Heart Filled

A heart of faith-filled promises produces a heart full of gratitude (Ep 3:17). 

As God reveals His ways and purposes to us in the transition of His promises we’ve held in our hearts, we can expect Him to awaken us to a deeper gratitude of His how, what and why. 

I believe many will be astounded as He surprises us with His revealed mysteries of how He will fulfill His promises to us. Herein lies the treasure of deep gratitude.

Luke 8:10 TPT reminds us that we “have been given a teachable heart to perceive the secret, hidden mysteries of God’s kingdom realm.”

As our souls are impacted by His methods, we must keep giving every opposition to Him—all heaviness of fear, loss and false responsibility. As we submit to His ways and delight in Him, our souls will awaken to more of His rich, abiding love (Ep 3:18).

We can come into agreement with His truth of Psalm 119:24 TPT, which says, “Your commandments are my counselors; your Word is my light and delight!”

Recently, I saw “Light is might” in a Word-vision. The sense I had in my spirit was that God is bringing about life-changing lift as His light of promise is fulfilled in ways that only He can (Ep 3:16). And His mighty ways will not fit into anyone’s box (Ep 3:20). 

Our strength in the midst of transition is the focused mind of Christ, our willing obedience and the joyful delight of His high purpose in His outpouring of greater goodness. Oh, to know Him more in the breakthroughs!

2 Peter 1:3 TLB says, “For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us!”

Isaiah 26:3 TLB says, “He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord!”

So, our declaration can be “My heart and soul explode with joy—full of glory! Even my body will rest confident and secure” (Ps 16:9 TPT).

We must receive God’s perspective and hold to His truth as His best for us, even if it means letting go of former things. When we do this, we can receive His new things to operate in His greater abundance forward. 

One of the beauties of John 10:10 is that He leads the ones He made stable into another level of abundant life. 

Right now, God is extending invitations to us daily to come closer to Him and go deeper with Him to receive the revelation understanding we need to remain solid in the transition.

Proverbs 25:3 TPT reminds us that “The heart of a king is full of understanding, like the heavens are high and the ocean is deep.”

We know that we do not walk alone in deep places and that He is with us and will reveal Himself to us. It can also help to know that others will be transitioning too and that many on the side of where we’re heading have an anointing to pray us through. 

So, we can ask God to order our steps to receive through them. But our best, most fitting counsel will come directly from Holy Spirit to us. Because, when it comes directly from Him, we don’t have to strain to understand and we tend not to doubt. 

His revelations are lightbulb moments that surpass our own thinking. He makes our testimonies unique as He brings us into more of what’s new to us. 

As we seek Him and find Him in the midst, He’ll be there to lift our heads and hearts to see and know as He does. He will help us continue to follow Him with childlike faith that accesses miracles of new life along our Divine destinies. 

Much will happen as He shifts our perspectives to see His workings His way—both old and new. Our knowledge of things past will ascend to a higher viewpoint to cause us to be open to the changes He’ll bring in our lives. What we thought we knew before, we will now begin to see as Divinely purposed. And it will make sense to us.

Proverbs 23:15 TPT says, “My beloved child, when your heart is full of wisdom, my heart is full of gladness.” 

And isn’t this what we desire most? To please Him. To honor Him. To remain steadfast and make wise decisions that reflect His Heavenly nature on the earth.

Pray with me if you will . . . 

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for the light of life You’ve given me and for restoring my appreciation of the journey. Help me to continue to fight “an excellent fight” and keep “my heart full of faith” (2 Tim 4:7 TPT). Help me to continue to receive Your truth that produces freedom and deep gratitude toward You for who You are and what You’re doing in my life. May “my heart and soul explode with joy—full of glory” (Ps 16:9 TPT)! Thank You for helping me live in Your abundance.

To You, Lord, be all glory, honor and praise. 

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen. 

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

Good News – Part 2

When I was in middle school I ran track. Thankfully, I had an amazing coach, who taught me proper techniques for running races. Although I wasn’t the fastest girl on the team, those were invaluable lessons I carried into adulthood and apply even now to life in general.

A few of my favorites are:

1. Don’t be distracted by opponents.

2. Stay in your lane.

3. Keep your head and eyes straight forward.

4. Beat your own best time.

As I mentioned, I wasn’t the fastest girl. But I figured out, early on, there was a race I could be a part of winning. It was my favorite then and still is today: the relay.

Out on the track, there was nothing more exhilarating to me than the anticipation of seeing the runner behind me approach. I could feel my heart race even before my feet. As she got closer, I would sync in step with her, reach for the baton, grab it and take off as if running for my life.

I gave it my all, but it was never enough; because no one can win a relay by themselves. Winning this race requires team effort.

This principle links back to Part 1 of this series, where God asks Moses, “What is that in your hand” (Ex 4:2 NIV)?

“A staff,” Moses replied.

Moses couldn’t part the Red Sea alone. He knew he couldn’t gain victory for himself or others by himself. But with God’s grace-power and authority operating through Moses and his staff, he could do the impossible (Ex 15:6 NIV).

1 Chronicles 29:12 NIV tells us that God is “the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.”

So, when we receive God’s hand to do what we cannot do alone, He releases His power and authority through us to accomplish His will. We become His hands and feet on earth. We don’t have to fear when we know we are in the palm of His hand.

All through scripture, we find that God establishes His will through our hands and that our lives and times are in God’s hand (1 Sa 24:20, Ps 31:15, Je 26:14).

God is the lifter of our hands, the One who offers us victory over opposition (Mi 5:9, Jo 8:18). He even calls us His “wreath of victory” in Philippians 4:1 AMP. With God, we can move faster than we think and affect many lives.

In early October, our Lord revealed to me that there are those, like Moses, who have not given up but have persisted in “impossible” assignments (races). These persistent ones are about to finish their final segments in victory by God’s Spirit—by His power and authority.

These are people who have been matured over time. Ones who have been strengthened to run with God in abundance (Ph 4:13, Ps 67:6 AMP).

God is unveiling His beauty that He restored in them deeply. They are emerging fluidly into their time to beacon, as God showcases His glory through these deliverers (Ac 13:47).

When God highlights them, we will come to know them in a new way, on a new level and in new areas. Many of them are close to us—those we think we have known for a long time but actually only knew on the surface.

Are you one of these deliverers? What has God empowered you to do?

Philippians 1:6 ESV says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

God is able and He has made you able, because you have synced with Him in the race. He is behind you, in front of you and alongside you cheering you on.

God has placed His baton of victory in your hand to finish a final segment of a race (assignment). Know that, when this race is over, there will be another one up ahead, just on the other side of a brief rest.

God offers us a strategy to run in peace and well-being in our daily race in Philippians 4 by reminding us who we are in Him and revealing His proper techniques for running races:

Verse 1 – He calls us His beloved and instructs us to “stand firm” in Him.

Verse 2 – He tells us “to work in harmony” with Him.

Verse 3 – He advises us to help others who work “in the [cause of the] gospel.”

Verse 4 – He says to “Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him].”

Verse 5 – He instructs us to let our “gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people.”

Verse 6 – He invites us to not be anxious or worried and to bring our concerns to Him with thanksgiving.

Verse 7 – He assures us that He will guard our hearts and minds with His peace.

Verse 8 – He commands us to focus on His truth, honor, righteousness, purity, beauty, peace, goodness, excellence and praise worthiness.

On the second day of seeking God to write this devotion, I asked our Lord what else He desired to say. He brought to mind the old gospel pop song, Put Your Hand in the Hand, which I hadn’t heard in years.

As I searched it out, I realized this song was released the same year that I had begun running track in middle school.

Let’s remember these lyrics as we go forward:

Put your hand in the hand of the man

Who stilled the water

Put your hand in the hand of the man

Who calmed the sea

Take a look at yourself

And you can look at others differently

Put your hand in the hand of the man

From Galilee.

The scripture reference Holy Spirit led me to was Isaiah 41:13 AMP, which says, “For I the Lord your God keep hold of your right hand; [I am the Lord], Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.'”

He also reminded me of 2 Timothy 4:7 TPT, which says, “I have fought an excellent fight. I have finished my full course with all my might and I’ve kept my heart full of faith.”

So, friends, God’s good news is that He is about to show us greater victories than we’ve ever known as we decide to trust Him enough to run with our hand in His and finish our races (assignments) strong.

To Him be the glory.

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