Lost & Found

Recently, my husband found a young woman’s wallet on a bike trail. He picked it up, brought it home and informed me. I opened the wallet and saw the woman’s driver’s license.

Her name is Victoria.

Victoria’s photo revealed a troubled look on her face and an address that was a five-hour drive away. There was no money in her wallet, but there was a debit card and an appointment card for a court date.

I knew in my heart that God placed this young woman’s identity in my hand and on my heart to pray for a turnaround toward all that He is and has for her. I know God loves and values her, this person whose earthly guardian thought enough of her to name her prophetically.

Victoria is called to victory. To grow in victory by faith believing (Ps 92:12 TPT). To be empowered for triumph (Ps 92:10 TPT).

Just like her wallet, I believe what was lost will be found by God to help her find Him as her greater significance of identity and purpose in His promises fulfilled (2 Ch 15:4).

God has ways of revealing what is hidden to extend and sustain life abundantly through His salvation light of Christ. He meets with us to bring us from destructive darkness into His glorious Presence. All of us, who have fallen and are undeserving. All of us, who have an appointment with Him.

His Name is Redeemer.

None of us are too far from God to return to Him. Distance is a non-issue for our omnipresent Lord. He and His grace-power are bigger than everything else. So, hope abounds.

God is about revival, not ruts or ruin. He has divine beauty, fresh oil and new wine for each of us. He is our “beautiful strength” and never makes a mistake with us (Ps 92 15 TPT). He causes us to flourish in life as we follow Him (Ps 92:12 TPT).

God desires to take Victoria from iron and make her pure gold. He has a new countenance and a new life for her. He has a ministry designed just for her. He awaits her return to Him more fully. Wholeheartedly (2 Ch 19:9 NLT).

Entanglements of the world can cause us to feel bitterly hopeless, but God calls us out of the trenches of broken-heartedness and bitterness into His higher throne room to be enriched and entwined with Him. To help make others whole with Him.

He is our God of more than enough, whose “amazing mysteries” are “found within every miracle” (Ps 92:6 TPT). He reveals His “deep and glorious secrets” to the discerning. To overcome a violent world.

May we always remember God’s truth and pray for the one lost sheep. God doesn’t beat us up with the violence of rejection or condemnation but raises us up and carries us home to His merciful and gracious full restoration (Lk 15:4-5 TPT study note).

In “The Parable of the Lost Lamb” (Lk 15:3-7 TPT), Jesus says that “…there will be a glorious celebration in heaven over the rescue of one lost sinner who repents, comes back home, and returns to the fold—-more so than for all the righteous people who never strayed away.”

Concerning Victoria, there was no need for me to drive a five-hour distance to return her wallet, especially since I didn’t know if the address on her license was current. So, I called the authorities, to whom I handed it over. I would have loved meeting her in person to minister to her. But sometimes, we have to hand it all over to God and entrust Him to carry on His way.

Nothing is impossible with God.

So, I continue to pray for Victoria and speak victory over her young life and believe that The Master, who brings dead things to life will reach her and set her on a new path for His glory (Lk 15:24, 32 TPT).

May we always remember that, because He found us, it’s a new day for victory. In this assurance, we can rejoice.

Around the same time God put Victoria’s wallet in my hand, He also revealed to me that we will find what we have been searching for and that some of what we find will be unusual, even better—some things God knew about that we didn’t see previously. Something He will reveal.

Then He spoke to me saying, “It’s time for the beautiful things to come into place, to manifest.”

So, God’s love is being expressed and poured out in new, wondrous ways to us. He is giving us unusual opportunities to reach out to others and share His love. 1 John 3:14 ESV tells us “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers…” Therefore, we are to lovingly help others along the way. This is God’s standard as we go. The study note in Proverbs 24:10 TPT forewarns us by saying, “If you fail to help others in their time of need, you will grow too weak to help yourself.”

So, let’s leave room for God’s grace to help us help others. Let’s let Him show us how to align in the most fitting way that returns glory to Him. We are in a time of wholeness, where as we move with Holy Spirit, we will see the redemptive completion of His manifest promises.

To God be the glory.

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

Everyday Worship – Part 2

This series centers around God’s revealed Word to us in mid-October, which is that “everyday worship is very strategic for life.”

Our Lord highlighted two key scriptures for this message: Luke 21:28 and Galatians 6:9.

Luke 21:28 AMP instructs us to “…stand tall and lift up your heads [in joy], because [suffering ends as] your redemption is drawing near.”

Other versions of this scripture say to stand up, straighten up, look up and raise your heads as God’s redemption works on our behalf to bring us progressively from suffering into joy. Into “great power and miracles, in the radiance of his splendor, and with great glory and praises…” (Lk 21:27-28 TPT) as we continue to worship Him daily (1 Jn 3:2 TPT).

The second key scripture, Galatians 6:9 NKJV, says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

To lose heart here means to lose inner strength (Pr 24:10 TPT).

John 3:15 ESV reminds us “that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

So, since the eternal life of our Lord is inside of our hearts to strengthen us by faith, when we lose heart (inner strength), we need to check our faith factor. Since faith comes by hearing the Word, we must ask ourselves, “Which voices are we listening to?”

We can choose to grow in this eternal life on earth as we trust God and submit to His ways by faith more than ourselves (Ga 5:19-21 TPT). It’s how our souls get built in the highest strength above anything else that tries to come against.

Are we believing in God’s ways as much as in His promises to us? Are we believing in His benefits of Presence as much as in His rewards of completed tasks? What are we valuing and honoring most? God? Or the results of His promises? If it’s the latter, then there’s some growing out of selfishness (limitation) and into Love that needs to happen (1 Jn 4:18 (AMPC).

We can ask Holy Spirit to search our hearts and bring the conviction that leads us to repentance.

The evidence of living life God’s way by faith is the fruit of love.

1 John 3:14 ESV confirms this by saying, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”

So, in the humility of devotion to worship God is where we hand over burdens of the task we were never intended to carry. It’s where we can honor the priority of Him as God above works and acknowledge our dependency upon Him as King above all. It’s where we can receive divine strength to carry on.

Job 33:4 NIV says, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Everything worship-worthy of God is live-giving. It stirs a river of life that move from the Spirit of Christ in us, into our souls then back to Him. Holy Scripture makes it clear to treasure His Spirit of life over lesser things (Jn 3:6, 6:63).

God reminds us in Isaiah 45:22 TPT to “…turn your heart to me, face me now, and be saved wherever you are, even from the ends of the earth, for I alone am God, and there is no other.

He is our sole Source and Sustainer for life. He is our Completer. God is making us whole and completing our days with His life-giving abundance as we worship Him in Spirit and truth (Jn 4:24).

God has made us stronger in Him and is bringing us into a powerful place, void of shame and irrational fear (Is 29:22).

He has transformed us into a more fitting, beautiful bride to live out His dreams He placed inside of us for a new, abundant life, into which we are now transitioning.

Can you see the pieces coming more together into the beginnings of an outward manifestation of wholeness—what is essentially a whole new life?

We will arrive into tomorrow as we come through yesterday’s transformation. Therefore, our tomorrow will not be like yesterday. And the only way we can overcome that which tries to overcome us is to look at God and thank Him for His gift of transformation (redemption, liberation), His active life-giving miracles. His newness of life made manifest in abundance (Ro 6:4).

So, let’s check our hearts, repent of our ways above God’s and ask Him to help us move increasingly in His true life by faith in and worship of Him alone. Let’s keep our eyes on Him and our heads lifted toward Him as we anticipate the greater joy of His Presence and His miraculous power to produce all He said He would.

Lord, let it be unto us, according to Your will. In Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen.

Friends, there is more to this Word. So, join me next week for Part 3 of Everyday Worship.

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