Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Let my light shine? John 8:12 lets us know just what that light is; Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” So our light is actually Jesus in us, shining brightly for all to see. 

Colossians 1:27 NLT puts it like this; “For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.” What a beautiful picture of being disciples of Christ. We must share his attributes before we share his glory. What is it that shines so brightly and draws people like a magnet? Love. It should be our calling card, the thing that identifies us as followers of Christ, what distinguishes us from all others.

In I Corinthians 13, Paul tells us that we can have all the gifts in the world but if we don’t have love, we have nothing. Why would he say that? Because love changes everything. A marriage is just two people living together, but the love they have for one another sets them apart from all others. I can say I love my husband, but unless I demonstrate it in my actions, they are merely words. A mother can say she loves her children, but if she never demonstrates that love to them, they simply leave no good impression.

In our quest to follow after Christ, some of us have forgotten the key that unlocks the hearts of people everywhere. We’ve dropped it in our pursuit of other things. Our love doesn’t resemble the love of Jesus at all. We have become self serving, having the pretense of Christianity but leaving out the one ingredient that holds it all together. Love.

I Corinthians 13:4-7 tells us what love should look like: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

I can see that I need to work on a few of these areas. Ok, ALL of these areas! I’m not at all patient. Sometimes kindness goes out the window! I don’t think I’m jealous, but boastful and proud can come out sometimes. Rude? Yeah, I’ve been that! Demanding my own way, at times. Oh YES on the irritable! Recording wrongs, well, only because I forget things easily. Rejoicing in injustice, only if the other person deserves what they got (probably not what he’s looking for). I have given up on people! I have lost faith and hope. Endurance isn’t a strong suit of mine either!

Dear Father, I seriously need you fill up my love tank. It’s more than memorizing these verses, it’s about being like you in everything and every way. I need your grace and mercy, but most of all I need your love. I need faith to believe, but I REALLY need love. Give me opportunities to make up for the deficit I’ve displayed over the years. To walk in love is to be your child and I want to look like you to those around me. Pour out your love into my heart today and help me to let my light shine brightly. May your love draw people and then be what they satisfies them, heals and delivers them and sets them free. It’s in the Name above all names we pray. Amen

What an honor to wake up at 2:30 in the morning knowing that my Father is waiting for me to come and talk with him. I’m grateful that he gave me the rest I needed to make it through a very busy day of work, after all, he knows me well and cares for me always!

This morning, I found a treasure waiting. It’s found in Isaiah 54:1-8 HCSB translation:

Psalm 42:7-8 speaks to me this morning; I hear the roar of the water coming from deep within the earth. It shouts to the water below as it tumbles down the waterfall. God, your waves come one after another, crashing all around and over me.  By day the Lord shows his faithful love, and at night I have a song for him—a prayer for the God of my life.

Throughout the bible, we see the Word being spoken of as water. Ephesians 5:26 says, “Christ did this so He could set the church apart for Himself. He made it clean by the washing of water with the Word.” So when I read this passage in Psalms, I hear the Word as it comes from deep within me and overflows onto those around me. It’s like waves of water that washes over me, one after another.

There’s something about watching the waves come up to the shore on the beach; they just keep coming. I could watch them for hours on end as the affects of it washes away the cares of the day. Perhaps that’s why so many people vie for beachfront vacations. Living water flows. It breeds life. You can eat what comes from it because it is good for you. I just can’t shake the sense of Gods living water washing over me, bringing me life, nourishing my spirit and my flesh.

Have you ever stood at the edge of a waterfall and tried to speak? Your words are lost in the sound of the falls. You could shout and scream but your words would not be heard over the roar. His Word must be like that in us. It must speak louder than our problems, louder than our fears, our sickness or disease. His Word must roar in us and wash away all doubt and unbelief. Do you see it? Living water, continually washing away anything contrary to the Word of God. I don’t know about you, but I need to camp by the Word day and night. Build me a little shelter cause I’m staying by this water source until I see the salvation of the Lord.

Father, thank you for your beautiful Word. It fills me. It thrills me. It feeds me so that I’m satisfied. It leads and guides me. It brings me peace and joy. Revelation 22:1, “The angel showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal. The river flows from the throne of God and the Lamb.” I know that if I follow the river, it leads back to you. So I will search your Word and find you. I will read your Word and know you. I will eat your Word and be healthy, wealthy and wise. It is for your honor and your glory in Jesus’ Name. Amen

Isaiah 65:23-24 NLT; They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too, will be blessed.  I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

I opened my bible this morning and found this verse I had underlined years ago. What a wonderful promise of blessing from the Lord. He will indeed answer us before we even call on him and while we’re still talking about our need, He will go ahead and answer our prayers. I believe that is the season we are in. The time when we stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

These verses from Amos 9:13-15 came to my mind when I read this; The Lord says, “A time of great blessing is coming. Workers will still be harvesting when it is time to plow the fields again. They will still be trampling the grapes when it is time for a new crop. Sweet wine will drip from the mountains and pour from the hills.  I will bring my people, Israel, back from captivity. They will rebuild the ruined cities, and they will live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce. They will plant gardens and eat the crops they produce. I will plant my people on their land, and never again will they be pulled up out of the land that I gave them.” This is what the Lord your God said.

There are so many losing homes to foreclosure-this is for you. There are those who have lost their jobs-this is for you. You have given to the Lord and he has seen your seed now it’s harvest time! You must allow the harvesters to clear the field before you can plant again. Sometimes we get into a giving mode and we don’t allow the blessings to come on us but the Lord said he would open the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing we don’t have room to contain (Malachi 3:10). It’s harvest time.

II Chronicles 20:17 is for someone out there this morning. It says, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”  It is time to let the Lord do what only he can do. He has this. Position yourself for victory. Position yourself for blessing. Continue to seek his face, follow his direction, he wants to bless you.

Father, thank you for hearing us while we are only thinking about our need. Thank you for taking care of us, protecting us, keeping us. We worship you this morning with our hands and hearts raised to you. Great lover of our soul. You never sleep, your Word is alive and active, you sent it to heal and deliver us. We are grateful. We your people give you what you long for, our praise, our worship, our adoration. We thank you that every problem we face, you face with us. You give us wisdom in every situation we encounter. May you receive all the glory, in Jesus’ Name. Amen

Matthew 5:42-48 ERV; “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly.  If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that.  And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends.  What I am saying is that you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Can we just stop with the ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’ part? Because it’s HARD to love your enemy! It’s HARD to listen to people go off on you or accuse you falsely. It’s VERY HARD! It happens and you know it happens, often behind your back but there are times when they’re bold enough to say it to your face. To respond in love, well now, that really determines how much like your Father you really are. If our response is what gives the read on our love gage, what would yours read?

I think that the enemy is always trying to set us up, then accuse us when we respond wrong. So many times I’ve failed this test, but I’ve learned to quickly repent, place it under the all covering blood of Jesus, then when satan comes to accuse or guilt me out, I simply say, ‘Sorry, but that’s under the blood and it’s not visible any more!’ He can’t argue with someone who’s been forgiven. Psalm 103:12 says, “And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west.” Praise God for that!

That next part of the verse says to pray for them. You might say, “Ok. I’ll pray for them but you won’t like what I pray!” I think Jesus set the example for us when he hung on the cross and said, “Father, forgive them for the don’t know what they’re doing.” If he could say that about those who beat him, spit on him, accused him, tore out his beard, tore his flesh, pushed a crown of 2″ thorns onto his head and nailed him to a cross…….well then.

Then there’s the part that says, “If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven.”  I don’t know about you, but I think I need someone to help me with all that. I need to spend more time with the one who loves like that. If I become like those I hang around with, I need to hang out with God ALL the time. In the morning when I rise, in the evening when I lay down, in between when I’m living life. I don’t want to just meet him, I want him to fill me up to overflow. Perhaps that’s why he sent us the Holy Spirit, because he knew we would need help loving.

Father, thank you for the reminder this morning that I need to be more like you. I may have come a long way, but I have a long way to go. I Corinthians 13:4-8a tells me what I need most; “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.  Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it.  Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth.  Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. Love will never end.”

Father, you are love and there is no end to you. As long as you have sons in the earth, your love will burn brightly though us. Thank you for being such a great example to us. For your great grace and mercy, we are forever grateful. Help us to show those same attributes to the deserving and undeserving today. We thank you in Jesus’ Name. Amen

Wednesday night, Walt and I were given a personal prophetic word that keeps speaking to me. Pastor saw a glass ceiling or barrier over us and then he saw it shatter. When I told my friend about it, she gave me a definition of what that means in a corporate business sense. This morning I looked it up for myself and this is what I saw:  Glass Ceilings; Invisible but real barrier through which the next stage or next level of advancement can be seen but cannot be reached by a section of qualified and deserving employees… Interesting.

As a church, we’ve been praying the Atomic Warfare Prayer by Cindy Trimm for the past several months. Here is an excerpt from this prayer: “I declare I have free passage for my prayer to ascend into the realm of the supernatural and will not be earth bound.  I come into the Supreme Court of heaven: I am seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, therefore, I war from this plane and realm.  I declare that the anointing of God breaks every yoke, open every portal and assign angels to reinforce me as I advance into new levels, new dimensions, new realms and territory.  Let there be breakthrough in the heavens.  I tap into apostolic and prophetic veins. I shatter glass ceilings. I smash spiritual bars and iron membranes. I declare a breakthrough atmosphere is established.”

Did you see that? Never truly understood what we were proclaiming until now. Could it be that God is shattering barriers that have kept us from receiving the blessings and promises he has given to us? I’m excited and hopeful. I believe as we see ourselves as children of the King, entitled to everything that Jesus makes available to us through the shedding of his blood on the cross, we will see those barriers and hindrances shatter and the blessing of God roll in like a dense fog.

I love this political term describing glass ceilings; It is used to describe the unseen yet. It refers to obstacles hindering. That gets me excited! Adding the word yet shows me that there is more to come. I may not see it yet, but I will see it. I may not have it yet, but I will soon hold it in my hand. I may have to stand before the judge, yet I know who is with me and who will deliver me. I may be facing a dead end, yet, God knows how to make a way where there was no way. Everyone else may see this as a failure, YET I know who causes me to succeed and prosper in everything I set my hand to. Praise the Lord! Do you see it yet?

What are you facing? YET GOD! It’s not over YET! Those glass ceilings are being broken over your life, over your family, over your job, over your finances. Breakthrough is coming! Breakthrough is NOW! Psalm 84:11 says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  Psalm 37: 9-11 says, “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.  For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.  But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

Suddenly, while you’re about your Fathers business, while you’re blessing someone else, while you’re interceding for your friend, that thing that’s been holding back your promise will suddenly go away. God has been setting you up for so much blessing that it will take your breath away. I declare it over you in the Name of Jesus! Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. Don’t be discouraged or down hearted! Don’t allow the enemy to take your joy or peace. God is a loving Father and he loves to give good gifts to his children.

Have an awesome and wonderful day and remember this word, “God is getting ready to shatter glass ceilings in your life!”

How many times have you had your view blocked by something big? I sat in church one Sunday with a very tall man right in front of me. He totally blocked my view! Seriously people! Tall folks in the back please. Hey, that’s how they take pictures, right? Taller people in the back so that you don’t block the short people. Or how about renting a nice place at the beach only to find the view is blocked by another building. Just puts a soggy blanket on your vacation. You were promised a view, but no one said you’d have to go outside to the beach to get it.

There are times when we are going through things that are so big they totally block our view of God, or perhaps I’m the only one who’s experienced that. You pray, you fast, you worship, you read the Word, but it’s like there’s a glass ceiling and the only thing you see are clouds. Every time you pray, it echos back in your ears. Every time you worship, it’s an extreme effort. You do it anyway but you wonder, is any of this working?

The Israelites faced a similar situation when they left Egypt and got to the Red Sea. One thing stood in their way from reaching the other side and that was a massive amount of water.  There were a whole lot of people there that day, can you imagine the sounds that came from that crowd? They were angry, scared, a riot like condition similar to the protests we see today that get out of hand. There were no National Guards to call out. It was just Moses and the Lord. He told the people in Exodus 14:13-14, And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of theLord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.  The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

Wow, that was a brave thing to say! But hey, they had just come through all those plagues and not one of them had touched the Israelites, why all of the sudden would they fear? Because large things block the view of God. Now, what I want you to see is that action is required to bring about deliverance. God will always give you instructions and you must do what he says. Verses 15-16; And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.  But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea”.  

The word ‘forward’ there means to pull up your tent pegs, start a journey. Don’t stay where you are! Go onward. They had to do something! The word ‘rod’ there is authority, support life, correction of God. The word ‘divide’ means to lift my Word, win, make it burst. Do you see the action required here? Not only did God require the people to pull up and move on, he required Moses to use his authority to divide the waters. Sometimes you just have to move so that what is blocking your view is no longer in the way. That’s when revelation comes, that’s when clarity comes, that’s when you receive revelation and God gives you the details. You must first obey.

Wow, Lord. You blow me away with the things you show us in your Word. A special thanks to Pastor Carmen Lett for opening this wonderful Word to us last night at church. It confirmed so much to me in what You have been prompting me to do and say. Sometimes I feel like a fool doing or saying what You instructs me to, but Father, you reminded me last night that all of the prophets looked foolish, it didn’t keep what they said from coming to pass. You always back up your Word. You are faithful! All you require of us is obedience. I’m moving so I can see. Thank you Lord! I love you so much. I know that you’re shifting and moving things on our behalf and I give you all the glory and the praise in Jesus’ Name. Amen

I Corinthians 1:26-31 GW;  Brothers and sisters, consider what you were when God called you to be Christians. Not many of you were wise from a human point of view. You were not in powerful positions or in the upper social classes.  But God chose what the world considers nonsense to put wise people to shame. God chose what the world considers weak to put what is strong to shame. God chose what the world considers ordinary and what it despises—what it considers to be nothing—in order to destroy what it considers to be something.  As a result, no one can brag in God’s presence.  You are partners with Christ Jesus because of God. Jesus has become our wisdom sent from God, our approval, our holiness, and our ransom from sin.  As Scripture says, “Whoever brags must brag about what the Lord has done.”

I can so relate to what Paul wrote here. When I answered the call to lay down my life, I was 15 years old. I was not wise, of lower class. But I was hungry. Hungry to know God, to not just know about him but to know him intimately and personally. I believed and still believe that God made us so that he would have someone to fellowship with, so that is always my goal and desire each day, to spend time with my Father, exchanging conversation. I lavish him with love, he gives me peace and joy. My love is puny but his is LARGE. It’s His love that changes mine. He makes me more than I am.

I won’t brag about myself, but I will brag about what the Lord has done. He’s been so faithful to me! He’s given me a home and a family, a job, a car, a church, food in my cupboards, clothes in my closet. He’s given me friends who care about me and pray for me, make me laugh, bring me joy. I’m rich in things that money can’t buy nor can the world provide. He’s a wonderful, just and caring Father. Whenever the cares of this life threaten to take my joy, I simply remember what the Lord has done and I bubble up with joy again.

Thank you Lord for the times we talk and share, I treasure them. It helps me make it through another day in anticipation of more time with you in the morning. I think of you all day long, it’s those times when I sense you near me because you never leave me alone. You are such a great friend to me. If my friends influence me to be better, you are my greatest influence. I just want to please you and bring a smile to your face.  I’m forever yours, Sandy

The word, ‘justice’ came to my mind this morning as I sat down to have devotions. The dictionary defines it as; the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness. My mind immediately went to the story Jesus told about the unjust judge found in Luke 18:1-8;

Jesus used this illustration with his disciples to show them that they need to pray all the time and never give up.  He said, “In a city there was a judge who didn’t fear God or respect people.  In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice.’

“For a while the judge refused to do anything. But then he thought, ‘This widow really annoys me. Although I don’t fear God or respect people,  I’ll have to give her justice. Otherwise, she’ll keep coming to me until she wears me out.’”

The Lord added, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge thought.  Won’t God give his chosen people justice when they cry out to him for help day and night? Is he slow to help them?  I can guarantee that he will give them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

This woman kept asking and asking and asking until it wore the unjust judge down. She never gave up! She kept going back, kept asking for justice over and over and over again. As a mom, my response would have been, “If you ask one more time, you’ll never get it!”, but I’m so thankful God doesn’t respond like that. He’s watching for persistence. He’s listening for knockers. “I know you’re there Lord and I won’t leave until you open the door.”

When Jesus returns, will he find faith on the earth? Will he see a people who still hope and trust in his words? Will he find disciples or observers? Will he find doers or just hearers? Will there still be those who are asking like the widow, daily coming for justice? Will he find us on our knees, interceding for our world? Will he find the sound of worship on the battleground? In the midst of loss, will he find a people who still set their eyes on him?

Father, daily we seek your face because without you, we are forever lost and hopeless. You are the just Judge.  Psalm 37:28 says; The Lord loves justice, and he will not abandon his godly ones. They will be kept safe forever, but the descendants of wicked people will be cut off.  Thank you for never abandoning your children and always keeping us safe. Thank you that you watch over us to keep us in all our ways. Every evil plan of the enemy will be thwarted because you are a just judge over your people. Even though we deserved death, your son carried that and you gave us life. We didn’t get what we deserved, you gave us Love and that Love has changed us forever. 

As we go about our day, may we never stop asking, because it’s your good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name we ask, Amen

Psalm 62:1-2; I wait quietly before God, for my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. Verses 5-8; I wait quietly before God for my hope is in him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.  My salvation and my honor come from God alone.  He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.  O my people, trust in him at all times.  Pour out your heart to him for God is our refuge.

I always treasure my time with God in the morning. It’s so quiet, so peaceful and his presence just astounds me. I can be thinking about how faithful He is and bam! He floods the room like a tsunami and leaves me totally undone. Gone are all the questions and fears. Gone, all the stress and worry. Completely washed away by the waves of his sweet Spirit. When I’m in him, he hides me and no enemy can reach me here. As David so aptly said, “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.”

Have you ever been in a place like that? Hidden so well that your enemies can’t find you. I love that we have a place to go like that. To escape all the cares and problems we face and know that He cares for us.  We always have a choice to make, we can focus on the problem or focus on God who can take care of the problem. I choose to focus on God. I choose to stay in his presence until he directs my steps, that way I know it’s him and not me. I can’t deliver me, only he can do that. I would only make a mess of it and dig a deeper hole than I’m already in. But God is my refuge (any place, person, action, or thing that offers or appears to offer protection, help, or relief). That’s who he is to me.

Father, today I thank you for being my safe place. As I go to work, I ask for your wisdom and protection from the plans and schemes of the enemy. Watch over me. You order all of my steps and cause me to have more wisdom than I would ever have on my own. All glory to you, King of kings and Lord of lords. May I bring a smile to your face today. May my life influence others to want to also spend time in your presence. It’s in your Name I pray, Amen