Tag Archives: God

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I Will Praise You In The Storm

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There are days when you pray, and then pray even harder for it not to ‘downpour’ in that moment… And no matter how fast you may try to run from it, the storm comes anyway. Sometimes, that’s just the way life is. This was one of those days. So I threw my head back, laughing… and I began to dance under the cool showers. God calms the storm; and other times, He lets the storm rage and calms the soul. Thank you God for even the storms.

“I will praise you in the storm and I will lift my hands, for you are who you are, no matter where I am, and every tear I cry, you hold in your hand, you’ve never left my side, and though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm.” Casting Crowns

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A Cloud By Day

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The forecast said it would rain all day. I still packed my running shoes and I prayed it wouldn’t even sprinkle during my walk today. The sky was a darker shade of gray when I stepped out, so I prayed a little harder as I started my journey. Then, all of sudden, the cloud cover seemed to open in one spot, just over my head. And it continued to follow me for 4-miles. And I started to think on God’s presence as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night for the Israelites (Exodus 13:21). It reminded me that His presence is always hovering over and around us day in and day out. God protects His children and He is with us where ever we may go.

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All Consuming Fire, A Blaze Of Love

O, what a wonderful God we serve. He seeks to love on us from the rising of the sun to the laying down of our heads and is ever faithful, drawing us continually into His court of peace and joy. Our Lord sees the needs and yearnings in our deepest parts and rejoices in the deliverance He knows and prepares to come. What a gracious Father, what a glorious Savior we have access to every day! I am overwhelmed by His kindness…

Sometimes we can get caught up in a day’s worries and forget that God is longing to bring us some real joy and waits patiently to comfort and restore a worn out soul. This morning as I neared the end of my workout, I started to feel the burden of a to-do list looming. As I called out to God for some direction, the Spirit pressed upon this dear heart with a different plan. I found myself at the door of Cracker Barrel, asking for a table for one. At 10 a.m., the store was packed with Saturday morning couples and families and a line behind me started to form as I waited for the next available seat. A waitress came to the entrance with a ‘follow me’ motion. I eagerly trailed behind expecting we would end up at a small, table-for-two setting in some remote corner or possibly packed in the middle of several larger tables. But that was not God’s plan for me today.

The waitress stopped in front of its massively blazing fireplace at a table for four (or six) and said ‘here you are’. I was stunned. ‘Here? At the head of this restaurant packed with parties clearly bigger than my own, with a magnificent view, at a table fit for a queen… this is where you’re seating me, Lord?’ In that moment, my heart felt the beat of His loving heart and the warmth of His mighty embrace… my heart was humbled and I wanted to fall on my knees right there and proclaim ‘I’m not worthy… I’m not worthy, for a seat at the head table.’ The Spirit consumed my heart and said ‘my daughter, my love, you are worthy and I want you seated with me at the head table… come join me.’

I took my place, facing the fiery blaze that filled up the room with such perfect warmth. I heard the flames roar and crackle as I watched the fire rise and fall and God spoke out ‘My heart is a blaze that roars with such passionate love for you my child. I am the all-consuming fire that burns deep within your soul. I do not fade or grow cold.’

In that moment, I felt chosen… by the King of Kings. And my heart was even more humbled, by the pouring out of His love and affection, that He would even take the time to sit with me, revealing His heart, touching the bottom of mine. What beauty our God shares with us when we stop bearing self-imposed burdens and allow His Spirit to speak a new plan into our lives. Our God always has the time. He seeks out daily for opportunities to spend with us and waits patiently for the yearning of our hearts to turn toward Him… just so He can love on us… and reveal a brighter, lighter yoke than what our finite minds could ever comprehend.

O, my Lord, my God, you alone are worthy of my praise. You are so worthy! Your love surrounds me daily, and I am but a beggar for more, in desperate need of your presence. Thank you for who you are; the Author, the Creator, The Beginning and The End! Praise you my God, you are so good to me! 

Song of Songs 8:6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

2 Chronicles 7:3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.”

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Silver Linings

Every day, let me say that again, every day, God is at work doing something in our lives. Many times we’re so distracted with other thoughts and priorities, we can’t pinpoint where or when He showed up in those 24 hours. Sometimes God’s hand at work is clouded by our own ideas of what His provision, interception or disruption should look like.

The other morning I galloped up a flight of stairs, strolled down the hall, passing by several people already hard at work on their computers and opened my laptop for a day of web design and developing direct marketing campaigns. In that moment, the ‘scales’ fell from my eyes as I peered out these massive windows stretching along two walls that surrounded the corner I was working in. Overlooking a beautiful park and walking paths, I couldn’t help but praise God for the view and the space He gave me to work in.

You see, I don’t have a full time job. In fact, in my job search, what God has given me is an opportunity to work 15 hours a week consulting realtors on communications and marketing strategies. Wherever I set up my computer, is where this line of work is done. On this particular morning, I was in a beautiful library and God blessed me with the ‘corner office’ space.

I’m no prestigious corporate executive working long hours and climbing the ladder of success that many would attribute this kind of blessing with. I’m technically unemployed and certainly not even remotely deserving of what the mind conceives a ‘corner office’ job to look like. But all of that doesn’t matter when it comes to God’s overwhelming love and outpouring of blessings in my life. All I had to do was open my eyes to realize His blessing was there for the taking! Amen!

We all have silver linings… God’s blessings that we may be missing daily in our lives because human nature’s view of the situation blinds us to the greatness of God in that moment.

What silver linings can you attest to today? Just know, whether you can see them or not, God is there, that I promise you.

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Working in the corner office space

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Our Riches Are All The Same

This morning while in line at Starbucks, a very corporate looking man in front of me presented a $100 bill to the barista at the till in hopes that the register could make change for his $3 coffee. Time began to pass as the store was having a hard time scraping up enough money to make change. With my pocket book in hand, I stepped forward and offered up five $20 bills to the gentleman in exchange for his one large bill.

 

What dawned on me in that moment was that our ‘riches’ were the same. Sure his looked different than mine- this guy had a really big bill and mine were each pretty small in comparison, but standing at the register, all that mattered was the total and we had exactly the same amount.

 

I thought about this in terms of the ‘riches’ we offer to God. Many of us don’t have one really big ministry or large leading to offer, but we do have smaller deposits we’re making every day. And when we step up to ‘the till’ or Heaven’s gate, it doesn’t matter if we present  one really big offering or several smaller stories dedicated to the devotion of our Lord, because in God’s eyes, it all equals the same!

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Solitude

Henri Nouwen called solitude… “the furnace of transformation.” This doesn’t refer to mere personal privacy for a twelve- second pit stop where we get a quick fix to reenter the race. It’s more than that. It’s an oasis of the soul where we see ourselves, others, and especially God in new ways. It’s where much of the “clutter” of life is identified and exterminated, thanks to the merciless heat of the “furnace.” Soul surgery transpires as serenity replaces anxiety.

In solitude, struggles occur that no one else knows about. Inner battles are fought here that seldom become fodder for sermons or illustrations for books. God, who probes our deepest thoughts during protracted segments of solitude, opens our eyes to things that need attention. It is here He makes us aware of those things we try to hide from others.- Charles Swindoll, “Intimacy with the Almighty”

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Our Daily Bread

God has been revealing to me a correlation between our daily supply in His word and the manna He provided to the Israelites. 

The people fed off of God’s daily provision; they were not allowed to store up extra for the days or weeks to come. I hear God saying this is how it is with His word. We can’t store up a week’s worth of the Word from what is given to us on Sunday, but rather, we must seek Him every day and be fed from His daily supply in the word.

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Lane Changer

As I was driving to work, I realized halfway there that I hadn’t changed lanes once since merging into the morning rush traffic. In fact, I couldn’t even recall the cars that may have passed by or those that fell behind. In this, I also noticed the impatient beat in my heart that drives that kind of lane-changing behavior was missing.

And God spoke in that moment, showing me that when my eyes are fixed straight ahead on the lane or path He has me in, my mind will not get distracted by who may be passing me by or what others are doing. When I’m not looking to the right or left at all the options or ‘opportunities’ to get ahead, my heart is at peace in the lane He has me in. (Deuteronomy 5:32)

With my eyes fixed on the narrow path God put me on, my mind isn’t consumed with whether I made it there faster or slower than others or what open lanes of opportunity I may have missed. When my focus is steadily straight ahead in The Way, I’m not even distracted by what others did in the lanes God placed them in. When I finally reach my destination, joy and peace exude from my heart; which ultimately is what I yearn for and thus has set the pace for the rest of this path He has me on. (Psalm 84:2) (Psalm 29:11) (Psalm 34:14) (John 14:6)

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Prayer For Divine Protection

I thank You Father that according to Isaiah 54:17 that no weapon formed against me shall prosper because I am the righteousness of God. Your favor surrounds me like a shield. (Psalm 5:12)

I declare that every attack that the devil has planned against me is diverted now in the name of Jesus. I use my words to agree with God’s Words, and therefore I cannot be defeated and I cannot be terrorized.

Fear has nothing in me because perfect love casts out fear, according to 1 John 4:18 and perfect love has been shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Perfect Love is God Himself living in me, therefore fear cannot live in me because God lives in me. And if God lives in me and He does, then love lives in me, and fear and torment cannot live in me. They cannot even come near my dwelling place. Praise the Lord.

I will fear no evil because God is with me (Hebrews 13:5-6). God Himself said that He will not in any way fail me nor give me  up, nor leave me without support…

He said I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless or forsake, nor let you down (AMP version). The Lord is my Helper; and I will not be seized with alarm. I will not fear or dread or be terrified, what man can do to me (Psalm 27:1, Psalm 118:6)

As the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21), I can speak the word of God and it comes to pass. I can declare and degree a thing and it shall come to pass. (Job 22:28). He is watching over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12) and it will not return to Him void. (Isaiah 55:11)

Every time I speak God’s Word, the angels hear it and they hearken to the voice of His Word; they hasten to carry out that word and bring it to pass. (Psalm 103:20). I cannot be defeated or destroyed; I condemn right now every tongue of fear trying to speak to me, every tongue of terror, every tongue of disaster, and tragedy. Nothing can defeat me, for if God before me, who can be against me.

Thank You Lord, that You have given me authority and Dominion over this earth and everything in this earth. I have authority over every serpent and scorpion and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt or harm me or my family (Luke 10:19)(Psalm 115:16)

I believe what God’s Word says and I will not be moved by what’s going on around me.

Now I declare that God is on my side, Jesus is Lord, and every mountain of fear, terror and plots against me is removed right now in the name of Jesus. I declare today that Satan has no power over my life; that every weapon he has, has been defeated, that fear has been cast out, that love makes my faith work and therefore I cannot fail. God’s Word cannot fail and that’s what we are made of – His Word, Made in His Image, after His likeness, with the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of His Words.

Therefore by the Blood of Jesus, I dwell in the secret place of the most High. I abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He has given His angels charge concerning me to guard me in all my ways. They will bear me up in their hands lest I dash my foot against a stone (Psalm 91)Thank You Lord for all Your Blessings. In Jesus Name Amen.

Satan I command you to take your hands off  me right now. I command you to cease and desist in any and all attempts to bring destruction or harm to me and my family. Father, I ask that You place a hedge of protection around my home now and around my body. In Jesus Name Amen.

(http://www.pastorjostwm.com/node/39)

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The Sting and The Salt

There are times when the things of the past, our former ways, come to the surface of our ’new being created in the likeness of Christ’. And in repentance of this old nature, we feel the pain and sorrow grieving God for the choice we made. 1 Corinthians tells us sin/death will ’sting’.

Today, God’s living word began to stir in my heart, revealing attitudes and ways of a former self in need deliverance. I crawled to my knees in abandonment as His mighty hand held my heart. A Godly sorrow poured out the pain in many heavy tears as I renounced this ’old’ self. And as each teardrop fell, I felt a literal sting slide down my face containing carried pain and burdens I’ve been harboring. One after another, my sorrows streamed across my cheeks like the sting of salt on a wound.

Two days ago, I received a medical chemical peel on my face. The old calloused and conditioned skin is now dead and has mostly peeled off, revealing a newer, fresh, more pure and sensitive face. I heard God say this: “Those tears represent each burden and pain of an old nature. The sting of those sins are felt only to the new creation I have revealed.”

You see, a man stuck in his ways cannot feel the sting of death carried in his sin; he is conditioned and calloused to its ’pain’-just as the outer layer of my face had become conditioned for those salty tears. But when a new creation is revealed, the ’sting’ of an old nature can truly be felt.

“The newness” of Christ has covered me. God didn’t create us for the sting of death/sin. When we are renewed in Him and “put off the ways of our former self”, we become more sensitive to the ’sting’.

For me, I am reminded of this: In each of those tears I shed, there were burdens… and there was the salt. Jesus IS the Salt. And this much i know, though it stings in the moment, Salt heals like no other! Amen!