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Time For A Change – Part 1

One of the ways God speaks to me is by giving me a revelatory nugget here and there over time that ultimately converges into a clarified message—a bigger picture of what He’s doing (Pr 20:24 TPT). I think of it as trail mix on a treasure hunt that leads to a prize—the realization of His transforming and eternal love in my life and in others’ (1 Co 13:13).

Does He speak to you like this, too?

I believe one of His purposes in doing so is to prompt us to dig deeper in prayer and Word for the fullness of His revelation—the unique and complete experience of a particular promise to us. Also, to gently lead us into the manifestation of His new and higher place for us without overwhelming us, especially where ungodly strongholds have been intact for what feels like a long time. 

For months, God has been highlighting Wilson Phillips’ song, Release Me. Then, for weeks, He highlighted the folk-pop hit, California Dreamin’, written and recorded by John and Michelle Phillips, Chynna Phillips’ parents. (Chynna is the lead singer of Wilson Phillips.)

All the while, Holy Spirit was highlighting darkness-to-light scriptures as well as messages about His anointing being hindered by adverse attitudes of the heart. 

I soon began to realize He was showcasing something about the area of family. Namely, that He is bringing change for the better and that it is time to see the impossible manifest.

God is answering prayers, especially concerning breakthrough restoration of our closest relationships. He is setting our souls free from toxic entanglements as we have intertwined ourselves increasingly with Him. 

God is manifesting what He has been helping us work through all along. We will experience the desires of our hearts in this area—more of His gift of love as seen in our closest relationships, even some of the ones God completely separated us from and others with whom we’ve had to set strong boundaries for a season.

If there is someone in our lives we have forgiven and for whom we have prayed, someone we have resolved in our hearts as much as we feel we can, someone with whom we have been patient beyond what we thought we could, know that God is giving us increased breakthrough with this person and that we will surely see Him do it.

God is unshackling us from the mockery of prideful legalism into His lovely grace so we can experience Him in this power we’ve never known on this level in this area. God will reveal Himself as our Spirit of Grace, who can and will do much to make up for times past as we continue to submit to Him.

Over time, as we have released hard-heartedness to God and have been made stronger in Him and His ways, He has delivered us and is now manifesting divine health in our relationships by His transforming love. 

God is the only One who can cleanse hearts and re-set these relationships. 

We need only to follow Him.

In so doing, we will see honor restored, respect for one another. 

As God has healed and matured us, we will come to know others in a new way. As past pain is swept away by our Lord, it will be replaced by His peace that surpasses understanding. 

No more will longtime festering wounds control these long-term relationships. 

Where God has been in the messy middle, we will witness Him having worked it out well in the end for a new beginning. We will come into a new understanding, with God and the others, as we submit to His authority in stewarding these relationships His way. 

We will discover it was part of His plan all along.

Love, which is ongoing and everlasting, will prove strong as God has aligned us to experience Love’s breakthrough and deep roots over time. Love will take us higher and broader over time as it now has freedom to grow in this area. 

It’s time to celebrate these beautiful (timely) changes (Ro 12:15-16). Yes, even in these beginning stages. For it is surely happening. We can praise God as He continues to complete the work in us and bring us together in a new and greater light.

You have stayed the course. Now, it’s time to experience the manifest victory in this area. It’s time to see and know the reflections of His creative, transforming love, where He makes all things beautiful in their time. 

So, pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for getting me to higher ground. Thank You that Your unfailing love delivers me from cycles of defeat. You know all the intimate details of my relationships. You have been with me through it all. Thank You that You protected me, that pain is not my portion and that You have now made a way for new beginnings. Thank You for restoring hope, confidence and trust as I remained on the righteous path with You (Job 8:13-14 ESV). Thank You for replacing roots of fear with Your perfect love. Thank You for softened hearts and shifting cycles of un-resolve into redemption. Thank You for helping me to rebound with honor. Thank You for giving me fresh vision and expressions of Your love as I continue to run Your race for me. Thank You for helping me to see others as You do and know You even more. Thank You for continuing to lead me into greater new beginnings in my relationships. For all this, I am grateful and look forward to moving on with them under Your guidance.  

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

Amen.

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

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Beautiful Life – Part 3

I am seeing God turn ashes to beauty in my life in every facet big and small as He brings us out of the Coronavirus cocoon. And it’s happening swiftly!

Oppressive weights have lifted. New doors have opened. New beginnings are manifesting. All as beauty.

Even some old things are made new…with more to come!

Are you experiencing this, too?

Recently, God showed me the Word “Distribute” in a Word-vision. He revealed to me that we have entered into a stage of “distribution.” 

About a week later, I was reading 1 Corinthians 12 in the TPT version as part of a homework assignment from my new church. And there, I saw the Word “distribute” four times. So, I dug deeper.

According to Helps Word Study, “distribute” in 1 Corinthians 12 means to “apportion (assign), by the choice of a superior; to divide” spiritual gifts for the purpose of confirming the Word of God, expanding His Kingdom and establishing His righteousness—on earth (1 Co 12:7 TPT study note).

1 Corinthians 12 verses 6 and 11 TPT say, “The same God distributes different kinds of miracles that accomplish different results through each believer’s gift and ministry as he energizes and activates them. Remember, it is the same Holy Spirit who distributes, activates, and operates these different gifts as he chooses for each believer.”

So, we see here that to “distribute” is the first step in Holy Spirit’s empowerment process to accomplish His three-fold purpose of making beautiful Him known in the world in a variety of ways.

This brings us to another definition of the Word “distribute” in regards to the miracle Jesus did (after thanksgiving) in John 6:11, when He distributed the loaves and fishes to those who were seated. 

In this verse, according to Strong’s (# 1239), the Word “distribute” means to divide, to offer, to give throughout a crowd, to hand over, to deliver over as to a successor.

Doesn’t this remind you of Jesus offering Himself up to be our greatest gift, as well as delivering His Word and Spirit to us to become His living, empowered successors?

Psalms 111:3 TPT says, “Everything he does is full of splendor and beauty! Each miracle demonstrates his eternal perfection.”

Titus 2:14 TPT says, “He sacrificed himself for us that he might purchase our freedom from every lawless deed and to purify for himself a people who are his very own, passionate to do what is beautiful in his eyes.”

So, the message is clear: our Lord is inviting us to be empowered as conduits of His miraculous provision to then go and do what He did and even greater exploits as we trust and obey Him.  

1 Corinthians 12:31 TPT says, “…now I will show you a superior way to live that is beyond comparison!”

The Amplified Classic version expands this by commanding us to “…earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and the choicest graces). And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one that is better by far and the highest of them all–love].”

Ironically, our Lord led me to this very scripture the morning before He led me to church, where I received my homework assignment. 

God has an intentional plan to work against division as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:25 by setting us up to “look after…others with mutual concern.”

So, as we go to serve others, according to His leading, He will continue to take care of what concerns us and also reward us.

Holy Spirit is bringing us out of hibernation more empowered and setting is us on a new trajectory that leads to an explosive convergence—the manifestations of His big promises to us—the fruit of dreams come true (Pr 21:21 TPT). 

Big ones. 

Ones for which He has prepared us over time.

Not only will this happen for us but also for those He reaches through us by His Spirit.

Are you ready for His manifest miracles?

Ephesians 5:27 TPT reminds us “All that he does in us is designed to make us a mature church for his pleasure, until we become a source of praise to him—glorious and radiant, beautiful and holy, without fault or flaw.”

So, no matter what’s going on in our lives, we can choose to move toward His beauty—His justice, honor and praise—and express it outwardly. Remaining in intimacy with Him is key.

We can experience His Glory-Presence and offer, activate and operate in miracles for Kingdom purposes as He leads—all by His Spirit and for His Glory.

Psalms 149:4 TPT says, “For he enjoys his faithful lovers. He adorns the humble with his beauty, and he loves to give them victory.”

Jesus lives a victorious life that He extends to us and through us. So, His greatest beauty is found in the true life of victory-salvation He has offered to us. When we walk in it, we will experience a more beautiful reality. There is no greater adventure. 

Colossians 4:12 TPT encourages us to “…grow and mature, standing complete and perfect in the beauty of God’s plan for your lives…”

1 Corinthians 13:13 TPT reminds us that ” above all else, let love be the beautiful prize for which you run.”

Pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for making us complete in Christ (Co 2:10). Thank You that we can lift up our “heads [in joy], because [suffering ends as]” our “redemption is drawing near” (Lk 21:28). Thank You for being our Spirit of Justice, who works on our behalf to bring beauty out of ashes (Is 28). I invite you to equip and empower me in any way that delights You. Thank You for activating Your gifts in me and for operating them through me. Thank You for teaching us Your Word and ways (Ps 119:68, Ep 4:29, 2 Th 2:17, Pr 10:29). Fill our hearts with your “beautiful intentions” (1 Jn 3:22). Here I am, Lord. Send me for Your glory. I trust in You.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

Amen.

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

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Beautiful Life – Part 2

Perspective determines a lot in regards to experiencing a beautiful life. We’ve heard the adage, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

So, what are we beholding?

Since, our choices largely hinge on our vision and thoughts, it’s important to renew our minds with what our Lord regards as beautiful.

Proverbs 15:30 TPT says, “Eyes that focus on what is beautiful bring joy to the heart, and hearing a good report refreshes and strengthens the inner being.”

Philippians 4:8 TPT says, “Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.”

Even Dictionary.com defines beautiful as “possessing qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about…” Beautiful thoughts and speech are examples. 

To be sure, God is our “crown of glory and a diadem of beauty for the remnant of his people” (Is 28:5 TPT). He is our Spirit of justice and our strength and bravery (Is 28:6 TPT).

I recall a moment years ago, where someone, who had lost a relative, approached me and asked questions. This woman, who was a leader in her church, seemed to not understand why her relative, whom she regarded as beautiful and good, was taken before others, whom she regarded as not so beautiful or good. While I appreciated her honesty and trust, I couldn’t help notice that her focus was clearly on her relative’s beauty and goodness, not God’s.

Very recently, our Lord gave me a deeper level of understanding on the matter, revealing that If He had spared the beautiful and good relative from passing into eternity, it would have been nice for the remaining family in a way. But some glory would have likely been attributed to that beautiful relative for their goodness. 

However, when God miraculously spares someone thought to be not so good or beautiful in behavior, God gets the full glory for His rich mercy. Not the person. What the person gets is an expression of God’s love as rich mercy, which softens their heart toward Him. They know they don’t deserve it, and they attribute their life to God’s merciful miracles. In this way, they become a living testament to God’s mercy, power and love, which showcases Him alone.

But when we make it about ourselves, our strengths limit God in our lives. Our submission to Him as our “beautiful strength” in our weaknesses invites His grace-strength to work on our behalf beyond our abilities (Ps 92:15 TPT). This is where God gets the greater glory and we are made grateful. It’s where He works out His redemption in our lives to make them even more beautiful.

What the good and beautiful believers get as they go on to be with our Lord is a Heavenly life of merciful and gracious redemption, which they don’t deserve either.

So, through Christ alone, we experience a more beautiful life with Him shinning most brightly, as we worship Him. 

Our Spirit of grace offers us a Holy ease, so we don’t have to overwork and wear ourselves out early. He will share His wisdom and insight to help us. Our worst enemy is trying too hard to do it our way. Instead, let’s be lovers of God, who seek Him, find Him and lead others to Him (SS 6:1).

Galatians 6:8 TPT says, “The harvest you reap reveals the seed that you planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect a harvest of corruption. If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit.”

So, pray with me, if you will, from Holy Scripture… 

Dear Lord, 

We bless Your “beautiful Name” (Ps 45:11, 100:4 TPT).

Thank You for seeing us as beautiful, rescuing us and bringing us into a beautiful broad place (Ps 18:19 TPT).

“O Lord our God, let your sweet beauty rest upon us. Come work with us, and then our works will endure; you will give us success in all we do” (Ps 90:17 TPT).

“Let me share in the wealth and beauty of all your devoted lovers, rejoice with your nation in all their joys, and let me share in the glory you give to your chosen ones” (Ps 106:5 TPT).

“Our hearts bubble over as we celebrate the fame of your marvelous beauty, bringing bliss to our hearts. We shout with ecstatic joy over your breakthrough for us” (Ps 145:7 TPT).

“Everything I am will praise and bless the Lord! O Lord, my God, your greatness takes my breath away, overwhelming me by your majesty, beauty, and splendor” (Ps 104:1 TPT)!

Like meditating on Your Word, may we lift up praise to You “from dawn to dusk,” from “sunrise-brilliance to sunset-beauty” (Ps 113:3 TPT)!

Help us “to be teachers of beautiful things” (Titus 2:3 TPT).

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen.

Friends, there’s even more that you won’t want to miss. So, join me next week for Part 3 of Beautiful Life.

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

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Beautiful Life – Part 1

Beautiful in Holy Scripture can mean what is fitting, appropriate and fair. What is mature, intrinsically good and beneficial.

Beautiful is what God is and what pleases Him.

It’s how He operates. 

A beautiful life is for everyone who chooses to be transformed into it by Holy Spirit. The Heavenly light of Christ is available to us to shine upon us and from within us, making us increasingly beautiful like He. 

The shining One intercedes on our behalf to guide us in oneness with Him as perfect unity. This kind of harmony is Father’s desire for us to live His best life above lesser things, to take dominion and expand His Kingdom.

A beautiful life is what He’s highlighting to us right now as we come more into His light.

Psalms 96:6 TPT tells us, “Breathtaking brilliance and awe-inspiring majesty radiate from his shining presence. His stunning beauty overwhelms all who come before him.”

So, we see here that this purest beauty comes from Him as our Source, who leads us in a life of significance beyond ourselves. It is appropriated by faith as we come near to experience Him in new ways.

Our Lord desires that we become even lovelier sanctuaries of His Presence (Ps 84:1). He desires that we take hold of His hand and receive more of His beauty in our lives. 

Who wouldn’t want a more beautiful life?

Ephesians 5:8-10 TPT remind us that “Once your life was full of sin’s darkness, but now you have the very light of our Lord shining through you because of your union with him. Your mission is to live as children flooded with his revelation-light! And the supernatural fruits of his light will be seen in you—goodness, righteousness, and truth. Then you will learn to choose what is beautiful to our Lord.”

This transformation into a more beautiful life is a John 10:10 journey, where we must consistently choose good over evil, to be awakened to more of God’s beauty—inwardly and outwardly.

In this way, God offers us a tree of life streaming from His righteousness, wisdom and insight. We can choose to become a tree of life planted by a riverbank, always producing fruit and prospering in all we do (Ps 1:3, Je 17:8). 

God has much for us forward, even beyond ourselves; and therefore, desires to strengthen us in Him (Co 4:5 KJV).

Proverbs 11:30 TPT reminds us that “…a life lived loving God bears lasting fruit, for the one who is truly wise wins souls.”

In Revelation 22:1-2 MSG, John says, “…the Angel showed me Water-of-Life River, crystal bright. It flowed from the Throne of God and the Lamb, right down the middle of the street. The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month. The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations.”

For us to be fruit-bearing instruments, God must be our center, just as the Tree-of-Life was center in the Garden of Eden, aware that the Tree-of-Good-and-Evil was also there (Ge 2:9).

As we activate this Tree-of-Life wisdom by faith, we will walk out a life of complete beauty with God, no matter what our circumstances. We will see Him and know His beautiful way in the midst of any situation, as we seek Him.

Proverbs 3:17-18 TPT tell us that “The ways of wisdom are sweet, always drawing you into the place of wholeness. Seeking for her brings the discovery of untold blessings, for she is the healing tree of life to those who taste her fruits.” 

The Message version (of Proverbs 3:17-18) reiterates this by saying, “Her manner is beautiful, her life wonderfully complete. She’s the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her. Hold her tight—and be blessed!”

Friends, God is bringing completeness to our hearts, some assignments and areas of our lives—past, present and future. He is our completer, who matures us and makes our lives beautiful. His higher ways will produce an outcome beyond what we can think or imagine. 

So, do you trust Him?

A couple of weeks ago, He revealed to me that it’s a new day. He confirmed this by the same scripture that He highlighted years ago to me, before He led me into the wilderness. In this, I realized that the same Word that leads us closer to Him inwardly also leads us to awaken outwardly:

This Word is Song of Songs 2:13 TPT, which says, “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.”

Friends, God is doing new things in our lives right this moment.

Are we seeing it?

Are we syncing with Him?

Are we laying down old ways and picking up His new?

He desires that we come into His fulfillment of promises to prove out our beautiful lives as living testimonies.

There is so much more to share. So, join me next week for Part 2 of Beautiful Life.

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

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Redeeming Your Time – Part 3

Redeeming our time is a divine expression of reconciliation. God takes regrets, missed opportunities and passed moments in time and reformulates them into something new, while He simultaneously reforms us inwardly. He brings something good out of all of it to benefit us and others. 

God’s power of redemption in our daily lives can break through the resistance of our minds and offer us fresh vision to gain manifest victory.

Nothing is impossible with Him. 

Isaiah 43:18-19 TPT say, “Stop dwelling on the past. Don’t even remember these former things. I am doing something brand new, something unheard of. Even now it sprouts and grows and matures. Don’t you perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and open up flowing streams in the desert.”

Friends, God will bring life where there was or is no life. He is life everlasting. So, when we invite Him into our dead, hopeless places, life begins to flow in and through us from Him as our river of life. When this happens, we will experience our prayers getting answered in new ways. 

We need only to have our eyes opened and be aligned with Him.

A few weeks ago, I walked into a store to purchase something small I had had my eye on. It was the perfect throw for a new chair.

When I walked into the store, Holy Spirit immediately drew my attention to the song playing on the store speakers. It was Fleetwood Mac’s Don’t Stop. Suddenly, I heard this song in a new way, as encouragement for my daily redemption from God. The lyrics went:

Open your eyes and look at the day. You’ll see things in a different way. Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow. Don’t stop. It’ll soon be here. It’ll be better than before. Yesterday’s gone. Yesterday’s gone. Why not think about times to come? … Just think what tomorrow will do.

Holy Scripture confirms this message by saying, “Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions…” (Pr 4:25 TPT). “…fasten your thoughts fully onto Jesus…” (He 3:1 TPT). “Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always” (Ph 4:8 TPT).

Yes, there is a backstory…

Once, when I walked through the deepest and longest character-building time of my life and could not see my way off of the ocean floor, our Lord revealed a few highlights of my life forward. He enabled me to see beyond where I was to where He was taking me. He even revealed a major shift to me that was years up ahead that would make room for more of His promises to come into place. 

These fresh visions of hope kept me going. 

Still today, He opens my eyes daily to see how He has brought me into new life and continues to do so. 

He is our trustworthy God of the impossible—our God of more than enough. He makes a way where we cannot see or find one on our own. He delivers us from limitations and sets us on a higher track with Him.

Hebrews 3:1 TPT reminds us that each of us is “invited to the feast” of our “heavenly calling.”

God desires that we keep moving in His direction, because this is where new life waits to be received. It’s the gift of redemption being worked out in our lives daily. 

We need only to humble ourselves, choose to trust Him at His truth and follow His lead.

So, has God revealed glimpses of your future to you?

Has He given you a vision in your heart?

Have you asked Him about it?

As we walk with Him and seek Him, He will reveal even more! The Lord of our lives will enable us to experience the convergence of small daily victories right up to His complete fulfillment of big promises to us. 

The key is to process this path His way, submitting to His strategies and course corrections. When we follow Him into new life, He will surely deliver us into the glory of His goodness and the fruit in the land.

Pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for making me holy and inviting me to the feast of my Heavenly calling (He 3:1 TPT). Take me higher in You, Lord. Show me what You have for me forward—the future You have planned for me (Je 29:11). Open my eyes to see it unfurl daily. Help me follow You into the great destiny you have for me. My life is Yours. I trust You to get me there—to receive all You have for me and nothing that’s not of You.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen.

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