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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.” Isaiah 55:9-11

There’s nothing quite like completing a project or finishing what you started. It’s so gratifying, the feeling you get when it’s done. Imagine for a moment how God felt when He spoke the worlds and hung the stars, separated light from dark, set boundaries for the oceans, made man and woman then saw it was all good and rested. Done!

Now imagine Jesus coming and doing the will of His Father, healing the sick and raising the dead, showing us a true picture of God as love, wrapped it all up when He hung on the cross and declared, “It is finished!” Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:15). Now that’s a completed project!

We think we get this, but we see such a small portion of His elaborate plan. It would take us a million lifetimes to understand the ways of God, yet we continue to press in with great expectation simply for the pleasure of intimacy with Him. “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11

Just as God attached assignments to each of His words, we too must give assignments to ours. For good and not evil. To bless and not curse. To encourage not discourage. To build and not tear down. Each and every day, watching our words, standing guard over them, not negate them or allow the enemy to steal it from our heart. We can’t be flippant carriers of the very keys to our future and the future of our families.

Father, as David prayed so long ago, Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. May the fruit of my lips bring You praise! May they accomplish the good assignments I’ve sent them to do. It’s in Jesus’ name and for Your glory and the building of Your Kingdom, Amen.

When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, “Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”

Simon said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets.” It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. “Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee’s sons, coworkers with Simon.

Every action causes a reaction. Once the first domino is tapped, the rest fall as a reaction to the first. Had Simon not allowed Jesus to use his boat to teach from, or obeyed when Jesus said to go out for fish, he wouldn’t have experienced the ginormous blessing that  filled not just his boat, but his co-workers boat as well.

So many are waiting for the ‘signs, wonders and miracles’ but they reside right now within each one of us. When we obey, step out and lay hands on, call demons out, follow the unusual instructions of the Spirit of God inside of us, they will follow our actions and our words. It’s out of our movement that causes a chain reaction to occur.

Somewhere, somehow, someone has been effected by something you have done or said. May our action cause those to be blessed that felt the reaction. May we hear stories of someone brushing up against us and being healed. The glory of God will invade this earth through those who are learning that action speaks louder then words.

The Word is already in us, alive, active, powerful and transforming. We’re merely vessels He chooses to use. Are you ready? Are you willing? Do you want it at any cost? Tune in to His instructions and get ready to be the living, moving church in the earth today.

“Jesus use me and oh Lord don’t refuse me for surely there’s a work that I can do. And even though it’s humble, Lord help my will to crumble. For though the cost be great I’ll work for You.”