Happy Wednesday, Friends!

So, I’ve taken up blogging again. 🙂 Each day I’ll write a few additional thoughts to add to the blessing I post on Facebook that day. Today I’ll give away 2 copies of my new book, ‘Blessings for the Evening‘ to someone who posts on my blog.

Here’s today’s blessing:

Start a Day Blessing: May the Kingdom, Power, and Presence of the Living God seem nearer to you now than ever before. May your understanding of what you possess in Him grow exponentially today. May you see glimpses of glory everywhere you turn so you’re reminded that God is very much at work behind the scenes, answering your prayers, opening doors, and moving mountains. Jesus lives to pray for you and when He prays heaven moves. Walk full of faith today simply because heaven sings a song over you. God is at work on your behalf, and any day now, you will see Him breakthrough. Bless you, friend!

One of my life verses is Psalm 116:9 ~ And so I walk in His presence as I live here on earth.

I love the idea of walking in constant and continual awareness of the Living God in my midst. He is for us, with us, and making a way for us in ways that we cannot fathom or comprehend. 

Maybe you’ve read the famous quote by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, but it bears repeating here:

Earth is crammed with heaven. And every common bush afire with God; but only he who sees takes off his shoes. The rest just sit around and pick blackberries.

Jesus is continually speaking to a waiting and watching world. The problem is, so few of us are waiting or watching. But what if we had the presence of mind to acknowledge and honor Him in our midst? What if we had the wisdom to take off our shoes and acknowledge those sacred moments that take place amidst our ordinary days? I’ll tell you what would happen: we’d be changed; transformed; and, we’d gain a deeper understanding of the Kingdom people we were always intended to be.

Scripture tells us that it’s in His presence, the fullness of joy is found. We find our deepest joy in Him and with Him. So of course the enemy wants us racing through life, totally missing the treasured access we’ve been offered through Christ Jesus.

May we pause today and remember afresh that we are the object of God’s affection. He loves us deeply, profoundly, and truly. And no one can gossip enough to Him about us to make Him change His mind about us. 

Jesus Himself–right at this moment–is praying for you, pulling foryou, and interceding for you in ways you wouldn’t even know how to pray for yourself. Isn’t that just an amazing thought? 

Walk in His presence today. Delight in Him. In due time, He will satisfiy the deepest desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

Blessings on your day today!

Hey Friends!

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I’ve decided to start blogging again. 🙂 Each day (Lord willing) I’ll post my ‘Start a Day Blessing’ from my Facebook page, along with some additional thoughts related to that day’s blessing. 

Here’s today’s blessing: 

Start a Day Blessing: May God help you identify the idols in your life – those things that hold you captive, have too much power over you, and keep you from soul freedom. May you give God the glory He deserves. May you ascribe to Him the power you once gave to others. May you thank Him for the future the enemy has threatened to steal from you. May you walk forward with abundant grace, divine peace, and overwhelming joy because you’re profoundly rich in Christ. Shake the shackles off your feet and praise Him! He’s set you free! Have a great day today!

In John 10:10 Jesus reminds us that our enemy’s whole purpose is to steal from us, and Jesus’ whole purpose is to make us whole, lacking nothing, filled to overflowing with more of Him (my paraphrase). He invites us into a divine and intimate fellowship with Him so we’ll begin to see things from a heavenly perspective. Weget to feast at His table, to be nourished in His presence, and to learn things we’d otherwise never understand apart from Him. In fact, He actually confides in–tells secrets to–those who love and fear Him. He’s our Source of life and no one and nothing can compare to Him. 

So why do we allow so many things in this life to compete with Him? And what does it say about God when He describes Himself as a ‘jealous God’? Does that make Him small and petty? Absolutely not. Read what Kyle Idleman writes in his fantastic book, ‘gods at war’:

“God is jealous for your heart, not because he is petty or insecure, but because He loves you. the reason why God has such a huge problem with idolatry is that His love for you is all-consuming. He loves you too much to share you…In the Bible, the words ‘jealous’ and ‘zealous’ are interchangeable; we think of zeal as intense enthusiasm. That idea captures why God is so possessive about us: He is, as He says, a consuming fire of passion for us.” (pp.44, 45).

If there’s something in your life that causes you great angst, something that disrupts your peace, stop in your tracks and do a little soul searching. Underneath your frustration you may find an idol; something that holds more power over you than it should. What’s so beautiful about this process is that with repentance comes times of refreshing. 

God wants you free. So be free! Walk in freedom. Do the happy dance. And refuse to let anything have power over you, because Christ’s power IN YOU sets you free to live life healed and whole.

Have a great day today! 

Hey Friends!

I’ve decided to try something new. If you follow my blog at all, you know that I stopped blogging some time ago (smile.sigh). With two live radio shows a day, I just couldn’t keep up with a lengthy weekly devotional blog. Sooo, I’ve decided to try something new that may be more doable for me and hopefully nourishing for you!

About five days a week I post a morning and evening blessing on my Facebook page. Those blessings are viewed by about twenty thousand people each day. In fact, those blessings resulted in the first of hopefully several beautiful, hardcover blessings book. The first of which released just a couple of weeks ago. Check out:Blessings for the Evening: Finding Peace in God’s Presence.

So here’s my idea. Each time I post a blessing on Facebook, I’ll also post it here, along with a few extra thoughts that tie into that day’s blessing. I would love to read your thoughts and insights as well.

Here’s today’s blessing:

 

May you suddenly grow in your capacity to understand God’s love. May the reality of His feelings toward you put your heart at ease and fill your soul with gladness. May the rush and worry culture have no impact on you. May The Lord Himself set your pace and establish you in your purpose. His yoke is precious, beautiful, divine, and doable. Walk joyfully today! 

Something supernatural happens in our lives when we begin to understand who we are in Christ and what we posses in Him. Read this powerful passage from Ephesians 1:15-19 ~ I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that He has done for you. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of hte future He has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to Him! I pray that you will be begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him…

So how do we grow in our capacity to understand His love and His divine imprint on our lives? We start by simply taking Him at His word. Believing what He says about us is true, even when it doesn’t feel true. We wrap our arms around His love and let it sink deep into our souls, where most lies go to hide. We lift our chin and refuse to look at our circumstances apart from Him. You and I are blessed beyond comprehension and we posses an increased understanding of who we are and what we possess by knowing Jesus deeply, following Him closely, and trusting Him consistently.

Blessings on you this day, my friend!