I’m so excited in my spirit right now. You know, the kind of excitement that comes with expectation. The kind that takes your breath away, where you know something is about to happen that is gonna be the granddaddy of all happenings. Like there is a knocking on the door and the person on the other end holds the biggest check you’ve ever seen and you pass out because you don’t realize you’ve been holding your breath.

Yeah, that kind. Like Father God is about to reveal himself to me in a way I’ve never known him before. I’m seeing Abraham as he’s about to draw the knife over Isaac in obedience (that’s big obedience right there) and the angel of the Lord stays his hand and says, check out the ram in the thicket, that’s when Abraham saw God as Jirah, Provider.

Check this out, God had already blessed him in everything, but this was different, he provided out of his obedience. OMG! There is some of us who knows Gods blessing, but we’re about to know him as Provider out of our obedience. Nobody like our God. Who can compare, who would even dare, nobody!

I’m telling you something and let those who have an ear to hear, hear it! Let God be God and every man a liar. The Lord would say this: “Link yourself up to my Word! Link yourself up with like minded believers! Link yourself up with Truth! Don’t separate yourself but bind yourself together in agreement, for as my Word says, ‘One can put a thousand to flight but two, ten thousand!’ What you speak now under my anointing, will come to pass quickly.”

Father, I have stepped out in obedience and YOU will provide. I look to You and You alone. There is no one like You in all the earth. You said, “Light be!” and the world lit up bright. When You separated the light from darkness, You called it day. Today, while it is light, I offer up praises to You, my God. It is You who has blessed my children and grandchildren. It is You who has blessed my husband and given Him divine favor so that we can be a blessing to others. For Your glory in the matchless name of Jesus, Amen.

Philippians 2:1-4 GW “So then, as Christians, do you have any encouragement? Do you have any comfort from love? Do you have any spiritual relationships? Do you have any sympathy and compassion? Then fill me with joy by having the same attitude and the same love, living in harmony, and keeping one purpose in mind. Don’t act out of selfish ambition or be conceited. Instead, humbly think of others as being better than yourselves. Don’t be concerned only about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others.”

We cannot be at war with our own body and expect to walk in peace and health. If we are indeed the body of Christ, we need to get over our different opinions, submit to God by submitting to our leaders vision and walk in unity. An army is under the command of one, driven by the same purpose and goals. They march as one, they operate as a unit. Their victory and safety depends upon it!

Why then do we find it so hard to submit to leadership, going after souls for the kingdom? We show up with our own agenda and try to insert it into our ‘own’ ministry. If we truly love God, we will love our pastors enough to listen, get behind their vision and help them achieve their part of Gods plan for our city. We would pray for and encourage them, hold up their arms as they grow weary too.

Father, I lift up our pastors today. I ask that you guard and strengthen them in every way. Give them rest. Give them revelation. Renew their strength. Bless them in every way, financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually. May they stand still and see your salvation and may they know that our hearts are for them, not against them.

Hebrews 6:17-18 “God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie.”

Two key points here; “He would never change his mind” and “It’s impossible for God to lie!” When we know and understand Him like that, then we will trust God and wait for the promise. Sometimes when symptoms overwhelm us and our pain is greater than we can stand, just speaking the name of Jesus is enough. They that call upon that Name will be saved (healed, delivered, blessed, favored, prosperous and free from all guilt and condemnation).

So whatever you’re facing today, whatever you call your mountain, it can’t stand up to that Name! Jesus. So I say to that mountain, ‘Be cast into the sea’! You cannot stay! The great and mighty name of Jesus is for me! My dear friend, speak his name and when you do, know that it’s not just another name, it’s full of power. Trust Him and know that he is working on your behalf. He’s your high priest, constantly making intercession for you. Rest in that today. He’s got this!

Now just praise him. Go ahead. You don’t have to wait till it manifests, do it now. It’s your praise he desires and deserves. Rest in that.

I praise you Father for your goodness, your mercy and grace. I thank you for provision, every need met with plenty more to put in store. You have spoken and it is done! There is nothing bigger than you, nothing you cannot do. My eyes remain steadfast, immovable, ever watching for the manifestation of your Word. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Are you ready for a morning workout? Let’s grab our bibles and go to James 2:26; “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Do you feel the burn?

I pulled it up in every translation & as I read the amplified, it resonated in my spirit. It goes like this; “For as the human body apart from the spirit is lifeless, so faith apart from [its] works of obedience is also dead.” Obedience to what? To the Word of God as God speaks to us.

I’m reminded of a story in the old testament of a man named Naaman who was a leper. You can find the story in 2 Kings 5, take a few minutes to read it this morning. I want to pick up at verse 10;  Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.”

That was NOT the expected word for Naaman! He was so angry that he almost missed his miracle. He got his panties twisted big time! Then look at what happened and how God used a couple of servants to change his thinking in verses 13-14; Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”  So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.

How many times does God have to tell you to do something before you do it? ONCE! He won’t keep repeating himself. You have a choice to make. You can either take a step of faith, obey and receive your miracle, or you can continue to sit in the mess you’re in, waiting for your miracle to just suddenly show up.

Perhaps you’ve done what you were asked and now you’re waiting. Ok, so be active in your waiting. Ask God to direct you to someone who needs a miracle and pray for them. Be instrumental in helping someone else while you’re in the ‘waiting room’. If you’ll stop focusing on you for a moment, your eyes will be open to so many who need what’s in you.

Father, I’m going back to the point you asked me to do that one thing that didn’t make sense and I’m believing that my act of obedience will put feet to my faith today. I will do what you ask, one ask at a time. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

You cannot hate and be a Christian. Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.”

If you claim that God is your Father, then love will be your very nature because I John 4:7-8 says, Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child. And so everyone who loves knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

There are a whole lot of people who confess God is their Father but hate. They say, “I don’t hate the person, I hate the sin!” But they don’t really know how to do that. Everyone is guilty, even me. But guess what? God loves us all; the rapist, the murderer, the gay, the Muslims, the lost, the found, the black, the white, the liar, the abuser, the lawyer, the politicians. If you think He doesn’t, you are deceived!

Jesus died for ALL sin and ALL sinners. It was a GIFT God gave us, His Son to die for our past, present and future sins. The ONLY thing we must do is this; Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, and your house! That’s it! Then He sends the Holy Spirit to do the clean up work and lead us into the truth. Not for YOU to take on the role of the Holy Spirit! But to love so that HE can do His perfect work in us.

Love covers, it doesn’t expose! So do your job. Pray for one another so that YOU might be saved. Because what you DO will be DONE to you.

How important are the words we speak? The wisest and richest man on earth, King Solomon said this about words; Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21

James says in chapter three that any man who doesn’t stumble with his words, is a perfect man. I’m not sure any of us fit that bill. I’m much more careful with what I say, but I’m definitely not perfect by a long shot! How about you? If you were to record yourself for one day and go back and listen to what you said, would you be pleased or disappointed?

What if our words were assigned a number value, much like the game we play? What if the prize was, we could have whatever we say? God said that His Words will never return to Him empty, that means what He speaks must produce what He spoke them to do. Since we are made in His image and likeness, our words will also bear fruit and not return to us empty or void.

I was talking with a young lady last night who said that there was a day when everything she said, came to pass. She mentioned 5 items she said she would like, and each one materialized that day. I remembered when that happened to me and the Lord showed me a very important lesson, even words you speak in anger or jest are heard and come to pass. It’s nice to have the good things happen, but God wants us to realize the value in EVERY word you speak.

When the trees you plant today bear fruit tomorrow, will it be good fruit or bad fruit? Is the sum total of your life simply based on words you’ve allowed to come out of your mouth? Do you curse others or bless them? For far too long, we’ve allowed just anything to come out of our mouth and have the audacity to blame God because we don’t like what’s happening in our lives. WOW! Just WOW! Talk about a people who don’t accept responsibility!

Guard my tongue, Father! I have a very big mouth and sometimes I just don’t know when to shut up. I want to bear much GOOD fruit! I want to please you with what comes out of my mouth. I repent of word curses I’ve created with my own mouth and not even realized it. Your word be a lamp to my feet, a light to my path and may my words bring life as Yours do. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Psalm 9:1-I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.

You know, there is nothing like being so full of thankfulness that you spill over onto everyone around you. I can start recounting the things God has done to someone and before long, they’re joining in with their on list.

Let’s see if it works with you; Lord, I thank you for breath today. I woke up! It’s a good day! Thank you for your loving kindness and tender mercies. They are new every morning, so yesterday is over and today I enjoy new ones. Thank you for my husband, my daughters, my son in law and my grandchildren. I know that you watch over them, protect and keep them in all their ways. Thank you that they’re taught of the Lord and great is their peace and undisturbed composure.

Thank you for my friends. I pray you will walk with them, talk with them, lead and guide them through struggles they face today. Thank you that you’re their healer, provider and protector. You know what they have need of and you go before them and have already provided for that need. You are concerned for them and are aware of them.

Thank you for your many blessings on my life personally. God, I’m so in love with you! You’ve called me and chosen me for great things. Thank you that you order my steps and make my path clear. Every trap the enemy tries to set, you spring the traps so that I don’t fall into them. Because I have made You my refuge, no evil with fall on me, my husband or my children. I won’t fear evil, for you protect me. You lead and guide me into all truth.

I place my life in your capable hands, knowing that you will cause even my enemies to be at peace with me. You give me wisdom and understanding and cause favor to chase after me. Because I have a giving heart, money comes to me like a magnet. I’m merely a channel for your blessings to flow through me into others. You supply everything I need and more so that I can put in store and help build your kingdom.

I hope you know, I could continue on and on and on here. There’s not enough time or paper to pen what I have in my heart to be thankful for. You see, if my focus is on Him, I’m thankful. If my focus is on the world or the things of this world, I become greedy. My heart is always set on HIGH. It comes up out of me without even trying. That’s how I want to live my life, so that when people see me coming, they don’t cringe, they smile.

Have a blessed day today and remember, God hears your thanksgiving and it fills Him up and makes Him smile too.

Ps 37:25-26 “Once I was young and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly forsaken, nor seen their children begging for bread. The godly always give generous loans to others and their children are a blessing.”

Thinking of this verse and seeing my girls, Stacy Gregory Holmes and Shannon Gregory, and the blessing they are to others, its just a testament to the Word of God. Being givers has many advantages, not just givers of money, but givers of ourselves. You can’t sow into the Kingdom and not reap back 100 fold in your lifetime.

I’m glad Walt and I instilled this virtue in our children. Being conscious of others needs over our own is just one way of giving generous loans. There’s more going on around us if we would just tune into it. One of the greatest tricks of the enemy is to get us so self focused in our sickness or need, that we lose sight of those around us who need what is in us. If that’s where you find yourself, it’s time to take a good long look around you and ask the Lord, “What can I do for you today?”

I’m thankful! I’m not perfect, but God takes my imperfections and covers them with the blood of his precious Son. He takes my many seeds and turns them to his advantage to build his Kingdom on the earth. To be a part of something so great is worth getting up every morning and getting His direction on my day. He will never leave me alone.

Thank you for your faithfulness, Lord. My life is yours, do with me as you please today. May I add value to the lives I touch and may YOU receive all the glory.

I Peter 2:21-25 Msg; This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.