Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. Psalm 43:4

Did you know that an altar is also known as a communion table? Interesting isn’t it. So could it be that when we rise up in the morning to commune with the Lord, we have built an altar to Him? That might be a stretch for some of you, but bear with me.

This is my place to remember what the hand of the Lord has delivered me from. This is my altar of intercession for my family. This is my altar of great and precious promises. This is the place where I’ve received great revelation from the Lord. This is my communion.

“The sun cannot compare to the glory of your Love, there is to shadow in your presence. No mortal man would dare to stand before your throne, before the Holy one of Heaven. It’s only by your blood and it’s only through your mercy, Lord I come.

“I bring an offering of worship to my King. No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing. Jesus may you receive the honor that you’re due. Oh Lord I bring an offering to you.” (Paul Baloche)

May my offering oh Lord be accepted by you. May it be a sweet aroma, a delicate fragrance that brings you joy. May my passion for you burn off all the dry places until I’m ignited with your fire. My soul delights in your goodness. Once again, I come away refreshed and renewed to face the task you’ve handed me. I love you Lord! I’m thankful you never leave me.

Sandy G

For God, who said, “Let brilliant light shine out of darkness,” is the one who has cascaded His light into us—the brilliant dawning light of the glorious knowledge of God as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ. We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 TPT

How do we possess that kind of light? By sitting in the presence of a mighty God and asking Him to reveal himself to us through His Word. When we understand and use His Word, we are using the treasure in us.

Let’s not hide our treasure, but let’s declare the Word in our daily lives, over our families, our church and our neighborhoods. We must be light. Our lamps will only burn when they are filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit. Our lights will only be seen when we turn up the flame.

The time has come to let your light shine that it may glorify our Father. Come on! Be a glow stick, that every person on the face of the earth may see us burn.

Sandy G

All together now—applause for God! Sing songs to the tune of his glory, set glory to the rhythms of his praise. Say of God, “We’ve never seen anything like him!” When your enemies see you in action, they slink off like scolded dogs. The whole earth falls to its knees— it worships you, sings to you, can’t stop enjoying your name and fame. Psalm 66:1 MSG

If you’re too busy to spend time with God, you’re too busy. Adjust your schedule, break stubborn habits, remove obstacles and hindrances. Find a quiet place void of distractions. Come with no agenda but to worship. No asking for anything, just an audience of one, singing your own song, making your praise about Him.

10 minutes. 10 minutes every morning. It’s such a small token of time when He’s given you the breath you breathe. If you find it hard to fill 10 minutes, begin to make a list of things you’re thankful for and read them off to Him. Soon, 10 minutes won’t be enough. You’ll find yourself setting your alarm earlier and earlier.

His presence is addicting. Your spirit will begin to crave time with His Spirit until you can’t stop thinking of Him. All throughout the day and when you wake at night, you’ll begin to hear Him calling you to that secret place where He can be with you and make you like Him. Then one day He’ll ask if you’re ready to be completely His, laying down your life long dreams, plans and hopes for a journey with Him.

It’s when you say yes, forever yes, that your life becomes one with Him and all that matters is what pleases Him. Loving others isn’t hard anymore. Giving becomes second nature. All that He is, becomes all that you are. By giving up, you gain so much more. By surrendering, you gain access to everything He has. What a great trade-off! Worship-it’s a game changer!

Sandy G

God spoke to Moses: “You are about to die. So call Joshua. Meet me in the Tent of Meeting so that I can commission him.” So Moses and Joshua went and stationed themselves in the Tent of Meeting. God appeared in the Tent in a Pillar of Cloud. The Cloud was near the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Deuteronomy 31:14 MSG

Did you ever wonder what went through Moses’ mind when God told him that he was about to die? It could have been a number of things. Hoped He’d forgot about that one crazy bit of angry disobedience, striking the rock. Perhaps somehow thought God would disregard it because he spent so much time with Him?

One thing God doesn’t do is forget. Once He says it, the Word is set into motion for the appointed time. He said it’s appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgement. Everyone of us has a date on the calendar when we will stand before God to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter in to the joy of the Lord”, Or the other, “You knew this day was coming. Your lack of preparation doesn’t give you a pass on judgement. Depart down to share your masters fate.”

I’m certainly glad that God is not a dictator who forces His will on us. No, He gives us choices.

I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is life itself, a long life settled on the soil that God, your God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:19 MSG

It’s a choice He offers you, like a multiple choice on a test. He even gives you the answer but it’s still in your court. He is life, a far richer life than what you think the world holds.

Sandy G

God will continually revitalize you, implanting within you the passion to do what pleases him.
Philippians 2:13 TPT

The dictionary describes the word, ‘revitalize’ as to give new life to, or to give one vitality or vigor. So when I read this verse, I see God has us on automatic renewal. We don’t have to ask for more life or energy to do what we need to do. It’s a given.

Not only that, but He implants in us the passion (any powerful emotion or feeling), to do what pleases Him. I don’t know about you, but I can’t manufacture that kind of passion! I don’t get up in the morning and presto chango, I’m jumping up and down for the opportunity to make a mark on the world.

No, I can’t ‘go into all the world and do Jesus’ until I’ve worshipped at His feet and felt His breath on the back of my neck, energizing me to go and do. I depend on it. I soak in it. I can’t do anything of lasting value without Him.

So this morning, stand before Him with your arms lifted high and say, thank you Lord for your perpetual presence, for without You, I cannot do today.

Sandy G

The Lord your God is with you. He is a hero who saves you. He happily rejoices over you, renews you with his love, and celebrates over you with shouts of joy. Zephaniah 3:17 GW

When Walt kills a spider or bug for me, I always say, ‘You’re my hero!’ to which he responds with his hands on his hips, ‘Da, da, dahhhh!’ in his superhero musical voice! It always brings a smile to my face and a kiss to his lips, his reward for a valiant rescue!

That may not be super spiritual to you, but it was the first thing that came to my mind when I read this verse. When I think about God happily rejoicing over me, celebrating over me, shouting for joy, it brings a smile to my face. Wow, how often have you just needed to know someone was there for you? Someone loved you enough to rescue you? That someone is the Lord your God. He’s your hero!

I hope that makes you smile too. I hope that as you think on that word today, you send a kiss up to your Heavenly Father who rescues you.

I love that God loves me! Lets go share that love today!

Sandy G

When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. Matthew 5:1-2 MSG

Had I not read this in the Message version, I may have never seen this; the committed, His disciples, climbed with Him and when they arrived at a quiet place, He sat down and taught His climbing companions.

This just confirms the importance of our quiet time with the Lord. These men risked everything to follow Jesus. They left all they knew, their homes, families, jobs and friends, just to make the climb of their life, to be rewarded with one on one teaching with the Master.

I’ve had to cut off relationships, social activities, even church events because I heard a call to come higher. That call is given to each of us, daily, but our choices dictate our action. When will enough be enough? When will we grow weary of just being like everyone else, fitting in, being excepted?

Salvation goes way beyond having our sins forgiven. Salvation has placed us back in our original state of fellowship with God. Ruling, reigning overcomer’s, who make a difference in our world, not merely existing to satisfy our flesh.

If we fail to plug into our energy source, Jesus, and daily charge ourselves with His glorious light, we risk losing our power, our lights will grow dim and we will be ineffective to the darkness around us.

So what will it be, fellow climber? Will you shake off the lethargy of your humdrum life and enter into the extreme life of a mountain climber? It’s something we may never do in the natural, but in the Spirit realm, we can scale the slippery slopes of impossibly shear cliffs just knowing who we’re climbing with.

You’re never alone! I’m a climber too and our ropes are linked together, wherever two or three are gathered together, He’s right here to show us the way.

Sandy G

Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27 NASB 2020

Isn’t it a beautiful thing to have the Holy Spirit help us? He knows our weaknesses and intercedes for us turning the things we’re unsure of into prayers that effectively reach the Father.

I just texted my sister and said, “His Kingdom come. His will be done in my home, my family and my life as it is in Heaven.”

When He gives me the words to speak, I declare it over the person or situation He shows me. But when there are no words, I pray in my prayer language and let them hit the mark they were meant to. I don’t need to know what they’re doing and sometimes that’s even better. My job is simply to open my mouth and pray, letting Him do the rest.

When I’m weak, He shows up strong. I’ll take that!

Sandy G

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will let Myself be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’ Jeremiah 29:11‭-‬14 NASB 2020

There is so much packed into this word that the very small part, ‘I will let Myself be found by you’, almost gets lost. But the discovery of that gave me such a start this morning. I saw it this way, there are those who never discover Him. As though He’s playing ‘hide & seek’ and because you’re trying so hard to find Him, He peeks around behind the rock He’s hidden Himself behind so that when you turn to look, He’s there.

Forget the restoring of fortunes or bringing us back from where He sent me, finding Him is my hearts desire. He alone can fill the empty longing of my heart. He alone can bring true joy and peace. I’m good with that. For when I truly find Him, I will never be the same and He will never let me go.

Sandy G

In the morning, Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will present my prayer to You and be on the watch. Psalms 5:3 NASB 2020

I present my prayer and my worship to the Lord this morning. I don’t wait till it’s convenient, I do it first thing, before life gets busy and things come in to interfere. I want Him to know that He’s first place in my life, not an afterthought when trouble appears on the horizon.

If you’re already at work, take a moment, close your eyes and smile to Him. Just inside your head, tell Him you love Him and thank Him for your day. It’s never too late to take a moment. You’ll find your day goes so much better when He’s on board.

Thank You for this moment. I ask that You will surround my sisters and brothers as they go about their business. Show yourself might in their lives. If they’re facing uncertainty, but their certainty. If they’re facing turmoil, be their peace.

You make all things beautiful in their time.

Sandy G