He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1 NASB

The definition of the word dwell is; to live or continue in a given condition or state. I believe that where we live, our environment or the atmosphere in which we reside, is so important in maintaining our peace and safety.  When I read this in the Young’s Literal Translation it gives a fuller meaning; “He who is dwelling In the secret place of the Most High, in the shade of the Mighty lodgeth habitually.”

Have you ever heard someone say that what you do for 21 days forms a habit? It’s true! When you form new habits and consistently do the same thing repeatedly, it becomes part of your routine. That’s what I did about 8 years ago when I was challenged by our pastors wife to get up early every morning and spend time in the Word and journal daily. It was our first homework assignment I believe.

As much as I love to read and write, to commit to doing it every day was a real challenge for me. I’m far too spontaneous for that! Every excuse you can imagine bombarded my mind, but once I said yes, everything changed. It’s as if that obedience opened the door for greater clarity, greater revelation and a deeper understanding of who I am in Christ. What I thought I knew has become something far greater than I could have imagined.

Make a habit of continually living in His presence. Not just when it’s convenient, or when you’re desperate for an answer. Do it because without His constant touch on your life, it would be a life with no purpose.

Father I choose to hide under the shade of Your wings. It’s there that no evil will come near me. It’s there where You teach me and bring me to know You more. I will live in this place You’ve provided for me and enjoy Your peace. It’s in Jesus’ name always, Amen.

I was just remembering the time I made breakfast for my family with the prompting of Shannon. It was a weekday and although I always loved doing things for them, this particular morning, I had gone long on my devotions and didn’t have a whole lot of time to get ready for work.

“You make the best omelets, Mom!” So I made us an omelet. Just as I was finishing, she came out, put her arm around me and said, “I love you Mom, you’re the best, even when you don’t want to be a mom.” Even on my very worst day, in the middle of chaos at work when bad turns to worse, that brings a smile to my face.

That’s how I feel when I think about Jesus and what He’s done for me. The joy and laughter that bubbles up inside as I observe His hands in the details of my life. He does all that for me! Because He loves ME!

 I was reading in John 17 where Jesus prayed for us, a whole chapter just for us. The very last 2 verses He says: “Father, you are the one who always does what is right. The world does not know you, but I know you, and these followers of mine know that you sent me. I showed them what you are like, and I will show them again. Then they will have the same love that you have for me, and I will live in them.”

My family knows me! They know that I’m the same at home as I am out in the world. I want to be known as a woman of love, the kind that God is. I’ll demonstrate it at home, I’ll demonstrate it at work, I’ll demonstrate it when I feel like it or when I don’t.  

Jesus, I’m so thankful you prayed for me then and you sit at the right hand of Father praying for me now.  It’s all for Love. I step aside so that you may be more visible in me, Lord. May your light, the light of your love shine so bright that my face is not seen. May I reflect you today, even when I don’t want to. It’s in Your name I pray, Amen.

“Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;  as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:3-8

Verses 14-20, Jesus translates the parable: “The sower sows the word.  These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

They hear the Word, accept it and bear fruit. Right there is the key. They don’t hyper analyze it, they simply allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of the Word by meditating on it day and night until it becomes a deeply rooted part of their soil and begins to grow and bear fruit. They don’t allow what they see in the natural to sway them. They accept it, believe it, receive it because they know that it HAS to work. It’s Gods Word and Gods word will never return to Him until it’s fulfilled what He sent it to do.

So next time your circumstances overwhelm you, remember the truth and allow it to become deep seeded in you, rooted and grounded, producing fruit in you and through you. Don’t get stuck in deception. When you know the truth, it sets you completely free.

Father, I want to bear much fruit. Not a diseased fruit that’s inedible, but nourishing fruit that brings strength and life to those around me who are hungry for more of You. May Your glory be revealed in and through me in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.                    2 Corinthians 3:17

It’s always good to read the entire passage to get a better understanding of what Paul was saying here so let me give you a brief synopsis. When Moses was in the presence of God his face would shine so bright with the glory, that it made the people fearful to see it, so he covered his face with a veil. The symbolism here is that until we receive Jesus, our eyes are veiled, but once we receive Him as Lord, our eyes are open to the truth and it’s the truth that sets us free.

So this passage clearly reveals to us that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty or freedom. If we don’t allow Him to be Lord of our lives because of fear, condemnation, guilt or shame, we are not allowing the Spirit of God to reveal to us our son-ship or who He has transformed us into-the image of His Son.

You see, knowledge is everything. It’s key to walking in the freedoms you’ve been given through the blood of Jesus Christ. So many of us walk around in a fog because Satan doesn’t want us to know the truth. If he can keep us blind, we’re not threat to him or his schemes and plans. That’s why he keeps you busy, distracted, discouraged, depressed, sick, in pain, etc…. He’s no fool! His deception is well planned and well placed.

It’s time to awaken to the glory of God and allow Him to reveal Himself to us again. Listen to the words of Hosea the prophet; “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

Fill me with the knowledge of You, oh God, that I may walk in the freedom and power of Your Holy Spirit and be the daughter You created me to be. May I carry Your glory as a regal queen. When I speak, may demons tremble! May signs follow the preaching of Your Word as I open myself up for You to flow through. It’s in Jesus’ name and for Your glory alone, Amen.

And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Savior, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like me—and he will never leave you. The world won’t receive him because they can’t see him or know him. But you will know him intimately, because he will make his home in you and will live inside you. John 14:16-17 TPT

This is so exciting! What a beautiful gift the Father has given us-His Spirit of Truth. Three things I’d like to point out in this; 1. He will be a friend. 2. He will never leave. 3. He will make His home in me.

According to the dictionary, the word friend is described as follows: a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard, a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter. Well if that doesn’t describe the Holy Spirit, I don’t know what does. However it goes way beyond that definition because you can have a friend who likes you and even has feelings for you, but that friend will never live inside of you.

That parking spot is reserved! Only the Holy Spirit can occupy you completely and intimately while leading you into all truth. He can never leave you. Like the Lord showed me awhile back, “I’m so woven into the fabric of your being that if my Spirit left you, I would take your spirit with me. You can no more take My Spirit from you then you can take the coffee out of water. We are one!”

You came by invitation and changed my life forever. My only desire is that You be so evident in me that I will remain hidden and the world see only You. Father, my heart and soul belongs to You alone and I worship You with everything within me. It’s in Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

But while Peter was still speaking, a radiant cloud composed of light spread over them, enveloping them all. And God’s voice suddenly spoke from the cloud, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, the constant focus of my delight. Listen to him!” Matthew 17:5 TPT

I was hearing the word ‘suddenly’ in my spirit and so I began putting the word into my bible application to see what would come up. This verse spoke to me, not for the word suddenly, but for the very first part, “But while Peter was still speaking.” I heard the Lord say that even while we’re still speaking, we will see things shift and change and hear His resounding voice declare to the world, “This is my dearly loved son/daughter, the constant focus of my delight. Listen to them!”

I’m not trying to add or take away from the Word, but I’m personalizing it because we need to remember who’s our daddy! We need to remember that He delights in our worship, in our praise and that Jesus was the firstborn of many brothers and sisters

Can you even imagine hearing the booming voice of God? Perhaps if you tune in you will because He’s always speaking. His Word is alive, active, powerful and always hits it’s mark. So while you’re speaking, so is God. He’s telling you of His love for you and that He’s constantly watching, elbowing the angels, “Did you see that? Did you see her faith? I’m so pleased!”

Father, I feel Your love as You breathe on my heart like a flame and it bursts into a fiery passion. I hear Your declaration over me every time I open the written word and speak it aloud. Oh Your voice. It sound like mine but with so much more power. Perhaps some day I will understand the power that works in me and my voice will be as booming as Yours. It’s for Your glory, Amen!

But I know that you will welcome me into your house, for I am covered by your covenant of mercy and love. So I come to your sanctuary with deepest awe to bow in worship and adore you. Psalm 5:7 TPT

Just a little worship this morning, enjoying the great mercy and love of God. When I was lost, He found me and rescued me. I’m so thankful! He loved me when I was unloveable, and that love changed my life so completely. I haven’t cataloged the many things He’s done for me, but if I did, there wouldn’t be enough room to contain the pages.

It’s amazing to me that even as I type these words, I can feel His presence rush in to the room. He knows when I’m thinking of Him and always responds with sweet embraces and tender kisses. I’m in awe. To think that such a powerful presence would respond to little me.

So I bow and adore you this morning. There’s nowhere I’d rather be then in Your presence, for it’s there that I experience true joy, peace and satisfaction. This is the first step into my day and the very best step. Knowing I’m on Your mind as You are on mine. It’s with all my love and thankfulness, Amen.

Trust in the Lord and wait quietly for his help. Psalm 37:7a

Sometimes I think that is the most difficult thing to do, trusting and the waiting quietly yet this is what God asks of us. All throughout the bible we read the same things, wait on the Lord. I believe it’s because His vision is so much broader than ours and so vast. He takes it all in, the beginning, the end, He sees and knows it all. There is so much to His plan and we are only a small part in it.

Most of us have trust issues. We will only trust in what we see, what we know to be fact. We refuse to trust the unknown, to place our trust in a God we can’t see. We won’t trust anything we can’t control or manipulate into giving us the desired end result. But what we end up doing is simply frustrate ourselves because we can’t control all the variables.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

It’s ok not to know everything, but know the one who does and wait quietly for Him to work it all out for Your good. Trust who is in you! The same God who raised Christ from the dead lives in you! The same power. The same answer. The same God.

I will trust you Lord for you know what’s best for me. This week may our focus shift to You who knows. Let me remember that You have all things in Your hands. You have all the details worked out. I will be quiet before You and wait patiently until You reveal your great plan and my part in it. I will trust You. Amen

“So then, forsake your worries! Why would you say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’  For that is what the unbelievers chase after. Doesn’t your heavenly Father already know the things your bodies require?

“So above all, constantly chase after the realm of God’s kingdom and the righteousness that proceeds from him. Then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly.” Matthew 6:31-33 TPT

I was recently reading about a friend of mine who lost her keys and looked everywhere for them to no avail. We’ve all been there. The search for misplaced items can be truly frustrating and such a time waster for sure! She spoke of how God put things into perspective for her; God whispered: No one has died. Your identity has not been stolen. You had a key in your purse. You could get in the house. All the keys were easily and inexpensively replaceable…even the Kroger card with your gas points—all replaced.
Inconvenient, yes.
Earth-shattering, no.
Life-altering, double no.
Thank you, God, for Your peace and perspective.

I couldn’t help but hear my mom say, “Once you stop looking, it will show up!” She used to say to women who were trying so hard to get pregnant, “Once you stop trying, you’ll get pregnant!” and surprisingly, 9 times out of 10 they did.

Simply put, what you feed grows, what you starve shrinks. That’s why Jesus said to prioritize what you focus on—God! When you become consumed with His Word, seeking to know Him and spend time tuning into His voice, everything else becomes seemingly obsolete. Problems shrink into the background and Gods faithfulness rushes in.

My friend, whatever you face today will be there tomorrow. You may as well enjoy the presence of God and magnify Him over what’s screaming for your attention. It’s the one thing Satan cannot stand, that’s why he constantly hurls his darts of lack, sickness, bad reports and causes you to feel depressed. He’s trying to get your focus off God and onto the problem. Most of the time it works.

Make the choice that today will be different. Today, choose to focus on God. God is bigger than any sickness or disease. God is bigger then any problem you face. He’s bigger then your questions or fears. He’s bigger then your lost keys or that bad investment. He is well able to deliver you and keep you. How do I know? Because He’s done it countless times before and will continue to do it. There’s no lack of resources with God. He’s got this!

Thank You Lord! You said that You conquered death, hell and the grave for me. Everything I need, You’ve already provided! Creator of the universe and all that I see, the God who was and is and is to come, You are well able to take care of all my concerns so I leave them in Your capable hands and rest assured, You’ve got this. It’s in Jesus’ name and for Your glory, Amen!