Victory vs Frustration - You CHOOSE!

John 16:33 - I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

John 17:15 - I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one.  

Having run in Christian circles for many years, amongst good "church people," I have often heard someone say something like, "Well, we just live in this world, we're going to have trials and tribulation. We're just going to have to get through these hard, troubled times." Have you heard something similar? It almost sounds like as a Christian, it is a license to live and wallow in despair and have the "oh, whoa is me" attitude.

In the Greek, "the world", in John 16:33 is described as the following:

kosmos - the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ

Jesus here in John 16 is reminding us that he has OVERCOME the world! He is also telling us how we SHOULD be living since we are IN HIM. We are called to live in peace & confidence. If you look at the word kosmos, in the Greek, it's living alienated from God, BUT as a believer, that is not us! We do not live alienated from God. Jesus doesn't leave us in a place of tribulation, trials, distress & frustration. JESUS says, "BE OF GOOD CHEER!" Jesus wants us to not focus on what the world, the kosmos, has to offer, but what HE HAS TO OFFER. I believe Jesus does not want us to focus on the kosmos living, but in the fact that on the cross Jesus defeated, he OVERCAME the kosmos living! Jesus is telling us to BE OF GOOD CHEER.  He conquered the world! He defeated the world! He wants us to walk in confidence, to be courageous, knowing the battle out there amongst the enemy is already OURS! We have already WON because Jesus fought the battle and came out victorious for US!

What does that mean to YOU and I? What does that mean for our every day living? It means don't focus on the tribulation that "the world" may live in, but focus on what Jesus TELLS US to focus on, focus on whatever you are about to pursue, focus on the VICTORY! If you are in a trying time at work, take your eyes off the tribulation, and put it on the victory! Believe & confess victory! Jesus even conquered this battle for you! Whatever this battle is for you, Jesus already defeated it for you!

Instead of:

trials, tribulation, distress & frustration

CHOOSE:

COURAGE, CONFIDENCE & CERTAINTY!

Put your FOCUS on the VICTORY that is already YOURS! Jesus did it just for you, so CHOOSE to put your focus on what Jesus told you to focus on, being of GOOD CHEER in the VICTORY!

  

How to GROW Belief?

Matthew 17:20-21 (NKJ) - So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ²¹ However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

If you remember in the Bible it talked about each of us given the measure of faith as believers. One believer not given a "greater measure," but each of us has the same amount. Well then, why do some people do significantly more with their life? Why does it appear some people have such greater faith because they accomplish so much more? Well.... let's take a look at that this morning.

Here in Matthew 17, the disciples have just come to Jesus because they were not able to cast out a demon. They wanted to know why, so Jesus goes about telling them. They had been given "the" measure of faith, so faith should not have been the problem. Jesus proceeds to tell them it is because of their unbelief. When I looked up "unbelief" in the dictionary, it defined it as skepticism, rejection of belief. 

Where and what is the TIME spent on? Rejecting belief? Dwelling on what is not possible? OR is time spent on building up belief? Building up what IS possible? Unbelief is rejection of belief. Belief was defined as confidence in the truth. A quote I read this morning goes hand in hand with what we are talking about, "It is usually overlooked, it is noteworthy that leaders spend a considerable time alone, with nothing but their own thinking apparatus." 

To increase belief, we need to increase the time we spend on that topic or area we are looking to grow. At the end of Matthew 17:21, it talks about prayer and fasting. The type of demon that the disciples were trying to cast out only came out through prayer and fasting. Their unbelief was too great, they had not spent enough time increasing their belief. In this instance, Jesus said it could have been done through prayer and fasting. Prayer, often something done alone.... and when one fasts, it is often giving up food to spend more time in prayer or with the Lord alone.

Leaders spend considerable time alone. 

It is not a mystery that the greatest leaders, good and bad (Stalin, Hitler, etc - spent jail time and had much alone time to devise their evil schemes) spend a lot of time alone. They are able to plan, increase belief in the plan. Increase belief in their beliefs!

So.... today.... what area do you want to grow in belief? DWELL on the positive of it. DWELL on why it is possible! DWELL on the how it can be done. Continue to think, dwell, ponder on the positive, on the possibility. GET ALONE to think, to journal, to pray. As you do this, watch your unbelief diminish until all that is left over is the DOING IT!!!! You will have accomplished what at one point seemed like a distant wish or dream! Through spending that time alone growing your belief, you will have accomplished victory!

Imagine: Sitting Down with Jesus

Imagine. You are sitting in your bedroom a little discouraged and in comes Jesus to sit on your bedside. Life has been getting to you. Defeat has been infiltrating it's way into your thoughts. This time, you've been down a little longer. You've stayed on the ground, too exhausted to get up. Jesus' appearance shows up at just the right time. You really need a Word from Him. You need encouragement. You need hope.

As I sat in church yesterday, the Pastor said something that sparked my mind going off in all these thoughts. I imagined what Jesus would say. I imagined that He would remind me and you of WHO we really are as a believer. That He would bring us out of the pit we felt like we were in and REMIND us of WHOSE we really are. That defeat is only temporary and victory is permanent! As a child of God, ULTIMATELY, WE WIN! Jesus went to the cross, chose death, DEFEATED Satan on our behalf and victoriously arose from the grave a WINNER! Our Team won! He won for ALL of us! He won for Believers!

This morning I began thinking back to the childhood song I remember singing over and over in summer Bible School. You probably sang it too.... it goes like this, "Father Abraham, had many sons and many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them and so are you, so lets all praise the Lord. Right arm. Father Abraham, had many sons..." And the son goes on until you're moving all body parts, marching, wiggling and as a kid, having a blast just moving all over! The more over the years that I've thought about that song, the more I realized what GREAT stuff is in that children's song! It begins to tell us WHO we are! As a believer, we become one of Abraham's sons, adopted if you will, but a son! An heir to the promise.

Galatians 3:29 - And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

As Christians, like the song says Abraham is, "Father Abraham." So we could go back to Genesis and begin to see the promises that belong to us throughout the entire Bible! One of my favorite places to see the promises that belong to me are in Deuteronomy 28 (check out the New Living Translation). Let's take a look.

• My CHILDREN are blessed! (v 4)
• Wherever I go & whatever I do, I AM BLESSED! (v 6)
• The LORD will guarantee a blessing on everything I do and will fill my bank accounts with increase! (v 8)
• The Lord blesses me with many children! (v 11)
• The Lord will bless all the work I do. (v 12)
• I AM the head & not the tail! (v 13)
• I am always on top and never at the bottom. (v 13)

These promises are straight from the Bible and they belong to US! I basically copied & pasted them, then personalized them! They are for us today! Let us not forget how Deuteronomy 28:1-2 - If YOU will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above the nations of the earth and ALL these blessings shall come upon you and OVERTAKE you IF you heed the voice of the Lord your God. 

I believe if Jesus sat with us, he would remind us that the devil is a TOOTHLESS lion. He roars, but he is toothless. He can't bite us! I believe Jesus would remind us that we ARE the head and not the tail. That HE went to the cross and DEFEATED it on our behalf giving us VICTORY! I believe that Jesus would remind us, ON EARTH as it is in HEAVEN! Live on earth, as it is in heaven! Don't accept defeat. Apply the Word to our situation. Apply faith and diligence, that we would walk out in victory as He desires us to. I believe Jesus would begin to remind us of WHO we are and WHOSE we are! We are His! We are JOINT HEIRS according to the promise! A joint heir, has EQUAL ownership! Romans 8:17 - And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ....


I believe Jesus would REMIND us that WE ARE A WINNER! Because HE has already won, WE have already won! Coming out of our little "sit-down" meeting with Jesus I believe we would walk differently, talk differently, carry ourselves differently. I believe we would walk tall. Be bold. Listen sharper to His Voice. Attempt greater things, knowing we have already won. I believe we would be bolder & more confident.

Imagine... if Jesus came to sit down with you on your bedside, you would leave changed. Radically and fully changed.

Begin today. Live like Jesus sat down with you this morning! Live boldly. Live victoriously. Live your calling without fear! Live as though you can not lose, because when you FULLY receive the promises as your own, YOU CAN'T!

#233 - PREPARE for YOUR Victory!

Tailgating! - You can definitely see Trinity!! I'm about 38 weeks pregnant at this game. I ran some bleachers hoping that might help her come on! We're ready to meet her!

Good morning! :) We are excited to welcome Trinity Faith whenever she decides to arrive! Over 38 weeks pregnant, I am READY! Excited to move around without grunting and making noises. Can any of you mom's relate?? It is time! I did want to share a few prego pictures from this last weekend. Tyler & I enjoyed going to a Georgia game! They played Tyler's alma-mater, Coastal Carolina University! You notice Tyler came out supporting GA! The score was 59-0, Georgia! Quite a game! We had a great time and were joined by Tyler's sister & brother-in-law. A beautiful, blue-sky, Georgia day!

Well... let's get into the Word this morning. 

Proverbs 21:31 - The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance and victory are of the Lord.

Proverbs 31:25 - Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]!

Are you in a stage of preparation? Have you been preparing for something big? For your battle? For your victory? This morning, as I got into the Word, the Holy Spirit spoke to me about "preparation." Have you felt like you have been preparing FOREVER? When is the battle going to come? When is YOUR VICTORY going to come? Will I ever get out of this stage of preparation?

Let me share with you some of the insights the Holy Spirit shared with me....

Enjoy the preparation. The period of preparation is longer than the battle. A boxer prepares for a long time, for a fight that lasts but minutes. There is satisfaction in being prepared. Confidence comes with being prepared. And, it is but a season. Can you last the season without give up before the true battle begins? Many quit the preparation period before even getting to "THEIR" battle. They aren't able to experience victory because they gave up too soon. 

Who agrees with me, sometimes the preparation period seems to be a drag?! I know personally, I've found myself thinking, "Come on already! I'm ready to move on! I'm ready to be done with this stage. I'm ready to be done with this season! Can we move on already?!" Like the horse, the boxer, the basketball player, the business owner.... we have one job, preparing. Prepare, Proverbs 21:31 says. Once we are prepared, once that season is over, we can rely on the VICTORY being from the Lord. Once we are prepared, we have done our part. Then, it is GOD's job to step in and bring the victory to pass. What will the season of preparation be? One day? One week? One year? Ten years? Twenty? Whatever the season of preparation is, DON'T GIVE UP before your battle and your VICTORY!

We are called to PREPARE. We are called to get ready. Our season, our time will come when our battle, our fight, our race will be face to face with us. We will be in the midst of the fight and we will be ready! We will be confident because we are prepared!

Don't grow weary, friend, in well doing. Don't grow weary in preparing. Don't grow weary in this season. The preparation period is often longer than the fight. Enjoy this season of preparation. Take the time to soak enjoy the fall weather while you are preparing. Enjoy a roasted marshmallow while you prepare. Enjoy your fall sweatshirt and jeans while you prepare. Take a minute to drink in the changing of the leaves, the crunching under your feet. Enjoy this season of preparation because your VICTORY is coming! Just like the horse is PREPARED for battle, YOU may be preparing too! Get prepared! Anticipate the excitement of VICTORY coming! Not victory that you have manufactured, but a victory that is here to stay! A victory that is from the Lord! Your job is but to get prepared! Don't grow weary friend. Drink in this season. Drink in the smells, sounds, feelings, experiences. Enjoy this season because your victory is right around the corner!

At the UGA vs CCU game. 2nd row! :)

Tyler Jr wanted to say "Cheeeese" too! 

#198 - A Tactic of the Enemy: The Wife!

*blowing breath out*

Whew. *wiping brow* It's been a full morning already. The first 2 hours of being awake was heavy! And that was even before getting into my quiet time! My husband is so smart. We talked a lot this morning, I reviewed some notes that I recently took, and overall... it was just a pretty emotionally full morning. I believe that today's devotion is going to impact you. If anything, connect some dots on some very important things to do.  We are going to take a "field trip" from our Proverbs 22 chapter of today, and jump  back earlier into the Old Testament. Let's get started....

2 Chronicles 26:5 (talking about King Uzziah) - He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the things of God; and as long as he sought (inquired of, yearned for) the Lord, God made him prosper.

2 Chronicles 32:31b (talking about King Hezekiah) - ... God left him to himself to try him, that He might know all that was in his heart.

Proverbs 31:11a - The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely... 

This is going to be full. I'm going to do my best, with the direction of the Holy Spirit to bring it all full circle.


First of all, if we look at the beginning of Proverbs 31:11, we see that it is talking about the heart of the Proverbs 31 husband. His heart trusts in his wife. His heart is confident in her. His heart relies on her. His heart believes in her. She is not how some would view as the "weaker vessel" or as the "lesser of the two," she is VALUABLE and he is relying upon her.

Let's take a trip back to the beginning. In the Garden, there were Adam & Eve. How did the enemy infiltrate mankind? He got to the woman. Satan chose his tactic to get to Eve, the wife, to bring down mankind. His plan worked, in the short-term (obviously Jesus came back and gave us a way to Victory! Praise the Lord!) I heard an amazing woman of God say last night that she noticed when SHE was not on her full game, it was very quickly after that she would notice her husband would come off his game. If the enemy is successful in getting the wife down, getting the wife distracted, he has the potential to get the WHOLE mission of the couple off course!

As we peek into 2 Chronicles 26:5, it tells us that as long as King Uzziah sought the Lord, inquired of, yearned for the Lord, that because of it, GOD made him to prosper. Marry that with the lesson from Adam and Eve. It becomes SO MUCH MORE important for WOMEN to stay in a position of SEEKING THE LORD! It ultimately makes it a key in why the Lord makes us to prosper. YOU, woman of God, like in the beginning of time are a target. Like it or not, you have a bulls-eye on your back. Just ONE of the tactics of the enemy, if he can get to the woman, he has potential of disrupting the whole mission. Whether that be through strife, discord, discouragement, busyness, focusing on the unimportant... whatever it is, the tactics have been set out by the enemy.

The Woman's Responsibility: STAND GUARD! GIRD YOURSELF with the Word and with strength. Serve, give, love people. Pursue your calling. Don't delay. Distractions can cause you to get off course, be aware of what is taking your time. Be aware of your heart. Pursue the Lord! Pursue deeper revelations into the Word. EXPECT to get clarity. EXPECT to be directed. Like King Hezekiah, God wants to know your heart. What are you putting into your heart? What is going in? Is your heart getting purer or is your heart static? Staying the same? Blank?

The Husband's Responsibility: PRAY! Knowing that YOUR WIFE is one MAJOR tactic of the enemy to destroy your mission and ministry as a couple, PRAY FOR HER! Pray a hedge of protection around her. Pray for her mental stability. Pray for her growth in her walk with the Lord. Pray for her sharpness, that she would be able to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit with clarity. Plea the blood of Jesus over your wife. Protect her from the enemy with your prayers!

The Proverbs 31 husband TRUSTS in his wife with his heart! She has has spent time girding herself up, strengthening herself, and because of this, he trusts her. She is guarding herself from becoming overwhelmed. She has safe-guards in place. Where she is vulnerable & obedient, is to being LED by the Holy Spirit, and that is exactly where we want to be.

We can learn from the past. We can learn from the beginning. The enemy's goal was to take out Eve. His goal was to distract Eve, get Eve into disobedience. Woman of God, recognize this as a warning. This is ALL THE MORE reason for you and I to be diligent in our pursuit with the Lord. Our marriage and our calling as a couple is dependent upon our stability & obedience. If we know that we are a target of the enemy, it makes it crucial that we are always armed. That our foundation is in the Word. That our stand is on the ROCK! Stability is key, pursue it! Don't be victim to the enemy, be the VICTOR!

#188 - Observation is a KEY in Winning!

Good morning! The birds are in full harmony this morning & I love it. Tyler Junior is still snoozing, but when he wakes up he'll have a little friend just getting here that he can play with.... Zozo! He will be excited!! So... not time to dilly dally this morning, lets get going! :)

Proverbs 1:8-9 - My son, hear the instruction of your father; reject not nor forsake the teaching of your mother. ⁹ For they are a [victor's] chaplet (garland) of grace upon your head and chains and pendants [of gold worn by kings] for your neck.  

Proverbs 31:1-2 - THE WORDS of Lemuel king of Massa, which his mother taught him: ² What, my son? What, son of my womb? What [shall I advise you], son of my vows and dedication to God?

Proverbs 31:27 - She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat. 

I was reminded again this morning of the importance of learning, observing, taking in.  As adults, even learning STILL from our parents. Allowing ourselves to but all of our "great wealth of knowledge" aside, and to just listen, to take in, to humble ourselves in submission to the fact that someone else may know more than we do. Proverbs 31 reminds us that King Lemuel is learning about who he should look for in a wife by listening to his mother. She is teaching him the qualities that are important, that will ultimately bless him and even take him further in life! She is teaching him & he is listening.

We've most likely all heard the phrase.... "You have 2 ears & 1 mouth for a reason!" Actually, if you think about it, you have 2 eyes, 2 ears & 1 mouth. In that case, 80% would be for receiving information, where only 20% would be for giving out or speaking. The Proverbs 31 woman practices this in Proverbs 31:27 by "looking well" to her household. She is taking in what is going on. She is OBSERVING! That goes along with Proverbs 1:8-9, heeding the instruction & teaching of parents leads to WINNING! They have gone before us, they have experienced more, they have learned things we have not learned. The lessons they have learned can lead us to experience victory! I've heard the phrase, "Experience is the best teacher." But truly it is OTHER PEOPLE'S experience that is the best! Learning from their mistakes, victories, journey, can speed up our path to victory! To paraphrase Proverbs 1:8-9, "The instructions & teachings of our parents are like putting a trophy in our hands or a medal around our neck. Their instructions lead to our victory."


"Looks well...." - Looks well is observing. Looks well is evaluating. Looks well may even mean slowing down to take an inventory. The Hebrew further describes it as: to watch closely, to spy, observe, look about.  The Proverbs 31 Woman has slowed down enough to make sure what is going on is what should be going on. She has slowed down enough to THINK and most likely LISTEN. The really awesome thing for today's Christian is that when we slow down to LISTEN, since Jesus departed, He left the Holy Spirit as our Guide. We have the Holy Spirit that hears us & can direct us. We must be in a position to listen though.

I was doing some research on how part of winning comes from observing. An article popped up on Internet Poker. I'm not a proponent of gambling, but many of the recommendations line up Check out some mistakes people make and see if it doesn't apply to Believers as well! I think it is right on the money! ;)

1. Deliberately pursuing other activities while playing. (ie: Hello Multi-taskers! - I'm definitely guilty of this one!)
2. Allowing yourself to be constantly distracted. (ie: Any of these strike a cord? - Cell phone, texting, FB, twitter... constantly having something you are doing. - OK, I'm guilty! )
3. Failing to pay attention when you're not in a hand. 
4. Playing in more than one online game before you have proven that you can consistently win in one. (ie: Are you working on establishing good habits, but jump from one thing to the next before really solidifying anything? Do you have a goal, and it changes before you have a chance to accomplish it? Always pursuing something new before winning at any one thing? )
5. Failing to take good notes. (Learn from others experience!)

All just food for thought. How are you doing? If you took an inventory, how would you be doing in the 80/20 rule? Are you observing? Listening? Watching? More than you are speaking? I heard a minister once say, "I already know everything I'm going to say, by saying it, I'm not learning anything new. If I listen to someone else, at least I may be able to learn something new." 


Observing is a major key to WINNING and experiencing victory. How are you doing?

#171 - Cowboy Up!

Good morning! It's going to be a great day because THIS IS THE DAY the LORD has made! Praise the Lord! Do I hear and Amen out there from wherever you are sitting?? Well, good! Amen. Let's get started.

Proverbs 21:31 - The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance and victory are of the Lord.

I remember reading this verse sometime when I lived at home with my parents. I remember that it stood out to me so, that I wrote it on an index card and pinned it on the wall next to my bedroom door. It's funny, because even today when I go home to visit and sleep in my old room, there it is, still on the wall, still pinned up for me to read. Today, it also jumped out with significance.

As a bit of a continuation from yesterday's devotion, "Endure because You Win!", I'd like to piggy-back off of some of the concepts from yesterday. Something that the Holy Spirit pressed on me heavily yesterday was this, "Press Back In! Press Back IN! PRESS BACK IN!" Have you ever started something with fervor and diligence, with excitement, to only find yourself a month, two months later just going through the "hum-drum" of life, no longer diligent in that area? What you began was a worthy pursuit, but in the process of pursuing you lost your consistency, you lost your drive, you lost your excitement? Well... I have been guilty of that.

Tyler sent me a voice note this morning while he was driving to an appointment. As he usually does, he was listening to a "Self-Improvement/Success" CD. In his message to me, he just reminded me of a couple who had arrived to a place in life where we aspire to be. He said, "Amy, this couple is no better than us, they just more consistently pursued their dream with focus. We can do that." He is right. God is no respecter of persons. If God has done something for one person, He can do it for you! God does not make any junk. You & I are already winners! We fought the odds and came out victorious! Are you trying to think of how you have done that? Well, think back to even the beginning! You are ONE in 300,000,000! That is THREE HUNDRED MILLION! When your parents got together there were 300,000,000 sperm trying to get to that egg! And do you know what? YOU SWAM the FASTEST! You fought the HARDEST! You edged your way in with the most diligence! You WON! You are already a winner. You are no accident! 299,999,999 others lost to you! When you think about it, the odds of winning like you did are probably similar odds to winning the lottery. YOU WON!

What I want to say is this, COWBOY UP! COWGIRL UP! If you, like me, lost some wind out of your sail, lost some diligence along the way, TODAY is the day to get back up! Get back on that horse! The HORSE is made ready for battle, but the VICTORY is of the LORD! What is your responsibility? Your responsibility is to BE PREPARED! BE ON THAT HORSE! Then... the cool thing is this, the "Victory" part is the Lord's responsibility! You just need to be prepared! You need to be in your place. You need to be doing YOUR JOB diligently. What is that? I'm sure you know exactly what it is for you... but here are some possibilities: Do you want to get pregnant? Maybe it's your job to get your body in shape to prepare for carrying a child. Do you want to be a light in your workplace for Jesus? Maybe to do so, you need to have more WORD in you to be prepared to share with people, maybe you need to be more girded up and strengthened by having a regular "Quiet Time" with just you and the Lord? Do you want to be a better mom? Wife? Maybe "COWGIRL UP" means evaluating your calendar and taking some things OFF of it so you can focus time on your family, raising up godly warriors? Learning to say one of the most spiritual words out there, "NO" and not adding more things to your plate, but taking away. Maybe you have a Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Amway, Premier jewelry business and you've lost your "umph" to add partners to your team, or sell products. Maybe for you it means getting your "handshake on" and reaching out to people. God has the people out there that are looking for what YOU have!

Cowboy up! Get back on that horse! NOW is the time like the Holy Spirit said to me, "PRESS BACK IN! PRESS BACK IN! PRESS BACK IN!"

Give God something to work with! Remember, the VICTORY is HIS responsibility. Your responsibility is to be diligent and prepared! When it's time for battle, to be on YOUR horse, be prepared! Don't leave your horse running into battle by himself! COWBOY UP!

____________________________

Check out our upcoming little blessing! :) 

We are expecting this to be our little "Trin-Trin"! Trinity Faith.  Since I'm around 16 weeks pregnant right now, the Doctor officially tells us around 20 weeks. She'll be a blessing & Tyler Junior will be a GREAT big brother!

"YES YOU! COWBOY UP!" :)
Doesn't he look like a politician in this picture?! HA! Minus the jello on his head! 

#170 - Endure because YOU WIN!

Good morning! We're going to jump RIGHT in this morning. Such great WORD & revelations! Praise God that HE is not a dead God! That He is ALIVE and still speaks to us through His Word, that He reveals things to us, uncovers what seemed like mysteries. Praise God that we have the opportunity as HIS Children to enter into a relationship that can be growing and growing, that we can gain insight and wisdom EVERY SINGLE TIME we are in His presence! Praise GOD! I'm extremely grateful!

We're jumping off the reading schedule to some Spirit led scripture. Let's go...

Hebrews 12:1-3 -  ... let us throw aside every unnecessary weight... which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, Looking away from all that will distract to Jesus, Who is the Leader ...  He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (3)Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.

We are called to ONLY run the appointed course that is BEFORE US! We don't have to think of the section of the course for next week or next year, just the portion of the course that is before us NOW! Just run our race TODAY!!!! Stay FOCUSED ahead.... like a runner, we are not looking down at our feet nor are we looking around just aimlessly taking in all the scenery, we are staying FOCUSED on who is ahead of us, the LEADER who IS paving the way.

Jesus endured the cross, WHY? For the JOY of obtaining the prize. He knew that the PRIZE was greater than what He would currently have to endure. The PRIZE was greater than the pain. Right here, right in this point is where many people quit, they loose heart, they faint. BUT, when we keep our eyes focused on our Leader, and we keep the Joy of the prize in mind, we run with the "end in sight" KNOWING that we have ALREADY won.... WE TOO can ENDURE in the race!

Now wait... it gets better! I've always stopped at verses 1 & 2. I've read those, and then stopped. But, WOW, verse 3 is UH-MAZING! So... it says basically.... "Look, take a look at Jesus, think about it.... He endured the cross, the torment, the pain, the mockery, the hostility, people sneering and snickering at Him.... just think about it, CONSIDER all HE went through to the CURRENT trial you may be going through..." OK.... let's take a pause right there. I ALMOST had to LOL at this point. Consider MY trials in comparison to what HE endured on the cross?! Now if that is not a JOKE, I don't know what is! My trials hold NO water, no ground to what He endured on the cross and leading up to it. But... let's continue. So WHY did he endure and go through all of that? Let's finish verse 3, "so that YOU may not grow weary or exhausted! So that YOU may not loose heart, relax and grow faint in your mind! He endured it not ONLY for your salvation, so that you could live in heaven when you pass, but He also endured it so that the CURRENT section of your race could be run without you being exhausted. Without you growing weary. Without you growing tired! Without you toiling in your MIND! He endured the cross for MUCH more than just mere salvation! Salvation is just the stepping off point!!

Why can you have Unwavering Confidence? Because CHRIST endured so that YOU & I could have VICTORY! Sweat-less VICTORIES! Why can you have JOY in the endurance? Because you know the end of the story! Whatever you are going through, IF you will only ENDURE, be patient, and CONTINUE on this section of your course, YOU TOO WILL BE VICTORIOUS! It says in Phil. 1:6, that HE will carry out what He has began in YOU to completion! Have you started something and not yet had victory in it? BE PATIENT! ENDURE! CONTINUE in your race! And.... if you are a bit brave, you can EVEN enjoy it!! It says that JESUS endured so that you could run your race without getting weary, without losing heart, without getting faint, without getting exhausted. YOU CAN HAVE SWEAT-LESS victories if you will ONLY continue on your course!

**** Pre-requisite **** - IF you do not FINISH the course, you will not see the victory that you have been waiting for! The key is, KEEP your EYES FOCUSED on your Leader! Like running a cross-country race, or track. Keep your EYES on the back of the One that you are following, Jesus! Keep your eyes on Him and RUN right through into the finish line of this section of your race! WIN this section! The race is on-going! It continues! We won't be finished until heaven, so on earth we will be in this constant race..... but I encourage you, when you have the end in mind (ie: YOU WIN) you can have JOY in today's endurance! You know the end of the movie! You know the end of the story! You know that YOU will be the one, standing on the stage, holding the trophy to prove that YOU HAVE ENDURED! YOU HAVE WON!

James 1:12 - Blessed is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive THE VICTOR'S CROWN!!!

Amen & Amen!
That was good stuff! It ministered to me! Praise the Lord! 

#167 - Because of HIS delight...

What a beautiful day to be alive! We serve a God who is ALIVE, not only is His Word alive & active, like a two-edged sword, but HE IS ALIVE! Jesus is no longer in the grave, he's no longer on the cross, HE HAS RISEN! He is alive and well STILL sitting at the right-hand of our Father! Isn't that good news! That is worth being excited about. I believe you will be encouraged today. If you need encouragement, if you need hope, I believe you are in the right place. Let's get into the Word.

2 Samuel 22: 1a, 2, 20b, 21, 32-33,  - DAVID SPOKE to the Lord...The Lord is my Rock (of escape from Saul) and my Fortress (in the wilderness) and my Deliverer... He delivered me because He delighted in me. ²¹The Lord rewarded me according to my uprightness with Him; He compensated and benefited me according to the cleanness of my hands. For who is God but the Lord? And who is a Rock except our God? ³³God is my strong Fortress; He guides the blameless in His way and sets him free. For You girded me with strength for the battle!

Man! What an amazing chapter! 2 Samuel 22 just blessed me this morning! So many verses, which to choose?!?!

For starters, look at how the chapter starts.... even David, who has been anointed to be the future King, it says that DAVID SPOKE to the Lord. As a quick tangent, we look back at the life of King Saul & David. From the day the people began to sing "Saul has Slain thousands, David tens of thousands." It says in 1 Samuel 18 that from that day Saul was angry & jealous towards David. It goes on to say, "THE NEXT DAY" an evil spirit came upon Saul. Wow! Because of Saul's anger & jealousy he held toward David "out-doing" him, from that day forward, an evil spirit was upon him! The POWER of offense can change a persons life! And for Saul, He went to his death holding offense against David, in hot pursuit to have him killed. But DAVID was delivered because the LORD delighted in Him!

Anyways... that was a freebie... let's move on.... David SPOKE to the Lord. He is reminding God of how He helped David escape from Saul, He delivered David! David is recounting the goodness, the blessings, the benefits of God his Father! Then my favorite line.... He delivered me because He delighted in me.  Wow! What delight just to read that! Just think about it, because of the Lord's pleasure and delight in YOU, His child, he delivers you from your TRIALS, your enemy... maybe it's debt, whatever it is.... because of HIS delight, He delivers you! That's exciting. In verse 21 it goes on to use some words that are exciting to me.... rewarded, compensated, benefited. By staying in right-standing, in a "seeking position" with our Father, in a "pleasing/serving" position with our Father, we can receive the benefits that He has in store. And it is a DELIGHT to Him to deliver us, and bring us into benefits!


Ultimately.... as we enter in to our day, whether completing a battle or entering into one, we can take JOY in knowing that we have been GIRDED, PREPARED, CLOTHED with strength for whatever we are about to go up against! Like David, killing the lion, the bear & Goliath, He was prepared!

In the last 2 days, I have heard not one, but two stories that make me want to shout! AND, I believe it was because of the Lord's DELIGHT that He chose to lead the events. One friend of mine told me that just this past week, her parents came to town with a new van. It had the remote to open the doors, and the back. It was nice. She said they walked in and handed them the keys. "We have done for the others, and haven't really ever done much for you. Here. We bought this for you. We want you to have it!" Fully paid for, taxes for the next 6 months, tags, insurance! PRAISE THE LORD! What a blessing of the Lord! God is good! The cool thing is, He is NO respecter of persons! What can happen for one, can happen for the next! He can do that for YOU! OR maybe, YOU will be the GIVER! What a joy to have the goal of being able to bless someone in that capacity who is in need. Maybe that is a new goal, to be the one in the position to GIVE! But if you need to receive it! Receive it for yourself! Receive what YOU need from the Lord!

Another awesome story.... a friend of mine was in need of money to get her vehicle fixed. She was without a vehicle! She had to resort to walking her kids to school, or where ever they needed to go. Well, wouldn't you know it, someone felt led to give her $2500! He just felt like the Lord laid it on his heart to GIVE to her. PRAISE THE LORD! I can only imagine that tears must have welled up in her eyes as she must have said or thought, "THANK YOU LORD! You HAVE heard me!" She was able to get her vehicle fixed!

Another friend was talking about donating plasma to have money to buy groceries. If she donated twice a week, she could get enough money to get groceries, with a little left over. Plasma! Needles! And that is definitely a viable way to get some extra cash when needed, but PRAISE GOD, our God even has MORE THAN ENOUGH for her! He has MORE THAN ENOUGH to provide for her needs, her husband and her small children! GOD has MORE THAN ENOUGH! And BECAUSE of HIS delight, we can walk in HIS favor, HIS blessing, HIS rewards, HIS abundance, HIS benefits!

Pray this morning! Maybe you are the "more than enough" that God wants to use to bless someone. And  maybe you are on the "need" side. KNOW that as you seek the Lord, delight yourself in Him, HE will delight in you! He will lead you, He will guide you, He will show Himself strong in being YOUR Jehovah Jirah, God YOUR Provider! You have been girded up and made ready for battle. And with GOD on your side, is there a chance you will loose? NO!

#165 - A Winner GETS BACK UP!

Good morning! We were surprised yesterday evening... I got a phone call and "Maamaa & Paapaa" wanted to see if "the boy" could come over and spend the night. :) HELLO! OF COURSE! :) "Maamaa & Paapaa" watch Tyler Junior once a week and are like grandparents to him. They love him and he loves them! What a blessing! SO... I sit here in a quiet, empty home. Just me, my typing and chirps from the birds outside.

Let's get going...

Proverbs 8:10,14,17,18,21 - Receive my instruction in preference to [striving for] silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold... ¹⁴I have counsel and sound knowledge, I have understanding, I have might and power. ¹⁷I love those who love me, and those who seek me early and diligently shall find me. ¹⁸ Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness ... ²¹That I may cause those who love me to inherit [true] riches and that I may fill their treasuries.

Let's quick jump into some Hebrew as a foundation of what we are going to read...

• Riches (Proverbs 8:18) - wealth & riches
• Honor (Proverbs 8:18) - abundance, riches, honor, reverence, dignity, glory, splendour, reputation
• Inherit (Proverbs 8:21) - to get as a possession, to TAKE possession, to acquire, to be allotted
• Fill (Proverbs 8:21) - fullness, abundance, to be full, to be accomplished, to be satisfied, complete, to be filled
• Treasuries (Proverbs 8:21) - treasure, storehouse, store, supplies of food & drink, magazine of weapons, treasure-house

Wow! That really gives us a good foundation of what is in store! Sometimes in life we go through comfortable stages... all is well, all is easy. No ruffling of feathers. Each day, fairly a walk through the park. Still things we may be believing for, but for all intensive purposes, we are relaxed and not really in the battle... not really in a fight.

I have heard the statement before, "If a winner gets pushed in a corner, they will come out fighting." As I was reading this morning, that was a statement that kept coming to mind. A winner doesn't stay down, they come out fighting! Each time the winner gets up, the courage of the opponent is weakened. "He keeps getting back up! Why doesn't he just stay down?!" But as that winner keeps getting back up, the enemy realizes that his tactics are not working. His punches are not holding, they aren't strong enough. He's not fast enough, or he just isn't powerful enough. The winner keeps getting back up! Praise the Lord! Is anyone else out there with me a WINNER??!?!?! It's like I can see hands raised from winners all over who are reading this! A winner gets back up! A winner keeps getting back up! Another verse in Proverbs talks about, I may fall 7 times, but will rise again! As believers, since we have the Holy Spirit on the INSIDE of us, we can't help but be a winner! Even when we are tired, even when we feel knocked down or defeated, the Holy Spirit already knows the end of the story, HE IS the Greater One on the inside of us! He has created ALL THINGS, and knows that WE HAVE VICTORY! In our flesh, when we feel weak, that Inner Voice RISES UP, "YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR! GET UP!" GET UP! GET UP! And we drag ourselves back to our feet and get up yet again, yet another time! 

Proverbs 8:17 is one way that we come out fighting! When things look tough, we dig in, we fight, we go deeper! Verse 17 says, I love those who love me, and those who seek me early and diligently shall find me. When our strength is weak, when our flesh is tired, when we don't have the answers and what we SEE with our natural eye does not look good we DIG INTO THE WORD! We DILIGENTLY seek the ONE with ALL the answers! We do what a FIGHTER would do, we do what may be UNCOMFORTABLE! That may mean, waking up EARLY to fight! Waking up EARLY to prepare! Waking up EARLY to SEEK out the answers! Rising up EARLY to press in! Our diligence in our FIGHT is the PREREQUISITE of our Victory! 

Check this out! It says, when we DO that very thing, SEEK our Father early & diligently, WE WILL FIND HIM! WE WILL! And as we continue to read in Proverbs, it goes on to say those things He will bring with Him. RICHES. HONOR. ENDURING WEALTH. DIGNITY. REPUTATION. ABUNDANCE. WE WILL BE SATISFIED. 

WE ARE FILLED WITH GOOD THINGS! We are BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING! Take Heart! Have PEACE! WALK OUT YOUR VICTORY! 

GET AGGRESSIVE WITH YOUR COVENANT, CHILD OF GOD! 

SATAN! YOU ARE DEFEATED! THE BLESSING OF THE LORD, THEY OVERTAKE ME! I AM A WINNER! YOU ARE DEFEATED! I AM A TITHER, THEREFORE ACCORDING TO MALACHI 3, I HAVE THE TITHERS RIGHTS! THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN ARE OPEN OVER ME, THE DEVOURER HAS BEEN REBUKED FOR MY SAKE!!! SATAN, SINCE I AM A TITHER, THE WORD SAYS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN REBUKED! YOU ARE DONE! I CLAIM MY VICTORY! I GET BACK UP! I'M NOT STAYING DOWN! I'M A FIGHTER AND I CLAIM MY VICTORY! JESUS HAS ALREADY DEFEATED YOU AND SO HAVE I! NATIONS ARE CALLING ME BLESSED! 

Take what is yours, VICTORY!

___________________

Malachi 3:10-12 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.¹¹And I will rebuke the devourer [insects and plagues] for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts. ¹²And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. 

#163 - For Such a Time as This

Good morning! Get ready for this. The Word for today is for MANY people. MANY. I'm excited to allow the Holy Spirit to really show out and open eyes through what He has shared with me this morning, and what He is about to reveal to you. It is amazing! Buckle up! Strap on the boot straps & get ready! This is a Word from the Lord!

Proverbs 6:6-8 - Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise! ⁷ Which, having no chief, overseer, or ruler, ⁸ Provides her food in the summer and gathers her supplies in the harvest.

Esther 2:2b, 12, 13 - Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king. ²Now when the turn of each maiden came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the regulations for the women had been carried out for twelve months--since this was the regular period for their beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with sweet spices and perfumes and the things for the purifying of the women-- ¹³Then in this way the maiden came to the king: whatever she desired was given her to take with her from the harem into the king's palace. 

Matthew 25:2-4 - ²Five of them were foolish (thoughtless, without forethought) and five were wise (sensible, intelligent, and prudent). ³For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them; ⁴But the wise took flasks of oil along with them [also] with their lamps. 

Wow! This is good. I was sitting here listening to the Holy Spirit as I journaled some of my thoughts.... and this was one of his opening lines to me: "Amy - just relax your brain. You seem so uptight this morning." Do you ever wake up like that? Even though you may be in quietness and peace, nothing in your brain feels or seems like that. Your brain is going a million miles a minute thinking of a million thoughts, concerns, situations, etc, etc. It's like... how could you have so much going on in your brain so early in the morning. You just woke up! So, I listed out all the things that I had in my brain that was causing a bit of question or even potential stress. The Holy Spirit reminded me that I needed to RE-CAST those cares on Him. I was allowing the baggage of my load to weigh me down, which in turn was hindering my ability to Care Less and be Care Free!

OK... all that was bonus. Let's roll into the Word. Above you read about 3 different accounts. The first one, in Proverbs talks about how the ant is prepared. The ant prepares during harvest and when winter comes is ready. Proverbs tells us to learn from the ant. Let's skip down to the Matthew scripture. Here's an account of the story of the 10 virgins. If you remember, they were waiting for the bridegroom to return so they could enter into the party. 5 of the virgins came prepared with extra oil, not knowing how long into the night they would be waiting, and not wanting to run out of oil. The other 5 came unprepared, and later ran out of oil. When the bridegroom returned they were not there because they had to go get more oil... they missed the opportunity to enter into the party. They were left behind closed doors in the dark. A real picture of heaven & being prepared for the return of Jesus. He is coming back, the question is, will WE be ready?

Esther... the key thing here that I wanted to point out is this... virgins were going before the King so that he could decide who would be the NEW QUEEN to replace Queen Vashti. The King was going to choose. A NEW QUEEN! Someone! A young woman from among the people. It reminds me kind of of the Cinderella movie with Drew Barrymore.... where the women of the region are invited to go to an elaborate ball so that the Prince can choose a wife! Well... that in essence is similar to what's going on with Esther, EXCEPT before going before the King, the women go through a 12 MONTH PREPARATION period! They go through 12 MONTHS of beautification treatments! 12 MONTHS!

How does that affect me? What does that have to do with me? As I was sitting here listening... well, just feverishly writing what the Holy Spirit was telling me... He reminded me of these accounts. To sum it up, He basically said, HEY... even ESTHER had a time of preparation! Her season JUST for the beauty treatments was 12 months before she would go before the King. Her ASSIGNMENT was huge! We all know the "For Such a Time as This" statement. Queen Esther saved an ENTIRE NATION! She saved the Jewish people! BUT she had to go through a preparation period. 


Put your name in here: AMY (Tarra, Kim, Angie, Galen, Renee ___________________) will YOU be patient enough during this season, during this time for me to PREPARE YOU? Great things are on the horizon, but I need to prepare you! You don't have to be in a rush. My timing is perfect. Will you please just continue to let me? Before the fullness of manifestation... before your dreams truly ARE a reality, in the current quietness, will you allow me to get you FULLY grounded so you are FULLY prepared?! You will not lack any good thing! The day and the hour is not important right now, it will come. The important thing right now is that you focus on the time you are in and that is PREPARATION! Will YOU prepare and allow me to prepare you? Continue to draw near to me! This is part of the preparation! I will guide you in what to focus on, what to prepare. Your time is coming, the time that will be famous for you and you will recognize it as: For Such a Time as This! You will know you had been prepared for this moment and for this time. So.... please.... will you just be patient. Will you let me do My work in you? Your time is coming. 


Need I say more? My time, Your time is coming. Will we be faithful in the preparation? Will we be faithful so that at our VICTORY, at the FRUITION of the desires we've been waiting upon... we will be able to say, "I see it now... For Such a Time as This, I have been made ready. I'm so glad that I am prepared!"

#160 - I AM VICTORIOUS! I FEAR NOT!

Good morning! Praise God! It is THURSDAY, MARCH 31st!!! The long awaited for day has passed... Tyler & I had our 2nd audit appointment yesterday with the IRS. Praise the LORD, all went well! We were audited for 2 years! We definitely learned a lot and praise the Lord we keep good records. We had TOTAL favor and not only did all of our records substantiate our expenses, BUT THEY owe US more money! Praise the Lord! What the enemy meant to throw us off course and distract us, we passed with flying colors. Let me tell you though, I am thankful to have all of that in the rear-view mirror!! NOTE to Tithers (which should be all Christians): If you are tithing 10% of your income, and maybe even giving an additional offering...YOU are going against what the WORLD says is normal! That's kinda good news! We don't want to be normal to the world! The IRS doesn't think it's normal either, so if that's YOU... just keep good records. WE ARE GIVERS! AMEN!?!? WE GIVE and it is GIVEN UNTO US, PRESSED DOWN, SHAKEN TOGETHER & RUNNING OVER! AMEN? It feels good to be different from the world!

Well... let's get started... today... the 31st.... a great day to fully look at the life of the Proverbs 31 woman! She is so amazing!

Proverbs 31:21 - She fears not....

Need I say more? The verse goes on to say that she fears not the snow for her household because her family is clothed with scarlet. But she FEARS NOT! She fears NOT! If we made a list of things we do not fear.... what would be on the list? What would be on your list? If you made a list, to remind YOURSELF, to remind GOD and to remind your enemy, Satan, what would be on that list? What would you be reminded on that you WILL NOT FEAR? Let's list out some possibilities!

1. I FEAR NOT my future, the goals & dreams I have. For GOD began a good work in me and WILL CARRY it out to COMPLETION! (Phil 1:6)
2. I FEAR NOT time! I fear not timing! For GOD'S timing in my life is perfect. I am in the right place at the right time ALL the time! I am learning what I need to learn now. God is positioning me in the perfect place to accomplish ALL He has called me to do.
3. I FEAR NOT our finances! My GOD LIBERALLY supplies ALL of my needs according to HIS riches in glory! (Phil 4:19)
4. I FEAR NOT stagnation. I know that there is a season for all things (Eccl. 3:1) I will walk out this season of my life with JOY. I will walk out this season of my life with expectation, knowing God has great and mighty things in store for me! I will walk out this season of my life as a LIGHT to the WORLD, like a city on a hill! (Matt. 5:14-16)
5. I FEAR NOT what my kids, my spouse, or I shall eat, drink or wear (Matt 5:25-26) I choose NOT to be anxious! For GOD clothes the birds of the air & as a child, He loves me much more than even those! I will not fear. I will not be anxious. 
6. I FEAR NOT my marriage. I call my marriage blessed, growing & prosperous. I call it a fulfilled relationship where I am married to my best friend!  
7. I FEAR NOT my health, or my families health! I call each of us healthy and whole. I SPEAK to our bodies that we operate in DIVINE health, how GOD created us to function. I speak to my body and any infirmity that may be there, I tell you, "INFIRMITY, SICKNESS, ARTHRITIS, KNEE PAIN, HIP PAIN, HEADACHE, You are NOT welcome! You are trespassing. You must LEAVE my body in Jesus Name! My body is the TEMPLE of the Holy Spirit and sickness, disease and pain, you have to GO in Jesus name!"
8. I FEAR NOT my growth or progress. I thank you God that YOU place those things in my path in which I need to learn. You place the people, books, CD's, studies, programs in my path to help me progress down the path I need to go! 
9. I FEAR NOT debt! I call my bills paid in full. I thank you Father that YOUR WORD says that YOU GIVE me HOUSES filled with GOOD things, that I fillest not (Deut. 6:10-11) Thank you for NO MORTGAGE! Thank you that you set me up to own NO man nothing, but to love him! (Romans 13:8) Thank you Lord for giving me the ability to be FREE from owing any man anything! I call myself DEBT-FREE!
10. I FEAR NOT relationships. I call myself a good friend to others. I am a friend to them, and therefore, they are friends to me. I call myself friendly! I call forth those IRON-SHARPENING relationships into my life (Prov. 27:17)! I call forth the God type of friends that I need in my life! I call my relationships blessed!
11. I FEAR NOT my weight! Like the Proverbs 31 woman, I am going to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT (Prov. 31:17)! I subject my body, I get fit, I get healthy, I make my arms strong, I eat healthy. When I am old in my years, my eyes will not be dim, nor my natural forces abated (natural vigor diminished) (Deut. 34:7)! My body will OPERATE like I am young, I will have strength like I am young! I choose to take care of my body now instead of having doctors to have to take care of me later. 
12. I FEAR NOT the enemy, Satan! Because MY JESUS DEFEATED HIM! I am ALREADY VICTORIOUS NOW! Jesus defeated DEATH, HELL AND THE GRAVE so that I could walk out my life, in EVERY AREA in VICTORY! I AM VICTORIOUS therefore I WILL NOT FEAR!

Well... I think it is a good starting list! What do you think? Did we leave anything out? Is there anything that you are holding onto that causes that seed of fear in the recesses of your mind? Add to it! What else should we NOT FEAR? 

I FEAR NOT what the future holds! I will have joy today! I will have strength & power today! Because of what Jesus did, I am victorious today! THE WORD says it, therefore I BELIEVE IT! 

I AM VICTORIOUS! 

I FEAR NOT!

#141 - How to enjoy TODAY

Good morning! :) Well... I have a PRAISE report for yesterday! :) The boy turned 15 months and had his 15 month "Well Visit" with Dr. Sooros. This weekend on Saturday he had a fever, and on Sunday the fever had subsided but when he was walking he was extremely off balance. Well... Tyler and I just did what we know to do based on the Word. "Lay hands on the sick and they shall recover." (Mark 16:18) "By Jesus stripes we ARE healed."(Is.53:4-5, 1 Peter 2:24) "When 2 or more come together in together and AGREE upon anything you ask for, it will be done for you by your Father in heaven." (Matt. 18:19) - So... we laid hands on Tyler Jr. and thanked God for his complete healing and restoration. From the symptoms, it would've appeared that he had an ear infection, but we just thanked God that our son was healed! He was whole, restored and walked in divine health! The report from the Doctor was good! He was perfect! :) He's in the 92nd percentile for height and 45th percentile for weight. So... he's tall and slender. :) Such a cute boy! :) It amazes me because he usually eats more than I do! Where does the boy put it?!? So, that was definitely a praise! Thank you Father for being true & faithful to your Word! 


Let's get started! Lately.... I've not been getting past Proverbs. I've been getting so much good stuff out of Proverbs! Psalms will just have to wait. :) 

Proverbs 15:13, 15, 29 - A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken. All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances]. The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the [consistently] righteous (the upright, in right standing with Him).

Man... do I know these scriptures Oh to well! But praise God for HIS Word that we can receive truth and revelation! :) I looked up the word "desponding" in the dictionary. This was the definition: to be depressed by loss of hope, confidence, or courage. There was a period of time where I felt like the word of "desponding" would have described me. On the outside, maybe one could not tell.... I smiled and did my best to have a Positive Mental Attitude. But in my heart, hope was shallow at best. My heart had grown weary and sluggish. It was like my heart had been running this race and I was just worn out. If you picture a person in a desert, shoulders hunched over, arms dangling, head hanging low.... or a (not in shape) runner who has run 20 miles, just exhausted.... I picture my heart looked like that if it was walking. My heart was just sluggish, slooping over, tired. My hope, confidence and courage were down. AND... one reason they were is because I was doing EXACTLY what this verse talked about! I had anxious thought and "forebodings". My thoughts were continually in the future, not in the present. I was anxious over the future. I was constantly thinking about the future which paralyzed me from enjoying my "TODAY." I missed the scenic view of my journey because I was so focused on where the end destination would take me. I was longing to live in the future I saw in my mind. I was so longing to live there, that every day in my present was a disappointment because I hadn't "arrived" at my destination yet. 


PRAISE GOD for GOD and HIS WORD! Praise God for my husband. Praise God for revelations! I somehow realized, probably greatly due to Tyler, that I could not live in the future any more. ALL I could control was my today! All I could do was enjoy my today. Sure... have goals, yes! But once I had my goals, work them backwards to figure out what the daily action steps are and then just consistently DO those daily actions. Not dwelling on or staying at the "end" but focusing on the daily actions I can do today. And while doing that, enjoying the journey. A JOURNEY WITHOUT TOIL! Enjoying the smell of the roses along the way. I realizes that being anxious was AGAINST the Word. If I was being anxious, I was trying to control something that was not MINE to control... ie: the future or other people. ALL I could control was my today... my RIGHT NOW. Not next hour or later tonight, or tomorrow. All I could do was control my right now. Enjoy my right now. Tyler STILL has to catch me and correct my thinking because I occasionally still try to live in the future. Or... get anxious, my mind would get bogged down because I'm thinking about all these things I need to learn or do... but they are things that the outcome hasn't even been established!  No need to be anxious. What's the wonderful verse say, "Be anxious for NOTHING, but in EVERYTHING with prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God." Phil 4:6.


The VICTORY in it? Check out Proverbs 15:29!!! :) What VICTORY! What GOOD NEWS! He hears the prayer of the righteous!!! GOD HEARS US!? Are you born-again? Are you saved? God HEARS you!!! Do you have sin in your life? Well, ask forgiveness, get things right. And then pray to God. Submit your request! God HEARS you! I actually recently was holding "offense" against a few people. When I realized it, I knew exactly what I had to do! Just what it talked about in the new testament. It says something like: If you are holding anything against your brother, leave you offering at the alter. Get up, go, get things right with your brother. THEN, come and make your offering. 


So, even me! I had to get offense right. I had to ask forgiveness from God, and my "brother/sister" in Christ. 


GOD HEARS OUR PRAYERS! That is GREAT NEWS! Something DEFINITELY to rejoice about! PRAISE GOD! And do you know, you can have a GLAD heart REGARDLESS of your CIRCUMSTANCE! Because you have the FAVOR of GOD on your side! If things look impossible... just smile and laugh and THANK GOD outloud - I HAVE THE FAVOR of GOD on my side! GOD EVEN MAKES MY MISTAKES TO PROSPER! :) I HAVE GOD'S FAVOR! :) 


Have a great day! Live in TODAY! Enjoy TODAY! Tomorrow has it's own worries. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Therefore, enjoy your TODAY! 

#130 - Stacked in YOUR FAVOR!

Good morning fellow brothers and sisters!! Isn't it GREAT that God is no respecter of persons! He doesn't pre-qualify us. To hear from him we don't have to have a Masters Degree, or have went to Seminary, we don't have to be a missionary or a pastor. Isn't it awesome that each one of us, the only pre-requisite is to be born again, to have invited the Holy Spirit to live inside of us. Once we are saved, like Jesus said, he sent the Holy Spirit as our Guide & Comforter, to be with us always. At that point, when we have made the commitment to follow Jesus, and have invited Him to be our Lord, as believers, we all enter onto a level playing field! No "office politics", no "political correctness", pure and simple we have DIRECT access to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! Like we have an "ALL-ACCESS" pass! Way better than a back-stage pass, we have an "ALL-ACCESS" pass! As much time as we want to spend with Him, He is available! In the board meetings, on the playing fields, in your car as your driving down the road, in your office, in the bathroom, in the heat of battle, HE is right there available for access the moment we ask. He is there! Praise God! What a wonderful gift!

Ps 24:3-4a - Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy Place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart...

Ps 54:4 - Behold, God is my helper and ally; the Lord is my upholder and is with them who uphold my life. 

Ps 84:11 - For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Ps 144:1-2 - BLESSED BE the Lord, my Rock and my keen and firm Strength, Who teaches my hands to war and my fingers to fight-- ²My Steadfast Love and my Fortress, my High Tower and my Deliverer, my Shield and He in Whom I trust and take refuge, Who subdues my people under me. 

Who is He? Who is this "One" on your side? Is He illusive or hard to figure out? Is He just this "mystery being" out there somewhere who wants to keep things hidden from us, who wants us to 'play it on our own?' NO. He is alive & well. He is KNOWN to those who want to KNOW Him! He will not stay hidden, He will not stay a mystery. Through the Holy Spirit, He has made it possible for ALL things to be known to us and for us. The key, pivotal factor is, we made have to do some seeking, we may have to do some digging for those hidden secrets or nuggets He has for us. 


If you picture a boxing ring, look at who you have in the ring. One one side, opposite of you, you see a very small but toothless being. You see one who has been cast down from heaven, and has a "ROAR", but no teeth to back it. He has a big "talk" but no "punch" to back it. The only thing he has is the power of suggestion. He can try to make you believe the negative things he may whisper, but the bottom line is, everything he says is a lie. So.... if you go into the match just KNOWING that ALL he says is a lie, you'll be fine! 


Let's look at who is in the ring with YOU on your side! Shall we begin? 

• Your Helper. 
• Your Ally. 
• Your Upholder - if you do happen to slip or almost fall, He'll uphold you. 
• The SUN - bestowing grace, favor, honor, blessing & splendor
• The SHIELD - bestowing grace, favor, honor, blessing & splendor
• Your ROCK
• KEEN (finely sharpened & accute) Strength
• Firm Strength
• Your Steadfast Love - steadfast... a love that won't allow ANYTHING to harm you. 
• Your Fortress
• Your High Tower 
• Your Deliverer 
• Your Shield - blocking any attacks
• Him Whom you trust 
• Him Whom You can take refuge 

Here we look. A scraggly, short, puny, toothless being VERSUS ALL this that you have on your side of the ring. Is there ANY question of who the winner of this fight would be? I'm not a betting woman, but if I was, I know where I'd put my money! The key is going into LIFE, going into EACH DAY knowing WHO you have on your side. Knowing WHAT you bring to the table. You go out with great FAVOR on your side. Favor! Strength! There is no way you can fail with our great and mighty God fighting on your side! 

Is there a way you could be defeated? Technically, yes. One way. If you listen to the suggestions of the scrawny being on the other side of the ring. If you allow yourself the freedom, if you put your guard down long enough for him to begin talking to you, he brings to the ring lies & manipulation. He brings to the ring deceit. Close off your ears to thoughts or suggestions of the enemy, and instead go out and CHOOSE to operate in the Victory that is already yours! The odds are most DEFINITELY stacked in your favor! Operate with the attitude that YOU CANNOT LOOSE! If you are willing to stay in-tune with your Father, and tune out the enemy, the victory is YOURS! The odds are stacked in YOUR favor! Go out and WIN today!