We’ve all heard the saying, ‘silence is golden’, right? There’s even a song written about it and there are several mothers reading this who would strongly agree that this statement is true. But in reality, that is the spirit reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

We were created to speak, that is why we have a mouth, right? Well, we have ears also and some folk should use the ears more than they do the mouth simply because they don’t know what they’re talking about. Shoot, there are times when even I open my mouth to speak before my brain has engaged.

So when is it time to speak? When my words will have the greatest influence. For example; when I hear a report that is contrary to the word of God, it’s time for me to speak because my words will influence my mind to believe the truth, rather than the report that is contrary.

Luke 8:22 tells a story that begins like this; Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out.

That’s good, right? The started out on Jesus’ command to go over to the other side. Well, half way across the lake, a storm came up and it got so bad that they became fearful they were going to sink. Ok, these are fishermen who have been through a few storms so you know it had to be bad, right? So, because Jesus was tired, he fell asleep and would have slept through the whole thing but was awakened to take care of the storm. Why? Jesus had already given them authority, shown them what to do, but they woke him to take care of it.

Verses 24-25a says; And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, “Where is your faith?”

He had been showing them that all they had to do was speak to whatever they were facing and it would respond to them, yet they had no confidence in their words. The same mountain you are facing must respond to your words. Have faith in God. He created you to be like Him, speaking spirits, speaking His word over every situation you face today. He will always stand by his word, He’s just waiting for us to speak.

Father, may I declare your word over every situation I face today. Every storm will respond to peace. Every sickness will respond to the blood shed. Every problem has an answer, it’s in your word. I will speak your word today and it will accomplish what I send it to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen

No where in the bible does it say that life will be wonderful or easy. I think that people get the idea that once you become a Christian, a Christ follower, life will just be awesome. Well guess what? It’s still life and life happens. In other words, when it rains, it doesn’t just rain on the evil people, it rains everywhere and it lands on everyone. Unless of course you have an umbrella, than you can at least keep the rain off your head!

I’ll tell you what happens when it rains; flowers bloom, trees get all green again, long forgotten seed begins coming up from the ground. Life comes from dead things in the rain.

So it is when things happen in our life that we can’t explain, don’t understand and don’t like. It somehow causes the Word to come alive in us, turn to God, seek His face. We can be very self-centered and self-sufficient until life gets cranky! It’s during those times we turn to God for help.

Perhaps that is the reason for the trials, to make us do an ‘about face’ and see that we’re doing it again, life without God. There is no life without God, only emptiness and loneliness. He truly wants us to be dependent on Him and Him alone. To allow Him to cover us, provide for us, be our savior and closest friend.

I Thessalonians 1:11-12 ERV; That is why we always pray for you. We ask our God to help you live the good way he wanted when he chose you. The goodness you have makes you want to do good. And the faith you have makes you work. We pray that with his power God will help you do these things more and more. 12 Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of you, and you will be honored because of him. This can happen only by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you ever tried to convey to someone how you felt when you saw something, but words were so inadequate? I remember trying to describe my first impression of Haiti when I stepped off the plane at 17 years of age. The sights, the smells, the poverty, the smiles, the thousand voices talking at once in a language we couldn’t understand. Regardless of my descriptions, my words fell short. You just had to experience it all to obtain a complete picture.

The office I worked for had a temporary service send over a man to fill in once. In talking with him, we somehow got on the subject of countries we’d visited. He mentioned he had traveled to Haiti once by plane and the look in his eyes as he attempted to tell me what he saw and sensed. I laughed as he wrinkled up his nose because I knew. I had experienced it too.

This morning as I read 2 Peter 1 and heard Peter try to put into words what he witnessed, I thought, “My God, he actually heard you speak!” Can you imagine? The audible voice of Almighty God. Read his account in verses 16-21 (ERV):

16. We told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. We told you about his coming. The things we told you were not just clever stories that people invented. No, we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. ¹⁷ Jesus heard the voice of the great and glorious God. That was when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with him.” ¹⁸ And we heard that voice. It came from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain.

Only the ones who accompanied him could truly relate to what they saw and heard because they experienced it. Just as we who are believers understand the grace that only He can give. Why? Because we’ve experienced it. Undeserved, unearned favor that we never had to do a thing for except receive it. It’s mind boggling, right? We didn’t have to toil or struggle, sacrifice our own son or daughter, go before the priest with an offering, we just had to say yes.

Father, I wish I had been there that day on the mountain to hear your audible voice, but I thank you that I have the voice of the Holy Spirit in me, leading me, guiding me into all truth, giving me access to your secret treasures. What an honor to be yours. You call me daughter, because I am. I’m not a stranger to you, I’m yours. Today, may I be filled with your love and the knowledge of your grace. May I be your eyewitness, telling others through my actions, the wonder of you. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

That’s what the Holy Spirit does. He transforms the massive raw power of God into usable power in us. Power to heal the sick, raise the dead, transform lives, set people free. We have all this power in us and we leave the switch off. It’s time to flip the switch. That’s what the next move of God is going to be. People accessing the power of God in them to transform lives. He’s giving us revelation of Who we have living inside of us.

It takes surrender. It takes faith. It takes a whole lot of love because that’s who God is; LOVE. But once we tap into Him, our lives will yield the power He intended us to have. We are indeed carriers of the oil of the Holy Spirit. That’s how ‘nothing will by any means harm us’ comes into play. When sickness tries to come on our body, we need to tap into the Spirit and say, “Do your work in me.” Take communion and thank him for the blood shed and the body broken so that we could enjoy complete health.

Father, I plead the blood of Jesus over my body. No more sickness. Nothing missing or broken. I will not focus on what I lack, I will focus on what I have inside of me. I will pray in the Spirit and with my understanding, without ceasing,  everyday. I will be aware of the power you’ve placed in me and become familiar with Him, having a deep understanding of Him and learn to access His power. When you said that we have everything we need for life and godliness, you were talking about your Spirit in us. Help me not to be afraid, but to understand and be full of love. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Sometimes you just have to remind yourself of who you are, whose you are and what your made for. Psalm 107:2 says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,”

So I say today, I’m redeemed from sin, sickness, lack, poverty, disease, addictions and every evil, deceptive work of the enemy. Kings declare and decree and I am a king/queen and priest/priestess before the King of kings and the Lord of lords. I’m created to say so! That’s right! I’m created to open my mouth and declare what the Word of God says.

Let faith arise within you today. Take back your rightful place. Stop listening to the lie of the enemy that tries to convince you that you’re less than who you are. You’re not a failure! You’re a success! Stop measuring yourself by others successes and begin to see yourself successful because God says you are.

You’re more than a conqueror. I don’t care what your situation looks like, if God is for you, who can be against you! There is divine favor on your life. Rise up, child of God and SAY SO! He said you’re redeemed. That word means to buy back, recover or fulfill. He bought back your victory. Not a portion of your victory but ALL of your victory.

Say it out loud, “I am redeemed from ______” put what you’re facing in that blank. Say it again. It’s because of what Christ did that you are free from that. Don’t allow it in because of what some human said. Only allow in what God says.

Father, for all you’ve redeemed me from, I’m so thankful. For all you’ve given me authority over, I’m thankful. You didn’t leave me powerless, but full of your Spirit who brings me wisdom, power and life. I’m not just yours when things are going my way. I’m yours in good times and bad, happy and sad, I’m yours and that’s enough. I shout it from the mountaintops, I’m redeemed. It’s in Jesus’ name, Amen.

I hate back-tracking! If I forget something at home, 9 times out of 10, I’ll leave it simply because I hate going back. Unless it’s my phone, I’ll go back for that because THAT is important of course. I’m not the only one. Yesterday morning, Walt left his glasses in our 3rd floor condo and didn’t remember until we were in the car. I asked if he wanted to go back and get them but he said no.

There’s nothing more irritating than making a wrong turn or realizing you’ve gone past your destination and you have to go back. Sometimes in life we go after the wrong things or say something we shouldn’t have and have to go back and make it right. It would be nice if we’d think first, or obey that still small voice inside of us that’s trying to keep us straight.

God, examine me and know my mind. Test me and know all my worries. Make sure that I am not going the wrong way. Lead me on the path that has always been right. Psalm 139:23-24

The path that has always been right. Which path is that? Jesus talked about it in Matthew 7:13-14, “You can enter true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to hell is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way.  But the gate that opens the way to true life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard to follow. Only a few people find it.”

It’s never easy to do the right thing when everyone else is doing wrong. It’s hard to stand out in a crowd, to be the only one willing to stand up for what’s right. But I’d rather be on the path going after God than away from Him. I’d rather be alone now than alone after I die.

Father, if I’m off even a little now, I’ll be off a lot by the time I get to my destination so make those course corrections now. I don’t like back-tracking, but I’d much rather do it now than when I get so far from you that I don’t recognize where I am and can’t find my way back.  I would rather spend time alone with you, in your presence than be surrounded by many doing empty things. You are my compass, leading and guiding me into all truth. Surround me today and keep me on course that I may be useful for your kingdom. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

Have you been longing for a word from the Lord this morning? I’m not sure what you’re facing, but please know that you don’t have to face it alone because God is with you. Here’s what I ran across in my morning read;

Isaiah 54:10, “The mountains may disappear, and the hills may become dust, but my faithful love will never leave you. I will make peace with you, and it will never end.” The Lord who loves you said this.

I don’t know about you, but I needed that! It doesn’t matter what happens around you, His faithful love will never leave you.  Just close your eyes for a moment and say, “Father, thank you for your faithful love. You DO love me! It’s a constant thing, this love of Yours. Thank you for lavishing Your love on me. Let me love you back, Father. Let me just run and jump into Your big lap and wrap my arms around You. I want to soak in Your love this morning.”

Now let His peace envelope your soul. Let it wash over you like a gentle waterfall, washing away all the cares and worries of the week. “Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace, coming down from the Father above. Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray. In fathomless billows of love.” Aren’t you glad that His love isn’t dependent on your performance? It’s based on what Jesus did on the cross. We don’t have to do anything to deserve it, we just have to receive it. It’s the only free thing given to us ever, but it cost the Father everything.

Father, I owe you my life. Just sitting in Your presence this morning has washed me of all the stress, cares and worries I’ve picked up throughout the week. Your love is so rich and so deep it takes my breath away. As the sun rises in the east and a new day is dawning, may I continue to allow Your love and peace to stay with me. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, 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 55:8-9 Msg

I must remind myself of this daily, sometimes every hour! Silly me! Just when I think I’ve got it all together, just when I think I’m smart and have it all figured out, I think of God and realize I don’t know a speck of what He does. I can’t make it rain. I can’t make it snow (not that I ever would! LOL) but He can. He says here that the way he works and the way I work are vastly different.

Whenever I’m facing a difficult season, a broken heart, an unfulfilled promise, I read these verses again and know that He will complete the assignment, every Word spoken will come to pass. I may forget, He never does. I may break a promise, He never does. I may fail, He never will.

Father, help me to keep my perspective using Your vantage point, not my own. You are God and when all the chaos comes into order, when all the storms cease, when the waves calm down again, You will still be standing. You never give up on me and I will never give up on you. You’re big enough to rule all the universe but small enough to fill my heart. I love you so much and I trust in You always. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Have you ever faced one thing after another and wondered, “What is going on here?”  I have many times! Seems like I’d recognize a battle by now, right? But it seems to come out of nowhere, when you least expect it-BAM! Like an unseen enemy, gloating in the element of surprise.

I was reading this morning from the Message bible in Philippians 4 what Paul said to do;

4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

I soon realized that the key to success in the Kingdom of God is to focus on Him, all day, every day. Keeping Him larger seems to obstruct the view of the chaos around you. Ever run into one of THOSE Christians? You know, the ones who seem impervious to their obvious situation. All they seem to do is worship, praise God, spend all their time encouraging others when its clear they’re the ones who need it most.

It’s not that they don’t know what’s going on, they’ve just chosen what they want to focus on; God. Like the song Ray Overholt wrote years ago, “God is God and God will never change. I know God, God is God, and He always will be God.”

Father, I will keep that in my heart today in the midst of the mess around me, You are indeed God. You are perfect in all of Your ways; Your word is proven and true; You are a shield to those who run to You, rely on You and trust in You. It’s in Jesus’ name and for Your glory, Amen.

We all have plans for our lives, goals that may take us in one direction or another. My plan was to get married and have children. I really didn’t think about education or ministry, although when I was 16, I had a vision of my husband and I sitting across the table from a couple, counseling them. I didn’t even have a clue what that would entail, just stored it away in my heart.

I look back now and see that the plans I had were skewed a bit. Getting married and having children happened, but it was hard, an education in itself. That education though, led us to a place where God would use the broken things in our lives to sow into and encourage others. You see, the first thing one must realize is that God always has a plan. The second thing, He will prepare you through life if you’ll yield to him and allow him to use you.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.” We just had to trust God. Trust him enough that regardless of what is happening in our lives, our marriage, our children, our jobs or finances, His plans are to give us peace and hope. We just had to learn to trust in the God who knows all, sees all and has a plan to use all of what we go through so that it can help build His kingdom for His glory.

One of my many favorite verses is found in II Samuel 22:31 and lately I’ve been quoting it a lot.

As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

He has great plans for me! Plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give me a future filled with hope. His way is perfect! His word is proven! He shields those who trust Him. What a beautiful promise! The word of the Lord is filled with so many wonderful prayers that I like to confess over myself, my husband and children. It builds my trust in Him. I can’t do anything about anything. I can’t control others, only myself. I will trust in Him.

Father, today this is my confession. My heart struggles to find peace at times, but your words says when I focus on you, your perfect peace would guard my heart and mind. Wherever I find myself, you are with me, your rod and staff comfort me. You’ve prepared a feast for me (your word) in the presence of my enemies. I can use your word to come against every deception the enemy would try to put on my mind. So I put on the whole armor of God so I can quench every fiery dart of the evil one. I will stand upon your truth and will trust confidently in you. It’s in Jesus name I pray, Amen.