Month: January 2018

Psalm 31:8
You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy.
You have set my feet in a large place.

Psalm 31:13,14
I have heard the slander of many, Terror is on every side; while they took counsel together against me, they schemed to take away my life. But as for me, I trust in you, Lord, I say, “You are my God.”

The atmosphere is very charged right now with spiritual activity. Accusation, deception, and plans to distort communication. You may experience this in your thought life or you may run into someone who is experiencing this and it feels like you are being accused by them because they are agitated.

Know first: God has not given you over to the enemy. He sits above the chatter and we have access to the throne room, above all the commotion. Be still and know His thoughts and plans for you are good.

And second: pray for the peace of those who are agitated and take it out on you. They are not in a spacious place, whether led by the Lord or they took a wrong turn.

The atmosphere is very spiritually charged. Be still. The battle is not yours.

Proverbs 30:4
“Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His Son’s name? Surely you know!
Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”

I woke up this morning with a migraine, and did not feel as though I could press in to what the Lord was saying this morning, but then I felt His Spirit stir within me, to just read. Even hearing from the Lord Is dependent upon Him opening my spiritual ears.

I read through until my last verse of the morning, and was stopped at this proverb.

And then he reminded me, that He is greater than this migraine. Every difficulty we face, no matter how great or small in our eyes, is to bring us to the place of understanding that He is greater. He is Lord over all of it.

This is our victory!

 

 

 

Psalm 29:4 The voice of the Lord is powerful, The voice of the Lord is majestic.

<it splits the cedars, shakes the wilderness, strips forests bare, makes the deer to calve>

The 11th hour is a place of temptation to give up, pack up, go home. It is a place of temptation due to weariness, the reproach of men.

Consider Paul’s 11th hour; The crowd rose together against him and Silas, and the two men received many blows, were put into prison and guarded securely. Their feet were fastened in stocks.

But it was in the midnight hour, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God and the prisoners were listening on. Suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. Even the jailer was converted to the Lord.

Though it is tempting to give up in the 11th hour, choose instead to praise God in the midst, because the midnight hour, seemingly the darkest hour of the night, comes; the Lord speaks and sets the captives free, and even those who were looking on. EVEN THOSE WHO WERE LOOKING ON were set free because of Paul and Silas’ faithfulness to sing praise in the midst of the storm.

Exodus 3:4
When the Lord saw that he, Moses, turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “here I am.”

Psalm 116: 1,2 I love the Lord, because he hears my voice and my supplications. Because he has inclined his ear to me, therefore I shall call upon him as long as I live.

Do you see this? Do you see the conversation? The burning bush was the initiation of a conversation that God wanted to have with Moses and He waited until Moses “turned aside” to acknowledge, to look.
In the same way, when we initiate a conversation with the Lord with our “burning questions or thoughts” we wait, knowing He WILL incline (Hebrew Word natar also means to turn) His ear and say too “Here am I”.

I love the Lord because He hears my voice! It doesn’t just reach His hearing. He has purposefully inclined His ear (turned towards me) to hear me.

 

Psalm 84 and Psalm 91:9,10

All of psalm 84 speaks of dwelling places. The bird has a home, the swallow a nest, but those who choose to call home, the presence of the Lord no matter where they are, are blessed with every blessing that God has for them.

Psalm 84:4 “how blessed are those who dwell in your house! They are ever praising you.“

Psalm 91:9,10 for you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the most high, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.

I woke up this morning, with no agenda on my heart, nothing concerning me, not even an idea of how to pray this morning, so I just sat enjoying His Presence, and as I did, words about his dwelling place which is his presence, began to arise, and particularly right now, about the safety from the plague of the flu, and having peace within our own dwelling places, away from evil.

I thanked the Lord for peace within my borders, peace within my boundaries, peace within my dwelling place that the plague that is out there will not come anywhere near where I live, nor will it touch my husband nor my animals.

I release this word to you, that you will be safe from the evil that is out there, that you will be safe from the plague, that you will have peace within your own borders, within your dwelling places, as you have made the Lord your refuge and your safety, he says no evil shall befall you, nor any plague come near your tent. But you must take that word and make it your own.

Shalom.

 

Proverbs 24:17,18
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; or the Lord will see it and be displeased, and turn his anger away from Him.

The Lord has been putting on my heart that this year is going to be a year of greater exposure of corruption and deception. The tendency for those in the church is to rejoice that there is exposure and to rejoice that these leaders are falling.

It’s a trap. Rejoice in the Lord that His light is shining in a dark place. Rejoice in the Lord that His light abides in you.

Isaiah 60:2,3 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations (people groups) will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. “

Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do his commandments; his praise endures forever.

Having a fear of the Lord is taking the Lord at His word. Believing what He says before it becomes our experience is the beginning of wisdom. We decide to believe His word before the experience but in faith we do His word to give ourselves the experience which proves to our minds His word is true.

Psalm 19:1,2
The heavens declare the glory of God; in the firmament shows his handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night and night unto night reveals knowledge.

I have been overcome with the goodness of God.

All creation, apart from man, was created to serve man.; The sun, the moon, the stars, the birds in the air the fish in the sea, the beasts of the field, the air itself, the waters; everything is created to serve man in some capacity. It is the other side of “you shall have dominion over them.”

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, What is man, that you are mindful of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels, yet you have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over all the works of your hands; and you have placed all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen even the birds of the air and the beast of the field, The fish in the sea that pass through the paths of the seas. Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8:3-9

Psalm 117:1,2
Praise the Lord all you Gentiles! Laud Him all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

David is not shouting praises to God! He is not even shouting to anyone who may be in earshot! The Gentiles are the foreign nations. People and people groups outside of his dwelling place, outside of his community where his own people would hear him!

David did not ask that the nations be saved. He commanded them to praise the Lord, praise his God, for the merciful kindness shown to all humanity, declaring the truth of the Lord forevermore.

Praise Him all you (coworkers of your place of employment)! Laud Him all you employees who follow other gods! For His merciful kindness towards you is great and He is eternal Truth, Creator of Heaven and Earth!)

Praise the Lord KANAWHA and Putnam Counties! Praise the Lord Saint Albans! Praise the Lord!

I awoke to the smell of jasmine, gardenia and rose this morning. I could just sit here, take it all in and be carried away.

It was quite natural then, that I expect the Lord to stop me at a scripture that would describe a beautiful garden. But…..

Psalm 119:71 Before I was afflicted, I went astray.

After a short while, the connection of the fragrances to the “affliction word” was made.

Song of Solomon 4:16 Awake, north wind! Come, south wind! Blow on my garden to spread its fragrance.

We need the fires and harsher winds of affliction, (north winds) to humble us and keep us steady, just as much as we need the warmth of the sun and gentle rains (south winds) to grow.

Some of you are experiencing affliction at this moment. I want to encourage you to keep eyes upon Him. Your fragrance and colors and stamina are being established; your ability to keep His commands are being perfected in you today.