SPRING!

Has your spiritual life been in a season of “Winter?”  Have you felt that you have been in a time of inactivity or a time of slumber?  Have you snuggled into that place of comfort and found yourself not wanting to venture into the unknown?

Well!  It is a NEW SEASON!  Today is the first day of SPRING!  It is a time when you will see NEW LIFE begin to erupt in your ministry and in your church!  A time of NEW GROWTH, STRONGER GROWTH, and FOCUSED GROWTH has arrived!  The spiritual “seeds” in your life that have been covered and hidden until the right time are beginning to emerge!

Do not be discouraged if the Lord is still pruning you – taking away all of those things that are keeping you from having the healthy, abundant growth that He desires in your life. This pruning will make way for the new growth.  EMBRACE THE PRUNING!

It is time to open your arms wide; turn and lift your face towards the Light of Jesus;  allow the Living Water of the Holy Spirit to flow in you and from you; and breathe in the life-giving breath of God!

Are you ready to leave Winter behind and step into Spring?  It is a choice, a commitment, and a FAITH step!  REACH FOR THE LIGHT AND GROW!!

“For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord.  So live as people of light!  For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.”    (Ephesians 5z:7-9  NLT)

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Who Are You?

Who are you? Your identity is who GOD says you are!  

Brothers and Sisters, do not let people tell you who you are. Do not let circumstances tell you who you are. 

God, and He alone, knows who you truly are!

WHEN YOU LIMIT YOURSELF~YOU LIMIT GOD!

Do you hear Him calling you to greater things? Things that you have never considered doing in the Kingdom?  

Have faith! He only needs your willingness and He will equip you for the call!! Hallelujah!

Are you willing?

God Will Get The Glory!

I looked around my room and realized the time had come! There were piles everywhere! Clothes, books, papers, shoes…how had I let it get so junked up? I like for things to be organized. I like to have things in place. When my surroundings are in order…I feel more in order. When things around me are in chaos…I feel a sense of being out of control.

There is so much going on in our world right now. It is easy to get caught up in the things that are piling up around us. It is easy to let ourselves get caught up in the chaos that is swirling around us.

So! I was determined to get those things under control that were indeed in my control. As I began to pick up one thing after another and put it in its correct place, I found myself picking up an upside down post-it note holder.

As my eyes fell on the note that I had scribbled down sometime in the past, I stopped and received the message that God was speaking to me right now!

Brothers and Sisters, no matter what is happening in your life; no matter what chaos or disorder you are dealing with; hear God speaking!

Do not be afraid! He is with you! He will cause ALL things to work together for your good! And when all is said and done —HE will get the glory!! HALLELUJAH!!

WAIT FOR THE LORD!

As my friend and I were talking on the phone today, we both were discussing how important God’s timing is in our lives.

It is so easy to rush ahead when we are anticipating what God is calling us to do. It is so easy to try and make it happen under our own power.

There are also things we have been praying for – perhaps for years!  Beloved, don’t give up! Don’t be downcast!

Let your heart take courage!  Be strong!  Wait for the Lord!!

[photo credit: roamingrobert.com]

One Faith Step at a Time

And the Lord said to me, “Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.” Acts 22:10

As I was reading this Scripture pertaining to Paul and His defense before the Jews, I was reminded of the importance of our being obedient unto the Lord. In reading this, I noticed that the Lord first told Paul to go into Damascus. THEN he would be told what he needed to do there.

Ahhhh, Brothers and Sisters! The Lord usually doesn’t give us the “whole picture.” Our path is made up of one faith step at a time. We are told to take one step … and as we are obedient in that … then we are given the next step. I don’t know about you, but this can be very difficult. Especially, if He is calling us to do something that is out of our “comfort zone.” I want to know when, why, how. I want to know the whole picture!

However, on looking back at those times in my life that He has called me step-by-step to trust Him in where He is leading me, I realize that it is for my good to not have the whole picture. There are times that I realize if I had known the whole picture—I might have run the other way!!

We, as humans, tend to focus on our own abilities and strengths. And God doesn’t focus on that…He focuses on what HE can do through us if we are willing. Our LORD is a BIG GOD and He calls us to do big things. If we knew ahead of time all that He plans for us to do in His kingdom, we might be overwhelmed! But, in His goodness, He only gives us what we can handle…a little at a time…until we are at the place He gently leads us to. What a loving, gentle, Father!!

Beloved, may we be obedient and take that next step in faith. May we know that God is right there, holding our hands, protecting us on all sides, ordering our steps, so that we can carry out the BIG PLANS that He has determined for us to do. We CAN do all things through Christ! And we CAN accomplish it through one faith step at a time…

 

LOOK UP!

The RAIN finally came!! As I was in Choir practice, I could hear the downpour outside and the cracking and rumbling of thunder.

But as I left the church, I saw it had stopped. As I got closer to my home, my attention was drawn to the night sky – beautiful!!

But what awaited me at home was not! My husband reported seeing hail (in Florida!) and the indoor/outdoor carpet on my porch was soaked. One bird feeder pole was on the ground…the other one leaning to the side. One heavy potted rose bush was about 2 feet from where it usually sat on the patio. And my poor plants looked like they had been in a boxing match!

My husband estimated that the wind gusted about 50mph at times. When I got home all I saw was the result. There was no wind, no rain, and no thunder.

And as I saw the devastation on the ground, I once again looked up and saw the beauty in the night sky – reminding me to keep my sight on things above – reminding me to keep my sight on God!

In the coming days, we may not see what is happening spiritually…but we definitely will see the result!

Open our eyes, LORD, that we may SEE!  Open our ears, LORD, that we may HEAR!  And open our mouths, LORD, that we may PRAY!img_1076


INTREPID WARRIORS OF LOVE!

Sometimes we look at our lives and we ask God, “Why?”

We don’t understand why we are going through times of hurt; times of pain; times of weakness; times of warfare.

Beloved of God! The Lord is with us in and through it all! And not only is He with us…

But “…we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”. (Romans 8:28)

Be assured, precious ones, that no matter what you are going through…no matter how bad it may seem…the Lord loves you!!

What the enemy would use for your destruction – The Lord will use to strengthen you…to equip you…to help you to become more than a mighty conqueror!

This is His promise…this is His Truth! Believe it and declare it!

Last night I heard in my spirit…“INTREPID WARRIORS OF LOVE!”

I went to the dictionary and looked up intrepid. It means “resolutely fearless; dauntless.”

I looked up dauntless. It means “not to be intimidated”.

Ahhhhhh Beloved of God! May you be fearless and not intimidated by your circumstances!

I declare and decree over you this day:

You are INTREPID WARRIORS OF LOVE!! GO FORTH IN THE POWER AND LOVE OF ALMIGHTY GOD!! Amen!

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LET FAITH ARISE!

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Glory, Glory, Glory! Sometimes I feel a stirring in the atmosphere…preparation and alignments that must take place for the outpouring that is coming! Yes, there is much warfare going on in the world. But we, as the Church, are being called to position ourselves to be vessels of love and healing and power of the Living God!

Do not get sidetracked by what you see! But, focus on what The Lord would have manifested. Speak His will and watch for it to come to pass!

We are entering a time where The Lord is looking for those that have faith! Faith that He is who He says He is! Faith that He can do what He says He can do! And faith that we are who He says we are! LET FAITH ARISE!!

FAITH

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I believe we, as the body of Christ, are entering a time when it is absolutely necessary to walk out our faith!  What do we believe?  And if we believe – do we EXPECT to SEE what we believe?

For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7).  Our faith is not based upon what we see…but what we see should be a manifestation of our faith!

We must SPEAK our faith…declare what the Lord declared in His word!  Declare and decree the TRUTH that He spoke – His Truth is unchanging and timeless.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1).  Are we walking in ASSURANCE and CONFIDENCE?

What has the Lord placed within your heart and spirit concerning His desire for you?  What is His desire for your family, your ministry, your church, your community, your city, your state, your country, and for the world?  May we align ourselves with HIS desire and will!  And may we PRAY His will; SPEAK His will; and ACT upon His will!

Are we waiting upon Him to answer our prayers?  Well, He is waiting upon us to be a part of the answer He is releasing!

And what is our part?  We are to represent Him upon this earth – to be His hands, feet, and VOICE!  Are we ready?  Do we have the confidence and boldness to go forward in the power of the Holy Spirit and BE the body of Christ we are called to be?

We can only represent Him to the extent that we KNOW Him!  Do you KNOW the King of kings and Lord of lords — not just know ABOUT Him — but know Him personally?


It is time to DRAW NEAR beloved!  He is waiting…