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Garment of Love

2 Peter 1:3 (AMP) For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

Last week I celebrated my forty fifth birthday. This week I am celebrating twenty-five years of marriage with my husband. In all my years of life I have never felt more loved. It was not because of those that told me happy birthday and celebrated me. It is not because my husband spoils me with extravagant gifts. It is the security of who I am in Christ. It has been a journey to get here. I have more growing to do but I have a new outlook on what it means to grow glory to glory.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMP) And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

In the garden, at the beginning, Adam and Eve were clothed with the glory of God. It was when the glory was gone that they realized they were naked. Did He remove His glory? No, they took it off. My husband and I have been talking about the garment of love for some months now. Our base scripture came from Colossians 3:12-14. In the Message translation it says, “And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.” What garment were they wearing, the Love garment. What happened when they took it off? They were clothed with pride and fear and shame came in; they hid. God asked them, who told you that you were naked? Pride did.

Pride tells us that we are too broken. Pride tells us that we should isolate ourselves. Pride tells us they we are protecting ourselves with the criticism before they judge us. Pride tells us we to defend how we are. Pride tells us that others just have to accept this is how I am. Love does not need to defend. Love does not take an account of wrongs. Love always expects the best of others. Love does not get jealous because someone else is getting attention. Love celebrates other’s successes. Love lays down their life for a friend.

1 John 4:8 (AMP) The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.]

When Moses asked to see the glory of God, God responded that all of His goodness would pass before Him (Exodus 33:18-20). All of His lovingkindness would pass before Him. In the book of Psalms David writes, “Your lovingkindness endures forever,” over and over again (26 times just in Psalms 136). It was the reminder he put before himself and meditated on when he was in the good times and the bad. God is love. The garment of Love what he has laid out for me, so I need to put it on. My dynamic fulfilling life is all because of His great love. Otherwise, the garment of pride would be inviting, and self-pity, fear, shame and guilt will start to be my armor instead of the armor of God. His armor has all of His strength backing it. He is strong so that I can be strong. Stand fully clothed! Be rooted and grounded in His love, immoveable and powerful. Put on the garment of Love.

Father, Adonai, our Banner, You are so Wonderful and Marvelous. Thank You for Your Son, You Loved us so much that You sent Your only Son to die for us. Thank You for the resurrection power that raised Him from the dead for dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has because our dearest friend. He reveals the Love of Your Son and You to us daily. Thank You that Your lovingkindness and mercy are new every morning. It is like You have set out fresh clothes for us to wear every day. We repent for choosing other garments to wear that have brought shame and fear into our lives. This is not what You wanted for us. You desire the best for us. You desire for us to live in the fullness of who You are. When we stand fully loved, Your glory cannot help but to be shown everywhere we go. We choose to forgive ourselves and others today. We choose love today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Mind on the Cross

Psalms 22:1 (NKJV) My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?

We are in what we like to call Holy Week. It is the week from which Jesus entered the city on a colt and ending with Him on the cross, but we all know that was not the end. During this week, Jesus would have fulfilled nearly thirty prophecies from the Old Testament. He fulfilled nearly twenty on just the day of His crucifixion. Over three hundred during His earthly ministry.

I am drawn to His final words on the cross. For as long as I can remember, I have been thinking that He was in anguish, and physically He was. How was His mind? I have just completed Job this week and starting to read in Psalms. I have a love hate relationship with Psalms. I had never been big into listening to other people whine. As I have grown in Christ and in His love, my compassion has grown. However, I do tend to stay away from negative people. Negativity can be contagious. I have my moments of complaining like others, but I am quicker to correct it than before.

There are two quotes from Psalms that Jesus spoke on the cross. One is above, and the other is from Psalms 31:5, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” One to some may be of anguish, the other of peace. What if He was always at peace? Even in His physical anguish, He was at peace. We have heard the adage, “while He was on the cross, you were on His mind.” Christ was not double minded.

James 1:8 (AMP)  being a double-minded man, unstable and restless in all his ways [in everything he thinks, feels, or decides].

What if when Jesus quoted from Psalm 22, He was pointing to scripture for hope to His followers? Jesus often taught from Psalms, He quoted scripture all the time. So why this Psalm? Check out the last few verses:

Psalms 22:25-31 (AMP) My praise will be of You in the great assembly. I will pay my vows [made in the time of trouble] before those who [reverently] fear Him. The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; Those who [diligently] seek Him and require Him [as their greatest need] will praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down and worship before You, for the kingship and the kingdom are the Lord’s and He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust (the dead) will bow before Him, even he who cannot keep his soul alive. Posterity will serve Him; They will tell of the Lord to the next generation. They will come and declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born—that He has done it [and that it is finished].

What we center our minds on will be the direction our lives go. I could go one of two ways while reading Psalms. I can allow my pity and anguish to overtake me, or I can read it in its entirety and get the heart of what the writers were saying. Our hope and our fullness is in our God. Who is my greatest need? Is it my husband? Is it my kids? Is it that I have friends? Is it that I have money? My greatest need is my Lord.

When Jesus had us on His mind, He did not give Himself an opportunity to focus on Himself. Christ was the perfect example of humility. He literally died to self that day, the agony of it all was worth it for us. For the glory of the Father. They will tell of the Lord to the next generation. They will come and declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born (that was you and me), that He has done it and that it is finished.

So now when I read that part of scripture in Mattew 27:46, “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud [agonized] voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” What He was going through physically was not what He was allowing Himself to feel mentally. He won the battle that day and let the enemy know it. He was not double minded. He was firm and secure. He was seeing it to completion.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (MSG) And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. That is what Jesus wielded that day on the cross. That is why we are to bind it on our minds. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith and salvation are our weapons. They were the same weapons Jesus used on the cross. God is strong, and He wants you strong. Reflect on the hope of it all this week. Jesus in our King and our Conqueror!

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Lips filled with praise

Mark 14:26 (AMP) After they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

How big is your praise? This is a lesson that Jesus wanted us to learn. He knew exactly what was going on, yet He sang a song of praise and honor to God. What did they sing that night? It was a group of Psalms knows as “the Hallel,” Psalms 113-118. Jesus actually quoted from Psalm 118 earlier in the week, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone (verse 22).”

I want to pay extra close attention to Psalm 118. This is the passage that I have encouraged others to read over and over again this week as we prepare our hearts for service this Sunday. I also encouraged them to read it in different translations to get the fullness of what it is saying. In the Amplified Bible it says that “His lovingkindness endures forever.” In the Modern English Version, “His mercy endures forever (similar to the KJV).” In the Message, “His love never quits.” In the English Standard Version, “His steadfast love endures forever.” This is a psalm of praise. How big was Jesus’ praise that night?

This is the night that He washed the disciples feet, that He ate the Passover meal with them, then He tells them about the sacraments of the bread and the wine. He sings a song, and then heads to the Mt. of Olives, where He then tells them that they are going to scatter once He is handed over for death. Yet, He takes time to praise. In the midst of the craziness of life, will you take time to praise?

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.

Use the words that I showed you from Psalms 118, “His love never quits” and “His love endures forever.” They are really easy to say and eventually will start to roll off our tongues when we commit to meditate on them throughout the day. Do you know how grounded Jesus was in the Father’s love? This is what He wants for you too.

Psalm 118:28-29 (AMP) You are my God, and I give thanks to You; [You are] my God, I extol You.
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness endures forever.

Our God is still good. Even in the moments right now, His lovingkindness endures. I have to remember that when Moses asked to see God’s glory, God responded in showing Moses His mercy and lovingkindness (Exodus 33:19). As I write these words my heart leaps with joy and my eyes fill with tears. The wonders of this everlasting love. How deep, wide and high is that love. This is the importance of praise, otherwise we try to look at God at our level and the reverence for Him slowly fades.

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. 

Psalms 63:3 (AMP) Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.

Praise should never depart from our lips. In this there is a need for our hearts to be in line with our lips. Do not just parrot these words and they have no meaning to you. He is not asking for lip service, as the nation of Israel did (Isaiah 29:13). Our reverence for Him does not need to become a tradition, completely empty of meaning. Glorify His name in your praise. A heart filled with reverence will have a mouth filled with praise.

Instead of writing out a prayer of my own words today, I want to lead you in taking a deeper look at Psalm 118. Sing it, pray it, meditate on it. Align your heart this week.

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness endures forever.
Oh let Israel say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
Oh let those who [reverently] fear the Lord, say,
“His lovingkindness endures forever.”
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
The Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can [mere] man do to me?
The Lord is on my side, He is among those who help me;
Therefore I will look [in triumph] on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in princes.
All nations encompassed me;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
They encompassed me, yes, they surrounded me [on every side];
In the name of the Lord I will cut them off.
They swarmed around me like bees;
They flare up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns;
In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off.
You [my enemy] pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the Lord helped me.
The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous:
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
I will not die, but live,
And declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord.
The Lord has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
Open to me the [temple] gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
The righteous will enter through it.
I will give thanks to You, for You have heard and answered me;
And You have become my salvation [my Rescuer, my Savior].
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the [a]chief corner stone.
This is from the Lord and is His doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
This [day in which God has saved me] is the day which the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
O Lord, save now, we beseech You;
O Lord, we beseech You, send now prosperity and give us success!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord;
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord [you who come into His sanctuary under His guardianship].
The Lord is God, and He has given us light [illuminating us with His grace and freedom and joy].
Bind the festival sacrifices with [b]cords to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
[You are] my God, I extol You.
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness endures forever. AMP
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All About You

Psalms 27:8 (AMP) When You said, “Seek My face [in prayer, require My presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I will seek [on the authority of Your word].”

We are officially in 2024. You may have written out your goals or made a resolutions to be a better version of yourself this year. I have seen this statement over and over “A Better Me.” Do you remember when were in grade school and the first week of school we had to do a project called “All About Me?” I do and it still goes on today. It is something that we have done because it is our nature to be self centered and self focused. There is nothing wrong with making goals. There is nothing wrong with wanting to better yourself. My question though is for what reason?

Isaiah 12:5 (AMP) Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done excellent and glorious things; let this be known throughout the earth.

I love reading. I do it to gain knowledge, but also because the written word puts pictures in my head. When I read the account of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, David’s first attempt was failure. Those who he had chosen to help him did not understand the reverence that needed to be held for such a piece. David was grieved that he could place people in a path of destruction by doing something so noble. Was this something that God wanted him to do? If so, how? The second attempt he, and the camp were successful (see 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13:1-16:43). In 1 Chronicles 16 we see a psalm commissioned by King David of which is also recorded in Psalms 105:

Psalms 105: 1-4 (AMP) O give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonderful acts and devoutly praise them. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek and require the Lord [as their most essential need] rejoice. Seek and deeply long for the Lord and His strength [His power, His might]; seek and deeply long for His face and His presence continually.

As soon as the Ark is brought in, he has commissioned the task for them to sing a song of thanksgiving. Who received the glory? God did. It is His grace that allows us to do anything whether it is in the marketplace, in our homes or within the church.

Ephesians 2:8 (AMP) For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God

The word for grace in greek is ‘charis’, it is the word that we get charisma from. We often translate it as God’s undeserved favor. What if we looked at it as God’s empowerment? When I say I have been graced for something, I am saying that God has empowered me for this. When Jesus ascended He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us. We now have the charisma of God on this earth moving in and through us. This is a gift. What we do with this gift can either be used to glorify Him or it can be abused.

Philippians 2:3-11 (AMP) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility], who, although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes—the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it]; but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man]. After He was found in [terms of His] outward appearance as a man [for a divinely-appointed time], He humbled Himself [still further] by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.

In the fall of 2018 my ego and spirit had been wounded. I could have retreated and pulled back from everything. I did run into the hiding place of God. That did not mean that I hid from people. Remember, it is through Him that we are empowered. When I shrink back, I am giving power to whatever hurt me. We have instinctively told people that this is okay because it is a natural reaction. 2 Samuel 6:6-7 (AMP) “When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out [with his hand] to the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen [stumbled and] nearly overturned it. And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God.” It was a noble thing that Uzzah reached out to catch the Ark when it looked like it would fall, but that is not what pleased God. I think when we withdraw and focus on self we are doing the same thing. It may seem noble to encourage this, but ultimately we become so self-focused that we lose sight on what we were graced for. The ministry of reconciliation, that we are called to, get put on the back of our minds. We have been graced for this. The charisma to carry out our calling has been gifted to us. Desiring for More was birthed out of that time. My desire to see spiritual growth in others was birthed out of that.

In a world that tells us to make it all about us, we should be conforming to the model of Christ. He wanted His Father to get the glory, so He served. Christ did not want to make a name for Himself, in doing so God made His Name above every Name. What was the heart motive of Christ? It was for you and me. Seek first His Kingdom and all things will be taken care of (Matthew 6:33). If you want to better yourself, spend more time in His Presence. Get to know the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Jesus. Jesus became a man so that He could show us the way to the Father. He did that through selfless humility. He went to the cross.

Abba, Father, You are so Marvelous. We stand in Awe of Your Majesty. You are our Creator and our Banner. Thank You for sending Your Son to bring us back to right standing with You. Thank You for gifting us with the Holy Spirit. We have now been given the grace and power to walk into everything that You have for us. You have gifted us with Comfort, with Peace, with Joy and with Wholeness to just name a few. In our desire to grab a hold of these, we have omitted that we still need You. They are free gifts, but it is You who shows us how to operate in them. We repent for the times we did not walk in Your grace and made it all about us. You have told us not to conform to the world and yet we did. Forgive us as we turn back to You and pull from our place of Redemption. We want to glorify Your Name. We want Your Name to be high and lifted up. We want to speak of Your good works. We choose joy today. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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It’s hard right now

Proverbs 11:25 (AMP) The generous man [is a source of blessing and] shall be prosperous and enriched, and he who waters will himself be watered [reaping the generosity he has sown].

Proverbs 11: 25 (ASV) Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

Who feels like they are on hard times right now? You may not be financially or physically going through something, but mentally you have been. It is a fight to just stay positive. It is a fight just to be around people. It is a fight just to want to go to church. I believe that is the state of the body of Christ right now. They are just exhausted from the fight. Why? They do not see hope in the promise.

The enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). There is an “I AM” statement Jesus makes before this revelation. “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture (John 10:9). ” Then verse 10 goes in to say, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” I want to show one more thing, verse 8, “All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ” There is a thief, there is a deceiver, and he constantly comes at us; it is our choice to listen. Who is our protector? Jesus. Not my husband, not my children, not my friends, nor my parents. Jesus is my salvation. The meaning of “be saved” here is for eternity. He saved me from hell and He is my protector. He wants me to live a life of wholeness.

He desires us to come in and go out. What happens when the going out becomes a burden? What happens to us when we have been eating in the wrong pasture? I have seen quite a bit of hurt. I have been on the receiving end of quite a bit of hurt lately. It takes a toll on you when people withhold because they are also fighting that mental battle. The battlefield right now looks hopeless. My hope is in Him. I cannot lose focus on the one true Gate.

Psalms 23:5 (AMP) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

My enemy is not those who are withholding, it is the one who deceives. The enemy is satan. He is the accuser of the brethren and I will not eat from his pasture. I choose to eat from the banqueting table prepared for me (Luke 14: 16-24). There are many good excuses I can use for withholding, hurt being one them. However, it is not about me. It is about His Kingdom. Why do I not give of myself freely? My mind will come under attack and I think about the worth of the receiver. The deceiver has clouded my mind to think that the receiver is a created being and not my Creator. We cannot stand to serve His created when we think they get more of a benefit. The root, we have lost our position of love. We have become rooted and grounded in something else. I cannot lead in love if I have lost my position in love.

James 1: 12 (AMP) Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Press in! Press into your position of love that Jesus restored you to. Press in to the Victor and Protector when your mind is under attack. Press in when you feel hopeless. Press in and eat from the banqueting table laid out before you. Press in and let the enemy know that he has not won, that you are not lacking any good thing, and that his words do not have power over you. Our enemy is not flesh and blood and we need to stop treating each other as such.

James 4:1-2, 7-8 (AMP) What leads to [the unending] quarrels and conflicts among you? Do they not come from your [hedonistic] desires that wage war in your [bodily] members [fighting for control over you]?  You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your lust goes unfulfilled; so you murder. You are envious and cannot obtain [the object of your envy]; so you fight and battle. So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you.

Father, You are Holy, Good and Eternal. You are our Banner. Thank You for sending Your Son to restore us. It is Your Kingdom that we desire to come. It is Your will we want done. Thank You for seeing the banquet out before us. We repent for eating from the wrong tables. We repent for withholding because we have been angry. We repent for allowing the trials to get the better of us, for allowing the deceiver to speak louder than You. We choose to forgive today. We choose to stand in our right position of love and love others like it. We repent for quarreling amongst your body. We choose to submit to Your authority and Your ways. We put our trust in You. We want to glorify Your with our generosity. We want to see others grow, even surpassing our own growth. We run towards You. We desire You. We choose love today. We choose hope today. We are blessed because of who You are. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Dream Big

Matthew 6:33 (AMP) But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

Psalms 37:4 (AMP) Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.

Philippians 3:10 (AMP) And this, so that I may know Him [experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person more completely] and [in that same way experience] the power of His resurrection [which overflows and is active in believers], and [that I may share] the fellowship of His sufferings, by being continually conformed [inwardly into His likeness even] to His death [dying as He did].

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].

These are verses that I stand on for my own life. If you read from top to bottom you will start to see what my heart’s desire is. I want to know Him more and do His will. My dream is to have a place to disciple others to draw closer to Him. Right now, our church has been having to meet on Sundays at one thirty in the afternoon due to us not having our own building. As pastors, we are looking and dreaming of other locations until we can buy what we want. The discouragement comes when it seems that we are all alone in this vision. I know that is not true. Elijah fought the same thought patterns (1 Kings 18:22), when God told him there were 7,000 (1 Kings 19:18).

This summer I was asked to take some teenagers to camp. A few years ago we had developed a team, now we do not meet weekly. It is something I grieve, but I pray it is only temporary. The group I took consisted of my youngest son, three other teenage boys from other churches and three teenage girls, all attending another church. The camp was over a five day period, starting on a Saturday, which means I was not going to be at my home church on Sunday. There were people I put in place to handle certain things, but life happens and not everyone was there. Discouragement set in once again. People have walked away from us since the transition (people that said they would support the vision). Giving has taken a tremendous drop in the past two years. How can we move to a location and even pay double in rent that we are now, or how would be even support our own place? I was serving, but I can tell you, I was hurting. I am glad I went and served. Why? I found out that I was not the only one with these experiences. Actually, I found out that I was more seasoned in this part of leadership and was able to make a new friend. I was able to give someone hope. I was able to tell them that you can survive and even thrive, even though others have walked away. We are grounded in the love of Christ. We keep our desire on knowing Him more and establishing His Kingdom. Stay strong in His power. Find out who Christ is though the “I Am” statement and make them personal. Do not let the vision die!

Then that is all the camp was about. My youngest was encouraged with Brandon Dixon, a baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals. His team won the world series in 2011. I loved this because that was my grandfather’s favorite team. I remember him being so excited that year. Brandon did not have the way of getting to the major’s like we thought he would of. It was a God way. He did not have a promoter or a recruiter scout him, he had a friend. He said he just kept God first no matter what. Even if his family, while growing up, was not in church, he was. Just do not quit. Eli has a dream of playing ball in college and this really encouraged him. Like Brandon, Eli is a pitcher.

We also heard from Aaron Knight, the director for the camp. A few summers before we had heard the camp had been sold to a developer and would be torn down. Aaron had a vision for the camp and started pursuing a way to save it. He started with maintaining the grounds, even when he did not own it. It was over a year before the developer would even have a meeting with him. Then when he did get the meeting, the price was in the millions. The guy had nothing, he had never fund raised before, and he does not have a huge church. He did have a vision. My take away: “Do not give up on life because circumstances are not what you hoped for.” They are almost two years into the lease purchase agreement and they hope to have it paid off by the end of this year. It does not make sense. God still performs miracles today.

My husband and I have been sowing this summer for our miracle. We have a desire to have at least 7 acres in the city limits. Our desire is to be in walking distance to the high school here. We have a piece of property we are believing for. The cost for this piece of land is $350,000. Why? We want to have a place open 24 hours, and 7 days a week. A place of worship and community. We want a laundry facility open to the public. We want a community kitchen. We want a place where families can be restored. We want a place for people to worship and pray. We want a climate controlled basketball facility. We have a vision board that we put out every Sunday:

Please pray for us as we have a big dream. No dream is too big for God. Connect Church does have a building fund. We are no where near being able to purchase the land as of today. That does not mean that it will not happen suddenly!! We are standing on Hebrews 11:1, Amos 9:13-14 MSG, Isaiah 43:18-19 and Psalms 44:3 TPT.

Dream big dreams! Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart. (Psalms 37:4). My joy and hope are secured once again!

Jehovah Shammah (the Lord is present), You are worthy of honor and praise. Our hearts desire is only You. Thank You for sending Your Son so that we are now grounded in Your love. Let those roots of love go so deep that nothing else matters. Thank You for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thank You that we know Your voice, we know Your character and a nature and we will not let the circumstances of this life discourage us. Thank You for the renewal of Your vision for our lives. Thank You for giving us big dreams and trusting us with establishing Your Kingdom here on earth. Thank You for the gift of the five fold ministry. Thank You for the gift of the body (the church). We repent for judging, for envying, for jealousy, for coveting, for familiarity and for being self focused. We do not want to be enslaved to anything that does not bring freedom and glory through Your Name. We choose love today. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Joy and Strength

Jeremiah 15:16 (AMP) Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.

Jeremiah, in the midst of his sorrow, recognized that all He needed was the reminder of what God had said. This is why I carve out a piece of my day to get in the Word. I am not able to do it at the same time every day, nor for the same amount of time each day. Some days I get to be in the Word longer. There are days that I listen to a sermon while I am at the gym. Then there are days where I keep worship music on while I am doing my daily tasks. There are others that I will meditate on a scripture that I had read. The important thing is to find a way to keep the Truth of His Word at the forefront of your mind. Why?

What does God tell Joshua right before he crosses the Jordan? Joshua 1:6-9 (AMP) Be strong and confident and courageous, for you will give this people as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers (ancestors) to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do [everything] in accordance with the entire law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper and be successful wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

What kept Jeremiah going? The Word of the Lord! What weapon did God give to Joshua so that he would be strong, confident and courageous? The Word of the Lord! What will keep us at peace? The Word of the Lord!

John 1:1 (AMP) In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. 

John 15:4 (AMP) Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. 

John 14:6 (AMP) Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 17:15-17 (AMP) I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but that You keep them and protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy]; Your word is truth.

How can I abide with Jesus (the Word) if I will not get to know the Word (character and nature of God)? The Holy Spirit draws us to the Word (the Truth)…Jesus. Someone asked me about abiding the other day. My response is that I hunger for the Word.

I do have a prayer life, but a prayer life without knowledge of the Word is full of emotions, which are not bad, but not grounded in the Word can be dangerous. Our prayers that are not rooted in the Word can lead to division, isolation and unintended rebellion. Why? They have not been filled with the Truth. There is a difference between my truth and THE Truth. Often times we base our walk and our prayer lives on our truths and in return the “Be strong, confident and courageous” is done in our own power (which is lacking) and not in His Power which is grounded in THE Truth.

One of the first parts of the Bible I will tell a new believer to read is the Book of John. John reveals that we are His Beloved. John reveals all the areas of our lives that Jesus came to be a part of. Then there is Ephesians, Ephesians reveals who we are in Christ. Reading Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther tells me about the character and nature of God during the time that the Israelites had once again gotten themselves into captivity. Psalms and Proverbs are popular to read. I do make a point to read them once a year at least, but I cannot get stuck there. I have to see the Word of God as a gift and not just pieces for me to take apart because I like them best. It may be easy to just stay in one book like Psalms, but we could be limiting our prayer and devotion life to the emotion part only. The same as if we only read the New Testament.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (AMP) But I am afraid that, even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted and led away from the simplicity of [your sincere and] pure devotion to Christ.

The enemy, the devil, is cunning and will try to twist the words like he did with Eve and like he attempted with Jesus in the wilderness. His goal is to get you to question the Word and to question the character and nature of God. We may not understand everything that is in the Word the first time we read it, or even if we read the same passage 10 times, but can we trust God? Jeremiah did not understand why he was going through such hardships, but he trusted God at His Word, and joy returned to him. You cannot be strong and courageous without the Word. Jesus is the Word. Jesus is the Truth. Therefore, the Word is Truth. I cannot abide in Jesus separate from the Truth of the Word. I am strong and courageous because I am now in Christ, standing firm on the Word of the Truth. Everything pointing back to Jesus. He is the source of our joy and our strength.

God, You are worthy of honor and praise. We are in awe of Your majesty. Thank You for sending Your Son, the Word made flesh. 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 have allowed the busyness of life to keep us from meditating on Your Word and have chosen to mediate on our worries. We repent for allowing deception to come into our minds when it comes to allowing our truths to override the Word of Your Truth. Thank Your for reminding us in Your Word that You love us, that You desire us, and that You want us free and whole. Thank You for sending Your Son to redeem us and restore us into that relationship with You. Your Word is Life. Your Word is Truth. Your Word is Power. I choose today to abide with Jesus, the Word, the Truth. You are the source of our joy and our strength. In Jesus name, Amen.

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Stepping out of fear into my hiding place

Psalms 34:4-5 AMP I sought the Lord [on the authority of His word], and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant; their faces will never blush in shame or confusion.

For the past month I have had the honor and privileged to bring the word on Sunday afternoons (our service is at 1:30) to our church. My husband works a full time job and has been on third shift almost two months now. They are suppose to rotate every four weeks. During third shift, it difficult for him to keep a good sleep pattern on the weekends. Especially when you have a service that takes place during the time you are usually sleeping. I had told him before that I would work on being better prepared to help more in the pulpit part when he is on that shift.

A back story on me…I am an extreme introvert (or well I was). It was so bad that I would not be able to go up to the counter of a fast food restaurant and ask for condiments. My senior project we had to give a presentation to everyone that we invited. I had invited my family. No classmates were present except for the two I needed to help model what I had made. I should have invited no one! I stammered and cried through the whole presentation. There is a recording of it somewhere, thanks to my grandparents! I could not even give a short announcement at church. I cried anytime the microphone was put in my face.

I remember the moment I had asked God to remove that fear from me. I remember sitting in the Gwinnett Center listening to Joyce Meyer minister. I remember telling God that I wanted to be able to talk about His Word and who He is to me. That was the first Sunday that I willingly took the microphone and shared what the ladies in our church had done that weekend.

It has been over ten years since that moment. I was not this phenom that spoke perfectly from that point on. I have had to grow in it. I am in still not one of those polished speakers that you will see on television or at a major conference. I am willing to grow more in it.

I was just in awe this morning of how God put a series inside of me. I have only done one service at a time, with months separating each time I taught. Not to say that anxiety did not try to rise up each and every time. I know that I could not do it on my own. My God was with me every step of the way. I was in His arms (in my hiding place) the entire time I was on the platform. Our crowds do not have to be large. Even if the altar call was just for one person, that is is worth celebrating. I was doing what I was created for.

Psalms 91:1-2 AMP He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and on whom I rely]!”

I do not know what God has put in your heart to step out and do differently. Let me encourage you that growth happens when you do. Stop chasing after things and people to make you happy. Know that when you are where He wants you to be, that is your most happy!

If you would like to to check out the series “Rebuild or Tear Down?” you can check it out on youtube here: Connect Church YouTube Channel

Be blessed!

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He Understands

Ephesians 4:22-25 (AMP) That, regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires, and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God’s image, [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation]. Therefore, rejecting all falsehood [whether lying, defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these], speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one another [and we are all parts of the body of Christ].

So many of us put our faith in Christ as our Savior, but fail to allow Him to be our redeemer, our healer, our restorer. Christ has done everything He needs to do to be one with us. God lives in me, He sees me, He hears me, He loves me and He understands me. People may not always understand you, but Jesus will always understand you.

I have recently gone through a great heart ache. People in our church have recently walked away from ours to go to another in our area. As pastors it is hard because it feels like a divorce (or that is what those who have never had a divorce would think it feels like). I had a dream about one of them last night. It was a dream of when he and his brother were younger, with short curly hair. In my dream I wept. I also imagined myself using something to dull the feeling of pain. That is something I have never done in the natural, so why would I dream about that?

Galatians 5:16-17 (AMP) But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]. For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do.

I have recently been reading about the time in David’s life when his son Absalom was against him. You can read about their tumultuous relationship in 2 Samuel 13-18. David did not send orders to end Absalom’s life. He asked for them to have mercy on his son, the son that was trying to overthrow him. I often think about how we want God to take revenge for us to those that have done us wrong. My husband made a good point yesterday and I have been asking God to help with my heart change. We have have every right to feel the way we do when someone wrongs us…in the natural. However, when we are born again we have to submit those feelings to the Kingdom and let go of our rights.

David writes during this time in Psalms 26:11 (AMP), “But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; Redeem me and be merciful and gracious to me.”

Psalms 139:23-24 (AMP) Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

I cannot allow these hurts to hold me back. I cannot beat myself up for them coming up sometimes either. I have to change my focus. I have to allow the Holy Spirit to heal me from the inside out. Remember, Jesus understands. David did have his moments when he cried out to God to hide his iniquity. Psalms 38:16 (AMP), For I pray, “May they not rejoice over me, who, when my foot slips, would boast against me.” We want to hide in our shame. We want to close the doors to our bedroom and not let the light shine in so we can stay in the bed all day long. Let Christ in!

Let me know how I can pray for you today. Let me know if you have moments like this too, or if you are in a season right now that is hard to get out of. I want to pray with you! You can email me at amanda@desiringformore.org.