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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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The places you will go

Ephesians 3:20-21 (AMP) Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.

I have been doing a deep dive in the book of Ephesians over the last few months. I am taking it one verse at a time. In doing so, I have learned a lot of about Christ and the fullness that He wants in our lives. On that note, we have have centered so much on that fullness, that we have become self centered in our relationship with Him. Let us look at the above verse for instance. How much do you think that verse is really about us? Look at it again, it starts out “Now to HIM….” That’s right, it is about Him and His glory. We are the benefits He receives, not the other way around.

Matthew 17:2-3 (AMP) And His appearance changed dramatically in their presence; and His face shone [with heavenly glory, clear and bright] like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.

There were a few men that walked really close with Jesus. Jesus even showed them His true form on this mountain. His appearance changed dramatically in their presence. There are surface level relationships that we can have, and then there are deep intimate relationships. The level is dependent on the mutual understanding of both parties. The second part of this is the most exciting to me. Moses was able to step his feet into the promised land.

Psalms 37:4-5 (AMP) Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him also and He will do it.

Where I am, I see a lot of people concerned about where they are going to go in life. Are they going to experience all they want to experience? Moses got to be in the promised land, and it was with Jesus. I have learned that when I find myself rooted in Him, my life is much bigger than I could ever have imagined. I am no longer concerned about visiting Paris, as I had dreamed about in high school, I would rather go somewhere that He can get the glory for. When we took out trip to the Dominican, we had so many opportunities to share the gospel. We were given a heart for the people there and are looking forward to going back this Christmas. This time we are going to take our boys. When it is about Him, then we look outside our ourselves. How we see ourselves in Christ will determine where we will go.

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.

His Kingdom is rooted in the person of Christ. The Isrealites reached the physical promised land and still they were not satisfied. They kept searching for other forms of worship to make them whole, and to fulfill their every desire. Jesus came so that we can rest in the promised land (Hebrews 4:1-11), it is found in Him. No more striving. No more searching. No more being hungry and thirsty. Just Him. The fullness of the Kingdom of God is found in Him. Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think. Then you will go places you never dreamed of, and you will have a heart for people you never thought you would.

God, our Creator and our Lord, You are so Mighty and Awesome. We worship Your Holy Name today. We want to glorify You will all that is within us. Thank You for Your Son, that we have become a part of Your Wonderful family. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that reveals the deep knowledge of Your Mercy and Loving-kindness. We repent for being self seeking in our actions and deeds when it comes to Kingdom life. We have fallen into the same trap as the Pharisees in doing so. We want the fullness we have to be a deep reflection of who you are. To You all the glory. To You all the honor. Let our attitudes and character reflect that of You. We choose forgiveness today. We choose joy today. We choose faith today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Found my rest

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.”

In a time where it is easy to give up, do not quit. There are times that we are going to get tired and exhausted, that is why Jesus said to yoke up with Him. I use to think that He would carry all of the burden, but that is not what it means to be equally yoked and that is not us allowing the transforming work of Christ in our lives. He said to take His yoke and to learn from Him. It was in my surrender that I started to yoke up correctly.

I did a quick google search on ‘yoking two different animals together’ and the AI overview showed “Yoking two different animals together, or ‘unequally yoking’ them, can cause discomfort, pain and injury. When animals are properly yoked, they are usually the same type, height, and strength, and are attached together so they can pull together on the load. However, if the animals are different, one might be stronger, taller, or have shorter legs than the other, causing them to pull unevenly. This can lead to chafing and discomfort, and eventually animals might not be able to pull together at all. For example, if an ox and a donkey are yoked together, the ox might carry most of the load, and the donkey might refuse to move, veer to the side, or leave important seeds unplanted.” When I decide to yoke up with Christ, He is not doing all of the work and that is what makes it easier, it is because I am aligning my life with His.

Jeremiah 6:16-17 (AMP) Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the roads and look; ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’ I have set watchmen (prophets) over you, Saying, ‘Listen and pay attention to the [warning] sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’

My rest is not in the absence of action, it is in the obedience to Christ. When we look to anything else to satisfy us, we become hardened. Our burdens in life become too heavy and even though we may love Christ, He is not what we have yoked up to. Instead of waiting and becoming we look to satisfy the right now. It is like Esau when he sold his birthright. What made him do it? A momentary discomfort that he could not take his mind off of.

Genesis 25:29-34 (AMP) Jacob had cooked [reddish-brown lentil] stew [one day], when Esau came from the field and was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, “Please, let me have a quick swallow of that red stuff there, because I am exhausted and famished.” For that reason Esau was [also] called Edom (Red). Jacob answered, “First sell me your birthright (the rights of a firstborn).” Esau said, “Look, I am about to die [if I do not eat soon]; so of what use is this birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear [an oath] to me today [that you are selling it to me for this food]”; so he swore [an oath] to him, and sold him his birthright.Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and got up and went on his way. In this way Esau scorned his birthright. 

In Hebrews 12:15-17 there is a reference to this very lesson for us, “See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; and [see to it] that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance [there was no way to repair what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], even though he sought for it with [bitter] tears. (AMP)

There is something to these verses that should give us a wake up call to the meaning of God’s grace. A root of resentment comes from the seed of offense and/or anger, which ultimately is rooted in pride. When I yoke myself with Christ, I have given Him permission to help me break up the hardened ground so that the seed of His Word can be planted there. Being yoked up with Him is what makes the soil good for planting (Read the meaning of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:18-23). Do not take for granted the grace of God, it is not meant for a license to do as you want, it is an empowerment to overcome. We can do that because of Christ. He did not promise a life absent of trials, He did promise us peace in the midst of them (John 14:27).

John 15:4-5 (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. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. 

Christ wants us to be united in Him. I encourage you to read all of John 15 if you have not had the chance, or read it again if you have. Jesus gives some rich teaching to His disciples in that chapter. My prayer has been for God to align my heart with His, I want to love how He loves so that it is all that flows out of me. Now in doing that, it does not mean that people can abuse you. Bowing down to a narcissist or someone who is always playing the victim is not love and it is not being peaceful. God said blessed are the peacemakers (those grounded in His Word) not the peace keepers (compromisers of His Word). My greatest love for others is to point them to Christ, in doing so I have to be united with Him. I am yoking up to Him. We are in this together and peace abounds there. This is how I have found my rest.

Father, our Creator and our Banner. You are Mighty and Holy. Thank you for Your Son to be our Redeemer. Thank You for the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter and Teacher. Thank You for Your Word and the revelation that You desire for us to know You more. We repent for not aligning our hearts with Yours. We repent for not abiding on the vine and allowing our hearts to be hardened by this world. We choose to yoke up with Your Son. We are choosing a life of surrender and abiding. We are choosing to forgive and not allow the seed of resentment to take root. We are thankful for Your grace so that we make be overcomers. We choose love today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Faith Equals Rest

Hebrews 3:19 (AMP) So we see that they were not able to enter [into His rest—the promised land] because of unbelief and an unwillingness to trust in God.

I just woke up from a really weird dream. In this dream I was trying my hardest to unlock a code and my fingers just fumbled. What made it worse is that I was surrounded by strangers waiting to get in to wherever I was trying to unlock. I woke up thinking, hopefully I can close my eyes and get more sleep, maybe figure this thing out, but my alarm was set to go off in just 7 minutes. So instead I started my day. As the morning progressed, the thoughts of my dream went away as well. What happened? I got in the Word and built up my faith.

Hebrews 4:1-2 (AMP) Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still remains and is freely offered today, let us fear, in case any one of you may seem to come short of reaching it or think he has come too late. For indeed we have had the good news [of salvation] preached to us, just as the Israelites also [when the good news of the promised land came to them]; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not united with faith [in God] by those who heard.

Faith is the difference between rest and unrest. Faith is hard to explain to someone that has to see something in order to believe it. Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses] (Hebrews 11:1 AMP). Hoping for is not wishful thinking according to faith, hope is confident assurance. My hope is not mystical and not wishful, it is confident. When I say love always hopes it means my love is sure and confident that God has already worked things out, because it is rooted and grounded in Christ’s love.

Hebrews 4:10-11 (AMP) For the one who has once entered His rest has also rested from [the weariness and pain of] his [human] labors, just as God rested from [those labors uniquely] His own. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience [as those who died in the wilderness]. 

Often times this rest is mistaken as the absence of physical labor. We are to sabbath, but like the pharisees we can start to get religious in it. Jesus healed on the Sabbath and they freaked out. The works of the ministry (the ministry of reconciliation) is not something we should be taking a day off from. If that is the case then we are doing it as works to salvation and not works because of salvation. There is a difference. The reason the disobedient Israelites died in the wilderness is because they cared more for their own well being than trusting that God had it already worked out. They wanted their comfort (His presents) instead of His Presence.

When I read, “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]” (Philippians 1:6 AMP), this has nothing to do with me gaining anything other than transformation through Christ. This is bringing about the fullness of the ministry of reconciliation. So many are concerned with what they can get instead of realizing that they already got it all when they received Christ. This is the message that Hebrews 4 is trying to convey, if your salvation is still all about what you can get, it is full of unbelief. We are still waiting for God to restore what we lost, when He is the perfect gift. He is all we have need of.

Hebrews 4:12 (AMP) For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

John 1:1-4 (AMP) In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men.

When I read the Word (all of it, not just my favorite parts, and Jesus is not just in the New Testament), I am allowing the work of Christ to do His full work. I cannot be a complete person without Christ. I cannot be a complete person without the Holy Spirit. I definitely cannot be a complete person if I neglect His Word. Now faith is the confident assurance that what God says is true. Therefore, I am whole, I am complete, I am healed, I am redeemed and I am in right standing with Him. That is our promised land, that is our rest. Nothing else matters. Now live like it and go share the gospel.

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].”

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.

Jehovah Rapha, God our Healer, You are Marvelous and Wonderful. We want to honor You with our praise today. You said to seek Your face as our greatest need, we are doing that with all of our hearts. We long for You. Thank You for redeeming us with Your Son. Thank You for Your Word and for the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to take the full measure or grace (Your empowerment) to do the good works that You created us to do. The ministry of reconciliation is that good work. That good work has made us complete and whole through Christ Jesus. We repent for thinking that restoration had to do with stuff, that the promised land was material possessions, when it was our relationship with You. When Christ paid the price for our sins and we received Him in faith, we entered into that promised land. We entered into right standing with You. You are enough for us. Thank You for being Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider. We are at rest because of faith. We choose love today. We choose joy today. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose faith today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Vacation Mode

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.

It has been four weeks since I have written and published a blog. What have I been up to? A lot!! I took a group of youth to camp for five days. Then, I turned right around and did a twelve day trip with just my husband and me. We came home so we could pick up our youngest and take him on a little trip on his summer break. What does all this have to do with a scripture when David was running for his life? Can you find the God moments?

We are a group of people that go on vacation but want to jam pack it with all the activities and adventure to create memories. I have gotten better about that. I do plan, but not so full that there is no time for rest. Do you know that rest in necessary for our growth? Rest is not the absence of doing anything, it is the peace during.

Can we focus on God in the moments? I was able to have some God moments during these four weeks. The next few blog posts I want to share them with you.

Psalms 51:6 (AMP) Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part [of my heart] You will make me know wisdom.

A key to the moments is to turn your focus from your circumstances, and from the noise of everything around you, and look for Him. Instead of focusing on my truth and on myself, I want to know His truth. My mind can take me into some dark places of loneliness, regret, shame and even depression in the midst of being surrounded by others. I do not want that, I want what He has for me. He can restore me in the midst of anything if I would just stop struggling for me.

The last four weeks were amazing. My time with my husband was perfect. Find the rest in the midst of the noise.

Father, thank You for creating us. Thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son for us. We desire to know Your Truth. We repent for not seeing You in our day to day. We want to know You more. We want to see Your Face. We want Your Presence more than your presents. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. We honor You as Holy. Thank You for the revelation into Your goodness as we seek You throughout our days. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Where does rest come from?

2 Chronicles 14:2-5, 7 (AMP) Asa did what was good and right in the sight of the Lord his God. He removed the foreign altars and high places and tore down the [pagan] pillars (obelisks, memorial stones), and cut to pieces the Asherim [the symbols of the goddess Asherah]. And he commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers [to inquire of and for Him and seek Him as a vital necessity], and to observe the law [given to Moses] and the commandment. Asa also removed the [idolatrous] high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah. The kingdom was at rest and undisturbed under his reign. So he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates and bars [to secure the doors]. The land is still ours because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him [longing for Him with all our heart] and He has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. 

When I read the Bible I do not pick and choose just my favorite verses, I read it in context of what was going on during the time it was written. Chronicles is separated into two books and goes along with first and second Samuel, first and second Kings, the books of the prophets, the writing of Psalms, Proverbs, Lamentations and Song of Solomon. King Asa (found in 1 Kings 15 and 2 Chronicles 14-16) reigned after the death of this father Abijah. In the first verse of 2 Chronicles 14, it states that the land was quiet for ten years. Why was that important? Because after Solomon died, the kingdom was split and warring against each other. There are now two kingdoms and two kings. Does that not sound confusing?

King Asa ruled 36 years. He was known to be a man of character and brought reforms to the nation. In verse five it states, “The kingdom was at rest and undisturbed under his reign.” Yet reformation happened and building happened. Actually, a few verses down we read that Zerah, an Ethiopian Cushate, came out against them. What? I thought they were at rest? The total number in King Asa’s army totaled 580,000 (army of Judah 300,000 and from Benjamin 280,000). The men from Ethiopian came out against them with one million men and three hundred chariots. Talk about out numbered! Asa went out to engage and arranged for battle.

2 Chronicles 14:11 (AMP) Asa called out to the Lord his God, saying, “O Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and the weak; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in and rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.”

What happens next? God strikes down the enemy before King Asa and Judah. What does God striking down look like? Is it like He sends down lightning? How about He empowers us so that it happens like we put a knife in a stick of butter that has been softened.

Rest comes in His presence, not the absence of opposition. Not the absence of action. Rest and peace is seeking God with all of your heart, soul and mind. It is making Him your vital necessity. This is where rest come from. When opposition comes, you have no fear and no worry. He has made a way before you and you follow along fully armed in the full armor of God. Ready, have done all and then stand firm (Ephesians 6:13). This is why Jesus was able to sleep during the storm (Matthew 8:24).

King David, wrote Psalms 23 (AMP) towards the end of his life. We know his life did not go without opposition:

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.

There is so much I can speak more on what His presence truly brings. Presence is my word for this year. In His presence is peace and rest, even when your enemy (the devil) wages war against you. Seek His as your most vital need today. There is nothing greater.

Father, I thank you for being the God who goes out before me. I seek you as my most vital need today. There is nothing else that I would rather have than be in Your presence. I know I will not really be at rest without You. You have proven Yourself time and again. Your guide me and I am comforted in that. You have prepared a way for me and I will not lack because of You. Let me be a light and example of what it is like to be at peace in this world, not to say that I do not have a care, because You care deeply for us. Peace is one of the gifts You sent when you sent Your Son. I am empowered with peace because of the Holy Spirit that now dwells in and around me. I pray for rest for the person reading this. May they grow to know you more this year. We desire more of You. In Jesus Name, Amen.