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Decision Words

Recently, Holy Spirit showed me the Words “Decision Words” and “strategy traits” in visions. So, as I began to prayerfully research the Words, this is what He led me to see:  

A decision can be an act or a process but either way, discernment is involved in decision making, such as a judgment in a courtroom. Decision can also mean a determination of victory by a score and not a knock-out, such as in boxing. The Word “Decision” stems from a Latin word that literally means “a cutting off” (Dictionary.com).

I’ll pause here and say, if you’re into metaphors, like I am, you’re already beginning to see some of the interpretation.

In Holy Scripture, the Word “decision” can mean firmly decided (or fixed) by God (Job 14:5). It can mean “destined for completion” by God (Is 10:22 AMP). It can mean to act in agreement with and submission to God’s decisions in battle (2 Sa 5:24). And it can reference something that has been separated out or cut away as a distinction of what is and is not acceptable to God (Ex 11:7). 

According to Strong’s, decision means to “sharpen” or “point sharply.” it means “to be alert, to decide” and to “move” promptly.

When we think about it, isn’t this what the Word of God does for us? And aren’t we, as arrows, purposed to be alert and move swiftly to hit the mark?

Hebrews 4:12 NIV tells us that “… the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

I believe that God will continue to demonstrate His delineation of good from evil in nations and individuals to the point that He will allow His law of reciprocity to work as He completes a work in each (Joel 3:14, Ph 1:6). 

I believe we will see that God is just and merciful and has compassion on those He chooses, according Romans 9:14-18.

I believe there are those of faith and noble character, like Ruth, who will go forward and be aligned and re-mantled with a restored covenant inheritance, as God reinstates borders, priorities and provision for those who continue to walk with Him.

Therefore, for new life, it’s important to align our thoughts, attitudes and words with the mind of Christ and the Word of God, quickly discerning good from evil and making Godly decisions. According to Hebrews 5:4 AMP, our senses are trained by this practice.

There are powerful and purposed strategies Holy Spirit has already given to us and specifics that He is revealing now and forward. Like Naomi, who was a wise and enduring strategist, they will help keep us aligned with Him, as we keep step with Him.

So, for those whose character has been marked by God, it’s time to receive His plans for next assignments and draw them up. It’s time to make firm decisions to commit to them. Because God is turning up the spotlight on His people as beacons to multitudes. 

Holy Spirit highlighted Proverbs 12:22 TPT, which says, “Live in the truth and keep your promises, and the Lord will keep delighting in you…” Through our active faith is how we please Him. 

“You will be learning some new things as you go,” says The Lord. “But I will be with you and help you learn them fast.” 

So, as we step out to boldly carry them out, His power will work through us and He will reveal more. The sequence He showed me in this process is “Decisions, wisdom, strategy, management and victory” in this order. 

Also, we are to pray for God to give us the right words, to speak boldly and travel equipped, as described in Ephesians 6:11 NLT, which says, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”

God’s armor pieces for us are His “strategy traits.” His purposed plan and qualities, His direction and wisdom for victory in movements (Ep 6:13-19 NLT). 

In all of this, I am reminded of Romans 9:23 NIV, which asks, “What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory?”

Pray with me, if you will . . . 

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for Your rich mercy and truth that brings change. Please reveal more of Your strategies to me and strengthen me to commit to them. Help me to walk closely with You, to align tactically and swiftly with You (2 Sa 5:24). Thank You for redeeming my life on earth as it is in Heaven, for delivering me into Your promise of a blessed future (Je 29:11).

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen.

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

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Magnificent Joy

My husband and I went to see The Journey movie during Holy Week. I was deeply moved by the scenery, the music and the theme of the film. It seemed obvious to me that this once-in-a-lifetime journey that renown singer, Andrea Bocelli, and his wife, Veronica, embarked on was a bucket list item, especially for him.

And I was glad they shared it with us. 

The cinematography brought back memories of traveling through Rome. And the magnificence of God’s mountains and miles of vast open spaces was overwhelming, as was the musical talent. 

Much of the bucolic areas looked like they could be any number of places I’ve driven to or lived in the U. S. And I loved how each person brought an excellence of beauty everywhere they went, including to the ruins and memorials. 

I could see humility and gratitude expressed in different ways, from the first-time horseback riders, through the reuniting of family, to the race to reach home in the final stretch. Even in the delightful, intimate garden party that awaited them.

Wherever they traveled, they offered a message of “You are not forgotten.”

And I believe this is what our Lord would have us know today. 

He realizes the journey has felt long and hard for so many. But even so, He sees that they have glorified Him along the way. He sees that they’ve gotten back on their horses day-by-day to complete their missions.

And He gave us His magnificent joy as our strength.

To this point, our Lord gave me a divine appointment during this film. It involved an elderly woman, who sat beside me in the theater. 

Since the show was sold out with assigned seating, she and her two adult children could not get seats together. So, she sat beside me, and her family members sat in the row in front of us. 

The film began before this family showed up, and I was so caught up in the movie, it took me a moment to realize God put her there on purpose. 

What could have been a distraction was actually God’s direction to draw my attention to her. So, when she and her family blocked my view of the screen upon arrival, I glanced and smiled. When her phone went off, I glanced and smiled. When she needed help to recline her chair, I glanced and smiled and helped her. 

Once the woman got my attention, I noticed how much she enjoyed the film. I saw her deep, abiding joy. The music and scenery were so meaningful to her that she would hold her hand over her heart and gently shake her head. I saw deep longing on her face fulfilled.

My eyes teared to see this woman’s heart.

I wondered if she was a widow. I wondered if she was Catholic, like the Bocellis. I wondered what her story was, what her journey had been like. But since we couldn’t really talk during the film, I could only appreciate the part God allowed me to see in the little bit of light we had. 

And I came away changed. And this, I believe, is the biggest point. 

That God would move in the hearts of viewers to see something more, something magnificent that would stir us to move beyond where we’ve been and outside of ourselves. 

I believe God has some new relationships for many and that the ones we currently have are being enriched each day as we travel together along the path He has for us. 

Andrea and Veronica Bocelli readily admit in interviews that they could not have accomplished their dream journey without the help of several skilled and equipped travelers.

And neither can we. 

In a follow-up interview, Veronica said that, initially, she wasn’t sure she could complete this 200-mile journey on horseback and that, looking back, she wishes she would have enjoyed the journey more. She said that she learned a lesson about holding onto faith to complete the journey. 

And isn’t this what we can conclude when we look back at some of our own challenging assignments? That God With Us (Immanuel) offers us a magnificent joy to sustain us.

In this light, I am reminded of and encouraged by what Pastor Jack Hayford describes in his book A New Time and A New Place saying, “The summons to us in the Word of God is so magnificent. Let’s determine together to move toward a simple, humble relationship with our Savior, removed from . . . self-centeredness.”

He says that “this place of abundance and rest” is out there and that “it’s shaping itself right now on the horizon.” He says our “Lord is looking for open-hearted, obedient men and women who will stay in His [harvest] field, walk in His way, and believe that, in Him, today can be dramatically different from yesterday.”

I believe that can happen for you and me. 

Just as our Lord re-ignited that elderly woman’s heart when she looked upon a more beautiful place and time, God is taking us to a new and better assignment we’ve never had before.

We can learn from Veronica and hold onto faith and enjoy His magnificence in the journey. 

To God be the glory. 

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

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A New Song

Lately, I’ve been caught up in a book by Pastor Jack Hayford titled, A New Time and A New Place: Practical Truth for Personal Growth from the Book of Ruth. 

Ruth has long been one of my favorite Bible characters. But as I read Pastor Jack’s commentary, I learned something I’d never seen, which is this: 

When Ruth’s late father-in-law (and Naomi’s late husband), Elimelech, departed with his family from Bethlehem in search of provision during a famine, by default, he departed from God’s provision. 

As the story goes, Bethlehem means “the house of Bread.” It was the area, in which God had ordained Elimelech to be blessed. But Elimelech didn’t trust God at His Word to provide during what seemed impossible. So, Elimelech sought provision his own way and went outside of God’s boundaries of blessing to Moab. And, like all unbelief (sin), his own actions ended in death.

God knew what would happen to this family. He saw their end and their new beginning; and He kept His best provision for them in Bethlehem the whole time.

In His mercy and grace, God had a new song for Elimelech’s survivors. As Pastor Jack puts it, God “seeks what was lost and redeems what was forsaken.”

So, God worked through Elimelech’s wife, Naomi, to turn her back to the “house of Bread,” and Ruth was determined to go with her. I believe God put that determination in Ruth, in part, to bless Naomi forward (Ru 4:17).

I also believe God worked in both of their hearts to prepare them long before this pivotal moment, because God will not have His people enter into a prepared, purposed place of blessing unprepared. 

His timing allows for preparation of hearts. 

Just like in 2 Timothy 2:21 TPT, I believe they were “prepared for every good work” God had for them and that He made them instruments for “honorable use.” 

In this light, I believe that, right now, God is clearly and outwardly delineating those, who have come away from what is dishonorable, and is aligning them for honorable use.

I believe God is leading His submitted ones, like Ruth and Naomi, to align with those who worship Him in truth, like Boaz, and that this is imminent (Is 58:7).

Song of Songs 2:10-13 TPT describe this calling poetically by saying:

The one I love calls to me:

Arise, my dearest. Hurry, my darling. 

Come away with me! 

I have come as you have asked

to draw you to my heart and lead you out.

For now is the time, my beautiful one.

The season has changed,

the bondage of your barren winter has ended,

and the season of hiding is over and gone.

The rains have soaked the earth 

and left it bright with blossoming flowers. 

The season for singing and pruning the vines has arrived. 

I hear the cooing of doves in our land, 

filling the air with songs to awaken you

and guide you forth.

Can you not discern this new day of destiny

breaking forth around you?

The early signs of my purposes and plans

are bursting forth. 

The budding vines of new life

are now blooming everywhere.

The fragrance of their flowers whispers,

“There is change in the air.”

Arise, my love, my beautiful companion,

and run with me to the higher place.

For now is the time to arise and come away with me.

Naomi and Ruth hearkened to God’s call. 

Their heart-walk of true repentance unfolded one step at a time as they wisely stepped forward in faith, believing God still had provision in His house of Bread for them. They believed God’s Word and He ordered the steps of these prepared women right into their prepared setting (1 Co 2:9).

Their full-circle return to God’s way proved exponentially fruitful and went beyond themselves. This is what He has for us, too, when we return more fully to Him and His provision His way.

In Ruth and Naomi’s story, we see a commitment to obedience. And blessing was their reward. Their story lives on with a legacy that extends beyond even today. 

It’s marked by Isaiah 58:11 TPT, which says, “Yahweh will always guide you where to go and what to do. He will fill you with refreshment even when you are in a dry, difficult place. He will continually restore strength to you, so you will flourish like a well-watered garden and like an ever-flowing, trustworthy spring of blessing.

Their story reminds us that survivors are to come away from their former existence into the new wine God has for them. It reminds us that He has bread beyond the bread of mourning. It reminds us that God offers us beauty for ashes and true life that will prove greater than man’s deadly reasonings and traditions. 

God has a whole, new family for those who do His will. But it requires integrity of heart, courage and forward movement in His time and wisdom on how to proceed.

It’s for every willing heart that says, “Yes, Lord.”

To God be the glory. 

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

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Light Source

Most recently, Holy Spirit has been highlighting gray areas to me for the purpose of turning up His light in preparation for new assignments. 

During quiet time, He revealed that there are some who have slowly “withered,” day-by-day, because they have not remained in the level of God’s Glory light required to keep gray areas adrift.

Many have settled into the gray atmosphere of lingering compromise in battle and have stepped out to interact with darkness without God’s protection.

Since God promises “life and deliverance” to those who are faithful to Him to the end, we must stand on The Rock and live out our salvation throughout our course (Matt 10:22). 

God is now advancing us into a new-wine trajectory. Therefore, we must let go of every residue of hindrance as guided by Holy Spirit. 

We can:

1. Repent of self-justified gray areas, such as strife behind closed doors, bad attitudes, unforgiveness or running out ahead of God. (Ask Holy Spirit to reveal hidden areas to us.) 

2. Let go of dead things, like Ruth, and move into the re-establishment of new life (Jn 11:25). (Dead things are whatever God has taken from us and is finished with in our lives.)

3. Believe like Joshua and Caleb to enter into His promises. (Holy Spirit is purifying, pruning and refining us right now. We must decide whether we will stay in the familiar or go forward into the unknown.)

4. Know that Jesus is already where He’s sending us and that the works He promised will prove to be miraculous beyond what we know now.

So, if we want to live in God’s abundant life, we must let go of the low-level fears, insecurities and flesh conflicts that open the door to provoke and devour. We must rise higher and be made whole in God’s Glory Presence. 

Remember that His Glory Presence is a fire that darkness cannot withstand (Jn 1:5). It’s the only safe place for us right now and always (Joel 3:16). We are not to be provoked out from under it. We are not to settle for less than what God has for us forward. 

And we cannot blame God for what we bring on ourselves by our own ignorance, deception and disobedience. 

We must realize that our own rationale works in opposition to God’s wise ways, as He calls us to trust Him in faith and obedience and grow beyond what we know and the troubles we’ve been through. 

Releasing emotional triggers to God for Him to deal with requires trust and self-control and grows us in His peace.

God will bring fruit, not failure, when we exercise our faith in Him. He has great exploits for us on His earth. And if we cannot grow past tests that are small in His eyes, we will not be in position to join Him in greater exploits.

When chaos lingers, going vertical becomes punctuated. So, we must seek and find Him in the midst. He is a mystery to be revealed. And as we pursue God, He offers us His full provision.

Anything less grieves Him. 

Returning to His Glory Presence changes us dramatically from the inside out. It burns off the dross. So, we don’t settle for gray residue when light is our portion, and we can receive a level of brightness that sears all matters of gray.

Are you ready to allow God to burn away impurities from your soul?

If you’ve never experienced His profound, Glory Presence, it’s easy to do. Just get alone with Him in your secret place and worship Him until you can feel His tangible Presence. 

It’s important that you focus entirely on Him, not on yourself or your problems. 

Begin to thank Him for who He is and what He has done. You can express how much you appreciate Him and speak affirmations of His character to Him. You can even call Him by His many Names. You can bow to Him or lay prostrate before Him. You can sing or dance unto Him (Ps 147:7). Just let Holy Spirit lead you. 

You will never be the same. 

Pray with me, if you will . . . 

Dear Lord, 

You are my Source of light and life, and You are worthy to be praised. Thank You for Your Glory Presence that burns away every bit of darkness. 

I trade in my gray areas for Your Glory. I surrender to You what I have been lording over on my own. 

I choose to trust You to be my standard and invite You into every crevice of my soul to fill me and the atmosphere with Your light of love and life.

Overshadow me with Your beautiful Presence, Lord. And help me remain in it with You to be a shining light on the level to which You have called me.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen. 

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

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Divine Protection

Recently, I was driving down a highway and found myself in the slow lane with a big truck in front of me and one to my left. It was unusual for me to be in this position, and I felt boxed in. In a flash, a thought came to me that maybe God was protecting me. 

Minutes later, I was able to switch lanes and get out of the “box” only to see a big, black SUV pass me in the fast lane. The SUV was tailing a small, white car. The word “Sheriff” was written on the side of the SUV.

So, I started speaking mercy and grace out loud in my car over these drivers. Sure enough, the SUV’s blue lights came on, flashing all over. And they both pulled over. 

If you’ve ever been in the position of the white car—and I have—you know that sinking feeling. And, quite honestly, I was surprised God had me covered that day in this way. Because He hasn’t always done that.

But Holy Spirit used this situation to awaken me to the protection He’s extending now for those who are coming into their life-long destinies. 

Hours later, after I reached my destination, Holy Spirit revealed more to me, which is this . . . 

By His grace, God is moving on our behalves to keep us in His peace, because the peaceful inherit His Kingdom. One way He’s doing this is by putting boundaries around us.

A key scripture here is Psalm 32:7 TPT, which says, “Lord, you are my secret hiding place, protecting me from these troubles, surrounding me with songs of gladness! Your joyous shouts of rescue release my breakthrough. Pause in his presence.”

A second way God is keeping our peace is to help us stay the course with our eyes on Him. 

The key scripture here is Isaiah 26:3 AMPC, which says, “You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.”

A third way God is keeping our peace, so we can come into our harvests, is by allowing an external sifting. 

Holy Spirit revealed that this is a critical time of fulfillment and He doesn’t want any distractions in our lives. I believe our destinies are so near and important that He will scatter those sent to trigger us out of focus and onto sin. 

Holy Spirit revealed that the closer we get to taking the land, God will separate the wheat from the tares, His obedient followers from the stubborn troublemakers, His Joshuas and Calebs from the unbelieving communities. 

We’re at a time, right now, where the tares will reveal themselves. They will not be able to disguise themselves any longer. They will be made obvious to us at pivotal moments, and God will reveal His corresponding boundaries to us. 

In doing this, God is protecting us from those who would come against us but He is also protecting them. He knows what can happen to those who come against His anointed, and He doesn’t want anyone to perish but to turn to Him and live out their blessed salvation, even if it means living with less than He intended. 

There are people who cannot go with us. There are people with whom we cannot remain. There are some assignments where God will cut people out and away, so they can grow forward into a role that ultimately blesses them and others that they had to leave behind. Joseph’s story is a great example of this. 

So, in short, there are people God must distance (or remove entirely) from us so He can bless us and bless them, beginning with greater peace. In relationships, where people push our buttons or pull our triggers, we can expect to see new God-ordained boundaries come into place. God will do this to clarify direction for all parties and position everyone to depend more on Him. 

Our attitude should be one of humility, because we want to remain on His side of mercy and grace. We want to remain in His beauty set before us and align with Him quickly during big shifts (He 12:2). No matter what may fall away, we can determine to yield to God’s wisdom and move forward with Him in peace.

So, pray with me if you will. . . 

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for Your divine protection that covers me and those around me. Have Your will and way in my life and in theirs. Help me to awaken and follow You where You desire to lead me. Help me to see it all Your way and continue to sync with You in Your peace. 

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen. 

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