The Jump
I had a dream that a family friend from church needed help and called me. I was apprehensive because I could not truly understand what she wanted, but I told her to meet me at a certain location and I would help her out.
In the next scene, I was with my daughter on a high bridge looking down for the church friend. It was a long way into the water. I said, “I am glad that she is not coming this way because I would be afraid to have to go get her down there.” But my daughter did not understand me and said “Oh, she’s coming from down there,” and before I could say “no”, she had jumped off the bridge into the water.
I screamed and started praying and pleading the blood of Jesus as I watched her body go into the water. I waited and kept praying and she finally came up. She was happy, and perfectly fine. I was so grateful, and then I woke up. I immediately knew what God was showing me. I was too afraid to jump into the deep. My daughter jumped, but I did not. I did not even go after her. I stood on the bridge and prayed.
God showed me that a lot of people are moving but they are on the bridge where it does not require faith. I told him I wanted to jump off the bridge and began to pray. He showed me that every time I tried to move, something was holding me back - it was fear.
Jehovah is so gracious. As I prayed, He reminded me of Yeshua in the garden of gethsemane and how He prayed. I then understood that my prayer would give me the strength to move in faith. I read Hebrews 11:1 which says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Three words from that scripture attached themselves to me: assurance, hoped and conviction, so I looked them up.
Assurance: a believer's confidence in God, God's response to prayer, and the hope of eternal salvation.
Hoped: the confident expectation of what God has promised, and its strength is in His faithfulness
Conviction: A belief that is God-ordered
After reading the definitions I wrote my own faith meaning: My confidence is in God that He responds to my prayer, and I have complete assurance that what I prayed for will happen because I believe it is God-ordained. If that is not the case, I will not pray.
While in prayer, Jehovah showed me that He was holding up the bridge, and Yeshua and the Holy Spirt were holding me in my jump to them. I was jumping into them, and I was never alone! When you jump with Him, you are right where you are supposed to be.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Seeking A Leader
But now your kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out [David] a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince and ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. 1 Samuel 13:14, AMPC
Scripture says we are to pray for our leaders, and we are to pray for a righteous leader. It tells us that when we have a wicked leader the whole country will be led into wickedness. I was seeking God in prayer about the leaders of our country and who I am to vote for. I can’t tell truth from lies no matter what commentator I read; everything has a slant towards an opinion. So this morning God led me to the final words of King David, who was a righteous king, a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22).
“Now these are the last words of David son of Jesse says, and the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, says, The Spirit of the Lord spoke in and by me, and His word was upon my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me, when one rules over men righteously, ruling in the fear of God, He dawns on them like the morning light when the sun rises on a cloudless morning, when the tender grass springs out of the earth through clear shining after rain. Truly does not my house stand so with God? For He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure. For will He not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? But wicked, godless, and worthless lives are all like thorns to be thrust away, because they cannot be taken with the hand. But the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire on the spot” (2 Samuel 23:1-7).
Heavily Father, ELOHIM,
The creator of this universe, you know the hearts of all men. You removed King Saul because he was wicked and would not follow your commands. You found David, a man after your own heart to lead your people into righteousness and honor of you. We are at a time of seeking a leader, we have no idea of the heart of a man except by his actions. I pray that you will open our spiritual eyes and ears so we can hear from you, whom you have anointed for such a time as this so that we can have a righteous leader after your heart like King David. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Choose Life
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live… Deuteronomy 30:19, ESV
Moses gave instructions to the Israelites to keep the covenant of the Lord. God told the people of Israel that He called heaven and earth to witness the covenant. Then God gave them a choice: choose blessings or curses, life or death, but the choice is theirs. God then told to choose life. What does it mean to choose life?
The Bible says that choosing life is loving the Lord your God, obeying His voice, and holding fast to Him. I found it interesting the order in which God gave the instructions for choosing life. He started with loving the Lord, which brought to my attention that there are those who can obey God’s voice without loving Him! We obey the law of our nation, but we may not love the politicians who make the law. The first thing God was looking for was their heart posture. If our heart posture is right, then it will draw us into obeying God’s voice and that moves us near to Him.
While writing this message this thought came to me: we have the Holy Spirit to help us walk in love and follow God’s commands, but they did not. I asked God how could they have a heart after Him without the Holy Spirit, and He reminded me that love comes with spending time with a person. The more time I spent dating my husband before we got married, the more he showed me his character, his heart posture, and what he was about. That eventually led to the heart of love I had for him which brought us to marriage. It is the same with God - He had already shown Israel His love for them. He had brought them out of Egypt, He had slaughtered their enemies, and provide food, clothing, and shelter for them. God had already demonstrated His love before He presented this covenant to them.
I love that God never changes. He is the same! He has done the same thing for us that He did for the Israelites. Before He presented us with the choice to choose life, He loved us by sending His only son Jesus Christ to pay the price for all our sin. He slaughtered the enemy who kept us from receiving eternal life and provided food, shelter, and clothing for us. As we follow the instructions of love from 1 Corinthians 13, our heart posture begins to change. The scripture tells us that love endures long and is patient and kind. Love protects, trusts, hopes, preserves, and never fails. One thing I noticed when I was reading this scripture is that love is work! To choose life is to spend time with God in His word and doing the work of love. God worked to demonstrate His love and He requires no less from us. Amen.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Ready, Set, Wait
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him… Psalm 37:7, ESV
We were all seated in the plane ready to go. The plane was sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off when the pilot made this announcement: “I wanted you to know why we are just sitting here on the tarmac. We have been told there is too much congestion in the air right now, so we have to wait”. He said our wait time could be between thirty and sixty minutes.
It was already late, and I knew based on our schedule I was not going to get home until after 1:00am, and I was so ready to go home. My scheduled flight had been changed so many times that when I heard the announcement from the pilot, I started to pray that we would just get off the ground so I could get home.
The Holy Spirit reminded me that many times we are prepared and ready to move to the next level in the assignment He has for us, but the door seems to be shut tight. We are trying to make something happen in our flesh, but God is not allowing it. He showed me that the waiting is purposeful. The air traffic controllers could see that it was not the right time for us to move. I could tell in the pilot’s voice that he was a little annoyed with the instructions too, but he did not move.
The air traffic controller would not give approval for our fight to lift off that ground until it was safe for us to do so. They were making sure there was a clear path for us to get to our destination without any disruption. The pilot could not see what they could see, so he had to wait patiently. Many times, God will give us the desire to expand our business, start a family, purchase a new home, get married, move out on our own, and so on, but nothing seems to be happening. We are ready for that next new thing, but it seems that all those road blocks happen to stop the movement.
It is so important that we understand that God’s timing is not the same as ours. He may have you all ready to go but just like the pilot, you can’t see what is going on in the sky. We must trust Adonai, the one in control and wait on His direction.
Before the delay of thirty minutes, we were scheduled to arrive in Sacramento at 1:00am, but we ended up landing at 12:20am. In Dallas, Texas we sat on the tarmac for thirty minutes and somehow saved a total of seventy minutes in the air… I have no idea how that happened. But it is the same with God. He works outside of our time. It may seem like you are behind everyone else, but God will somehow move you to the front of the line even though it seems you have waited years. Keep the faith, His timing is always perfect.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Running The Race
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1, ESV
I woke up one morning with the image of a runner in my head. It was early, so I knew Jehovah was speaking to me. I saw a runner with her arm up high behind her, ready to start the race. As I meditated on why her arm was up so high, I heard the Holy Spirit say she was ready to win that race. She was ready to give all she had to win. Her arm was high to give her the boost she needed when she took off so she could hopefully take the lead when the race started.
Jehovah said that no one starts a race to lose - they are focused on winning. An image of a football player came into my mind. The player practices hard and prepares so that he can give all he has so his team can win. The player is totally focused on the game. His eyes are set on what is happening in front of him. Everything else has been laid aside. The runner’s focus is the same. In the run you can see her eyes focused on nothing but what is ahead of her. She never takes her eyes off the track. Her focus is totally on finishing the run and winning. I have never seen a runner in a race look up to watch the crowd while running. It is not until after the race is over that she gives a wave to the crowd.
Suddenly I thought, “Am I in the race to win?” Then the scripture came to my mind: “…Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it” (1 Corinthians 9:24). I had been away taking care of my sister who had surgery and I wondered if I could be doing better. I had brought other things that I could work on while she was resting, but I could not help but think that I needed to make sure I was in this race to win. I don’t believe there was anything wrong with me doing some additional work when I had down time, but I needed to make sure I was focused on what was in front of me instead of trying to hurry up and finish with her so I could do what I had planned next.
I was so grateful to Jehovah for bringing that word to me in those moments. It reminded me that serving Him required being focused on what He had in front of me. He would give me the time to focus on what was next when it was time for next. Whatever God has you serving in right now, is where you should be, just like the athlete who prepared to win. We are called to lay every weight aside, that includes multi-tasking. ELOHIM gave us the best example of how He works when we look at the creation in Genesis 1:1-2:1. He did not multi-task when He created. He was focused on that one thing, everything else was laid aside so that the task in front could be completed. Satan’s goal is to keep us distracted so we do not finish the race. Let us not get distracted by too many things so we lose focus on what God has in front of us. Amen!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Running the Race (2)
…Run in such a way that you may win. 1 Corinthians 9:24, LEB
I went to Texas to help my sister after she had surgery. I planned to stay a week and help her get back on her feet. When I arrived, I asked her to take me to Trader Joe’s so that I could prepare some meals for the week. I purchased the items and came to her home and immediately started cooking. I prepared several different kinds of meals that would last us into the second and possibly third week of her recovery.
I helped clean up her paperwork and get things organized. When it came time to head to the hospital, I took her there and waited until after her surgery to receive the update. I went into her recovery room and sat with her, making sure she was getting great care. I left about an hour before the visiting hours were over and returned the following morning to sit with her and make sure she was okay. I brought my laptop to the hospital so that when she was sleeping I could get some other work done. I actually thought that I was doing a great job taking care of my sister until God showed that I was in the race but was not winning.
My focus was off. See, I was focused on getting my sister taken care of so while she was recovering, I could work on things I wanted to get accomplished. God showed me that I was in the race for Him but was not moving to win the prize. He showed me that to be in the race and win there were other things I could do. My sister had a stack of clothes she had wanted to iron. She wanted her freezer cleaned out so she could freeze some of the food I had cooked for a later. She wanted to make these pumpkin thank-you bags to give to each one of the staff at the hospital who helped her.
Early one morning the Holy Spirit woke me up. While I was sitting in bed writing, the He asked me if I was going to win the race. He then started to show me how I was on my computer while there were things I could be doing that would keep me focused on winning the race. He reminded me that I could make the thank-you bags for my sister and take them to the hospital so she would have them to give out. He reminded me of the ironing that needed to be done and freezer that needed to be cleaned. Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth to run in such a way that you might win. A winner always goes the extra mile and puts in the extra time. They are always making a personal sacrifice for the goal. God was reminding me that He had called me to be His hands and feet for my sister and I needed to serve as it is done in heaven on earth. I need to be focused on what He had put in front of me because my race at that moment was my sister and her needs, not what I wanted to accomplish in my writing.
No matter how small the assignment we must remember that we are serving ELOHIM. He expects us to give our all in every task that is presented to us. In our society we used the term multi-tasking but when we are multi-tasking, we cannot give all of our attention to the assignment in front of us. Yeshua did not multi-task in His assignment while He was on earth, and He expects us to do the same.
Father, thank you for the reminder that what you put in front of us is what you want us to focus on. There are so many cares in this world, and we can get distracted from the task in front of us. We ask for your help to stay focused as scripture says. You have given us a spirit of power, love and disciplined mind! Hallelujah! To you be glory and praise. Amen!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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I Am Righteous
I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV
We all know John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” When we said “Yes, I believe this is true and I want Jesus as my personal savior”, immediately things changed in our life. We may not have felt it, but instantly there was a permanent move.
Our old spirit died. I am reminded of what a friend shared with me many years back. She had accepted Christ as her personal savior, and she understood that He was telling her how to move forward in her life, but she decided that she wanted to do her own thing for a while. So, she told God something like this: “I know you are real and I don’t want to play games with you, so I am going to go over here and do my own thing and I will come back.” She said instantly she felt God’s covering moving away from her and this darkness started to overtake her. She immediately repented and could feel that darkness leave.
Our old spirit was full of sin because Satan is sin. When we said “yes” to Christ, we received His righteousness because Jesus Christ is righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our spirit changed and we received the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). When my friend told Jesus she was going to do her own thing, she was saying “I want the spirit of Satan again”, and Jesus released her.
Receiving the righteousness of Christ has nothing to do with our behavior or our works. It has all to do with what Jesus Christ did for us. “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). When we said “yes”, we became like Christ. This does not mean that we do everything right, we are going to make mistakes and sin, but we no longer live in that sin. Christ paid the price for our sins before we were born (Romans 5:8). We now have a righteous spirit, and we are in right standing with God. We understand and hear God giving us instructions through the Holy Spirit and we obey. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, “…but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). But God has given us the power to overcome by daily putting on the whole armor of God, always praying, standing firm in the Word of God, and staying alert (Ephesians 6:13-18).
I started this writing with the affirmation I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. It is important that you consistently speak this over yourself because Satan and his demonic spirits constantly whisper lies to try and make you believe otherwise. He wants you to believe that you are no longer saved or that God is mad at you because of what you’ve done. God already knew what you were going to do, and He paid for all those mistakes and sin before you were born! God wants you to remember who you are in Him so you can walk in the boldness of what He called you to do. When you do this, His message can be heard throughout the world and lost souls can be saved! You are righteous! Amen!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Starving
I heard the word “starving” this particular morning and I could feel my stomach growling. Much more than my stomach, my spirit was growling for the presence of God. There was an unrest in my soul. I felt empty and kind of delusional in my spirit. It’s crazy - my stomach was growling for physical food and my spirit was hungry for spiritual food. I was wrestling with those feelings as I laid quietly in bed trying not to wake my husband up because it was so early in the morning.
A few minutes later my husband, without me even moving, leans over and says, “You should probably go to your prayer room and have your time so you can rest.” I hadn’t said one word to him, but he could feel the presence of the hunger in my spirit. I headed down to the prayer room and this song came to my heart: “Let us become overwhelmed by your goodness, let us become overwhelmed by your presence.” The lyrics just kept ringing in my soul.
I let those words settle in my spirit and started to hum them in my mind, then pulled the song up on the internet and played it. I prayed and worshipped, and I could feel my spirit being refueled. But right in the middle of that time God prompted me to call someone. I could barely say “Hello” when they answered the phone, and just begin to pray for them. Would you believe they had been waiting for God to bring them an answer?
All those promptings in my spirit were not just for me to get fueled up, but for another servant of the most high God who was seeking His help. I was being prepared to give them the answer they needed for what they were going through. We are not here for ourselves. We are soldiers for Christ Jesus and when one solider is down, God has equipped us to be the help to get them back on their feet and to Him.
Father,
Thank you for your divine activation that puts a hunger in our spirit for you. Thank you that the hunger is so violent that we feel we can’t move until we meet with you. I praise you as a soldier going off to battle never leaves without his armor. I praise you for not only filling us up, but you give us overflow so we can help our brothers and sisters. We give you glory and praise. Amen.
Affirmations; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Severing Others
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them…” Matthew 7:12, ESV
The verse above is from the Sermon on the Mountain when Jesus was speaking to a large crowd about righteous living. Jesus does not tell the people to do anything He has not already done. As He is teaching this message, He’s already set the example. He came into this world in a human body to die for sin He never committed so that all who chose to accept His gift would be saved from eternal death.
That is why I love this time of year. I know it is not the actual month or day Jesus was born, but the season of celebrating His birth brings with it a heart of giving. There are all kinds of different programs asking us to give to the unhoused and those that are in need. I heard the story of a young lady who was on her way to work but had to stop to get gas. It was an extremely cold day, and she did not want to get out of her car. As she contemplated getting out to put the gas in her car, she noticed a gentleman covered in blankets lying on the sidewalk not too far from the gas station.
She said her heart was so heavy for him that when she went in to pay for her gas, she bought a cup of hot coffee and took it to the man. He was grateful. That simple little act of kindness is what Jesus is talking about. At that moment she was Jesus’s hands and feet to one of His special souls who had fallen on difficult times. In the scripture above, all Jesus was telling the people to do is show God’s love.
My prayer is that we will follow Jesus’s instructions at all times, not because we are in a season of giving but because the world is healed through love. Amen.
Affirmations; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Seek A Pure Heart
Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. Numbers 21:6, ESV
In the book of Numbers, the Canaanites fought against Israel and took some of them captive. Israel made a vow to God that if He would give the Canaanites over to them, they would devote the cities of the Canaanites to destruction. God granted their request and Israel did as they had vowed to God.
After being set free, Israel set out by way of the Red Sea and the people spoke against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food” (Numbers 21). When I read that passage, I held my breath and began to pray for forgiveness. We serve a loving, gracious God but He will discipline those He loves, and at times, discipline can mean death. Scripture said, “Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died” (Numbers 21:6).
This passage just reminded me of how we can forget our blessing and, if we are not careful, curse God because we don’t like our circumstances. I remember complaining to God about my husband and some of the ways he behaved - mind you, I did pray to God for a husband. God began to show me all of my husband’s attributes and said, “Which one of these do you want me to take away so you can have what you want?” Thank God I understood I needed to shut my mouth and seek forgiveness. What God gives us is always best for us. And what He allows us to go through is because it is what we need. The next time you are tempted to complain, remember the fiery serpents God sent to His people that He freed from Egypt.
Father,
Thank you for being so gracious and kind to me. Thank you for your mercy! Scripture says no human being can tame his tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison (James 3:8). God, I seek forgiveness for my ungraciousness and careless words I have allowed to come out of my mouth. I pray for a guard over my tongue and a pure and righteous heart. Thank you for your forgiveness and the healing of my soul. This I pray in Jesus’s name. Amen!
Affirmations; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Desperate
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. Psalm 62:5, ESV
In the past I have often found myself desperate for an answer to a problem or looking for help getting some lofty project finished. It always seemed to be at the end of a deadline, and something would always drop off out of nowhere. But the other morning I was listening to a song in which the artist was saying, “Lord I am desperate for you, I don’t want to be content where I am.” Those words lingered in my spirit.
When we are desperate for something we are searching with all that is within us to get what we need. That was my cry to God - I was desperate for Him, and I wanted to go deeper. But I wondered if I was doing everything I needed to do to get to that next space that my spirit was so hungry for. All these different thoughts were running through my mind. I should pray more and read more and spend more time talking to God. I was trying to figure out what else I needed to do. In doing so I was causing my spirit to grow irritated instead of peaceful.
But God always has the answer. In Psalm 62 we see that David is desperate for God and it says that he waited in silence for God alone. Those words were so comforting. We do not have to “do”, all we need is to wait for God! Scripture says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Scripture also says my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation (Psalm 62:1-2). Waiting in silence is where our soul is refreshed.
In times past, I had found it difficult to sit in silence, but sitting a little at a time and consistently increasing the time has helped me get to a place where my mind can go quiet. I read in an article once that individuals took walks to silence their minds so they could hear from God. I have sat in my car, in a closet, in the restroom - wherever I can quiet my mind is where I would go. And God always met me there. In truth, God and His divine appointment is what places that desperation in our heart in the first place. He is actually telling us He wants to draw us closer to Him. Those feelings are truly from JEHOVAH Himself saying “Let’s go deeper!” How awesome is that!
Affirmations; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Swing Low Sweet Chariot
“…The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41, ESV
One morning I woke up one morning and I notice I did not have a song in my spirit, so I said, “Holy Spirit, I don’t have a song.” Immediately the song “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” came to my mind. I started to hum the words, as many as I could remember, and then I stopped. I said, “God, I am not ready for you to come and get me from earth. Why did you give me that song?”
As I was thinking about the words, I did some research on the song. I found that it was composed by Wallace Willis, a Choctaw freedman in the old Indian Territory in what is now Choctaw County, near the County seat of Hugo, Oklahoma sometime after 1865. He may have been inspired by the sight of the Red River, by which he was toiling, which reminded him of the Jordan River and of the Prophet Elijah being taken to heaven by a chariot (2 Kings 2:11). Some sources claim that this song and "Steal Away" (also sung by Willis) had lyrics that referred to the Underground Railroad, the freedom movement that helped black people escape from Southern slavery to the North and Canada (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_Low,_Sweet_Chariot).
I found myself praying to God, seeking clarity about the song He had put in my spirit. As I was praying, He showed me that we can always say we want His will to be done in our life, but until our faith is tested, we will never know if what we say is the truth of our heart. I found out that my true heart was not ready for death, even if that was God’s will. I began to pray for a heart after His and I thanked God for showing me where I was truly in my spirit. I told Him that I wanted my heart to be ready for whatever He brought before me, and I asked Him to help me with my weak flesh. Because, like scripture says, truly the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41).
God reminded me that we were not meant to get to this place of surrenderance on our own. Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever…” (John 14:16).
Father, thank you for knowing our heart. I love that scripture teaches us that there is not one thought that you are not aware of. I ask that you continue to revel to us our soul so we can lay it before the alter and transformation can take place as we surrender all to you. This I pray in Jesus’s name. Amen!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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Brighter Days Are Ahead
Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery... Exodus 6:9, ESV
In the scripture above, the Israelites had received harsh labor from Pharaoh. He had refused to let them go and put an extremely harsh requirement on them. Moses talked to God about what Pharaoh had done and God gave Moses words of encouragement for the people:
“I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord” (Exodus 6:2-8).
But the Israelites were so discouraged because of what they were going through that they did not believe Moses’s message from the Lord.
When our lives get hard and we cry out to God, sometimes things get worse and we easily become dismayed. It reminds me of when my father started to get sick and had to retire from his career. He was discouraged, but we were all glad it led to retirement for him. He got much better and eventually was glad to be free from work. A few years after retirement he was diagnosed with bone cancer. Our family felt like “God, he just retired! You healed him from his sickness. Why this now?” Everything felt hopeless but God brought us confirmation that He was with us.
The same week we all received the news about my dad’s illness my mother and sister went to a restaurant and while standing in line, a lady waiting came up to them and asked if she could pray for my mom. She laid her hands on her and began to pray. In the midst of her prayer, she said, “Your husband is healed of cancer.” God sent words of encouragement immediately to lift our spirits.
My father went through five years of chemo treatments, then one day the doctor said he didn’t have cancer anymore. My dad did not believe him. He told the doctor he wanted to continue to take the medicine. The doctor said, “I don’t know how to explain it, but you do not have cancer anymore.” The journey to healing was not always easy but God healed my father. The brighter days were always ahead - we just had to take the journey to get there. God reminds us in scripture “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” He also reminds us that he will never leave us or forsake us!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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Blessed and Assured
I was awakened with the song “Blessed Assurance” on my mind and for several days it lingered. I walked around humming the words while moving through all my daily tasks. But one morning when the song came to me, I began to pray, and the words “blessed” and “assured” grabbed my heart. God had been sending me this song for days and I did not get what He was telling me. In prayer, I finally got it!
I am blessed and I have assurance that Jesus is mine and I am His! I started to repeat the words “blessed and assured, blessed and assured”. The more I repeated them the more God began to open my spiritual mind to see with confidence who I am in Him! When we accept Christ as our personal savior, we have been circumcised, meaning the old person was cut away and died with Christ and we rose anew with Him! That is truly good news!
“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11).
When God had Noah build the ark, He put him and his whole family inside. Just like in baptism, they were enveloped in Christ. God closed the door when they walked in, and all their past was gone - they were starting anew! There was absolutely nothing they could do to make themselves more saved from the flood once they stepped into the ark. None of their works would make them any more saved than they already were. It is the same for us! Once we accept Jesus Christ, we are SAVED. Period! We can’t get any more saved! There are no works that will get us more points with Christ. This was already done before we entered to the earth!
Scripture says in 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit…” It was all done by Jesus Christ on the cross. Once saved, we have the blessed assurance, the covenant promise, that we belong to Christ Jesus and we are His. Amen!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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Blessed
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12, ESV
When we are headed into a difficult season of life, it usually shows up when we least expect it. Something drastic happens and before we know it things have changed in a way we could never expect. Several years ago, our daughter was 20 weeks pregnant when we were told her baby would not make it. We had just celebrated the gender reveal and learned that her name was Jayla. Everyone was so excited and by the end of the week Jayla was gone. God had taken her home.
I still can’t tell you what my heart actually felt. All I know is there was pure sadness. I had no idea how to be there for my daughter. I had no idea how to help myself. I did not want to speak with anyone, I just wanted to be alone. It was such a hard and difficult season of our lives. I felt like I had failed my daughter because I just could not do it. I searched scripture for answers, but nothing seemed to bring comfort. I just had to stand on what I believed - that God was there with me in those very weak moments.
In the scripture above James says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast…”. In that time of grief, I learned that steadfastness does not mean you have to be strong, you just have to know and believe God is with you. I found out that His grace is sufficient for me in those weak moments. His grace holds and carries me through when I don’t know what to do or how to do it. I learned that even when I don’t understand His ways, when I am angry and have no words, He understands me, and He still loves me. He can handle whatever emotions we bring to Him. Yes - His grace is sufficient.
I now have a better understanding of that scripture in James. God is the one who helps us remain stable in His grace no matter what comes our way. Steadfast means we are firm in our belief and determine to trust God regardless of how we feel. We can rest in Elohim because He holds us. Amen.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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Sober Minded
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8, ESV
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2, ESV
In one day, we all have been given 24 hours, which breaks down into 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds. In every one of those seconds Satan is strategizing how he can devour each one of us. The Bible teaches us that we have all been born into sin. Listen, when Adam and Eve sinned, they left a template for all of us to come through. We were all stained when we entered our mother’s womb. Once we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal savior and He came to live inside of us. The battle for our mind intensified.
The Bible teaches us that our mind must be renewed and transformed through the Word of God. This happens through testing, because in testing we will learn to discern His will. When we can discern His will, we become sober-minded and know how to watch for the devil who prowls around trying to devour us.
The other day I had a long list of things that needed to be finished. Many of those things were my husband’s responsibility but because I knew that we were on a deadline, I had taken them on to try and get them completed without telling him. When I saw him walk into the room, he was relaxed and resting, listening to one of his favorite shows. My frustrations started to explode, but in the midst of my rant I caught myself and said, “Holy Spirit, I do not want to react this way. I need your help.” Instantly I calmed down and my husband began to ask me how he could help. As I shared what needed to be completed, he wrote them all down and immediately went to work.
In years past when those kinds of things would occur, I could not tell that Satan was setting me up to start war in my own home. I did not have the discernment to notice his attacks and would fall right into his trap. I’d nitpick at my husband, yell at our children, and just be cranky and not really understand why. When scripture says to be watchful, it means to pay attention to those subtle attacks because the strategies of Satan are always working to come after us – especially when we least expect it.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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Forgiven
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace… Ephesians 1:7, ESV
My sister and I were sitting in the car deciding if we were ready to walk into the cancer treatment center. We were there to get her infusions, but she did not feel like doing it. So we sat in the car, people watching for a bit. We saw a man blowing leaves away from the front of the doorway, but he was doing a horrible job. He would blow them away but would not move them out of the bushes and trees. He only blew the ones that were right in front of him. We watched him blow them away from the entry doors, then get in his cart and leave. He never picked them up.
My sister and I both sat there and started laughing. We were like, did you see what he did? Then we began to pray. “Father, help us not to serve you in that manner. Help us to serve you with a spirit of excellence, just like it is in heaven.”
Several weeks later, I was up early headed to my prayer room and the Holy Spirit began to show me how I had done a certain task in my garden. I wanted to remove all the lavender plants out of my garden boxes so I could get the soil ready for winter planting. I took some of the lavender and sat them haphazardly in another pot temporarily, as I planned to put them back in the planter box eventually. The Holy Spirit revealed to me that the way I had handled those plants was similar to the way that young man was blowing those leaves.
I could instantly see what God was showing me and a heaviness came over me. That is not how I wanted to serve God. I did not even realize that what I was doing was service in His eyes, but everything we do we are doing for Him. As I sat down, I could feel the heaviness even more and I heard the Holy Spirit say, “When are you going to stop coming in my presence with fear and trepidation when I show you something? You just need to say ‘Father, I agree with you. I repent, please forgive me, and help me so I work with excellence.’” He told me that He had already paid for that sin! He said I cannot change that behavior on my own. When I ask for His help, He will change me as I stay in His Word.
When God brings something that He wants us to correct, it is not for us to take on commendation but to accept the conviction, repent and move on with joy! Amen! That is the loving God we serve! Hallelujah!
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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Obedience Moves You
If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; Isaiah 1:19, ESV
Obedience moves you to all the desires of your heart. God said that as long as you are obedient to Him you shall have all the desires of your heart. He showed me how obedience brings us joy, peace and happiness. Think about it: when we are disobedient we feel the tug in our spirit to stop but that flesh will keep moving. Those disobedient actions can lead us into stressful situations and most times, regret.
God will not reward our disobedient behavior because we will continue in that way which is not in agreement with His instructions. When our children are disobedient to our instructions we do not give them blessings but discipline for their negative behavior. We want to correct the behavior and when our children are back in alignment they receive our blessings. The absolutely amazing part is that the blessings for them are always there waiting on them to be obedient.
It is the same with God! When we get in alignment all that we have prayed for is just waiting for us. Our blessings are never lost or taken away; we hold them up by our disobedience. God tells us to do the simple things and we say okay but forget to do it, then we wonder why God has not answered our prayer or why the manifestation has not come. The problem is not God, but us not doing as we were told. Scripture says, …”We must obey God rather than men.” Listen to this promise, but if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. Exodus 23:22, ESV
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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Acts of the Flesh
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
I was doing some study about the fruits of the spirit and went straight to Galatians 5:22. Many times when I have read that scripture in the past I read over the word “but” and moved straight to the rest of the scripture. This time God had me slow down and focused on the word and to understand why it was there. The verse reads, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
When I took a closer look, Paul was actually telling the reader that the acts of our flesh will keep us from inheriting the kingdom of God. In case we don’t know what those behaviors are, Paul makes it plan by listing them out. We live in a body that is fleshy and wants its own way. As long as we are in this body, those who have accepted Christ as their personal savior will war with the flesh. When we accepted Christ, He came to live inside of us and our spirit was immediately changed, but our flesh is a work in progress.
Satan will use our fleshy desires to try and get us to go against the Word of God. He will sneak words in our mind telling us we are not pleasing God, that we are not walking with Christ. That is a lie! We will be in conflict with our flesh until the day we die. But we get our strength from the Spirit of the Lord, and we know His spirit is greater than anything our flesh can bring up. We are not perfect beings, and we will mess up. Remember Christ died for our sins before we were born. He knew everything we would ever do and yet He still loved us.
Paul warns that we should not use our freedom to walk in the flesh, but to serve one another humbly in love. The only way we can do this is to live by the Spirit, keeping in step with Him. In other words, stay connected to the vine which is Jesus Christ. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4, ESV).
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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What is Isolation About?
The wilderness seems to come out of nowhere. One moment everything is good and then all of a sudden you find yourself in this place that you never wanted to be in - and you have no control over it.
The Bible gives us plenty examples of how God allowed his people to be in barren lands, lands no one would ever raise their hands and say, “Pick me!” to be in. Many of you may be in those kinds of situations right now. Can’t find a job in the field you desire after getting your degree. Have just come out of a devastating car accident. Your body comes down with an incurable disease. Your child was murdered. You find out that your spouse has cheated on you. Parents died tragically and you are left to raise siblings.
When we find ourselves in those wilderness places of isolation, many of us try to find our way out. We try to figure out how to resolve the situation and get back to life as we knew it. But life has changed and there is no going back - there is only moving forward. The blessing that is sometimes so hard to see is that God already knew that those situations would arise, and He has prepared each of us to be successful in whatever it is we face. He is Jehovah Shammah, He is here and He is there - he is everywhere. He is outside of this universe watching His creation while at the same time being in it because He lives in every believer who has accepted Him as their personal savior.
Although Satan has control over this world and sets up these evil attacks to take us out, God has already gone before us and has given us victory! Hallelujah! Listen, in those moments look deeper for God. Sit quietly in His presence. If crying is all you can do, then cry. Scripture says, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 56:8, NLT). That is good news!!
When John was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the gospel, God gave him a vision in which he received the whole book of Revelation. John was in a place where God could speak into him His plan. He wrote what God gave him and we can read that Word today.
In the book of Mark, we learn about a woman who was wealthy and enjoying life when her body came down with a blood disorder. For twelve years she suffered with the illness. Scripture says she spent all the money she had going to doctors to get better but she only grew worse. But by the time Jesus came on the scene her faith was so strong that although all kinds of people were touching Jesus and did not receive a healing, when she touched the hem of His garment she was made well. She did not even touch Him, just His clothing! Her time in isolation had drawn her into a new dimension with God that even the priests did not have.
When we are in a wilderness it is not so much about the situation we are in as it is about God drawing us into a new relationship with Him - bring us into greater revelation. I want to encourage you. Although you may not feel at all prepared for what you are facing right now know that God has been preparing you for this very moment. And when you turn to Him in every second of this season, He will guide your every step through the wilderness. You will experience the victory He has already set up for you! To God be the glory!
Father,
We give you praise that you are Jehovah Shammah! You are right here in the midst with us. God, for some, this place seems impossible to bear, to understand, to comprehend…there are no words, just a feeling of emptiness. We seek your face on their behalf and ask for help, comfort, peace, strength, and direction in what to do next. As the Word says - you made us, and you will care for us. You will carry us along and save us. We ask that you carry them in Jesus’s name. Amen.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
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My recently published books are now available at:
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