Cast Your Crown

Revelation 4:10-11 (AMP) the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they exist, and were created and brought into being.”

Beloved, what will you do with the honors given you? What will you do with the blessings I put into your hands? Will you use them to build your own kingdom? Or will you willingly and joyously choose to lay them at My feet. 

Beloved, cast your crown before Me. Choose Me as the most valuable and precious gift of all. Find Me worthy and spend your life yielded and poured out before Me. For I AM faithful and true, worthy and steadfast – I AM the loving, righteous God. Worship Me.  Continue reading “Cast Your Crown”

Rest Well

Leviticus 25:4 (NIV) But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.

Beloved, inactivity does not mean purposelessness. Rest has purpose, and it is deeply necessary. Everything I have created requires pause – room to breathe, a moment to refresh. Resist the urge to find this time wasteful. 

Just as healing often takes place below the surface and out of view of the natural eye and yet its effects become known over time, so rest brings life when rightly paired with times of activity – both are essential. So be intentional with your pauses and rest well even as you labor well. 

Ardent Devotion

Numbers 25:11 (TPT) Eternal One:  Phinehas (Eleazar’s son and Priest Aaron’s grandson) has done well. He saved the Israelites. Because he was so zealous on My account, tolerating no compromise, I did not consume the people of Israel with My jealousy.

Beloved, I see your passion for Me. Your unreserved willingness to be obedient. Your steadfast intention to walk in integrity and model it for those around you by intentionally setting the bar high and through your very actions challenging them to step up and be their best self. 

I do not take your zeal lightly. And though you’ve acted in quiet humility, I will raise you up and showcase you as one who loves Me with their whole heart. So continue to shine brightly, beloved, and know that I recognize and am moved by your ardent devotion.  Continue reading “Ardent Devotion”

Key to the Kingdom: Keep Godly Company

Psalm 1:1 (VOICE) God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn: when you don’t follow the advice of those who delight in wicked schemes, When you avoid sin’s highway, when judgment and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse.

Beloved, be wise in the company you keep. Be intentional in fostering life-giving relationships that are rooted in a shared love of Me that you might grow together in the way I have intended.

Be mindful not to pull one another off course and be quick to restore each other in love when you stumble. Encourage one another to be your best self and to intentionally make choices that are righteous and pleasing to Me, for that is the path of life.

There is a time to connect with those who walk in a manner that opposes Me, but do so with the intention of releasing My light and love rather than allowing your own light to be diminished. You have been called for such a time as this. Shine brightly and love well.

The Only True God

Deuteronomy 7:9 (VOICE) I want you to know that the Eternal your God is the only true God. He’s the faithful God who keeps His covenants and shows loyal love for a thousand generations to those who in return love Him and keep His commands.

Beloved, will you be faithful? Will you write My Word upon your heart and act from its overflow? Will you choose to love sacrificially for Me? Will you put keeping My commands above the opinions of man and your own flawed judgment? I AM righteous. I AM holy. I AM worthy of your unbridled devotion. So choose Me. I AM your God.

I AM faithful and I AM true. I remember My promises and act upon them with perfect accuracy. I remember My faithful ones long after they have left the earth, and repay their faithfulness from generation to generation. I AM a good God. I AM the only true God, and I AM yours. Be intentional in your devotion to Me.

Key to the Kingdom: Act in Humble Obedience

1 Corinthians 15:58 (VOICE) My dear brothers and sisters, stay firmly planted—be unshakable—do many good works in the name of God, and know that all your labor is not for nothing when it is for God.

Beloved, keep your hands to the labor I have entrusted to you. Be not moved by what you see (or don’t see) in the natural, for I see the hearts of all and I instruct you accordingly. Simply respond in humble obedience trusting that your labor is not in vain and that My work will be accomplished in My perfect time.

In seed time and at harvest, I AM still God. Trust Me when the fruit is ripe and when the growth is occurring by faith beneath the surface. In every moment I AM at work and My presence is made known. Trust your hope in My hands, for I AM faithful.

Keys to the Kingdom

Isaiah 22:22 (NLT) I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them.

Beloved, walk in the manner I have instructed and you walk in My authority. Walking in My authority means unmitigated access: the keys to the Kingdom. This is a conditional promise based on your choices and actions. You are always loved, but to be fully empowered you must walk rightly.

Reflect My character. Reflect My heart. Obey My word. Shine brightly. Yield to My Spirit. Know that I AM God. Operate from a place of love and compassion rather than one of judgment or pride. Be My hands and feet to a lost and dying world. Be My love with skin on, for that is a more powerful force than you can imagine.

The Truth About Blessings

Numbers 23:20 (VOICE) Look here, I received a word of blessing, and He has spoken a blessing. I cannot take it back.

Beloved, My promises are yes and amen. I AM not capricious nor am I looking for reasons to change My mind. When I bless, I have blessed, and that blessing remains.

Resist the urge to be offended if the blessing is conditional, for I make the conditions known from the onset that you may choose rightly. Refuse to behave like a spoiled child who feels entitled to all life’s joys without care or responsibility.

What kind of Father would I be if I corrupted My children? I AM a good Father. So yes, some blessings come as a result of behavior, but also some come simply as a result of My generous love and desire to bless (like sunshine and rain).

So receive with gratitude all you have been given. Trust that I have reason for each thing I grant or withhold, release or delay. But you can rest assured that each decision is being made from a heart filled with love for you, and that even in the moments of trial I AM there. Continue reading “The Truth About Blessings”

Manifest Provision

Galatians 6:7 (VOICE) Make no mistake: God can’t be mocked. What you give is what you get. What you sow, you harvest.

Beloved, trust the process. You have been faithful to give, so you will be faithful to receive. Resist the urge to be impatient in the pause in between the two. For a cheerful giver gives simply for the joy of giving, not as a manipulation to receive. So keep your heart pure and give from a place of loving obedience, and refuse to let anything steal that joy.

I AM faithful and I AM good. What I have said, I will do. I cannot operate in a manner opposed to My character. So quietly wait in steadfast assurance knowing that I will multiply back to you your harvest. I AM fertile soil, so when you sow in Me you will reap abundantly.

Sabbath Rest

Leviticus 23:3 (NLT) “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the LORD’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.

Beloved, I created you and I know well your inner workings. Just as a car comes with a manual so you know how to take care of it in a way to keep it in the best condition, so I have instructed you in My Word about how you should live. I have not created this structure to exert needless control, but rather because having made you, I know what you need in order to be your best, and I have instructed you accordingly.

Resist the urge to neglect the rest you need. I have instructed you that six days you may work, but should set aside the seventh for rest. It is not wasteful to observe the sabbath. It is needful. Pause for times of refreshing in My presence. Pause for times of fellowship with the Body. Pause simply to rest. Make time for sabbath rest and see how you flourish.