Bless Without Reserve

Matthew 5:43-48 (TPT) …bless the one who curses you…

Beloved, refuse to retaliate in kind. Refuse to stoop to a level that diminishes your witness. Responding in love isn’t the same thing as receiving the curse they’ve spoken, it is simply choosing a higher path – My path.

So bless all you touch, including those who curse you or seek to do you harm. Ask Me to move in their lives. Ask Me to touch them and heal their hearts. Blessing someone isn’t you submitting yourself as a doormat, it is you refusing to shift into a negative mindset simply because someone else is. Operate in love and bless without reserve. Continue reading “Bless Without Reserve”

Embrace Your Uniqueness

Psalm 139:14 (TPT) I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe. You have approached even the smallest details with excellence; Your works are wonderful; I carry this knowledge deep within my soul.

Beloved, resist the urge to compare yourself to others, for you have been uniquely made and if you use others as your guideposts, you will likely take yourself off track from My perfect will. Refuse to hold others up as the ideal to be achieved – only My Son should have that honor.

Instead seek Me, ask Me how you should live and who you should be. Beloved, your Creator knows you intimately, and I love every part of how I made you. You truly are fearfully and wonderfully made.

So own it. Embrace your unique makeup. You are a gift, created with intentionality and a purpose. Resist the urge to withhold that gift by hiding who you are. Refuse to believe the lie that different is somehow “wrong” and trust that I know what I’m doing. Beloved, you are beautiful and so loved. You are worth knowing. Shine without shame.

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)”

Be a Fool For Me

1 Corinthians 12:7 (TPT) Each believer has received a gift that manifests the Spirit’s power and presence. That gift is given for the good of the whole community.

Beloved, allow My Spirit to empower you to operate in the supernatural. I have placed gifts within you for My glory, resist the urge to withhold them because of insecurity, doubt, or pride. Be a fool for Me. Withhold nothing. Allow My Spirit to flow like water over and through you.

Refuse to be sidetracked or derailed by comparisons or petty jealousy, I flow through each of you in a way that is unique and perfect for you. Yield to that flow, with no concerns of vanity or judgment of man, simply focus on releasing all I’ve empowered you to impart. Glorify Me. Continue reading “Be a Fool For Me”

Drink Deeply

1 John 1:1-7 (TPT) …This Life-Giver was made visible and we have seen him…

Beloved, I make Myself known to those who love Me. My handiwork surrounds you. Choose to have eyes to see, hearts that expect, and minds that believe. Encounter Me. Without air and water, you have no life, but beloved, I AM the life-giver, how much more vital is relationship with Me?

I AM essential. Drink deeply. Be saturated and thoroughly satisfied in My presence. Refuse to waste your efforts on that which profits nothing, choosing instead to place your focus on Me. Flourish under My loving hand. Continue reading “Drink Deeply”

The Only One Who is Worthy

Deuteronomy 13:4 (VOICE) Remain loyal to Him! Fear Him and obey His commands. Listen to His voice. Worship Him alone. Be fervently devoted to Him.

Beloved, I AM worthy of your steadfast devotion. Resist the urge to lavish your time and attention on things that are of no consequence or value. Refuse to be lulled into a sense of complacency or become so engrossed in entertainment that you become numb to real life.

The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Refuse to be taken down without resistance simply because you’ve become too lethargic to care. Ask Me to align your heart with My own, that you might know what matters and what is of no-account. Beloved, waste your life on Me – the only One who is worthy – pour yourself out like a drink offering upon My altar, wholly acceptable and highly pleasing to Me.

Palet, Your Deliverer

Psalm 32:7 (AMP) You are my hiding place; You, Lord, protect me from trouble; You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. Selah.

Beloved, there is no situation so severe I cannot rescue you. I AM Palet, the Deliverer – your very present help in times of trouble. I walk with you through the storm, and I comfort you with My presence.

Look to Me. Regardless of the turmoil surrounding you, I AM your peace, your hiding place – the One who never leaves you or forsakes you. Rest in Me. Listen for the songs I sing over you, and set your mind on Me. Trust yourself in My hands, for I AM good.

Stones of Remembrance

Joshua 4:7 (GW) You should answer, ‘The water of the Jordan River was cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s promise. When the ark crossed the Jordan, the river stopped flowing. These stones are a permanent reminder for the people of Israel.’”

Beloved, there are moments worth capturing in a way that fosters remembrance. Moments that bolster your faith and remind you who I AM and that I AM faithful and true. Don’t lose sight of those moments or allow them to simply pass by with the emotions of that instant quickly fading and moving on. Take the time to establish a method of remembering that you might be able to stand strong in the days of hopelessness and opposition because you know that you know I AM good.

Be intentional about acknowledging My good works, and thankful about each blessing. I love to lavish My children, but refuse to do so at the cost of their character. So keep your heart humble, refuse to operate in entitlement but rather in childlike trust. Take the time to place “stones of remembrance” that you will always remember who I AM and how I move. I AM a good Father and I love My children. Continue reading “Stones of Remembrance”

Singleminded Pursuit

Exodus 23:2 (VOICE) Even if the majority of people are doing evil, do not follow them…

Beloved, choose rightly regardless of circumstance or influence. Know My word so well that your compass is not shaken regardless of who is wandering off the path. Be steadfast in righteousness, and pray for those who have compromised themselves – for “there but for the grace of God…”.

Stay in a place of humility, not judging those who’ve stumbled, but gently encouraging them to right by walking steadfastly in ways that please Me. Have compassion, but don’t be tempted to concede as much as one step on a path not of Me. Refuse to be swayed regardless of who has (or how many have) chosen that which displeases Me. Make My will your focus and destination, and be singleminded in that pursuit.

Love, the Primary Focus

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (TPT) Love…extends beyond the gift of prophecy, which eventually fades away. It is more enduring than tongues, which will one day fall silent. Love remains long after words of knowledge are forgotten.

Beloved, resist the temptation to get so caught up in the gifts of My Spirit that you forget My primary focus: love. For I so loved the world that I sent My Son. Love wins the day. Love touches hearts in a way nothing else can. And in the end, love will remain when the gifts are no longer needed.

So focus on love. Be intentional to love. When in doubt, love. When you don’t want to, still love. When it’s undeserved, staunchly love. Whatever the situation, no matter how extreme, remain steadfastly in a stance of love. Be known for your love. Refuse to let it be shaken. Refuse to withhold it like a weapon or use it as a tool to manipulate, give it freely and without reserve – just as I have done for you. Continue reading “Love, the Primary Focus”