Now Christ lives his life in you! And even though your body may be dead because of the effects of sin, his life-giving Spirit imparts life to you because you are fully accepted by God. Yes, God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you! Romans 8:10-11 TPT

This is the most beautiful example of proxy I’ve ever seen. According to the dictionary, proxy means A person authorized to act for another, or the written authorization to act for another.

As I read and re-read this verse, pondering on the layers God was exposing to me, I realized that I must give Him the authorization to live His life in me. Don’t get me wrong, He’s been in me since I invited Him in, but like any good guest knows, there’s a difference between a ‘guest’ and an ‘owner’. An owner possesses rights a guest does not and unless the owner allows the guest to operate freely, they will enjoy being a guest only.

I’ve always tried to do things myself. They call it ‘self-sufficiency’ I guess, but it’s more of a control issue. I’ve always struggled with people who try to control me. But this is not that, is it? Or perhaps it is. I’m thinking I’m probably not the only one out there with this problem. Say it’s not so!

Many of us try to do everything ourselves and what a shame, when the guest we invited has the ability to change everything for us. Not out of desperation, but out of real relationship. Surrendering our need to control for our need to partner in covenant with the one who is strong where I am weak.

Jesus, I’m sorry for inviting you in and leaving you inactive. I see You sitting on the couch of my life, wondering when I’ll invite You to do everything You intended for me from the very beginning. Now that I see this, I feel exhausted! I’ve worked so hard to do it well and all along Your intention was to show me I could be everything I need to be through You. Be the owner of my life! I’ll sit with You and listen to Your wisdom and do what You tell me to do. It’s all for Your glory. Amen

Until Next Time,

Sandy G

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37 NLT

I love how it reads in The Passion Translation: Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything!

It doesn’t matter what it looks like from where you’re standing, this verse says, despite all these things. All what things? All the adversity, the stinky things that happen in your day to day, the strife, the turmoil, the pain, the messed up people you work with.  We’re guaranteed overwhelming victory through Jesus. What He did on the cross was enough.

Why? Because He loves you! His love was big for you then and it’s big for you now. He didn’t leave you alone or without hope. He left you with His Holy Spirit who is in you each and every day. Because of that, everything you need to overcome is living on the inside of you, waiting for you to call out.

Perhaps you’ve asked God for a deeper, more intimate walk with Him. You’ve been wanting more revelation on His Word but God seems to have been quiet of late. He says, “Be still and know that I am God.”

His demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything. EVERYTHING! Over your provision, over your health, over your losses and over your impossibilities. His love is enough. Take some time to thank Him for this Word. Don’t wait until it manifests in this natural realm before you choose to believe that He will do as He said He will. Rejoice and be glad for His overwhelming love.

Until Tomorrow,

Sandy G

“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.” Matthew 11:28-30 TPT

This particular Friday had been a busy day at work. When I got home, a dear friend had arrived for the weekend so I put dinner on and waited for Walt to get home from work. After cleaning up, I had planned to make a coffee cake for our Singles bible study in the morning, but was waiting for Shannon to drop off some eggs she picked up. Finally at 8pm, I texted her to see when she was coming. She informed me that they were already in the refrigerator.

I felt a little silly after I found out they had been in there the whole time. Had I looked, I would have found them and not had to wait so late to bake. But alas…..

When I woke up in the morning, the Lord reminded me how similar it is to His children always waiting for Him to do things for them when He’s already made provision. Just as the eggs were already in the frig, God has made provision for everything you will ever need for life and godliness. It’s already in you because His Spirit is in you. 

Wouldn’t you feel a bit silly if you suffered needlessly or went without simply because you didn’t look? Didn’t know your rights? Didn’t realize the power you possessed, not only for you, but for everyone who’s ever come into your prevue? The power in you has the ability to light the world, you just hadn’t learned to flip the switch.

Father, I thank You for showing me that You are my Provider and Healer. Not for me alone, but for me to give to all who come to me with needs. For as You called us to come, we sit at Your feet ready to receive all You have for us so that we can give liberally to all who ask. It’s in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Until Tomorrow,

Sandy G

God’s Message came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
    I said, “A walking stick—that’s all.”
And God said, “Good eyes! I’m sticking with you.
    I’ll make every word I give you come true.” Jeremiah 1:11-12 Message

A few years ago, I stopped by the church to pray in the morning before work and found myself alone with God. Suddenly, He began to speak the words, “I will hasten my Word to perform it!” which is the above passage in the old King James Version.  

Immediately I ‘saw’ (call it a vision if you will), His Spirit connecting with the words I was speaking. For lack of better description, it looked a lot like sperm connecting with eggs on the day of conception.  He then spoke this to me, “Did I not say that every word will come to pass? Why do you think I’ve been telling you to watch your words? Because I watch over them! Watch them come to pass speedily.  Now is the time to reflect on what have I spoken to you in times past, and what have you agreed with Me on. Speak to My word, ‘RUN!’ for surely I will cause everything I have shown you to quickly come to pass.”

I began recalling promises over our church, personal words over myself, my husband, my children, my grandchildren, and I spoke to those words, RUN!!!! over and over again. The Spirit of the Lord was so powerful in the room that I couldn’t stop! I continued speaking all my way to work, periodically during the day and all the way home. 

Here’s what I’m learning, it could happen when I’m on vacation resting. It could happen when I’m sleeping, when I’m present or when I’m absent. It seriously doesn’t matter when it happens, I’ve already seen it, already rejoiced over it and in my mind, it’s a done deal.

Say what you see, see what you say.  I see the Word running, a powerful living force that changes the natural. My spirit sees what my flesh bumps into and determines how I need to see it differently. At which point I speak over it and step back and watch as God does the rest. All things are possible to those who believe. If you don’t, you won’t.

Until Tomorrow,

Sandy G

^“From here on, worshiping the Father will not be a matter of the right place but with the right heart. For God is a Spirit, and he longs to have sincere worshipers who worship and adore him in the realm of the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24

I’ve been meditating on this conversation Jesus had with the ‘woman at the well’ for some time now. I can’t seem to get it off my mind! This morning, I was asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to me what He was trying to get across to me and well, let me just give you a back story.

I personally know several people who have been looking for a church to connect with but seem to be finding it difficult. They seem to be dissatisfied with a powerless church, a meeting place where folks are entertained for a couple hours, then sent back out until the next Sunday when they do it all over again.

Now please don’t misunderstand me. My father was a pastor, my step-dad was an evangelist who became a missionary to Haiti. I grew up in church. As a child, I fell asleep under the pew of revival services that went long. I feel more comfortable in church than I do at home! I love being more than a pew warmer. Since I was young, I’ve been a part of the choir, on the worship team, lay counseling, mentoring, teaching, wherever needed, I pitched in.

But as great as that all was, it can never replace the personal and intimidate fellowship with Father God, and that takes more time than you can possibly get on a Sunday or Wednesday. The Bible is very clear in that those who seek Him with all their heart, will find Him. That’s not seeking Him in a building, that’s seeking Him in your heart.

Jesus rarely went to the temple. Oh I know He went, it just wasn’t a ritual with Him. Where He spent most of His time was with those who needed Him most; the sick, the lame, the poor, the workers, in the fields and by the water. That’s where the Spirit in Him, overflowed onto others with signs, wonders and miracles following.

He constantly fellowshipped with the Father through the Holy Spirit within Him. There was no ‘one day’ He worshipped, He worshipped without ceasing from within His heart. Jesus told us in John 5:19, that He only does what He sees the Father do. That should be what we do as well.

Our church has one service-one. I had never attended a church with ‘one’ service and frankly, Holy Spirit had to root out some old thinking and old traditions in me. Don’t ask me where I got it from, but I always thought that anything less than 3 services a week and I was on the slippery slide straight to hell. You laugh, but I’m serious!

So here’s what I want to share with you from the heart of a worshipper; One cannot find God in church, WE are the church, so what you think you’re finding is really inside you. Until you get that, you’ll never get what Jesus was trying to tell the ‘woman at the well’. Traditional church is merely a recharging station for believers, so that they can do what Jesus demonstrated in their marketplace, workplace and where the poor and needy are found.

Lets stop trying to find a ‘powerful’ church to attend and be the powerful church we were meant to be. The church wasn’t meant to do all that, we were. He gave us everything we need for life and godliness-the Holy Spirit in us. Cultivate relationship with the One who gave you all power over all the power of the enemy and GO!

Until Tomorrow,

Sandy G

“Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.” Psalm 5:8  

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” Psalm 37:23

I used to look back over my life and see all the mistakes, the wrong turns, the chaos, the pain received and given. But over the years, I’ve learned that God never makes mistakes. There are no wrong turns with Him and that he turns what looks like chaos, into order. When I change my focus, things look differently.

Instead of focusing on the wrong side of things, I decided to look at the right side of it. My thoughts became, “If I hadn’t experienced that, I would never have turned to You! If I hadn’t taken that job, I wouldn’t have met and made a life long friend. If I hadn’t been hurt so badly, I wouldn’t have experienced your deep healing.”

Sometimes the most simple shift can put everything in perspective. It may not have been fun going through it, but I made it! The pain was intense and seemed to last forever, but when I cried out to the Lord, in due time, He restored my body and I can walk with no pain. He’s just so good, all I have to do is look for His goodness, focus on it and rejoice over it.

How good are Your ways, Lord. To trust in you every step of the way is the only safe path. I desire Your hand, not because of the gifts You have, but because of the blessing You evoke on my life. I am content to rest in You.

I am Yours Forever,

Sandy G

Jesus answered, “If you drink from Jacob’s well you’ll be thirsty again and again,  but if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never thirst again and will be forever satisfied! For when you drink the water I give you it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit, springing up and flooding you with endless life!” John 4:13-14 TPT

I had a conversation with someone last night that bothered me, but I wasn’t sure why it bothered me. Ever had that happen to you? As I slept, I had a dream about an interaction with this person and her son. I woke up feeling the same ‘bothered’ feeling, like I was missing something and couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

As I lay there in the stillness, I asked Holy Spirit what it was He was trying to show me. Here’s what I heard Him say; “You didn’t just give birth to a baby, you gave birth to a spirit. It’s all about calling and influencing the spirit to awaken to their destiny as God sees it. You have constantly reminded your daughters of who they are and whose they are. You have called their spirits back to God when they were away and you have nudged theirs spirits to know Me and listen to My voice. Remember your purpose in the earth and don’t deviate from it.”

This is what Jesus was doing with the woman at the well, He was calling to her spirit. He was reminding her that living to satisfy the flesh would always leave her wanting for more of the same and coming up empty and dry. But He didn’t leave her with that knowledge, He gave her a drink from the well inside Himself. The well that was full to overflowing with the Spirit of God that was in Him.

I believe that Jesus is reminding us all of the water within us. It isn’t just for us to drink from, it’s to offer that same living water to all who are around us so they will never thirst again. Don’t be a hoarder! Holy Spirit wasn’t given to you so that you could keep Him all to yourself. He was given to draw all men and women back to the Father.

Remember this old song we used to sing in church? “I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me. Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see. Opens prison doors, sets the captive free. I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me. Spring up oh well, within my soul. Spring up oh well, and make me whole. Spring up oh well, and give to me, that life abundantly.”

May this song resound in you and call you back to your destiny. May you soak those around you with the most satisfying water they’ve ever tasted.

Sandy G

“God can do anything, you know-far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.” Ephesians 4:20 MSG

Anything? Yes anything! I love how Paul tries to expand our thinking by tapping into our imagination and wildest dreams. It’s as though he’s saying, “Take the limits off! Lose the small thinking! If you can imagine it, it’s puny to Him. If you can dream it, He can out dream you.”

There’s absolutely nothing impossible to those who believe. Listen to what Jesus said in Mark 9:23: Jesus said to him, “What do you mean ‘if’? If you are able to believe, all things are possible to the believer.”

Jesus replied, “Let the faith of God be in you! Listen to the truth I speak to you: If someone says to this mountain with great faith and having no doubt,‘Mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the midst of the sea,’ and believes that what he says will happen, it will be done.  This is the reason I urge you to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer—believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24 TPT

So if you want to see the impossible, you must believe the supernatural. If you want to be a radical believer, you must believe in the God who had the ability to create the entire universe and hold it all together. You can’t separate the impossible from the believing and you can’t see what you’re believing for unless you have faith in God.

Something happens when we say, “Yes, I believe!” to the Lord. Something supernatural happens when we become willing and obedient. We struggle with the word, ‘surrender’ but its simply relinquishing control to another. Someone who is more than able. Who has all the power, money, ability and wisdom to do the very thing we’re believing for. The God who loves us and longs to care for us just wants us to believe.

Until Tomorrow,

Sandy G

Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. Hebrews 11:1 AMPC

Oh, that last part……faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses. Just because you can’t see it, touch it, taste it or feel it, doesn’t mean it’s not happened yet. Totally convinced! That’s what set Abraham aside in Gods eyes, He simply believed that what God said, He had to do. It didn’t matter when it happened, he just took ownership of what was spoken. He believed and than hung onto that belief until it manifested.

Let’s look at it in The Passion Translation: Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.

Now skip down to verse 6: “And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that He is real and that He rewards the faith of those who give all their passion and strength into seeking Him.”

Faith is that key component that links up hope with promise. Not faith in our ability, but faith in His ability.  It’s when you know in the very depths of your being, that what you’ve been promised is already fact. Now THAT, my dear friends, THAT is what pleases God. Until you experience the reality of the spirit realm, you’ll never have the senses to know it in the physical realm. 

Let’s keep our eyes on what’s not seen, so that the God who is unseen, can produce for us the manifestation of His promises.

Until Tomorrow,

Sandy G