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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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Update 2025: Here I Am

Isaiah 6:8 (AMP)  Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

One January eighth of this year I wrote a blog called “2025: Here I Am.” Here is what I wrote: “Here I am” is a heart position to be all in. It is a response to God that you are sensitive to His call. It is a willingness to listen and to obey His commands. “And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should also [unselfishly] love his brother and seek the best for him” (1 John 4:21). Seeking the best for others requires a lot of dying to self. That lines up with what Christ said we would have to do to be His disciples (Matthew 16:24-26). So that new thing He is doing in me, has a lot to do with my surrender. God doing a new thing requires me changing (Isaiah 43:19).

When I dedicated this year to answer the call with, “Here I Am,” I did not know where it would take me. Some would hope it would take them across the world. Some would expect a change of scenery. Some would expect a huge move. What it did in me caused me to make a holy shift to Your will not my will, Lord. I have answered calls that I did not want to. I have gone into homes that I did not want to. I have made trips to spend just a few moments with someone, that was way out of my route for the day. Why? “Here I Am.” How can we say we want to do great things for God when we will not give Him the fifteen minutes, or even a couple of hours, that will make us uncomfortable for someone else? He has given me a heart for people like never before. It is not to point out what is wrong in their life, it is to point them to the person who will make them whole. I am not there to fix their problems; I am pointing them to the One who can ground them in Truth.

This still rings true today: What should we be praying for the church? That God becomes real to us. That we stop going through the motions and desire a real relationship with God. You can listen and not hear. You can look and not see. This will happen until you surrender your ideas. We have the luxury of doing so much research that we have not need to sit and listen for His voice. We have access to so many books and teaching online, that we do not need to read the Bible for ourselves. We read the Bible through the lens of experience and not really listen for His voice. We depend on scripture taken out of context and wonder why God is not doing what I want. It is not until we surrender that we will be rooted and grounded in Christ. This is where love starts. We cannot love each other when we are only worried about ourselves. Serving only those we want to serve is really self-serving. Only reading what we like is self-serving.

“Here I Am” is a call for deeper surrender. I do not know why God has me doing this. I spend my week with people. People that I am not looking for anything in return. I asked God why, especially since church attendance was looking sad this past Sunday. It can be disheartening when we look at people. I have to keep my eyes focused on Him. It is not about what I see in the natural, it is about what He is doing when I am obedient. I put my trust in Him. At the right time (His time).

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 I am, send me. I am choosing not to give it, not giving up.

Abba, Father, we are in awe of You. You are Holy, Marvelous, and Righteous. Help us to fully accept Your Son for who He is, the One who came to make us whole and whose peace fills us completely. When we love You and put You first, everything else finds its rightful place. When Your voice is our priority, all other voices fade away. When Your Word is first in our lives, distractions lose their hold. When we follow Your principles, the promises of Your Word become evident in our lives. Lead us back to putting You first. Let us say, “Here I am.” We repent for prioritizing ourselves over Your Word, Your voice, and Your guidance. Help us to open Your Word and crave it like the most satisfying meal. Thank You for Your forgiveness and Your mercies that are new every morning. We choose joy today. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Gifts that Build

1 Corinthians 16:14 (AMP) Let everything you do be done in love [motivated and inspired by God’s love for us].

I just spent the last few days reading through first Corinthians. These books were written to the churches he had already been to. This book is one that is taught on when talking about the gifts of the spirit. When we receive Christ, we have all been gifted with salvation. It is free, we did not earn it, we receive it. This is a gift that we should be willing to encourage others to receive. This is called the ministry of reconciliation of which all of us are called into, once we receive Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (AMP) But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him], that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God].

People want to know their purpose, their calling, what they were created for? You were created to glorify God. You were made in His image. You are to reflect Him. This takes surrender. What about gifts? When reading the list in first Corinthians twelve, one phrase jumped out at me, “Let all things be done for edification.” Why did God give the church gifts? Edification. Our gifts are not about us, they are for the body of Christ, for the edification of the body of Christ. Meaning, we are to build up each other for the unity of the gospel. Edification is not about being self-motivating not self-promotion. Actually, it is not about promoting an individual, it is about the whole body being built up into His temple.

Ephesians 4:16 (AMP) From Him the whole body [the church, in all its various parts], joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in [unselfish] love.

There is not a “me’ focus in any of this. Now, we do see in 1 Corinthians 12:31, “But earnestly desire and strive for the greater gifts [if acquiring them is going to be your goal]. And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one of the choicest graces and the highest of them all: unselfish love].” One of the gifts that people want, and even Paul tells us is one to desire, is the gift of prophecy. However, I do not believe He meant it in the way the church today has abused it. In context, this gift is not about just about foretelling the future, correcting leadership or reading someone’s mail. This is the supernatural ability to proclaim God’s will and truth to build up the church. It is primarily about speaking the message of God, through God’s Word. It is speaking directly to people in a way they can understand God’s Word. It is to help bring clarity to the Word of God. Even to the point of revealing inner motivations and bringing conviction and an awareness to God’s presence. They bring people to a place of true repentance so that we walk in humility.

If we are seeking a new revelation from God, as not revealed in His Word, then we are seeking something outside of God. We have fallen into idolatry. What about our imaginations? Yes, God gave us imaginations, but we are still responsible for bringing our thoughts in line with the Word of God. Does it really matter what I prophesy? We have been prophesied over, and a check was put immediately within because we knew it did not line up with God’s Word.

Jeremiah 23:16 (AMP) Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Do not listen to the words of the [false] prophets who prophesy to you. They are teaching you worthless things and are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own mind and imagination and not [truth] from the mouth of the Lord.

What is Paul talking about? He is talking about desiring to understand the Word of God so that you can talk about it with each other. Prophecy is for the edification of the body, just like all of the other gifts listed.

1 Corinthians 8:1b-3 (AMP) Knowledge [alone] makes [people self-righteously] arrogant, but love [that unselfishly seeks the best for others] builds up and encourages others to grow [in wisdom]. If anyone imagines that he knows and understands anything [of divine matters, without love], he has not yet known as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God [with awe-filled reverence, obedience and gratitude], he is known by Him [as His very own and is greatly loved].

At the heels of Paul talking about spiritual gifts he leads into love. The end of chapter twelve flows into it. What is the point in wanting all of these gifts if you do not know His love? They will never fulfill you. You are searching in the wrong place for your purpose. Get to know the God that loves you and start right where you are with the people He has called you with to grow in, for the edification of the body of Christ. Let everything be done in love, unselfish love.

Abba, Father, our Banner, You are so Worthy of our honor and our praise. You are Holy and Marvelous. Thank You for Your Son putting us back into right standing with You. Through Him we have been born again and created new. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, our Teacher and our Friend. Thank You for Your Word. We repent for seeking gifts to build up ourselves. We repent for only being a part of the body when it is self-serving and pleases us. We long to know You. You reveal Yourself to us in ways we could never have imagined for ourselves. We thank You for spiritual gifts, but above all we thank You for Your Love. Let us desire Your love above the gifts. Let us be trees of righteousness. You set the captives free not for us to look for anything to fulfill us other than You. We choose surrender today. We choose love today. We choose joy today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Third Quarter Reads of 2025

Philippians 1:9-11 (AMP) 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].

The third quarter reads are still not as big as the first, but their content was very deep. I have counted and have already surpassed the number of books that I read last year. Along with my daily devotionals, I read chapters of the Bible at a time (sometimes up to five chapters). This quarter I read Jeremiah through the Book of Acts. If you have never read through the minor prophets in the Old Testament, I encourage you to do so. They really highlight the love that God has for His us. Now that I am reading the letters of Paul, they are something that I will probably read together next time as they have the same message to the church. Even in outright rebellion, He is looking and providing a way.

I did complete the 365 Daily Devotions from Psalms by Joyce Meyer, that I began last year. I also read ten books, four of which I purchased and read immediately (the books by John Bevere and Louie Giglio). I will give you an overview of three books, but here is my total list for this quarter:

  • The Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving by Randy Alcorn
  • I am a Church Member by Thom S. Rainer
  • A Heart Ablaze: Igniting a Passion for God by John Bevere
  • Breaking Free: Discover the Victory of Total Surrender by Beth Moore
  • Good Morning Holy Spirit by Benny Hinn
  • The Fear of the Lord: Discover the Key to Intimately Knowing God by John Bevere
  • Goliath Must Fall: Winning the Battle Against Your Giants by Louie Giglio
  • Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table by Louie Giglio
  • Just Open the Door: How One Invitation Can Change a Generation by Jen Schmidt
  • Change Your Words Change Your Life by Joyce Meyer

Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table by Louie Giglio was a book that I bought this year and read almost immediately. Louie takes the 23rd Psalm and pulls out the verse, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” This is the position of this verse as looking at it from what we allow into our minds. How does God feed us? What is the Bread of Life that Jesus talked about? What we think on will affect us tremendously, not inviting the enemy to a seat at our table has to do with the battle of our minds. There are countless occurrences in the Bible of those who were faced with unfair trials physically and emotionally, from Shadrach, Meshack and Abendego to Paul and Silas. What did they keep before them? I read this verse in this book and when I go to it again in the Old Testament this quarter it has reminded me over and over to keep my focus on Him. When the enemy wants us to listen to lies of others not wanting to be a part or doing everything they can to sabotage, or just do not care about you, that will invite the enemy to your table. Anything that will distract you is the enemy at your table. Here is that verse: Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive fails and the fields produce no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord; I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation! (Habakkuk 3:17-18) Even though…I will. That needs to be our stance. Not on the circumstance. I will still be joyful and glad because the Lord is my Savior.

A Heart Ablaze: Igniting a Passion for God by John Bevere. John Bevere is one of my favorite authors and speakers. If you have not downloaded their free app, Messenger X, I encourage you to do so. Podcasts, courses and books all right there ready for you to access, for free. This is my go to app at the gym. I picked up A Heart Ablaze and The Fear of the Lord at the same time. John uses the illustration of the Israelites coming out of Egypt in both books, but he gets really into the heart motives why God wants our hearts to be on fire for Him in A Heart Ablaze. There are many illustrations of how we want to live first place in our lives and call that God. Actually, it is little “g,” god. Here are some words from the chapter titled “Intentions or Desires?” “They had not separated themselves in their hearts from the world, which resulted in their inability to separate what was of the world and what was of God. If you desire both the world and the intimate knowledge of God, the image of God become distorted. You do not truly know Him; you know a different Jesus.” That is such a strong statement, “you know a different Jesus.” This is why it is so important that we check the rhema word (personal revelations) with the logos (the written Word of God). “Moses wanted God and would gladly pay any price to know Him. The children of Israel wanted what was best for them. If the benefit of walking in God’s ways was evident to their natural senses, they would gladly embrace it, but if it was not evident, they would gravitate toward what seemed best. To know God will always result in what is best for us, for God is perfect love. However, many times this knowledge will not be evident in the natural senses. Moses loved God for who He is; Israel loved God for what He could do for them. If what He was doing did not meet their desires, they moved toward what they deemed best.” This illustrates the church today; there is a dividing line. There are the true worshippers and there are those who profess Jesus, yet they are still self-seeking. Who do we want to be?

Breaking Free: Discover the Victory of Total Surrender by Beth Moore. This book published in 2000 and really digs deep of the importance of surrender to Christ. Nothing in it talks about self-importance, only that true healing comes from a place of surrender. I know that some may of cringed when you saw that I picked up a book by Beth Moore. I just did a shallow dive into what happened and hope that healing can come. Pride, as she talks about in this book, will only put us back into captivity. We have to take a stand against idolatry, and some of those can be our old belief systems. It is really important to read the Bible for yourself, and she says that over and over again. Her key verse is from 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. (AMP) This verse is one I have almost committed to memory; it has come across my readings so much. The book points back to the reason we have been set free, why it is important for us to break free from bondages. It is all for His glory. Pride does not glorify God; it seeks to glorify ourselves. Surrender is the key to our freedom. “Freedom and lordship are inseparable partners in the believer’s life.” “Freedom becomes reality when we yield to the authority of God.” A lot of times we want God to remove the temptations from our lives, that we do not want to have to struggle with them any longer. We want to forget about the suffering. He wants us to lean into Him more, not try more. “God will not release us from anything that enslaved us until we’ve come to the mind of Christ on the matter. We will not be free until we adopt the mind of Christ in the matter that has enslaved us.” “We will think with the mental language we practice the most.” Surrender starts in the mind. This book is 47 chapters, but I was able to read two to three chapters a day and enjoy it.

I am writing this blog about books to encourage you to read. First and foremost, pick up your Bible and read it daily. I am not asking you to start with five chapters, start with one. Start with five verses if you must but start. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His heart to you as you read. Do not skip over the minor prophets. God is not a God of wrath, but of grace and mercy. Yes, He is judge and He has come against the prideful. Humility is a position of the heart. We should not gloat at another’s misfortunes but should seek restoration. Jonah had an issue with that when God revoked the sentence on Ninevah because they turned their hearts back to God. Love always hopes. Obadiah is one chapter. Do you get bored reading the Bible? Ask God to help you with that. I went years without reading it and only doing the verses that accompanied my devotions. It was through my desire to surrender that I picked up the Bible to read. It was part of my quest to desire for more. I do not regret it, and you will not either.

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Personal Seed

Mark 4:30-32 (AMP) And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use to illustrate and explain it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the ground, even though it is smaller than all the [other] seeds that are [sown] on the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden herbs; and it puts out large branches, so that the birds of the sky are able to make nests and live under its shade.”

It all starts with a seed. I have been in ministry just about my whole marriage, twenty-five years. I have had to grow into it. I was not raised in ministry, nor the church. For many years I went through the motions of what I had witnessed. It was not until I decided to really dig into the Word for myself that my kind of mustard seed really took root. That is when real change happened in my life.

Looking at all of the parables of the Sower in Mark, there are three that really talks about the seed in chapter 4. We can read them in order of how they are written with the Parable of the Sower and Soil, the Parable of the Seed, and the Parable of the Mustard Seed. I did just that, however, when I got to the Parable of the Mustard Seed (verses 30-32), it made me go back and look at the other two again.

For many years I was like the person in the Parable of the Seed, “Then He said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who throws seed on the ground; and he goes to bed at night and gets up every day, and [in the meantime] the seed sprouts and grows; how [it does this], he does not know (verses 26-27).” The Seed (the Word) is always good, and it will produce something. That is what is like when you know some of the Word. I went to seminary when I first got saved, like immediately after. I attended church every time the doors were open. I poured into my study Bible. There was a seed that was being planted into ground, and it was producing a change in me. Then it became stagnant. I never went off to do on my own, but I did not grow very deep. There was still a lot of Amanda living.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed tells us the seed is LIKE a mustard seed, meaning as a metaphor as something small. I take it as a revelation of the Word that is personal to you. Often, we get so overwhelmed with the things of the Kingdom that we stay in the position of the Parable of the Seed. There are seeds in the ground (we are the ground) and it is producing but we do not quite know why or what. When I grabbed a hold of me being rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, that was my mustard seed. Some it could be about faith in Christ, some it could be right standing in Christ, others it could be adoption through Christ. We all need a seed like a mustard seed. That is when real growth begins.

Now that we have a mustard seed, look back at the Parable of the Sower and the Soil (verses 3-20). How much you hold dear to the that seed, will determine the soil. Can the seed grow roots? When I grabbed a hold of the seed of Ephesians 3:16-20, and it came alive in me, the roots began to really form. Transformation happened like never before and still is. There are many that say that they read their Bibles and they do not get anything. Have you invited the Holy Spirit to join you? He is our Teacher.

Mark 4: 24-25 (AMP) Then He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By your own standard of measurement [that is, to the extent that you study spiritual truth and apply godly wisdom] it will be measured to you [and you will be given even greater ability to respond]—and more will be given to you besides. For whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a yearning for truth], even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Our hearts are the soil. Our minds are the gateway to our soul. Our mind, will, and emotions have to be surrendered to the Word of God for any seed to take root. That seed was not planted seven years ago when I got the revelation of being deeply rooted in the love of Christ. It was planted twenty-seven years ago, when I received Jesus as my Savior. I remember the moment. I remember how the Holy Spirit spoke to me. I remember that He told me the love that I desired I could not get from my fiancé (now husband), it was only through Christ. I desired to be deeply loved, and that is where it began. There was so much that tried to take away that seed, but the seed is always good. I may have put it away from my mind for a while, but I never let it go. Then in my darkest moment, I could allow pride to reign or I could surrender. I chose to surrender, and it has been the greatest decision I ever made. Has it been easy? No, but it has been worth it.

We all receive a seed. What is yours? Do you hold it precious to you? Our salvation through Christ is the greatest gift we could ever receive. He is inviting us to go deeper, to take root. The mustard seed grows into one of the largest trees in the field. It becomes so big that birds can nest in it, a place of peace. I want to show others what it is like. I want to encourage you to feed your seed and let it take root. Let it open up Christ in your life that you never could imagine for yourself. I have taken Ephesians 3:16-21 and formed it into a prayer for you and myself.

Our Father, Holy is Your Name. Thank You for Your Son. May He grant us out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in our inner selves, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. And may we, 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 we may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that we may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that we may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself]. 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.

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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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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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What sting?

1 Corinthians 15:55 (AMP) “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Do you know what happened on the other side of the cross? Victory! Victory over anything that death brought into the garden that day. Paul continues to tell us the Corinthian church and us, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin [by which it brings death] is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose] (verses 56-58).

I worked in the garden this past week and now I have a rash from either poison ivy (of which I did not think I was allergic to), or the dye in the wet mulch that I was handling. It showed up after being hot because of no air conditioning for Sunday’s service (is that not enemy fighting). I was in prayer and praising God for the feeling of abandonment and rejection no longer being there. Healing comes through praise. Then a thought popped in my mind that I hope that I have not been calloused and the reason was a wall I had created. He told me I had not and assured me that death no longer had victory in that area of my life. I heard, “O death, where is your sting?” The stings were gone. Peace has taken its place. Thoughts of rejection have no power any longer. I can walk into a room and just because no one is speaking to me, not feel completely alone.

I am sure that I will be tested in it again. The devil does not have any new tricks, but he is not good at letting go. He loses his power when you face the obstacle, he laid out head on. That means no more walls and no more running.

Colossians 2:6-7 (TLB) And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote “What shoes are you wearing?” In it I shared about binding your feet with the gospel of peace, from Ephesians 6:15.

“and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news].” These shoes were a part of the weaponry of the Roman soldier. They started at the knees and were made of metal and leather. They were vicious weapons. They wrapped around the calves. Why, because the enemy does not fight fair and looks for weak points. The bottom of the shoe was affixed with sharp, dangerous, protruding spikes. They extended beyond the front of the shoe. The spikes were intended to hold the soldier in place during the battle, making him virtually immoveable.

This is what happens when your roots grow down into Him. This is why we are to meditate on the Word. Making us strong and vigorous. He is my strong tower. I am not hiding from what could possibly be an attack of rejections because I am hidden in Him. I am immoveable.

About six years ago I was sharing something that I was reading from a book by Joyce Meyer. She wrote, “You can spend your entire life dealing with outward symptoms, but the bad fruit will manifest somewhere else if the root is not eliminated. The principle never fails: rotten fruit come from rotten roots, and good fruit comes from good roots. To really deal with bad fruit, you must follow Paul’s admonition to the Colossians to be “deeply planted” in God. You may need to carefully examine your own roots. If they were unpleasant, harmful and abusive, don’t be discouraged; you can be uprooted from the bad soil and transplanted into the good soil of Christ Jesus, so that you become rooted and grounded in Him and in His love. Remember, uprooting can be painful. Being planted and becoming grounded is a process that requires time and effort, but it is by faith and patience that we inherit God’s promises.”

It was a little over six years ago that rejection wanted me to hide. That humiliation wanted me to give up completely. I decided to hide in His Word. There was a battle going on and the victory was going to take my surrender. It has been a process. I have had moments of darkness. The enemy wanted to keep me in a broken state, that relationships are not for people like me. I had to let the walls down so that the roots could be dug up. I am rooted and grounded in Him. My soil is made new because it is not just me in it, it contains the fullness of Christ. Dead things had to go. That is why He reminded me that death no longer has a hold on rejection. There is no sting, because I am free through His victory!

Lord, our Redeemer, our Banner. You are so Marvelous and Worthy of Praise. Thank you for Your Son, our Victory. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, our Friend. We desire to deeply rooted in Your love. We repent for forming our own weapons and not putting on what You gave us, Your love garment. We desire to be deeply planted and rooted in Christ. With this we will produce good fruit wherever we go. We want to glorify You in everything we say and do. We choose forgiveness today. We choose love today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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2025: Here I Am

Genesis 22:1 (AMP) Now after these things, God tested [the faith and commitment of] Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.”

We are eight days into the new year. A lot of times we like to hold onto scriptures about the new. For instance this one, Isaiah 43:19 (AMP) “Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.“I love this scripture and even have it on our vision board for the church. However, we can get so caught up in expecting the promise that we forget about the God of the promise. We hold onto the promise. God in Genesis 22 was asking Abraham to let go of the promise. Would He serve God more than hold onto the promise? Ultimately, God did not ask Abraham to sacrifice what he was willing.

God, here I am. My arms are wide open. I am in the process of reading the Bible from beginning to end and have started with Genesis 1 on January 1. I read five chapters a day and this week I have seen “Here I Am” as the words of readiness. Jacob was visited by God in visions and with both responses he said, “Here I am” (Genesis 31:11, 46:2). Both times God instructed Jacob to move. Move from a land he had spent decades in. When he moved it was not like we have it today. He was moving people, possessions and live stock. It was caravans moving, not a moving van.

Isaiah 6:8-10 (AMP) Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not understand; Keep on looking, but do not comprehend.’ “Make the heart of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.”

I was asked this question this week, what should we be praying for the church? That God becomes real to us. That we stop going through the motions and desire a real relationship with God. You can listen and not hear. You can look and not see. This will happen until you surrender your ideas. We have the luxury of doing so much research that we have not need to sit and listen for His voice. We have access to so many books and teaching online, that we do not need to read the Bible for ourselves. We read the Bible through the lens of experience and not really listen for His voice. We depend on scripture taken out of context and wonder why God is not doing what I want. It is not until we surrender that we will be rooted and grounded in Christ. This is where love starts. We cannot love each other when we are only worried about ourselves. Serving only those we want to serve is really self-serving. Only reading what we like is self-serving.

“Here I am” is a heart position to be all in. It is a response to God that you are sensitive to His call. It is a willingness to listen and to obey His commands. “And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should also [unselfishly] love his brother and seek the best for him” (1 John 4:21). Seeking the best for others requires a lot of dying to self. That lines up with what Christ said we would have to do to be His disciples (Matthew 16:24-26).

So that new thing He is doing in me, has a lot to do with my surrender. God doing a new thing requires me changing. My husband works for a large car manufacturer. Every year they shut down at Christmas, and the processes change for the new car that will be made for the following year. Before the shut down occurred a training was done for the processes coming up. People got to leave their normal work stations and attend a class to learn what would be expected of them when they returned. Some paid attention, and some did not want to learn the new way (they figured they could use the old skills for this new build). That is not working too well for them. Just because you are in it a long time does not mean you will not face the consequences of not learning the new.

Mark 2:22 (AMP) No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the [fermenting] wine will [expand and] burst the skins, and the wine is lost as well as the wineskins. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Galatians 5:25 (AMP) 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].

Who is in control? It cannot be some of God and some of me. It has to be all of Him. That means I have to let go of the way I think it should go. That means I have to surrender even when I do not “feel” ready. That means I have to run when He says to run. That means I have to climb that hill even though I do not feel like it. To get in shape you have to submit to a good eating and fitness regiment. If you plan it, you get to take the breaks whenever you want. If you have someone else that you are accountable to, those breaks are not a part of the plan, and you have to submit to get the results. The “I will get there eventually” mentality has created slothfulness in the body of Christ. We have not taken the Word as real. We miss meals on the Word, but would not miss meals when it comes to our stomachs. Mark Batterson wrote, “If you are not hungry for God, you are full of yourself.” That is a heart check statement right there. Am I more hungry for God than the food on my plate? Can you put everything else aside and say “God, here I am.”

Abba, Father, we stand in awe of You. You are Holy. You are Marvelous. You are Righteous. Let this year be about getting our First Love back. Let us accept Your Son for all of who He is. That He came to make us Whole. That His Peace makes us Full. When we fall in love with You and we truly put You first, we will see everything else in it’s rightful place. When Your voice is first, all the other voices will fall away. When Your Word is first place in our lives, then all other distractions will disappear. When Your principles come first, then the promises of Your Word find their way into our lives. Let us get back to You first. Let us say “Here I am.” We repent for putting ourselves before Your Word, before Your voice, before Your leading. Let us open up Your Word and hunger for it like it is the best meal we have ever eaten. Thank You for Your forgiveness and that your Mercy is new every morning. We choose joy today. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Gracefully Broken

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Assaults to Rest

Colossians 3:23-24 (AMP) Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [greatest] reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you [actually] serve.

First, excellence is your best effort, it is not the requirement of perfection (which is performance driven). When life becomes performance driven we can lose passion. We we get focused on the task and not on Jesus, we can because burned out (lost our position of rest). We are not getting the outcome we expected and, therefore, lose focus of the One our hearts desire was to be in the first place. When we come into our houses of worship, when we cook breakfast for our families, when we fold their laundry, when we read our devotions and get into His Word, when we are on our jobs…whatever we do. Do it for the Lord. Is He Lord of our lives? Is He what we fit in when we can or a second thought after we got ourselves into a situation and need Him to get you out? Whatever we do put Him first place in our life.

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.”

Secondly, influences other than Jesus. Proverbs 14:25 says, “A truthful witness saves lives, but he who speaks lies is treacherous (AMP).” Pride and self preservation will not result in rest. I was ministered to a few weeks ago and she said directly to me, “there are those who do not want you free, because it is for their benefit for you to stayed bound.” How can that be? Then I saw it happen in someone else’s life and I got it. Freedom is an assault to those who do not like the message of change and surrender. When I got my freedom, I desired others to be free. Part of that freedom is knowing that I do not need to receive love from anyone other than Jesus. When I am directing someone to Jesus and not to the codependent person that has an insecurity issue, it is an assault to them. Not knowing that they are bound themselves, they will fight for their way of life. How do I confront this? Sometimes its a stronghold and the battle is done in prayer. Pray for their freedom. Pray for their minds to be aligned with the Word. Pray for the bonds of insecurity to be loosed in their lives. Then set yourself a boundary. Boundaries are not just for cutting off, it is just saying I am not going to go there with you.

Rest is not the absence of action, it is the position of my heart. If I am worried about making sure those around me are for me, then I have lost focused. It is all about me and not about Him. My husband posted this, “When I become me focused, you become my enemy.” Why are we fighting for self preservation? Surrender is the key to rest. We take His yoke we are submitting to learning from Him. He says that we are to be of humble of heart. Does that sound like preserving ourselves?

2 Corinthians 5:15 (AMP)  and He died for all, so that all those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for their sake.

Today’s verse of the day on YouVersion sums up my daily prayer. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me (Psalms 51:10).” So here are two things to look for if we have received an assault to the rest we are to walk in. First, is He your focus during the task. We can be so busy doing good things that we lose focus on Him. Secondly, am I allowing the right influences. Do I feel more drawn to the Father or they drawing me to what they want? Remember, a truthful witness will bring life to us. If I am more worried about their insecurities, or my insecurities, then my influence is off. Boundaries have to be put in place and prayers go in for strongholds to be broken. If not, we will lose rest resulting depression, loss of joy, no peace, etc.

My prayer for you and myself is that we draw our focus to Christ. He is the perfecter and finisher of our faith. In Him we find our identity. Repent for the self preservation. Come to a life of surrender. It is going be better than we could have ever imagined or dreamed of (Ephesians 3:20).