I Corinthians 9:24 In a race all the runners run. But only one gets the prize. You know that, don’t you? So run in a way that will get you the prize.

Hebrews 12:1 A huge cloud of witnesses is all around us. So let us throw off everything that stands in our way. Let us throw off any sin that holds on to us so tightly. Let us keep on running the race marked out for us.

Philippians 3:14 I move on toward the goal to win the prize. God has appointed me to win it. The heavenly prize is Christ Jesus himself.

What does quitting get you? Nothing. If you sign up for a marathon and don’t complete it, you get nothing. It’s those who finish the race who obtain the prize, so keep going. I don’t know who you are or what you’re struggling with, but the Holy Spirit does and he has prompted me to share these verses with you this morning. God is for you, not against you. I know it may not look that way, but he is. God is simply waiting for you to reach out your hand to him, sit in his presence and let him be what you need. He wants you to depend completely on him and not yourself, your family, your job, your bank account. Those things were never meant to meet your needs, they will always come up short. But God, he has an everlasting supply of whatever you have need of, just come to him.

Isaiah 30:18 But the Lord longs to show you his favor. He wants to give you his tender love. The Lord is a God who is always fair. Blessed are all those who wait for him to act!

Do you see that? Blessed are all those who wait for him to act! Let HIM do this for you. He wants you to know him as the God who is more than enough, the God who answers, who cares for and protects. Will you do that? Will you just wait on him?

Father, I pray for my friend, the one reading this who feels hopeless and helpless, be their hope and help in their time of trouble. Deliver them, just as you did for David long ago when his enemies surrounded him, you confused the enemies and gave him victory. Bring my friend victory today. Show them your grace in time of need, your tender love and favor. You are such a good God. There is no one like you in all the earth. We will not trust in others, we will place our trust in you. You said you won’t leave us ever and we believe that with all our heart, soul and mind. Right now, Father, cause them to sense the sweet rushing wind of your presence. Hover over them and instill the seed of hope that they need to make it through what they’re going through. We thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Seems God has taken me back to my favorite passage this morning after listening to a very challenging yet confirming Word last night. Ezekiel 37:1-14 MSG and if you’ll allow me, I’ll change it as the Lord showed me last night;

^1-2 God grabbed me. God’s Spirit took me up and set me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them—a lot of bones (VISIONS & DREAMS)! There were bones VISIONS & DREAMS) all over the plain—dry bones (VISIONS & DREAMS), bleached by the sun.

³ He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones (VISIONS & DREAMS) live?”

I said, “Master God, only you know that.”

⁴ He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones (VISIONS & DREAMS): ‘(VISIONS & DREAMS)Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!’”

^5-6 God, the Master, told the (VISIONS & DREAMS) dry bones, “Watch this: I’m bringing the breath of life to you and you’ll come to life. I’ll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You’ll (YOUR VISIONS & DREAMS WILL) come alive and you’ll realize that I am God!”

^7-8 I prophesied just as I’d been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones (VISIONS & DREAMS) moved and came together, bone to bone. I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them.

⁹ He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, ‘God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain (VISIONS & DREAMS) bodies. Breathe life!’”

¹⁰ So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army.

¹¹ Then God said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they’re saying: ‘Our bones (VISIONS & DREAMS) are dried up, our hope is gone, there’s nothing left of us.’

^12-14 “Therefore, prophesy. Tell them, ‘God, the Master, says: I’ll dig up your graves and bring you out alive—O my people! Then I’ll take you straight to the land of Israel. When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people, you’ll realize that I am God. I’ll breathe my life into you (YOUR VISIONS & DREAMS) and you’ll (THEY’LL) live. Then I’ll lead you straight back to your land and you’ll realize that I am God. I’ve said it and I’ll do it. God’s Decree.’”

This is HUGE, people! I heard the Lord challenge me for the next 90 days to prophesy over my visions and dreams, prophetic words spoken over me long ago, things that look dead because of situations and circumstances. They may LOOK dead, but God said he would breathe on them and they would come to life. That is what I needed to hear. You may think I’ve lost my mind, but what you DON’T know is, I’ve already done this over my children and God heard me and answered me. I know him as a God who hears and answers. I know him as life giver. Is anything too hard for God?

I don’t care what you face, how dead and hopeless it may look, it may be foreclosure on your house and the Lord gave you a vision of a HUGE house for a greater purpose. PROPHESY!  You may have heard you have cancer in your body and you don’t have long to live but God gave you a vision of long life, PROPHESY TO YOUR BODY! It may be loss of a job or relationship, dead marriage, dead dreams, dead visions, whatever it is, now is not the time to walk away, now is the time to straighten your spine, put on your Word and PROPHESY; LIVE!

Father, thank you for letting me see as you see; dead things resurrected. I will speak to those visions you’ve given me to live. I will speak life into them and they will live. You said in your Word that ‘first a seed must fall into the ground and die before it can yield fruit,’ but yield fruit it will because you’ve told us to water the seed, fertilize the seed and you would cause the sun to shine on it and make it grow. Thank you Lord for your Word. It will give increase. It will bring life. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!

Hebrews 11:1-3; Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.  God accepted our ancestors because of their faith. Faith convinces us that God created the world through his word. This means what can be seen was made by something that could not be seen.

Verse 5 & 6; Faith enabled Enoch to be taken instead of dying. No one could find him, because God had taken him. Scripture states that before Enoch was taken, God was pleased with him.  No one can please God without faith. Whoever goes to God must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Look around you. Everything you see was made by something unseen; words. God spoke and created, he didn’t wave a wand or do magic trick, it was his words that brought things into existence. Enoch walked with God daily and talked with God just as Adam did in the garden. He didn’t ‘see’ God, but he believed that God existed and communed with him. He trusted God to speak to his spirit and he understood the voice of the Spirit of God. It clearly states in verse 6 that Gods rewards are reserved for those who believe he exists and seek him.

What does it look like to seek the Lord? I can only speak from my own experience and you’re welcome to share your own, but I look for God to show up, I expect him and I’m never disappointed. I begin by reading the Word and I ask him about what I just read. “Can you explain this to me, Lord. Please give me your wisdom on this deep and rich truth you’re trying to show me.” Then I wait. I read it again with fresh eyes and I hear him begin to unfold truth. You can’t be in a hurry when you come to God. He know’s how much time you have and he will come.  Sometimes it’s on my way to work or even sitting at my desk, I’ll think again of that verse I read and it’s like he shines his light on it and opens truth to me. All I can do is say, “Thank you!”

Lets go back to verse 3; “Faith convinces us that God created the world through his word. This means what can be seen was made by something that could not be seen.” We must believe that our words hold that same power as Gods. You cannot speak one thing and expect something else, it doesn’t work that way. Why did David pray, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” Because he understood that words are a key to every victory and what you think on is what will come out of your mouth.

We must believe Gods word first and foremost. If we can’t believe HIS words, we will never believe in the plans he has for us. If we don’t believe we can commune with God and hear his voice, then something is wrong with our guidance system. I don’t care how many times you’ve hoped for something and it hasn’t happened, hope again, but this time put your words in agreement with His words and KEEP them there. Stop going back and forth between two opinions and for goodness sake, STOP SHARING WHAT YOU’RE BELIEVING FOR WITH PEOPLE WHO DON’T GET IT!!!!! In fact, the fewer people who know what you’re believing for, the better. You don’t know what they’re saying out of your presence and you don’t need their doubt and unbelief working AGAINST you.

Father, teach us your ways of speaking that we may duplicate you on the earth. Make us like you, not like the world. Keep us from the ways of this world! We don’t need more worldly Christians, we need followers of Christ, disciples who will go make more disciples. We ask that your Kingdom, your way of being and doing will be in us as it is in heaven. Trusting, faithful, Word wielding sons and daughters who trust in every word you’ve ever spoken. It’s in your name we pray, Amen.

I sure do get carried away reading the stories in the Old Testament. Since I was reading about Daniel yesterday, I decided to go back to the beginning and read the entire story, how the Jews were taken captive and the fine men were turned into eunuchs and primed to serve the king. About the favor that God bestowed on Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. About the image that King Nebuchadnezzar erected and had everyone bow to and worship but the 3 refused and were tossed into the furnace. How with great boldness and confidence, they declared that ‘Our God is well able to deliver us,” and He did. Yet after all of this, King Nebuchadnezzar just didn’t get it. He was so proud and arrogant that he refused to honor God, so God took his kingdom from him for 7 years and he ate the grass in the field and became an animal.

The coolest part ever was when the 7 years were over; Chapter 4:35-37

I was reading in Daniel chapter 10 this morning when Daniel was quite perplexed after receiving a message and vision that he didn’t understand. So he began a fast (which we now call a Daniel fast), where he ate no pleasant food, meat or wine for 21 days or 3 weeks. On the 24th day, he and 3 men were out when Daniel saw a vision of a man and although he was the only one to see it, the power and presence was so charged that the other men hid themselves and Daniel fell on his face to the ground as if asleep (more than likely passed out!). Then a hand touched him and told him to get up and verses 11-12 says;

 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.”

This is what the Lord wants to say to you this morning, that He hears you and loves you. Humble yourself, commit to seek his face and have deeper understanding of him, he wants you to know him in all of his fullness. He wants you to know him as love. He wants you to know him as provider. He wants you to know him as healer. He wants you to know he is a merciful and faithful God. He wants relationship with you, to show you his blessings today.

Maybe it’s been a long time since you’ve thought of Him. Perhaps the cares of your life have choked out the Word and kept you discouraged and defeated. It’s time to believe again. It’s time to receive again. Just lift up your arms to the Lord and tell him you love him and trust him. Daniel prayed and fasted 21 days. The angel went on to tell him that from the first day, he was dispensed to bring him his answer but the prince of the air (satan) detained him and he had to call for reinforcements.

You don’t know it, but your answer was given the first time you prayed, now it’s time to thank God for the answer. Praise him for what you haven’t seen yet, because you’re getting ready to see it. He said that when we call, he will answer us. Just because you don’t have the answer yet doesn’t mean it’s not coming. Your praise defeats your enemy so get your praise on. Begin to worship in the middle of your mess and watch your breakthrough come.

Father, thank you for hearing us, for opening the windows of Heaven and pouring us out a blessing we don’t have room to contain. You are such an amazing God. Our lives have been planned out from the beginning and there’s nothing too big to keep those plans from taking affect. All you ask from us is to believe and trust in you. You’ve written our story so you get more glory. We praise your name! We give you all the glory and the honor for no one is due it but you. Mighty God! Holy God! We will turn our face from our problems to gaze upon you for you are great and greatly to be praised.

From the words of a song my mom used to sing; “The answer’s on the way this I know. Jesus said, I believe it and it’s so. Our heavenly Father know’s our need before we pray and we can rest assured, the answers on it’s way.” Amen!

This morning I decided to read some of the awesome stories of the old testament. I love to stir up my knowledge of who God is and longs to be in and through us. I came on the story of David who decided to bring the Ark of God back to Jerusalem. I Chronicles 13:10, “Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had laid his hand on the Ark. So Uzzah died there in the presence of God.” So David was afraid and decided to store the Ark at a a local farm. Verses 13-14, “So David did not move the Ark into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. The Ark of God remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom and everything he owned.”

Ever have one of those moments where you realize something you’ve known but never seen the full picture of? It was this; The Spirit of God (His very presence) dwells in us. We are now the place God’s glory dwells. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” Because we are carriers of God, everything we own and everything we do is blessed by God. We aren’t a drop off point for a three month stay, we’re forever His and He’s forever ours. 

Father, I’m blown away by your desire to bless us. Not so we can have lots of money and do whatever we want, but so that others may see the blessing of God on our lives. Just as we love to bless our children and set them up so they are never lacking any good thing, so do you. We want to lavish your love on others just as you have on us. Help us to remain sensitive to your Spirit in us, to listen closely to your voice and do what you ask us to do. You desire obedience over sacrifice, so we set ourselves to obey you today. It’s in Jesus’ name we ask this. Amen

I was just reading Matthew 10 this morning, where Jesus commissions his disciples to go out and preach that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. He gave them power over evil spirits and power to heal every kind of disease and sickness. Do you know that he has given us, his disciples that same power? It wasn’t just for ‘that’ day! Trust me, we still have evil spirits operating in the world today. Look around at all the disease and sickness, if not in your family, you see it in your neighborhoods, in your job, your church. This is not what God intended for us.

I had a dear sister tell me once that God has raised up doctors for this season, that miracles are no longer needed as much so that’s why we don’t see them. No, the reason we don’t see them is that we don’t believe in them. We have placed our trust in what’s in our medicine cabinet because it’s ‘quicker’ to take an aspirin then to believe for healing of a headache. It’s only when we are diagnosed with an incurable disease that we cry out to God for healing. Beloved, this ought not to be!

I’ve heard so many people turning to ‘whole’ foods, going vegan, doing raw foods and there’s nothing wrong with this, I believe we should go more natural and that our bodies are the temple of the Lord, but even these things cannot be substituted for faith in the Word of God. We should draw near to Him and listen to His voice, after all, it’s he who made us and knows more than anyone what is good for us or not. 2Chronicles 7:14 says, “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”

May I take this a bit further? Jesus never designed us to be takers, but to be givers. He sent them out and gave them power over demons and diseases. How can we minister to others where they need it unless we have faith in God to also take care of us? I want to practice what I preach. I want to live it in my home, on my own. I won’t stand in a prayer of agreement for someone to be healed unless I believe it myself. He is the same today as he was when he commissioned the disciples. He lives in me. If that is true, than why do I run to the doctors at the first sign of something in my body? I stopped doing that two years ago. I’m not bragging, in fact, a year ago I had appendicitis and had it removed, but I’m learning to hear his voice and learning my rights as a believer and I won’t give those rights up quickly or easily.

When the Lord leads me to someone at the store and says, “Tell them I love them and haven’t forgotten my promise to them,” I want to do it with confidence in the God who sent me to say that. Don’t cast away your confidence in God or the Word. The devil may not give it up without a fight, but don’t just give it away, give up and cave in, instead stand on the Word, proclaim the Word, know that the Word is actively at work in you to do what God sent it to do. If you’re ready to go to the next level, go there like someone in training for a marathon. Turn off the t.v. and get out there and run! You can’t just watch the marathon and wish to run one, you have to get off your lazy butt and train for it. Everyone I’ve ever talked to has started slow and worked their way up, but they gave up old habits to do it.

What are you willing to give up to see the Kingdom of God advance? To see the message of a loving and merciful Father reach a lost and dying world? To be confident in your God? He hasn’t changed! He’s still the same God and wants everyone to know him as healer, deliverer, redeemer, lover and strong tower. Start being a doer instead of just a hearer. Stop just warming a pew on Sunday and start living like a disciple Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We must stop living for ourselves and our families and start to look outward at the world. We must teach our children to be disciples too.

Father, thank you for this reminder that we are not our own, we’ve been bought with a price, the highest price, the death of your son. It’s by Jesus’ blood we are overcomer’s, not to live a good life, but to give this life to others so that they too can overcome. You’ve been our example, so let us be what we were made to be; Yours. We can only do it with your direction and faith in your ability to keep your Word, so we place our complete and total trust in your ability and not our own. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

This morning, I hear the word ‘impact’ in my spirit. The dictionary describes it as; the striking of one thing against another; forceful contact; collision: to drive or press closely or firmly into something; pack in. To have an impact or effect on; influence; alter.

What immediately came to mind was the recent accident we had while returning from Michigan. It replays over and over in my mind, that point of impact. Like a movie in slow motion, I see it all unfold in front of me. Seeing the other car crossing in front of me, knowing there’s not time to stop, calling out to Jesus and making the obvious announcement that I can’t avoid him and to hang on.

Our lives are full of impact events. There are days that change your life in ways that you never forget. The day before Thanksgiving, 1967 when my mom, grandma and grandpa walked up from the newly fell tree my dad had cut down. Mom stepped ahead and wrapped her arms around Sharon and I to tell us, “Your daddy’s gone home to be with Jesus.” July 2nd, 1973 when my sisters, a cousin and I were all baptized in the Holy Spirit. (I just realized it happened on my dads birthday. Wonder if he was watching?!) February 14, 1976, the day I married Walt. March 16, 1977, the day Stacy was born. December 29, 1978, the day I miscarried our 2nd child. November 28, 1979, when I gave birth to Shannon who turned my sorrow into joy.

So many other life events have impacted my life over the past almost 60 years now. I’m sure there will be more, but there is one constant; Jesus. His life has impacted mine more than any has. He’s taught me to love more than I’ve ever loved, to see people as differently, to extend grace and forgiveness, to look beyond their faults to their need. He’s helped me to see that he’s not looking for me to be perfect, but for me to love perfectly.

I will close with this beautiful passage from I John 4:17-19;  God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.  We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.

Father, let your love impact our lives today that we may impact the lives of others. In Jesus’ name we ask this. Amen

I’ve been challenged by the Lord lately to step up the game in our marriage. When you’ve been married a long while, there are times you take each other for granted. The role you’ve always played seems to be what’s expected of you. If you’ve always taken out the trash, it’s expected for you to take out the trash. If your role is to cook the meals, meals are expected. You get my drift, right? Sometimes you have to step up and do things that are unexpected, ‘bear one another’s burdens’ so to speak. It just gives you a new appreciation of what your spouse does for you.

You see, I can’t go out and be a good Christian at church and in my community and neglect doing what is right at home. If I live a different life in private than I do in public, that does not glorify God. If I change the world with the love of God but my spouse doesn’t get to see that, I’m fooling myself. I must first be an example of love in my home and let it spill over into my community.

I Peter 3:1-6 says; “The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.  Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.”

And PLEASE don’t say you can’t do this! We HAVE to do this! Our lives must reflect God at home first or our husbands will not want anything to do with the God we ‘serve’. We’re merely serving ourselves and what ever pleases us or makes us happy.  The very next verse tells it like this, “Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.”

Old habits die hard but here’s how it happens; spend time in the presence of the Father. Fill your mind with the Word and treat your spouse as if they were Jesus himself, because God loved them SO much he sent Jesus to die for them too.

I could go on, but I have to get ready for work. Be blessed today and be challenged regardless of the number of years you’ve been together, God wants to take your marriage to new levels, it’s going to take you humbling yourself, asking forgiveness, respecting and honoring, but I promise this one thing, change must begin with you.

Psalm 4:6-7 MSG; Why is everyone hungry for more? “More, more,” they say. “More, more.” I have God’s more-than-enough, More joy in one ordinary day.

When I was very young, my mom would make an amazing dinner and I’d hear my dad say, “I don’t like this at all, it has an awful ‘more taste’ to it.” I thought that was so funny. Well today as I read this Psalm, I thought of that. I am so hungry for more of God. More of his presence, his glory, his Word, his love, grace and mercy. Sometimes I feel like I’m stuffed full in His presence, other times I just want to sit at his feet and soak in more.

I think that’s what God wants from us. He wants us to always come wanting more of him. There is an inexhaustible supply in God’s presence today and he’s waiting for you to draw near asking for more.  He clearly says to ask largely so your joy may be full, so what are you waiting for. Don’t ask for riches, a new car or a new joy, just ask for more of Him. He said to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and then all these ‘things’ will be added to you. So get your priorities straight and go after God.

Father, sometimes I get so selfish in my thoughts and prayers, like a child wanting the newest toy instead of just crawling up into daddy’s lap and spending time with him. So I crawl into your lap today, lavishing all of my love on you, knowing that you alone can satisfy the longing in my soul. I want to go around mirroring your love to everyone else because they need to see you like I do; a fun, loving daddy who just wants to be with us, talk with us, love on us. So I ask today that your love would ooze out of my skin, that I would be your biggest fan, displaying you as a lamp to a dark room. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen