Embrace Trials

Isaiah 43:2 (TLB) When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you.

Beloved, embrace the trials you encounter, knowing I have allowed them for your good. Just as building muscle in weight training requires repetition and increased opposition (weight), repeated trials give opportunity for you to grow strong and build your faith.

The question becomes will you embrace the growing and refining process with joy? Or will you complain throughout the process? Be aware that having joy in the midst is part of what successful maturation looks like. So choose wisely and choose well.

Embrace trials for the character building opportunities they are. Trust that I will never give you more than you can handle with Me at your side. Let your light shine and your character be matured. Lead by example, and demonstrate your trust in Me as you yield to the development plan I set before you by walking it out with joy.

Dream with Me

Ephesians 3:20 (TLB) Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.

Beloved, dream with Me. Your thoughts and hopes are safe here. I want to know the desires of your heart, for what is important to you is important to Me. Refuse to feel small or somehow lesser-than, for to Me you are of the utmost importance. You are the apple of My eye. You have My heart and My attention, and most importantly, you have My love.

And in the same way that when you love someone you desire to lavish them with blessings, so I love to lavish you. So dream with Me. Allow your heart to soar. Hold nothing back, and place those tender hopes in My hands trusting Me to lead you and bless you wisely. I know the plans I have for you and they are GOOD plans. Dare to dream big, for I AM the God of the impossible. With Me nothing is impossible. So stir up your faith, beloved, and dream.

Beyond Imagination

Isaiah 64:4 (MSG) Since before time began no one has ever imagined, No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you who works for those who wait for him.

Beloved, I AM beyond imagination. I AM the only true god; the One who loves His children, acts on their behalf, fights for them, and blesses them in unexpected and beautiful ways. I AM not a genie in a bottle. You can’t control Me or dictate My actions, but I AM fiercely loyal and love you immensely.

I lavish My love on those who choose Me. So choose Me, beloved, not for the blessings, but simply because I AM who I AM and am worth loving, worth worshipping, and worth pursuing. Remember that receiving My love is the greatest blessing of all. Continue reading “Beyond Imagination”

Conduit of Love

Matthew 5:43-48 (TPT) …What reward do you deserve if you only love the loveable? Don’t even the tax collectors do that?…

Beloved, it isn’t enough to simply love those who love you (although you should do that too, and do so without reserve). Love like Mine is sacrificial. It costs you something. If you would be like Me, your love must be the same.

So beloved, love the unlovable. Love those who are hurting and lost. Love those who are angry and lashing out. Love deeply and as if you’ll never get hurt. Love because you have been loved even when you were hurt, angry, and unlovable you were loved by Me. Be a conduit of love, for love changes everything. Continue reading “Conduit of Love”

Closer Still

Psalm 55:1 (TPT) God, listen to my prayer! Don’t hide your heart from me when I cry out to you!

Beloved, I hear you. Your heart and thoughts are precious to Me. You don’t need to fight for My attention, you have it. My gaze is fixed on you. I can’t get enough. What matters to you, matters to Me.

So cry out knowing I AM listening. Cry out knowing I AM there with you. Pour out your thoughts and fears, your heart and tears, I want it all – the fullness of you.

Then listen, beloved, for My whispered words as I share My heart with you. As you give Me your heart, I hold Mine there for you beckoning you closer still. So come, beloved, come. Closer still.

YHVH Azar (the Lord my Helper)

Psalm 54:4 (NIV) Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

Beloved, I uphold you. I give you life. Receive from Me and breathe in deeply that which I AM offering. Refuse to align or agree with the enemy of your soul, the one who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy, instead intentionally choosing to fix your gaze on Me, the author and finisher of your faith.

I AM your very present help in times of trouble. No matter what comes your way; if it matters to you, it matters to Me. Nothing is below My notice, for you are My beloved one. So look to Me. In every circumstance, lean on Me.

My Voice Thunders

Isaiah 54:17 (VOICE) But no instrument forged against you will be allowed to hurt you, and no voice raised to condemn you will successfully prosecute you. It’s that simple; this is how it will be for the servants of the Eternal; I will vindicate them.

Beloved, My voice thunders. It out blasts and supersedes every other voice. I always have the last word and My word never returns void. It always accomplishes that which it sets out to do.

My quietest whisper carries more weight than any other utterance. Fret not over the voices that surround you and instead seek Me for My word on every matter, for in the end, nothing else matters. I will have the last word and it will prevail.

Double Portion of Faith

2 Kings 2:9 (NKJV) And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”

Beloved, ask and you shall receive. So ask. Ask for a double portion of faith. An encompassing faith that shields and protects in such a way that you are unshakable, the onslaught of the enemy will not shift or overtake you, and your faith in Me never wavers.

Feel your hopeful expectations rising, like the waters of the tide coming in, your capacity to believe big is increasing. You serve a wonder-working God, so expect the miraculous. Stand in faith for it. Encourage others’ faith for it. Stand and believe. Continue reading “Double Portion of Faith”

Command the Storm

Matthew 8:26 (VOICE) …Jesus got up, told the wind and the waves to calm down, and they did. The sea became still and calm once again.

Beloved, command the storm. You have been called to do greater things, so refuse to be intimidated by what you see in the flesh. Instead walk in the authority you have been given and trust Me to move.

I AM faithful. I AM true. I AM mighty and you are made in My image. Refuse to be silent. Refuse to be impressed by chaos surrounding you, and instead usher in the peace you have been given. Command the storm to be still, beloved, then wait and watch Me move.

El Gibhor (Mighty God)

Jeremiah 32:18 (NKJV) ‘[You] show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them–the Great, the Mighty God, whose name [is] the LORD of hosts.

I AM El Gibhor, the Mighty God. I AM righteous and powerful, merciful and perfect in my judgment. Nothing is too great for Me. I AM the Lord of hosts with legions of angels at My command, is anything beyond My reach?

Know Who it is you serve. Understand the God you have chosen. I AM the great I AM – beyond your full comprehension – so resist the temptation to try to fit Me into your understanding rather than stretching your understanding to know Me.

I cannot be manipulated or controlled, but I love you and I AM good. Yield yourself to Me, your trust is well-placed here. Partner with Me and together we will move mountains.