Leap For Joy

"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." Malachi 4:2 NIV Bible

This scripture is referring to the end times, but God brought it to mind this morning. Last night, I was hit with confusion, shame and discouragement. I battled with it all night and through my prayer time this morning. God gradually rescued me and showed me the way out. Now I am filled with hope and excitement for life. I feel like the calf that has been let out of it's stall. We used to raise calves. They really do leap for joy. It is so fun to watch. They actually kick up their heals and almost do a little dance.

I know that God has great things for our future, but he has great things for today. He doesn't want us to receive the harassment of the enemy. He wants us to revere his name. This morning God gave me the grace to turn from my enemy and revere his name. The sun of righteousness really did rise with healing in its wings. Now I am leaping for joy. It is like night and day. I encourage you to turn from the darkness and revere God. He wants to set you free and heal you. He wants to fill you with joy

Wholesome Thinking

"Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles." 2 Peter 3:1-2 NIV Bible

Today, I encourage you to keep your thoughts on hope, righteousness, and goodness. Remember what God has taught you. Meditate on it. Rest in God's love and goodness.

You are Like A Tree Planted By The Water

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:8-9 NIV Bible

It is crucial that you know who you are. When you know your identity, all of life is lived differently. There will always be mockers, sinners, and the counsel of the wicked. (Psalm 1). You are not one of them, and you don't have to prove anything to them. You can turn and put your focus on God. You are like that tree. You don't have to be afraid of the drought. You have green leaves. You are bearing fruit. This is your identity. Live boldly, knowing this truth.

Love is Following You

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." Ephesians 6:10 NIV Bible

Rise up. Rise up above these circumstances. Know that I am the Lord your God. Lean not on your own understanding. Know that I am following you, guiding you on the right path. Your victory has enabled you to take the next step. Go in power. I am behind you all the way. You will not be alone. We are team mates, you and I. Have victory in Jesus' name. Have victory. I am leading you to victory and I am driving you to victory. I go before you and I am also your rear guard. I am above you and I am below you. You can't escape my presence and loving embrace. Go in peace this day, knowing I am with you. You are not alone. Do not be afraid. I will never leave you. I will never give up on you. Go in peace and win this battle. I am on your team. You cannot fail.

You and God are a Team

The Lord says:
You work hard. You are so weary. Why don't you let me take control. I am not a horse that will buck you off, run away from you, or take you where I want to go with no concern for you. I am Lord. I am kind and loving. I am holy and perfect. You can trust in me. You no longer need to trust in yourself. You need no longer hope in your environment being just right. People around you will fail you. I am your God. You don't need those gods of insecurity and lies. You are my child, and I will care for you. Don't be afraid. Let go. I will not lead you astray. We are a team, you and I. The best team around. Don't be afraid of the crowds that shout, "Crucify him!" You are in a world that hates me. Don't be intimidated by them. Don't be intimidated by life. I will see you through. I know you are brave. You can do this. Let go. See where I take you. You will be pleasantly surprised. I have much in store for you. Let go of your agenda and let me be God. Let go of your life and let me live. I am your God. I am your life. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Little One, My Brave One, follow me. I am your friend. I really have your best interest at heart, a loving sweet interest. I am yours. Don't be afraid. I will lead you in paths of life.

Come My Darling, My Beautiful One

"Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me. My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely."
Song of Songs 2:13b-14 NIV Bible

I hear Jesus saying to us:
"Come away with me, my beloved. Come and abide in me where it is safe and pure and holy. Seek my face and know my will for you. My will is not what you expect. You can't hear me clearly in the midst of this rabble. Come away from these voices of shame and discontentment. Come and abide in me, and I will give you my love. Then you will hear me clearly. You can't hear me above the din. You can't discern my heart towards you. The voices of the world are shouting too loudly. Come rest in me, and you will hear my voice. My will for you is love. Come walk with me. Hold my hand. Do not be afraid. My will for you is love. It will not corrupt you. It will purify you. Do not be like the man who wouldn't give up everything and come and follow me. Your everything is killing you. I offer you abundant life. Come, come my beloved, my beautiful one. Come. I will bring you much joy. Come follow me and I will give you life."

Better Than a Hallelujah

Click the link below to hear this sung by Amy Grant

Better Than a Hallelujah

God loves a lullaby
In a mothers tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.
God loves the drunkards cry,
The soldiers plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah.

The woman holding on for life,
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes
The tears of shame for what's been done,
The silence when the words won't come
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

Better than a church bell ringing,
Better than a choir singing out, singing out.

How to Prosper

"He who trusts in the Lord will prosper." Proverbs 28:25 NIV Bible

Lately, it seems like everywhere I turn, people are saying that we need to seek prosperity. I actually fell into this trap. Guess what? It got me nowhere, except frustrated. This morning, I have looked up scripture after scripture on the subject. It all boils down to the above scripture. We are to trust God then prosperity comes.

In Matthew 6 it says, "For the pagans run after such things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

So back to square one. It is time to put our eyes back on God.

Start your Easter egg hunt today. Begin looking for all of the amazing gifts that God has showered on you. As you do this, you will be impressed at how well off you already are.

A Flower, by Rita Johnson

A Flower

Opens to reveal

It's beauty

All phases of the

Flower growing

Changing and opening

Are beautiful

Who Is Your God?

"But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15 NIV Bible

Who is your God? This is a question that God asked me to face this morning. He showed me a picture of God forgiving a person, but they refused to remove a burden from their back. This burden was rejection. We have reasons why we go out of God's way to avoid rejection. He is asking us to choose serving God rather than pleasing man. We will be rejected. We are not to stop and gain man's approval. We are to put our eyes on God and keep walking. He showed me that if we can let go of this burden of rejection, we will be free. We will feel lighter. We will have more energy and joy. We will be able to follow Jesus through some pretty narrow spots to some new and wonderful places that we weren't able to get to with a huge pack on our backs.

You are chosen by God. This is your identity. Be free! Look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith. He approves of you, Beloved.

You are God's Favorite

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4 NIV Bible

Yesterday, I had to drive about an hour to get to work. I was having a rough morning, so as I tearfully listened to a Cristian radio station, it really ministered to me. Then out of the blue, they played a song and I switched to laughter. Then when I stopped at McDonald's for tea, I told some teenagers about it and they even told me to have a nice day. Next the guy at the counter gave me a large tea for the price of a small.

Today, God's favor continued. I went to Great Harvest to buy Irish soda bread and decided to buy myself a scone. Then I entered a drawing, danced a jig for a free cookie, listened to Irish music, and enjoyed the young people that work there.

As I recognized God's favor, I started to understand how crucial it is to thank him. As we thank him for his favor, we become more and more aware of how favored we really are. Also, this thankful heart makes way for God to bestow even more favor on us. We are God's FAVORITES. He will bestow favor on us. This is a fact. So, Happy Saint Patrick's Day. Enjoy God's favor.

Here is the song that made me laugh.

Be Encouraged

"Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends." Philippians 4:1

I know, we have never met the apostle Paul, but as my husband read this verse this morning, I felt like God was saying to us that we are his joy and crown. I felt like he was saying this is how we should stand. The enemy will lie to us and say all kinds of negative things. This is not what God has to say. You are his joy and crown. Walk this day in dignity, Beloved of God.

Jesus Welcomes You

"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Luke 15:2b NIV Bible

I love this scripture. I am welcomed. I am not just tolerated. I am wanted. He wants to hang out with me.

I think that one of man's greatest temptations is to forget that God wants a relationship with us. We keep thinking that he just wants us to be "good." Then, when we start down this path of deception, we come up with all kinds of ways to sin without even realizing we have taken this slippery road.

Today, I had an agenda for myself that I thought must be God's plan. The problem was, that every time I considered it, I felt depressed. As I prayed, I realized that God was actually giving me a desire to do his will, and that his will had nothing to do with my agenda. First, he wanted me to draw near and know him. He reminded me of his character and how much he loves me. Then, he could show me what his real plan for my day was. Now, as I move forward in God's love, I am excited about this day.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36 NIV Bible

You Are Never Too Big To Sit On God's Lap

"My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty. I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forever more." Psalm 131 NIV Bible

There are times when we are like the child that is full of energy and very busy with the things of life. Other times we need to climb up on God's lap, lean our heads against him, and be held. Today, I am so thankful for God and his big lap. I am glad that we can come to him as a little child. Our hope is in our Father. We don't have to concern ourselves with matters that are too big for us. We can rest and let our souls be quiet, knowing that we are being cared for.

"Thank you God for your peace. Thank you for hope. Thank you for your loving kindness that is better than life. Thank you that you are our Father and we can depend on you to take care of us. Thank you that even when we are adults, we can come to you as a child and be cared for and loved."

I Am Free

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1 NIV Bible

Today, I am basking in the glorious freedom in God. He teaches about this freedom from all different angles. Today, I am very aware of being free from a prison that I have dwelt in for as long as I can remember. I believed that I was a failure and that no matter how hard I tried, I was never going to be good enough. I spent my life scurrying around, trying to learn how others do things so I could at least attempt to copy them.

The problem is that I am actually a pioneer, so this just didn't work. God, himself, was sabotaging my efforts. He wanted me to be free. He wanted me to know my worth. He wanted me to let him be my boss. For the past several days, I have been living in the freedom of God's approval. It is glorious! I can feel myself opening, like a flower in spring. The warmth of God's love is so sweet. Praise God!

I heard this song by the Newsboys while I was driving today. It expresses how I am feeling today.

God is Our Boss

"come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Mathew 11:28-30 NIV Bible

God is our boss. I am so thankful for this. He is the perfect boss. He is not demanding. He wants us to lay down our agenda for ourselves and be led by his Spirit.We are to lay down both ours and the world's standards for us. God is filled with dignity and is doing an awesome job running this world. He is perfect. He is respectable. He is kind. We can depend on him to always be right. He is fair. He is honest. He has our best interest at heart. He encourages us and praises us when we do well. He knows just what is required of us. He doesn't ask us to do more than we can handle and yet he challenges us to do what he knows we are capable of.

Other things and people rise up and try to lord it over us. They can come wearing a disguise so that we don't even realize they are trying to control. some of these are; other people, our expectations, fear, shame, anger, pride,other people's ideas. They usually discourage us or lead us down a dead end path.

I know that there are earthly bosses out there, but God is boss over all of them too, even if they don't know it. Today, God is encouraging you to surrender leadership in your life to him. It will be such a relief. You will truly find rest for your soul. You will also find joy, hope and a sense of anticipation of a great future in store for you.

You Are God's Pride And Joy

God said this to me one day. It is his heart for you too.
"I love you. This is the antidote. This is the one thing I would have you know this day. This is the solution to all your problems. This is the cry of my heart for you. Turn from all else. Turn to me, the one who loves you. I am pleased with my creation, My Little One. You are my pride and joy. You are my hope, my courage, My Little Brave One, in a world filled with pain and sorrow. Go forth in my kindness, for I am the solution to all of your problems. Look up. Hope in me. Look up and see the message blazed across the sky, 'I LOVE YOU!' Let this put the bounce in your step. Let this shine light and warmth into your heart. Let this go to the depths of your being and bring life to all the cold, dark areas. I AM the solution. Hope in me. Do not give up hope to the lies that would steal it from you. Receive my hope. Receive my courage. Receive my life. I love you. I spoke into the darkness and created light. Let me speak into your darkness. Choose to meditate on this one line, 'I love you.' This is the only medicine I have for you. Take it with a smile. I am not asking you to dip in a river 7 times, although you would gladly do it for me. I give you this one spoon of medicine. Receive it from me and all will be well. I AM the solution. I AM the answer to your problems. Hope in me. All is well. I love you."

You Are Radiant

This morning, this was revealed to me. I want to share it with you.
At times man will misunderstand you , reject you, tell you that you are annoying, someone to be ashamed of, a failure, an inconvenience . Man may not see your worth and say that you are unlovable and absolutely weird. Life might look scary and it might feel like all of your efforts get you nowhere. You might feel unblessed and even unvalued by God himself. Sometimes you might even wonder if existence is worth it and want to give up on life, because it seems like it would be better than all of this sorrow and disappointment. Life on earth can be like that.
So here is the solution: God's kingdom. You can have true life filled with love and joy right now, while you are still on earth and forever after. Here is the truth.
You are Beloved of God. You are Chosen by him to be his own. You are Radiant. Before time even began, God thought of you and laughed with joy in anticipation of your existence. He carved your name on his hand. Then he thought about what an awesome difference your very existence would make on this earth. He thought about how all around you people's lives would be better because you would be a blessing to them. When the time came for you, he carefully knit you together in your mother's womb. Then you were born. It was God's perfect timing for you. He loves to hear you talk and sing. He loves to call you his friend. He delights in you. Just seeing you makes him happy. He is proud to call you his own. You have nothing to be afraid of because no power on earth is greater than his love and nothing can separate you from his love.
This is true whether you believe it or not. So, I am proposing that you choose to believe it. Choose to dwell here and live in God's love and delight in you. People's attitude towards you is constantly changing. Your attitude towards yourself and life isn't dependable. Here is a truth that never changes and a Kingdom you can dwell in that will always be there for you. Go there now and live in God's love. It will change your LIFE forever. God bless you. Have an awesome day.

He Forgives All Your Sins

Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Psalm 103:1-5 NIV Bible

Change Your Life Forever

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 NIV Bible
Years ago ago I went to hear a lady speak at a small local church. She was praying for people and teaching about the Holy Spirit. Each day she would pray that God would give us a fresh anointing of His Holy Spirit. As we sat there in the church, I would feel God's presences strongly come upon me. No words were needed. I was supposed to just be still and let God be God without any help from me. She said that we were "in the slow bake oven of the Holy Ghost." Having grown up a Lutheran, this was a foreign concept to me, but I loved it. At that time in my life I was in the midst of a pretty deep depression. God's presence was so healing and soothing. She said that it is a time to just receive from God. God was ministering to us in deep places we didn't even know about.
I have been praying like this on and off now for years. God has used it to bring me out of depression. So today, I wanted to recommend this to you. It is a wonderful prayer. Just be still in his presence, and ask him for a fresh anointing. At first when you begin, you my feel nothing, but God is faithful. He is ministering to you regardless of how you feel. Over time, you may or may not feel his presence.
Here is the next step that you can use right away once you start receiving from God. You can lay hands on others and ask God to give them a fresh anointing. He will hear your prayer and touch their lives. You don't have to have words. You don't have to know how to pray. God just touches them and brings healing and a deeper knowledge of God.
So, "be still and know that he is God."I guarantee that this will change your life forever.

God Loves Being With You

God is the greatest celebrity that ever walked the earth. He doesn't want you to just be part of his fan club. He wants you to be one of his best friends. You always have a back stage pass to all of his performances. You are not the unpopular one. He delights in you. He loves hanging out with you. He loves to have you by his side.
"Take heart, little ones. I care for you. The world will tell you all sorts of things. Be of good courage, I have overcome the world. Don't be afraid of the ones that would accuse you and tell you that you don't measure up. Come to me on bended knee and seek my face. I love being with you. You bring me great joy. Come follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men. You don't have to do this yourself. You don't have to feel inferior to those that look so successful. Follow me. I will show you the way. I will make you great in my kingdom. All other greatness is a farce. Come follow me. I beg you, come follow me. I will show you the way. You don't have to figure this out yourself. I will lead you. You will be amazed at your progress. You must keep your eyes on me and not on what the world is doing. Remember, I have overcome the world. You are from a different realm. I will not leave you behind. I will not give up on you. You are mine. I delight in you."

Come Forth Church!

This morning, while worshiping, I sensed that I am not alone. All around the world people are rising, as if from the grave. I want to speak this out. I want to declare it. God is calling his people to come forth, just like he called Lazarus.
"Come forth, little ones come forth, I have called you from this grave. Be renewed in my love."
God is renewing his children. I saw a picture of us swimming to the top of a deep body of water. We didn't stop there. We kept going. We rose, as if from the dead. We rose above this oppression. We rose above shame and the lies of the enemy. As we rose we noticed that we were new. We were like innocent, sweet, happy children. We saw everything with new eyes. We had hope and expectation.We knew love. We knew our innocence that we have received from Jesus. We were high fiving each other and laughing. I don't think this is about the future, It is now. Come forth church!

You are Winning!

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written,
'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39 NIV Bible
Last night I was really aware of things like unanswered prayers, difficult marriages, depression, unemployment, diseases, and earthquakes. There is so much suffering and so many disappointments. I guess I pondered this because some of the most Godly people I know are going through some of the hardest trials.
I remember when Job was losing everything, some of his friends had decided that it must be because Job did something wrong. If he would only get his act together, then everything would be O.K. Wow, they were so wrong! The devil specifically chose to pick on Job because he was so Godly.
So let's look at the facts and go from there. Suffering,temptation,disappointment, and even death are a reality no matter who you are. When I pondered this, a scripture came to mind, "We are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
Corey Ten Boom lived in a concentration camp. People she loved died. Yet, she came out loving God and knowing she is his beloved. Job, in his worst pain declared, "I know that my redeemer lives." Stephen, when being stoned, could look up and see the glory of God and Jesus.
We are victorious because we can go through all of this, sheltered in God's love. These things cannot conquer us. God's kingdom is here now. We are not of this world. Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33) God is calling us above the suffering. He is calling us to a place of hope and victory. You can't keep a good man down. God is winning and since we are on his team, we are winners. Look up. Hope in God. Know that your redeemer lives. You are more than a conqueror.
Here is a wonderful song that I heard on the radio that will be an encouragement to you.