to renew our hearts and draw us closer to You. Remind us that the same Spirit that rose Christ from the grave is here now to lead us to a place of peace, to Your arms. Lord, may we not forget who we serve. You are the Unshakable Rock, our Mighty Fortress, the Beautiful Lover of Our Souls. Lord, this is Your day. Help us to see what You have for us to see and love those You call us to love. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
He just wants us to understand He is with us. He doesn't want us to be afraid or feel we just aren't good enough. He wants to remind us that the price has been paid, and that He is calling us by name in the most loving way, 'Child, don't you know I love you? Don't you know I care? Don't you know I'm with you? I am always here. Lean into Me and let me show you what I have in store: peace, joy, healing, grace, strength, hope...life.' May we spend today in confidence understanding His great love for us will never fade, it will always remain. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
December 27, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and deed."
We will come against waves and squalls. We will come against deserts and draughts, but One thing always remains...He is with us. 'Father, as we journey, may we remember where our hope comes from. It does not come from raises, beautiful sunrises, financial security...while they are things to be thankful for, they are not where our hope comes from. Our hope comes from something so much greater, from the One thing that will never change...You. Right now, I ask that You encourage us as we allow You to remind us of the Cross. As You remind us of this precious promise that we have through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for this indescribable gift of salvation. Thank You for the most incredible love that breaks through strongholds, silences lies, works in hearts. Encourage us as You lovingly sit us down and reminds us that we are Yours. That we were bought with a price. That we are Your new creations, precious in Your sight. May this realization shock us out of any complacency, fear or insecurity. We are Yours. We, are Yours. Thank You, Father. Thank You for this precious gift. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
May the fog be lifted and may we see the beauty that is before us. Our Loving Father, Faithful Friend, Perfect Healer, Precious Savior, Mighty God is here and has so much to unveil to us today. May we have ears to hear Him and eyes that see what He has for us. Have a beautiful day in His arms. I love you all.
We will come against waves and squalls. We will come against deserts and draughts, but One thing always remains...He is with us. 'Father, as we journey, may we remember where our hope comes from. It does not come from raises, beautiful sunrises, financial security...while they are things to be thankful for, they are not where our hope comes from. Our hope comes from something so much greater, from the One thing that will never change...You. Right now, I ask that You encourage us as we allow You to remind us of the Cross. As You remind us of this precious promise that we have through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for this indescribable gift of salvation. Thank You for the most incredible love that breaks through strongholds, silences lies, works in hearts. Encourage us as You lovingly sit us down and reminds us that we are Yours. That we were bought with a price. That we are Your new creations, precious in Your sight. May this realization shock us out of any complacency, fear or insecurity. We are Yours. We, are Yours. Thank You, Father. Thank You for this precious gift. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
May the fog be lifted and may we see the beauty that is before us. Our Loving Father, Faithful Friend, Perfect Healer, Precious Savior, Mighty God is here and has so much to unveil to us today. May we have ears to hear Him and eyes that see what He has for us. Have a beautiful day in His arms. I love you all.
December 26, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Mark 10:26-27 "The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.'"
A God who knew beforehand that we would fall, and created us anyway - understanding that the price to redeem us would be great. He chose love. This is the God we serve. 'Father, thank You for Your Son. Thank You for bringing the Light into the world so that we can find our way to You. On our own, we bump into things, fall into holes we may have even dug ourselves...but You, in Your great love You lead us forward, wherever we may be. Lord, remind us it is not through any works that we do, but by the work done by Christ. Help us to stop trying to earn Your love and get to the point where we just receive it. Then, the works we do will not be done out of trying to earn our way, but done with grateful hearts trying to spread the message of hope that we found in You. Lord, if we have let the world's waves distract us of this hope, I pray You redirect our focus back to You, The Rock, our Fortress where we find peace, strength, healing, rest...life. Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for another opportunity to trust You more. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
It's not about earning our way, it's about realizing the price has been paid. Now, all we have to do is trust in the same God who formed us in the womb to direct us through this day. Not in fear, but in love. He is with us, and everything we will need to journey through what we will face is in His hands. May we journey well brothers and sisters. Have a blessed day. I love you all.
A God who knew beforehand that we would fall, and created us anyway - understanding that the price to redeem us would be great. He chose love. This is the God we serve. 'Father, thank You for Your Son. Thank You for bringing the Light into the world so that we can find our way to You. On our own, we bump into things, fall into holes we may have even dug ourselves...but You, in Your great love You lead us forward, wherever we may be. Lord, remind us it is not through any works that we do, but by the work done by Christ. Help us to stop trying to earn Your love and get to the point where we just receive it. Then, the works we do will not be done out of trying to earn our way, but done with grateful hearts trying to spread the message of hope that we found in You. Lord, if we have let the world's waves distract us of this hope, I pray You redirect our focus back to You, The Rock, our Fortress where we find peace, strength, healing, rest...life. Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for another opportunity to trust You more. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
It's not about earning our way, it's about realizing the price has been paid. Now, all we have to do is trust in the same God who formed us in the womb to direct us through this day. Not in fear, but in love. He is with us, and everything we will need to journey through what we will face is in His hands. May we journey well brothers and sisters. Have a blessed day. I love you all.
December 25, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Matthew 2:11 "After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshipped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
Christ has come. This is a time of celebration. 'Lord, among all the gifts we will receive today, may our hearts truly accept the most precious gift of all, Your Son, The Christ. Born of a virgin into a broken world, a light shining for the lost to find their home. Lord, may we find our home as we find our hearts melting in the fact that love came down to rescue us...in the form of a precious child...who would come to know what we would go through by living a life as one of us and later carry the sins of the world on His shoulders to set us free. Father, God, Mighty Shepherd, thank You. Warm our hearts and may we see with Your love today. Those gathered around a tree or around a table, may we realize Your love came for us all. May we let go of any differences and allow Your love to be what matters today. It's all about You, so let us make it all about You, sharing the gift of life as we live each breath reminded of what was done for us. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
As we all gather together, may we truly experience Christmas in a beautiful way. As gifts are passed and smiles are shared, may the warmth of Christ's love be a light of beauty in our hearts and in our homes today. It's because of Him that we have this life, may we celebrate as the angels did, as our hearts sing Hallelujah, Hallelujah...The Lord has come. We are free indeed! Have a beautiful day! I love you all soo much.
Christ has come. This is a time of celebration. 'Lord, among all the gifts we will receive today, may our hearts truly accept the most precious gift of all, Your Son, The Christ. Born of a virgin into a broken world, a light shining for the lost to find their home. Lord, may we find our home as we find our hearts melting in the fact that love came down to rescue us...in the form of a precious child...who would come to know what we would go through by living a life as one of us and later carry the sins of the world on His shoulders to set us free. Father, God, Mighty Shepherd, thank You. Warm our hearts and may we see with Your love today. Those gathered around a tree or around a table, may we realize Your love came for us all. May we let go of any differences and allow Your love to be what matters today. It's all about You, so let us make it all about You, sharing the gift of life as we live each breath reminded of what was done for us. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
As we all gather together, may we truly experience Christmas in a beautiful way. As gifts are passed and smiles are shared, may the warmth of Christ's love be a light of beauty in our hearts and in our homes today. It's because of Him that we have this life, may we celebrate as the angels did, as our hearts sing Hallelujah, Hallelujah...The Lord has come. We are free indeed! Have a beautiful day! I love you all soo much.
December 24, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that The Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."
'Father, You are drawing us closer to Your arms. You are calling us to come closer and see You in a new light. In some ways, we have been clouded by entanglements the world brings to our doorstep. We ask You to clear the fog. Finances, relationships, stresses, insecurities, struggles...have placed layers of confusion when we think of who You are. But You...are our Provider, Healer and Strength. You are our Rock, Deliverer and Guide. You are our Loving Father, Faithful Companion and Absolute Savior. Right now, we focus on what You're asking us to be mindful of, Your love. Your love in how You sent Your Son to come to this earth. May it hit us deeper than ever before. He came...for me. Thank You, Father. Continue to welcome us in Your arms and may we drop whatever we are carrying that may be weighing us down and move closer to You. This is Your day, may we celebrate it with You. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
When we realize He actually, truly, incredibly, absolutely loves us...something happens. Our hearts melt and tears may fall. They may not outwardly appear, but inwardly we experience a warmth beyond comparison. My prayer is that we answer His call and get to see Him in a more beautiful way this season. May what He reveals bring us a greater joy, hope, peace and comfort. May we be filled with a new vigor to get to know Him on a deeper level...because once we've tasted and seen His goodness... How can we not want more. Have a beautiful day! I love you all.
'Father, You are drawing us closer to Your arms. You are calling us to come closer and see You in a new light. In some ways, we have been clouded by entanglements the world brings to our doorstep. We ask You to clear the fog. Finances, relationships, stresses, insecurities, struggles...have placed layers of confusion when we think of who You are. But You...are our Provider, Healer and Strength. You are our Rock, Deliverer and Guide. You are our Loving Father, Faithful Companion and Absolute Savior. Right now, we focus on what You're asking us to be mindful of, Your love. Your love in how You sent Your Son to come to this earth. May it hit us deeper than ever before. He came...for me. Thank You, Father. Continue to welcome us in Your arms and may we drop whatever we are carrying that may be weighing us down and move closer to You. This is Your day, may we celebrate it with You. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
When we realize He actually, truly, incredibly, absolutely loves us...something happens. Our hearts melt and tears may fall. They may not outwardly appear, but inwardly we experience a warmth beyond comparison. My prayer is that we answer His call and get to see Him in a more beautiful way this season. May what He reveals bring us a greater joy, hope, peace and comfort. May we be filled with a new vigor to get to know Him on a deeper level...because once we've tasted and seen His goodness... How can we not want more. Have a beautiful day! I love you all.
December 23, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 John 4:9-10 "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His One and Only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
A plan was set in motion, a plan to set us free. This is the season we celebrate. 'Lord, help us not forget the beauty of Your love. While we were slaves to sin...You had a plan for redemption. This plan did not begin with a grand entrance, but a humble beginning. Laying in a manger, which was made as an animal's feeding trough, Christ signified something truly beautiful. You sent Him to serve, not to be served. You sent Christ as nourishment for our souls to set us free from the bondage of sin. Now, we are no longer captives, but free - brought into sonship, heirs to the Kingdom. Lord, thank You. Thank You for the love that came down for the most beautiful purpose, to shine among us and then, to die for us. What a precious love. May we rest in it today and allow it to move in us and through us. Thank You, Father. Thank You. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
This is a celebration, the gift of salvation through the One and Only Christ. Don't let the enemy get you entangled with burdens, busyness, worry, fear or hurt...but may we rest in the love that saved us. Rest in the love that set us free. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
A plan was set in motion, a plan to set us free. This is the season we celebrate. 'Lord, help us not forget the beauty of Your love. While we were slaves to sin...You had a plan for redemption. This plan did not begin with a grand entrance, but a humble beginning. Laying in a manger, which was made as an animal's feeding trough, Christ signified something truly beautiful. You sent Him to serve, not to be served. You sent Christ as nourishment for our souls to set us free from the bondage of sin. Now, we are no longer captives, but free - brought into sonship, heirs to the Kingdom. Lord, thank You. Thank You for the love that came down for the most beautiful purpose, to shine among us and then, to die for us. What a precious love. May we rest in it today and allow it to move in us and through us. Thank You, Father. Thank You. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
This is a celebration, the gift of salvation through the One and Only Christ. Don't let the enemy get you entangled with burdens, busyness, worry, fear or hurt...but may we rest in the love that saved us. Rest in the love that set us free. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
December 22, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Luke 2:10 "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ The Lord.'"
Something so amazing, so incredible, so life altering...the news of Christ. 'Lord, let us not be afraid, timid or feel we are unworthy...may we just come and sit at the throne of Christ. Lord, let all that distracts just fade away. Let all that entangles, be loosed. We come, Lord. We draw near with open hearts. May we see the beauty of the precious gift of Your Son. Father, the love that You've shown us is beyond anything we could ever imagine. We have yet to experience the full depth of Your love; but that is the beauty, there is no end. May we choose today to rest in it. May we choose today to give You thanks. Our praise should not be contingent on our present situations but based on the fact that there is a precious gift of life we have been given. Lord, thank You for giving so much when You sent Your Son for us. We give You our praise. This is Your day. Have our hearts, Lord. Have us. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
May we stop worrying about what has to be done and how it will get done and fix our eyes on the One who gave His Son so that we can experience Him this moment from now until eternity. His love is here. His invitation has been sent out. May we come to Him, take our seat and enjoy the feast of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness... and may we find healing, strength and life. May we have a beautiful day in the arms of the One who gave up His Son for us. I love you all.
Something so amazing, so incredible, so life altering...the news of Christ. 'Lord, let us not be afraid, timid or feel we are unworthy...may we just come and sit at the throne of Christ. Lord, let all that distracts just fade away. Let all that entangles, be loosed. We come, Lord. We draw near with open hearts. May we see the beauty of the precious gift of Your Son. Father, the love that You've shown us is beyond anything we could ever imagine. We have yet to experience the full depth of Your love; but that is the beauty, there is no end. May we choose today to rest in it. May we choose today to give You thanks. Our praise should not be contingent on our present situations but based on the fact that there is a precious gift of life we have been given. Lord, thank You for giving so much when You sent Your Son for us. We give You our praise. This is Your day. Have our hearts, Lord. Have us. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
May we stop worrying about what has to be done and how it will get done and fix our eyes on the One who gave His Son so that we can experience Him this moment from now until eternity. His love is here. His invitation has been sent out. May we come to Him, take our seat and enjoy the feast of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness... and may we find healing, strength and life. May we have a beautiful day in the arms of the One who gave up His Son for us. I love you all.
December 21, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Isaiah 26:3-4 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in The Lord forever, for The Lord, The Lord, is the Rock eternal."
'Lord, help guide our focus back to You more fully. As the season of Christmas comes around the corner, so do stresses, worries, fears, hurts, busyness...lists of things that can overwhelm begin to invade. But Lord, may we not miss the reason for this season. May we not miss that this season is not to celebrate how Your love came down to rescue us in the form of a child on just one day, but to be mindful of it everyday. Your Son did not just come down to wash us from our sins so that we may be with You for eternity, He came to open our eyes to see the great lover of our souls that You really are. Lord, You love us. You really love us. You are the Great Shepherd watching over His flock, the Great Physician healing broken hearts and breaking down strongholds, our Faithful Provider pouring blessings on Your children. Lord, help us to cling to You more and drink from Your cup of hope, peace, joy, healing, strength, wisdom...Your cup of life. Lord, You are the light that we should always turn to, the blanket we should always cover ourselves with when cold, the Well that we should continually come to and find our nourishment. Lord, thank You for peace amongst the storms. Thank You for warmth amidst the cold. Thank You for healing through the hurt and brokenness. We love You. We trust You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
He is the Rock that will not be moved. He is the One whose love will never fail. He is the Well with everything we need. May we take some time today and acknowledge His presence, welcome Him inside our hearts this very moment and have a much needed heart to heart with the One who created each and every heart. May we be reminded who He is, and who we are in Him. He is God, and we are His beloved sons and daughters. Have a great day with our Father, Friend, Healer, Deliverer and Savior. I love you all.
'Lord, help guide our focus back to You more fully. As the season of Christmas comes around the corner, so do stresses, worries, fears, hurts, busyness...lists of things that can overwhelm begin to invade. But Lord, may we not miss the reason for this season. May we not miss that this season is not to celebrate how Your love came down to rescue us in the form of a child on just one day, but to be mindful of it everyday. Your Son did not just come down to wash us from our sins so that we may be with You for eternity, He came to open our eyes to see the great lover of our souls that You really are. Lord, You love us. You really love us. You are the Great Shepherd watching over His flock, the Great Physician healing broken hearts and breaking down strongholds, our Faithful Provider pouring blessings on Your children. Lord, help us to cling to You more and drink from Your cup of hope, peace, joy, healing, strength, wisdom...Your cup of life. Lord, You are the light that we should always turn to, the blanket we should always cover ourselves with when cold, the Well that we should continually come to and find our nourishment. Lord, thank You for peace amongst the storms. Thank You for warmth amidst the cold. Thank You for healing through the hurt and brokenness. We love You. We trust You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
He is the Rock that will not be moved. He is the One whose love will never fail. He is the Well with everything we need. May we take some time today and acknowledge His presence, welcome Him inside our hearts this very moment and have a much needed heart to heart with the One who created each and every heart. May we be reminded who He is, and who we are in Him. He is God, and we are His beloved sons and daughters. Have a great day with our Father, Friend, Healer, Deliverer and Savior. I love you all.
December 20, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Numbers 6:24-26 '"The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.'"
'Lord, may our hearts burn for others. Soften our hearts so that when we see those You put in our path, we see them with loving eyes. Lord, we ask that You pour out blessings on them and protect them. Lord, shine on them so that they see who You are and hold them in Your arms. Smile upon them as they walk in Your ways and give them peace. Lord, we ask for You to do these things in us, but please prepare and expand our hearts so that we can earnestly pray this for those in our lives: co-workers, friends, family, strangers... May Your Spirit envelop us today and may we choose to grasp on tighter to You, allowing Your beautiful love to draw our hearts closer to You. Lord, thank You for this beautiful opportunity to pray for others. While we keep You on our hearts, may Your love continue to pour out. Thank You, Lord. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
May we want for others the same that we want for ourselves. As we pray for strength, peace, comfort, wisdom, guidance, healing and for His light to shine in us and through us, may we pray the same for others. What a beautiful day we have to make it about more than just us, but about all of us getting to know our Father better, trusting Him deeper and loving Him more earnestly. Have a great day loving Him and loving others. I love you all.
'Lord, may our hearts burn for others. Soften our hearts so that when we see those You put in our path, we see them with loving eyes. Lord, we ask that You pour out blessings on them and protect them. Lord, shine on them so that they see who You are and hold them in Your arms. Smile upon them as they walk in Your ways and give them peace. Lord, we ask for You to do these things in us, but please prepare and expand our hearts so that we can earnestly pray this for those in our lives: co-workers, friends, family, strangers... May Your Spirit envelop us today and may we choose to grasp on tighter to You, allowing Your beautiful love to draw our hearts closer to You. Lord, thank You for this beautiful opportunity to pray for others. While we keep You on our hearts, may Your love continue to pour out. Thank You, Lord. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
May we want for others the same that we want for ourselves. As we pray for strength, peace, comfort, wisdom, guidance, healing and for His light to shine in us and through us, may we pray the same for others. What a beautiful day we have to make it about more than just us, but about all of us getting to know our Father better, trusting Him deeper and loving Him more earnestly. Have a great day loving Him and loving others. I love you all.
December 19, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Jeremiah 31:3 "The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with am everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness.'"
When we think of Him as always being with us, it's important how we picture Him. 'Lord, it's different if we see You as a strict Father looming down waiting to point out our failures, looking for an opportunity to punish Your children. Unfortunately, sometimes people get the wrong impression of You from those who were suppose to model Your love to us, but failed. Lord, You have so much love for us. If we picture the most loving father, spending time with and enjoying his children's company, leading them in the most precious way we can think of...that doesn't even come close to how loving You are. The problem, is that we tend to listen to the enemy's lies over Your truth. The truth is that You just want to draw us closer to Your arms, closer to Your heart. You want to guide us away from harm, not keep us from joy. You want to pour love over us with a well that never runs dry. Lord, help us to see You clearer today and may our realization of Your warmth continue it's work in us. May Your love linger inside and then blossom so that what we pour out to others is an example of the love You give us. Lord, this is an incredible day in front of us. May we choose to spend it in Your arms as You guide us and show us beautiful wonders and continue to set us free. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
He is always here and we were made to enjoy His presence. May we spend some more time with Him, and as we do, we start to trust Him more and more each day as we realize how Loving a Father, how Honorable a King, how Beautiful a Savior, how Faithful a Companion He truly is. Have a great day in His arms. I love you all.
When we think of Him as always being with us, it's important how we picture Him. 'Lord, it's different if we see You as a strict Father looming down waiting to point out our failures, looking for an opportunity to punish Your children. Unfortunately, sometimes people get the wrong impression of You from those who were suppose to model Your love to us, but failed. Lord, You have so much love for us. If we picture the most loving father, spending time with and enjoying his children's company, leading them in the most precious way we can think of...that doesn't even come close to how loving You are. The problem, is that we tend to listen to the enemy's lies over Your truth. The truth is that You just want to draw us closer to Your arms, closer to Your heart. You want to guide us away from harm, not keep us from joy. You want to pour love over us with a well that never runs dry. Lord, help us to see You clearer today and may our realization of Your warmth continue it's work in us. May Your love linger inside and then blossom so that what we pour out to others is an example of the love You give us. Lord, this is an incredible day in front of us. May we choose to spend it in Your arms as You guide us and show us beautiful wonders and continue to set us free. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
He is always here and we were made to enjoy His presence. May we spend some more time with Him, and as we do, we start to trust Him more and more each day as we realize how Loving a Father, how Honorable a King, how Beautiful a Savior, how Faithful a Companion He truly is. Have a great day in His arms. I love you all.
December 18, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Proverbs 15:15 "All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast."
'Lord, if my joy was based on my surroundings, my days will be a roller coaster. So many days, I allow the waves to steal my joy, but then You remind us that there is more to what You have for us than what we can see with our eyes. The key is filling our minds with more of You. Now Lord, some storms hurt, and I won't pretend to say that joy is easy to be found when: we've lost a job and can't understand how our bills will be paid, struggling in a relationship that seems impossible to heal, struggling with thinking we're not meant for a relationship because our eyes are too fixed on what we've done in the past that we keep our eyes from seeing the beauty in front of us, when we've lost someone dear to us or are in a struggle of our lives...but I know that when we trust in You with all our hearts and lean not on our understanding... Your peace covers us. It's not about what we're going through, it's about who is going through every moment with us. It's also about recognizing that this is not our home, it is merely our opportunity to get to know You better, have You change us with the most incredible love imaginable...and spread the message so that others can go home with us to. Lord, this is Your day. Open our eyes to see through Your lens of love. Open our hearts to breath in breaths of victory as we trust in the One who gave us the ultimate victory. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
It's ok. He is with you. No matter what waves we face, He faces them with us. No matter what we think we need, He has what we really do need in His hands, right by your side. May we turn our eyes from the fears, insecurities, struggles...from the waves and may we gaze into the eyes of the One who gave His life so that we can be with Him for eternity. This is a beautiful day. May we celebrate it with Him. I love you all.
'Lord, if my joy was based on my surroundings, my days will be a roller coaster. So many days, I allow the waves to steal my joy, but then You remind us that there is more to what You have for us than what we can see with our eyes. The key is filling our minds with more of You. Now Lord, some storms hurt, and I won't pretend to say that joy is easy to be found when: we've lost a job and can't understand how our bills will be paid, struggling in a relationship that seems impossible to heal, struggling with thinking we're not meant for a relationship because our eyes are too fixed on what we've done in the past that we keep our eyes from seeing the beauty in front of us, when we've lost someone dear to us or are in a struggle of our lives...but I know that when we trust in You with all our hearts and lean not on our understanding... Your peace covers us. It's not about what we're going through, it's about who is going through every moment with us. It's also about recognizing that this is not our home, it is merely our opportunity to get to know You better, have You change us with the most incredible love imaginable...and spread the message so that others can go home with us to. Lord, this is Your day. Open our eyes to see through Your lens of love. Open our hearts to breath in breaths of victory as we trust in the One who gave us the ultimate victory. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
It's ok. He is with you. No matter what waves we face, He faces them with us. No matter what we think we need, He has what we really do need in His hands, right by your side. May we turn our eyes from the fears, insecurities, struggles...from the waves and may we gaze into the eyes of the One who gave His life so that we can be with Him for eternity. This is a beautiful day. May we celebrate it with Him. I love you all.
December 17, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Deuteronomy 4:39 "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that The Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other."
There are many counterfeits, only One true God. There are many distractions promising peace, hope, joy, security...but only lead to emptiness, anxiety, shame, resentment and fear. 'Lord, the veil has been torn, the price had been paid, but for some reason, we still see through a lens of deceit. Help us to understand the enemy's tactic, to get us to: forget You are here, forget You are able to carry us through whatever we face, forget You want to carry us through whatever we face...to forget how much You really do love us, to forget that we are Yours. Lord, break down the walls that have been keeping us from seeing You clearly. Silence the lies that go against what You say about who You are, and what You say about who we are in You. Lord, You are God and there is no other. Just like the sun, You are what shines down on us and causes things to grow. Unlike the sun though, the closer we get to You, the more alive we become. We don't get burned, but we do catch fire. A beautiful flame, shining for You. And Lord, You are not a god to be kept at a distance. You are The God who is actually with us. Help us remember that today and may we cling to the warmth Your love pours out. Thank You for this day, Lord. We love You. Thank You for loving us. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
Incredible things happen when we keep our eyes on Him. Situations don't automatically disappear, but we learn to deal with them differently. May we lean on Him today and allow His love to revitalize us. May we respond to whatever we face knowing that He is not only with us, but He is also for us, with everything we need in the palms of His hands. May we take His hand and allow His love to guide us. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
There are many counterfeits, only One true God. There are many distractions promising peace, hope, joy, security...but only lead to emptiness, anxiety, shame, resentment and fear. 'Lord, the veil has been torn, the price had been paid, but for some reason, we still see through a lens of deceit. Help us to understand the enemy's tactic, to get us to: forget You are here, forget You are able to carry us through whatever we face, forget You want to carry us through whatever we face...to forget how much You really do love us, to forget that we are Yours. Lord, break down the walls that have been keeping us from seeing You clearly. Silence the lies that go against what You say about who You are, and what You say about who we are in You. Lord, You are God and there is no other. Just like the sun, You are what shines down on us and causes things to grow. Unlike the sun though, the closer we get to You, the more alive we become. We don't get burned, but we do catch fire. A beautiful flame, shining for You. And Lord, You are not a god to be kept at a distance. You are The God who is actually with us. Help us remember that today and may we cling to the warmth Your love pours out. Thank You for this day, Lord. We love You. Thank You for loving us. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
Incredible things happen when we keep our eyes on Him. Situations don't automatically disappear, but we learn to deal with them differently. May we lean on Him today and allow His love to revitalize us. May we respond to whatever we face knowing that He is not only with us, but He is also for us, with everything we need in the palms of His hands. May we take His hand and allow His love to guide us. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
December 16, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 119:36-37 "Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to dishonest gain. Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in Your ways."
We need to be careful what we're leaning our hearts on, clinging to. 'Lord, may our hearts lean into You today. I admit, all too often, I lean into things that I shouldn't. It's not about what the world thinks of us, not what we wear, drive, or how eloquent our speech is. It's not about how much power or control we have...nor how much we may lack. It's about realizing that You are IT. You are the answer for every question I have. You are the solution when fears come to battle. Lord, turn our hearts so that we ache for more of You. We're not asking You to control us, we're asking that You save us from ourselves. Turn our hearts away from whatever we're clinging to instead of You. As You do this, remind us of Your grace. You lovingly bring us closer to Your chest and simply whisper...'It's ok. You are Mine. Do not fear. I am with you...and I love You soo much. Please accept it today and allow Me to guide you through this valley. I have beautiful things to show you. Let me open Your eyes to see them. I love you, My child. I love you. I love you.'...Lord, sometimes there are no words that we can say that express the thankfulness we have for You, for how You love us. Thank You for this precious love. May we rest in it and walk with You through whatever we face. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
Sometimes, we just need to sit, to take a few moments to recognize He actually is with us. Today is a day that He wants to show us all more than before. May we cling to Him, allow His love to revive us and enjoy His presence. Then, may we share the love we receive from Him, with others. Have a great day! I love you all.
We need to be careful what we're leaning our hearts on, clinging to. 'Lord, may our hearts lean into You today. I admit, all too often, I lean into things that I shouldn't. It's not about what the world thinks of us, not what we wear, drive, or how eloquent our speech is. It's not about how much power or control we have...nor how much we may lack. It's about realizing that You are IT. You are the answer for every question I have. You are the solution when fears come to battle. Lord, turn our hearts so that we ache for more of You. We're not asking You to control us, we're asking that You save us from ourselves. Turn our hearts away from whatever we're clinging to instead of You. As You do this, remind us of Your grace. You lovingly bring us closer to Your chest and simply whisper...'It's ok. You are Mine. Do not fear. I am with you...and I love You soo much. Please accept it today and allow Me to guide you through this valley. I have beautiful things to show you. Let me open Your eyes to see them. I love you, My child. I love you. I love you.'...Lord, sometimes there are no words that we can say that express the thankfulness we have for You, for how You love us. Thank You for this precious love. May we rest in it and walk with You through whatever we face. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
Sometimes, we just need to sit, to take a few moments to recognize He actually is with us. Today is a day that He wants to show us all more than before. May we cling to Him, allow His love to revive us and enjoy His presence. Then, may we share the love we receive from Him, with others. Have a great day! I love you all.
December 15, 2013
Good morning brothers. Psalm 96:1-2 "Sing to The Lord a new song; sing to The Lord, all the earth. Sing to The Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day."
Sometimes we can say, 'What do I have to be thankful for? I'm hurting!' or 'Why should I sing? I'm overwhelmed with everything I'm having to face right now...' 'Lord, remind us. Remind us that the very breath we breathe is a precious gift. Remind us that we were once bound in chains...but that through Your Son, we have been set free. You love us so much, You made the incredible sacrifice so that we can be with You in paradise. Right now, help us to linger in the fact that we are Yours. We are Your precious children, being molded by Your Spirit - the a same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. We may still be facing mountains, struggles and/or fears, but we can rest in the fact that the very One, You, who created it all, knows what we're going through and has everything we need to not only get through those things, but that You also have joy, peace, comfort, strength, wisdom, guidance...You have life to pour into us. Pour into us, Lord and may our hearts truly sing. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
There's so much to experience this very moment if we just fix our gaze onto Him. The price has been paid once and for all and His arms are open to cover us with the most incredible love that has no limit, no end. His love never fails. May we rest in it today and may we sing a new song of hope and joy as we choose this day to be mindful of what He's done, and ask Him to continue opening our eyes to see Him clearer and draw closer to His arms. Have a beautiful day! I love you all.
December 14, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of The Lord's great love we are not consumed, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
Not because of anything we've done, but because of His great love. May we rest in this love and experience a renewal like never before. 'Lord, through You, there is life. Through You, there are new beginnings. Through the love You give, we are not only washed clean but we are revived, renewed, strengthened. We are reminded whose we are...and we are Yours. We are reminded that Your great love has no end, no limit, no expiration date. Your grace, is here for us this very moment. This morning, this day, may we choose to rest in Your arms as we allow You to remind us that You are not only God, the Giver of life and the Creator of all...but that You are also our Loving Father, Gracious King and Perfect Healer. Don't let us go another moment without holding on to that truth. Lord, thank You for this day. Help us to rest in You more and allow Your peace, joy, strength and love to just fall on us. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
Nothing compares to the joy we find in Him. Nothing compares to the warmth we experience when we realize that He not only loves us unconditionally, but He loves us more than we can possibly imagine. This is a beautiful day for us to linger in that and allow His warmth to envelop us. May we all have a beautiful day as we rest in the One who gave us life, sacrificed so much so that we can have new life, sent His Spirit to be our Companion, Strength and Guide and also the One who not only has beautiful plans for our eternity...but also for this day. Have a blessed day in His arms. I love you all.
December 13, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 143:10 "Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground."
'Lord, give us teachable spirits today. Help us to not think that we have all the answers. Help us to realize we need You. Help us to remember that we have You. Lord, guide us. Prepare us. Mold us, move in us - not for what we want but for Your will to be done in us. Help us to allow You to continue refining us. Open our eyes to the things we need to offer up to You that may be getting in the way. Lord, Your Son came down to unshackle us from the chains that so easily entangle. Help us to stop choosing to carry chains Jesus died for. We are free. May we let the fear of what will happen next, melt away. May we let the doubt that we are usable, crumble to the ground and be revealed as nothing but a vicious lie. Lord, have us today and guide us in Your path. Silence the thoughts that try and derail us from Your path and may we cling to Your good Spirit who goes with us as we journey. Thank You for Your presence. Thank You for Your peace. We ask that You pour out Your Spirit over us and awaken our minds and hearts as You stir us in Your love. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
We need to understand He's not trying to keep us from anything good. He's just trying to give us more...more peace, hope, joy, strength, healing, patience, wisdom and direction. He's just trying to bring us to a place where we're more alive and on fire than we were yesterday. Not because we received all that we wanted this morning, but because we better understand that His love never fails. His love, never fails. May we rest in it and allow His Spirit to bring us hope, joy, peace, patience and clarity as we move forward, clutching His strong, loving and compassionate hand. Have a beautiful day. I love you all
December 12, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Luke 10:41 "Martha, Martha,' The Lord answered, 'you are worried about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'"
Martha was busy serving Jesus, but actually neglecting Him by getting too busy with unnecessary preparations than actually spending time with Him. 'Father, I have to ask for forgiveness. I admit there are times, even in serving You, that I make it about me having to do certain things, when it should be about resting in Your presence and just letting Your light shine. Speaking of serving You, remind us that this is our calling. Not just at church events, but at the office, while we're planning Christmas parties, while we're driving in our cars... What is our focus? At work, may we not get soo caught up with the tasks at hand that we lose the love we should be doing it in and realizing that in essence, our work is for You. Lord, even in our Christmas celebrating, may we not get soo tied up with parties and planning that we lose sight of the reason for the true celebration. Lord, guard our hearts. The enemy tries his best to make us ineffective and he does a good job when it comes to overwhelming us with things to do. But may we not lose heart, because we need to remember the most important part of our journey, we are NOT alone. When we get overwhelmed, may we ask for Your peace to cover us. We ask for Your peace to cover us before we even get to that point. We ask that You search our hearts and see if there is anything that we're choosing to operate under instead of operating in Your love. Lord, it's not about where we go and what jobs we may have before us, it's about remembering that we are not only Your children and heirs...but we are Your representatives. We may sometimes feel that we are unworthy of spreading the message of hope when we, ourselves, may be struggling in certain areas of our lives, but that is just the enemy trying to get us to say that today, we choose not to be a light. But Lord, O Gracious King, Heavenly Father, Perfect Healer, Beautiful Savior...remind us it's not about us. Remind us that You use the weak things of the world to shame the strong. Use us in our weakness and remind us of the strength we have available through You. This is Your day, so may we choose to shine. Rekindle the flames and set our focus back to You. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
The day has come. The hour is at hand. We have a choice to make. Today, we can choose to make it more about Him than we have before. It's not about us pushing through, getting our second wind, hoping that we can barrel through what we have before us, it's about letting go of the reigns and asking Him to guide us in love. It's about asking for His strength to be made perfect in us...about asking that, though we may not feel adequate at times...He knows what we can do, and more importantly He knows what He can and will do through us. This is a beautiful day we have here. May we spend it in the love that set us free. I love you all.
December 11, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Luke 17:20-21 "Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."
Yes, the day will come when Jesus returns and all knees will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord, when we will be brought up to be with Him...but we do not have to wait until then to experience His presence. 'Father, it is the enemy's job to get us caught up with any and everything that will keep us from holding on to You today. He knows that we, who believe in You have our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life...and he can't have us for eternity...so he is going to try his hardest to get us distracted while we are here on earth. Lord, break down the walls that go against what You have planned for us. Kingdom living is here! We don't have to wait to walk in Your presence, or take hold of the hope and joy that You give us this very moment. It is here! It's just that we are too often coerced to believe otherwise. 'How can we have joy?' 'How can we have peace with all that is going on in the world?' You respond with, 'Do you love Me?' Of course,' I say. 'Then feed My sheep.' 'Do you love Me?' 'Of course, Lord.' 'Take care of My sheep.' Son, daughter, 'Do You love Me?' 'Father, of course I love You.' 'Then feed My sheep.' Lord, thank You for opening our eyes and bringing our focus back to You. Continue to open them wider and wider so that we begin to see what You have for us to see. You are with us and life is to be had this very instant. May we lay aside all that entangles us and run towards You. As we taste and see that You are good, may this open our eyes even further. May we become alive in new and more beautiful ways as we take hold of the hope we have in You. Dwell in us, Lord. Dwell in us. May we anxiously await Your return to bring us home, but may we not let these moments we have pass without realizing all You have for us now, not just for us, but for others. Lord, thank You for Your provision. Thank You for Your grace. Thank You for Your Spirit that goes with us to help guide us on this journey. Rekindle the flames inside of us, Lord and may we be the light for Your Kingdom today. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
Will we still face mountains and squalls? Yes. But we will begin to realize that He is with us on deeper and more intimate levels. May we take another step closer to His love today and experience the life He has to offer us now. This is His day. We are His masterpieces created for a beautiful purpose. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved/loves us. May we take hold of the joy that the enemy says we can't have, and say, 'In Jesus' name, get behind me satan! I have a life to live today!' And may we allow our Father's love, strength, peace, grace, healing, forgiveness and joy to pour into us and overflow into the lives we encounter. The kingdom of God is at hand. May His Spirit dwell in us and bring us a new vigor as we journey today. May we have a blessed day in His arms. I love you all.
December 10, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of The Lord God is upon me, because The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners."
It's not about just surviving. It's about learning that He is with us to pour out His love, joy, hope, healing, wisdom and strength no matter what is going on around us. 'Lord, once we better understand that it's about You, the scenery changes. The storms and temptations don't disappear, but an incredible presence is felt and we begin to know that You are with us. That changes everything. The more we understand this, the better fruit trees we will be for the Your Harvest, reminding those who are brokenhearted that there is rest found in You. For the lost and the lonely, that the door is open for them to come home and spend time with the One who will never leave them or forsake them. For those bound by sin, that there is freedom through Christ and that no sin struggle or habit is too big for You, and that no worldly thing we cling to can ever compare to the love, joy, hope, peace, acceptance, renewal and life that we receive from You. Lord, silence any lies that we are hearing that go against what Your Word says. We are Yours. We are new creations. We are set apart and have been created for a purpose. Today, that purpose it to receive the healing, strength, wisdom and direction we need and then pour it out to those You place in our path. Thank You, Father. We trust You with this day. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
Maybe it's your time today to hear this message. Maybe it's your time to share it. May we recognize that we are His, sons and daughters of The King...and The King does not leave us empty handed as we go out into the world. He is with us now, to remind us that our chains have been broken...and that there is a Harvest that needs to hear that He exists, loves them and came to set them free. May we remember, it's not about us. It's about receiving what He has for us today and pouring it out to others. What a beautiful day this is. May it be blessed and spent in His love as we lean into His arms. I love you all.
December 9, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Peter 1:13 "Therefore, prepare your minds for action: be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given to you when Jesus Christ is revealed."
'Lord, when we train for competitions, we keep the end goal in mind. When we prepare for a meeting or a test, we spend time going over the material to make sure we have what we need to present the right information. In all of life, we prepare. Help us to prepare for our life with You. Help us to keep a hold of Your hand as You remind us You are with us. Help us to wrap ourselves in Your love as we encounter the winds of coldness the world will try and distract us with. It's not about what comes against us, it's about who goes with us. Remind us of the hope we have in You. Remind us that beautiful joy is here in Your presence, that comfort resides in Your touch. Strength is poured over us as we sit with You and allow Your strength to be made perfect in our weakness. Lord, this is Your beautiful day. Help us to see the beauty in it as we ask that You open our eyes to notice it and that You expand our hearts to love those You put in our path. May we stand firm on the Only foundation that matters, You, and make the choice today to stand for Your Kingdom. Lord, it's all about You. It's all about Your love. Thank You for how You love us and how You remind us that You will never our side. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
We are not training for a performance, competition, meeting, interview or test. We are in preparation to make a difference for the Kingdom. May we look to Him for our direction as He guards our hearts from distraction, strengthens our feet to stand firm, softens our hearts to love as He loves us and fills us with confidence as we understand that He created us for a beautiful purpose today, to shine for Him. What a beautiful opportunity we have in front of us. May we have a great day in His love. I love you all.
December 8, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 John 5:13-15 "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him."
Because of Him, we have breath. Because of His Son, we have life, life with Him. 'Father, realign our hearts so that what we desire is for Your will to be done in us. Yes, we have ideas and plans of our own, but we need to get to the point of trusting that whatever You have is greater and more beautiful. Lord, You are the Master-Craftsman. You are the One who called life into being with just the sound of Your voice. You have a beautiful plan for me. Hear us as we call upon You. Comfort us as we rest in Your arms, trusting that Your will for us is beautiful. May we not let distractions get us to forget that Your plans are in motion. Just because we may be hurting financially, it doesn't mean that You do not provide for us today. Just because we may ache for a family or for a new chapter to be written, it doesn't mean that You aren't writing the prelude right now. You may have things for us to learn before You cause certain things to happen. May we not be so impatient, but spend our time getting to know You better. It's all about You, so whenever our lives become more about You, our eyes begin to see the beauty right in front of us and we learn to lean into You for all that we need because we realize You are the Well we are searching for. Thank You for Your provision. Thank You for the life You give. Thank You for awakening us from our slumber so that we can experience all You have for us today. Continue to work in us. Continue to open our eyes and hearts. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
The day has come. May our eyes be opened to see Him clearer. May the fog be lifted and may we see His loving arms in front of us, ready to pour out exactly what we need. May our hearts sing and may we be brought to life in new and exciting ways today as we better understand that, yes, He has something incredible for us ahead, but He also has something incredible for us this very moment...His presence. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
December 7, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Luke 18:13-14 "'But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 'I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.'"
'Father, work in our hearts. I don't want to be a Pharisee. I don't want to think I deserve Your grace, peace and forgiveness. I want to cling to the fact that I am a sinner, but a sinner saved by grace. But that's the beautiful thing, all that You offer are undeserved blessings. Lord, I need You and I don't ever want to take that for granted. On my own, I cannot handle this world, it's desires and temptations. But we have You. Our Defender, Rock, Redeemer, Healer, Dryer of tears and Comforter of hearts. No matter where we are, what we do, what we have...may we never lose sight of our need for You. May this reminder humble us, but may it also bring us joy, hope, peace, comfort and strength as we cling to the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He didn't have to. He chose it. And that is the most precious love we will ever know. May we cling to this love and allow it to bring us closer to You. Continue to open our eyes to see how blessed we are to have such a loving Father, Friend, Healer, Provider, Protector and Savior. This is Your day and we are so thankful for it. May we take some time to be reminded of the love You've shown and continue to pour out. May it excite us and encourage us to spread the message and let Your light shine. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
Perspective is everything. May our focus be on how much we absolutely need Him. Once we understand that, then we can grasp how awesome it is that we have Him. He is with us with everything we need. Not because we deserve it, but because His love is so incredible, His warmth is so complete that He does not want any to go without it. May we come and experience it and take the message out so that others may come to know Him and His great love as well. The Harvest is at hand. May we be the light that reminds the world that He not only exists, but that His love heals, strengthens, comforts, forgives and brings the dead to life. What a great day to be reminded of that. Have a blessed day. I love you all.
December 6, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Ephesians 1:18-21 "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."
'Lord, may this be our prayer. May we be drawn closer to You. When we do, we get to know You better and You continue to open the eyes of our hearts so that we grasp a better understanding of how awesome, mighty and powerful You are. Also, how deep your love is, how complete is the joy You provide, how encompassing is the comfort You rain over us. Lord, there is so much joy, peace, strength, wisdom, healing and hope to be had if we would only hold on to You more completely. Sometimes, like the disciples, I see a squall coming and get afraid. I forget that You are here in the boat with me. Forgive us for allowing our situations, circumstances to cause us to forget that You are with us and all that is available to us not just because You are with us, but also because we are Yours and You watch over Your flock. Lord, thank You for Your incredible presence in our lives. Continue to open our hearts so that we recognize You when You call us saying, 'Why are you afraid? I am with you. Trust in Me, and I will open Your eyes and hearts to a life you cannot imagine.' Lord, we are here. Open our hearts and have them. Have this day and remind us we are Yours. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
It's not about fooling ourselves, being naive to what we may be facing. It's about realizing that the God of all creation is here with us - with wisdom, hope, joy, peace, healing, comfort and strength for us this very moment. We just have to remember He is in the boat with us. We just have to remember He has what we need to travel through these waters. With Him, there is hope. With Him, there is life. Have a great day being mindful who is with you and who loves you more than you can possibly imagine. God bless you. I love you all.Ref: Mark 4:36-41
December 5, 2013
May this change the way we think, and understand who the real enemy is.
It's not about us, it's about the Harvest.
Good morning brothers and sisters. Luke 6:27-28 "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
'Father, it's not about us, it's about You. It's about realizing that Jesus died for all, not just the ones who we get along with. It's about understanding who the true enemy is. It's not those who persecute us, it's the one who keeps them blinded from seeing the love, grace, peace, forgiveness, comfort...life available through Christ. It's not our job to condemn or judge, it's our job to love and allow the light You give us to plant seeds in the lives of others. It's about the Harvest. Lord, sometimes I think, 'I'm suppose to turn the other cheek?!?' But then I remember, You turned the other cheek for me and now the love that You've shown me has changed my life. You saved me and brought me back to life. What if we allow the very love that saved us, to continue its work in us in such a manner that we pour out something that defeats darkness, softens hearts, breaks down strongholds, sets captives free, brings dead to life...Your love. Father, rest in our hearts as we keep You and the message of the Cross close to us today. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
The enemy likes to get us to be selfish with God's love. 'They don't deserve it', 'They won't listen anyways', the enemy says. But we must take these and any other thoughts captive that go against what He calls us to do and realize that we are ambassadors for Christ. If His love changed us and continues to mold us into kings and queens, heirs to the Kingdom...what makes us think that it can't do the same for those we see as our enemies? His love is greater. His love is complete. And by His love, we claim the victory. May we live in this precious love and have a beautiful day, shining for the One who saved us. May we enjoy each moment because we have the opportunity to share this beautiful love with others. Have a blessed day. I love you all.
December 4, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Proverbs 3:3 "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."
We all carry something with us during the day. For some it is selfishness, for some it is pride. Some carry fear and seek the approval of man over God. Sometimes, I carry a combination of those...which keeps me from experiencing the wonders of His goodness. 'Lord, when we travel today, search our hearts and reveal to us what we are carrying around our neck. If it is something that goes against what You've called us to, we ask that You help us to lift it off our heads and offer them to You. As we lay them down, may a weight be lifted. As we raise our heads, may we notice Your hand in front of us...and take it. As we take it, may Your love overwhelm us. May Your Spirit of peace remind us of the beauty of walking with You. You do not ask of us because You're trying to keep us from a happy life, You're trying to show us the way to the abundant life, where we see with Your eyes and love with Your heart. A life where we choose to trust in You, whether we can see the next step in front of us or not. A life where we walk, not in pride, but in confidence because we know who we are in You and the amazing job we have to do, share the love we receive from You, to the world. If we feel weak and unable to do this, may we simply come and ask for strength. Lord, sometimes we need to be reminded of Your truths, not because we don't believe, but because the enemy is trying to distract us through lies, fog and confusion. Silence them and cover us with Your promises. May we be mindful that the One who created us, You, are with us. You are with us...May we take some time today and rest in that - rest in Your love. Thank You, Father for always being here to bring us back to focus. Thank You for holding us tightly in Your grasp whether we're clinging as tightly as we should to You or not. May we continue to come closer and find that there is no better place to be, than in Your arms. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
The most beautiful, precious, comforting, healing, life-changing love is available to us. May we cling to Him today and allow His love and faithfulness to be written in our hearts and poured out into our lives so that we spread the message of hope to those who need it. What a beautiful day we have to accept His love, peace, strength, healing and joy...and share it. Have a great day. I love you all.
December 3, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Luke 12:34 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Sometimes we worry so much about what we have, because what we have has become our treasure. 'Father, it's understandable to want to have nice things, things of quality...but Lord, what if we saw with Your eyes the things with eternal value? Turn our hearts from worrying about this or that new trinket and help us to focus on the love that we could be pouring out to our family, our friends, those we work with, the ones we pass on the street... Lord, incredible things would happen if, instead of spending the energy we have with worrying, we spent it on running wholeheartedly after You. Before the enemy tries to condemn us right now, help us to remember Your grace. We have this choice, this moment. This moment we can lay down whatever has been more important than Your Kingdom. We may be afraid because we've held on to fear, worry, anxiety, insecurity...for so long that we're afraid of what would happen if we let go of it. But there's the fear again. Lord, You did not give of a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and a sound mind. May we rest in Your presence today and allow You to refocus what we think is valuable. Is a soul not more important than a trinket? Lord, redirect us to see with Your eyes and love with the renewed heart that You give us. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
It all begins with a step. Right now, may we take a step closer to Him. It may be scary sometimes, letting go of what we've held onto for so long, but when we cling tightly to Him, we realize that resting in His presence, living with Him as our Guide, Comforter, Healer, Protector, Grace-Giver, Redeemer and Strength...nothing else comes close to it. His love is the most beautiful thing we could cling to. May we receive it, linger in it and allow that to be what we pour out today. It's not about doing it alone, it's about enjoying the journey with the greatest Companion we could ever ask for, God. Have a great day. I love you all.
December 2, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
'Lord, I admit that there are times when I doubt that I am who You say I am. I know that there are times when the enemy tries to get me to believe that You are not who You say You are. But those are all empty lies coming from an enemy who has already lost the war. You say that with faith the size of a mustard seed we could move mountains. Lord, we believe, but forgive the parts of us that don't. You are good. You are faithful. You are loving and kind. You are truth. You are light. You are hope and life and through Your Son we have forgiveness and salvation. Lord, You create masterpieces in us. Now You do not create masterpieces to simply sit on a self and collect dust, You create us to live out the lives You've called us to. When we knock, the door will be opened. When we ask, we will receive what we need. Here, Your Spirit is with us to guide us, strengthen us, to remind us that You have what we need to do what You've called us to. Give us ears to hear You call and hearts that lean on You for strength. Lord, work in our hearts so that when we do get attacked by the many lies the enemy will throw at us, that we step back, stand on Your promises and rest in Your presence, which brings hope, joy, peace, comfort and strength. May we journey with You today and experience the joy of walking with our Loving Father, Faithful Friend, Perfect Healer, Beautiful Savior, Mighty God. We love You, Father. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
The enemy doesn't want us to believe that we are more than conquerors, because that way, we won't be a threat. But we are, through the very One who gave His life for us. Today, may we ask for Him to bring us closer to Himself as He teaches us to recognize the lies of the enemy and trust in the One who gives us this very breath to breath. We have a beautiful day in front of us. May we enjoy it walking in our Father's presence and trusting Him to guide us through it. I love you all.
December 1, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Isaiah 49:13 "Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For The Lord has comforted His people and will have compassion on His afflicted."
How can we break into song and joyfulness when we're still facing mountains and waves coming against us? Because we realize who is with us. 'Lord, sometimes we are so on fire for You when everything is going great, but then a wave hits us and we let go of that joy and start carrying defeat, worry, fear, shame...Let this not be the case for us. Lord, You call us, all who are weary and heavy laden, to come to You and You will give us rest. Lord, give us rest from all that we've been carrying and remind us of the beautiful joy that is available right now. It's not because of any situation, but because of our Savior. It's about being set free from the chains of death and realizing that even while we were sinners, Christ died for us. When He rose to be with You, You sent Your Spirit to be our Companion. When we get our focus right, we have every reason to sing, even in struggles. Our bodies may hurt, our worlds may be turning upside down, our future may be unknown...but that's what You use to draw us closer to You. May we come to You and understand that all that we seek is found in You. All that we ache for is in Your hands: Comfort, joy, peace, redemption, regeneration, revival, grace, forgiveness and love. Remind us who You are now, Lord. Remind us who we are in You. As we see You as our loving Father, Shepherd, Healer, Comforter, Redeemer, Rock and Giver of life, hope, joy and peace...may we choose to rest in Your arms and allow Your Spirit to fall over us. May we rest in a Your presence and may our hearts truly sing Hallelujah to You, our King. Thank You for being here. Thank You for loving us as You do. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
He comforts the afflicted. He brings hope where there feels like there is no hope to be found. He springs up water in the wastelands and continues to pour out to those who come to Him for the nourishment we need. He is God. May we come to Him with thankful hearts today. May we come to Him with the desire to draw closer to this beautiful love that we don't deserve, but are blessed to have freely available to all who come and receive it. Have a great day in His arms. I love you all.
November 30, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
We were meant for more than staring at waves and worrying what is going to happen tomorrow. 'Lord, bring our focus back to You. Break down any walls that are coming in between the hope and joy we have in You. No matter where we are, You are with us. No matter what we have, we have You. Help us to understand that You're all that truly matters. Help us to understand all that is available once we trust You, not just with our souls, but with this day and the days that follow. You really do have a beautiful plan for us, we just need to be patience for Your plans to come together and allow Your work to be done in us until the time comes to bring us home. Until then, fill us with hope, not because of anything we have, which will fade away, but because we've chosen to let go and give You our lives and trust that Your plans are better than ours. Lord, this is Your beautiful day. Help us to see the beauty in it and share this hope we have in You with others that need to know of it. Lord, today is the day to let our light shine. May we hide it no longer, but be proud of what You've done and are doing. May our joy overflow as we choose to cling to the everlasting hope that we have in the Unshakable Rock, You. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, Amen.'
May we say an extra prayer for those who need to feel His joy. It could be someone we've just met. It could be someone we've known for years. It could be the one we see in the mirror each day... May we understand who is with us this very moment and choose to trust Him with more than we have been. May we realize that life with Him, is beyond anything we could ever hope for. May we realize, that the joy we seek...is in His hands. May we come to Him, spend some time with our loving Father, and receive all that He is so excited to pour out on us. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 29, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Luke 21:36 "But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
Distraction is one of the key things that can be used to veer us off the road; but we have a choice whether we will recognize the distraction and turn from it, or get caught up in it. 'Lord, there is so much to get caught up in. Worries lead to stressing out and lingering in fear of what will happen if something doesn't go according to our plan. Fear and worry have a tendency of working their way into struggles, addictions, hurts, habits and hangups...distracting us from our true focus. We are running a race to take us heavenward. Now in races, our muscles can begin to ache in fatigue. Winds come out of nowhere that threaten our strength and the pace at which we run at. But there is a key to running our race with You - by remembering why we chose to run the race in the first place. You saved us. You sent Your Son to die on the Cross so that we can spend eternity with You. Before He comes back to take us home, we have an important job to do, to get to know You better and to share of the hope we have found in You, which gives us the strength to persevere. Lord, there will always be distractions to lure us away from You, but I pray that we understand that all that the world thinks is pleasurable doesn't come close to the wonder of being caught up in Your presence. Thank You for Your presence now. May we rest in it as we await Your Son's return. Thank You for this day, Lord. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Christ is coming! We don't know when, but we do know that it will be glorious for those who believe. May our motives for this day, and the rest, not be based on what we can take from this world, but based on shining His light so that others may come to know the great love that has saved us...the love that continues to set us free in new and beautiful ways. Today, may we live in this love and watch as He uses us to change the world. It's not about the fact that we are just one light to shine, it's about the power that keeps our light burning. His Spirit is with us to fan the flame and wake us up from our slumber. May we take advantage of this power and make a difference for The Kingdom today. Have a great day. I love you all.
Happy Day To Be Thankful!!
November 28, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 30:11-12 "You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent, O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever."
So much has been done for us. How do we respond? 'Lord, if we actually knew all the blessings and numbered them all out there wouldn't be enough room left to write anything else. You've taken us from a life of death, and You've brought us to a beautiful life with more of You. For those of us who are still questioning You, You are bringing people into their lives to shine Your light so that they see the truth about the God we serve, and You are full of compassion, never-ending grace and love. Lord, our mouths may not be able to form the right words to say as we are overwhelmed at how much You love us, as we understand that the extent to which we think You love us, doesn't even come close to how much You really do. Our minds can't conceive it, but may our hearts cry tears of joy as we recognize You as Lord - as we give thanks to You, our Father, Provider, Healer, Deliverer, Redeemer, Strength, Shield, Fortress, Comfort, Physician, Encourager, Giver of Life, Peace, Hope, Joy...the Giver of new beginnings. Thank You. We love You so much. This day may we offer You a sacrifice of praise as we take the time to ponder the many ways You've rescued us. Thank You for loving us with the most beautiful of blessings, Your unfailing love. We love You, Father. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.'
His mercies are new every morning. His grace overflows as He aches to spend time with His children. Today is a day to be thankful. May we let go of all that entangles and realize that all that we will ever need is right in front of us with His arms reaching out, longing for us to take His hand and better understand that He has incredible things in store for us...not just for eternity, but for this very moment: Grace, peace, healing, renewal, strength, forgiveness, hope, joy...thankfulness. This is His incredible day. May we spend it locking arms with His love and allowing our hearts to become overwhelmed by the fact that He loves us more than we can possibly imagine. May that change the way we see those we will be with today and see them through a new and beautiful lens...through His eyes. Today, may we be thankful. Have a beautiful day in our Father's love and embrace. As we draw closer to the love He has to freely give. What an amazing day this is. I love you all.
November 27, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Ephesians 1:7-8 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding."
We have been redeemed, washed clean through the blood of Christ. May we walk in the grace that saved us. May we lift our heads to the Father, who gave so much for us to live for eternity with Him, and allow His guidance to lead us through this day. 'Lord, on my own, I am just a sinner. I am unworthy of the love that washes clean. But through Christ and because of Your great love, we are sinners saved by grace, new creations with a beautiful hope that we can cling to - You. You are our Hope, Joy, Peace and Strength. You are our Rock, Fortress, Well of Renewal and Healing. Lord, may we walk today carrying this hope. May what was done on the Cross be written on our hearts and lived out in our lives as we accept this precious love and pour it out on others. You do not give us a spirit of fear. You do not give us a spirit of shame. You have washed us clean and given us a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind. May we walk in Your light today and realize that with You by our side there is nothing we cannot overcome. We are not held back by anything we've done or any place we've been. The chains have been broken and we are free to live in the most precious gift of all, Your love. Lord, have this day. Take it and use us. Remind us that You have created us for a beautiful purpose, and that purpose is to be fulfilled by living a life set free from what once bound us. Continue to set us free and remind us that Your grace is sufficient. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
The enemy has been defeated, death couldn't hold Him down...may we walk with that victory as we claim our inheritance through the blood of His Son. This is a day of victory. May we walk in hope. May we walk with our hand in His as we allow His peace to cover us, His love to guide us, His strength to carry us through. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
November 26, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Isaiah 61:1-3 "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because The Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of The Lord for the display of His splendor."
It is one of the enemy's greatest achievement, to get those who have been called...to believe they are insufficient to follow through. 'Father, silence the lies. Break down the strongholds that are keeping us held captive from living the lives as more than conquerors, which You have called us to. We think we are having to carry all these burdens, but then You ask us to look in Your mirror and we see that all those burdens were lain at the foot of the Cross. May we stop trying to carry them. May what we carry today be a voice of truth, a joy that breaks through the sadness that the world loves to try and multiply through darkness. May this joy reverberate from You to us, to whoever we encounter. You have called us to spread Your message of hope, life, love, salvation. May we do that by living this day unbound by the worries this world attempts to lay on our shoulders. May we notice the attacks and respond with confidence, 'That debt has been paid! I have been set free!' Father, help us to live this day as free men and women, Your beloved children and heirs. We have been called for much more. May we believe what You say about who You are. May we stand on who You say we are...in You. Thank You for being our Rescue. Thank You for being our Hope. Thank You for being our Rock, Fortress and Strength. Thank You for being everything we will ever need. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
The moment has come. May the lies be quieted as we hear His voice as He calls us. 'Live in My love. Let it change you. Let it change how you respond to others and may the light you shine be of hope. I have called you to be My ambassador. Please decide today, to shine for Me. I will be your strength and peace. I love you, My child. I love you.' This is the moment. May we make the choice to rest in His love and allow Him to direct us through this day. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
November 25, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on you pleasures."
We are all striving for something; but we need to make sure our intentions are honoring God, and not ourselves. 'Father, search our hearts. If there is anything in what we are doing that is not pleasing to You, I ask that You reveal it to us and help us sit down with You to deal with it. There is a reason I keep putting myself first, my selfishness. There is a reason why I become impatient with Your timetable, when I don't get everything I'm asking for, when I ask it. But the reason You do what You do isn't why we think. It's not that You're trying to keep us from anything good, You're trying to teach us that You are greater than anything we seek. You try and get us to understand that we need to seek You harder than anything else. Lord, search our hearts. Revamp any wrong motives and may our heart's desire be for more of You. Thank You for how You lovingly guide us back to Your arms. Thank You for always having comfort, love, peace, patience, healing and strength to pour out on those who come, knock and ask for Your help. Lord, we come. We knock and ask for Your light to guide us through today. We don't want to focus on our kingdom, but Yours. Help our eyes to be fixed on You, and the beautiful love that saved us in the first place. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
It doesn't matter if we had bad intentions/motives before. What matters is that we let Him have our hearts today. He can turn anything around and use it for His glory. May we allow Him inside and allow His peace to overflow in us, His strength to flow through our weakness, His love to overtake our selfishness. This is His day, and it is so much better to spend it in His arms. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
November 24, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 107:8-9 "Let them give thanks to The Lord for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men! For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good."
The beautiful thing is that no matter where you've been, no matter what you're going through...He just wants to hold you and remind you how much He cares. 'Father, we need to take the time to remember. Remember the great love that was shown on the Cross. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us so that we may have life. Now, Your Spirit is here to remind us, renew us, replenish us when our souls are thirsty. Revive us and open our eyes wider. Infiltrate our hearts and fill us with Your goodness. Breath in us as we give You more of our attention. This day is Yours and this moment is the time to recline in Your arms, into the loving arms of our Faithful Father, Enduring Friend, Beautiful Healer, Strong Deliverer, Mighty Redeemer, Ultimate Strength, Overwhelming Peace, Lasting Hope, Unshakable Rock. Thank You for all You do. Thank You for Your love, thank You for Your provision. Your children come, please lavish Your love and warmth on us now. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
There is no greater time than now. Now, may we come and cry out to the One who always hears and always has what we need. May we rest in His arms as He reminds us who He is and who we are in Him. He is love, The Lord of all creation, the Master Craftsman. We, we are His beautiful masterpieces, His cherished sons and daughters who He takes delight in watching over. What a beautiful day to spend in His arms. I love you all.
November 23, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 89:1 "I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations."
We all wear a cloak of something. I pray we cloth ourselves in thankfulness as we chose this day to be mindful of His love and faithfulness. 'Lord, sometimes I wear a cloak of pride, selfishness, bitterness, worry... Forgive me. Right now, we ask that Your Spirit falls over us and our hearts become overwhelmed by Your love. We have been give this day. We ask that You open our eyes to see Your beauty more clearly. When situations arise and we are given opportunity to either react in the flesh or not, I pray we choose to respond in Your grace. A cheerful heart isn't one where everything goes according to our plans, a cheerful heart comes from choosing to cling to Your goodness, faithfulness and love no matter what comes our way. Help us to cling to You tighter, lifting our spirits and spreading the joy we receive from You, with others. Thank You for loving us. Thank You for continuing to be our well of strength, peace, hope, joy and love. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Today, there is a choice to be made. I pray that as we choose to cling to the very One who gave it all so that we can be with Him for eternity, we feel His Spirit bring us hope, joy, peace and strength as we continue on in this day. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
November 22, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Philippians 3:13-14 "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
If I'm distracted by the past, that drains the passion with which I need to be living in, in the present. 'Father, it is the enemy's job to distract us by any means necessary. One powerful way he gets us, is by pointing out our failures, where we came up short. It's a great idea, to get the armies of righteousness to think they will be ineffective is a bold move...but we have to cling to this truth...the old has gone and You are doing a new thing. May our days not be spent in fear or shame, but in victory. The war has already been won and now it is our job to get to know our Savior better so that we realize the absolute joy that is to be had this very moment. Lord, it's about You. You take the weak things of this world to shame the strong, the foolish things to shame the wise. It's not about what we have in ourselves, it's about what we have with Your Spirit living inside of us. Lord, make a home in us and bring us closer to You. As we cling to You, may we understand that Your love washes us clean, Your strength renews our spirits, Your warmth comforts us in the cold atmospheres we encounter in this world. Today, help us to keep our focus on You. Thank You for reminding us that we are Yours. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
We have a beautiful day before us. May we enjoy it as we understand that what we need is in His hands. May we breath in His strength now as we begin to face what is before us, being mindful that He is with us. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 21, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Luke 12:31-32 "But seek His Kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the Kingdom."
Worry starts when I focus on what I think my kingdom should have. Peace comes when we make His Kingdom our focus, realizing it pleasures Him to provide and care for His flock. 'Lord, thank You for how You love us. You give us life through Your Son, breaking the curse of death so that we may be with You for eternity. You give us Your Spirit as our Companion, Strength, Hope, Joy, Healer, Encourager, Peace and Light as we continue here while we await Your return. As we wait, You continue to provide. As we keep You as the main focus, the waves don't seem to matter as much. We tend to worry less about what will happen tomorrow because we are too focused on enjoying Your presence now. Father, whatever is on our plate right now, may we do it as if we are doing it for You, because we are. Today, we have the greatest opportunity to share this precious gift of life with those we come in contact with. May we not focus on what words to say, but focus on letting Your love pour out of us. May we seek Your Kingdom today, and may our joy be complete as we continue to walk with You through this journey, shining the light we were created to shine. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
It is His pleasure to give us the kingdom. May our hearts be overwhelmed that Almighty God knows us by name and cherishes us, that He yearns to provide for His sheep. He has exactly what we need today. May we come to Him and receive His provision of hope, grace, peace, strength, healing, comfort and life. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 20, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. (Backdrop: Mary was told by Gabriel that she would conceive the Son of God) Luke 1:38 "And Mary said, 'Behold the bondslave of The Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her."
We have all been called. May we answer as Mary did. 'Father, You have a purpose. You have created me for a purpose. We may not know all the specifics of where exactly You want us to be, but we do know how You want us to be no matter where we are. You want us to trust You, whether the sun is shining or the rains are pouring down. You want us to see that there is more beauty in one moment with You, than an eternity without Your presence. You want us to understand that with Your love, burdens are lifted, strongholds are broken, hearts are brought to life. With Your Spirit before us, behind us, beside us and dwelling inside of us there is nothing we can't overcome. We will not only overcome, but You will grow us through anything we face, when we allow You to work in us. Lord, just as Mary did, we admit our confusion of how You would use us, but we cling to who You say we are, Your precious masterpieces. Just like Mary, we trust that Your will for us is greater than anything we could ever conceive. Lord, have Your way in us and may the life we live, no matter what job we may have or what is in our bank account, be lived in the love that saved us. Purify our hearts, renew our minds. Help us take our thoughts captive and cling to whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable and praiseworthy. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
I can't act like I know what He's doing, but I know He has a beautiful plan. I won't act like I never want to take control, because I become impatient or begin to doubt, like Peter and stare at the waves, but we know this: He who began a good work in us will carry it to completion. This is His day and right now is the moment to answer, 'Lord, I don't know what You have in store, but I trust You. Forgive the times of my unbelief and help keep my eyes fixed on You. You are what matters. So today, I will live for You - living in the love that sets captives free. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' name, Amen.' Have a great day. I love you all.
November 19, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still."
So many times we try to push through situations, trying to 'will' ourselves out of where we are...but we need to remember that it's not by our strength that makes us more than conquerors, it's by His. 'Lord, we are all facing something. Not all are tangible things like an army against us. Some are battling against fear, getting weary from running and grasping at any ray of hope we can cling to. Some are battling addiction, finding that our strength isn't enough to turn from what our flesh is after. Some of us are battling with our worth, clinging to thoughts that we are unworthy, unlovable, not good enough. Lord, stop us. Gently lift us in Your arms and may we feel Your presence. As we acknowledge You being here, may we hear You speak. As You speak, may we feel the power, hope, joy, peace, healing and love cover us. You remind us that You are the Great Loving Shepherd who is hear to watch over His flock. You remind us that when we are tempted, You are with us to help keep us mindful that You are better than any earthly solution to any fear, insecurity, or need for attention. You are here to remind us that You are Almighty God and we are Your masterpieces, created for a beautiful purpose. We are not just Yours, but we are beautiful and cherished sons and daughters being raised as kings and queens. Father, right now may we stop listening to the lies that we are fighting these battles alone. You are with us. Help us to stop using all our strength trying to figure out how we can win this battle and just cling to You, trusting that You, the One who has always been faithful, will continue to provide, strengthen, heal, redeem, embolden, comfort and awaken us from our slumber. Lord, this is Your day, may we trust in You to do what You do and allow You to fight for us as we stand firm in our faith and know that no weapon formed against us will prosper. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
This is a beautiful day. May we spend it walking with the One who causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him. Have a great day in our Father's arms. I love you all.
November 18, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Galatians 3:5 "Does God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?"
It's not about a checklist of things to do, and then God decides to follow through. It's about us believing who He is, what He's done, doing and will do, and allowing His Spirit to make a home in us. 'Lord, make a home in us. Help us to understand, though, that You may need to clear out some rooms in order to renovate. Search our hearts and reveal the lies that we are listening to. May we break free from the trinkets of this world that we keep storing up instead of allowing You in that space of our heart: to heal, grow, strengthen and revive. Lord, have Your way in us today. You spoke and creation came to be. Speak into us and create a new desire for the beautiful things of Your Kingdom: love, joy, peace, patience and grace - because, Lord, we want to be more like Your Son. May what we pursue not be a checklist of tasks that makes us worthy of Your Spirit, but may we pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness which gives us a passion for more of You. Lord, work in us and through us. Use us today, not because we went to church yesterday and checked a box, but because we believe in who You are and we trust that You have beautiful plans for us, plans to prosper and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future. Lord, thank You for this day. Have this day in our lives and may Your will be done in us. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
It's not because of anything we've done, it's because we realize what's been done for us and we choose this day that we will cling to the hope we have in Him. May we remember who is with us. May we remember that whatever we face, we do not face alone. The peace we need is in His hands. May we grab a hold of it and live this day with joy because we choose to trust Him with it. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 17, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Revelation 1:8 "'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says The Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to is to come.'"
Sometimes, we need to step back and realize how great He really is. 'Father, You created everything, even the things I take for granted, this very breath. I'm so used to taking each breath that I don't really think about how important each one is. What we need to understand is that You are with us through each one, to guide us, comfort us, heal us, forgive us and bring us back to life. You always have been, You are right now and You always will be God, our Gracious Loving Father, Perfect Healer, Creator of all. Right now, we ask for the strength to lay everything down and make You the Alpha and Omega in our lives. May the aching in our hearts be for more of You. If we have placed things above You: worries, fears, finances, struggles...we ask now that You melt away any idols we are placing as more important. You are what's important. You are what matters. Thank You for the joy that envelopes us as we recognize who You are, and who we are in You. You are God. We, children of the One True King. Thank You for what You've done. Thank You for what You are doing. Thank You for what we have to look forward to when You bring us home. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
May our hearts sing out with a cry of thankfulness to the One who was, who is, and who is to come. We have a beautiful opportunity in front of us. May we take full advantage by allowing His Spirit to move in us, through us and reset anything that may be off focus. It's not about waves, it's about who's with us in them. It's not about pain or fear, it's about the One who calms the fear and comforts the hurting. It's not about what we don't have, it's about realizing all that we do have...in His arms. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 16, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 66:6 "He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot; there let us rejoice in Him!"
As this day continues, may we be mindful of who He is and what He has already done. 'Lord, You are God. You led the Israelites through dry land, making a way, when, to them, it seemed like there was no escape from the Egyptians. You made a way. Right now, we may be facing an army coming against us. It may be enemies, it may be something else. Lord, some of us may running from the pursuit of: a fear, worry, struggle, addiction, insecurity...There may not be any way that we see even possible for escape, but that's because we look through the lens of unbelief and fear. Lord, You make springs of victory sprout forth in the desert when Your people rest in You for our strength, peace, hope, healing, regeneration, revival, forgiveness and grace, joy, salvation...for life. You are what we need to overcome. You are what we need to cling to when we face mountains, giants, waves that seem too big for us to conquer; because when we cling to You, You show us that what we are afraid of is nothing to You. You created life out of nothing with just speaking it into being. You have what we need to face whatever we may have before us. It's not our strength that matters, it's our weakness; because that's when Your strength is made perfect. Lord, thank You for how You continue to provide, save, redeem, set free, bring back to life. Thank You for the life we have because of Your Son and the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control that we have available through You this very moment. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
It's not about what we face, it's about who we're facing each moment with. May we recognize that the God of all creation is by our side, not just to guide our way, but to remind us that He is the way - that wherever He has us, He has joy and provision, hope and strength, healing and life. We just have to keep our heart clinging to Him and not the fears. This is a beautiful day to be thankful for having Him, The Most Sovereign of all that ever was and will ever be, be our Rock, our Fortress, our Healer, our Strength, our Joy, our Peace, our Hope, our Provider and Protector - our Salvation. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 15, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 139:14 "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
'Lord, remind us it is the enemy's job to get us to doubt our worth. It does not come from You. Help us to take those thoughts captive and make them obedient to Your Son. Lord, You remind us that we are Yours, Your workmanship created to do incredible things for Your Kingdom. You knit us together in our mother's womb. You took time adding the specific ingredients, keeping Your purpose for us in mind. Before we latch on to feelings of worthlessness or inadequacy, may we ask that You remind us of Your truth. Silence the fears we may be holding on to that contradict what You say about us and write who we really are on the walls of our hearts. We are Your beloved children, fearfully and wonderfully made. We are precious in Your sight. You are not raising us as strangers but as kings and queens, heirs to Your Kingdom. And with You by our side, we are more than conquerors. Lord, I ask that You fill us with confidence today as we face the many obstacles ahead. I pray that what we grab tightly to is not fear, but Your loving hand as we continually look up to You, our Loving Father, Mighty Warrior, Perfect Healer, and Faithful Companion for our guidance. Thank You for how You love us. Thank You for never leaving our side. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
The enemy cannot have us, so he will try anything to get us to forget who we truly are. Cling tightly to our Father's whispers and may we be filled with hope, joy, peace, patience, gentleness and strength as we face this day with our Father, Almighty God, right beside us. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 14, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Romans 13:11 "And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."
The time has come. "Lord, I understand what You call us to do, but sometimes I catch myself saying, 'Let me work on that later,' or 'I really don't have the time or patience to deal with this right now.' Sometimes I say, 'This isn't really a problem so I'll just try and get through this on my own. I don't need to bother You with this.' Father, forgive me. We realize that all these excuses/rationalizations are simply lies that the enemy is telling us so that we can continue being a slave to a certain fear, worry, insecurity, struggle, addiction...The truth, is that Your Spirit is here to set us free. You are here to remind us that there is an abundant life with You, here and now, that we are missing out on whenever we choose to cling to the things of this world over You. Lord, the time is at hand. Wake us up from our slumber and open up our eyes. Whatever we've been holding back, may we offer it to You. Remind us You are God, all powerful and sovereign. Also remind us that You are love and compassion. Lord, this is the moment we decide to take a step closer to You. Have our hearts and renew them. Lead us on today as we choose to cling to You. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
We don't know how much time we have left here. May we live a life unburdened by 'what ifs' and live this day and the ones ahead in anticipation, saying 'Ok, God. I know You have plans for me and I know that You are with me. Let me not be afraid, but let me be bold and courageous, choosing to carry Your love with me and shine a light that will lead others towards You and not farther into the world. This is Your day. Help me to focus on what I can do for Your Kingdom. Thank You. Amen.' Today is the day to allow His peace to overwhelm us and His joy to consume us - not because we ignore what's happening around us, but because we simply choose to trust Him through each moment, enjoying being in our Father's presence. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 13, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 2 Timothy 2:24 "And The Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."
We are not all preachers and teachers, but we are all His ambassadors. May we choose to hold on to His calling for us to love beyond what our flesh may desire to do, because we understand the love that He's shown us. 'Lord, I understand how You call us to love, but in moments of weakness I sometimes cry out, 'You call me to love everyone? Even the one's who disrespect me and hurt me?' Then You reply, 'Yes. My love saved you. My love covers a multitude of sins. It looks past what has been done and realizes what lies underneath, another person who needs Me just as much as you do. Remember you are Mine, created by Me, for Me. I have incredible things for you to do but you've got to let My love be what you choose to live in. Live in it. Remain attached to Me.' Father, I am so thankful for how You remind us what we're really here for - not for our kingdom, but for Yours; we're not here to fight that our way is the only way, but to live in a way that shines a beautiful expression of Your goodness by seeking godliness, faithfulness, love, perseverance and gentleness, and letting that be what we pour out to others. Thank You for how You love us. May that love continue to change us and in effect change how we love others. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
It doesn't matter where we are, we have a platform. For some it is a congregation, for some it is the people in our office. We need to remember that it's not just designated places we are called to be His ambassadors, but wherever we go. With faith as small as a mustard seed, we can move mountains...with that same Spirit with us, we have what it takes to bridle our tongues and allow our bodies to be vessels of encouragement, strength and love as we point others, not to ourselves, but towards Christ, who gave His life so that we can live. We can do this! Have a great day. I love you all.
November 12, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Proverbs 11:14 "Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory."
I could choose to stubbornly journey on trying to handle things on my own or I could reach out to the body, admitting I need help. 'Father, remind us of the importance in being accountable with other believers. When we share our hearts, struggles, fears, difficult decisions...they are able to help guide us in a decision that would bring Your Kingdom, not ours, glory. With You as the center foundation, the body of Christ is here to encourage, comfort, listen, pray for and guide each other towards a closer relationship with You. If we aren't in community or if we're afraid to admit we have a certain problem, struggle or fear, I pray we get past the pride of not wanting others to know we're broken and just allow the body of Christ to do what it was meant to, spur each other on in love as we journey with the One who is love. Give us strength today and may we choose today to not keep quiet. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
We're not meant to journey alone. May we latch arms with other believers and watch the enemy flee as they see an army of righteousness coming against the darkness. This is the day that The Lord has made, may we live it shining the light He created us to, in love. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 11, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Timothy 6:6-7 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it."
As we begin a day, we need to be mindful whose kingdom we are seeking? 'Lord, may we seek first Your Kingdom. May we understand that You have us where we are for a great reason. Teach us to rely more on You. I admit, it is hard to be content in this world when all it does is tell us that we need more to attain a fulfilled life. Lord, I say it is more of You that we need in order to attain a fulfilled life. Riches pass away, Your love never will. Help our focus to be driven by Your Kingdom and not our own. Shining Your light and being an instrument in Your beautiful orchestra. May we not be soo focused on moving forward that we neglect to play the part You have us in right now with the very best that we have inside of us to do. Lord, this is Your day. Help us to trust in Your provision and do what we have in front of us as we are doing it for You. Thank You for Your love, may we rest in it and allow it to bring us peace and contentment. What a better place to be than in Your arms. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
It is not wrong to want to gain more. It is, however, unhealthy when our focus turns from Him, to aching to have some tangible thing or position. The only position that truly matters is that we are walking with Him by our side. Have a great day in His presence. I love you all.
November 10, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Micah 7:7 "But as for me, I will watch expectantly for The Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me."
Circumstances can have an effect on how we view things; but through every circumstance...He is with us. 'Every moment, Lord, You have something for us: healing to receive, wisdom to hear, guidance to follow, strength to renew, grace that washes us clean. Father, above any situation is Your purpose, and Your purpose is to draw us closer to You. Lord, draw us near. May we call and may we know You hear us. As we wait for Your replies, may we be so caught up with Your presence that our circumstances don't matter anymore. Flush our eyes from the blurry sight that we see with and may we see Your work. Open our hearts to take part in that work: loving, forgiving, encouraging, spurring one another on. We are a part of Your beautiful canvas, use us to brighten it. Thank You, Father, we love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
There is a call traveling the universe, 'Come to Me, all who are weary...and I will give you rest...' He is calling, may we come. May we come and receive all He has for us today. Our response may be tears. Our response may be laughter as we recognize He is with us. In any way we respond, may we grab a hold of the beauty of Him, He brings us hope. May we hold on to it and may our hearts sing a new song of praise to the One who gives us the most beautiful reminder of them all, we are His, and His love goes beyond anything we can possibly imagine. Have a great day in His presence. I love you all.
November 9, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Luke 18:17 "'I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.'"
We need to understand that, like children, we don't have anything we can give that He needs, He just wants us. 'Father, as a child relies on their parents for provision, that's how we must see You. There is nothing that I can do myself that will be better than what You, our Loving, Faithful, Enduring Father, Healer, Provider and Protector have for us. Take away any pride that is keeping us from coming to You like this. May we not be ashamed to be as children aching to be held in their Father's arms. There is nothing more comforting, nothing more peaceful than allowing You to hold us. Hold us and remind us we are Yours. Remind us that You are with us with perfect peace available. May we grab a hold of it and take it with us as we go forward on our journey today. May we let Your love for us pour out in how we love others. This is Your day, Lord. Have it and lead us through it. Thank You. We love You. In Jesus' mighty name, amen.'
May today be a day we focus, not on what don't have, but on all that we have in Him. He has what we need to heal and grow, to be comforted and strengthened - what we need to live in love. May we live this day with Him in our thoughts and with His love pouring from our hearts. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 8, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 48:12-14 "Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our Guide even to the end."
After a battle, the victors walk around the city. We may have sustained damage, but He kept us from being overtaken. 'Lord, thank You for getting us through battles, storms, fears and doubts. Thank You for revealing the weak areas and reminding us how to build them up, by spending time nourishing on Your Word and walking in Your presence. As we are held in Your embrace, You heal us, revive us and strengthen our defenses. Thank You, Father. Continue Your work and lead us closer to Your heart. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
There is none greater than He. There is nothing beyond His reach. May we trust Him with our hearts, our fears, our worries and our insecurities. May we trust Him with our lives and allow His powerful, yet loving hands to provide, strengthen, heal and direct us forward. What an incredible moment we have. What a beautiful hope we have in Him. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 7, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 141:5 "Let a righteous man strike me - it is a kindness; let him rebuke me - it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it."
'Father, it is important that we strive ahead with perseverance, but it is important to persevere in love. Sometimes, we need to be reminded how we are treating others as we pursue whatever is before us. It is important if we accept the words of rebuke in love or not. I pray that our hearts accept it. I pray that You place those in our lives that will not just tell us what we want to hear, but those who will spur us on towards loving You more and not loving others less. If something needs to be said to us, I pray that You give them courage to say it. I pray that the way we carry ourselves do not make others afraid to offer rebukes in love. I pray that we realize we are not perfect and encourage those around us to keep us accountable. Lord, I make mistakes all the time and I don't want others to just ignore something that I need to change when it would be to my benefit and Your Kingdoms to know where I lack compassion, forgiveness and/or grace. Give me, give us a teachable heart, and when we do hear criticism, may we have ears to hear it. Not everyone's criticisms are correct, but we need to be open and accept it and then take it to You to reveal it to us deeper. Thank You for the body of Christ. Thank You for giving us the love to do all things, to spur one another on, as well as accept the help...and to be honest that we need help. Thank You for grace. Thank You for love. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
We are called to become more like Christ. We cannot do that if we think we are doing everything right already. May our hearts be moldable and may our tongues be seasoned with salt. May our hearts break for others and may His love be what we choose to pour out today. I love you all.
November 6, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
"Father, Your will for us is not for us to suffer needlessly, but to realize that in any suffering, trial or storm we need to know that You are with us and have a plan to use each moment to build us up and bring us closer to You. The closer we come, the more we see the reasons to be thankful. It's not always easy to do this, because things will happen that we will not understand; things will happen that may cause us to question, 'But why is this happening, God?' But Your reply is beautiful, 'Trust Me in this. Let Me use this to strengthen you. I love you and have the most incredible plans for you. Trust Me, I am what You need to get through anything. Let Me calm you. Let Me heal You. Let Me lead you through this, My child. I love you.' Father, the most precious peace is found when we rest in that. Rest in You, the One who holds eternity in His hands. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen."
Paul wasn't saying we need to thank Him for everything, but thank Him in everything. Now, we need to trust Him enough to thank Him for what He will do through the storm, the hurt, the doubt, the tempering flames. No matter what happens, we have Him. We should be rejoicing because the most powerful force in all of creation...is on our side with a never ending well of love, joy, strength, peace, healing, forgiveness and grace to pour out on us. May we receive it and enjoy this day in His arms. I love you all.
November 5, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! Love The Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.'
'Father, a lot of times, that is not the case. Many times I may say I love You, but my actions say, I love myself more. Forgive me. It's not about anything we can do for ourselves, it's about what You've already done, what You're doing and what You have in store for us to enjoy for eternity. Lord, I love You...but I can love You more. Right now, we give You more. As we offer our hearts to You, Your precious love changes us. When we write these words on our hearts we carry Your peace, strength and joy with us. When I forget these words, I can easily veer off on my own path, causing chaos, stress, worry, fear, hurt and shame. Help us also to realize that when we don't love You as we should, we don't love others as we should either. Now, Lord, we have a choice, and we choose more of You. Infiltrate the darkness inside and may we become a beacon of Your love. Thank You for Your grace and how You gently hold us in Your arms as You remind us we are Yours; how You speak softly, but power is felt even in Your whispers. Thank You for strength when we call. Thank You for peace when we knock. Thank You for life through Your Son. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
May we make the choice today to love Him recklessly - not worrying about whether or not He will take care of our hearts, because He will...He formed it. We don't have to be afraid of being vulnerable with Him, because He already knows. We just have to make the decision to allow His love to heal, comfort, calm, strengthen and guide us. May we have a great day loving Him and loving others better. I love you all.
November 4, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 50:14-15 "'Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble, I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.'"
What can we offer to the One who holds the world in His hands? 'Father, remind us what is really important. I could give all I have, but what would good would that do if I do not love those You put before me? I could say I love You and give all my time to the church, but if I'm truly not trusting in Your plans and Your timing, what am I really sacrificing? Father, break us of the doubt, fear and worry. We have You! We have You this very moment, not just to guide us, but to fill us with all we need to face what comes against us. This is a time to celebrate. You are at work! This is a moment to be excited. Even through tears, even through hurt...because through every situation You can use it to draw us closer to trusting You more. What a beautiful way You work. Right now, we offer our hearts. We offer the tasks we have in front of us. We ask that You help us to be mindful of Your presence throughout this day. We ask that You help us to be good stewards with the moments You bless us with. Calm us and comfort us. Lead us and light our way. As we get carried away by surprises in the day, remind us that there is nothing that surprises You. Whatever comes our way, may we cling to You. Thank You for always being our Hope, Peace and Joy. Thank You for bringing us the healing and strength when we need it. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
When we call, He listens. What do we need to say to Him today? Do we need to ask for forgiveness, for something we've said or done? Maybe for not trusting Him through the situation we're in? Maybe we just need to be reminded of His presence, that He is here with us now. May we call out and ask for His Spirit to cover us and lead us on. He is here and He has exactly what we need right now. He is waiting, with arms wide open. Have a great day. I love you all.
November 3, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 22:22-23 "I will tell of Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear The Lord, praise Him; all you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel."
In the quiet moments, in the stillness of our seeking You, You deliver us. You heal us. Intimately, You bring us closer to You and we realize the love You truly have for Your children. Your love changes us, molds us, completes us. Lord, I ask that You continue that work. I pray that we continue to lay down any idols we've placed before You and truly sit with You. As we do, You set us free in incredible ways that we could never do on our own. Right now, may the song we hear and sing be that of thankfulness. The joy You give is contagious. The hope You fill us with is complete. Lord, thank You. Move in us today as we carry You in our hearts. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
The moment is at hand. He is calling us and wanting to spend time, not just with us, but in our hearts. May we open them up and allow His love to revive us. As He moves in us, may we ache to share the joy we find in Him with others so that they may know that The Lord carries soo much love, healing, peace, deliverance and strength for those who seek Him. What a great day we have. May we enjoy it with Him as we take time to be thankful for every moment we're given. I love you all.
November 2, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 2 Timothy 1:6 "For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands."
Sometimes, it's not about us receiving more gifts to use for His Kingdom, it's simply about having the courage and self discipline to hold on to His truths and use what He's already given. 'Father, open our eyes to see. Open our ears to hear. You give us all special gifts to use while we are here waiting to go home; gifts that are precious and specifically designed for us. We have a light to shine and it may be a different way than someone else shines, because we were specifically designed with certain attributes to further Your Kingdom. Some are natural encouragers, some excellent listeners. Some use special talents in order to spread Your message, while others are called because their heart is incredibly bold yet sensitive to relay messages that You give. Father, whatever You've instilled in us, I pray that You fan the flame inside of us so that we not only get better at allowing You to use us, but that we also believe You chose us specifically to shine in a unique way. Lord, if we are wondering what that is, I pray we seek You and ask for You to reveal what it is that want us to use to shine Your light. Above all, may we just continue to seek, continue to listen and continue to put into action what You call us to do. Help us to love better. Help us to receive what You offer so that we can get the nourishment to strengthen us along this journey. Thank You for providing. Thank You for guiding us. Thank You for not leaving us alone to handle life's hills and valleys unguarded and unprepared. Prepare us and lead us on. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
May we keep in mind that each gift is special, each person is unique. We are all parts of the same body that are called to work in concert, shining the light He gives us the way He made us to shine it. May we not compare to how others are called, but may we focus on what He has called us to do. May we do it with His strength inside of us, with His guidance lighting our path and with His Spirit giving us the courage to persevere. This is a beautiful day. May we enjoy it by allowing Him to shine in us and through us. I love you all.
November 1, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 25:11 "For the sake of Your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great."
As we draw closer to Him, we become less callous to sin. When we do falter, though, we need to remember how He forgives. 'Father, search my heart. Remove what displeases You and replace it with more of Your Spirit of power, of love and of self discipline. Without Your strength, how can we stand against what tries to tear us down? Without love, what kind of light can we be? Without self discipline, how can we choose the righteous path, when it is more difficult than the broad. Father, for Your Kingdom, wash us clean. We want to be instruments of Your goodness, grace, forgiveness and love. We do not want to be instruments of selfishness. If any of us has acted in selfishness, forgive us. If any of us chose to listen to our own desires and not what we know we ought to do for You, forgive us and set our feet firmly planted on the Rock. Thank You for how You forgive. Thank You for how You love. Thank You for always being here, not to condemn, but to encourage us to draw nearer to You. We love You. In Jesus' precious name. Amen.'
The beautiful thing is that His love is unfailing. When we are weak, that is when His power is made perfect. As we trust Him more whether the rain is pouring or the sun is shining, His love draws us closer and closer. May we not pull away because of mistakes, but may we draw even closer than before as we recognize we need more intentional time with the One who saves, redeems, forgives, sets free. May He set our hearts free today as we give Him our hearts to mend, strengthen and guide. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 31, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Corinthians 12:27 "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
Sometimes we forget that He has a purpose for us. Sometimes we forget we have a higher calling. May we not let the enemy distract us from it. 'Father, remind us we are a part. Remind us that we are important. Remind us that we have been chosen by You specifically to shine a light with the gifts You've given us. Also, remind us that others are called to do the same task with the gifts You've given them. May we not think we are better than another. May we not think we are not as important to the body of Christ as another. May our focus not be on what we can do or what someone else is capable of doing better than us; but help us to focus on offering more of us to You so that we can be a brighter light for Your Kingdom. Direct us Lord and may we walk in Your presence today. Thank You for the hope we have in You. Thank You for the healing and strength that You continue to provide. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Today, may we encourage. May we shine the light, not for attention or credit, but to remind others and ourselves that His love is real and that it sets captives free. May He set us free in new ways today as we ask Him to use the gifts He's given us to light someone's day with the most beautiful thing we have to offer, His love. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 30, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
The example has been given, may we follow it. 'Father, before I begin a day expecting to be treated a certain way, remind me of Your Son. Remind us that if we are treated as our sins deserved we wouldn't be spending eternity with You. But also remind us that the debt has been paid. Your Son came down as the ransom to give us life. Now, as we live, may we realize how we are to live. Change our hearts so that we do not ache to be the most popular, the one with the most power or control, the one who never has to worry about money again. I pray that You break our hearts to serve. I pray that You show us our pride and replace it with selflessness. I pray that our daily goals are not how much we can take for our kingdom, but how much we can give for Yours. Lord, use us today. May we put others first and make it a priority to love. With You, we can do it. Thank You for the strength You provide and the peace You cover us with. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
It's more than glimmer and gold, it's more precious than the most costly of resources, it's needed more than we really think it is...His love. May we grasp a hold of it and seek to encourage, lift up, listen to and serve others today - not for our gain, but so that they can be reminded of the love of Christ, so that God can use us a vessel of peace. Have a great day walking with The Shepherd, our Giver of hope, healing, joy, peace, strength, love and life. I love you all.
October 29, 2013
Good morning brothers. Ephesians 5:15-16 "Be careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."
Each day we have a choice. May we choose to walk in His light. 'Father, may we not be naive to what's going on. The enemy does not want Your love to spread. He will try and distract us by any means necessary. Running late, traffic, missing appointments - and that's before the day even gets started. But there is hope. We have You. We have You whether our tire blows out or not. We have You when we get attacked by busyness that threatens to take our eyes and heart away from You and Your peace. We have You when our bank account just seems to dwindle as our expenses continue to rise. We have You whether it's raining or shining, whether we're laughing or crying. I pray that we grab a hold of You and not let go. The enemy likes to get us when we step even for a minute from Your side, so may we lock our grip in Yours today and may Your love shine through us. Thank You for this day, Father. We love You so much. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
He's got a plan for us, and that plan involves His love. May we grab a hold of it and allow it to warm our hearts, calm our nerves, guard what comes out of our mouths, take captive of the thoughts we linger on and direct our steps as we journey. With His love, what can really tear us down? Have a great day of love, hope, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. I love you all.
October 28, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Ephesians 5:1-2 "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."
As we begin the week, may we begin it right, loving as Christ loved/s us. 'Father, remind us that, while we have tasks to do, we are not exempt from doing them as if we are working for You...because in essence we are. Remind us that there are not certain parts of the day in which we are to love, but through it all. Remind us that through the difficult times, Christ loved us til the end. He loved, whether deserving or undeserving. He was and is love, so He just poured out what He had inside. Father, we are Yours and Your Spirit lives inside of us. We have been created with care and for a beautiful purpose. I pray that we live in the very love that saved us so that we can walk down the path You created us for. Thank You for being the light that renews and strengthens embers that may feel like they are weak and about to burn out. Thank You for being the nourishment that flows through our veins. May we continue to drink of Your living water and be filled with confidence, joy, hope and love today. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
When we focus on what we have to do today, may we not neglect the fact that we are to do it all in love. On our own, we will falter; but carrying His light inside of us, we are more than conquerors. Let's conquer the darkness that we will encounter by choosing to shine the light of love that He freely gives us. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 27, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace."
'Lord, I pray that we see You. I pray that we come to Your table and experience Your grace, peace, healing and strength. I pray that Your warmth surrounds us and forces the coldness that we cling to, to melt away. I pray that we slow down enough to remember who You are. I pray that we slow down and remember You are here. As we feel Your presence, I ask that the joy of our salvation in You trumps everything else. Lord, I don't want to be afraid. I don't want to focus on the hurt, worry or confusion...I want to focus on more of You. Help our hearts lean into Your grasp and be enveloped by Your love. Comfort us Lord and prepare us for more of You. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
He is here. May we ask and receive all that He so freely offers. I pray that we better understand that we are His and that nothing can separate us from His love. May we rest in it and allow His Spirit to cover us with peace. Have a great day of hope. I love you all.
October 26, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me'"
We need to remember, we are called to love...everyone. 'Father, sometimes I get caught up in my own: My own walk, my own struggles, my own fears...Remind us that, while we are suppose to strengthen our relationship with You, we are also called to pour out that love to others. May we not pick and choose when we shine Your light or who we will love as we should; but may we shine and love period. May we live a life worthy of the call You've given us. May the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts, be pleasing to You. May what we choose to hold on to, be Your compassion and heart for others. Today, I ask that You soften our hearts to focus on more than ourselves. I ask that You fill us with an overflow of hope and joy so that we pour it out wherever we go. This is Your day, may we spend it loving as You call us to, looking past any borders we place on ourselves in order to stay in our small comfort zones. Break those walls and may we not be afraid to love whoever we come across. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Today is a day to love like this is our last opportunity, to encourage like it's the last thing people will hear. Today, is a day we remember the love He has shown for us and love as He loves us. May we have a beautiful day of compassion. I love you all.
October 25, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Acts 1:7-8 "He said to them: 'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'"
'Father, sometimes I want to rush through and just get to what You have for me, but I neglect to understand that this is what You have for me now. It is Your in timetable that all things will come to pass and it is our job to choose how we will spend this and every season we find ourselves in. May we choose to wait on You. May we choose to not just wait on what You have for us, but continue earnestly walking with You so that You can grow us in this season we are in. Mold our hearts to love as You do. Work in our spirits so that when we are faced with hurts, anxieties, fears and doubts...we turn to You and not something else. Father, Your Kingdom is at hand and right now there is peace, joy, healing, strength, hope, love...life to receive this very moment. Lord, pour it on us and may we change our focus so that we don't miss the blessings You do have for us right now. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
I could continue asking Him, 'when will You do 'this'?' Or 'when will You do 'that'?' Or we could just have an attitude of thankfulness that we have another moment to spend with Him, learn from Him and receive direction from Him now. What a day we have been given. May we spend it with teachable and loving hearts. What a an amazing opportunity to trust Him more. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
October 24, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Isaiah 52:7 "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'"
How will they know, if we don't share it? 'Lord, good news is to be told, not kept quiet. We have The Good News, and the chronicles of redemption, hope, salvation and peace needs to be poured out. Faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard by the Word of Christ. Even we, ourselves, need to be reminded and that is why we have to continue to share, continue to dig, continue to breath in the life that You so freely offer. I used to get insecure about opening my mouth to share, but then I realized that it has nothing to do with me, it has to do with the message that needs to be shared. Thank You for giving us the strength to stand and proclaim. Please also help us to not just tell of the message through words, but in how we live. May our actions go hand in hand with what we say we believe. May we be quick to listen, slow to speak. May our speech be full of grace, seasoned with salt. May the good news be listened to because those we come across see the life in us that gives us the hope and joy which pours out. We have been brought back to life. We are now being molded to be more like Your Son. May the light inside breach through the darkness and may the joy You bring force darkness to its knees. Thank You for the life You offer, the strength You breath in us, the healing You love us with, the joy and peace You cover over us. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
It is a beautiful thing to have a relationship with Christ. May we share the beauty as we share what He's done and doing. May we share the joy that we have by sharing the reason we have it. We are not alone. He is with us to give us the words to speak and the love to share. May we receive it and pour it out. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 23, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does The Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
What could I give that is pleasing to Him? 'Father, look at our hearts. Help us to look at our heart's devotion. Remind us what it is that you truly want from us. It is not that we give all our money and all our time to the church; because if that's all we did, we'd simply buy our way by checking boxes and placing our hope in what gifts we can give You. Lord, You don't want our sacrifices as much as You want our hearts. It is through our hearts that everything is connected: our motives, our desires, our speech, the way we respond to You and to others, the way we either listen or act like we didn't hear what You said. Lord, You know very well when I've heard You and just chose to do my own thing; but what do You do after that? Do You condemn and punish me by leaving me without Your love and comfort? No, You remain to get us to understand how You love, how You forgive. Father, thank You. Right now, enter the places in our hearts we may have been keeping You out of. To us, we think we are just being safe by not giving You everything...but that's why we continue to answer our loved ones with bitterness and not love, our coworkers with ego and not encouragement, our fellow drivers with selfishness and impatience, instead of a servant's heart. Lord, take it all. We give You permission to work in every aspect of our lives. Reveal the hurts we hold on to that cause us to hold back from others. Reveal the pain that we may be masking through worldly solutions. Reveal the insecurities that keep us focused on what everyone else is doing wrong and we allow You to sit us down and mend the plank out of our own eyes. Lord, You are what matters. You. So please work in us, healing us from the wounds and washing the fears away. Father, this is Your day. Have it and have our hearts to be molded and used for Your Kingdom. May the enemy be terrified as we finally give our all...to You. We love You, Father. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
This isn't the moment to wonder if it's time. It's time. He just wants our heart. All of it. Not so He can turn us into His robots, but so that He can fill us with a joy that cannot be shaken. So that He can turn our past into a beautiful testimony of His goodness. So that He can turn this wounded sheep...into a warrior for righteousness. What a beautiful day we have been given. May we live it well, walking with our Father. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 22, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Timothy 1:5 "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."
'Father, our lives are a testimony. I pray that we allow You to cleanse us and purify the hearts that beat within so that the testimony we unveil speaks to Your glory, goodness, grace and redemption. So often I am selfish, looking towards my own desires. Forgive me. You call us to so much more than that. You call us to live a life of love - a love that crushes strongholds and silences the most mischievous of lies. How do we do this? It's not by our strength, but in allowing our bodies to be Your vessels. Lord, here we are. Fill us up with Your Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. Remind us who we are so that we can walk with confidence, but set in humbleness. We are Your ambassadors. May we represent You well. Light our path and guide our steps. Hold our hearts and may our speech be uplifting and full of Your grace. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
We are called to be a light, so may we not be timid in letting it shine. May He build the flame inside of us and allow our lives to shine beautiful expressions of His goodness. It's not about us, it's about Him. May we allow the light we shine to brighten someone else's day. Have a great day in His presence. I love you all.
October 21, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Jonah 3:8-9 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from The Lord."
'Lord, like Jonah, we have all been called to do something. We all may not have the specifics yet, but You call us to love. You call us to trust in You and lean not on our own understanding. Like Jonah, I have been stubborn and tried to flee from that at times because I thought that my comfort level was more important than sharing Your message. I had placed things above You. Forgive me. As You did with Jonah though, You turn our hearts. When we recognize who You really are: slow to anger, rich in mercy, abounding in love...we see that it is not that You are trying to keep us from anything good, You are trying to get us to understand that everything good is in Your hands. Lord, may we turn from whatever idols we have placed above You and run wholeheartedly towards You. For some, it's a job, what we hold in our bank account. For some, it is prestige and pride. For some, it is that we are too focused on our kingdom to make time for building Your Kingdom. Lord, whatever the situation, we turn from it and take hold of You. No matter how far we may have run, that doesn't mean You're far away. You're right beside us with grace in Your hands, love in Your touch and strength in Your voice. Breath on us and cover us today as we give it to You. Have us and use us. Build us up and redirect our focus back to You. Thank You for this day. Thank You for this beautiful love that You continually pour on us. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
One of the important things He is trying to do is remind us that He has the whole world in His hands, and our lives are in His care. May we trust Him today and allow His loving touch to heal us, strengthen us, revive us and guide us forward as we continue this journey. May our hearts continue to sing a song to the One who heals, redeems, watches over and provides for His children. Have a great day in thankfulness. I love you all.
October 20, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 86:15-16 "But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant."
'Father, sometimes we may feel like we need rescuing. Sometimes the weight of what has been, makes it difficult to face what is. Sometimes, we need Your touch to renew us, revive us…to remind us that You are with us and never even left in the first place. It is overwhelming when we come into the presence of the most loving, compassionate and forgiving. When we come into Your presence, our surroundings disappear and You are all we see. We don't see the worry, the hurt, the fear and doubt…We see Your hand reaching out, and we take it. When we take Your hand, our spirits come back to life because we are home. With You is where we belong. Walking with You is what we were created for. Help us to remember that. Right now, may we prepare our hearts for a more incredible encounter with You. As we invite Your presence may we not just rush to get it over with, but may we linger. May we choose to walk with You for the rest of the moments we have, not because we have been commanded to or because we are afraid of what will happen if we don't; but because we understand that there is no better place to be than in our Father's arms and allowing You to guide us. Hold us, strengthen us, Heal us. Receive the praise of our hearts as we give You the attention we should have been giving You all along. Thank You for Your love, Lord. Thank You for Your grace. Thank You for how You forgive. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Sometimes it's not words we need to say. Sometimes it's not places we go to. Sometimes we just have to stop wherever we are and allow our hearts to cry out to the One who creates, loves, mends, strengthens and brings back to life. May we receive all He has to offer us today and may our breaths be deeper, may our walk be lighter as we let go of all that entangles us - as we allow His presence be what matters. May we walk in it. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 19, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
One of the many things the enemy doesn't want us to remember is that nothing can separate us from the love of God. 'Father, nothing that we've ever done can separate us from Your love. No demons or attacks can take away the hope that we have in You. We ARE more than conquerors through You. You do not bring condemnation, but comfort and healing. You do not wear us down with criticism, You build us up. You remind us that we are Yours and precious in Your sight. The enemy doesn't like that, so he tries to get us to believe the opposite. He tries to tell us that the waves are going to take us down, that we have every reason to fear. He says that our past disqualifies us from receiving Your love. Father, remind us that those are all empty lies. Right now, may our spirits be lifted and our hearts comforted as we grasp tightly to You. You will not push us away and nothing is too strong to pull us away from Your grasp. Lord, this breath is Yours. May we spend it in Your presence. May we enjoy this life, not because everything goes to our plan, but because we know that Your plan for us is far better than anything we could ever imagine. Lord, thank You. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
He did not just create the whole universe, He also created us. He did not just create us, but He formed us with care, specifically designing us as His masterpieces. He loves His masterpieces. We are His precious ones and nothing can separate the Father's love for us. I pray He fills us with comfort and peace, hope and strength as we remember He is with us and will always fight for and pour His love out on His children. I love you all.
October 18, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."
As His workmanship, we have a job to do, and it is not to be done alone. 'Father, help remind us of the body of Christ. Sometimes I get too focused on what I am going through that I don't even take the time to ask how my brothers or sisters are doing. Sometimes in my struggles, I pull away and isolate myself not wanting to be a burden to others. Father, forgive me. You call us to love one another. We can't fully do that if we are fully focused on ourselves. Yes, we have to deal with our problems and struggles, but may we not forget that we are not to do that on our own either. It is not a burden to reach out and ask for help, and it is not a burden to give the help; so may we love beyond our own circumstances and be the body of Christ. If we struggle, may we reach out. If we sense someone is pulling back or isolating, may we reach out and encourage them. The beautiful thing about the body of Christ is that it's not about us, it's about Christ being the center. It's about that beautiful love being received from You and then poured out by all. Lord. Help us love more completely. Work on our hearts and rearrange our priorities so that love is on top. Thank You for how You love and for continuing to guide us through this arduous journey. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Today is a day to walk with our Father. Today is also a day we need to listen to His call to put on love, to wear it as a shroud so that whoever we come in contact with can receive His love, especially when the world tries to distract with busyness, discouragement and fear. This is His day. May we spend it well by loving as He loved...unselfishly. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 17, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Jude 1:24-25 "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."
This may be a shock to hear, but we are sinners. Our sinful nature is what caused Christ to even come in the first place. But here's the beauty...He changes the end of the story. Where we were once lost, we are now found. His love sets us free, breaking the chains we've been bound by for so long. 'Lord, reveal Yourself to us. The reason we stumble is because we continue to let our own desires to trump what we should be doing for You. Instead of seeking our own, may we seek to do Your will. We may not know what that is for us at the moment but we know what it involves. Lord, it takes surrender. Lord, we surrender. Lord, I've tasted and experienced what my selfishness sows, and it hurts. I've tasted and seen the awesome beauty in Your goodness and love, and we can't get enough. Guide us in it so that when we do get the inclination to veer off, responding to a situation in our flesh, may we choose to respond in Your love, grace and forgiveness instead. When we get tempted to veer off of Your course, may we take a step back and remember that You're calling us to live a life worthy of the calling we've received...so that's what we should do. On our own strength, we will falter; but with You as our strength, our peace, our guide - we can traverse these hills and valleys with You on our minds and in our hearts. You have what we need to stand strong. May we rely on You to not only be our God, but also rely on You to guide our path, guide our tongue, take every thought captive and make them obedient to Christ. May we also be mindful that You are our Perfect Healer and Grace Giver, so that if we do get caught up in a wrong turn, You are there to bring us back to where we need to be. Where do we need to be? In Your arms. Thank You, Father. We love You so much. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
May whatever we choose to do today not be guided by giving ourselves the credit or glory, but to the One who set us free. This is an incredible day to love someone who doesn't feel loved, to forgive someone who may not even want to apologize, to serve someone who always gets taken from. Today is a day to change the world. May we do it by putting Him first and pouring His love out. I love you all.
October 16, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. James 3:4-6 "Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!"
We have the power to pour out light or darkness, may we choose His light. 'Lord, help us to understand the truth behind this. If we turn towards selfishness, bitterness, pride, fear, deceit...the enemy has done his part in keeping us from spreading Your love. As You speak of how fires are spread by one small flame, may the flame we burn, be in love. May the fire that catches around us be a forest fire of encouragement, love, grace, laughter, peace, joy and hope. Lord, help us also remember that it is not just others who are affected by negative speech. When we speak negatively of ourselves we are silencing Your Spirit which is reminding us that we are Yours, that we are Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Lord, help silence the lies that breed darkness and help us to take every thought captive and make them obedient to Christ. Guide us today, Lord. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
This is a battle and the enemy uses what he can to distract us from shining the light that destroys the darkness. May today be a day that we set forests of darkness aflame with God's love. May we come and allow Him to fan the flame inside and fill us with His Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. May our flames burn and may our light shine. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 15, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Timothy 1:15-16 "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life."
It doesn't matter where we've been, what we've done...God wants us to be a light. 'Father, remind us that we need You. Remind us that the reason You came is because we are sinners. Also, remind us that You came to set us free from bondage. May we be the lanterns that shine Your love throughout the world. May we be those who encourage and draw others in to Your presence. May we not be those who push them away. May we be quick to listen, slow to speak. Above all, may we put on love - love for You, which then filters down to love for others. Father, we know we need You each day. What a blessing it is that we have You. Please continue to heal us, mold us and strengthen our stance. This is Your day and You have great things for us to see and people for us to love. May we see and may we love. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
May we never think of ourselves too highly where we think we don't need Him every moment; but may we also not think of ourselves as someone unusable. May we think of ourselves as we really are - children in our Father's arms, sons and daughters being raised as kings and queens for His Kingdom. He has so much in store. May we wait patiently as we trust in Him to fulfill His will for us and may we not let go to our Father's hands. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 14, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 142:7 "Set me free from my prison, that I may praise Your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of Your goodness to me."
We may not be hiding from enemies in a cave, like David, but we may feel like we're stuck in a prison of fear, doubt, unbelief, struggle, discouragement, hurt... 'Father, silence the lies that what we may be hearing. Remind us that we have been set free by the blood of Christ. Remind us that no weapon formed against us will prosper. Remind us that You created us for a purpose, and that purpose is not to hide in a prison of fear, worry, shame, anger or doubt. You want to lift our burdens so that we can rise up, take this victory in our hands and share it with the world. You redeem! You save! You set free! Lord, break the bonds of fear and the clouds of doubt. You Are God. You Are the Almighty. You Are on our side. May we be on Yours as we lay down our weapons of the world and make the decision to fight with love. The world needs to hear of You, but we can't do our part if we are stuck in bondage. Lord, open our eyes to see that what we've been seeing as an immovable, unshakable mountain is not even a speck of dirt to You. May we trust in You to guide us through unafraid and full of hope, joy, peace, comfort and strength...because we have You with us. Thank You, Lord. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
We can choose to focus on our past, or we can focus on our future with Him. We can focus on what lies before us, or we can focus on who is beside us. We can focus on what we can't do, or we can focus on the fact that nothing is beyond Him. He has already broken the chains of death. He is already working on you now. There is nothing beyond Him. May we focus on Him today and allow His peace beyond understanding to wash over us as we give Him our fears, doubts and worries. Today is a day for joy. May we take it from His hands and share the light we've been made to shine. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 13, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 59:17 "O my Strength, I sing praise to You; You, O God, are my fortress and my loving God."
Just when I begin to get distracted, I am reminded that the strength I am searching for has been here all along, right in front of me...in His hands. 'Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness. Your grace never runs dry; Your love has no bounds. You continue to heal the sick, mend the wounded spirits and strengthen the weak. Lord, thank You! Thank You for the power You give us over the enemy in Jesus' name. When we may feel defeated, we can call on You and Your Spirit reminds us that we are more than conquerors. When we feel unloved, Your Spirit reminds us that before You formed us in the womb, You knew us. That we are precious in Your sight and created with purpose, that we are Yours. When we feel afraid, we call and You remind us that you did not give us a spirit of fear or timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. Father, thank You for all that You pour out. Thank You for Your well which never runs dry. Right now, may we praise You. May our hearts and souls cry out in thankfulness to the One who not only created us with purpose, but to the same One who has broken our chains, washed us clean and set us free - to the One who goes with us, before us and moves inside and through us. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
He is here. In our midst, He is with us. May we lay whatever it is down that is keeping us from fully taking hold of His love, healing and strength and just rest in His presence. May we breath in His Spirit and pour out our praise. May the enemy know that He cannot have us, for we are our Father's, The Lord of all. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 12, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Ecclesiastes 4:13 "A poor yet wise lad is better than an old foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction."
I could seek to gain the world, but at what cost would I go? Would I risk hurting others? Would we risk thinking we are too good for advice from peers that we don't turn to anyone for help? 'Father, as we seek what is important in life, I pray You reveal it to us. I pray that we see that it is not what we hold in our bank accounts, it is what holds our heart. Lord, may our desire for You trump any other desire. May we desire to increase what we have, but not simply for our own selfish gain. We should want You to expand our borders so that we can reach more people for You. I admit, it is easy to get caught up in who has what and how secure they are financially...but then You remind us, worldly things are fleeting. May what truly matters is that our hearts are fully secure in You, that we do not think we are too wise for counsel, but that we ache for Your continued direction. When You reveal where to go, may we go in love - loving those who we are doing life with, those we meet and do business with, those who we know and those we haven't yet had the pleasure of knowing. May we not forget why we are here. Continue to mold our hearts so that what we seek is more of You and less of ourselves. Then, our lives turn from what we can buy when we get this amount of money...to how much we can give to the ones who really need to be reminded of Your beautiful love. Thank You, Father for Your faithful provision. May we continue to come to Your table and feast off of the life and truth You have for us. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Having things isn't wrong, but if the desire for those things comes at the cost of showing God's love at the office, at home or in our daily travelings...we have to take a look at what we see as important. May we see how He wants us to see, with loving eyes. May we breath as He wants us to, not for ourselves, but because we realize this is His life and we just ask that He continue to allow us the beautiful opportunity to get to know Him more and get to share the life He gives us, with others. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 11, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Isaiah 40:28-29 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."
We may get weak and weary, but our Father never does. 'Lord, when we feel the world has placed too much on our shoulders, You remind us that You are our strength, our hope and our joy. We cannot fathom Your greatness. We cannot fathom what You have in store. We can, however, receive all that You offer every single moment: joy, hope, peace, comfort, rest, healing, strength, wisdom, grace, forgiveness and guidance. Father You are great, but You are greater than we think. May that and the fact that You, the Creator of it all, created us individually with beautiful purpose encourage us and lift our spirits out of whatever fog may be covering us. Father, clear the fog and may we see You. Lift any burdens and may we breath in Your precious peace. Thank You for this day, Lord. Thank You for this life. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
May we be reminded how great He is today. May we also be mindful that He loves us more than we could possibly imagine. May we rest in His truths and walk with confidence as we remember that the God of angel armies is by our side with everything we need to face this day. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
October 10, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Samuel 3:10 "Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' And Samuel said, 'Speak, for Your servant is listening.'"
He is calling us all, but not all of us are listening. 'Father, breach through whatever is keeping our ears from hearing You. You have great and incredible things to reveal to us, but we need to be receptive to hear You. Lord, open our ears. Put a stop to all the other chaos that we listen to and may we focus on what You are saying. Father, guide us, not by our emotions, but by Your truth. May we keep in Your Word so we are not swayed by earthly ideals. Father, You are calling. May we hear You and may our hearts break. May they be turned from what we thought, to what You command. Don't let us forget, this life is Yours. Lord, have it. This day is Yours in our life, so please, may Your work be done in us. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
He is always calling, we are not always listening. The beautiful thing is that His grace washes us clean of the past. What matters is what we do now. He is calling, may we listen. May we love those who don't even love us in return. May we forgive those who won't even admit they did anything wrong. May we shine for those who come across our path, not because we are wanting something for ourselves, but because we hear His call to shine a light in the darkness...and we choose to obey. It starts with our hearts. May He remake them. Have a great day in His love. I love you all.
October 9, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Romans 1:16 "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."
I used to think that being a believer meant I had to trade in a life of excitement and fun, in for a boring life. Lies...isn't that what the enemy is good at? 'Father, Your gospel brings life, strength, peace and healing. It breaths grace and forgiveness. It shows us this beautiful thing called compassion and redemption. I was dead. I was lost and believed there was nowhere to go, but then You spoke to me - 'You don't have to go anywhere to find what You're searching for. I am here. I have always been here. Let Me mend those wounds, dust you off and give You new life. You are mine. You are mine, My child...and I love you.' Father, this message is truth. Not a story written for the big screen to pack in theaters to watch, but a story of redemption where we live in it and are brought back to life through it. We have the beautiful blessing of being Your workmanship, created to shine the most beautiful light, Your love. Lord, help us to shine brighter as we learn to breath in all that You offer: grace, peace, forgiveness, healing, strength, wisdom and love. Lord, what a beautiful message of life. May we never be ashamed of it. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
For some reason, I use to think that sharing the Word was going to be burdensome, but that's exactly what the enemy wants us to believe. In truth, the Word and the message of Christ is the power of God for salvation of everyone who believes. It's what opens the eyes of the blind and reminds them that they are not who they once were, they are children of the King. This is our treasure. This is our blessing. We get to share this beautiful love and let His light shine through us. May we have a great day as we realize how incredible it is to have a Father, Savior, Friend and Healer - and how awesome it is that we can share His love with others. I love you all.
I used to think that being a believer meant I had to trade in a life of excitement and fun, in for a boring life. Lies...isn't that what the enemy is good at? 'Father, Your gospel brings life, strength, peace and healing. It breaths grace and forgiveness. It shows us this beautiful thing called compassion and redemption. I was dead. I was lost and believed there was nowhere to go, but then You spoke to me - 'You don't have to go anywhere to find what You're searching for. I am here. I have always been here. Let Me mend those wounds, dust you off and give You new life. You are mine. You are mine, My child...and I love you.' Father, this message is truth. Not a story written for the big screen to pack in theaters to watch, but a story of redemption where we live in it and are brought back to life through it. We have the beautiful blessing of being Your workmanship, created to shine the most beautiful light, Your love. Lord, help us to shine brighter as we learn to breath in all that You offer: grace, peace, forgiveness, healing, strength, wisdom and love. Lord, what a beautiful message of life. May we never be ashamed of it. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
For some reason, I use to think that sharing the Word was going to be burdensome, but that's exactly what the enemy wants us to believe. In truth, the Word and the message of Christ is the power of God for salvation of everyone who believes. It's what opens the eyes of the blind and reminds them that they are not who they once were, they are children of the King. This is our treasure. This is our blessing. We get to share this beautiful love and let His light shine through us. May we have a great day as we realize how incredible it is to have a Father, Savior, Friend and Healer - and how awesome it is that we can share His love with others. I love you all.
October 8, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 56:3-4 "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?"
Rain or shine, He is faithful. Rain or shine, He is with us. May we remember this and place our trust in Him. 'Father, when we become afraid, there is a choice to make. We can lean on our own understanding, which leads to worry, stress and more fear...or we can choose to place our trust in You. Sometimes I choose to worry. Not because I don't believe, but because I've been deceived. I've taken the bait as the master distractor gets my attention. Focusing on what I understand and keeping my eyes on the crashing waves leads me farther and farther from trusting in You. Forgive me. When we get afraid, I pray we hit our knees and ask for the strength and comfort we need. I ask for the confidence to say to the waves coming against us, 'Don't you know who my God is?! He is bigger than you. You try to destroy me, but my God will use this to strengthen me. I am not afraid.' Father, You are God. You have incredible plans for us. Plans not just here but for all of eternity. May our hearts and minds be focused on that and not any fleeting circumstance we may find ourselves in. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your presence. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Today is a beautiful opportunity, to let go of the worry we are carrying and learn to trust Him more than we have before. He is bigger than anything we will ever face. He is with us through everything we face. May we journey on and face what is ahead with our hand in His. Have a great day. I love you all.
Rain or shine, He is faithful. Rain or shine, He is with us. May we remember this and place our trust in Him. 'Father, when we become afraid, there is a choice to make. We can lean on our own understanding, which leads to worry, stress and more fear...or we can choose to place our trust in You. Sometimes I choose to worry. Not because I don't believe, but because I've been deceived. I've taken the bait as the master distractor gets my attention. Focusing on what I understand and keeping my eyes on the crashing waves leads me farther and farther from trusting in You. Forgive me. When we get afraid, I pray we hit our knees and ask for the strength and comfort we need. I ask for the confidence to say to the waves coming against us, 'Don't you know who my God is?! He is bigger than you. You try to destroy me, but my God will use this to strengthen me. I am not afraid.' Father, You are God. You have incredible plans for us. Plans not just here but for all of eternity. May our hearts and minds be focused on that and not any fleeting circumstance we may find ourselves in. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your presence. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Today is a beautiful opportunity, to let go of the worry we are carrying and learn to trust Him more than we have before. He is bigger than anything we will ever face. He is with us through everything we face. May we journey on and face what is ahead with our hand in His. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 7, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 19:14 "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
We are all driven, but by what? 'Lord, be with us. May we be driven, but driven by the right things - not fear, not by our own selfish ambition, but by Your love. May whatever we do be held to the quality as if we were going to present it to You. If we belittle one another, forgive us. Guide our hearts and our tongues away from criticism and self-defeating talk. What would the world look like if we chose to allow Your love guide our hearts and our actions? Bitterness would melt away. We would all encourage one another. We would spur each other on towards love and good deeds. This is what You call us to do, so may we do it. Silence the lies that say we cannot get ahead by turning the other cheek. We are given grace each day by You, yet it's hard for us to give it to each other. Lord, set our hearts back in line with You. May the words that we speak and the thoughts we hold on to be pleasing to You. Help us to take every thought captive and let go of the ones that set themselves against what You call us to do. You call us to love, so may we let go of everything that fights against our receiving and pouring out of Your love. Lord, this is Your day - have it and use us as Your instruments of peace, encouragement and love. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
We are to be driven, but if it is at the cost of someone else's well being, we need to take a look at what we are driven by. May we offer ourselves to Him and allow His heart to guide us today. It is a beautiful day. May we shine the light so that others and ourselves can see and experience the beauty that He places in our lives. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 6, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 89:15-17 "How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted."
Father, thank You. Thank You for reminding us what to do, keep You first. When the sun shines, praise You. When the clouds cover, sing to You in thanks. When the waters rise and the winds beat down, we shall praise You. When the land is barren and we look towards You with aching need of nourishment, may we praise You. It's not about our circumstances, it's about our company. You are with us and for us, our light and salvation, our hope and our strength. Lord, may we lift You up, higher than before. Lord, may we kneel down lower, lower than we've kept ourselves. Father, break our hearts for what breaks Yours. Create a passion in us that no cloud cover can dim, that no rain can extinguish. Create in us a pure heart that puts You above all others that we feel are too important to hand over to You. Father, this life is Yours and we offer it up. Take us, heal us, comfort us and bring us back to the place where we belong, in the shadow of Your wings with shouts of praise coming from the depths of our souls as we recognize who You are. You are God, the Creator of the very breath we breath. Lord, have it. May our hearts sing a beautiful song of praise as we enter Your presence. May we linger in it, live in it and allow You to be the most important company we ever keep. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
We don't have to prepare to come, we just need to come. He does the comforting. He does the healing. His spirit breaths the peace where chaos resides. May we welcome Him inside and thank Him for all He has done, all He is doing and for all that is up ahead. Have a great day of praise. I love you all.
October 5, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Romans 12:16 "Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation."
'Father, as we continue on in life, may we not become proud. As we continue to walk with You, may we not become too focused on us that we forget that we are in a body that needs to fellowship, build up, encourage, keep accountable. Help us to realize that we all need accountability. There is not a pinnacle that we reach where we no longer need to be held accountable by another believer. We need to realize that we are on the same journey to get to know our Shepherd better, to understand the love You have for us to pour out as well as receive. Love is not selfish, so may we not have the idea that others are lucky to have our friendship or that we are in their lives, but that we are the fortunate ones because You have placed such amazing people in our lives. Please help us to remember what this is all about. It's about You. It's not about what we've done or how important we think we are, it's about how important the body of Christ is and being able to see each other as family - family we encourage and love, family we can receive reproof from so that when we do get caught up in ourselves, we can except the correction because it is done in love. We don't take it as a personal attack, but as a brother or sister looking out for us, helping us guard our hearts from the world's deceitfulness. It's not about us, it's about You. Help us to see through Your eyes and treat the people in our lives better. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Before we take another step, may we be thankful for the life He's already provided. May we also not be too focused on our own steps that we neglect to see our brother or sister who is in need. It is our job to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. We have been called to love, so may we love. May that simple act of putting others first help us to see this journey as it really is, not as a competition, but as a marathon relay, helping others when they need it, and accepting relief when we need to pass the baton to someone else while we allow Him to heal us from our journey. We are not on this journey alone. May we reach out - to encourage and lift up, as well as to be encouraged and reminded of His love when we may have forgotten how beautiful it really is to focus on Him and not ourselves. Have a great day in our Father's arms and in our family's lives. I love you all.
October 4, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Exodus 4:10-12 "Moses said to The Lord, 'O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.' The Lord said to him, 'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, The Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.'"
Why do I doubt? Why do I fear that I will not be able to do what He has called me to do? Because I lose sight of what's really going on. 'Lord, remind us that it's not about us, it's about You. Remind us that You do not called the equipped, You equip the called. It is the enemy's job to get us focused on what we can't do, how unworthy we are to be used...It is Your beautiful love that reminds us it's not about anything we can or can't do, but about what You will do through us. You use the foolish things of this world to shame the wise. You've chosen the weak things of this world to shame the things which are strong. Lord, we are weak. Please use us. Our light is but one small flame, but use it to bring a brushfire of Your love to the world. Father, remind us You have created us with purpose, formed us with intricate care. Have this heart that beats inside and use this life for Your Kingdom. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
May we not forget who we are. We are children of the Most High King and precious in His sight. May we remember that His Spirit is here on this journey, to fill our empty cups with strength, joy and hope. This is His day, may we allow His work to be done in us as we shine a light that breaches through the darkness bringing God's love to the world. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 3, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Jude 1:21-22 "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life."
Every day should be like Christmas morning, anxiously waiting for what He has for us. 'Lord, when we wake, may we not be overwhelmed for what we will encounter; but may we become excited for what You have in store. Just as children wait expectantly around the Christmas tree anxious to receive their gifts, may we gather around Christ throughout our day, thankful for all that You have for us. As the day unfolds, You continue to give us gifts - some small, some we didn't even ask for but are so grateful to receive. Lord, this day is Yours. Help us to not lose sight of that. Help us to stay in Your love as we encounter what the world throws against us. May we not become impatient and decide to leave before the presents are brought out, because sometimes, in the waiting periods is when You really teach us and grow us. Lord, we are here, gathered around the tree, in Your presence, and we are excited for what You have for us. Continue to mold us, heal us, calm us and direct us as the day continues. As the day continues, may we remain in Your love. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
As we wait for His return, may we wait with joy because we know who is with us and what we have in store. May we wait with confidence because He who is with us has overcome the world. I pray we have a great day as He continues to present gifts of hope, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, self control and love. May we hold on to Him and pour out the blessings He gives. I love you all.
October 2, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 131:1-2 "Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me."
'Father, I need You. Even when I think I have it all under control, I need You. I pray for a heart that is not proud before You, or expecting/demanding that You give certain things. I ask that we come to You as a child comes to his mother, in absolute need for what You offer - trusting that Your will, will be done. So Lord, take our fears and worries and throw them into the sea. Quiet our stubbornness to want to take the reigns and help us to see You more clearly. You are not a ruthless ruler who cares not for his subjects...You are a loving Father who longs to provide for His children. Thank You, Father. Thank You for loving us as You do. Thank You for paying the price so that we may be with You forever. May today be a step closer to You as we lean on You for what we need: comfort, peace and healing, guidance, wisdom and strength. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
We could all plan out what we will do in our lives, what we can/will accomplish; but if we are not taking into account what He is wanting for us, we are building our house on the sand. May we lay a greater foundation on the Rock and allow Him to direct our steps. Steps not taken in fear, but in confidence that He is guiding us with love towards a future we can't possibly imagine. Have a great day. I love you all.
October 1, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Proverbs 17:14 "Starting a quarrel is like breaching a damn; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out."
When something happens, we always have a choice: react in the way we think we have the right to, or respond in love. 'Lord, what does it look like to respond in love? Love does not boast, it is not proud. It is patient and kind. It is not rude or self seeking. It keeps no record of wrongs. It protects, trusts, hopes and always perseveres...but why then do I do the opposite? Because I allow myself to be led by the flesh and not Your Spirit. Lord, forgive me. Forgive us. Help us to not just love You, but love others as we allow Your love to mold us. When we focus on Your love, we turn from wanting to prove we are right no matter what it takes, and we move towards wanting to understand how the issue arose in the first place, and how we can give Your grace instead. Lord, I have a problem with this, but I know that no thing in me is too great for You to chisel out. Mold us, Lord, and remind us to love. Retaliation just keeps the pain going, when we could have just allowed You to heal both of us. Lord, whenever we face situations where we have a choice to react or respond, I pray we walk in Your Spirit and allow Your love to be what pours out of our mouths...not the worlds coldness. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Sometimes the best way to stop an argument is to realize it's not even worth it to start. But even if one starts, we have a choice what we will do. I pray that today we allow His Spirit to not only guide us, but also to guard our hearts and tongues. This is a day to love. May we love. May we speak truth, but in love. May we understand that love covers a multitude if sins, we just have to chose if we will allow His love to be what guides us. We can't do it alone, but when we rest in Him, we can. Have a great day. I love you all.
September 30, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 146:1-2 "Praise The Lord. Praise The Lord, O my soul. I will praise The Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live."
Our hope is not in princes, but in the One who creates all mankind; not in our circumstance, but in the One who gives us each moment to learn through our circumstances; not in what we hold in our pockets, but in the One who gives us the provision that keeps us going. 'Father, every moment is an opportunity, an opportunity to get lost in the fog or found in Your love. When I allow my treasures on earth to be my source of hope, my kingdom crumbles because what we hold here fades. When we allow You to be our source of hope, Your Kingdom celebrates. Lord, our hearts realize that You are our joy and hope, healing and comfort, strength and defense...and our response is praise. May our burdens melt away as our hearts begin to praise You, not just by words but by living a life worthy of the calling we have received - a life resting in the Rock and nourishing on the Living Water that refreshes and renews. Lord, may this day be a day our hearts and voices say: 'Thank You! Father, thank You for this life. Have it use me as a light for Your Kingdom. Use this day to teach me more about how to love You and others better.' Thank You, Father. Thank You for a love that never fails and a joy that cannot be taken. May we cling to that love and remember that our joy is set in the immovable Rock that will never be shaken. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
May we have an incredible day as we realize that it's not what we face today that matters, it's how we will face it and if we will lean on Him to be our strength, guide, peace, comfort and joy through it. Have a great day of praise. I love you all.
September 29, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 139:23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
'Lord, search me. Help me to see what it is that is keeping me from enjoying the hope that I have in You. Reveal the areas where I lack trust, that get me overwhelmed with anxiety. Remind us that there is nothing to fear, because You are with us. Father, lead us to a deeper understanding of You: How You love, comfort, heal, strengthen. We don't want more of the world, we want more of You. May we live like it and cling to You as we breath in the life You have for us now. Right now, may our hearts rejoice, because the very One who created this world also created us. You took incredible care as we were on Your heart before You even formed us. I pray that we have teachable hearts that take Your lead. Lead us, Lord. Shine a light on the things that are hidden and may we allow You to mend us, mold us, make us new. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
We could pretend that everything is alright or we could just ask Him to heal us. He doesn't judge or condemn because we haven't trusted Him enough in the past, He just wants us to trust Him today. May He have this day and may our hearts sing a song of praise to the One who gives us life. This is the moment, to lay the burdens down and allow His love to guide us. Have a beautiful day in our Father's arms. I love you all.
September 28, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Matthew 8:21-22 "Another of the disciples said to Him, 'Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.' But Jesus said to Him, 'Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.'"
Like this disciple, I've wanted to wait to collect my 'inheritance' on earth before going all in to follow; but that's because I thought that the world offered things that He could not provide. 'Father, forgive us for waiting for something to happen before we give our all to You. We may believe in You, but we hold certain things back. We may believe that we need to keep certain things for ourselves. Father, our treasure is in Heaven and since we have so much to look forward to, may what we focus on be Your Kingdom, not ours. When our hearts shift to the point where we say, 'Lord, take this life and have it. Take this heart of mine and break it Lord for You,' You fill us with a joy that the world could never compare to. Lord, have us. Take our hearts and break them for You. May we see the things You say are important as important. May we care about what You care about. May we love more completely. Father, we ask that You reveal parts of us that are not pleasing to You. We ask that You refine us. Lord, may we follow You wholeheartedly and experience the absolute joy and hope that is found when we leave our worldly cares behind and follow You. Give us strength, give us peace. Give us healing and give Your light to guide our way. May we hold on to Your love and grace and be Your ambassadors today. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
He has soo much ahead for us, but there may be something keeping us from getting there now. May we take a deeper look at what we are keeping for ourselves and offer it up to Him. Fear, doubt, pride, struggles we just don't want to let go...He is bigger, He is greater. May we realize that there is soo much more to experience when we give Him our all. Have a great day. I love you all.
September 27, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. John 4:35-36 "'Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who does and he who reaps may rejoice together.'"
For whatever reason, we can find an excuse to put it off: 'I'm not ready.', 'I've got too many struggles to witness right now.', 'I've got too much on my plate and don't have the time.', 'I'll do it when I'm better off financially and I can better help someone out...' 'Lord, the list can go on and on when we try and rationalize that now is not the time to work in Your fields for the harvest; but You remind us, the fields are ready for harvest, we just need to take part. It's not about how ready we are, it's about whether we are willing to be used. You do the work, You just need willing hearts that want to shine for You, and then You go to work in us and through us. Lord, we need to remember that sharing Your love is not burdensome. It breaks chains, it sets captives free and brings the dead to life. When we share the love of Christ and we see You work in people's lives, we receive wages for that work. The payment is not money or fame, but an eternal joy because we see Your Kingdom growing. So Father, change our hearts from whatever we are focusing on that is keeping us from seeing those that need to hear about You today. The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few...but may we be the ones who take part and allow Your light to shine through darkness. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
It's not about us. It's never been about us. He can use us no matter where we are, He just wants His children to take part in the joy that is available. Loving as Christ loved/loves leaves a wake of joy, peace and strength. May we live in it and experience the beauty of walking with our Father. I pray we have a beautiful day as we realize the beauty of the love He gives and the beauty of sharing it with others. I love you all.
September 26, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Peter 1:6-7 "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
We have been born again to a living hope through Christ. May that be our focus. 'Lord, we will face trials. We will face situations we feel are unfair or unwarranted, but You remind us to shift our focus from the waves to You. Whatever we are facing, use it to teach us, build us up. Temper us through the storms we face so that we become more like Your Son. Continue to heal our hearts as they can become weary. Dry our tears from when we've been afraid. Remind us that You are doing something new and something great in us. Lord, You turn our wailing into dancing, our fear into hope. We have such a beautiful future ahead of us with You. May that excite us. May that embolden us as we face what we face each day. May we also be mindful that our future with You, starts with now. Have us. We let go more than we have before to the One who deserves it all. May we continue releasing our grip from wanting to keep some for ourselves and give You everything. Thank You for this hope. Thank You for this life. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
Every breath matters. Every moment is a gift. May we be mindful of that and keep our eyes on the Giver of that breath. He is with us and has beautiful plans for us. May we rest in His arms and allow His light to guide us, His love to flow through us and His strength to breath life back into our souls. Have a great day. May we shine for Him. I love you all.
Marco
September 25, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Habakkuk 2:3 "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and not delay."
'How much longer must I____? Does this really have to happen now?' 'Father, there will be times when we are either waiting for something to happen, or waiting for some storm to clear. What we need to do, what I need to do, is learn to trust You more. Father, I want what You have for me, but I want it all now. I neglect to realize that I may be holding on to something that is keeping me from that next step. Maybe it's fear, frozen because I've chosen to stare at the waves. Maybe it's a storm we are in and we need to be mindful of You tempering us through it so that we may be prepared for what You have ahead. Lord, whatever it is I pray that we trust You. I pray that we understand that You know what You are doing and that Your timing is perfect. While we wait, may we lean on You, allow You to get rid of the parts that are inhibiting our growth and allow Your strength to be made perfect in us. Lord, I often forget that this life I live isn't mine, it's Yours. May we rest in You as You continue to work in us, through us, and prepare us for what is to come. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
No matter where we are, He meets us just as we are. He wants to hold us, love us, heal us, build us up and lead us on in this journey to paradise. But we need to understand that paradise starts now as realize His presence is here to open our eyes and hearts to see in new beautiful ways and breath more deeply as He breaks down strongholds and releases us from the pressures this world likes to set on our shoulders. This day is His, we are His. May we be patient while we wait on Him and realize that no matter where we are, He has us here for a reason. May we ask Him to reveal it to us and allow His Spirit to do His work. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 24, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Romans 12:9-10 "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."
Love, what a beautiful thing. I pray we better understand what it really is by getting to know better the very One who showed the ultimate love for us as He came, lived, died and rose back to life. 'Father, break our hearts for each other. Help me to see with Your eyes and not my selfish spirit. Help us to be so caught up in experiencing You that we automatically pour out warmth, compassion, joy, encouragement... Father, break the chains of whatever we are choosing to cling to that is keeping us set on ourselves and may we cling to You. Breath in Your precious Spirit as we journey today, guiding us towards spurring each other on towards love and good deeds. No hidden agendas, not for what we can get out of it, but because that is what You've called us to do. Because we are allowing You to mold our hearts to desire more of what You want us to share, shine and pour out. Continue Your work in us and may we see the opportunities You place in front of us to shine, encourage and love, and may we love. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
This day is not about proving who's right, who's better, who's got the most power, it's about taking up our cross and letting His love guide us, no matter what waves may come against us. Love conquered death when Jesus' came, died and rose. Love conquers now as we choose to cling to the Vine which revives our hearts, strengthens our spirits and calms the seas inside. Today is a beautiful day. May we breath in the peace He has for us and may we pour out the love He never runs out of. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 23, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Matthew 9:27-29 "As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, calling out, 'Have mercy on us, Son of David!' When He had gone indoors, the blind men came to Him, and He asked them, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?' 'Yes, Lord,' they replied. Then He touched their eyes and said, 'According to your faith it will be done to you'; and their sight was restored."
We all have something we need healing from, but what lengths will we go to? How much will we believe that He can do? 'Father, we need You. We need You more than we realize. The incredible thing, is that You are right here. You are with us through the sunshine and through the rain. With us in the valleys and in the difficult terrain...and You have our provision in Your hand. Your provision of hope, joy, strength, peace, healing, renewal and clarity. May we come to You, Lord. Help us to believe more than before. Help us to lean on You and receive all that You offer. Lord, we believe. We believe what You have done and what You can do. We believe You will carry us through. Build us up and strengthen us. Have this day and use us. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
There will always be distractions, but when we believe He is the answer to our every need, we can't let anything stop us from reaching Him and receiving what He has for us. He is our loving and faithful Heavenly Father. He doesn't want us to be afraid of coming to Him for what we need. May we come, may we believe and may we receive what He has for us. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 22, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 138:3 "When I called, You answered me; You made me bold and stouthearted."
We need to remember, He's here. We need to remember, He always listens. We need to remember, He has everything that we will ever need. 'Father, wherever we are, whatever we are going through, may we not be afraid to call. May our hearts pour out in earnestness. May we empty our requests and needs at Your feet and rest in the peace You provide. Lord, sometimes we just need to cry out. Right now, may we cry out. We need You, Lord and we ache for Your comfort. We ache for Your presence, healing and strength and we are so thankful that it is all here this very moment. May we call out and may we receive. May our very next breath be filled with Your peace, comfort and strength. Continue to set us free in new and beautiful ways, Lord. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
When we call, He listens. When we are weak, He is our strength. May we rest in His beautiful peace and enjoy the beauty right on front of us. I love you all.
Marco
September 21, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
When we think about what was done to us, we can carry the wrong attitudes. When we think of what was done For us, on the Cross, everything else falls into its rightful place, under His grace. 'Lord, Help us to better understand Your grace. The most beautiful love that looked past what we have done, because His blood has taken the place we deserved. But why then do I hold grudges? Why do I harbor bitterness? Lord, overtake my sinful spirit and flood it with Your grace. I want more of You and less of me. I want to love as You love. I want forgive as You forgive. I want to pour out the beautiful love that You pour into us. Lord, pour into us and may this love change the way we live, love, work. Help us to see with Your eyes. Help us to love with Your heart. Help us to look past what we want and think we deserve and focus on what we can give, and we can give something so beautiful. Your love conquers, covers and heals. It forgives, comforts and encourages. Lord, we want this beautiful thing called grace to be more evident in our lives. Open the floodgates of Your love and may it wash over us. May it break down any stronghold that we may be carrying that is keeping us from loving as You love, that is keeping us from forgiving as You forgive. Create in us a pure heart. Lead us down this beautiful hallway of peace, towards Your beautiful window of love. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Christ's precious name, amen.'
Sometimes it's not just others that we need to love better. Sometimes, we need to realize His love didn't just cover other people's sins, but also ours. It seems, I am the hardest one for me to love. Hardest to forgive. But once we focus on His grace, our perception will change. When we start believing we are His, His precious workmanship created with a purpose for His Kingdom, we start to lay down the bitterness, resentment…and pick up His grace and love - for others but also for ourselves. I pray we take a step forward today and forgive someone we haven't yet. I pray we lay down any weapons of hurt, anger, bitterness or pride and start to fight the world's coldness with Heavens beautiful Love. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 20, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
If I continued on in life with no one to keep me accountable but myself, I would be doing great in my own eyes, but I would never be challenged as He wants me to be. 'Lord, I find excuses. I rationalize to myself that my way of doing things is right. With no one to correct me when I veer down my own selfishness, I will not grow. This is why You have called us to more. You have called us to build each other up, to encourage each other to continue forward in our journey. You don't want us to just stay in our comfortable exercises of repetition, but to be challenged in new ways, being reminded to take inventory of how we are reacting in certain situations. We need to spur each other on towards love and good deeds, keeping each other accountable by using the Word as our foundation and not our opinions. Lord, help us to lay down our pride and allow ourselves to be challenged by fellow believers. Sometimes I pull away, isolating myself; but I realize that, that is sometimes because I don't want to be called out and have to admit that I may not be handling a certain situation like I should. Lord, help us to band together as we understand that this is not a picnic, this is a war. May we band together and build each other up. As we walk with You, may we latch arms with our brothers and sisters and be that accountability that we know we need. Remind us that hiding is only keeping us from growing as You want us to. You want us to be strong, to be able to withstand heavy winds and harsh environments. May we do that by relying on You and surrounding ourselves with others that will help us to not stay in our comfortable ways of thinking, but to push us forward towards allowing You to chisel us into armies of righteousness for Your Kingdom. Thank You for the body of Christ. Thank You for the Word. Thank You for the One who came and paved the way so that we may have life. Thank You for strengthening us the way You do. May we continue to allow You to do that through Your Word and through accountability. We love You. In Jesus' precious name, amen.'
We are not meant to go at it alone. We need to be able to be vulnerable and say, 'I need help. Will someone help me to keep striving in the right direction? Will you help me in preparing to stand in this army against the darkness? Will you help me as I shine for our Father's Kingdom and not my own?' It is a beautiful thing how iron sharpens iron. It is also a beautiful thing to be able to accept reproof, done not to say someone is better than another or in judgement, but to open our eyes to certain areas of our lives where we may have become a little too lax, areas where we may be holding ourselves back from really growing as we should be. May we reach out and be willing to be held accountable, not just by Our Father, but also by our fellow soldiers in the faith. May we have a great day as we lean not on our own understanding, but trust in the One who has our best interest at heart. I love you all.
Marco
September 19, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Job 8:21 " He will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy."
Sometimes we get to places in life where we feel the farthest from laughing, especially shouting for joy, but that's because we may need to do a heart check and figure out what's really going on inside. 'Lord, I get distracted. I allow what happens to me affect the joy I have in You. What's worse, is that I have a tendency to hold on to that fear and doubt, anger or hurt…and dwell in it. Forgive us, Lord. Now, I can hear You, 'Let go, My child. Let go of the anger and hurt. Let go of the fear, because I am with you. Let go of the things that keep you from enjoying the blessings I provide. Let go of the things keeping you from enjoying Me. Remain in Me. Remain in My love.' Father, thank You for how You bring things into perspective. You work in our hearts in a way that brings tears to even the hardest of hearts, not because You condemn…but because You love, comfort, redeem, revive, heal, strengthen, forgive…You remind us that we are Yours, that we are set apart and precious in Your sight, heirs to Your Kingdom that does not fade, but endures for eternity. Father, when we remember, when we really get a hold of who You are and who we are in You, we are able to be thankful in all circumstances. We are able to rejoice even in the storms, not because we choose to ignore what we're going through, but because we are choosing to focus on the One who saves, the One who brought us back to life. Lord, continue to open our eyes. Continue to take away the veil the world has taught us to look through which just so happens to keep us from seeing the multitude of reasons to rejoice. Thank You, Lord. We love You. In Your Son's precious name, amen.'
Today is a day to be thankful. We may be facing things that seem too big to look past; but we need to understand it's not really about looking past or around the storms in our lives, it's about realizing who is with us through them. It's about understanding the very things we ache for: healing, restoration, clarity, revival, renewal…are in the palm of His hands, and His hands happen to be right in front of us. Today, may we take His hand and allow His peace to cover us, His joy to infiltrate all the reasons/lies the world tells us that we shouldn't have joy. But we have Him. We are His. We are made new by the blood of Jesus and we have His Spirit with us this very moment. This is a moment to celebrate. May we celebrate it by taking His hand and gripping it harder than before. This is a beautiful day, may we enjoy it in His arms. I love you all.
Marco
September 18, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 85:6-7 "Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us salvation."
If there is a question He will provide…He will. The real question, is will we come to Him with the realization that He has what we need to be awakened. 'Father, so often we get sidetracked. We may get excited about You in certain moments, but then the waves crash. They may stay longer than we expected , so the world sees us in our weariness and tries to attack. Our light begins to dim as we get worn down by the many worries of this world. Lord, revive us. Remind us that this is not our home. Remind us that there is something soo much greater ahead. Remind us that no matter what waves we are facing, You have something for us to learn through them. That Your plans for us are to prosper and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future. Lord, our hope is not in fading things, it is in You - the One most beautiful and perfect Gift. Lord, we may be weary. We may be overwhelmed. We may have just been staring at the waves for too long and we forgot that Your hand is right in front of us reaching out this very moment. May we hear You call us, 'Come, My child. Let Me guide you today. Let My peace lift your head of despair and allow My strength to carry you through. Remember I am with you. Remember I am here. I've never left. I want to give you things beyond what you can imagine. Let My hope be what you see, especially when the world tries to tell you there's nothing to hope for. Let My strength carry you, especially when your mind thinks that you cannot continue on. My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness. Please take My hand. Take My hand today. Let Me bring you back to life.' Lord, we are here. Our hearts cry out and we receive You. May we take Your hand today and allow You to open our eyes to see You clearer. Open our hearts to breath You in a little deeper. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Your Son's precious name, amen.'
There is no question whether He can lead us to a new and brighter hope. I pray that we take His hand today and allow His strength to be made perfect in our weakness. That His beautiful light sparks an everlasting glow inside of us that continues to shine, build and pour out into a darkened world. May we have a beautiful day today as we see His hand reaching out right in front of us, and as we take it, may His peace cover us and His strength lead us on. I love you all.
Marco
September 17, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Luke 12:24-25 "Consider the ravens: they do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Of all the time we spend worrying, how incredible would it be to just spend that time in our Father's arms? 'Father, I spend so much time and energy…on the wrong things. You promise, and You always deliver; yet I all too often rest on my own understanding and start to worry. Help us to see that for what it is…a battle tactic from the enemy. The more time we spend worrying about when we will get 'this' and when 'that' will happen, the less time we have to spend with our Provider, You. Lord, take away the distractions. Wash them away as Your presence is made known to us. Slow us down so that we notice that You've never left. You are right here, this very moment. Envelop us with the joy that comes from the realization that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, is available to us. That the same hands that formed all of the earth in all it's beauty, knows us by name - and not only knows us intimately, but formed us with the most incredible care we could never imagine. You know where we are and You know what we need. Lord, I ask that You lift the fog of distraction from us this very moment. May we not be too concerned with what will happen tomorrow that we neglect the incredible blessing You have for us right now. You have peace, the most beautiful peace we can never understand. You have it in Your hands. You have that and everything else we will ever need, so may we rest in Your arms and allow our focus to be as it should be, directed on You. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Your Son's precious name, Amen.'
There are many ways to spend this moment. I pray we spend it in awe and wonder, not worry and fear. In thankfulness and joy, not doubt and uneasiness. This is His day and He knows what we need. May we continue to rest in Him and just allow Him to continue to provide for us just like He always has. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 16, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 16:11 "You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures in Your right hand."
'Father, thank You for this reminder. It's not necessarily about what we do, it's how we do it. I could have the best job in the world, but if I did it in anger, bitterness - if I tore people down instead of building up…what kind of light would I be shining? Lord, You lay out Your path and it's not always about what job to work at and what to do, but it is how we are to do it. To work as if we are working for The Lord. When we remember that we are Yours, we realize that it's not our kingdom to build, but Yours. It's not to be done in anxiousness or worry, but done in thankfulness. We have You. Lord, we have You…and in Your hands are pleasures beyond anything this world could ever offer. In Your presence, all fear, doubt, worry…melts away. Lord, melt away everything keeping us from enjoying the life You've given us right now. No situation is bigger than You. No storm is too big that You cannot deliver us from. Sometimes, it's the storms You use to get us to remember that it's not the situations that should define our joy, it is You. So may we rest in You and allow Your presence to enter our hearts and our thoughts. Make a home in us and may we be overwhelmed at the thought of having the Lord of the universe go with us as we live out this beautiful gift You've given us in today. Lord, thank You. We love You. All in Your Son's name, amen.'
May our sight be restored as we see, not with our eyes, but with His heart. May His love guide us and move through us today no matter what we have on our schedule, no matter who we meet, no matter what words are said. This is His day, may we live it with Him and for Him. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 15, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Hebrews 4:16 "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
As we come to Him, may we remember, He created us, loves us, cherishes us and longs for us to be with Him. 'Father, as we prepare to come before you, may we be mindful of who You are. You are the One who created it all. You are also the One who came to save us. The One who went through more than we could ever imagine. The same One who knows how we are tempted and how the world can come against us. You are also the One who has exactly what we need in the palm of Your hands. Even now, You are reaching out, beckoning us to come. Lord, may we come. May we come as we are and just empty the cups we've been carrying. We empty our worries and fears, our hurts and our insecurities as we ask for Your Spirit to refresh us. In Your presence is fullness of joy, so may we rest in it. In Your presence is where we find clarity and release of all the confusion the world tries to bring against us. Right now, may it all melt away as the warmth of Your love covers us. Cover us and may we rest in our Father's arms. Fill us with the most beautiful of joys and may our hearts reply in thankfulness. Thankful that we have new life, saved from what once was so that we can be with You for eternity. Father, You are our Hope and our Joy. You are our Peace and our Refuge. You are our Rock and our Strength. Right now, may our hearts sing a new song of praise. Thank You for all the ways You love us and how You bring us to life. Bring us back into a clearer focus of You and the beautiful blessing it is to have You in our lives. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
The moment has come. This is it. May we open our hearts and allow Him in deeper than before. May His presence overwhelm us as we realize He will never leave, He will never stop loving us, He will never let us go. This is a day to be thankful. May we draw closer to Him and allow our hearts to breath more of Him in. Have a great day. I love you all.
MarcoSeptember 14, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 138:8 "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O Lord, endures forever - do not abandon the works of Your hands."
The harder we cling to our plans, the more anxious we will be. We have to get to the place where we welcome His plans whether they fit into what our idea of what our life should be or not...because His plans are so much greater than ours. 'Father, my plans may fail, but Yours don't. My ideas of what is good for me don't come close to what You know is good for me. Lord, have us. Use our lives for Your Kingdom and not ours. We want more of You and less of the selfishness that gets in the way. You have incredible plans, and You always follow through. We trust that You will use our situations now to bring us that much closer. Closer to You, and closer to what You have for us. May we continue to seek You and learn to trust You more each day. Lord, this day is Yours. Have Your way in us and lead us on, to a life of thankfulness as we keep our eyes on our Loving Father, Faithful Friend, Redeeming Savior, Mighty God, Holy One. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
He who began a good work in us is not finished. May we spend some time in thankfulness that we have been set free, we are made new. We are being raised as kings and queens for a beautiful eternity with our Creator...and it starts now. May we hold on to Him today and trust that He will continue to mold us as we continue to allow Him to have more of our lives. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 13, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. John 17:20-21 "'My prayer is not for them alone, I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.'"
We all have a journey, but we need to remember its not just about us, it's about those who need to hear of the One who came to save and set us free. 'Lord, there are moments when I get so focused on me. How I'm doing, how I'm reacting to things. Then, You speak to us through a message like this and convict me as You pray not just for us, but for those who will come to know You through the message we live out. Father, thank You for switching the focus. Yes, we need to continue to grow, absolutely...but we need to get out of our own situations and realize that there are others in situations themselves. I may think that I'm in a tough spot, but there are those that may be dealing with something far greater, and they may not know that they have a Savior, a Healer, a Deliverer. It is our job to shine and pour out Your love, hope, joy and strength to a world who doesn't know it's even available. We have a precious treasure in You, may we share it with those we come across. May we let our light shine. A simple encouraging word, a smile, a helping hand. Sometimes just saying a prayer and letting them know they are not forgotten. Father, thank You for loving us the way You do and for providing the words to say when we need to say them. May we rest in You and allow Your Spirit to be what we choose to pour out. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
It is incredible when I think of Christ praying for us. Not only for us, but for the ones who will be saved through the message we choose to convey through our lives. I pray we go today, not focused on what the world has to give us...but what light we can shine into the world. May His love move in us and through us and may we change someone's world today by showing them the love of Christ. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 12, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 84:1-2 "How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of The Lord, my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."
'Lord, I long for so many things, to have money for 'this' and time for 'that.' When I don't get them, I find myself losing grip on the joy I had. Lord, may our joy not be set on things, but on You. When we ache for something to give us rest, joy, hope, strength...may we realize its got to be about You. If I ache for something may it be Your presence. May we then remember, You are here. Since You are here, we ask that You help us to desire the things of this world less and desire more of You. How lovely it is to dwell in Your presence, Lord - where peace flows like a beautiful stream, where the most comforting warmth covers us no matter what the outside weather may be. Lord, we ache. We ache for more of You. Reside in us and build the flame that You have instilled inside. May we feel Your warmth begin to rise in us as we turn our thoughts to the Cross, our hearts to Your love and our eyes to Your hand reaching out for us to come. Lord, we come. We come and receive the peace You offer, the strength You provide. May this day be a day we ache for You more than before. When we realize You are here, may our hearts experience a joy that cannot be defeated. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
Many things will attempt to steal the joy we have in Him. When we realize that the only thing that lasts is Him, any temporary waves really start to lose their hold on us. It's not the waves that define our hope and joy, it's the God we rest in through the sunshine and the rain. May we rest in Him and experience this day the way we were meant to...with Him as our Guide, our Hope, our Strength, our Peace. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 11, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
When I journey going by my own strength and understanding, I get overwhelmed. I get weak and then I tend to allow my circumstances to define my attitude. 'Lord, may this not be the case for us today. Before we take another step, remind us of Your presence. Remind us that the waves we face are not bigger than You. Remind us that in Your hands are everything we will ever need. Remind us that holding in the pressures of this world will never do us any good. May we lay it all down and grasp tightly to the love that saved us. The enemy doesn't know what to do with love, so may we confuse him as we respond in love. We are all here together. May we see each other through Your eyes and allow our responses to not be based on what our situations are making us feel, but based on Your Spirit that breaths through us no matter what circumstance we face. Bring us peace, bring us joy. Bring us healing and bring us relief. Unlatch the pressure that the world is placing on us and may we breath unrestricted as we allow You to take over. Let Your love reside in us and may Your presence guide us in peace. Guide us, Lord. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
May we realize what we are here for - not to gain more trinkets and trophies, but to get to know our Father better and help show the world that He cares, saves, forgives, makes new. When we focus on that, we allow His love to guide us to a more beautiful mindset. This day is not about what happens to us, it's about allowing His love to renew us, strengthen us, heal us and shine through this beautiful blessing we've been given, our life. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 10, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
I find myself anxious and afraid when I focus on everything, everything but Him. We are reminded, that's not how He calls us to live. 'Lord, You have given us life. You have saved us from a life of death so that we may be with You for eternity. You don't want us to live burdened by temporary waves. You don't want our breaths to be constricted by worry. You want us to trust that You are in control. So right now, we give You our worry. We lay down our anxiety and fear. We ask that we not only learn to walk in Your presence, but breath in Your beautiful Spirit. Allowing Your comfort to make a home on the inside, prepares us for when we are attacked by waves on the outside. Prepare us and wash over us, Lord. We love You and thank You for this day, Father. In Jesus' name, amen.'
When we run for answers, may we run to Him. When we seek comfort, may we rest in His arms. When we forget who goes with us, may we take a deep breath and remember that The Lord of Hosts is with us - to guide us, strengthen us, heal us, comfort us and fill us with joy. May we have a beautiful day as we cast our fears on Him and may His peace overcome any chaos that the world may bring our way. His peace always wins, may we rest in it. I love you all.
Marco
September 9, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 68:19-20 "Blessed be The Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation. Selah. God is to us a God of deliverances; and to God The Lord belong escapes from death."
Like the ultimate loving Father that He is, He daily watches over us, aches to guide us and heal us of the wounds we may have picked up along the way. He is our rescue and our hope. 'Lord, everyday we are faced with obstacles. Choices that will lead us closer to You or keep You at a distance. I pray we come closer than before, asking that Your peace falls over us. That we do not react to what happens to us in a fleshly way: with impatience, insensitivity, selfishness, pride...but that we respond in love. You have delivered us from the curse of death and brought us to life to be with You for eternity, You can deliver us from our own sinfulness that causes our light to not shine as it should. Deliver us today and may today be a day we walk with loving eyes, searching for a way not to serve our own interests, but to serve others. Lord, You are the God who saves, heals, comforts, strengthens and guides. May we rest upon You and Your many blessings today and may we see this day as it truly is, an incredible blessing to get to know You better and to shine the light brighter so the world sees Your faithfulness. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.'
The sun will shine and it's warmth with fill the earth. What is important is that we allow Him to open our hearts and eyes to see His Son shining and His warmth filling our hearts and lives. He is our Rock and our salvation, may we rest in Him and allow His strength, peace, grace, healing and love carry us through today. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 8, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. John 7:38 "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.'"
'Father, I am thirsty. I need more of You and less of me. Sometimes we seek to quench our thirst for security in finances, in a position. Security and hope in a relationship or in material things. I pray You open our eyes to see that what we thirst for can only be truly quenched by You. A hope that cannot be taken away, a truth that cannot be smothered with any number of lies - but we must remain in You, attached to the Vine so that Your Spirit flows freely through us. Lord, we are thirsty. We come to You now and ask that You revive us. Lift the burdens we've been carrying and may we drink of Your joy, Your peace, Your strength, Your grace. Lord, we come. Pour into us and re-fan the flame inside. We come to You in thankfulness and in awe. We come to You realizing it is You that we need. Thank You for being our never ending provision of healing, strength, peace and life. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
May all who are thirsty, come and drink. May all who are weak be renewed. This is such a beautiful day, may we spend it refreshed as we allow His Spirit to flow in us and through us. May our hearts rejoice today for we are His, and we have Him wherever we go. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marc0
September 7, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Romans 5:6-8 "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
This is it! Christ died, not because we did anything, but because He loved us - and He still loves us. He knows our weaknesses, that's why He longs to be our strength. 'Lord, thank You for sending Your Son for us. You demonstrated true love by offering life to those who didn't deserve it. Now, let us live a life worthy of a child of God. Let us seek You, listen to You...and follow You. There is no greater time to turn to You than this moment. Direct our paths and move in us, Lord. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
Let us take a step back, breath and remember God loves us. He loves you! Let's listen to the One who cares enough about our eternity to die for it. If we are lost or confused, let us hit our knees and ask for wisdom. He is here to give it. May we seek His presence and have a beautiful day. I love you all.
Marco
September 6, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Corinthians 15:52 "We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."
It's easy to get so caught up in what's happening now and forget how incredible it will be when He comes back. 'Father, may we be mindful of what is ahead. The trumpet will sound and we will experience You like never before. It will be breathtaking, awe inspiring. It will be the ultimate picture of beautiful. May this truth of what we have to look forward to change the way we look at our situations now. This is just temporary. This is just preparation. So may we spend this time wisely, in thankfulness. May we realize that this is a precious time, not just to get to know You better, but to point others to You as well. We have been given this beautiful gift of salvation. We need to hold on to it, allow Your love to change us and allow Your light to shine through us so that the world may know how great You are. It's not about us. It's not about what situations we are facing. It's about recognizing that we don't face anything alone. It's about understanding that the Creator of the universe, You, cherishes us beyond what we can ever fathom. Change our hearts and renew our minds to refocus on You. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
What a beautiful blessing we have in this very moment. May we take a moment and realize how great He is and how awesome it will be when He comes back to bring us home. May we also realize that His Spirit is here in our circumstances, that we don't have to wait to receive from His Spirit. He is here and has exactly what we need to not only get us through whatever we are facing, but also to help us face it with confidence, strength, hope and joy because this, this is just momentary - our life with Him, is eternal. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 5, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 "However, as it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God."
We think we know, but we have no idea. We can imagine all we want, but when His plans come for us, no imagining compares to what He has in store. 'Father, breath into us right now. Remind us that what You have is far greater than what we could ever imagine. Eternity with You will be beyond words, but I pray that we understand You are not only speaking of when You come back for us. You have soo much for us right now. Your Spirit is here this very second with all that we will ever need. May we stop clinging to the worldly things that we are and cling to You harder. May we allow Your Spirit to guide us and lift the fog that we may be trying to see life through. Clear the worry and stress. Clear the fear and anxiousness. Clear the need to see a way out of any situation and may we just follow Your lead, journeying in love, one step at a time. Walking with You through whatever we face, trusting in Your hand to lead us, Your Light to reveal our path, Your strength to bring our dry bones to life. Thank You, Father. Thank You. Bring us closer to You so that we experience more of what You have right now. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
There is so much more for us, even now. I pray we allow His Spirit to envelop us, to move in us and through us. I pray we can grasp that we are His and that He longs to provide for His children. May we come and receive the goodness, the peace, the strength, the healing, the joy and hope He has for us now. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 4, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. John 15:5 "'I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, apart from Me you can do nothing.'"
'Father, thank You for being our Hope, our Rock, our Strength, our Joy our Healer, our Provider, our Savior, our God. Thank You for providing what we need and calming our spirits when the world tries to cause us chaos. Right now, remind us to cling to You. You are the vine and in order to receive the nourishment You have for us, we must stay connected to You. When I go my own way, I know it. I become more anxious and afraid, uptight and critical, my mind wanders in areas it should not go. Father, I become drained. May we notice whenever we do this and may we turn back to You and hold tightly to our Loving Father, Faithful Healer, Living Hope, Redeemer and Giver of Life. Our Mighty God. Lord, when the world tries to distract us, please remind us to stay connected to You, so that Your Spirit may flow through us - breathing life, grace, healing, forgiveness, hope, joy and direction in us. Thank You, Father. We love You and need You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
It it hard to sustain when we rely on something that is not planted firmly in Him. May we trust in Him, lean not on our own understanding, acknowledging Him in all our ways. May we receive His Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. May we remain in Him and allow His love to guide us, His joy to lift our heads and His strength to carry us through. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
September 3, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Peter 3:15-16 "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
'Lord, set our hearts on fire. Remind us of the incredible hope that we have through Christ. May this flame burn through any misguided thoughts that seem to contend with Your Word. We are new creations, set apart. We are Yours, sons and daughters being raised as kings and queens. Allow that truth to be written on our hearts and as we hold on to it, may our joy be lifted and poured out to others. There is a reason we to be thankful, so may we be thankful. There is a reason we should not be afraid, because You are with us. There is a reason we should choose to love others, because You first loved us. Thank You, Father. Continue to build that flame inside us and may our day become brighter as we hold on to You and share our hope with others. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
This is a day to let our light shine. If we feel like its dim, may we ask Him to renew it and revive us. May we not hide in the corners or stay quiet because of hesitation. His love is to be received and shared. His love changes lives, so may we allow His love to change lives as we allow His light to shine through ours. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
Good morning brothers and sisters. 2 Corinthians 5:18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Lord, help us to focus on what is important, You. I could choose to focus on 'this' problem or 'that' situation...or I could focus on the incredible moment, when we see You face to face. May that thought encourage us to persevere. May it also remind us that You are here with us now. We may not always pay attention, but You are here amidst every storm, every wave. You are with us amidst the pain and the uncertainty; so may we rest on the absolute unshakable Rock for our foundation, strength and healing. May our eternity with You be a light that we fix our eyes to. When we do that, may we be mindful that eternity with You starts now - walking with Your Spirit, breathing in Your strength, peace, comfort, grace, forgiveness, healing and love. Carrying the hope that cannot be taken or taken back. Through Your Son, we have life. We have a new beginning, and this moment we have an incredible opportunity - we can choose to focus on waves, worries, anxieties...or we can choose to focus on the hand that You are reaching out to us this very moment. 'Come to Me. Come to Me. I will give rest, I will give you life. Keep Your eyes on Me. I love You, My child.' Thank You, Father. Thank You for always being our reason to sing. We love You. In Jesus' name, Amen.'
A choice stands before us and a hand is reaching out. I pray that we take a hold of the hope we have in Him and allow His promises to invigorate us, bringing us to life, transforming our thoughts and reactions to not be based on the storms we face, but based on the incredible future that we have with Him. It starts now. May we rest in Him and enjoy this beautiful blessing that is called today. I love you all.
Marco
September 1, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
'Lord, wash us. Cleanse our hearts from anything that we've been carrying. We lay our worries, fears, anxieties down. Lift the burden we've been carrying from this arduous journey. Renew us and bring our spirits to life. Hold us in the warmth of Your embrace and may it drive out the coldness the world may have brought inside. Lord, may the time we spend not be spent worrying or fearing, picking and criticizing...but may it be spent praising and worshiping, loving and being thankful for this beautiful gift of salvation that we should never take for granted. May it be a constant reminder that we are not only loved and cherished, but we are made new through the blood of Your Son. Hold us now and cleanse us from the inside out so that what we pour out is thankfulness...thankful that we have another opportunity to receive what You have for us and love as You love. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
It's not about what has been done to us: by the world, by others or by ourselves...it's about coming to Him and allowing His Spirit to dwell inside of us focusing on what is before us - a loving Father, faithful Friend, perfect Healer, enduring Strength, calming Comfort, everlasting Hope. May we have a beautiful day being reminded of the beautiful One who cleanses us, makes us new, revives us to a new beginning. May we begin this day centered on what is right, Him. I love you all.
Marco
August 31, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Proverbs 16:16 "A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great."
May our hearts be in a place of giving, not receiving. 'Lord, help us to see beyond ourselves and give. Not just coldly buying things with no purpose but just to 'buy' the person's love, but to offer things from the heart. Help us also to see gifts as not just 'things' either. Gifts of time and intentionality, offering ourselves for someone else and not just us. Lord, we don't have to have money to give gifts, sometimes the best 'gifts' are those things you cannot buy. So today, may we give gifts of love, joy, hope, peace, comfort, grace, encouragement. Break down any strongholds that are keeping us focused on wanting to get, and lead our hearts to give. Pour into us today so that we can pour out to others. Thank You for the ultimate gift of salvation, bought, not with money, but with Your Son, with love. May our hearts follow the example and put others first. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' name, amen.'
Today is a gift, may our hearts receive it as a blessing and pour out thankfulness as we love others better than we did yesterday - smiling bigger, holding closer, listening deeper, forgiving quicker...loving always. It is such a better day when we choose to love as He loved, to serve as He served, to live intentionally with a love that breaks down barriers of bitterness and hurt, that warms the cold and broken hearted, that brings hope to the weary and afraid. Today, may we love, and may we enjoy the benefits of allowing Him to shine through us. We get to spend time with Him. Now, may we share what He gives us - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...with others. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 36:8-9 "They feast on the abundance of Your house; You give them drink from Your river of delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light."
'Lord, thank You for allowing us, Your children, to rest in the shadow of Your wings. Thank You for being the very provision that brings us life. Right now, help us to see that when we spend time with You, we are choosing to drink from the river of Your delights and not the world's empty promises which only leave us more thirsty than when we came. In You is where we truly live. Living in a hope that cannot be shaken, walking with a peace that waves can threaten, but cannot steal when we keep our eyes on You. Moving forward with strength as we allow Your strength to be made perfect in our weakness. Lord, this is a day to celebrate. May we celebrate it. Celebrate the joy we have in You, the living hope that we are Yours and have an eternity to spend in thankfulness. Father, realign our focus for a day of worship. Worship as our hearts sing a song of life, of love, of joy, of being set free. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
This day is special. It is the day we've been waiting for. To ask and receive. To knock and find that His door is open. To listen and truly hear that we are His, we are loved, we are washed clean through Christ, we are made new by the One who has everything we need. What a beautiful day we have. May our hearts sing and may our joy pour out into whoever we come across today. I love you all.
Marco
Good morning brothers and sisters. Proverbs 21:21 "He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness and honor."
'Father, we are all running after something. When I don't get the 'thing' when I think I deserve it, I can lose my good attitude...because I may be seeking that 'thing' harder than I am seeking You. Forgive me. Forgive us. Help us to remember that through You, we find life. Through understanding that the heart that saved us on the cross is the heart that we are called to have. May Your Son's love dwell in us. May it make a home and may it break down the walls of self reliance. It is You we need to rely on, it is You we should be pursuing. Sometimes we can lose sight of the love we're suppose to be living out because our focus is too set on whether we understand why the waves are here, how much longer will they be here, how can we avoid the waves in the future - when we should be focusing on how we will grow from the waves, being thankful for another opportunity to trust You without needing and explanation. Lord, we love You and we need You today. May we pursue You more than some earthly crown or thing. Your love is what saved us, Your love is what matters. Help us to live in it and live it out through our journey today, working with excellence, grounded in Your love. Thank you. In Jesus' name, amen.'
It was Christ's love that made the difference. May that be our pursuit, to love the ones we come in contact with and purposely pursue Him through whatever we do. May we have a beautiful day as we see through His eyes and love with His incredible, unselfish love. I love you all.
Marco
August 28, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Hebrews 12:11 "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
I can choose to complain about my circumstances or I can choose to ask Him to teach me/train me through them. 'Father, there are areas in our lives where we wish we could just get past, but there is an important choice we have to make. This is the time for us to allow Your strength to be made perfect through our weakness. May we choose to not just trek through this terrain not learning from You. We ask that You reveal what it is You are trying to teach us this very moment. May we trust in You and not lean on our own understanding. May we cast all our cares on You. Trust and know that You are making these things to work for the good of us that love You. We just have to believe it and stand on the Rock. You love us. You love us more than we can possibly imagine, and You are raising us as heirs, as kings and queens. May we be mindful of this and understand that You are preparing us, preparing us to live a life that You've created us for - to live not for the world, but for You. Continue Your work in us and use whatever we are facing to build us up. Strengthen us as we learn to trust You more and more. May we watch as our worries and fears fade because nothing compares to Your promises. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
This is the moment. This is the opportunity. He is here and wants to build us up. He did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. May we walk in it today and may our eyes and hearts be open to see the beauty right in front of us. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 27, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 124:8 "Our help is in the name of The Lord, who made the heavens and the earth."
I used to believe that where my life had led me was too far to recover from. I would say, 'How could He possibly save me out of this mess I've made?'. Then He reminds us who He is and puts everything in perspective. 'Lord, we are all facing something: financial strain, relationship issues, worry, fear, anxiety, sin struggles, self worth...Please remind us it's not about whether we can handle a certain situation, it's whether we can admit that we need You through it all, step aside and allow You to not only guide us, but to grow us through this. You are our help, our hope, our salvation. You are the reason we are here. May our hearts be so overwhelmed by the love You've already shown and trust that You will forever continue in Your faithfulness. Lift burdens, break strongholds, wash away the worry as we trust our lives in Your hands. Guide us, direct us, calm us, heal us, move in us and shine through us. May we never forget how great You are and that You are right here to lead us on in this journey today. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
It's not about the mountains we face, it's about realizing that the God who created the heavens and the earth is with us to face every mountain, to celebrate with in every victory. He is with us in the valleys as well as the peaceful streams. May we trust Him through it all, because through it all, He will never leave our side. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 26, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 138:3 "When I called, You answered me; You made me bold and stouthearted."
It's not about how big and strong we are, it's about how big and strong He is. It's not about going at it alone, it's about carrying His love inside and taking His hand as we journey. 'Lord, when we need strength, You have it. When we need healing, it is in the palm of Your hands. When we need joy and hope, we just need to remember the Cross, and remember that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, is with us now. Right now, we call. We ask that You cover Your children as we go out today. We ask that You help us to keep You first, that we listen to Your call to trust in You when the world calls us to veer off into a world of worry and anxiety, impatience and doubt. We ask for strength and focus, and we know You will continue to provide just like You always have. Steady our steps and may Your light in us bring strength, peace, comfort and joy. Thank You for today. We look forward to what You have for us. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
May today be a day of strength and perseverance, of celebration and excitement - not because we think so much of ourselves, but because we believe the Truth about who He is, and who we are in Him. He is The King, The Mighty Warrior, The Great Physician, our Hope and Strength. And we are His. His cherished masterpieces. His beloved heirs. His very own. What a day this will be when we give it to Him and allow His love to guide us. May we take a moment and make that decision. Breath in His peace, comfort, strength and love. May we have a great day as we remember how awesome He is and how near He stands beside us. I love you all.
Marco
August 25, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands."
'Lord, open our eyes to see the beauty of the work of Your hands. You craft great and incredible things. Things that take our breath away. May the warmth of the sun reminds us of the incredible love that Your Son showed for us. May the number of the stars remind us of how many blessings we have to be thankful for. Lord, in all that You created: beautiful landscapes painted in the sky, magnificent mountains that reach to touch the heavens, I ask that You help us to remember You also created something even more intricate, beautiful. You crafted us with the most beautiful love. May we be reminded of Your love each time we look in the mirror. May we see the love You showed for us to even be here. Please open our eyes to see the beauty in front of us. Open our hearts to breath more deeply than before. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
May today be a day of thankfulness as we remember the greatness of our God and the great lengths He went to, to make sure we can spend eternity with Him. Through His Son, we have been made new. May we breath in the life He has for us and sing a song of praise to the One who gave us another beautiful day. I love you all.
Marco
August 24, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
'Lord, there are so many things to cover our thoughts. So many are worries and fears, anxieties and insecurities, criticisms and complaints; but those are rooted in the sand. Redirect our thoughts and our hearts towards You. As we dwell in Your love, we feel Your warmth. We see the beauty around us. We experience a joy that waves cannot defeat. As we hold on to You tighter we understand why You call us to - because there is no greater peace, no greater joy, no greater hope to be found elsewhere. You are the answer. You've always been the answer. May we rest in Your embrace today and allow our eyes to see Your beauty - so that we can see the blessings surrounding us. May we allow Your thoughts of goodness, grace, love, peace, joy and hope to overtake any other thoughts we may be having. You are what matters, so may today be a day of thankfulness and joy as we celebrate it with You. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
May today be a beautiful day, not because of what happens, but because we choose to focus and rest in His love, in His Peace, in His hope, in His joy and strength...as we rest in His arms. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 23, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Isaiah 64:8 "But now, O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand."
'Lord, may we not forget who You are today. May we not forget who we are, in You. You are the Potter, molding and strengthening. We are the clay, in the palm of Your hands. Mold us, guide us. Remind us that Your work is still being done. Remind us that there is joy to be found this very moment, because no matter where we are, You are with us. No matter where we are, we are cherished. No matter where we've been, we are new creations in Christ. As this day continues, continue to remind us that You are the strength when we are weak. You are the peace when all around us quakes. You are the light that chases away the shadows. May we not be afraid, but confident. Confident that You who began a good work in us will follow it to completion. Thank You, Father. May we rest in Your hands as You continue to mold us, form us and prepare us for what is in store. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
There is no greater fear than when I think I'm alone with nowhere to turn. There is no greater joy and comfort than when we remember that we are His, and He is with us: to guide us, mold us, comfort us, heal us and carry us through. What a beautiful day we have. May we live it remembering He is by our side. I love you all.
Marco
August 22, 2013
Good morning brothers. Psalm 42:7-8 "Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day The Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me - a prayer to the God of my life."
'Lord, there will be waves that come against us. There will be times that it seems that we can barely stay above water. But You are here to get us through. With Your love You encourage us to hold on, to give us peace even though the world may be crashing around us. Your song of hope is on our lips and in our heart. With You we realize its not what happens to us that matters, it's how we allow You to use it. Please use whatever we are in right now to strengthen us. Open our eyes to see You more clearly. Open our hearts to love You more. Open our hearts to put Your love first, loving others and shining Your light. May we be thankful even if we are in a storm, not for the storm, but for Your presence through it. Thankful for what You will do in us, through the storm. Calm the seas of our hearts and remind us that no matter what waves surround, You are greater. You have us in Your hands. Comfort us, strengthen us. Guide our way and light our path today. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
It is beautiful when we are able to focus on Him and not the waves. Unfortunately, it's the enemy's job to keep us distracted. But we have hope because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. May His love direct us to keep our eyes on Him. May it bring us joy and hope, comfort and strength. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 21, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
No matter what may be going on around us, may we rest in His arms and allow His love to comfort us. 'Father, as a child I would get afraid. I would get hurt or sick and then be held in my parents arms as they comforted me. Lord, now I am older, but still get afraid, weary and exhausted. May we come to You and allow You to hold us. To quiet us withYour love. To bring us peace as You remind us You are with us. Lord, we need You today. May we be so thankful that we have You. Lift our heads and dry any tears - shed or held in. Strengthen us so that we may journey today with confidence. Today is Yours. Open our eyes to see what You would have us do. May we take the time to see the opportunities You place before us. May we not be too distracted with us, that we forget about You and Your love. Thank You, Father. Guide us, strengthen us. Lead our hearts in Your love. We love You. In Jesus' name, amen.'
May we take the time to allow His Spirit to comfort us, to realign our focus. It's not about what waves may be crashing against us, it is about our God, Father, Healer, Comforter, Strong Tower, Mighty Warrior, Loving Savior who stands beside us. May His Spirit fall over us and may today be a day we rest in His love, grace, peace and direction. I love you all.
Marco
August 20, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Peter 4:10 "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
Many parts, one body - all are important. 'Father, You are the Master Craftsman and we are Your workmanship. You have formed us with care with all different abilities. May we use those abilities for You. Remind us that all are important. All crucial parts to one amazing body. Also, remind us that You aren't even done with us yet. So may we come to You and may You use us, however we are. Remind us it's not always a trade, some encourage others without even trying. Some have a way of opening up so that others feel comfortable opening up in return. Some can't speak in large groups, yet are incredible listeners and lights one on one. Lord, use us today. Remind us we are Yours. Remind us we are precious in Your sight and may our light shine today. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
It's not about what we can do, but what we allow Him to do in us and through us. Whatever we have, may we use it for His Kingdom. Whatever we have been given, may we cherish it and allow it to bless others. Today is a day to share, to shine a light with the love that He gives us. May we breath it in and pour it out into those we come across today. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 19, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Colossians 2:6-7 "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus The Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude."
'Father, however we started this morning, may we take a moment and allow Your peace, strength, joy, hope, healing and grace to wash over us. Guide us in Your love. As circumstances arise that threaten our peace and joy, may we grasp that much harder upon You, our Rock. However we trusted You yesterday, may we trust You more today. However we loved, may we receive more of Yours and allow that love to brighten our sight and speech. May our attitudes be of thankfulness; because wherever we are, You are with us. No matter what we are facing, we are not facing it alone. May we continue to trust You with this day and may we allow Your breath of life to give us peace, comfort, joy, hope and strength. Thank You. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
Today is a day that truly matters. May we love like never before. May we think if others above ourselves. May we allow His light to shine through us and may our joy be unshakable as we rest in the unshakable Rock. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 18, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. John 4:23 "Yet a time is coming and now has come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."
I used to think if I wasn't raising my hands in worship, I wasn't worshiping, until it hit me that it's what happens on the inside that God really cares about. 'Father, there are times that we worship with our hands raised, there are times when they are at our side. There are times when we just close our eyes and pray. Which is worship? Thank You for reminding us that its not the placement of our hands, it is the placement of our hearts. It's not in the location we go to, to sing; but it is the location of You in our lives. Work in our hearts to worship You, not just when songs are playing, but when the song of life is playing. Right now, calm us, prepare our hearts for more of You. Soften the parts of us that have grown calloused. Heal the parts of us that have been wounded. Lift the weak up to our feet and may our response be praise. Not just with our voices, but through our lives. With our hearts crying out thankfulness that we have been set free, longing to live a life in the very love that saved us. So today, may our hearts be in the right place to worship You. Not just at the building we call church, but as we live our lives carrying the 'church' in our hearts. Carrying the truth of the Cross and the love that made it so incredible. Thank You, Father. May today be a day we worship You in spirit and in truth. May people not notice it just because our hands are raised or not at church, but because our hearts are open to love You and others, whether we are at church or not. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
May our hearts breath in the life He has for us. May our souls sing a song of the redeemed. Right now, He is doing a new thing. May we allow Him to continue His work in us and may our worship be truer than before. May He open our eyes and may we see the beauty of the gift we've been given today. What a beautiful day we have. May we enjoy it in His arms. I love you all.
Marco
August 17, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 1 Corinthians 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."
How could a reminder of the fall, be an encouragement? Because that's not the end of the story. 'Father, if I chose to focus on the things I've done, the choices I've made in the past, I would be found in tears. If we focus on what You've done, the choices You made, we would be filled with the most incredible joy. Lord, it's not about what we've done, it's about what Your Son did. It's about bringing the dead to life. It's about redeeming the lost to a new life with You. It's about noticing the beauty in the storm, not the darkness of the clouds. It's about remembering You are with us, in our darkest days and our brightest celebrations. You are always here to lift us up, to guide us, to break strongholds, to silence lies, to make new. Today is a beautiful reminder of this. Just as we rose to wake up this morning may that be a reminder of how, through Your Son, we are waking up from a life of death, into a life unshackled. Loosen the the grips the world may have on us. No, break the holds in Jesus' name. Bring us to life today in a new way. Open our eyes to see You clearer. Open our hearts to love You and, in effect, others more. Thank You for this day, Lord. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
May today be a reminder: The old has gone, the new has come! May our hearts breath deeper as we allow Him in more than we did yesterday. As we allow His love to open our eyes to see the beauty right in from of us. Today is a beautiful day. May we celebrate it by letting His love shine through us. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 16, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will."
We were made with care and we were created for a purpose. We cannot find that purpose through the world, only through Him, because it is for Him. 'Lord, you created us to love, to serve, to shine a light in a dark world. We can't do that if we are too focused on worldly things. I can't shine Your light if I'm too busy trying to be my own light or believing what the world says, and think I'm not a light at all. Whatever lies the enemy is telling us, silence them. Whatever distractions have gotten our attention, realign our focus on You. Whatever our minds have grabbed a hold of, may we let it go as we allow You to renew our hearts and minds today. May our focus not be on how much attention we can get, how much respect we think we deserve...but may it be on how much love we can truly show, how much grace we can give. We have been given so much by You and our lives should be a reflection of that gift. Lord, so often we get consumed - but with the wrong things. Consume us with Your love, Your Spirit of peace and strength. Consume us and may our hearts pour out the overflow into the ones we encounter. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
No matter what we thought a minute ago, may we think of Him now. No matter what happened an hour ago, may we choose to let His light shine. If we feel weak, may we ask for strength. If we are anxious, may we ask for peace. If we are distracted, may we ask that He turns our eyes away from the waves that may be around us and focus on Him. This is a new day. A new day to be thankful. A new day to sing a new song. A song of victory as we go with the One who gives us the victory. Victory in Christ. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 15, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Proverbs 23:18-19 "Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. Listen, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way."
Walking on my own understanding, it is incredibly easy to lose joy, to allow the hope I have to be distracted by the many things in this world; but we aren't meant to live like that. 'Lord, our hope is not built on anything that is fleeting, so may nothing that is fleeting threaten to take it away. You say we will have trials, but You also say to take heart, our peace is found in You. Our hope is in You - our Faithful Father, Provider, Healer, Encourager, Redeemer. May we lean on You whether we understand or not. May we let Your light guide us whether waves are crashing around us or not. No matter what happens, we have You to help us through, and we have an eternal glory that far exceeds anything we could ever imagine. Lord, may Your promises give us hope. May Your Word continue to encourage us, strengthen us and breath life into us. Thank You, Father. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
If we stand on the sand, our footing shifts as waves come against us. If we stand on the Rock, we are held secure. May today be a day we focus on His promises, not the worlds. Focus on His joy and hope that no momentary affliction can shake, because it rests on the unshakeable Rock. He is our strength today. He is our peace. He is our joy. May we hold on to it and see the beautiful day we have in front of us. I love you all.
Marco
August 14, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. John 13:6 "So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, 'Lord, do You wash my feet?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.'"
We need to be reminded how beautiful His love is. 'Lord, I am amazed at how You, our Savior would do something so selfless. Break our hearts as we grasp what Your love does. It puts others first. It serves beyond status. You, who are greater than us all, knelt down to wash the feet of those who follow You. Thank You for such a beautiful example. I pray that You work in our hearts today and guide us in that love. That our focus shifts from what we want, and move to what You would have us do. And You call us to love. May this love soften our hearts towards others. May it allow us to see those in our lives as You see them, fellow children loved by You. May we treat them as such. Uplifting and encouraging. Hearing and comforting. Loving and serving. Help us to live in the love that You came to shine. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
Each day, may we get a greater grasp of what was done for us. Each day, may we move towards allowing more of that love He has shown us to pour out into our lives. May we have a beautiful day as we stay focused on the love that saved us. May the light that, that gives us bring joy to the world today. I love you all.
Marco
August 13, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 43:3-4 "Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God."
Sometimes I think I have to go to this place or that place in order dwell in His presence, but that's not the case. 'Lord, remind us it's not where we are at that determines whether we will be in Your presence, it is where our hearts are at. Guide us to Your arms. Allow our thoughts to move from, 'When will 'this' happen?', or 'How will 'that' happen?' And may we rest in, 'Lord, I don't know what's going to happen, but I know You're with me. Guide me with Your light. Lead me on.' It's hard to find our way when we focus on the storm. It's easier when we trust in You, who not only sees the storm, but also sees the growth that we will go through if we allow You to move in us through it. Light our path and calm our anxiousness. When we call out to You, may we take a deep breath and find You right beside us. May that be a comfort. May that unleash Your joy in us. May our lives express our thankfulness as we focus on You and not on the waves against us. What a beautiful day we have in You. Thank You. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
It's not just about praising with Him with instruments, it's about realizing that we are His instrument and our lives should be a song of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. May our hearts be in the right place and may they sing a song of victory today. Through Him, we have the victory. Have a great day. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
Marco
August 12, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Proverbs 2:6-8 "For The Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones."
In life we need guidance. I pray we may not be too prideful to stop and ask for direction. 'Lord, we need wisdom, may we ask for it. We need comfort, may we rest in Your arms and find it. We need healing, may we come and allow You, the Great Physician, to not just put a bandaid on our struggles, but mend us. Lord, we need protection, may we hide in the shadow of Your wings. We need strength, may we come to You, eat and drink of Your Word and allow true nourishment to occur in us so that we can stand against what the world throws at us. Not by our strength, but by resting in the One true strength, You. Lord, remind us we are Yours today. Remind us that we are not only Your children, but we are royalty. We are heirs to Your Kingdom. You are raising us as kings and queens. May we come to Your table and allow Your truth to light our path. Your Word, to be a light unto our feet. We are not perfect but we are kept blameless as we rest in the love of our Savior. We may make mistakes, but we long to walk with our Father. Your joy and peace are beautiful, whether a storm is brewing or not. May we understand that You hold it for us all, not just for everyone else. May we come and receive the life and joy that You have for us today. May we hold on to the promise that You will continue Your work in us. May we allow You to and allow our eyes see the beauty that You have for us this very moment. We are Yours, and we have You with us as we journey. Be our Strength, our Rock. Be our peace as we lean not on our own understanding, but lay our trust in You. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
When we make it about Him and not ourselves, it is incredible how our attitudes change. May His peace be what flows through us. May His love be what guides us. May His strength be what keeps us going. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 99:1 "The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!"
It is amazing when He is put at the proper place in our hearts. I pray we do it now. 'Father, the whole earth trembles at the sound of Your voice. The mountains quake with just a whisper. In a moment, You can calm the raging sees. You are mightier than the most incredible things we could ever imagine. And we are Yours. Just as mighty as Your strength, Your love is just as powerful. It breaks down strongholds, it silences lies. It brings peace and comfort to the weary and afflicted. It brings joy to the ones who only knew sadness. It shoots through the hardest of hearts and brings tears to our eyes. Tears of joy as we tremble, not in fear, but because it hits us...in all Your greatness...You make time for us. May the timid be set free. May the shy not be afraid to cry out. 'Father, I need You! Father, I love You! Father, I am Yours. Have my heart and help me to see You clearer.' Father, nothing can compare to You. May nothing compete with our love for You. We are Yours. Thank You. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
When we experience something great, it shakes us. When we see something absolutely beautiful, it opens our hearts. May our hearts be brought to tears as we experience more of Him. When we stop holding back and start holding on. May today be a day we experience a mighty thunder. He is Mighty. He is beautiful. He is our God. And we are His. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 10, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 9:9-10 "The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble; and those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You."
In times of trouble, we need to be careful what we run to. 'Father, of all the comforts I could seek in the world, nothing compares to being in Your arms. Of all the places we could hide ourselves when trouble comes, resting in the shadow of Your wings is what gives us strength. Lord, there is no reason to not trust You. You have given us so much already. Open our eyes to see the blessings we have already been given. We have life. We have You. We have this day. I pray that whatever burden is being carried, we lay them down. In Jesus' name remind us who You are: The Great Shepherd, The Immovable Rock, Great Physician and Healer of Souls. You are our Redeemer and our Salvation. You are our Hope. Now, remind us who and what we are in You: We are Your masterpieces, created by You and for You. We are precious in Your sight. We are heirs to Your Kingdom. We are Yours. Help us to realize that it's not how we see ourselves with our eyes that matters, it's how You see us. Give us loving eyes to see ourselves as You see us. Then, maybe things will be different. May our hearts cry because we realize the love You truly do have for us. May this love continue to change us, mold us to be more like Your Son. Continue Your work in us Lord and guide our path today. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
May today be a day of comfort and peace. Not because everything goes according to plan, but because we choose to rest in Him. Because we choose to believe that we are His. That nothing can separate us from His love. That we are wholly and dearly loved sons and daughters of the One who guides, directs, heals, strengthens and redeems. We are His. And He is our strength. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 9, 2013
He is our provision and our protection. May we rest in Him today. 'Lord, just like the sun gives life for things to grow, Your Son gives life and helps us to grow. May we not hide in the shadows and neglect our much needed time with the Son. We need to grow, we need to get nourished. May we rest in You and breath in the life You hold for us. Lord, just like a shield, You protect us. I admit there are times that I speed ahead of You and get caught up in weeds and potholes, but then You remind me of Your timing. You remind us that You have a path. You have a plan. We just have to walk with You, trusting that You will provide. So we rest in You. Help us to get past having to understand, and just trust You. We can't understand why You died for us, but You did. In the same way, we don't have to understand why our path is the way it is, we just have to trust that the same love that died for us on the Cross is providing a way for us now. Lord, thank You! Open our eyes to see. Open our hearts to breath. Thank You, Lord. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
May we realize He is not withholding anything good from us, we just have to realize that anything He provides is better than anything the world could ever offer. We have to realize our need to be with the Son. We can't stay in the shadows and expect the sun to give us warmth. We have to go out and spend time in the sun. May we spend time with the Son today and breath in His warmth, His strength, His peace. Have a great day! I love you all.
Marco
August 8, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalms 36:5-6 "Your loving kindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgements are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast."
As we go forward today we have a choice what will be on our minds: How great are the tasks we have in front of us, or how great is The God who is with us. 'Lord, we can try and understand Your greatness, but even the most extravagant descriptions don't come close to what You are truly capable of. Encourage us today. Remind us that nothing can separate us from Your love, that Your faithfulness never fails. Remind us that just as You hold eternity in Your hands, You also hold us. May we feel Your grasp on our hearts. May we feel Your presence as we go today and may we rest in You. You are the well that holds everything we will ever need. You are the well that will never run dry. May we come to You and allow Your Living Water to breath life into us. May our minds be cleared of the fog. May our hearts be cleared of any callousness. May our eyes be washed so that we see this day as it truly is, another blessing, a beautiful opportunity to receive more of Your love and share it with others. So we come. We open our hearts to You. Renew our minds and purify our hearts. Thank You for this day. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
There is a reason we have a Shepherd. Sometimes we wander. Sometimes we forget that what we are searching for is right in front of us, in His hands. May we not get distracted today and try and find relief in the world, but in Him. May we keep close to our Great Shepherd and experience the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, goodness and self-control He has to give. What a beautiful day we have. May we make the most of it as we keep Him the most important in it. I love you all.
Marco
August 7, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Colossians 4:6 "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person."
This is a perfect reminder that our circumstances do not give us a day off from shining the light as we should. 'Lord, help us. I admit I allow my circumstances to do the exact opposite that You call us to. Forgive me. Forgive us. What You did when we spat on You and put You on that Cross, is a gleaming example of how Your love works. You loved us through it. So right now, work in our hearts. There will be situations we face today that will threaten our mindsets. May we not allow what happens to us affect how we respond to others. May storms and strong winds not be used as distractions for living out the love we have been saved with. Like salt helps with flavor, it also helps preserve. May our words be encouraging and building up. Even in correction, we can still do it in love. Even if we are disrespected, we have a choice whether we will respond in kind or respond with Your love. It's not easy, Lord, but it is possible. When Your love overflows in our interactions with others, beautiful things happen. Thank You, Father for how You love, and how You guide us. May we listen to You today. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.' This goes for our co-workers, our families, strangers and our friends, our waiters and waitresses, our cashiers, our telemarketers on the phone. It also goes for our conversations about Christ. May we not be so quick to turn on the defense, but show others what we believe in by how we live, how we love. May His love conquer. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 6, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Job 19:25 "As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth."
I think I have problems, and sometimes I allow my circumstances to distract me from what I know He wants from me. May we learn a lesson from Job. 'Father, when it comes to relying on You, it shouldn't matter what we are facing. When it comes to shining Your light in us, it shouldn't matter whether we are running late or whether we feel good. Though Job suffered far beyond what we have faced, he rested in You. May we do the same. Then, when others are going through something, we can be an example just like Job is an example to us. Lord, help us to make this day about You, not about the trials we face. We know that You live; this very moment You live. And Your Spirit is here to walk with us. May we walk with You today and cling to the joy, peace, wisdom and strength You provide. Take us back to the Cross. Remind us of what has been done. Take us back to the empty tomb. Remind us that You defeated the grave. Now, take us by the hand and remind us that You are with us. Thank You, Father. Thank You. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.' We have a choice: To allow the world to distract us from shining His light, getting overwhelmed and letting go of the joy we should have in His presence....or we can say to this wave before us, 'You will not define me! You cannot break me! My hope is not found in mere ideas and things that pass away, my hope is found in Christ. And I am His. May His light shine!' May His light shine in us and may our joy be held strong as we are held in His arms. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 5, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 34:5 "Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."
We need to understand, it's not about Him erasing the storms we're in, it's about understanding He is with us through everything. 'Lord, the more we rest in You, the more we understand what You have to offer. If we feel weak, You have the strength we need. If we are lost, You shine the light to bring us back to You. If we are anxious, You have a beautiful peace for us to rest in. If we are afraid, You have unwavering confidence for us as we rest in the Rock. When we hold on to all this, are faces are radiant, because we know that whatever comes against us will not defeat us. That if we take Your hand each day, You will guide us through every situation and reveal incredible things to us as we turn our ears towards You. Right now, silence any lies we've been believing. Knock down any strongholds that have kept us in fear or worry. This is a new day and we have The Lord of Hosts right beside us. Strengthen us, build us up. Remind us You are with us and may that reminder give us strength. May our heads be raised as we journey today, because we journey with The King. Thank You for Your presence. May we walk in it today. In Jesus' name. Amen.' It is the enemy's job to overwhelm us, to try any and everything to get our eyes off of The Lord. But we have the Spirit with us to remind us that we are more than conquerors. That we are set apart. That we are wholly and dearly loved. That our momentary troubles are only momentary, but His presence is everlasting. So may we rest in His truths today and be awakened by the life He breathes into us. We are alive in Christ. What a reason to be thankful. Have a great day. I love you all.
Marco
August 4, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 92:4 "For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands."
'When we choose to focus on You, darkness gets shut out. When we allow You inside, You remind us of all You've done. You also tell us that You're doing something right now. What's even more incredible, is that You have more in store, more than we can possibly imagine. When we hold on to You, we are not just holding on to an idea. We are holding on to our Real God, Faithful Father, Loving Shepherd, Great Physician. When we cling to You, we rest in Your hope, Your strength, peace, comfort and joy. So now, we hold on to You. We cling to the One who knew us before we were even formed in the womb. We hold on to our Father who calls us precious. We pour out our hearts to You now and ask that You give us the strength to truly praise You. Lift any burdens so that we can run towards You that much harder. Dry any tears so that we can celebrate the joy of having You for the rest of eternity. Thank You, Father. Continue to remind us that we are Yours. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.' It is incredible when we choose to focus on Him. Burdens are lifted, joy overcomes distress. In the name of Jesus, we have life. May we live and may our hearts sing a beautiful song of praise today. I love you all.
Marco
August 3, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 "May The Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."
We are all sailing in the same waters; but some are facing strong waves while others are facing smooth calms. But no matter what we are facing may we be directed by the same love. 'Father, may we not get so focused on the waves we are facing that we neglect to show the love that You've shown us. Christ was beaten and bruised for us, yet He asked You to forgive us. The love that He lived out is the most incredible act of love we've ever seen. May that overwhelm us with thankfulness. May the example You've given be written on our hearts so that when we face each day and the many distractions that come along, we will meet them with love. On our own, we will falter. We will become selfish and want to show the other person we are right, by whatever means we think of. But that is not love. That is not patience. May we not go by our own strength or understanding, but may we lean on You for what we need. The love, strength and patience is here. You stand before us holding it out. We just have to take it, breath it in and allow it to pour out in our lives. So may we come to You, breath Your Spirit of life, of love, of grace, of peace and patience...and may we have a beautiful day of thankfulness. We love You, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.' He loved/loves us so much. May we take some time today to grab a hold of what He did for us, and may that open our eyes so that we see how we can love those in our lives better than we have been. May our lives be marked by loving others in such a way that the world may be pointed towards Him. His Love is powerful, His love amazing. May today be a day that we show the world His love. I love you all.
Marco
August 2, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Joshua 24:15 "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve The Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve The Lord."
We have a choice to make today: To serve our own interests, or His. 'Father, each day You created. Each moment You breath life into us. But not every moment do we recognize that and live like we are thankful. Forgive us. I get caught up in tasks, allowing anxieties to dictate my behavior. I am sorry. Today, may we allow Your presence in us to dictate our behavior. May the light that You shine in us overtake any negativity, any fear or worry. When we have a choice to be selfish or selfless, I pray we let Your love put others first. Lord, we choose You, but we are so use to wanting to grab the reigns back when we face something we feel is unfair or unwarranted. Help us to love more, period. Whatever we face today, may we trust in You to guide us through it. Be our strength today. Be our peace. Be our Rock as we choose to rest in You. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
Whatever we face today, may we not get overwhelmed or defeated. Whatever we face may we be filled with joy and confidence, because the God whom we serve is greater than all that we worry about. He is above all and is right here with us. May we choose to shine His light and have a beautiful day of worship. Worshipping Him through the lives we choose to live today. I love you all.
MarcoAugust 1, 2013
Good morning brothers and sisters. Psalm 34:4 "I sought The Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears."
I have spent so much energy trying to will myself to face/conquer certain things, but I falter. I don't have the strength to do it on my own. 'Father, how incredible it is that You are with us. And it is amazing what You do when we actually turn to trust You. When we lay the aching we have to control everything aside and lean on You, it is beautiful how You lead us. A peace comes that is unexplainable. A warmth surrounds us no matter what the temperature is around us. A strength infiltrates our weakness as You come and remind us we are Yours. So may we come. May we continue to seek You. May we continue to grow in our trust in You and may we watch as You open our eyes and hearts wider and wider to see the incredible things You have for us each day. Resting on the world teaches us to get overwhelmed, to worry, to fear, to believe the lies that we don't matter. Resting on the Rock, You, teaches us how to finally breath the way we were created to, unrestricted by the chains that once bound us. May we rest in You today and breath like we've never breathed before. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your love. We love You. In Jesus' name. Amen.'
I am tired of letting my cup overflow with fears, worries, anxieties about how will 'this' work, what will happen if 'this' doesn't work...So may we change the game. May we lean on Him and may our cup overflow with joy, peace, patience, healing, strength, wisdom, excitement...with life. May we come to life today and breath the freedom we have in Him. The chains are broken, so may we continue forward as we follow His lead. Have a beautiful day. I love you all.
Marco
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