Claire's Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 stands out amongst the 187 times rejoice appears in the Bible: “𝑹𝒆𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔.”  Two words. That’s it! Two words that could potentially change your life. Two words that can cause hopelessness to flee and despair to dissipate. “𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚.”  Two more words with the ability to stand alone! “𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔; 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝑮𝒐𝒅’𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔.” This is God’s will for us: to rejoice, pray and give thanks. When? Always, continually, and in all circumstances!

When we begin to rejoice, pray, and give thanks, a snowball effect happens, and we find more and more to give thanks for. In fact, rejoicing will bubble up in your heart and begin to overflow! Trouble and mourning will flee! Everlasting joy will crown your head. Gladness and joy will literally overtake you!

The One we love the most, the One we long to be like, our Redeemer and King, rejoices too! Zephaniah 3:17 says, “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒔𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒚 𝑶𝒏𝒆, 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆; 𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈!” 

The Lord, your God, rejoices over you! Over you! Digging into the treasure of the Hebrew words reveals something amazing: our Mighty God will exult over you; He will spin around with joy because of you!

I know that I want to be more like Jesus, and I know you do, too! Each day, let’s wake up and say, “𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆; 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕!”

Rejoicing with you,

The LORD showed me a picture of a wounded warrior on the frontlines. This soldier was wounded, one arm hung down useless, broken. She was battered and weary, blood stains on her cheek. The LORD said to me, “𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬, 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦?”

I gulped when the LORD showed me this picture as I had never thought about it this way before. For me it has always been fight, fight, fight, and go, go, go. I needed a season of rest. My answer was, “Of course, LORD, bring her back to a safe place where she can be healed!”

I had a sense that the LORD was saying, “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯, 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”

For some of us, this is a season of saying ‘𝗡𝗼,’of strategic retreat, of allowing ourselves to stop and let our Abba Father minister to us. Time for an encounter with Him that will strengthen us, encourage us, heal us, and get us ready to go out into battle stronger than ever! 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀, 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺!

Have you heard of the British saying, “𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗳 𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗽?”   In other words – don’t show any emotion whatsoever, no matter what you may face, remain stoic and endure your circumstances in a circumspect manner!  Not an easy task, especially when you’re seven!  My Mum and Dad are both British and maintaining a stiff upper lip was important, in fact my Dad would go to church on a Sunday as it was good self-discipline! Looking back, I can see it was their way of handling living through the hard war days in which I grew up without totally falling apart.

In 1982 British Airways flight 009 was on its way to Jakarta when all four of its engines failed.  In true British fashion the Captain didn’t panic but made a short announcement while navigating the flight during life threatening circumstances.  This announcement was described as a ‘masterpiece of understatement!’  “𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘐 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴.”

I chuckled as I tried to read this in my best english accent and imagined the stiff upper lip of Captain Eric Moody.  How very British!  The stoic and calm nature of the captain enabled him to land this compromised flight successfully with no loss of life.

Growing up this way caused me to believe that our Abba Father was the same, stoic, intellectual with that stiff upper lip.  Does God really feel a wide range of emotions?  I love this passage in Judges 10:16; “𝑺𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒔𝒓𝒂𝒆𝒍.”  God could no longer endure the misery, he couldn’t bear it, grew tired, and was impatient.  His very soul was grieved.  No stiff upper lip here.  𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱.

As I meditated on this scripture I realized just how much my sins, even the little ones, grieve the heart of God.  How my bad reactions to circumstances, and lack of obedience cause my Savior’s heart to ache.  𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧-𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚!  𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙁𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙞𝙘 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙘𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨. 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚.  𝙇𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙙.

The fact that my Abba Father is a God of emotions causes the little child within me to dance and rejoice, I pray that it does that for you too!

Sometimes I am so very clumsy, I can trip over my two left feet!  Recently as I was traveling through an airport, I literally stumbled about 20 times catching the toe of my trainer on the floor and tripping forward.  To say I was irritated with myself is an understatement.  How can one possibly trip over nothing!  Well, I certainly can!!  I didn’t fall on my face, but it was close.  𝗔 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹.

It reminded me of the story of the Mountain Pine Beetle, a teeny tiny beetle about the size of a grain of rice, that began to eat away at the beautiful pine trees in Colorado.  This tiny little black beetle could kill a massive pine tree in just a year which in turn would increase the incidences of wildfires.  𝗔 𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲!

Song of Solomon 2:15 says; “𝑪𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒙𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔— 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒙𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍 𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒚𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔, 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒚𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒎!”  Little foxes.  They look so cute with their fluffy white tails but will destroy the vineyard digging up the roots and causing the vine to die.  When the writer tells us to ‘catch the foxes’ he means, Don’t delay! Do this now! Do this effectively!  Whatever is destroying your relationship with Jesus or with others, take a firm hold of it and stop it.

Little foxes like teeny beetles can look harmless but can-do great damage.  Those foxes of mistrust, pride, jealousy, unforgiveness, complaining, inattention to God’s Word or prayer will quickly devastate and eat away at the root of our lives.  Let’s be on our guard and catch those little foxes quickly and effectively before any damage is done!

Goliath from Gath stood close to 9 feet tall and carried over 150 pounds of weapons and armour!  For forty days, Goliath ridiculed the Israelite army and exposed them all as cowards. “𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅.” (1 Sa 17:11) This was exactly what Goliath wanted, the very reason he mocked and provoked Israel. He wanted them to be afraid! Goliath knew that if he instilled enough fear in their hearts, the battle was already won. 𝗧𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆, 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿. Teasing and taunting, he twists our thoughts until we too are dreadfully afraid.

After 40 days, a young shepherd boy walked into the camp of Israel, but this was no ordinary shepherd, this was David! David had done the lowliest of jobs, but the Great I Am had equipped David for this very time. He had killed lions and bears, being sure to never lose a lamb!

When David saw this Philistine mocking the armies of the Living God, he swore that he would go out and kill this enemy! I love this next part of the story! “𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆.” (1 Sa 17:48) Did you see that? D̲a̲v̲i̲d̲ ̲r̲a̲n̲ ̲t̲o̲w̲a̲r̲d̲s̲ ̲t̲h̲i̲s̲ ̲g̲i̲a̲n̲t̲, this monster that had terrorized the army of the Living God! We all know how it ended, one of those small stones embedded itself in Goliath of Gath’s forehead and he fell on his face to the earth. David took the Philistine’s sword and cut off his head! To quote William Blaikie, “𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁, “𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗴, 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗺,” 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁, “𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗴, 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗺.”

We all have huge giants in our lives that are facing us, the enemy himself is whispering in our ear. Sometimes these giants look so big, insurmountable, overwhelming. Fear begins to set in, and we start to believe those lies. But know this, God has already equipped you for this battle, He has already set you up so that you can win! Look at your giant and know that it is so big that you cannot miss and take off running towards it with boldness, knowing that the God of Angel Armies runs right alongside you!

As I sat and pondered this scripture I realized that there is so much truth to it. “𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕, 𝒔𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆.” Prov 23:7a.

Social media tells us that all our ‘friends’ live wonderful lives, but is that who they are in their hearts. What we see on the outside is not the same as that on the inside. What you think deeply inside your heart about yourself is who you are!

𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕚𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕞𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕓𝕝𝕖, 𝕚𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕖.

𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟’𝕥, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕠𝕟’𝕥.

𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦’𝕣𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕟, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕒𝕣𝕖.

Recently I’ve had some problems with the food I eat, I can’t eat this or can’t drink that. As I was listening to a podcast I heard the quote, “Don’t focus on what you can’t have but on what you can. Don’t focus on what you don’t have but on what you have.”

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕨𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕡𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣, 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒 𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕!

Today I pray that you will remember that you CAN, and not you can’t. I pray that you will know that everything is possible BECAUSE you have a life with Jesus Christ. Because He has given you that power. He is the key between the possible and the impossible. Between the can and can’t. He is your strength when you are weak, your shelter when the storms blow the hardest.

Remember, the present is always subject to change, base your thoughts, your decisions, your beliefs on something solid and permanent – The Word of God. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳!

𝕀𝕥’𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕠𝕣 𝕕𝕖𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣. 𝕊𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕕𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤. 𝔹𝕒𝕓𝕪 𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕡𝕤.

Did you ever hear the expression –’𝑩𝒊𝒈 𝑫𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔?’ When I hear that quote I think of the huge, heavy doors of an old church building, the kind that squeaks when you pull it open. That immense, thick, wooden door swings open on a tiny metal hinge like any other door.

𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀.

Think of Esther, as Mordecai talked her through her fears, a decision was made, and a nation was saved. An enormous door was flung wide open on the hinge of Esther’s decision to go to the king. Agreed, this was no small decision, but a decision nonetheless. This decision threw Esther into action, a time of fasting was set in place, a God-centered plan was enacted.

𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴.

I’m sure all this was for Esther, the knowledge that walking into the throne room of the King could be the very last thing she did. But Esther threw fear aside and walked through the door of her decision into the favor of the LORD.

Are there decisions that you are facing this week?

Small decisions?

Big decisions?

Is it time to take a baby step into changing your future or even perhaps the future of others?

Remember that God has placed you where you are because He has a plan. A glorious plan, not just for you but for those around you. As you pray and take those steps, always remember, ‘𝑩𝒊𝒈 𝑫𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔!’ As the LORD threw the doors open wide for Esther, the God that is the same yesterday, today, and forever, will do the same for you.

Sometimes spiritual warfare doesn’t look at all like we think it should. Certainly, it cannot be based on my feelings! When sharp words come against me, injustice threatens to overtake me, and unfairness hovers, my very first reaction is one of anger, my fists come up and I’m ready to fight! Sound familiar? 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝘆 𝗔𝗯𝗯𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲?

This is where moving in the opposite spirit comes in. When we search God’s Word we are told to:

𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕥𝕖,

𝕨𝕒𝕝𝕜 𝕚𝕟 𝕧𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕖 𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕗𝕖𝕒𝕥,

𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕠𝕤𝕖 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕗𝕖𝕒𝕣,

𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕜 𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕕,

𝕞𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕚𝕟 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕕𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟.

An upside-down gospel for sure! Our wounded hearts would like to do one thing but God whispers, “ℕ𝕠 – 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕒 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕒𝕪!”

Whenever we move in unity, in peace, in love, or in forgiveness we strike a wounding blow to the enemy!

Like Caleb, we are called to have a ‘𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑫 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅𝒍𝒚.’ (Numbers 14:24). And like Caleb, when we walk this way, we will see everything God has planned for us, 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘂𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱!

A very wise Pastor once gave me a life-changing piece of advice, “𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕤𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣, 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕤 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕖 𝕦𝕡 𝕚𝕟 𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕘𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕨𝕒𝕚𝕥 𝕥𝕨𝕠 𝕕𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘.”

This incredible guidance has been one that has stuck with me for well over a decade and is literally the best piece of advice I have ever had. You see when I wait my anger dissipates, confusion clears, the fog of my frustration disappears and I see things so differently. 𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻.

Talk about moving in the opposite spirit, using prayer and waiting on the LORD as incredibly effective weapons in this spiritual battle that we wage every day!

Perhaps you too can take this piece of advice to heart, when next anger rises and you are ready to react – wait two days! 𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹.

𝔸𝕣𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕚𝕟 𝕒 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟?

Waiting for a door to open or the tide to turn?

Have you been praying for something and waiting to see the fruit of your prayers?

I love this picture and quote – “𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗺!” While you sit in limbo waiting for an answer, praise him!

This is exactly what Paul and Silas did in prison – “𝑨𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑷𝒂𝒖𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒚𝒎𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑮𝒐𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑺𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒌𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒘 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇𝒇!” Acts 16:25-26

𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱!

In stunning and powerful fashion, just as He always does. Not only were Paul and Silas set free but so was EVERY prisoner! Every person in their current sphere of influence!

Today, if you are waiting for an answer, for a door to open, I encourage you to begin to praise Him. Praise Him in the hallway! 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲.