What would you do if someone told you you had a billion dollars in a bank account, all you had to do was go to the bank and make a withdrawal? You’d have some qualifying questions, I’m sure! Which bank? What’s the account number? Can I go right now?

Acts 1:8a says; “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;” When Jesus left the earth, He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us and give us power to be His witnesses. Witness what? Signs, wonders and miracles. The transforming power from dark to light. To bring revelation power of who God is and what He’s given us access to.

In Luke 10:19, Jesus said; “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” With that kind of power living in us, why haven’t we tapped into it yet? Is it because we have no idea, the inexhaustible supply the Father has given to us.

This is just a thought, but what if we have all this accessible power in us that we’ve never used because we don’t know we have it. 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” I will say this, I believe the account number is exchanging our fingerprint for Gods. That is possibly why we don’t lay hold of that power, because we don’t want to give up our own lives.

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

Father, I can’t have what you’ve provided for me and live my own life, my way. I lay down all I am for all You are. Christ in me, the hope of glory. You have given me power and my confidence is in You, the one who is all powerful. I can link arms with You and have access to all I need. It’s You who gives the power to get wealth. It’s You who heals, saves and delivers. You are truly all I need. It’s in the name of Your son Jesus, Amen.

In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. Psalm 5:3 NASB

Do you know that what you do in the morning can pretty much set your day? Think about it. Have you ever ‘woke up on the wrong side of the bed?’ You’re grouchy all day long and can’t even figure out why! David knew that in the morning, God would hear him. He could order his prayer and then expectantly watch things happen.

We all have our morning routines. Even spontaneous people like myself have somewhat of a set structure to their morning, especially if you have to be out the door at a certain time. If we vary from that routine, we tend to forget important things, like deodorant or brushing our teeth. Never a good thing!

But we have a tendency to forget the most important part of any morning-prayer. Prayer isn’t made up of a list of things we need. Prayer is talking things over with the Father.  It’s a time to determine who is going to get the most of your attention, God or your problems. It’s a time of fellowship, telling Him how great He is and how thankful You are for His grace and mercy. He’s already aware of your needs but are you aware of His?

We sang a song on Sunday that I’ve been singing all week, “God You’re Mighty!” Each time I declare those words, I feel a surge of His presence, like what I’m singing brings Him into the room. When I exalt Him, I am saying, “God, You are mightier than anything I face! You’re bigger then my problems, my fears, my worries. You are mighty to save, heal and deliver! You are mighty to watch over my children and grandchildren. You are mighty to provide all that I need according to YOUR great riches.”

When my praise becomes my prayer, everything changes because God steps into the room to listen. If you are looking for an answer, begin to worship. If you’re frustrated with your job, start to praise Him. If you’re distracted by a diagnosis man gave you, begin to praise your Healer. The less you think about the problem and the more you worship, the sooner you’ll see the salvation of God.

Oh God, how excellent is Your name in all the earth. You are mighty! Your name is above all names, above everyone and everything. Lord You’re amazing! You’re worthy! You’re my Father, my redeemer, my worship if Yours, my praise belongs to You. You’re greater than any problem I face or anything that tries to distract or discourage me. I will focus my attention on You because there is nothing that is bigger than You are. It’s in the name above all names and I shout it out-JESUS! Amen

Have you ever felt like what you say just isn’t hitting the mark? I can say the same thing to a group of people, ask each one to write down what they understood me to say, and I can guarantee that each one will perceive something differently. Why is that? Because each one of them are looking at it through different lenses. Lenses that have been colored by personality, history, upbringing, etc..

Hebrews 4:12 NASB says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

There is nothing more frustrating then trying to get a point across to someone who has closed their mind to anything said. Been there! In fact, there was a time that I refused to communicate ANYTHING to ANYONE because I thought the problem was me! It so frustrated me that I began to search my heart to see if I had heard God wrong. Perhaps I made a horrible teacher, a worse friend and an awful wife.

Walt always teaches, “There are 3 parts to every conversation; what is said; what is heard; and what is meant.” It’s important to ask questions, “What did you mean by that, because this is what I heard!” That way, it allows people the chance to explain themselves. Most people just get offended and storm off, leaving the speaker wondering what just happened?

But the Word of God is living and active. It gets itself involved in our daily lives, getting to the root of the issue so that it can cut out what’s bad so healing can begin. If we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to explain truth to us, we will choose to be offended and cut off from people who love us and are left wondering, “What just happened here?”

There are times when you must pray the Word over people who have chosen to walk away. Their filters have skewed their perception and they are left bitter and broken. Our job is to pray Hebrews 4:12 and trust that He who began a good work in them, will be faithful to complete it.

Thank you Father that Your Word is always working in me. I will be still so that You can explain to me what I need to know. I will move forward healed and whole in my spirit, soul and body. I won’t allow bitterness to take root in me! I cannot change anyone, but You can. Apply Your balm. Let it thoroughly and completely do it’s perfect work. It’s in Jesus’ name always, Amen.

Well? Whats it gonna be today? Will we listen to our flesh or focus on the Spirit? Will we pray and fill our minds with the Word or just allow our minds to carry us along like an empty canoe bobbing down a river.

It’s a choice, you know. What we watch, what we read, where we focus our attention. We can’t wait for feelings to accompany our decisions, we must choose first, the feelings may or may not come at all. I used to think that I could only pray when I felt the Spirit of God moving, but it’s my prayers that move the Spirit of God. He’s always been waiting on US. He gave US the authority. He gave us a voice on the earth.

Romans 8:5-6 NLT, “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”

You can’t continue to pay attention to what they did to you. You can’t pay attention to what the doctor said, you can’t even pay attention to what came in the mail yesterday. The things we must pay attention to is this; Whats the Word say about that. When you think on the Word, speak the Word, agree with the Word, your mind will have peace and you will live.

When David picked up the 5 smooth stones to slay the giant that was standing in front of him, mocking and threatening him, he did is with precision. His stones represent our words; we must choose them carefully and prayerfully. We can’t afford to speak our minds, we must always speak the Word of God. Why? Because His Word is living, powerful, sharp and precise. It always hits the mark.

I didn’t say it, the Word said it. So today as you face challenges, make your mind up right now that you will practice Philippians 4:8, by keeping your mind on good things. It’s the only thing that brings lasting peace.

Father, I lift up Your name which is above all names. I exalt the Name of Jesus, mightier and more awesome then anything the enemy would try to assault me with. I trust in You, in Your Word.  I know that if You are for me, no one can stand against me. So right now I thank You for protection. I thank You for healing. I thank You that all my needs are met with plenty left to put in store. I thank You that You are everything I will ever need in this life and in the life to come. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

I know the title seems a bit strange. I mean who thinks of singers and worshippers as warriors, right? Well, I did a bit of that in church this past Sunday. As the Spirit coursed through my body and the words, “God, You’re Mighty!” came out of my mouth, I felt it was more of a declaration then a song. It was telling the atmosphere just Who was mighty, mightier then any demon, any sickness, any disease or lack.

The Lord led me once again to the story of Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel who was facing multiple enemies, threatening to overpower and kill God’s people.

Jehoshaphat encouraged the men and gave them instructions. Then he had the Temple singers stand up in their special clothes to praise the Lord. They marched in front of the army and sang, “Give thanks to the Lord! His faithful love will last forever.” As they began to sing and to praise God, the Lord set an ambush for the army from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come to attack Judah. The enemy was defeated! 2 Chronicles 20:21-22

Sometimes God just requires a song for your battle or for the battle someone is facing. Sometimes He uses what looks foolish to man to win a battle that man wasn’t designed to fight. Sometimes your intercession has a sound of it’s own, and takes on the form of music renders the enemies plans ineffective.

Want to confuse your enemy? Sing. Sing loud, off tune and strong  if you must, but sing! Watch the light break through the darkness, the sound that disrupts the silence. Watch the power of God dispel demons when you sing. Pick a Psalm, make up a tune, but sing.

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. Psalm 98:1

Go ahead, put that one to music and sing it loud so that the devil gets the message that you know God is greater! More powerful than a locomotive! Faster than a speeding bullet! Like the stone in Davids slingshot, it always finds and hits it’s mark.

God, You’re mighty! God, You’re holy! God You’re awesome! You’re my healer! My provider! My protector! You are!!! You’re my victor! My strong tower! My defender! You are!!! Oh hallelujah to the God who sets us free! Because of the blood, I’m no longer under the curse. Sickness bowed it’s knee to Jesus and He has given me all authority over all the power of the enemy and NOTHING shall by ANY means harm me. AMEN!

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I was reading in 1 Samuel about how the children of Israel wanted a King. They kept asking Samuel to appoint them a king to rule over them and the Lord said to give them what they asked for, because they didn’t want God to rule over them.

How very sad. I wonder how many times we’ve asked for things that weren’t the best for us. We beg for a better job but haven’t been faithful to do what God had intended for us to do in the one we have. We are full of greed and refuse to allow God to rule us. I remember being in a job I hated. The people I worked with were evil, being around that all the time was very difficult. I remember asking the Lord if I could quit and he said, ‘I still have a purpose for you here, be patient, watch and listen, I will show you.’ So every morning I would get up with a bit of dread in my heart. I’d go do my job the very best I could.

One day while talking to my co-worker, she asked me if I were to leave, what job would I want. I told her that my favorite job up north was working with Physical Therapists and I’d really enjoy going back to it. 3 months later, she was in an accident and had to go to a new PT clinic. They asked her if she knew of any medical billers and she said she did. I faxed my resume, was interviewed that next week and two weeks later took the job I have now. 10 years later, I’m recounting those events that led me here. Had I not stayed, been faithful to let my light shine, allow God to direct me, been hard hearted and gone by how I felt, I would not have the position, I have now.

I would rather be led by Jesus then by anyone on the face of the earth. Until we submit to his Lordship, we will be placing another king over us. Its not about the money, pay wise it was a lateral move at first. It was about being in a place where God intended me to be. Being flexible enough to make the change and continue looking for ways to spread the light of the gospel.

Every morning I cry out to the Lord, ‘Use me today, I’m Your servant. I believe You order my every step and I trust you direct me today. To be Your hands, Your mouth piece, Your love and light to a lost world.’ I appoint You Lord as King of me. Do with me as You please in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

As I was reading Psalm 51:12, I found David describing God as generous and it caught my attention. Anytime that happens, I know that God is trying to show me a part of His nature I’ve not quite seen so I looked the word up in dictionary.com and found this:

Openhanded; free; unstinting; persons who give to others something of value, or the acts of such people; liberal in giving; unselfish; free from meanness or smallness of mind or character.

So when David said, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit,” I believe he was describing a part of Gods nature that some of us have never seen before. Growing up, I always saw God with a lightening rod in His hand, waiting for me to do something stupid He could punish me for. I knew that He could be good, but wasn’t sure when that was going to happen.

Throughout Davids life, he cultivated relationship with God and knew His nature. He saw God stand beside him in battle, conquering over his enemies. He saw God restore his family and fortunes. He saw Him as a protector, a good Shepherd, leading and guiding him. He knew the joy that comes from the salvation of God, but most of all, that God’s generous Spirit held him up.

Father, thank you for your extreme generosity. I don’t have to do good to get good, I get Your goodness because of what Jesus did on the cross. I don’t have to work for it, do XYZ to find it, Your goodness is everlasting and Your mercy endures forever. Oh the joy I find when I think of Your salvation. I brought my brokenness to You and You made me whole. Not only that, but You don’t even remember what I did, the shame I carried with me everyday is gone as well. You’ve provided for all of my physical needs and my spiritual needs. You left nothing undone. Generous is Your nature. I want to be generous like You. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray this, Amen.

Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!

When I see this word ‘wait’, I don’t see it like most would.  Being a former waitress, I see it as serving the Lord, waiting on Him and seeing to His need for worship and relationship.  I don’t do it for  a generous tip, but rather for the peace, strength and joy He brings to my process.

The other kind of waiting is pure torture for me. I’m a mover, a doer and anyone who knows me, understands that waiting, for me is a big waste of time. While others use it as a time to relax and rest, I’m looking for something to do to fill up the space. I’ll rearrange things, clean, talk, read, but to just sit and do nothing isn’t my style.

To wait in the presence of the Lord though, is a totally different thing. After a time of intense warfare, proclaiming and decreeing the Word over various situations and people as the Spirit leads, there is absolutely nothing like being still, feeling the wind blow in and bring with it a refreshing. The peace, the calm, joy and assurance that He hears and watches over you.

Father, I give you my worship, the offering of my praise and adoration. It’s in Your presence I find fullness of joy. The unmistakeable, uncontainable peace that surpasses anything this world can give. Oh how I love You! Rush in like a river and sweep me away, for I long to be with You, to know You , to carry Your oil. May my life overflow with what You bring to me so that others may know You as I do. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Are you wondering where your victory is? Does there seem to be a glass ceiling over your head keeping the blessings of the Lord from manifesting in your life? My dear friend, it’s time to stop beating your head against the wall and change the way you see yourself and your situation. That ceiling isn’t just holding you back as much as it’s holding back the blessing of the Lord.

Over the past few days, this verse has been looping over and over in my head; “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:11

Let’s take a look at the word ‘overcame’. First I’d like to point out that it’s used in a past tense, not future tense. Because of what Jesus DID in the shedding of His blood, it’s a done deal. Overcame is defined as to have gotten the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquered; defeated; to have prevailed over (opposition, a debility, oppression, temptations, etc.); surmounted; overpowered or overwhelmed; to have gained victory.

My friend, you don’t need to struggle to win a victory, it’s already been done for you. You simply need to rest in the finished work of Jesus. When you’re facing a giant, you must see that giant on the ground before you. Look him square in the eyes and say, “You’re already a defeated foe!”

Now this is when the 2nd part of that verse comes into play; the word of their testimony.  Battle weary warrior, you’re fighting a battle that’s been won! Stop struggling, lift up your hands and shout, “He has given me the victory!” Begin to recall what David said to Goliath;

 “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” I Samuel 17:45-47

Insert your situation, what you face into this proclamation. Talk to your enemy the way David did. See him for who he is, a thief and a liar. If he can get you to believe his lies and agree with him, you’ve given him the power that was given to you. Use your mouth to defeat him, not to agree with him. If the Word say’s you are healed, believe the Word not the symptoms. It’s time to take a stand and become immovable.

Now for the final part of that verse; “they did not love their lives to the death.” When you know your life isn’t your own and you’ve already yielded it to someone else, than the only thing that really matters is His agenda and purpose. I’m so in love with God that I’d gladly trade this life for eternal life with Him. But I’m not so focused on heaven that I’m not doing what He needs me to do in the here and now.  I’ve just decided that a surrendered life to His purpose holds more than a life of my own. If I die I die, but while I live, I’m His.

Victory belongs to the King and You oh Lord are my King. You rule over all of Your kings who are on the earth, doing Your bidding, for You have called us kings and priests, anointed to be victorious over all the earth. I stand with arms raised. I sing a song to You, a song of celebration and I see myself walking with You and talking with You as kings would converse together. You have shown me in Your Word that we win so I will not see myself defeated for I stand with You. It’s in the name of Jesus and by His blood, Amen.