Key to the Kingdom: A Foundation of Faith Grounded in Gratitude

Colossians 2:7 (VOICE) Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness.

Beloved, be firmly rooted in a foundation of faith overflowing with gratitude. For your faith will serve you well when the attacks of the enemy inevitably come, but the tenacity of your faith will stand fast when tested when you are rooted and grounded in Me and the joy of your salvation. 

As your faith remains steadfast and your gratitude unfailing, nothing and no one can shift your gaze from Me. Gratitude protects your heart from bitterness and sorrow just as faith protects your mind from fear and unbelief. So stand fast, beloved, and let your deep roots hold as the winds of trial come – you will see that you cannot be shaken. 

Ephesians 6:16 (VOICE) Don’t forget to raise the shield of faith above all else, so you will be able to extinguish flaming spears hurled at you from the wicked one.

Be a Portal

Psalm 84:2 (VOICE) How I long to be there —my soul is spent, wanting, waiting to walk in the courts of the Eternal. My whole being sings joyfully to the living God.

Beloved, spend your life in a place of worship. Dwell in there. Draw heaven into earth. Be a portal – a vessel for Me to flow through. Allow Me to change the world through you. 

As you yield your heart of worship, watch as I fling wide the windows of heaven and pour forth that which you have not known and cannot explain. Be ready to receive, beloved, for what I have in store is good.  Continue reading “Be a Portal”

Yield to the Life-Changing Flow

Ephesians 5:26 (VOICE) …He gave Himself up completely to make her His own, washing her clean of all her impurity with water and the powerful presence of His word.

Beloved, allow My Word to wash over you. Take the time to soak in it. Meditate and saturate. Be washed clean, refreshed, and renewed. Allow it to hydrate and soften you, let it remove and restructure areas that are dry and brittle. 

And in the same way water refuses to be held back – managing to find cracks and crevices, and then over time changing the shape of even the hardest surfaces, yield to the life-changing flow and be transformed. 

Trust My Love

1 John 4:16 (TPT) We have come into an intimate experience with God’s love, and we trust in the love he has for us. God is love! Those who are living in love are living in God, and God lives through them.

Beloved, trust My love for you. Relish and delight in it. Be intentional to see all the ways I lavish you with My affections. I know your heart and I know it well, for it is precious to Me. Abide in this place of intimacy with Me – cocooned in the safety of My heart for you. 

Allow My love to penetrate and saturate, and live as one with a keen understanding of being inherently worth loving – someone worth pursuing, someone worth giving it all for, for that indeed is My heart for you. And as you walk in the confidence that My love inspires, you will change the lives of those around you, and they will know Me more simply by knowing you. 

Choose Wisely and Yield

Isaiah 64:8 (AMP) Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our Potter, And we all are the work of Your hand.

Beloved, yield to Me. You have been given choices, so choose wisely – choose to surrender all you have and all you are to Me, trusting that I will lead you rightly. For I see what you do not see and know what you do not know. I AM righteous and I AM good. My heart towards you is unfathomable love. 

But surrender requires trust. At each decision and each choice the question becomes: do you trust Me? Do you trust Me to have your best interests at heart? Do you trust Me to care? Do you trust My judgment? Do you trust Me? 

So be mindful of the message your actions make clear, and know I AM not the only one who will see and take note. To surrender requires faith. Yield to Me, beloved. Choose wisely and yield. 

The Fullness of My Blessing

Numbers 25:12-13 (TPT) So I want you to declare this: “I, your God, do pledge to Phinehas a covenant of peace, not only for him but for his descendants too. I promise they will always be priests because in his jealousy for Me, Phinehas covered the wickedness of the Israelites.”

Beloved, I AM a rewarder of those who pour out their devotion to Me. Just as you have not withheld from Me, so I will not withhold My blessing from you. Beloved, sometimes My blessing is simply staving off a curse or hardship. You may not always be aware of My hand at work, but never doubt that it is. 

Just as you are zealous for Me, so I AM zealous for you, beloved. I AM covering you in My peace and positioning you as I have anointed. Walk in the fullness of My blessing.  Continue reading “The Fullness of My Blessing”

Pour Out from the Overflow

Psalm 84:10 (TPT) For just one day of intimacy with you is like a thousand days of joy rolled into one! I’d rather stand at the threshold in front of the Gate Beautiful, ready to go in and worship my God, than to live my life without you in the most beautiful palace of the wicked.

Beloved, open your eyes and behold My beauty. Be filled and completely saturated in My presence. Lift your voice in a song of praise, and bow low before your King in awe and reverence, for I AM worthy. 

Abide in this place. Let the song of heaven surround you. Dig in deep, and flourish in My house. Life bursting forth all around you and burgeoning forth within you. Cultivate this ground. Cultivate this space. Dwell with Me, flourish, and pour out from the overflow. 

The Presence of My Perfect Love

1 John 4:18 (TPT) Love never brings fear, for fear is always related to punishment. But love’s perfection drives the fear of punishment far from our hearts…

Beloved, fear is abolished in the presence of My perfect love. You no longer need to fear punishment, for even though I chasten those I love, I do so in love. If I wound, I heal. And if I break, I bind. And even then beloved, I only do so when it is necessary and I AM with you through it all. 

You are cherished and loved. I AM not looking for things to reprimand you for nor seeking reason to punish you. I AM a good Father, and I love My children. Receive that love and be made whole. 

Harvest of Love

Psalm 96:7 (VOICE) Give all credit to the Eternal, families of the world! Credit Him with glory, honor, and strength!

Beloved, remember who I AM and see Me rightly. Recognize the works of My hands and honor them as the prized creations that they are. This includes you. This includes all My children. Resist the urge to treat lightly one that I love. Refuse to be tempted to hurt or belittle one that I took time to create.

Just as a broken vessel doesn’t accurately reflect its intended design, so those around you may have similar cracks and seeming defects. And yet I love them. And yet I value them. Will you not choose to see what I see? Instead of judging based on imperfections, ask Me to show you My true design. Catch the vision and align your heart, expectations, and actions with that. As you do that, expect to reap a rich harvest of love.  Continue reading “Harvest of Love”

Key to the Kingdom: Guard Your Mouth

Psalm 141:3 (VOICE) Guard my mouth, O Eternal One; control what I say. Keep a careful watch on every word I speak.

Beloved, a fool can be known by the volume of His words, so be slow to speak and weigh each word knowing you will have to answer for each one. So choose to bless rather than curse, to build up rather than tear down, and to speak life rather than death. Resist the urge to indulge in careless or needless words, for you often may not understand their impact until it is too late. 

The mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart, so tend the garden of your heart well. Refuse to allow bitterness, anger, or judgment to take root there. Meditate on that which is good. Choose joy and hope and love. Flow from that place and spread life to all those around you from the wellspring of your heart.