Tag: personal growth

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Walk in Full Confidence

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (AMP) For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which ascends] to God, [discernible both] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the latter one an aroma from death to death [a fatal, offensive odor], but to the other an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. And who is adequate and sufficiently qualified for these things?

Beloved, resist the urge to be offended when those who don’t know Me taunt and tease you. Remember the fragrance of your life is an offering to Me, it need not appeal to them nor is it likely to. 

Your light reminds them that they are in darkness, and no matter how much they may have grown accustomed to the dark, I have placed a desire in each heart for My light. The longing for it can cause a jealous desire they themselves may not even recognize. 

So refuse to allow yourself to be influenced by the unkind words of those around you. Instead be firmly rooted in who I say you are and walk in full confidence in your identity as a precious child of Mine.  Continue reading “Walk in Full Confidence”

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Passionate Awakening

Song of Solomon 8:4 (VOICE) …Heed my warning: I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready. Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied.

Be patient, beloved, and trust My timing. Resist the urge to be impatient or to move ahead of My plans. Everything must be in its season. You cannot rush a fruit to ripen, nor speed the growth of a child through nagging, so resist the urge to try.

Wait upon Me. Surrender to My cadence. Stay in step. Allow your longing to grow to full maturation without it edging into frustration or agitation. Enjoy the blooming season, and embrace the passionate awakening wholeheartedly in its time.

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Bringing Forth Abundant Life

Romans 12:2 (VOICE) Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.

Beloved, feel My breath of life speaking over you – changing you, bringing radical transformation as you blossom and flourish. How dramatic a change is seen between a flowering tree in autumn versus spring. 

In the same way, beloved, don’t concern yourself with the areas that may seem dry and barren now because as you continue to maintain steadfast focus on Me and My Spirit, I will bring forth abundant life.  Continue reading “Bringing Forth Abundant Life”

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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”

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Key to the Kingdom: Guard Your Mouth

Psalm 141:3 (VOICE) Guard my mouth, O Eternal One; control what I say. Keep a careful watch on every word I speak.

Beloved, a fool can be known by the volume of His words, so be slow to speak and weigh each word knowing you will have to answer for each one. So choose to bless rather than curse, to build up rather than tear down, and to speak life rather than death. Resist the urge to indulge in careless or needless words, for you often may not understand their impact until it is too late. 

The mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart, so tend the garden of your heart well. Refuse to allow bitterness, anger, or judgment to take root there. Meditate on that which is good. Choose joy and hope and love. Flow from that place and spread life to all those around you from the wellspring of your heart. 

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Sweet Fruit of Forgiveness

Matthew 18:22 (VOICE) Jesus: You must forgive not seven times, but seventy times seven.

Beloved, I have called you to choose forgiveness. No offense against you is so great it is worthy of holding on to and creating separation from Me. Forgive as you have been forgiven. There is no need to hold offense when I AM your champion. 

Release injustices and unkind words and acts into My hands and trust Me to be the Righteous Judge I AM. Entrusting them to Me doesn’t mean what has been done is acceptable, it simply means you’re entrusting to My judgment the most appropriate means of addressing it. So release it to Me and leave it in My capable hands and let the sweet fruit of forgiveness ripen.

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Intertwined Strength

Ecclesiastes 4:11 (AMP) Again, if two lie down together, then they keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?

Beloved, I have created you for multiplication. Though yes, you can accomplish much alone, I have made you for connection, and for the power that is found there. Resist the urge to to avoid it, it is worth the effort.

It is worth the frustration in moments of misunderstanding, and worth the character building that occurs when you must operate in grace and humility to create unity. Though it takes work – without a doubt, it truly is worth it.

So resist the temptation to protect your heart by holding others away, and choose instead to love as if you’ll never get hurt. Trust your heart to me, and choose to walk in love and experience intertwined strength. Continue reading “Intertwined Strength”

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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”

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Desert Bloom

Isaiah 35:1 (GW) The desert and the dry land will be glad, and the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Beloved, I have created you to flourish in rough terrain. Refuse to let the rocks and desert deter you from making progress, for I have equipped you to succeed – to flourish even in hostile territory. Nothing can hold you back. I AM on your side.

There is strength in your beauty, beloved. Put it on display for all to see. Don’t hold back. Expand to the left and the right – stretch out your reach and stake more territory, for I AM with you, My heavenly hosts surround you, and I AM protecting you at every turn. Listen for My voice and respond. It is time to bloom. Continue reading “Desert Bloom”

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Lovingly Pruned

John 15:2 (VOICE) My Father examines every branch in Me and cuts away those who do not bear fruit. He leaves those bearing fruit and carefully prunes them so that they will bear more fruit;

Beloved, yield to My loving pruning. I see the areas in your life that are bearing fruit and wish to strengthen those by eliminating the ones that aren’t bearing fruit (or are bearing wrong fruit). Trust Me to know the difference.

I’m not removing areas because I’m mad at you or trying to punish you, so resist the urge to cower or try to cling to that which I’d remove. This isn’t a punishment, it’s a part of healthy growing. So yield, allowing Me to lovingly prune away that which hinders or is unneeded. Trust Me have the wisdom to do so, and to do it gently and in love.