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Star Quality

Decades ago, when I was a teen, I judged beauty pageants. It was great fun (and a relief) for me to be on this end of these events. The number one trait I looked for in each contestant was star quality. And it was obvious. 

So many pretty, intelligent and trained girls and young women would grace the stage with their costumes and talents and natural beauty. But all this aside, star quality was something they either had or they didn’t. And those who didn’t simply could not compete with those who did, no matter how hard they tried. 

Of course, in Holy Scripture, this brings to mind Queen Esther, whose very name means star. Obviously, her name was prophetic.

And interestingly, her original Hebrew name was Hadassah, which means myrtle. So, God took His myrtle and made her into a star to fulfill a major legacy purpose.

Queen Esther understood that God was her Morning Star, her new beginning, her source from whom the favor of life was extended, even through her earthly authorities, like King Xerxes (Es 2:17).

And she knew it wasn’t just about her. 

Queen Esther chose the narrow path and did the risky thing. She put her whole spirit, soul and body on the line for the lives of many others. She was willing and courageous. 

And like stars from afar, we marvel at her story today.

Just a few weeks ago, Holy Spirit showed me that “It’s palace time” in a Word-vision. The first Bible character that came to mind was Joseph and then Esther days later. But what was most prominent for both was how the star quality of favor worked for them in their new roles to honor God and save lives.

And isn’t this what it’s all about? The burning desire to go beyond one’s self with The Morning Star?

I believe Holy Spirit is highlighting this right now for many. I believe that the manifestation has been firmly decided and that it will happen very soon. I believe God is sending His submitted and favored ones out to be a part of divine turnarounds that flip the enemy’s plan and provide thresholds for others to enter into God’s goodness of life.

So, after Holy Spirit showed me the “star quality” Word-vision, He led me to King Hezekiah in the Book of Isaiah, chapters 36-40. 

What I saw here were parallels with Queen Esther’s story in terms of strong leadership that walked with God amid enemies for the sake of many. What Holy Spirit highlighted to me most was a warning to always put God’s Word and ways above the enemy’s attempts at mind games and physical confrontations, because selfishness kills legacy.

This is especially important right now, because many are headed into legacy assignments, especially in the area of family. We must resist lies of the enemy through ones he sends to try to deceive us into doubting the truth our Lord reveals. We shouldn’t even invite them in.

As Hezekiah’s story goes in Isaiah chapter 39, not long after God promised him 15 more years of life and healed him, Hezekiah “opened the doors,” to the enemy by welcoming an entourage, sent by the King of Babylon, into his palace. The name of this King of Babylon means “Baal is his lord.” It means the “god of blood and slaughter, mars, war, murder” (vs 1-2 TPT).

Hezekiah, the one who was known for demolishing idols, not only invited this enemy in, he foolishly showed them all of the palace treasures. 

And the reason Hezekiah did this was because he was “delighted by” the Babylonian king’s “letters and a lavish gift.” Plus, he had “a desire to impress them.”

We know that Matthew 7:6 NLT advises us otherwise by saying, “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”

Similarly, the prophet Isaiah warned Hezekiah in verse 6, saying that “The days are coming when all the treasures in your palace and all the wealth that your ancestors have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon; absolutely nothing will be left.” 

Isaiah then goes onto to say that some of Hezekiah’s own sons will be deported, mutilated and serving this enemy, Babylon.

All because Hezekiah, the one The Lord saved from illness and death, the one whose life was extended fifteen more years, thought of himself first, ahead of God’s supreme vision and authority and those he was charged to lead well. 

Isaiah 39:8 TPT says, “For he thought, ‘At least for me, there will be peace and security in my lifetime.’”

God knew that, due to his selfishness, Hezekiah would mess up legacy if He let him live long enough. But we don’t have to do the same. We can put God and His plan first above ourselves. We can wisely resist evil and take authority in alignment with God over who has access through our doors.

This is what Queen Esther did. 

It’s also what King Jesus did. 

And it’s what God expects us to do as He continues to position us to build legacy with Him. 

So, pray with me, if you will . . . 

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for Your favor and this clear warning to reverence You and live by Your truth and love above all else, and especially beyond ourselves, as we build legacy with You for Your glory.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name. 

Amen.

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

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Super Miracles

God does miracles, primarily, to make Himself known, to confirm His causes and to authenticate His sent ones. He often uses His righteous remnant to facilitate miracles by His power flowing through them. And when He does, His greatness restores the reverential fear, rule and reign of God in people’s hearts and in the land.

A couple of weeks ago, Holy Spirit revealed “Super Miracles” to me in a Word-vision. I believe it was a heads-up for what He’s about to do in waves.

These will be acts of restoration that no person can take credit for. They are extraordinary manifestations of regeneration that would be otherwise impossible. 

The Word “super,” according to Dictionary.com, means above and beyond. “A thing placed over or added to another.” Exceeding norms or limits. Subject to an extreme degree or an unusual way. And a higher proportion than usual of a given constituent.

I sense in my spirit that it’s time for God’s chosen ones to be used in out-of-the-box ways to facilitate prolific expressions of His unconditional, undefeatable and unconquerable love in John 3:16 and that God is inviting us to work with Him as testaments of His miraculous power. 

A key precept here is John 14:10 AMP, which says, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you I do not say on My own initiative or authority, but the Father, abiding continually in Me, does His works [His attesting miracles and acts of power].”

In this verse, Jesus describes His oneness with Father God through abiding in Him.

He goes on to say in verses 12-14 that “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me [as Savior] will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these [in extent and outreach], because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name [as My representative], this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name [as My representative], I will do it.”

Holy Spirit is releasing anointing (His Presence) and sending out those who truly confirm Him as Jesus, the Miracle Worker, to glorify Himself as One who is still alive today and loves people too much to leave them where He finds them. 

A key to keep in mind is that it’s God in His abiding ones who does the work, meaning the burden is on Him to accomplish super miracles by His power, not on His sent ones.

Going back to John 14:10, if you look up the Greek Word for “work,” you will see that it references “a deed (action) that carries out (completes) an inner desire (intension, purpose)” (HELPS Word-studies commentary). This verse clearly says that God does it, not His people.

God has hidden His desires, intentions and purposes in His people as vessels for such a time as “this” to be fulfilled. God has been searching out people in whom He can delight and through whom He can express His heart of restoration. And I sense that deliverance is a key component here.

God knows who has heart connections with Him for others and what He desires to accomplish through them. He has made them promise keepers in His assignments, building their faith over a long time to see the deep desires He has placed in their hearts come to fruition. 

Often before manifestation happens, God’s people will experience a shift, where He begins to delimit their lives, lifting confines and structures that no longer serve His purposes, including people whose time is up in the earth. Think Elijah and Moses, the latter whom He brought out from the captivity of ordinary labor, to send into new exploits to do what they knew they could not do alone. And then handed their respective batons to Elisha and Joshua.

So, if you have found that Holy Spirit has disconnected you from some people and places, from comfort zones and limitations, this could be a revealing that He is repositioning you to be sent to facilitate something greater, like super miracles. 

And in it all, you will feel a deep heart’s desire for specific people, regions and nations to be restored. As God uses these heart connections to express His love for His people, He will simultaneously cause them to be filled with joy unspeakable. 

And yet, in all of this, haters exist. Jesus says in John 15:24 AMP that “If I had not done among them the works (attesting miracles) which no one else [ever] did, they would not have [the guilt of their] sin; but now [the fact is that] they have both seen [these works] and have hated Me [and continue to hate Me] and My Father as well.”

So, we know that with God’s great blessings comes persecution from mere men. But take courage, friends, God has overcome even them supernaturally.

Pray with me if you will . . . 

Dear Lord, 

Thank You that You see and know all things. You know the desires You have put in my heart and when You will bring them to pass. You know the specific promises You have made to me, even those to see others restored. I submit my whole self to You to continue to cleanse me from captivity so that Your righteous miracles can better flow through me for Your glory. Send me, Lord.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name I pray.

Amen.

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

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Supreme Ruler & Judge

Our Lord is lifting off limits as He continues to free people from long seasons of suffering. Recently, I saw the Word-vision “Suffered enough” while praying for someone who was critically ill. Holy Spirit revealed it was not only for this particular person. But also, for His body of Christ-at-large. 

God’s rich mercy from the last season that worked to drive His beloved to reach for more relief in Him has shifted into an uplifting and heavenly expanse. 

Just a couple of weeks ago, Holy Spirit show me the Word-vision “delimitation.” Delimitation on Dictionary.com means “an act, instance, or method of fixing the limits or boundaries of something.” God is lifting off coverings and bringing people to a point where His boundaries are restored in their lives for divine destiny. 

Those who were once held in captivity to unknown sin are being set free even more as they come increasingly into obedience; and God’s judgment is being released on perpetrators, according to His timetable. 

This captivity-to-comfort pattern is found in the Book of Obadiah in regards to God turning the tables on His people’s haughty enemies, who took advantage of their weaknesses. 

And it’s confirmed by Psalm 75:2 AMPC, which says, “When the proper time has come [for executing My judgments], I will judge uprightly [says the Lord].”

The redeemed ones, who humbled themselves in the last season, are now arising and being restored outwardly to a good place with a fresh appreciation and deep gratitude for their Lord. They can expect manifest expressions of their growth in Him as their promised legacy is restored once again. They have become God’s new trustworthy ones, who have learned hard lessons and now operate in the wisdom of God with power. 

Likewise, the unrepentant and self-righteous, who continue to operate in the flesh and align with the false pride of darkness, will not only find that their old wine ways are without power to afflict God’s risen ones, they will be blind-sided in their efforts. God is turning the tables and bringing them into His light of truth, as He continues to expose their secret sins of false judgments and collusion.

God will reveal Himself as supreme judge and ruler and will restore a fear of God in them above their own ways. The God of mercy and grace will offer them true strength, like they never knew existed as they reach upward for Him. And it will be cultivated deeply in the hearts of these chosen ones on a new level as they persistently seek Him out of necessity.

So, the gloaters and false occupants, who judge harshly with hard hearts, will be brought into the blaze of God’s truth of who He is. They will be offered the opportunity to mature, and come into a higher understanding of not judging others for the same sins they themselves commit but do not see, according to Romans 2:3.

If these bound up ones choose more of God this time around, they will see and know that He alone is God and they will grow in their submission to Him, like the very ones they afflicted, and thought they ruled over but had no true authority to do so.

Understand that, in the last season, while some sowed covert collusion, others sowed repentance and endurance. While some grew weaker by holding onto their ways above God’s, others submitted to Christ to be strengthened by Him. While some stayed stuck in false pride, others grew through pain. 

God’s obedient ones will not only be better off in this new season, they will be rewarded for humbling themselves over an expansive time of great endurance. 

And even as I write this devo, I see the Words “Enough, enough!” 

There comes a time when God’s grace of patience is proven through His redeemed ones and His love for them shifts on their behalves in beautiful expressions of His favor. The same fire that refined them in the deep is the same glory that ignites their souls with the fullness of His promises. 

So, it’s time for God’s redeemed ones to rise in His Spirit of gratitude and overflowing joy. It’s time for God’s stored up blessings to be released. It’s a time to walk out the beautiful life God created for them and testify to His goodness in their lives. It’s time to inspire others to keep moving toward Him and His promises. It’s time to move in the anointing our Lord poured into them during the crushing, the sifting, the pruning and the trials by fire. It’s time that His people live fully on the other side of what’s past and operate outwardly in the grace-power He extended to them all along. 

He is inviting His people up higher, no matter where they find themselves right now. “There’s more,” says the Lord of Hosts. God has great provision and exploits for those who continue to trust Him and move in His ways. 

So, may our prayer be a full “Yes” in response to His callings and assignments. May we keep going all the way to living in the expanse of an overcoming life poured out by and for His grace and glory. 

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, 

Amen. 

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

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John 3:16

I love when God shows me a scripture in a fresh way, especially as it pertains to my life or someone close to me. And that’s what happened recently with His foundational gospel scripture, John 3:16. 

I had been driving all night from out-of-state, returning home after a family emergency. When I pulled into my garage and picked up my phone to drop it in my purse, the time on the phone was 3:16 a.m. 

It brought me comfort, because I knew Holy Spirit was reminding me of His simple and profound message of salvation for my father, who had met Him face-to-face just two mornings earlier. 

The Amplified Classic version of John 3:16 says, “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.”

The Passion Translation study notes say of this verse, “True faith has a number of components: acceptance, embracing something (someone) as truth, union with God and his Word and an inner confidence that God alone is enough.”

The NIV study notes say, “The theme of this summary of the gospel is God’s love made manifest in an infinitely glorious manner.” 

The Word love expressed in John 3:16 is the Greek word, agapao (Strong’s #25), which means “Unconditional love, love by choice and by an act of the will.” It “denotes unconquerable benevolence and undefeatable goodwill.” It “will never seek anything but the highest good for fellow mankind.” It “is a word that exclusively belongs to the Christian community. It is a love virtually unknown to writers outside the NT.”

So, this is the level to which God loves us—unconditional, unconquerable and undefeatable. For me, that morning, it was important to God’s heart that I know that I was loved and not alone and that His love was and is enough for me. In the early darkness, I clung to this truth.

Likewise, in this new season, I believe God’s beloved will experience new moments in which He will express His love for us uniquely. I believe it will be heightened and highlighted as He walks with us through big shifts so we’ll come to know Him, once again, as our more than enough (Matt 28:20).

It may happen during times of pain or loss, such as in my case. Or it may happen during times when God adds to our lives. But in all times, it is gain, as we give thanks. Because, as we know, He Himself as Love is with us (1 Jn 4:8).

When I consider all He has done for me, how can I not celebrate Him? How can I not praise Him for giving my family the gift of 29 extra years with my earthly father when medical experts at one of the top universities in America said it couldn’t and wouldn’t happen?

When I begin to thank Him for my father’s life on earth and what He has done to make a way for him to enter into Heaven and for me to see him again, as a treasure stored up for me, it is more than I can contain. 

When I consider what God has done for me, all I experience is overwhelming gratitude and joy unspeakable (Ps 94:19). Literally. Every. Single. Time. It hits me like a rushing wave that makes me want to fall face down before Him (Ps 116:6).

It lifts me like nothing else and makes me pick up my gait in my race toward God even more. And I want everyone who has lost someone to know this kind of joy unspeakable that is live-giving and life-sustaining (2 Co 1:3-4).

A short time after that morning, Holy Spirit highlighted an affirming scripture. It was 2 Timothy 4:17. The Amplified Classic version says, “But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the [Gospel] message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So, I was delivered out of the jaws of the lion.”

I am here to testify that, no matter what storm rolls in, God sees and knows and is there to deliver us from death into His glorious light. This is for those living in Christ here and beyond. 

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (Jn 3:17 NIV). 

So, as we process through mega shifts in this new wine era, we must remember this simple gospel and know that, by His Word and Spirit, we are loved. When God removes people from our lives and the voice of the enemy comes to lie to us, we must trust in, cling to and rely on God’s true gospel of John 3:16. 

To Him be the glory. 

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

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Record Time

This devo is a bit different in that I don’t normally address this topic. But I have no doubt that many have noticed a wave of passing patriarchs of the faith that seems rather extraordinary.

Some of you have been personally touched by this wave of homegoing as well, because it has extended to husbands and fathers, including my own father’s recent passing. 

I believe one of God’s general purposes for this is to make a way for a new wave of leaders to rise and expand in what God is doing in this hour and forward.

When patriarchs and matriarchs depart from among us, those closest to them, as well as any role-replacements, are able to lead Kingdom expansion.

Biblically speaking, Moses and Joshua are examples.

Joshua’s army took their mission way farther than Moses proved capable. But God, in His kindness, allowed Moses to view the progress from above. 

God is seating many into positions of authority to make Him and their earthly father’s proud.

These are legacy carriers, builders of the Kingdom, inspired by those who have gone before them, and anointed to pioneer dominion miraculously by God.

I, myself, am taken with the rich mercy and great grace of God that allowed my own earthly father to live 29 years longer than medical experts expected. When they considered his afflictions to be 100 percent fatal, God made a way for life.

I’ll never forget the angelic visitation one sweet morning decades ago after I had cried myself to sleep in prayer. It was two weeks before Christmas and a lot was happening otherwise. I felt like if God had taken my father at that time it would have been too much for me.

He sent an angel to hover over me and awaken me to bring comfort, power and a message of intervention.

At that time, my father lived and didn’t die. 

Years later, Holy Spirit spoke to me during a quiet moment, saying my father was a testament to His rich mercy. 

And He was right. Dad was an example of what we all need to receive—the rich mercy of God.

When it was finally time for Dad to go home to Heaven to live with Jesus, he went suddenly. Our Lord gave me clues to forewarn me just beforehand and had me read Psalm 91 over him as he lay in ICU on his final evening. 

Dad was 91-years-old when he passed. 

As I sat on the edge of my bed the morning he entered into his Heavenly home, I thanked God for the extra time and marveled at what a difference 29 years had made: How God had grown me to be much stronger in Him so I could walk through this joyfully. How He had given me a fresh perspective of my father’s new walk in God’s covenant of grace. And how He had enabled me to carry on in legacy.

And oh, how sweet it has been. 

All I want to do is connect with that great joy and the banner over my dad that is “Freedom,” as he strolls into the great expanse of Heaven.

I hope that, if you have also seen loved ones off, that you will do the same. 

Because, like my earthly father, who was a leader and teacher in the commercial construction trade, we have much to build here in record time and with holy purpose to work out.

Think Nehemiah. 

God has divine assignments right before us that we’re about to come into. They will be places to express what He put in our hearts long ago. 

This is an exciting time to work alongside God in His Kingdom. And we can do it knowing that our loved ones are watching from above as God extends life here on earth as it is in Heaven.

Here are some key scriptures to ponder as we lay the past to rest and enter into legacy overdrive . . . 

Psalm 91:14-16 AMPC, which says, “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness–trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

Job 21:23 AMPC, which says, “One dies in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.”

To God be all glory, honor and praise.

Amen.

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