Closer Still

Psalm 55:1 (TPT) God, listen to my prayer! Don’t hide your heart from me when I cry out to you!

Beloved, I hear you. Your heart and thoughts are precious to Me. You don’t need to fight for My attention, you have it. My gaze is fixed on you. I can’t get enough. What matters to you, matters to Me.

So cry out knowing I AM listening. Cry out knowing I AM there with you. Pour out your thoughts and fears, your heart and tears, I want it all – the fullness of you.

Then listen, beloved, for My whispered words as I share My heart with you. As you give Me your heart, I hold Mine there for you beckoning you closer still. So come, beloved, come. Closer still.

Receive My Life-Changing Love

Romans 8:14-16 (TPT) …And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough…

Beloved, My love is not conditional. I don’t withhold it when you are “bad” or make poor choices, nor do I bestow more because you have somehow “earned” it. My love simply is. And it runs deep and true. I AM faithful and true.

I do not use My love as a weapon nor as a tool of manipulation to get you to do, say, or be what I want. Rather I love you unconditionally, and the fruit of that love pours out in response. Yes, you will choose obedience out of love, but My love is not conditional on your obedience. Rather your love for Me becomes so true you would never choose to create distance in our relationship by choosing that which separates you from Me.

So resist the urge to try to earn My love. It’s like trying to fight to get into a room you are already in. Simply receive My love and allow that love to be life-changing. Continue reading “Receive My Life-Changing Love”

YHVH Tsur (the Lord my Strength)

Psalm 144:1 (JUB) Blessed be the LORD my strength, who trains my hands for the battle and my fingers for the war:

Beloved, I will never send you into battle unarmed, unequipped, or unprepared. Behold I know the plans I have for you, and they are good. I prepare each step – both the easy and the difficult, the joyous and the trying – I prepare them all and each has purpose.

Each step builds upon the last and each step prepares you for what lies ahead. Resist the urge to rush. Resist the urge to tarry. Stay in My flow and trust My timing. Trust My leading. Trust Me to prepare you. And know I AM your strength. Continue reading “YHVH Tsur (the Lord my Strength)”

Unabashed Devotion

2 Samuel 6:22 (NKJV) And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight…

Beloved, give no thought to how your complete trust and unreserved devotion to Me makes you look to others. It is of no consequence if they find you foolish, for they judge amiss. Nothing is more lovely than My beloved children lavishing Me with their affection and walking in unreserved trust. My honor is worth the sacrifice of your pride.

For I AM worthy. I AM far more important than concern over the misconstrued judgment of men. Just as David, a man after My own heart, was willing to dance before his people with abandon and who responded to censure by saying he would be even more undignified than that, so refuse to give consequence to the criticisms of others nor allow them to mute your unabashed devotion to Me.

Make Me Your Obsession

Psalm 37:3-4 (AMP) Trust [rely on and have confidence] in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and feed [securely] on His faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, And He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.

Beloved, delight in Me. Keep Me as your focus, refusing distraction, and maintaining your gaze toward Me. I AM the author and finisher of your faith. I AM the I AM. I AM faithful. I AM worthy. I AM true. Rest in Me. Rely on Me. Taste and see that I AM good.

Make Me your obsession, your hope, the fulfillment of your dreams. Allow your love for Me – and the ardent nature of your affections – to radiate from your countenance and be apparent for anyone to see. May you be known for your love for Me. Be known as My lovesick one, wholeheartedly and overwhelmingly devoted to Me. Continue reading “Make Me Your Obsession”

I Belong to You (Moments with God)

{He whispers to my heart} I belong to you.

{He pauses, waiting for that to penetrate. As I sit trying to really “get” it, He repeats Himself} I belong to you.

{Immediately the verse in Song of Solomon (which I have in Hebrew on my ring) comes to mind} “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” Such a seemingly basic message and yet after decades of following Him, still I struggle to know. Still I struggle to feel worthy. But He reminds me His love has nothing to do with whether or not I am worthy, it has to do with the fact that He chose me anyway – regardless of my human failings and imperfections – He chose me. And He chose you. May the beauty of that penetrate your heart today. Continue reading “I Belong to You (Moments with God)”

Burn for Me

Leviticus 6:13 (AMP) The fire shall be burning continually on the altar; it shall not [be allowed to] go out.

Beloved, it is your responsibility to maintain and nurture the flame of worship in your heart. I cannot nor will not attempt to force you into a place of intimacy with Me. I simply invite you in. The onus rests on you to cultivate a heart that burns for Me.

So stir up the flames, beloved. Resist the pull towards complacency and choose instead to press in for more of Me. Refuse to settle for second best, for cheap counterfeits that will leave you unsatisfied and unfulfilled. I AM all you need. Choose to burn for Me.

I AM All You Need

Matthew 6:24 (MSG) You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both.

Beloved, choose Me. Throughout history, My heartcry remains the same: that I would be your God and you would be My people. Refuse to give place to any idol, or to hold anything in greater reverence than Me. I will not be content to share your adoration, for I AM worthy of your singleminded devotion.

Only I bring true peace. Only I bring true contentment. Only I bring true security. Refuse the temptation to look to your own provision to offer those things remembering that even your provision comes from Me. It cannot love you nor fulfill your heart’s desires anymore than the idols made of wood and clay. Only I AM able to bring true fulfillment. Look to Me and refuse to look away. I AM all you need.

Life-Changing Love

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (TPT) …Love never stops loving…

Beloved, I never stop loving you. Regardless of your choices, actions, thoughts and all the moments you fall short, My love remains the same. My hope for you is steadfast, and I find you inherently worthy of love no matter the decisions you make or whether other people seem to find you so. My love for you is eternal and unconditional, and you are made in My image.

You were created not just to be loved, but to love – without reserve. You may hate choices or be disappointed in situations, but refuse to let your love – based on the inherent nature of each person and the way I created them – to change. Be steadfast. Hold to the truth of who I made them. Expect that, prophesy it. Be relentless in prayer, and lavish love – and do so without strings or contingencies. Love like that is life-changing. Continue reading “Life-Changing Love”

Unending Love

Psalm 52:8 (TPT) But I am like a flourishing olive tree, anointed in the house of God. I trust in the unending love of God; his passion toward me is forever and ever.

Beloved, you can never outrun My love, it knows no bounds. I AM your Creator, I knitted you together in your mother’s womb. I know every detail of your heart and each nuance of your character. I know you intimately and I love you beyond measure.

There may be moments your choices break My heart, or where I weep for the effects you bring on yourself. It is true I will not force you to love Me, nor choose to live in My presence, but there is nothing you could do or say that would cause Me to stop loving you. My love is limitless and unending. Continue reading “Unending Love”