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Safe Under The Blanket

The Lord wants to cover us with a blanket of peace.

When we get under that blanket with Him and His word, the enemy can’t see us under that blanket.

There are arrows from the enemy flying all over the place towards God’s people. If we lift that blanket up to see what they’re doing (people who have been used by the enemy) we make ourselves vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.

But if we keep ourselves hunkered down under that blanket, with God’s word and Jesus, and look at what God says and listen to the Holy Spirit, instead of looking to see what’s happening in the natural, we will have peace in the midst of the war that’s going on around us.

Jesus, I accept your blanket of peace. Please help me to stay under there with you, looking at the truth. In Jesus name, Amen.

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He is so Proud of You

1207011_85779094A young man timidly approached me and another woman who were serving as prayer partners after church one Sunday. He began to name the things that were wrong with him, all the reasons he needed prayer.

I listened to what he had to say, while inwardly asking God what he would have me do for this man.

After he finished talking, I said, “I think God is really proud of you.”

He looked astounded, as if I hadn’t heard what he had said.

I went on, “You’re seeking him, and he is so proud that you made it here.”

Sometimes the only thing we can do is take one step towards God. It’s easy to get caught up looking at all the things we need to change, but remember, God is so proud of the steps we take toward him.

Like a daddy holding out his hands while a child is learning to walk, so is God holding out his hands towards us. He is calling, wanting us to come with all his heart, though he will never force us.

Like the child walking towards its father for the first time, we may fall on the way. But our daddy God rushes towards us, picks us up, and tells us how happy he is that we took those first steps towards him.

He is so proud of you.

Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; (Philippians 1:6 NKJV).

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He Kept It In His Pocket

Photo Credit Oskarmm sxc.hu

Photo Credit Oskarmm sxc.hu

When Moses sent the Israelites to spy out the land God was giving to them, only two came back with a good report. The good report was measured with what God had said. The bad report was measured by what the men saw around them, seeing themselves as small and the people of the land as bigger than they were (Numbers 13-14).

When we see our circumstances according to ourselves, things can look dreary. But when we see things according to the way God has spoken to us through prayer and His word, things look a lot better.

Those sent out to spy the land who came back with a negative report never entered the land. Those who did not believe never entered God’s rest (Hebrews 3).

I knew a man in Bible College, He wrote down what God had promised him, and he kept that piece of paper in his pocket every single day. He would pull it out and look at it. That is one way to keep our eyes on God’s promises to us.

There will be many people who will try to drag us down, try to get us to join them in their unbelief, when in fact they are the ones staying in the wilderness for their lack of belief. Don’t let them take your promised land from you. Keep the word of God in your eyes, mouth, ears and mind. Keep it in front of you, even if it’s like my friend in Bible College who kept God’s promises in his pocket.

God has given you His word. His word will not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11). Don’t give up. Don’t stop believing. Be the one who steps into the Promised Land, and not the one who stays in the wilderness.

God Bless you today as you keep God’s word in your eyes, ears, mind and heart!

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Don’t Dismiss The Broken

Photo Credit Cobrasoft sxc.hu

Photo Credit Cobrasoft sxc.hu

So many of us pass by things that don’t look good on the outside; but the truth is, because of this, so many are missing out on what God sees as precious.

For God has hidden treasure in many people that don’t “look good” on the outside. They don’t look like leaders, they don’t look like someone who loves the Lord. Instead they seem broken, they seem weak, they seem trampled. They may have tattoos, they may not look like you and I. But God has hidden in them seeds of life.

When God gets hold of someone  who’s broken, they realize their need for Him, and He goes about restoring them to what He created them to be.

It’s just like walking through an antique store. We who are just browsing through might see an old, worn, maybe dented piece of furniture. We might pass that by for something that looks better to us. But to a master builder, carpenter, restorer…. that piece of furniture most people would pass by, when restored, could be the most beautiful piece of furniture in the whole store.

So don’t dismiss those who are broken… they could be the most beautiful of all.

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Worship While You Work

Photo Credit Cieleke sxc.hu

Photo Credit Cieleke sxc.hu

The housework seemed overwhelming. Every time I looked, there seemed to be a new mess to clean up. I became overwhelmed, and when I’m overwhelmed, I’m grumpy.

One day I said, “Lord, would you help me with this house and everything that needs to get done?”

A few days later I read about Flylady as I was flipping through a magazine. Her teaching is that small routines will get the big jobs done.

I don’t pretend to have it all together, but truly, it has helped over the years.

One thing she talks about is worshipping her way through her housecleaning in the morning. What a way to start your day. I love that.  I will often pray as I go about my daily routines. I didn’t feel like it made much of a difference, but the more I did it, the more I realized how much more in tune I felt with the Lord.

I love to set aside time to worship and pray. But sometimes, when life comes at you, you can worship and pray as you shower and get ready in the morning, as you do your dishes, as you pick up the house. And, you’ll find that worshipping and praying throughout your house, throughout your day, somehow changes the atmosphere to that of peace.

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Our Protection

Photo Credit lucretious sxc.hu

Photo Credit lucretious sxc.hu

The Bible says God’s promises are our armor and protection (Psalm 91:4 NLT).

If we don’t know the promises of God, if we don’t know the word, then how will we be protected from the enemy’s arrows?

It does not happen overnight. And for some reason, I used to think it did. I would look at what the enemy was doing in my life, and think I had to spend hours in the word. But really, God only wants you to do how much you can keep up with.

Stay with a schedule you can do. Something that’s not too much and not too little. Play around with it. See what works best for you.

I heard somewhere that 21 days makes a habit, but 3 months makes a lifestyle. Can you commit to reading the word every day for 3 months? Do not bite off more than you can chew, but commit to something, that way you will have a steady diet of the word coming into your life.

And when you ask the Holy Spirit to show you what He wants you to see and to speak to you through the word, it will change your life.  He will encourage you when you need encouragement. He will admonish you when you’ve been going astray and He will lead you into coming into alignment with God’s plan for your life.

You are God’s child, He loves you so much. Will you make time to listen to what your Heavenly Father has to say to you through His word?

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Let The Stones Fall

Photo Credit Raederle sxc.hu

Photo Credit Raederle
sxc.hu

They all stood in a circle around me, with rocks in their hands. Their words hit me like rocks and they hurt. All of their words, rejection and assumptions were tearing me apart. My dress was dirty, worn and torn.

Jesus came in the midst of all of their tearing down and false accusations. He came in and He carried me out of that circle. He carried me in his arms away from them. And as He carried me away, he said, “Neither do I condemn you.”

This was a vision the Lord showed me after a time of much hurt and pain in my life.

Have you had stones thrown at you? It’s not Ok, for the Lord has said, “He who is without sin cast the first stone (John 8:7).” He wants to heal your heart from that hurt that was done to you.

Have you had a stone in your hand; a stone of hurtful words, judgment, accusation? Friend, put the stone down, you do not see the whole situation and you cannot judge another’s heart.

It is the Lord who each of us must stand in front of. He alone is our judge.

Let the stones fall to the ground.