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Joy of the Now

1 John 1:5 (AMP) This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection]. 

I was pondering on what to write this week and remembered the peace that came upon me when I thanked God for His daily bread yesterday. It brough back to remembrance what I felt when I read the first few verses of 1 John 1 this week. So much peace and joy.

1 John 1:1-4 (AMP) [I am writing about] what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life [the One who existed even before the beginning of the world, Christ]—  and the Life [an aspect of His being] was manifested, and we have seen [it as eyewitnesses] and testify and declare to you [the Life], the eternal Life who was [already existing] with the Father and was [actually] made visible to us [His followers]—  what we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship [as partners] with us. And indeed our fellowship [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.  We are writing these things to you so that our joy [in seeing you included] may be made complete [by having you share in the joy of salvation].

There is a peace that comes that Who was at the beginning of everything is the Word of Life. Not too long ago I wrote about Now, is eternal life. If we are Christ, then eternal life is now.

John 17:3 (AMP) Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent.

1 John 5:12 (AMP) He who has the Son [by accepting Him as Lord and Savior] has the life [that is eternal]; he who does not have the Son of God [by personal faith] does not have the life.

Jesus is not just the Savior of my life; He is the Lord of my life. I have invited Him into every aspect of my life, not to be a spectator, but to lead. Holy Spirit have your way and Lord search are my heart are not just words of lip service to make me “feel” good. What is our true heart intent? Mine is of surrender. If I keep striving for my way I have learned that peace is absent and usually that is also removes joy from my life.

1 John 5:10-11 (AMP) The one who believes in the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies confidently on Him as Savior] has the testimony within himself [because he can speak authoritatively about Christ from his own personal experience]. The one who does not believe God [in this way] has made Him [out to be] a liar, because he has not believed in the evidence that God has given regarding His Son. And the testimony is this: God has given us eternal life [we already possess it], and this life is in His Son [resulting in our spiritual completeness, and eternal companionship with Him].

Why not live a life like you are in eternal life? Love God. Love People. We know that we have passed out of death into Life, because we love the brothers and sisters. He who does not love remains in [spiritual] death (1 John 3:14). When I still love me more than I love others, I am not living life like it is eternal. We have a small church. However, we make a big impact. Why? Our love for people. People have a preconceived idea of what it means for someone to love them. Some it is that we are there for their every need. That is not the purpose of the church. We are to point them to Him who can supply all their needs and do what we can with what we have. Some it is that we agree with everything that they feel. Our feelings are deceptive because when we do not renew our minds in the Word, they will overtake us. We are to point them back to the Word and allow growing moments.

I love the time I get to spend daily in the Word. It truly is my daily bread. The Word of God is nourishment to my soul. Everything about my time in the Word is about Him. I am living in the eternal. So why not live like it! Give Glory to our God, our Eternal God!!

Abba Father, You are worthy of honor and praise. We are in awe of Your majesty. Thank You for sending Your Son, the Word of Life. Your Word is a light to our lives, and we trust in You. Forgive us for not spending time in Your Word and giving Your Word first place in our lives. We’ve let the busyness of life keep us from focusing on Your Word, choosing instead to dwell on our worries. We repent for letting deception into our minds and allowing our own truths to overshadow the Truth of Your Word. Thank You for reminding us through Scripture that You love us, desire us, and want us to live free and whole. Thank You for sending Your Son to redeem us and restore our relationship with You. Your Word is life, truth, and power, and today I choose to abide with Jesus—the Word, the Truth. You are the source of our joy. You are our Eternal God. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose love today. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Now

John 17:3 (AMP) Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent.

This verse jumped out at me the other day. “NOW this is eternal life.” That means that when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we stepped into eternal life. We are a people that are looking to be satisfied. Will anything really satisfy us other than Jesus? What else could we be looking for?

We are being watched by those who do not know Christ that way. What are they hearing from us? Are they hearing us proclaim the Gospel? Or are they hearing us being divided on post tribulation or pretribulation rapture, the Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday, whether we have to celebrate all of the feasts. What does any of that have to do with eternal life?

Matthew 22:36-40 (AMP) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Love God and Love People. That is what you will want to do when you accept the fullness of who God is. The enemy is pretty good at getting us distracted. He wants us to look anywhere other than keeping our eyes on Jesus. He would use things that should bring us closer together. It is our choice though. The devil has no authority in a born-again believer’s life.

Whenever I get in a conversation with someone about any topic, can be worldview, social, economic, my heart position is to bring it back to our position in Christ. Somehow that conversation is going to be led back to us being rooted and grounded in the Love of Christ. That is where peace is found. You cannot take away the joy of someone who has found peace. Go back to what Jesus proclaimed while reading Isaiah 61:1-3:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me
To bring good news to the humble and afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation] to the [physical and spiritual] captives
And freedom to prisoners,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance and retribution of our God,
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:
To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],
The oil of joy instead of mourning,
The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

We are no longer captives. They keys of our bondage was taken by Jesus (Revelations 1:18). Those chains are there until we remove them (Isaiah 52:2). You have been raised up with Christ (Colossians 3:1-4). We have been called something new. We are now righteous through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). I believe this last part is why the enemy fights us in all of it, “That He may be glorified.” Does it glorify God?

What does it mean to be a tree of righteousness? Trees produce. We also call it the fruit of the Spirit. What if we looked at our fruit as not us having good morals, but at us being obedient. What does this have to do with eternity? This tells the world who we belong to. God is gloried when we exhibit who He is. Everything about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is a direct reflection of who we are in Him. This is how He is gloried!

Now is eternal life. If we are in Christ, then we are in it. There is a coming back, but I do not need to fear it if I remain in Him. Getting ready because Jesus is coming should not bring us to more division, it should bring us to unity. Love God. Love People. If you do not know how to do that in Your life, ask the Holy Spirit. He will reveal it to you as you read your Bibles. Turn off the news and turn off your favorite preaching videos and get in the Bible for yourself. Read all of it. Read it to know who God is, with Christ as our example and the Holy Spirit as our Teacher. Are you secure in your eternity today? If not, here is a prayer for you:

Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I have sinned and strayed from Your will. I’ve lived selfishly, and for that, I am truly sorry. I repent and ask for Your forgiveness. I believe in Your sacrifice on the cross to save me, doing what I could never do for myself. I surrender my life to You now and ask for Your guidance. From this day on, help me to live each day in a way that honors You. I love You, Lord, and I am grateful for the promise of eternal life with You. Amen.

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What does it mean to live the good life?

Micah 6:8 (AMP) He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), and to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?

I was in prayer the other day and was praying for the prodigals. I came across a name and the Lord spoke to me about the deception of living the good life. I asked Him, ‘what does it mean to live the good life’, and He brought back to the story of the rich young ruler.

Mark 10:17-22 (AMP) As He was leaving on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher [You who are essentially good and morally perfect], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not testify falsely, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he replied to Him, “Teacher, I have [carefully] kept all these [commandments] since my youth.” Looking at him, Jesus felt a love (high regard, compassion) for him, and He said to him, “You lack one thing: go and sell all your property and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].”But the man was saddened at Jesus’ words, and he left grieving, because he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].

When possessions or the goal of getting have us, then God does not. This man was raised in church; all he knew was how to live right. Living right is not how we gain eternal life. Being good is not the key. What do you treasure more? What in your life makes you whole? Is it Jesus? Is it something else and then add Jesus? We can live the right life and still not be surrendered.

The prodigal son loved his father and knew the love of his father, yet he still left. Think about it, he lived in the father’s house. What were his words, “give me.” His father gave him what he asked and then left; the son wasted it. He had to force himself on someone for a job, a job where the pigs ate better than him. Then he came back to his senses and realized that his father’s servants were taken better care of than how he was living at that moment. He went back willing to live as a servant, but his father restored him as son. You can read the entire account in Luke 15.

I have been reading a book by John Bevere called A Heart Ablaze: Igniting a Passion for God. In this book John points out that when talking to Moses about entering the promised land that Moses did not confer with the Israelites on a certain matter.

Exodus 23:20 (AMP) Behold, I am going to send an Angel before you to keep and guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 

Exodus 33:2-3 (AMP)  I will send an Angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Go up to a land [of abundance] flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are a stiff-necked (stubborn, rebellious) people, and I might destroy you on the way.”

Exodus 33:12-15 (AMP)  Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways so that I may know You [becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, recognizing and understanding Your ways more clearly] and that I may find grace and favor in Your sight. And consider also, that this nation is Your people.” And the Lord said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest [by bringing you and the people into the promised land].” And Moses said to Him, “If Your presence does not go [with me], do not lead us up from here.

What is most important? Was it the Promised Land or His Presence? The people of Israel were willing to accept the Promised Land without His Presence. They grieved their wrongdoing, but did it change their heart? Moses came out of Egypt too. He was a prince; he had a better life than all of them. He would not trade that life for the life without His Presence. How many of our churches are happy with going about their “Christian” life without the presence of God? It is our hearts He wants, not just our belief. He is such a good God, He would never leave us nor forsake Him. Why can we not do the same to Him? The same reason the Israelites could not, they lacked the Holy reverence. Reverence means that I am no longer in charge. A surrendered life. Jesus lived that. He called us to it as well. We forget that part or we use the word “grace” to get out of it. How foolish (read the account of the virgins in Matthew 25:1-13). I want everything God has for me, and it is not about the natural stuff. I want all the promises of His Presence. That comes with peace, joy, hope and the fullness of His love. That to me is living the good life.

Adonai, Father, Lord over all, You are Mighty and Worthy of all our honor and praise. You Name is Holy. Thank You for Your Son, our Redeemer. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, our Teacher. Thank You for Your Word, a Light that fuels the flame back to You. Take all that we have and make it Yours. We repent for just wanting what You can give us without desiring more of You in our lives. Our hearts stand in awe of You. We desire Your face, not just Your hands. You will fulfill Your purpose in our lives. We stand with arms wide open, asking for more of You in our lives. We choose a surrendered life. We choose a life of forgiveness. We choose to speak of Your Grace, Your Love and Your Mercy. We are no longer holding back from You what truly belongs to You. We give of ourselves freely. Holding nothing back. We surrender. We choose love today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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I do not have to live like this

Galatians 2:20 (AMP) I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Currently I am going through a line-by-line study of the book of Galatians. If you use the YouVersion App there are so many tools available to help with your study. When reading in the New King James Version it gave me a list of accompanying verses to look up. I was amazed at how many times Paul wrote about us being crucified with Christ.

Romans 6:6 (AMP) We know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.

Romans 6:8-11 (AMP) Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live [together] with Him, because we know [the self-evident truth] that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin [ending its power and paying the sinner’s debt] once and for all; and the life that He lives, He lives to [glorify] God [in unbroken fellowship with Him]. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin [and your relationship to it broken], but alive to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-6 (AMP)  But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment). And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus

Colossians 3:1-4 (AMP) Therefore if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Ephesians 5:2 (AMP) and walk continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others], just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.

We no longer have to go through the motions of life. What I keep my mind focused on will determine how I feel that day. I choose to focus on the good, not saying there are not problems and trials that will come, but I choose to focus on the good. When we look ahead and think of all the things that can go wrong, what are we putting our trust in? I love reading verses like this. I am no longer a dead being walking this earth (my spirit man is alive). I do not have to go through the endless cycles that lead to being unfulfilled any longer. I am not waiting for something to happen for my happiness. I have everything I could every want now because of Christ.

I do not have to live any certain way anymore. The old way of fulfillment has been done away with. I am secure in Christ. Being crucified with Christ means that I get to walk in freedom. Condemnation comes because our flesh is wanting to defend itself. Conviction comes because the Holy Spirit is alive and is changing me from within. I have died with Christ so that my flesh can no longer rule. I do not have to live in fight mode any longer. I do not have to live in defense mode with those that I am supposed to do life with. I can live in peace and joy. I can have stability in my life. I can live a life of surrender, because that is how Christ lived.

John 14:20 (AMP) On that day [when that time comes] you will know for yourselves that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.

Christ in me. The Passion translation has Galatians 2:20 as this, “My old identity has been crucified with Christ and no longer lives. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives His life through me – we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that He gave Himself for me, dispensing HIs life into mine!” I am not trying to live anymore for myself. I am living this life in Him. I had asked God ‘how can we live our lives worthy of this calling?’ He gave me Ephesians 4:2-3, “with all humility [forsaking self-righteousness], and gentleness [maintaining self-control], with patience, bearing with one another in [unselfish] love. Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful].” The possibility of all of this is because we have died with Christ. If we try to do this in our own selves, we will fail time and again and live lives frustrated and unfulfilled. We do not have to live that way.

Father, Adonai, Jehovah, You are so Marvelous and Wonderful. You are Holy and full of Majesty. Thank You for Your Son, we have died with Him so that we may live with Him as well. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, Your voice, our Teacher and Comforter. Thank You for Your Word. We choose to eat of it daily so that we are empowered to fight for the battles of our mind. We repent for living lives with emptiness and looking for other ways to fill our every need. We are choosing to see our identity in Christ and the fullness that He brings. We are choosing to not take on the dead things any longer. We can choose to think differently of others and our situations. You want us full of joy, so we choose joy today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Love is a Weapon

Isaiah 52:2 (AMP) Shake yourself from the dust, arise, O captive Jerusalem; Rid yourself of the chains around your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.

A little over six year ago I really dug deep into the Word. I had read it here and there. I had devotions, but I had not really just sat and read the Word on a daily basis. What changed? I was going through a rough time of rejection and humiliation. That song Surrounded, This is How I Fight My Battles really was my anthem. It was not a pity party song. It was a song of surrender. We hear about the love of God. We know the scripture of how God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, so anyone who believes will be saved and have eternal life (John 3:16). There was a dept of that love that I did not know yet, and I am sure some of you have been there or are still searching for that fullness.

In the summer of 1998, a short time after my husband proposed to me, we went to California to attend a Camp Meeting (weeklong revival) that his parents were ministering in. My husband came back changed. He was completely sold out to Jesus and had quit drugs cold. I had never known him like that in our two and half years of dating. He was a different person, yet he still loved me. I was sitting in a service listening to his testimony, really uncertain of how I now fit into this new life of his. God spoke to me in that moment, he told me that the pedestal that I had John on was not for him, that He belonged there. That if I would surrender what I thought love was, He would show me a love that would never leave me empty. I gave my life to Christ that night.

However, I did not know the fullness of that love until I surrendered the broken pieces of myself. Even the stubborn pieces.

Ephesians 4:21-24 (MEV) if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off the former way of life in the old nature, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that you put on the new nature, which was created according to God in righteousness and true holiness.

I have been given everything to live a dynamic spiritual life in Christ (1 Peter 1:3), I have to put it on. What was I lacking? The Fullness of His Love. The love we are so familiar with is transactional. That is how I knew it. When you are pleasing and do what is right then you are rewarded with affection. If you do not do right, then you are punished with silence. In transactional relationships love is used as a weapon, but the wrong kind of weapon. It is meant to harm in all the ways that it is meant to empower you and make you strong. This kind of love is warped and is the cause of many of the emotional battles we are facing. The love we knew did hold onto hurts, was jealous and envious. It rejoiced when we failed with “I told you so’s”. It never believed we would succeed. It could not be our cheer leader. It would not bear with us. It would never admit they were wrong. They never asked for forgiveness.

You do not have to live with that definition of love. You can let that go. I did that when I finally surrendered everything and just sought God on His Word. Here is the scripture that I started to hold onto:

Ephesians 3:16-19 (AMP) May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

This is the love that I longed for. This is the love that is available to all of us. This is the love that we put on with the garment of love (Colossian 3:14). What happened when I started reading the Bible and searching for God? He revealed Himself is such a deep way. I started to take hold of this truth and make it my own. I was able to start defining myself in this truth. The fullness of God was a practical reality to me. It was not just some abstract quoting of scripture anymore. The fullness of God and dwelling in Christ made me complete in Him. I was made whole through the grace of Christ. This was a process that I had to go through and am still going through day by day (2 Corinthians 3:18), but I will forever be changed by His love.

Ephesians 3:19 (TPT) How enduring and inclusive is it! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding – this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!

Abba, Father, our Banner, You are Holy and Marvelous. You are the Creator and Sustainer of all life. Thank You for sending Your Son, who became the fullness of all You are in bodily form, through Him we are made whole. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Through Him we are able to know the fullness of who You are. Through Him we are empowered to grasp Your love in all of its entirety. We repent for allowing the spirit of fear to warp how love is defined. Your love is not conditional and not transactional; we are sorry for belittling the power of Your love. Thank You for the ability to grow in our understanding of this love, through our continual surrender we will meditate on what it means to be fully loved by You through Christ. We desire for all people to have the power to comprehend the largeness of Christ’s love, which without the Holy Spirit is beyond comprehension. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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First Quarter of 2025 Reads

Psalms 119:130 (AMP) The unfolding of Your [glorious] words give light; their unfolding gives understanding to the simple (childlike).

The year of 2025 has been a great start for reading. I may have missed only a few days, but no more than one day at a time. Along with these 16 books, I have committed to reading the Bible from cover to cover this year. I have read Genesis through Nehemiah and have gleaned something with each read. Someone asked me “when did the Word become alive to you? When did God start speaking to you through His Word?” It was when I stopped defending who Amanda was and started to surrender to who He wanted me to be. It was when I just gave up myself and surrendered to Him. So here are my books so far this year and a little about why I chose them:

  • The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller
  • Humility: The Joy of Self-Forgetfulness by Gavin Ortlund
  • Changing the Seem and Shaping the Unseen by Charles Capps
  • Ask Big by Terri Savelle Foy
  • Power Words by Joyce Meyer
  • Life Without Strife by Joyce Meyer
  • Restless by Jennie Allen
  • If Not for the Grace of God by Joyce Meyer
  • Built by the Spirit by Jack Hayford
  • For Better or For Best by Gary Smalley
  • The Names of God by Marilyn Hickey
  • Fruit of the Spirit by Greg Zoschak
  • Intercessors Arise: Personal Prayer That Changes the World by Debbie Przybylski
  • The Beloved Disciple by Beth Moore
  • Walking in the Spirit by A.B. Simpson
  • What About Me? by Joyce Meyer

First of my reads were What About Me? by Joyce Meyer, Humility: the Joy of Self-Forgetfulness by Gavin Ortlund and The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller. These are all books about dying to yourself. “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me] (Luke 9:23 AMP).” There is so much joy that comes into your life when you live a surrendered life. Pride is a killer of joy, and we combat that with learning what real humility is. Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. I have read the humility books by Timothy Keller and Gavin Ortlund three times now. Why do I read books like these? The enemy wants us to be obsessed with ourselves. You may think that is how you grow in your abilities and your giftings. Actually, the opposite with happen because we will look to ourselves as our strength. Let go of who you think you are. Ortlund stated, “Humility means you don’t interpret everything in relation to yourself, and you don’t need to.” Keller wrote, “a person who keeps saying they are a nobody is actually a self-obsessed person. The thing we would remember from meeting a truly gospel-humble person is how much they seemed to be totally interested in us.” Joyce Meyer wrote, “Self-preservation is a strong trait in all of us, and letting go of making sure we are taken care of and trusting ourselves to God cannot be done without much prayer and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.”

I read Fruit of the Spirit by Greg Zoschak and Walking in the Spirit by A.B. Simpson at the same time. (You will often find me reading multiple books at one time, at the moment I am reading three). “If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit] (Galatians 5:25 AMP).” My life should be changed. One thing I have learned is that you can either care or not care about your growth in Christ. A. B Simpson stated, “When the heart is fully surrendered to Him, He becomes its personal, permanent, indwelling Guest; bringing Him the manifested presence of the Father and the Son, leading into all truth, guiding in all the will of God, supplying all the needed grace, unfolding the life of Jesus Christ in the believer’s daily life, and developing all the fruits of the Spirit in their full variety and complete maturity.” Simpson talks about really discerning the voice of God and growing in maturity. He talks about pride and offense being a choice and that God looks at our heart behind our words. Zoschak’s book talks about the Fruit of the Spirit being a way others can tell we have been transformed by Christ. “Being led of God’s Spirit (His nature) implies not only being obedient to the voice of the Spirit, but also developing the character of God.” We must develop the awareness of God’s love for the fruits to grow in our lives. Self-preservation is the enemy to our growth. He wrote, “The reason Jesus was able to hear the Father’s voice so clearly was because He was faithful.” God speaks clearly to us when we are obedient to His Word. Confusion is not a fruit of the spirit, and neither is stress or strife. If those are in your life, get back to your position of love.

Intercessors Arise by Debbie Przbylski and Names of God by Marilyn Hickey were two more books that I read together. Our prayer lives should not be passive as believer’s. Prayer is another way when learn the heart of God. We often think prayer has to do with us speaking, it has more to do whether we listen to Him or not. The Word of God is vital to a vibrant prayer life. “With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people (Ephesians 6:18 AMP).” Intercession is one part of our prayer lives and is often neglected or seen as just for those called to prayer. There are some that love it more than others, but that is only because they have cultivated it in their lives. I was one of those who did not enjoy corporate prayer, mostly because when I joined the group it was hard to concentrate because of all the noise in the room. That is when I had to learn who the most important voice was in the room. It is His. Debbie wrote, “How can we grow in godly character? How can the words we say and the way we live demonstrate holiness and humility? How does our character affect the way we pray? When we discover the beauty of humility and brokenness and learn how our tongue can bring grave into the lives of others, we also discover joy in the secret place that breaks through into fruitful and effective prayer.” She takes you on a journey of her learning about growing strong through intercession as she was a young missionary with Operation Mobilization, a mission ship Doulos, ministering to sixty countries. Marilyn Hickey is another champion of the faith and this book, Names of God, was one of my required readings back in seminary. I recently loaned it out in church and when I got it back decided to read it again. I believe God is everything we ever will need; it is up to us to hunger for Him. In the chapter titled Jehovah Rophe she stated, “God’s Word is like medicine. When you take the Word, you are taking in health. That is why God told His people to harken to His Word. God wants His people to be full of His own life. You may believe in healing, and that’s great, but there is more to it. You must receive healing. And you will receive it only by reading and meditating on God’s Word. You must continuously feed upon His Word of life, health and healing.” Books that point back to the importance of getting in His Word for ourselves are my favorite. We should not depend on another man’s revelation.

In 2025 I decided to make this the year of “Here I Am.” A statement of surrender. A statement of what You say goes. A statement to state that I will go where He says go. In doing so, as I read this year it is coming up more and more that He desires us to seek Him as our vital necessity. Nothing else. I have a shirt that says, “I love Jesus and Naps.” Another says, “I love Jesus and Chocolate.” I need one that says, “Jesus is Everything.” Nothing to add, I do not need anything else.

I urge you to read more. Get in the Word for yourself. He is still speaking today, are you listening?

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When fear comes knocking

Psalms 16:5 (AMP) The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, my cup [He is all I need]; You support my lot.

What happens when we are not certain of the future? I am not immune to the goings on in the world, even though I do not turn on the news (it’s mostly negative). I talk to people, not to take on their burdens, but to listen to how it is affecting them.

Galatians 6:2 (AMP) Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love].

There is a right way and a wrong way to take on burdens. We could take on and we become anxious, fearful and even full of rage, that is the wrong way. The right way is to bring peace by aligning our thoughts and our words with Christ.

Matthew 11:28-30 (AMP)  “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”

What happens when fear creeps in because of what you are hearing? I need to know Who’s I am. I need to be rooted and grounded in the Truth.

About six and half years ago I was thrown into uncertainty. I lost my job without notice and without any prospects of another. There was a significant decrease in our income. I did start to drive for Uber during college gameday weekends. One thing we did not stop doing is giving our tithe. I could not see dishonoring God just because of the lot that I was currently in. The amazing thing was, I really did not need to be working in the traditional sense. I was needed elsewhere and just could not see it at the moment. If I had been where I was before, there would not have been anyone available to prepare for the transition our church was in. I would not have been able to meet with the wonderful people that I met during that time. The relationships I was able to develop helped us get to where we are now.

My husband and I went through a situation just recently where our friend pulled out of the business that we were in together. They did not quit; they just moved their business to do it on their own. Our expenses doubled without notice. Do you know what we did not do? Get mad and start slandering our friend. We could have questioned their intent. What looked like calamity in the moment could have caused us to get angry or even bitter. We kept our mouths off and still blessed our friend during the transition. We put them first. Why? We believed God already knew, really does anything surprise Him in what we do. Now on the other side, God knew we would be better than okay.

Psalms 23 (AMP) The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],
I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

Keep your mouth off of man. When we question the intent of whether people are for us, then we have stepped into the role of judge. We judge fruit, not intentions. We give too much power to the enemy when we always talk about the ways he is against us. He has no authority, unless you give it to him. What about governing officials? God never gives us allowance to dishonor them either. We are to pray for them. The Lord already knows. Who is your faith in? The moment that you have allowed it to rob your joy, is the moment that you have given in.

What happens with fear comes knocking? I think about James 1:2-4, “Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.” Practice one of my breath prayers, “I count it all joy.” I put my focus back on my Father. What if what looks like calamity actually brings you closer to the Father? What if it sparks a revival? That is exactly what happened with me six and half years ago.

My prayer for you today is taken from Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always].” Let us continue to be thankful. We repent for our negative thinking and choose to count it all joy. Our trust in You. We choose love today. We choose peace today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Waste of 30 minutes?

Psalms 90:12 (AMP) So teach us to number our days, that we may cultivate and bring You a heart of wisdom.

Monday I spent a little too long at the house before heading to the gym. Usually that was not such a big deal but I have been wanting to catch Aldi when it opened to see if there were any half priced meat. I also had to fill up on gas before going anywhere because the tank was just about empty. So there I am contemplating on what to do. I could walk the track for thirty minutes to say I showed up. Then I had another thought, what could I do in the thirty minutes that would give my body the most impact? I started with a pre-workout drink, then I hit the weight room. I lifted weights that would target the zones that I decided to focus on (chest and triceps). I decided to finish it off on the track, but I was not going to just walk it this time. A girl my age and size we have to be cautious of injury, but that should not keep us from getting better. I jogged some of the track and gave it my all. In the thirty minutes I was at the gym that morning, I did not just show up, I was intentional with my time.

God planted a word within me at that moment. What if the body of Christ was intentional when they sought me in my Word? So many just read to check it off their daily to do list or to get their streaks (if you have YouVersion). I have been listening to Hearing God by John Bevere and the MessengerX team. Two scriptures came back to my remembrance. The first is found in Hebrews.

Hebrews 11:6 (AMP) But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.

He rewards those who earnestly and diligently seek Him. What is the point in our quiet time with God? What is the end result of our time in reading His Word? What is the motive in our prayer lives? We should be seeking Him. Not just seeking Him for our needs or for answers. We should be seeking to behold Him. God is omnipresent, but He also desires to be more than that in our lives. The second comes from Romans and this in from the Message Bible.

Romans 13:11-14 (MSG) But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

We can squander our time. You may say that you do not have time to read the word for thirty minutes. How much time do we have to scroll on our phones or other devices to look at videos? It is ridiculous how many notifications my phone will give just so that I pick it up and look at it. I have to be intentional during my time with God that I put it away from me. Can you encourage your spouse to take time? That is something my husband and I do for each other. If we see that each other is studying the Word, but we want to talk about something, we will wait. We will take care of something for each other so that there are no distractions. When I am off focus, I stop, pray, and begin again. How long would you go without food for your belly? That is what it should feel like when we miss time in His Word.

James 4:8 (NKJV) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. I have to draw first. As believers we do the chasing. Again, it is not to get something from God. Do not be double minded in this relationship. If our motive is to seek Him to get Him to move in our lives then we will be disappointed when things do not happen like we think they should. When we dive into His Word, when we start to imitate Him, the desires of our heart starts to change. You will begin to know a deeper level of love like never before. Joy will not be something you cannot wait for, you will be clothed in it. Peace will abound in your life, especially in the times of struggle. Your attitude with start to change. Thankfulness will be just dripping from your lips.

After my workout on Monday, I felt the effects of it as I was leaving the gym. I lasted until the next day when I went again. For transformation to happen, I have to be consistent with anything. Just like I make it a choice to go to the gym every morning. I make it a choice to spend time in His Word daily. I make it a choice to know the person of the Holy Spirit. The joy of reading His Word is what I look forward to. The time in my daily studies is far better than the effects of my daily workouts at the gym. Both are necessary. One is better.

Lord God, our Jehovah, our Banner, You are more precious than all the riches of the world. You are Holy. You are Mighty. Thank You for Your Son, the Redeemer. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, He is our Teacher and Friend. Thank You for Your Word. We repent for the times we have squandered away moments that we could have in seeking after You. Your heart and face are what we long for. Holy Spirit, help us to be mindful of Your need for us. Your Word says that if we draw near to You, then You will draw near to us. We want Your kingdom expansion in the hearts of others, so that means we need to be prepared to share our faith with others. How can we do that if we do not know You? We choose to know You more. Thank You for leading us out of temptations of making this life about just our needs. We surrender daily to You. Thank You for knowing what we need and filling us to the full. Your desire if for us to be complete in Your joy. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose love today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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No matter what, rejoice!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (AMP)  Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

I have chosen to read a letter of Paul’s over and over each week. The first one was the letter to the Philippians. A reminder to be joyful at all times. The second week was the letter to the Colossians. A reminder to focus on Jesus no matter what. This week I am in 1 Thessalonians. A letter to a group that would have every excuse to run, but are encouraged to stand firm. He ends the first letter with the encouragement to rejoice and remain thankful to our God. No matter what is going on, can you still thank God?

What do you do when things do not looks so good? As a pastor, when attendance is at an all time low? How about when half the church just stops giving, and/or given up on the tithe? We do not receive a salary, so it is not like any of that matters as to why we are showing up and serving every week. Are we still proclaiming the Gospel? Can they find Jesus in every message? Are we growing in our spiritual maturity as a body? Those are the questions that I choose to focus on.

Philippians 4:4 (AMP) Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice!

Ephesians 6:18 (AMP) With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.

Galatians 6:9-10 (AMP) Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in. So then, while we [as individual believers] have the opportunity, let us do good to all people [not only being helpful, but also doing that which promotes their spiritual well-being], and especially [be a blessing] to those of the household of faith (born-again believers).

Here is what I am choosing to do, I am not going to quit and I am not going to run. I am persevering, because there is an enemy out there looking for those he can devour. I am battling this spirit of oppression that has infiltrated the body of Christ and I am calling them back to the joy of the Lord. The enemy has lied to them long enough. Joy is their’s. It is a promise of His great love. The devil wants us to quit on the precepts of God. He wants us to believe that God picks and chooses who He will bless. So many have lost heart and are just going through the motions. That is not how we should be living. What can shake the body of Christ from this bondage of lethargy and apathy?

Ephesians 3: 16-19 (AMP) May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

I want you to know the fullness of God. I want you to know that He sees every struggle. Is Jesus more than enough? That is the biggest question we should ask ourselves. If so, rejoice! I pray you are filled with the love of Christ, that you can rejoice again. In Him is fullness of joy! Even if it is a sacrifice right now, especially if it is a sacrifice right now. Do you want your freedom? Go get it! Jesus has already paid the price for it, now receive it with your whole heart.

Hebrews 13:15 (AMP) Through Him, therefore, let us at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

Abba, our Father, our Creator, we are so thankful for being the God who covers us with a Banner of Love. Thank You for sending Your Son, so that we know the fullness of Your love. Thank You for sending us the Holy Spirit, so that we may be filled at all times. Thank You for the revelation of You through the written Word, as inspired by the Holy Spirit. We repent for becoming lethargic, for the apathy of our hearts, and for going back into slumber when you have called us into Your glorious Light. We surrender our hearts, minds, will and emotions to You. We desire to do all that you have commanded with joy. First, to love You will all of our hearts, with all of our soul and with all of our mind. Second, we will love our neighbor as we love ourselves, in the fullness of love that we received through Your Son. We choose to forgive what we beliefs, unwarranted expectations, on thoughts of how You should treat us. You have never mistreated us and we are repent for ever feeling this way. We are rejoicing in Your mercy and lovingkindness. We are choosing love today. We are choosing hope today. We are choosing joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Jesus help me find it

Philippians 1:21 (AMP)  For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity].

What are we living for? Paul had his answer. He wrote about it over and over again. Many times we like to quote the old prophets (the laments of Jeremiah and Elijah). I like Paul. He had the answer, “to live is Christ.” Who are we lining up our thoughts with, the before Christ people, or the life with Christ people? Paul talks a lot of the joy of Christ, while he was in prison. Have you lost your joy? Well Jesus will help you find it.

I have decided, that for the rest of the month of October, that I am going to read all four chapters of Philippians daily. I have posted on my personal page about it, and have invited others to join me. Why Philippians? I see the lack of joy in your eyes. I see the lack of care, an apathy, for the body of Christ. You have been satisfied with the salvation message, but have not received the fullness of who Christ is. It is time to live in Christ. Philippians shows us how to do that.

What are we focusing on? Is it the economy? Is it the raise in our utility bills? Could your marriage be in trouble? How about wanting to buy a house, but you think you are stuck renting? May I ask you, who is Christ in your life right now? With Christ in our lives, those problems become less worrisome. The solution to the problem has been here all along. Actually, I have found that the solution showed itself before I knew there would be an issue. Christ is my source.

Philippians 4:11-12 (AMP) Not that I speak from [any personal] need, for I have learned to be content [and self-sufficient through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy] regardless of my circumstances. I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need.

What is the secret of facing life? It sounds like Paul has not a care in the world. He sounds pretty secure. It sounds like something we could all use some of. Verse 13 is often misquoted. Put into context Paul is not talking about an independent life. I believe you cannot have verse 13 without verse 14: “I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.] Nevertheless, it was right of you to share [with me] in my difficulties.“

I am fully sufficient because of Christ. However, it is not just me and Jesus out here. He planted me in a body of believers (Ephesians 2:19-22). Paul is writing to a group of people and saying that he has great joy this life with Christ, and Christ added to that joy with the people that joined him in spreading the gospel.

All my prices have gone up too. I even have the expense of a high-schooler playing two sports, in a 7A school. There is something I cannot give up on, and that is who Christ is. I have to choose to live in Christ daily. I have to choose to love His body daily. When I start loving myself above everything else, even Christ, then I lose my joy. The fruits of the Spirit grow in us more when we understand the position of love that Christ has for us. That is why Paul says, “to live is Christ.”

I am going to take the first few verses of Philippians 1 and pray this over you today:

Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in every remembrance of you, always offering every prayer of mine with joy [and with specific requests] for all of you, [thanking God] for your participation and partnership [both your comforting fellowship and gracious contributions] in [advancing] the good news [regarding salvation] from the first day [you heard it] until now. I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]. It is right for me to feel this way about you, because [you have me in your heart as] I have you in my heart…. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus [whose great love fills me]. And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight, so that you may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent [identifying the best, and distinguishing moral differences], and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin]; filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God [so that His glory may be both revealed and recognized].

Has joy been missing from your life? Make Christ your life and He will help you find it.