Then the Philistines once again made a raid on the valley. Therefore David inquired again of God, and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; circle around them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” So David did as God commanded him, and they drove back the army of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer. I Chronicles 14:13-16

Here’s the lesson: 1. When faced with great opposition the first thing I should do is ask God what my next move should be. 2. I should listen and follow instruction carefully. 3. Give God the credit because the victory I experience belongs to Him.

Until I learn these very important steps, I will not walk in the victory God wants for me. I must rely on Him, always. When I begin thinking I can do it alone, I will end up lonely. When I am dependent on Him, I remain hidden in him, surrounded by His glory and victory is assured.

Whatever I face, I will face it with You, Lord. I am never alone, You are always with me according to Your Word. You said that if I seek You I will find you so I’m seeking You with all my heart, soul and mind.

Your Words were, “Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open to you.” It’s You who desire to give good gifts to me and I desire to ask for and receive them. Every good and perfect gift comes from You, Lord, so I give You thanks for direction, for wisdom and guidance.

Today is going to be the best day ever because You will be glorified in all I do, all I say, all I type. Victory belongs to the King and I stand with Him.

Sandy G

Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose. They will live in prosperity and their children will inherit the Promised Land. Friendship with the Lord is reserved for those who fear him. With them he shares the secrets of his covenant. Ps 25:12-14

The definition of fear is; awe, respect, reverence or veneration. When we speak of Gods goodness & have deep respect for Him, its fearing the Lord. Suffice it to say that those who fear the Lord talk constantly of His goodness, mercy and grace. They have first hand knowledge of His Word and His Name and when they speak of Him, it’s deeply personal.

Brag about the Lord today. Be His friend!

Yet all of the accomplishments that I once took credit for, I’ve now forsaken them and I regard it all as nothing compared to the delight of experiencing Jesus Christ as my Lord! To truly know him meant letting go of everything from my past and throwing all my boasting on the garbage heap. It’s all like a pile of manure to me now, so that I may be enriched in the reality of knowing Jesus Christ and embrace him as Lord in all of his greatness. Philippians 3:7-8 TPT

Paul was a Jew who kept every precept of the law. He was a leader and a scholar who ended up persecuting the church of Jesus Christ because he thought he was doing the right thing. But one day he had a life altering experience, he was blinded so that he could see.

I see so many people today who are wandering around, doing what their pastor says they should, but having no experience with the God who came to show us truth and set us free. Why would you want to have relationship with God through a person, when He invites us to sit at His feet and talk with Him one on one?

Paul thought that what he learned from man was enough until he experienced the eye-opening revelation of Jesus Christ. There are a whole lot of leaders that could use that today. They sit in their place of power, telling people what they should do, when they wouldn’t know the truth if it come and bite them on the foot.

Let’s begin to pray for all our leaders, that they may be struck blind so they can see. That they would have no where to go but to turn their eyes on Jesus. To have a heart change that will change our nation and our world.

May it begin with you,

Sandy G

Since we first heard about you, we’ve kept you always in our prayers that you would receive the perfect knowledge of God’s pleasure over your lives, making you reservoirs of every kind of wisdom and spiritual understanding. Colossians 1:9 Passion Translation

I want to be a reservoir of every kind of wisdom and spiritual understanding. One of the definitions of reservoir is a place where anything is collected or accumulated in great amount. It’s to be drawn from as needed over a span of time. I’d like to say that as I pray in the spirit, I build myself up or place in reserve for a time or season when it may be drawn from.

I need Gods wisdom in my life each and everyday. I know that I can have it, that’s one reason He sent the Holy Spirit to fill me up. I can ask Him questions that can only be answered by Him. He heals me in the hidden places where no one else is privy to. I don’t have to ‘spill my guts’ to anyone as long as He is in me. I don’t plan on ever letting go of my reservoir.

Keep fanning the flames,

Sandy G

Elijah said to Ahab, “Up on your feet! Eat and drink—celebrate! Rain is on the way; I hear it coming.”

Ahab did it: got up and ate and drank. Meanwhile, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bowed deeply in prayer, his face between his knees. Then he said to his young servant, “On your feet now! Look toward the sea.”

He went, looked, and reported back, “I don’t see a thing.”

“Keep looking,” said Elijah, “seven times if necessary.”

And sure enough, the seventh time he said, “Oh yes, a cloud! But very small, no bigger than someone’s hand, rising out of the sea.”

“Quickly then, on your way. Tell Ahab, ‘Saddle up and get down from the mountain before the rain stops you.’” I Kings 18:41-44 Message

In the middle of a drought, Elijah heard the sound of rain. There were no signs of rain, yet he ‘heard’ it. Oh to be so convinced of the mighty power of God that you keep looking till you find it.

I believe you must hear from God daily even when others cannot, it’s what brings the move of God onto the earth. Once you hear, look for it, expect it. When you get a word from the Lord to do something, do it. If it doesn’t happen right when you think it should, keep looking for it.

He sent his servant to look 7 times. Elijah positioned himself on his face in the place where the prophets of Baal were defeated and killed, head between his knees, to birth the first small cloud. If you could do it on your own, it would not be a challenge of faith in a God who can.

Don’t get so busy in your week that you don’t have time to hear and speak. We’re at the time of birthing! So I encourage you to breathe till the time to push is on you.

Sandy G

So many times in my life, my mouth has gotten me in trouble. I know, hard to believe, right?

Well, with all I’ve been learning lately about the words we speak and how God is attentive to our words, there is something that a friend said to me a while ago that caused me to have a ‘selah’ moment. John 5:19 NLT, So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”

It didn’t say He does only what the Father says, He said He does only what He sees the Father do. You may think, ‘Well, that was Jesus! They have a different type relationship than we do with Father.’ Not true! We are all sons of God, adopted because of what Jesus did on the cross and God is no respecter of persons.

We have the ability to have that same close relationship with the Father that we also see what He does and we do what we see. We can’t Love is we don’t know Love and God is Love.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not satisfied with where I’m at right now. If it’s possible to be crazier than I already am, I’m game! I hear Him calling right now. ‘Come closer! Come higher! Leave the cares behind, come unencumbered into My presence and spend time with Me. Seek my face; for if you seek me you will find me if you seek me with all your heart.’ Deuteronomy 4:29

Have a wonderful day,

Sandy G

 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Sometimes I think we lose sight of important details when we become Christians. We get the message from church leaders that serving others is the way we mirror Jesus, when in reality, loving others is the way we do that. I’ve fallen into that trap, the trap to take on more than is healthy, upsetting the delicate balance between church and family.

Please don’t get me wrong. I believe everyone should be a part of a local body or church. I love being involved, to encourage, build and serve. But if I don’t make seeking Gods face everyday a priority, to spend time in His presence, listen for direction in my day to day living, I risk doing all that out of my flesh and not out of my spirit.

Trust me when I tell you, there is nothing I can do in and of myself. I believe that as I seek after God with all my heart and stop trying to understand Him because that’s not gonna happen, my life will be satisfying. Not just showing up daily, wanting more of His love, more of His grace, more mercy and compassion, that as I begin to fill up with Him and empty out the me, that’s when I come into my true calling, my destiny or purpose.

Galatians 2:20 NKJV “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.”

So, this is what I’m asking, well, not me, but the Lord; “When will you answer the call I’ve placed in you to come up higher? When will you stop driving your life long enough to just spend time enjoying me? When will you allow me first place? When will I stop being an after-thought instead of always on your mind? When was the last time you laughed with me, cried with me, felt my embrace?

“I’m not a distant God. I’ve always longed to fellowship with my own, that’s why I sent my son to restore that relationship. Come, you will find all you need in me, then listen, I will send you where you’re needed. You’ll no longer be tiring yourself out and spinning your wheels. I have purpose for you.”

Oh Father, how silly of me to think I can do anything without you. I desperately need to feel Your touch, hear Your voice and know Your plans for me. I will not move from this place of worship until I hear Your voice. You never disappoint. Never. It’s my sincere desire to be used of You greater than ever before. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sandy G

Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:7-8

If you’ve ever been through anything in your lifetime, fear has nibbled at your toes a time or two. I certainly have felt the cold wind blow down my spine in several situations I’ve had to face. Be it myself, my husband, our girls or even our grandkids, fear hasn’t been a stranger.

The thing about fear is this; you can hold onto it with a death-grip, or you can take a deep breath of peace and allow it to fill you like the sails of a ship as it turns out to sea. It’s a choice that each of us are given. I choose peace.

A dear friend shared an incident with me about something that happened to her husband. I asked what she did and what she was going to do and her response shook me. These aren’t her exact words, but my recall as I lay in bed was this, “I will not walk in fear and I absolutely will not let go of my peace.”

Which in turn made me search my bible for, ‘do not fear’ and I realized it’s so common for man to fear first, that God was continually saying to His people, “Do not fear! I am with you!” If it’s a comfort to all who heard those words, let it be a comfort to you as well. When you’re faced with fear vs peace, choose peace.

It’s not even about doing what you need to do, researching every angle known to man, it’s about resting in the security of the Secret Place of the Most High, laying your head on His competent arm and resting in His peace. He is well able to keep what I commit to Him. He never sleeps, so rest your eyes and let Him watch over it. You can’t fix it, but He created it and has all the tools needed to make it right.

Hold fast to your peace and regardless of what is said to you by the doctors, your employers, the government, let God do what He needs to to make it right.

Remember this, “He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

Sandy G

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Genesis 22:1-3

I love this familiar story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his only son. What faith he had in his covenant with God. Not once did he cry, slam his fist on the table, stomp off in a huff. He had already set his heart toward obedience to God and absolutely nothing could shake him from his course.

How about you? Has God ever asked you to do difficult things where that kind of trust was needed? It’s so easy to say yes to God but when He actually expects to see you do it, well pause and think on that for a minute.

I remember a pastor friend of mine saying, “If you haven’t heard God speak to you recently, go back to the last thing he asked you to do.” You see, obedience is key to hearing the voice of God in your life and walking in the covenant blessings provided. Thats why we teach our children that there are consequences to disobedience, it’s called a paddle. Two stiff swats on the backside puts things back in perspective.

We’re a bit old for spankings, but I just can’t live in silence. I don’t like knowing I’ve displeased Him, not for one little moment. I can’t say, “I forgot!” because the Holy Spirit’s been reminding me. I’d just chosen to ignore because I had other things I needed to do.

Forgive me, Lord. I got busy serving me and forgot I’m not my own anymore. Can we start over, again? Strengthen my resolve to promptly obey because I don’t like the consequences of my lack of action. Mostly, I don’t want to be responsible for holding back Your work on the earth. Kingdom come! Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Today, this hour, this very minute, may I hear Your voice loud and clear.

Yours Always,

Sandy G

Philippians 4:6-7 says; Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

What a beautiful passage to speak out over yourself today. Gods promise of peace regardless of what you face. Not the worlds peace, but the peace of God. I love verse 7 in the amplified bible which says, And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

It will garrison and mount guard over my heart and mind. Wow! That word ‘garrison’ means a body of troops stationed in a fortified place. Can you see that now? God sends his angels to surround you and keep you in all your ways. There are more with you then those against you.

Thank you Father that You’ve sent your angels to guard and protect my peace. I will not by any means allow the enemy to steal what is mine. I rest in Your ability to fight my battles for me. You are more than enough! It’s in Jesus’ name I pray this, Amen.

Sandy G