Category: Video-Devotions

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True Miracles Rising – Part 2

Miracles are a way God reveals Himself to us. Miracles are a way we can encounter God.

Jesus Himself is our greatest miracle, our way, truth and life. He uses miracles to encourage us toward covenant with Him in our everyday lives.

In miracles, we see the power of God demonstrated. Miracles seem to happen suddenly and mostly during times of great need.

Miracles are eventful.

A few weeks ago, I was awed as I listened to a friend share what God did in her life. As the calendar was about to turn to this new year, she experienced a string of miracles from God, which she desperately needed.

I have no doubt that God used both the invitation and fulfillment of these miracles to encourage her to walk even more closely with Him.

After having gone through a horrendous year in her work and health, God suddenly turned it all around in my friend’s favor. And He didn’t stop there.

For starters, God made a way for my friend to physically relocate her business closer to her home, which was a huge time and money saver. When stress took a dangerous toll on her physical health, God made a way for her to find and actually get an immediate appointment with one of two specialists in the USA who knew how to restore her. But God didn’t stop here. He added even more blessing when He led her to a local auto dealer with whom she didn’t normally do business. This was the cherry on top.

When my friend went to the dealership, she was immediately informed that they had nothing available to sell her, that even the showroom vehicles were not available. But, within minutes of meeting, a couple in the vicinity, who had previously ordered a vehicle, had a sudden change of heart and decided they didn’t want to receive it upon arrival. When the sales rep was alerted, she immediately offered their vehicle to my friend at an amazing discount along with an exceptional trade-in. My friend accepted the offer and drove out of there with a gorgeous new luxury vehicle!

My friend was so overjoyed at what God did for her that she placed a “Blessed” sign over the doorway of her business to remind people that they, too, are blessed coming in and blessed going out.

After hearing her story, I was so excited for her that I praised God for all He had done. I knew some of the details of her history, so I knew in my heart how miraculous these latest events were. In the course of communing with our Lord, He revealed to me that He gave her a “comeback” and that this is just the beginning. He revealed to me that He has positioned her to rise before her enemies and shine brighter than she ever has. He revealed to me that those enemies will not be able to touch her despite their threats and that, in time, they will just fall away as she stays the course He has her on.

God has my friend protected in the midst of darkness that tries to surround. He is exalting her, making her a powerhouse of His goodness, causing her to shine for His glory.

So, sometimes, life is a fight, a set-up for God’s miracles to be released on our behalf. If we fight God’s way, He will reward us with vindication for doing the right thing. Those who fought against us will also receive a “reward,” and it will be one of judgment if they are unrepentant. Both the justice of vindication and the justice of judgment are miraculous expressions of God.

Many have waited a long time to see major shifts come to pass in their lives. The fight has been exhausting. But God is here waiting for our reach to Him, so He can reveal Himself to us as our manifest Miracle Maker. Are you ready and willing to receive Him in this way? Are you ready to be lifted beyond where you’ve been?

If so, turn to God immediately and cry out for what you desperately need. He will meet you there and supply all your needs miraculously. It’s time to make your requests known and see them begin to come to pass in their appointed times. What God did for my friend, He will do for you. He will extend His favor to strengthen you and guide you to new places. He will make you successful. He will restore your health. He will lift you before your enemies. He will establish you on higher ground. He will give you a unique testimony that will bring Him glory. You are that important. You are that valuable to our miracle-working God.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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True Miracles Rising – Part 1

There are some mighty, life-changing, legacy blessings God is releasing. So, is your heart aligned to receive?

A big way God blesses us is through people for whom we have a heart. That’s why it’s important to receive deliverance from fear of man and exercise forgiving love.

1 John 4:20-21 TPT reminds us that “Anyone can say, ‘I love God,’ yet have hatred toward another believer.” It goes onto say that God “has given us this command: whoever loves God must also demonstrate love to others.”

It’s about treating others with dignity and respect, not returning insult for insult but blessing them, even in prayer, if in no other way (1 Pe 3:9).

Often, the enemy will try to attack us through the very person God desires to use to bless us. But we can be wiser than the devil by seeing with the eyes of God and acting on His plan. We can step back and ask God, “What’s really going on here? What would You have me see and know?” God has always answered these questions for me in impossible situations.

God will use enemy provokes to get our attention and reveal a root issue in us for the purpose of our repentance and deliverance in order to bless us. We can choose to stop letting un-resolve hinder our blessings by getting honest with God, letting past hurts go and living more in His light of eternal life inside of us.

This doesn’t necessarily mean reconciliation with offenders. God’s order is repentance before reconciliation. So, if offenders do not get honest and repent with God and you, there can be no reconciliation with you. Still, God will still use offenders to get our attention to show us what’s in our hearts and chase us back to Him more deeply, where we can first experience victory over our situations.

Unrepentant offenders will eventually fall away. But God will use some repentant offenders to flood blessing into our lives, like a river, when we move past offense to compassion, like Joseph did toward his brothers, who sold him into slavery.

God causes them to see our value and worth as they are willing. He opens their eyes to His truth and brings conviction for repentance as He lifts us before them in unexpected ways that only He can do.

This is growing them in His grace. It is manifest vindication, and it’s miraculous.

The Tyndale Bible Dictionary defines miracle as “A divine act by which God reveals himself to people.” It goes on to say that it’s not necessarily contrary to natural law but, in fact, uses nature, such as “the wind that parted the Red Sea.” Faith is a critical element, since “a natural approach cannot prove or disprove the presence of” a miracle. Also, “the timing and content of the process can be miraculous, even though the event may seem natural. The revelatory significance is also important. In every case God performed the miracle not merely as a ‘wonder’ to inspire awe but as a ‘sign’ to draw people to himself.”

This is exceptional news for those of us who have grown in God’s miraculous grace and waited a long time for major shifts. God does have miraculous timing for us, and has already given us incremental breakthroughs, including and often beginning with, revelation-understanding.

In mid-December 2021, our Lord revealed to me that miracles can have an appointed time, just like justice has a Heavenly court date. Our lifelong destinies are released along a determined timeline. Miracles are a part of this so that a fullness of joy can be experienced on earth as a witness to others.

Many have held hope in their hearts for a long time to see God’s promised miracles manifest, especially in regards to others for whom we have a heart, even the difficult ones. So, the once-resistant is who God desires to bless us through, and He’s bringing us into His perfect time. He has been using His promises to build our faith and joy in Him as we plant seeds according to His will. God’s promised miracles will surely burst forth like a river. He will reward the faith-filled, His obedient ones. It’s coming very soon. And He will surely bring us to our knees in humble awe as He dazzles us.

We often think of miracles coming down from above. And they do. But they touch what is already embedded in our hearts. God is breathing life on what we lift to Him by invitation. He will not breathe on what we withhold from Him. So, it’s time to unlock our deepest desires, our buried treasures that we value most and lift them to Him in trust believing that He is our life-giving Miracle-Worker, who truly desires to bless all involved in this way.

God has leveled the mountains that He made us overcome. Those we certainly could not have scaled alone. Our best blessings are on the other side and right before us in plain sight, now that the mountains have been leveled. We’re almost there, so keep moving forward until all is made manifest.

Let’s thank God for this new life He gives, believing He is bringing it to pass in His way and time. Miraculously.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Show More Time

A brand-new year can be exciting when we consider possibilities. But sometimes, when we’re faced with unfinished business, another year of expectations can make it feel hard to begin again.

When we find ourselves in the midst of extended projects, we need to remember that we are not defeated because God’s grace has not ended. The calendar or clock didn’t stop just because we have more to do. So, there’s no need for disappointment, because there’s grace for catching up (Ps 27:14 TPT).

God, in His perfection, will meet us right in the midst of our loose ends, to show Himself as peace and grace and compassion—the Shepherd who comes to lead us out into the clearing for the time we’re in.

He’s right there, revealing Himself as light, every morning, waiting for us to surrender our anxiety and delight in Him (Ps 46:10 TPT). He’s there in our afternoon praise breaks, to share His Sabbath rest with us from intense tasks.

Jesus’ heart is to dazzle us with the “radiance of God’s splendor” (He 1:3 TPT, Ps 80:1 TPT).

To offer Himself above worldly distraction.

To lift us, where the enemy has lied to us.

To open our eyes to find our security more in Him (above ourselves) as He keeps His promises ever before us.

Some of us are in need of a miracle of time to catch up. And there is grace for this as we show up and follow His instructions.

All of us are in need of God’s unlimited forgiveness like He extended to the servant in Matthew 18:26 TPT, in which the servant says, “Please be patient with me. Just give me more time and I will repay you all that I owe.”

Friends, God is offering us deliverance and has been all along. He has just waited for us to see and know that we needed Him more than we initially thought.

He is extending His triple grace to break through our impossible circumstances, level our mountains and carry us further along. He is doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves and just about wore ourselves out trying (Ps 55:22 TPT).

Could it be that our worse debt was the weight of self-reliance?

God is extending his promise of Matthew 18:27 TPT to us, which says that “Upon hearing his pleas, the king had compassion on his servant, and released him, and forgave his entire debt.”

God knows we are on an unfamiliar path and are prone to wandering from His ways. He sees our efforts and offers us His strength of grace in our weakness (Is 40:29). He knows it has felt hard for us to extend faith in some areas of the process. He knows it’s easier to settle for enemy lies when we are tired. He knows we can get caught up in feel-good comforts more than plowing through hard tasks diligently.

One of the reasons the journey has felt so hard is because it’s not about a single breakthrough project. It’s about groundbreaking for more projects to come forward. This first one is as much for training purposes as it is for anything else. If we will stick it out, it will prove to be more impactful than we knew from the start. It’s huge, but it’s not impossible with God, especially when we understand that light and multiplicity increase as we move forward with Him (Is 53:11 TPT).

So, if you feel like you’re stuck in a hole with no way out, then know our God of hope is joining you there to lead you upward and make it beautiful again.

It’s not over, and He hasn’t given up on you. Rather, God has made a way for you to overcome and finish well with Him. He would not have assigned you to a plan without helping you through it all, even in the pitfalls we can get ourselves into.

So, rise and shake off the hopelessness. Pick up the project again and meet God there. He will show you how He will bring it together in ways you did not know or see earlier. He will make it clearer and much easier now. He’s waiting for you to trust Him to make Himself known greater than before.

The key scripture our Lord highlighted to me is Mark 4:23 TPT, which says, “If you understand what I’m saying, you need to respond!”

Here are twelve more scriptures Holy Spirit highlighted to share with those who find themselves in this situation:

  1. “…God’s lavish gift is life eternal, found in your union with our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One” (Ro 6:23 TPT).
  2. “My revelation-truth is a gift to you, so remain faithful to my instruction” (Pr 4:2 TPT).
  3. “Now it’s time to be made new by every revelation that’s been given to you” (Ep 4:23 TPT).
  4. “Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions” (Pr 4:25 TPT).
  5. “Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked for even a moment or take the detour that leads to darkness” (Pr 4:27 TPT).
  6. “Don’t give the slanderous accuser, the devil, an opportunity to manipulate you” (Ep 4:27 TPT)!
  7. “Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others” (Co 3:23 TPT).
  8. “Then, as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life and radiant health into the very core of your being” (Pr 4:22 TPT).
  9. “O God-Enthroned in heaven, I lift my eyes toward you in worship” (Ps 123:1 TPT).
  10. “…We look to you, our God, with passionate longing to please you and discover more of your mercy and grace” (Ps 123:2 TPT).
  11. “We acknowledge you as our Provider of all we need each day” (Ma 6:11 TPT).
  12. “Today, these Scriptures came true in front of you'” (Lk 4:21 TPT).

Pray with me if you will…

Mighty God,

Thank You for Your compassion. I repent of indifference and inaction. Thank You for redeeming me fully—my timeline in my assignments, my path and all of my brokenness (Ps 139:24 TPT). Thank You for aligning me for victory every single time I run to You. Thank You for lightening my load and making me a more faithful steward like You. May I always remember that You will make a way in my impossibilities and that Your heart for me is love. Thank You for the glorious gift of finishing strong with You as I pick up my assignment (cross) and begin again (Mk 8:34 TPT). And believing You are the God of Jacob, who fights for me (Ps 46:11 TPT).

In Jesus’ Holy Name.

Amen.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Make Your Choices

God’s promises are full of life. Evergreen. They invite us to choose life daily (De 30:19, Pr 18:21). And increasingly so, because God is a builder.

King David said in Psalm 119 to “Place your hands of strength and favor upon me, for I’ve made my choice to follow your ways” (verse 173 TPT). “Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your Word makes my pathway clear” (verse 105 TPT).

So, we must receive God’s Word and be definitive in our choices to stay on course for destiny purposes. We must firmly decide and stand on God’s faithful promises to deliver (redeem) us. His truth will set us free, and we can move forward joyfully.

Acts 2:28 NIV tells us that “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”

God has big plans for us. Plans He made before we were ever born. They are better than we can imagine, and they will happen in ways we do not fully know yet.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV reminds us by saying, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity…'”

It is joyous to choose our Savior—to exalt Him over sin’s separation (He 12:1). Trust and obedience in our Lord is our best “yes” that will lead to expressions of ultimate victory and honor.

To be sure, God has ways of getting us there when our hearts are inclined toward Him.

For me, an everyday action item turned unusual a few weeks before Christmas. Like countless others, I had made an online purchase, hoping it would be delivered intact and without delay. But about the time I expected the package to arrive, I received a phone call instead. Caller ID revealed the retailer from whom I had made the purchase. I had a sense they were calling because an issue arose. Sure enough, the polite woman on the other end was a supervisor, who explained that the package had taken a different route by mistake. I had prayed over the package from the beginning, as the contents were rare and no longer manufactured. The delay wasn’t a big issue for me, and I realized I had to trust God to help it arrive intact after taking a detour. The supervisor graciously offered to express mail the package to me and also include a $50 gift card toward a future purchase.

Sometimes, the unexpected is part of our total package as we follow Him. Sometimes, God makes situations better than they would have been.

God has taught me that we can settle for the faithful provision of Isaac, or we can expect His unexpected provision through Boaz—an add-on gift that God sees and knows and waits for the right time or season to release.

Sovereign God’s greater blessings are out front, up ahead and right before us. As we choose to do life His way, we will come into His greater blessings. We will receive them when God knows we are ready and when He is ready, according to His timing and way. God’s expressions of increase that were once hidden will be revealed. Until then, He tests our will and our loyalty to Him, even in our thoughts, attitudes and works.

We must be secure in knowing our true riches are found in Christ alone. He is our greatest Treasure, and we are His chosen treasure (1 Pe 2:9). All else is less, including our own ways. Let’s remember this as we go into 2022 with our eyes wide open to Him, seeking Him first as we faithfully step into what’s ahead. Let’s believe Him for all else to be added to us rightly by His Spirit, while we serve Him (Matt 6:33).

Pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your supernatural serendipity. May I be more like You reflected through Your daughter, Ruth. May I always be led by Your Holy Spirit and glean increasing blessings Your way so that my joy may be full and Your overflow can work through me to bless others. Thank You for growing me in faith, truth and love. Rid me of anything that tries to stand between us. Thank You for perfecting my path (2 Sa 22:33). Thank You for building and expanding me for Your glory. I trust in Your hand that strengthens me as part of Your body of Christ to be the light of the world.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

Amen.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

Note: Ultimately, I did receive the package in record time with the contents intact, along with the $50 gift card, which was emailed to me right away. Praise God!

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Promised Destiny

My husband and I have someone new to shop for this year, and it has been such a joy. We consider her young life and her growth in character and deed as we select each gift.

Even though we’re busier this time of year, it can be easy to remember our promised Savior, who Himself had a powerful destiny to fulfill on earth. Everywhere I look, I see either an expression of Him or a need for Him.

I love how, even now, as His eternal destiny of life lives inside of us, He continues to work on our behalf, guiding us ever toward Him, and making the world a better place.

To be sure, we serve an intimate and powerful God, who never leaves or forsakes us. This is good news as so much happens in the world today, even in our own little worlds. Because of Him, we can remain victorious in Christ no matter what (1 Jn 5:5 NLT).

He is our constant hope who came down to help us, as we remember Him (Jo 8:13).

God’s Word says in 2 Corinthians 5:5 TPT that “this is no empty hope, for God himself is the one who has prepared us for this wonderful destiny. And to confirm this promise, he has given us the Holy Spirit, like an engagement ring, as a guarantee.”

So, His promise won’t be broken, because God is faithful.

Proverbs 3:6 TPT instructs us to “Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.”

This is easy to do when we believe He, as Love, is for us.

Our destinies are fueled by the grace of eternal life received and worked out by faith as we submit to His lead.

To be destined is to be appointed (Strong’s #2749). Just like Jesus was appointed to come here to earth to save us, each of us has an appointment, a time and specific role in the body of Christ to help others. Each has a unique destiny on earth that will glorify God (Ro 12:4).

Also, we are anointed for our appointments. Since God is with us, we don’t have to fear.

Isaiah 41:10 NLT says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

So, even when we go through a dark night of the soul, God is with us, bringing us into His light. We need only to trust Him, His ways and timing to receive His deliverance; because He is all about redemption, and He is faithful.

As we move by faith in His grace of redeeming love, we are made stronger in our Lord, becoming a greater blessing to do greater exploits with Him. As God makes us great in Him, He expands us through blessing others.

God’s truth is that the one who blesses is greater than the one who condemns. The one who blesses shares invitations of greater hope of redemption.

Living in God’s promises is where we experience rest, because there is peace in His promises. It’s where He carries us, our dreams and others in our hearts, such as our loved ones and our ancestors—to continue legacy and bring fulfillment. It’s where we become rooted and established, enriched and expanded for His glory and our good.

1 Corinthians 4:20 NLT assures us that “…the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.”

This kind of power (Strong’s #1411) is mighty, miraculous strength that makes us able, like God is able, as He shares His Kingdom with us, His bride (Mk 6:23).

So, pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord,

Thank You for being loyal and trustworthy. Thank You for sending Your Son to save me. Thank You that Your blessing is upon me wherever I go and that You make all things new as I continue to reconcile with You. Thank You that Your gifts in me will make room for me and even produce blessed breakpoints of new beginnings for myself and others (Ge 41:15-16 AMPC). Thank You for making me better and for bringing me into Your best multiplicity of promises fulfilled that will return to my descendants as their new beginnings (Ex 12:35-36). Help me to continue to align with Your truth, love and wisdom and to share Your goodness from my heart fearlessly. Thank You, Lord, that You will deliver and establish me fully prepared (Ge 41:32 AMPC). Thank You for leading me to a new place of honor as You produce honor in and through me.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

Amen.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.