Ps 37:4-Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

There’s a place where we can go, a vacation of sorts, to forget about whats going on in our lives and bask in the peace of His presence. It costs us nothing, yet it cost Him everything. The equivalent of an all expense paid cruise to an island getaway.  It’s there we can give attention to the faithfulness of the Lord. Where our hearts are made tender to receive His mercies.

Better than any vacation memories are the times spent in His presence, the secret place of the most High. In the most trying moments when life overwhelms you with deadlines, close your eyes, step away and focus on Him. Delight yourself in Him. Not for what He can do for you, but what you can bring to Him. Ps 100:4b says, “Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”

Father, I praise you for your goodness! You meet all my needs according to YOUR riches, not mine. Every step I take is ordered. There are no mis-step with You! You never leave me nor forsake me. You know my name and you answer me in time of trouble. You’re my rock, my strong tower, my refuge, my fortress and I trust in You. I bless Your holy name.

I’m acutely aware of You, even though I’ve never seen You, I know Your voice. You always look for ways to bless me, even when I feel I don’t deserve it. You anticipate my desires, even the desires unspoken. You know my heart and You hear my thoughts. My heart belongs to  You. Everyday, you bring me peace and satisfy me with food that causes me to grow stronger and younger. You’re such an awesome and wonderful friend, one that stays closer than any other. I’m forever grateful to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Hebrews 12:15 says, “Be careful that no one fails to get God’s grace. Be careful that no one loses their faith and becomes like a bitter weed growing among you. Someone like that can ruin your whole group.”

There have been times in my life when things did not work out as I’d planned. It’s times like this that I feel I may have missed it somehow. Then I remember this verse:

The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One [a]who holds his hand. Psalm 37:23-24

Before I begin my time with the Lord, I always want to give Him praise. I don’t ever want to come before Him without the gift of my love and adoration. All praise to You, Father of my Master, Jesus Christ. You’re so good! You are my one constant in the midst of the twisted path I’m on. Just to know You, to know You care for me gives me peace.

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too. II Corinthians 1:3-4 Message

I love these verses, they speak of God’s mercy and healing counsel. They remind me of David when He said, “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord!” So often we run here and there for answers when every answer we will ever need is found in His presence. We spend so much money on doctor visits, health insurance, counselors and retreats when He is always with us and His ears are open to our cries.

God, forgive me for not coming to You first. In the process of going to others, I’ve made a mess of things. So this morning, I come to You for healing counsel, wisdom and guidance. You know what I need better then I know myself and how it all fits with Your plans for my life. There is no one I trust more then You for after all, You created me. I want to know You more, Lord. I invite You to come fellowship with me today, all day, everyday, for one moment without Your voice is more than I can bear. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Do you know that you live in a world that’s created by your own thoughts? Your thoughts play a huge part in where life takes you. Proverbs 23:7a, For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

Our imagination plays a very large part in making pathways to success or failure. Ever hear the saying, ‘The mind is the devils playground?’ With his help, you can pretty much stir up the worst scenario’s in seconds. If you don’t believe me, watch some of the ‘Tell-a-vision’ shows out there that are corrupting the minds of people, causing them to do unimaginable things.  The more you think on something, the greater the possibilities of it happening.

In Genesis 11, we read about a people who got together and decided to build a tower to the sky. Most of us know it as the ‘Tower of Babel’ because it was where God confused the language so they could no longer communicate there thoughts to one another. Look at verse 6 in the Amplified version; And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one [unified] people, and they all have the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do [in rebellion against Me], and now no evil thing they imagine they can do will be impossible for them.”

If you’re tired of what’s happening in your life, perhaps you need to take a second look at your thought life, because it starts there. Those who think right, live right, those who don’t, won’t. Train your brain to reign! Think about it, you’re a joint heir with Christ. A child of Almighty God. Start by thinking on THAT and see how life changes.

In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.  Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9

Father, I will choose my thoughts wisely today, thinking on where I am seated, in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. I will remember that You have great plans for me, my steps are ordered every day. Trusting You for each time I place my foot that it leads me to the successful place You’ve chosen for me. I’m so excited for this day! I surrender my thoughts and exchange them for Yours. I’m excited to know that You’re always working to take me to the place where I can be the best for Your Kingdom. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words. Proverbs 18:21 AMP

The problem is, we simply don’t believe our words have any value at all. For far too long, we have said whatever we wanted with little or no regard to the consequences. We blurt out whatever is on our mind. We curse what God has blessed and bless what God has cursed. We think so highly of ourselves and so lowly of our Creator. We want what we want, but never what He wants. We do what feels good to us, even if it hurts other people.

I’ve listened in horror while hearing the flippant saying; You’re killing me! I confronted one Spirit filled young lady and she rolled her eyes and said, “It’s just a saying, it doesn’t mean anything!” Umm really? Let’s go back up to Proverbs 18:21.

Parents are appauled when bad things happen to their children, but they refuse to hold them accountable for their words and teach them of their value. We’ve become a society who just think it’s cool to talk like the world, form opinions like the world and walk off the cliff with the world. How strange to bite into an apple only to taste an orange? That’s what we’ve become! Is it just me? Does no one else see the blatant rejection of our heritage in the Lord? We want all the good stuff, but we don’t want to be different and speak like God.

Instead of speaking the problems, how about speaking the Word. When we bind our words with His Word, we get into covenant with them and NOTHING will be impossible to them that believe. Start now BEFORE you need a miracle. Believe God in the little and He will make you ruler over the much. Don’t live with one foot in the world and one foot in the Word. Jump in with both feet and believe EVERYTHING God said He will do.

Oh Father, I ask forgiveness for every idle word spoken over my lifetime. Thank You for redeeming me and setting me free. Make me mindful of the power in my words. Help me to speak blessings, not to curse my brother or sister. Put a watch guard on my mouth that I may not speak evil. All the days of my life, may I declare Your Word and see the powerful fruit of my labor. It’s in Jesus name and for Your glory, Amen

“And no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch pulls away from the garment and a worse tear happens.  Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, and the wine spills out and the skins are ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” Matthew 9:16-17 TLV

Rip! Thats the sound that comes from placing new cloth old. We ask God for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done, but we fail to understand that the old mindset can’t handle what the Spirit of God is doing. We keep looking for the old, the old time revival, the old rugged cross, the way it used to be. Those things had value for what they accomplished in their day, but our focus can’t be there anymore. Isaiah 43:19 says, Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Luke 5:39, Jesus said, “No one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine!’, they say.” I cannot tell you how many churches have remained in a state of limbo because they refuse to change out the old with the new. It’s sad to see people my age and older who are content with what was. They refuse to get out of the comfort of their pews in search of new music, new worship, new wine.

A few years ago, I awoke to a snapshot of a state map with all the highways leading to cities and the Lord spoke this to me: “You become so consumed with the journey that you forget your destination.” Don’t get hung up on the journey to heaven that you forget what the journey should be about. Keep your focus on Jesus. We’ve been blood bought, yet we live our lives as if we owe no one. Busy doing our own thing, going after our own goals and dreams. We buy because we want, not because we need. We don’t seek the Lord because we don’t really want to do what he asks of us. We are the rich young ruler who turns away sadly cause the Lord has asked too much.

ARE YOU KIDDING? My life is not about me! My old life has been ripped from me. THANKFULLY! If it hadn’t been, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Was it painful? Every tear, every rip! If I’m not willing to let God rip the old from me, I will never have room to contain the new that he has to put in me. My agenda doesn’t matter. I must surrender and not look back. I’ve surrendered my marriage for a new and better one. I’ve surrendered my children so that God could do the same in them as he has in me. I’ve surrendered my old church, my old friends, my old job, my old home because I realized that unless I leave the old, I won’t be ready for the new.

Oh Father, I’m never going back! I don’t long for the old, I long for the new.  I’m never going back to the way it was in the ‘good ole days’. I want to see the Kingdom of God manifested in and through me. Let me be empty and poured out, made new, when the ripping is over, may I stand in your presence with You fully exposed in me. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

“Suppose one of you has a servant who has been working in the field, plowing or caring for the sheep. When he comes in from work, what would you say to him? Would you say, ‘Come in, sit down and eat’?  Of course not! You would say to your servant, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Then get ready and serve me. When I finish eating and drinking, then you can eat.’  The servant should not get any special thanks for doing his job. He is only doing what his master told him to do.  It is the same with you. When you finish doing all that you are told to do, you should say, ‘We are not worthy of any special thanks. We have only done the work we should do.’” Luke 17:7-10 ERV

There’s no special thanks for doing what you were hired to do, right? After all, if you’re hired to do a job, the check you receive at the end of the week is your boss’s ‘special thanks’ for doing what he hired you to do. If you don’t do the job, more then likely, you won’t get paid.

I was actually thinking of this story this morning in light of faith, because faith is our servant. It’s suppose to work for us. Faith without work is standing in an unemployment line. It’s always waiting for you to put it to work. I can have tons of servants, but if I give them nothing to do, as my dad used to say, they stand around with their ‘teeth in their pockets and their hands in their mouthes’.

My brothers and sisters, if a person claims to have faith but does nothing, that faith is worth nothing. Faith like that cannot save anyone.  Suppose a brother or sister in Christ comes to you in need of clothes or something to eat.  And you say to them, “God be with you! I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat,” but you don’t give them the things they need. If you don’t help them, your words are worthless.  It is the same with faith. If it is just faith and nothing more—if it doesn’t do anything—it is dead. James 2:14-17 ERV

This is faith at work in the simplest way! If we don’t do the little, what makes us think we can do the much? If we’re not willing to trust God in the little, how can we trust Him in the much? We must first use our faith for a headache before we, in desperation, turn to God with our disease.

Let’s put our faith to work today. Let’s listen when the Lord lays someone on our hearts and put action to it. Sometimes it’s easier to throw money at someone’s need rather then invite them in for a meal. But that doesn’t demonstrate the Father’s love like sharing a meal and sharing Jesus with them. Listening, loving, having compassion, taking time out of your busy schedule to minister to someone, mentoring a child, a young mother, whatever you see around you, stop brushing it off on someone else and reach out. Make your faith work for you.

Father, make me sensitive when I’m not. Help me to stop and look around me instead of being so focused that I forget. When Your voice is drowned out by the noise around me, may I be still and tune in to show Your love and meet a need in others that only You can fill. Forgive my selfishness. I employ my faith today. My faith will obey the words of my mouth and bring back opportunities and blessings so that I can bless others. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

So he came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me.  So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach them to obey everything that I have told you to do. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time.”Matthew 28:18-20

But Jesus, what you’re asking me to do is hard! I’m not comfortable with that! I work all day and I’m not allowed to do this at work. This might have been easier in your day, but in my day, I could lose my job, get kicked out of the mall, get arrested……..oh wait, all those things happened in your day, didn’t they!

This wasn’t a choice Jesus gave them before He left the earth, it was a mandate. He took back all the authority in the earth that satan had stolen from Adam and Eve, then as a parting gift, gave it to us through His Holy Spirit. He left us fully equipped and ready to go. But it seems our get up and go, got up and went. We’ve lost our passion for souls, our desire to share Jesus, to be an expression of love and forgiveness. We’re so caught up in our dreams and agendas that we forgot the ‘so go’.

He’s not asking you to do anything He didn’t do. He gave up everything so we would know His love, forgiveness, grace and mercy, not to hoard it, but to share it with others. It’s time to allow more of Jesus to shine through us. It’s time to ask God for opportunities in our communities to be light in a dark place. To convince others of this love.

May I add one more thing? You cannot convince someone else of something you’re not convinced of yourself. Do you know Jesus? Do you know Him personally? Do you commune with Him daily? Have you read His story? If not, educate yourself on who He is and what He’s done. You’ll discover a life worth living is a life worth giving.

Father, give me the courage to go and do what You said for me to go and do. I can’t do it alone, but You said You would be with me always, even to the ends of the earth. Help me to look for those in need of You. The lost, the hopeless, the sick, the hurting, the addicted and the poor. This love You have for me, is easily demonstrated out of my time with You. Fill me full so that I have to give. I tune into Your voice and hear Your words, “So go”! It’s for the glory of Your son Jesus, Amen.

In the quiet of the morning while waiting for the sun to rise, I sense that You are near. I feel Your presence wash over me and my spirit instantly responds with praise. A song floats up to you before I’m aware of it’s verse. I sing to you in my spirit and then with my understanding. Mere words are insignificant, but they’re all I have to offer.

Oh God, my God, how excellent is Your name in all the earth. My lips may sing of Your goodness, but it’s my heart that swells with knowing You. My heart beats and the blood courses through my body. It carries everything I need to live, but it’s You who carries everything my spirit needs to live and love.

I am the work of Your hands, fashioned for worship and fellowship. If I don’t connect with You each morning, I wander through my day like a nomad, finding no place to land or call my home. I become irritated, searching for satisfaction in things that bring no satisfaction at all. But You are my home. You are my place of refuge. You satisfy the deep longing of my soul and it is in You that I live, move and have my being.

Today, I will not leave You in my quiet place, I will take You with me and share my day with You. Today, I will look upon Your face in adoration and wonder at all You have done and continue to do for, in and through me. Every step I take is ordered by You even when it makes no sense to my intellect. You are more than that to me.

True trust transcends mere human understanding and refuses to let go of promises given, even if they were given years ago. You are faithful who has promised. Abraham understood this and You blessed Him beyond his wildest imagination. I will not forget Your faithfulness. I will remember You are a God of Your Word. Thank You Lord!