Jesus answered them, “I can guarantee this truth: If you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to the fig tree. You could also say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. Have faith that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:21-22 GW
According to the dictionary, a visionary is a person who is given to audacious, highly speculative, or impractical ideas or schemes; dreamer.
There are two kinds of people in the world, those who believe it when they see it and those who dream it, speak it and than see it. This so describes our God, who is a visionary. He saw what could be, than He spoke it into existence. Jesus was also a visionary. He saw the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the lepers cleansed before it happened. He merely spoke out of the vision inside of him.
What about you, do you consider yourself a visionary? Are you given to audacious, highly speculative, or impractical ideas? Are you a dreamer?
If your answer is yes, don’t ever stop dreaming. Never allow discouragement to affect your dreams. Age isn’t a factor when dreaming. Faith is! When you trust in the God you don’t see, it affects what you do see. That’s why Jesus said, “Have faith in God!” He wants to hear your vision, to see you dream big, but He also wants to be involved in it.
Every big dream needs investors and God is yours. You don’t have to convince Him of it, He gave you the dream and He’ll work out all the details. Just be attentive, listen to His promptings. He’ll show you the way, all you need to do is walk in it.
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you. Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 AMPC
I love how God spoke this through His prophet, Jeremiah. I understand that those words were spoken centuries ago, but they still speak today to the great faithfulness of God. You see, it wasn’t just for Israel that this prophesy came, it was for all His children in the future, even those adopted through belief in His Son, Jesus.
He knows the thoughts and plans He has for you and me. For good and not evil, to give us hope in our final outcome. Regardless of what it looks like right now, His plans are already mapped out and when you call out to Him, you will find He’s never moved from His position and He’s constantly watching and listening to your cry for help.
David penned these words in Psalm 37:23-24, “The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take.If they fall, it isn’t fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand.” That shows He knows it all, has planned it all and will take care of you.
So how can we have hope in that? It’s called seeking after Him as a ‘vital necessity’. As if your life depends on it, because it truly does. The more we seek Him, the more we find Him, the more time we spend with Him, the more intimately we’re acquainted with Him. It’s hard not to trust someone you know THAT well.
When you’re that confident in God’s ability to keep his Word, you’ll never doubt Him again. My response to contrary situations looks like this:
I don’t have enough money to pay my bills–but You said You’re my provider and You would provide for me out of Your riches not mine. I’ve done everything I can, so it’s time for you to jump into the rescue. I don’t see anything on the calendar for next month. I’d really like that taken care of Father. BAM! Either that day or the next it’s done!
Dr. Jesus, I’m having this pain that I’m pretty sure You’re aware of. Thanks for taking care of it back when You took that beating for me. I will walk in the provision You made for my healing today. Your infallible Word says, “By His stripes you were healed.” Done deal! You said according to my faith it would be done, so today I take my stand on Your Word and will not retreat at the first sign or symptom. I will press toward the finish line because Your Word can’t return to You empty, it has to do what it was sent to do. Now I worship and praise you every day, continuing to do what You sent me in the earth to do. You are faithful who promised.
Father, my natural eyes observe my grandchildren walking away from You, but I call them back in Jesus’ mighty name. Your Word says that my children would be taught of the Lord and great would be their peace. My children and grandchildren have all been bought by the blood of the Lamb and they will serve You and accomplish all You’ve designed for their lives. Not one of them will follow the wicked plans of the enemy. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Now I praise and thank You for Your divine intervention. I will stand on Your Word and continue to say those things that aren’t yet as though they already are.
Ephesians 12:16-18 TPT; In every battle, take faith as your wrap-around shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at you from the Evil One!Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken Word of God. Pray passionately in the Spirit, as you constantly intercede with every form of prayer at all times. Pray the blessings of God upon all his believers.
The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me; His words are upon my tongue. I Samuel 23:2 NLT
Isn’t that how our life should always be? The awareness that when we speak, it should be His Words, words of life and blessing, not death and cursing. To encourage, edify and build up? We don’t have to be a prophet to declare the Word of the Lord into situations and over bodies.
Jesus was very clear about the authority we have with our words. You remember when He said, you will say to this mountain (immoveable object), “Be gone!” and it will go! Have faith in the God who is in you. If we will get ahold of this one principle, life around us would look differently.
Just when I think I’ve honed my skills, I slip into old habits and say something stupid. It’s at that time I examine what I’ve been thinking on because the Word says, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)
When I got tired of the tasting rotten fruit my words created, I cut down the tree. At some point, we must choose what our tongue reproduces. James 3:1-12 talks about how to tame the tongue, make that a study you do that carries into the next year. You can’t have good and bad coming out of the same river for the bad always pollutes the good.
Stop sending confusing messages to your spirit. You are a child of God, stop listening to the voice of the enemy who tries to tell you you’re not. Use your words to worship God. Sing songs to Him based on His Word. Build yourself up by praying in the Holy Spirit language He gave you. If you don’t have that, ask Him for it and receive it by faith. He promised to pour out His Spirit on all flesh and that means you.
Thank you Lord for this reminder. I again surrender my tongue to You today because ultimately, I am what I speak. So I confess today that I am Your child, created in your image and likeness. I have the Holy Spirit living in me and I will listen to that still small voice who leads me into all truth. My words will bring life, they will build and not tear down. If I’m accused of something not true, I will allow you to work that out, but I will remain stable under the shadow of Your wing. If I stand close enough to You, listen and obey You, I will become more like You. After all, I want to be You in this world to others.
“Everyone who hears my teaching and applies it to his life can be compared to a wise man who built his house on an unshakable foundation. When the rains fell and the flood came, with fierce winds beating upon his house, it stood firm because of its strong foundation.
“But everyone who hears my teaching and does not apply it to his life can be compared to a foolish man who built his house on sand. When it rained and rained and the flood came, with wind and waves beating upon his house, it collapsed and was swept away.” Matthew 7:24-27 Passion Translation
Ask any builder and they will tell you, a good foundation is crucial to maintaining the structural integrity of the building. If you cut corners on the foundation, the structure will not hold up during storms or earthquakes. The money you attempt to save by purchasing substandard product, will only end up costing more in the long run.
Ask any marriage expert and they will say the same thing. Skimping or skipping the foundation will cost you in your future. Walt and I have done pre-marital coaching for years. It doesn’t solve every problem, but it sure gives you the tools you need to succeed. Of course if you choose to use your hand instead of a hammer, well, that’s your choice. But those who learn how to use the tools find it much less painful.
Walt and I started out with no premarital, just a short meeting with the pastor that I don’t even remember. Our marriage suffered in those first 7 years and our children still remember some of those tug-of-wars we had. The best thing that happened to us is when Walt decided he wanted to be a marriage counselor through our church. When he first told me what he wanted to do, I almost laughed. But the Holy Spirit very clearly told me to encourage him and I did.
After only three classes, he came home, sat me down on the couch and told me how sorry he was for never considering my needs. It was the beginning or tearing down what we’d so haphazardly constructed with our two wills, and discovering the tools to make a great marriage. It was hard. It was painful. There were times I wanted to quit. But we will celebrate our 45th anniversary in February, a surprise to many, but a celebration to us.
We are forever grateful for the foundation we found in our relationship with Jesus. To know His love and learn to lavish that love on each other, is amazing. There was a time I could love others, but not him. Now I love, honor and respect him and the more I do, the more I receive back in return.
There’s an old song that comes to mind:
On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.
Have you forgotten that your body is now the sacred temple of the Spirit of Holiness, who lives in you? You don’t belong to yourself any longer, for the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, lives inside your sanctuary.You were God’s expensive purchase, paid for with tears of blood, so by all means, then, use your body to bring glory to God! 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 The Passion Translation
On this day when we celebrate the birth of the Son of God, I ran across this verse that we were God’s most expensive purchase. A gift I can never repay, but one that I never take for granted. That He gave me the gift of His Holy Spirit which now lives inside of me to help me in my everyday living. What a treasure we have in our Lord. We can’t continually wish for something else when the one who values us and lavishes great gifts on us is really all we need.
Lord, nothing in the earth can satisfy or bring me joy but you. I hear people say, “I want that for Christmas!” but I want You. In days or weeks, the newness of those things will wear off and they will be left wanting once again. But You have won my affections and as my gift to You, I set them on You today. I’m grateful for all You’ve done and continually do, but I want this day to be all about You. When You look down on our home, may You enjoy the gift we bring.
I Corinthians 13:3 says, “If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” So it would seem, Lord, that the greatest gift I can give is Love. I will live to give love to those I meet. A smile, a kind word, compassion, a prayer, a dollar, a meal. A word of praise to the checkout clerk who looks stressed because her child is sick and she can’t pay her bills. I will look for ways to give that cost me everything, because that is what it cost you.
Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written. John 18:25
Can you imagine? All the disciples getting together and telling the story of Jesus’ life as they remembered it. I wonder how much revelation they had as they remembered him telling them this or that. It all made sense when they looked at it from where they had arrived. Isn’t that how it usually is?
How many things have you gone through in your life that was confusing at the time, but looking back at it, you had so much clarity! It’s mind boggling, isn’t it? But it’s so like God to hide the obvious until a time and a season when it means the most to us.
I wonder how many pages could be written of the things I’ve done in my lifetime, the things that count for Christ, that is? The fact is–and I’m being real here–the only thing of value in my life is Jesus Christ. If I’m not reflecting what I know on the inside, as He did when He was here in the earth, then knowing me would hold no significance. It’s only if the story of my life is worth reading, therein holds the value.
Jesus knew who His Father was, He knew what was His to access. He knew that whatever He asked, He could have it. He knew that all power and authority in heaven and on earth were His and He knew how to use it. And when He left to return to His Father, he gave it all to us. ALL.
Now you understand that I have imparted to you all my authority to trample over his kingdom. You will trample upon every demon before you and overcome every power Satan possesses. Absolutely nothing will be able to harm you as you walk in this authority. Luke 10:19 TPT
Do you see that? So we too must know our authority and how to walk it out as we live in the earth. It was His parting gift to us. I hear Him saying, “Know the Father as I know the Father so that you can do what I do and be me in the earth!”
“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.” John 15:5-8 Message Bible
There’s something about relationship here that many in the body of Christ seem to miss. It’s called intimacy. Correct me if I’m wrong, but those who have intimate relationship with you, aren’t they the ones you pay close attention to? I can be in a crowd with lots of voices but when Walt calls my name, I can hear him above all the noise.
If you have children, you will know that regardless of where you are or who you’re with, when they call you, they have your attention. When their call is urgent, you drop what you’re doing and go assist them in whatever way you can.
So it is in the same sense, that when you stay intimately connected to God and His Word stays in your heart and mouth, you are assured He hears and answers you. What makes us think that we can have that kind of fruit in our life without the relationship it takes to develop it? We think that we can skate through life on our own but when we are desperate for a miracle, we expect Him to jump up and do as we order. Who do we think we are?
He said it; “Separated, you can’t produce a thing.”
People ask me why I keep writing these blogs, why I share my heart, why I encourage others? Here’s the reason; if I can influence just one person to have an intimate relationship with God, they will influence others and that my friend is called bearing fruit. Fruit that can be tasted. Fruit that can be shared. Fruit that brings nourishment and gives strength when we need it the most.
I stay connected to the Vine because He gives me Life and I can pass on that same Life to others. What I learn, I teach. When I eat, I share what I have so that you too can grow and be filled with the knowledge of where their help comes from. I’m at home with His Word and His Word is at home with me. What is in you is what comes out of you first.
“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 TPT
In context, this was the story of Jesus as he spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well and told her all about her life. The same woman who gathered everyone in her village for the first great revival service. She reminds women everywhere that God will use who he choses based on our hearts, not our history.
Which brings me back to what Jesus said, “he longs to have sincere worshipers who worship and adore him in the realm of the Sprit and in truth.”
Have you ever stepped into that realm? That place of intimacy where everything else seems to become ‘strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace’? Where your heartbeat slows and the room seems to swirl with expectancy. A holy hush. A sweetness to your spirit as if being kissed by the greatest of loves. To surrender to Him and gently feel His tender touch that leaves you completely undone.
There is no greater experience than that. Nothing and no one can compete with the time I spend in His Presence. Every song of intimacy floods through my mind and I begin to sing them to Him. I shut the curtain on this world and the distractions it brings as I hear Him call me to Himself.
The one I love calls to me:
Arise, my dearest. Hurry, my darling. Come away with me! I have come as you have asked to draw you to my heart and lead you out. For now is the time, my beautiful one.
For you are my dove, hidden in the split-open rock. It was I who took you and hid you up high in the secret stairway of the sky. Let me see your radiant face and hear your sweet voice. How beautiful your eyes of worship and lovely your voice in prayer. (Song of Solomon 2:10, 14 TPT)
If your heart is stirred as you read these words, take a moment and slip behind the veil. Don’t leave Him waiting any longer. It doesn’t have to be all day or even hours, just a few minutes will do for now. But let me warn you, once you encounter deep intimacy, you will want more and more until time slips away and your encounter becomes the very breath you breathe.
And when they got to shore, they noticed a charcoal fire with some roasted fish and bread.Then Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Peter waded into the water and helped pull the net to shore. It was full of many large fish, exactly one hundred and fifty-three, but even with so many fish, the net was not torn.
“Come, let’s have some breakfast,” Jesus said to them.
And not one of the disciples needed to ask who it was, because every one of them knew it was the Lord. 13 Then Jesus came close to them and served them the bread and the fish. John 21:9-13
I was thinking of a day when our youngest daughter asked me to make an omelet. I love making breakfast for our family, but I had gone long on my devotions and didn’t have a whole lot of time to get ready for work. Nevertheless, I made us an omelet. Just as I was finishing, she came out and 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 baddest, that memory brings a smile to my face. What I love even more is that I can open the Word and find how much love the Father has for me anytime. That if I ask anything, He will answer me. If I have need of anything, He provides for me.
I just read John 17 in various versions this morning. For those not familiar, it’s where Jesus prayed a whole chapter just for us. The very last 2 verses or that prayer says this: “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. If I can’t demonstrate it at home, I’ll never demonstrate it in the world. Home is where I practice what I know to do.
Jesus, I’m so glad that You prayed for me and still make intercession for me. 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’m busy or having a bad day. May my heart be touched with what touches Your heart.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. Hebrews 11:8
I believe that God has called all of us to leave something and follow Him. The question is, are you afraid to leave the familiar to acquire the phenomenal? To trust in the God who sees when you can see nothing?
Years ago, I started meeting with my friend Mary to pray together. We would spend an hour just worshipping, interceding and listening. I began cultivating my ability to hear Gods voice and follow His leading. The Holy Spirit would lead me to declare something and I would, but when it didn’t happen, I thought I’d heard wrong.
My hearts cry was, “God, there has to be more! I want more! I’m not satisfied here, I want more of You!” That was when things began to get serious. He told us to sell our home and move to Florida. He put us in an environment where the prophetic and apostolic gifts were being used and began teaching us how to operate in that.
Like Abraham, we obeyed God when He asked us to leave our home and family to go to an unfamiliar place. We were ridiculed and told it was foolish to go with no provision (job), but God was faithful every step of the way. Yes there was pressure! Yes there was fear! Yes there was loss! Yes there was pain! He didn’t say it would be easy, He just said to trust Him.
Sometimes when God wants you somewhere and you’re unwilling to go, He’ll apply pressure so it’s uncomfortable to stay where you are. He promised to direct your steps, but your feet must be moving for that to happen. He will speak to you, but you must listen and obey even when it makes no sense at all.
It’s ok to go! Jesus said to go! Why then would you stay? If God is prompting you to move, to get out of your comfort zone and do something different, be sensitive to His Spirit and go. He may be positioning you to reach someone. He may be testing your listening skills. He may be checking to see if you’ll obey Him.
Let me also add that ‘go’ may not mean moving across country. Sometimes it may be a move to the other side of the room, to sit in a different place at church. It could be a move to a different job or another position in the same company. Just go, knowing that it may not be for you, but for someone God wants you to connect with. Always be available because those are the ones He uses the most.
I’ve always loved the definition of insanity-it’s doing things the same, expecting different results. Stop walking in circles because you’re not going anywhere. MOVE! NOW! Do things differently. Get out of your routine and mix it up. You’re never too old to change.
Thank you Father for loving me so much that You keep me moving. Moving things are living things. I never want to be stagnant! Keep me moving and renew my strength to keep going. You’ve healed my body. You’ve healed my mind. You’re transformed me, now use me for Your glory. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen
remnantposts by sandy gregory 