Tag Archives: prayer

Bibles in September

07 Friday Sep 2018

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September is one of my favorite months, and yet also one of my saddest.  My beautiful momma, Helen Marie,  passed away five years ago, this September 19th. This month has always been so full of new beginnings, fresh fall air, pumpkins and fairs. And I love them all!   But deep in the recesses of my mind and heart, there is always this twinge of pain, beauty, nostalgia and want.  I truly miss her every single day. And I don’t think there is a time when I am not thinking of her, her laugh, her beauty and her love of God.  She taught me how to read, study and love the Bible, and I have several of her bibles filled with notes and journaling.

This week, I decided to buy a new Bible. Not that I needed one, but I wanted the one I gave to someone so that when we read together, we are reading the same version.  And I realized that I didn’t have NIV.  I probably have every other version, haha, but not NIV.

So while I was reading yesterday morning, and turned to the front of the Bible and put my name and date in and then stopped.  I heard God say look at the date again. September 2018.  Then look at the bible you bought last year. September 2017. Now go to the next one. Guess what it said? September 2016.   I realized that every September I had been buying a new bible.  The same month my mom passed away.  Then I felt the Spirit tell me ever so sweetly that it is honoring of my mom. That every September as I have been buying a bible, it was building on the foundation of my mom’s love of the Word and my love of the Word. She would love the bible I just bought, filled with flowers, colors and study notes

I sometimes have felt so guilty for not getting to her graveside much, or putting flowers on for every occasion, But this was so much better.  A bible that keeps us connected through God’s word. A Bible that is the Living Word that she now sees everyday, and I read everyday. Instead of empty vases, I now have Bibles that are marked and highlighted, just like hers.

I hope I am explaining this correctly.  It was such a powerful AHA moment for me, and I wanted to share so that maybe, just maybe it would bless someone.

This is the Bible I purchased. The NIV Women’s Study Bible. Isn’t it a beaut!

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How many times?

02 Friday Mar 2018

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Forgiveness.

Such a hard topic because we all think we walk in forgiveness, but then we still have this twinge of ….something when we see that person. Am I right?

I have walked many seasons in my life, and in each of them I have learned much about forgiveness. Not that I am an expert, but I have really been pondering it lately.

I had a really hard situation several years back and really wanted to not have the noose of unforgiveness binding me or the other person.

When I ran into this person that really hurt me several months ago {not having seen or talked to her since ‘the hurting’} I genuinely smiled, asked how she was, didn’t have any of that white-hot ugly in my heart, and wished her a great day. As I walked away, God told me {yes Joy Behar, God does talk to us, and only His sheep hear His voice} “that is what forgiveness feels like, this is what is feels like to be at peace with someone”. Not that the situation was right, or we will ever be best pals again, but I was free of the bond of unforgivness.

How do you know when you have forgiven someone?

I get asked this all the time. In the past, I would answer, until you don’t hurt anymore, or until you can bless the person who hurt you. But now, I answer until it’s complete in you and you have peace.

Many times we rotely quote “seventy times seven”, and offer it a very unsticky band-aid. It is in the bible, but what does it mean? Do we multiply the numbers? Do we look into the Greek or Hebrew and have a discussion on it?

I would like to suggest something I think God has shown me.

Peter asks Jesus, do I need to forgive seven times? And then Jesus responds, seventy times seven.  So here is what I think it could mean.

Seven in the bible is the year of Jubilee, completion, the year debts are forgiven. What if Jesus is saying I want you to forgive until it is complete in you. That you are totally completely forgiving and at peace. Not that what was done to you was right, but you deserve to live free, at peace, complete. Completely at peace with them.

Not a multiplication problem, but a numbers game if you will. Forgive until your heart is totally in jubilee, until the forgiveness is complete and you can look at that person and feel nothing but peace, compassion and completeness.

So, is it possible Jesus is saying, forgive until it has been completed in your heart and that my peace completes you.  That forgiveness has been completed in me.

How many times? until it is complete.

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Impossible Possible Peace

07 Friday Jul 2017

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If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. This is the words of Paul in Romans 12:18.

Sometimes  it feels that it isn’t possible doesn’t it?

It feels impossible. If it says, “IF possible”, that to me is saying that it can also be impossible.

Before you begin getting mad at me, be at peace and let me finish.

I have learned this the hard way, that the next part of the verse it critical to my understanding of possible.

“As it depends on you”.

It is up to me, the possible it up to me, to live at peace.

There are times (and I have experienced them) that we try to make peace happen with someone, and it doesn’t seem like there is peace in the relationship. Why? Because relationships are hard, messy and very risky. And sometimes there are seasons and friendships come to an end of the season, or the break is too wide to mend.

Sometimes reconciliation looks like a separation, or a ‘break in the relationship’.

But, in the midst of this, you can be at peace.

How? How is it possible to “be at peace” when it looks like there is no peace?

Being a Pastor and a ministry leader, I have learned this the hard way. I thought to be at peace meant I had to jump through hoops to make the other person like me.

Almost like I was (or did) try with all my strength to get them to approve me, approval meant peace. Or to get them to like me, as if that would give me peace. I was in a constant state of rejection because of this. It was killing me, and those around me because I was never really at peace. Within myself or with anyone.

So I started to really look at the verse, and focused on the next words; as far as it depends on me.

A new revelation began to take shape.

I can be at peace with someone, even if they are mad at me, or there is a break in relationship. As much as it depends on me, I can be at peace.  How? because my peace comes from God. Our peace comes directly from God, and that depends on me.

The word peace in the Strong’s Concordance is the word Shalom and NAS Extensive Concordance means: completeness, soundness, welfare, ease, peace.  In the Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language the word peace is described as a pact.

If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at ease, at soundness, live in completeness with everyone.

I can be complete only because my wort, value, approval and identity come from God. I don’t have to chase people and force relationship or force peace to happen.

I have learned that when I am at peace, “complete in Him”, He brings peace to the relationship.

There will be people who have no idea they hurt you, or even care that they hurt you, but you can live in a place of peace, because of  the One who is your peace.

It is possible to do the impossible and live at peace with everyone, because my peace doesn’t rely on them.

Jesus tells us in  John 14:27 “My peace I give to you”. He is telling us that He gives us our completeness, our soundness, our ease, our peace. He give us this pact – that He becomes our peace.   In one of my situations, talking and reconciling is not possible, but I am at peace. I know that my peace comes from God and I can extend that peace into the situation, not of my strength, but by depending on the One who is my peace.

“As far as it depends on you”, you can be at peace. The impossible is now possible.

 

 

 

 

 

You can’t have my oil.

30 Wednesday Nov 2016

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anointing_of_fresh_oilI think God wants more from us in 2017. We are really good at loud intercession, warring prayer and band led worship and events and gatherings. But, Jesus lived his life in the secret place. He drew away and spent time alone with God in the quiet secret place.
We need to learn to live from the quiet before we shout in the street.

I have been feeling for over a year, God telling me that he wants more and I have been struggling with what is more? How much more can I give?

But as I have been studying and asking, I really feel the body of Christ is to learn about living in the secret place, and from there we go and shout.   But it seems that we have taken to the secret place the same thing we do in the public place. We just do it by ourselves. That isn’t what God is asking.

He is asking for us to come fully into this place of intimacy and quiet, of quiet talks, and relationship – deeper than we have ever gone before.

There will be an intimacy and trust that grows from this secret place that causes our prayers to be bold and effective. When I am abandoned to Him, His prayer flows out of me and are His purposes and His promises.

Trust me this is tough. I have been involved in the prayer room movement, the house of prayer movement for years, but this is more than that. It is possible that we have substituted our time in these places for the secret place and it isn’t.

It is a Matthew 25 time.

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins

25 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming;[a] go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour[b] in which the Son of Man is coming. (NKJV)

If we want to be among the wise with oil, then we have to do what it takes to get the oil.

This oil comes from relationship, intimacy, friendship, quiet times, solitude, waiting, breathing, seeking. It doesn’t come from events, stages, lights or lasers.

Not that those things are wrong, but from my experience intimacy only comes when it is between two people.

And I can’t give you my oil. I had a dream that a dear friend came to me and was begging me for some of my oil. She had oil at one time, but had let it run empty. She was doing all the same prayer gatherings, events and such, but her oil was empty.

I can’t give you my oil.

It isn’t that I wouldn’t want to share my oil with you, I literally can’t. It doesn’t fit you, It is my intimacy oil.

It won’t smell good on you, because it is my oil fragrance.

The verse ends with you have to go and buy for yourself, your oil.

You can’t have my oil. You can’t live in my secret place.

My friends, hear my heart. I love worship gatherings, and spiritual warfare and loud intercession, but they won’t be sustainable if my life isn’t full of the oil it takes, from the secret place of relationship.

It is at the very end of this passage that the virgins that didn’t have oil, come running in – and the Lord responds “assuredly I say to you I do not know you”

This is what happens when we don’t cultivate a prayer life in the quiet, secret place. When we only offer prayers of lists and give me this”

In 2017 I feel God is asking, will you go deeper? Will you fill your jar with oil? Will you?

 

Take & Eat

04 Friday Nov 2016

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I am learning to be thankful.

To give thanks and offer thanks. It seems it is a lost art in our culture, especially with our political world and an election on the horizon.

Just a simple thank you.

But let’s go a little deeper.

When was the last time you just thanked God for being God. Not for what He does for you, or did or is doing. But just thanking him for being Him.

I have been doing this great praying and writing the scriptures of Thanksgiving that my friend Candance at http://www.mercyisnew.com compiled. I am writing, praying then actually digging into the original Greek or Hebrew of words in the scripture.

Today, was Matthew 26:26. “And as they were eating Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said “take, eat, this is my body”

We normally take this verse as part of our communion, where we drink the ‘blood’ and eat the ‘body’ of Christ.

But I think this was to be a daily time of thanksgiving and remembrance, not just an Easter or Christmas thing we do.

The word body in the text is the word Soma (so-mah). It means as a sound whole, substance, different from flesh, but soul or spirit, the whole man.

So think of this as you daily ask – to take and eat the entireness of Jesus, (not his flesh) but his spirit, his soul, the wholeness of him.

It really puts our thankfulness in a different place since now we aren’t asking for the bread as in the flesh (which really has been hard to understand or explain right?), but for the entireness of Jesus to be what we partake of.

God, as I take this bread (the word) that you have given me, I ask that you bless it with all that you are, and want for me, I take and eat of your wholeness, your substance, soul, spirit, I take and eat of your whole being, so that I can in turn offer thanks to you, because you are God.

 

One Day Legacy | Song of Solomon

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

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I am so excited to share with you the first book in the One Day Legacy series!

Song of Solomon!

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My passion is to help people learn to love and pray the Word, and begin to seek God first. God showed me that what I read in the bible is prayer.  So I wrote a little bible reading journal to help you discover and journey like I did. Document your spiritual journey as you learn about our Father God, His Son and The Holy Spirit.

Reading the bible is like reading a relationship in prayer with our Father. But let’s face it we all struggle to find time to read or keep up with journaling and praying. Where do we start? How do we enter into a praying life with the Word? So, I wrote combining study and reading of the word with personal journal reflections as prayer, using the acrostic P.R.A.Y. It’s called One Day Legacy, because each day we are creating a legacy for ourselves and for others. My prayer is Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…(Colossians 3:16)

This book has been on my heart for quite some time, and Song of Solomon is one of my life’s teachings that I share often.  I really pray that as you read, write and pray through the books of the bible that your relationship with God and His Word deepens.

 

You can purchase at:

 

 

 

Something has to change….

24 Sunday Jul 2016

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something has to changeSomething has to change.

I think we can all agree that something has to change. We can’t live any longer the way things have been going. Something has to change.

I, with all conviction of the Holy Spirit and God my Father, believe what needs to change is me. You. Us.

There is something to the fact that my husband and I are pastors, lead a 24/7 prayer ministry called City Gate, and oversee several other ministries, and then God telling you, something has to change. This isn’t a sin issue that needs addressing. I promise there isn’t sin in the camp. But there is a tension. A holy pulling or tugging, that started at the beginning of 2016.

So I did what everyone else probably does, and thought about it. Then pretty much ignored it. But the tension in my spirit kept growing to the point that I could barely function in my roles because I felt like such a fraud and failure. Again, please hear me! This isn’t a sin issue. It became a Son issue.

I surrendered.

For those who know me, I am an avid reader. Books, the Bible, commentaries, stories, it really doesn’t matter. The best gift in the world to me is an amazon gift card. God usually uses books and specific authors who I trust and value to mentor me. So it wasn’t by chance that the books I was planning to read in July were all different titles, but the same message.

Something has to change.

Seriously, I started with “Operating in the Courts of Heaven” by Robert Henderson and it confirmed how prayer needs to change.

I read “Rooted” by Banning Leibscher and again, we need to go back to our original root system of living in the secret place, prayer and intimacy with God. Change is needed in our approach of life to be rooted in Christ.

Then I read “The Intercessors Handbook” by Jennifer Eivaz and it just confirmed what the other books I read were telling me. Change is needed.

“Angel Armies” by Tim Sheets. I thought this was going to give me a break in my reading about something new. But no. Change is needed. Movement it needed. We can want all the change in the world, but if we don’t move, nothing happens. Something new is needed. And Change is needed to move.

Finally “The Jesus Fast” By Lou Engle & Dean Briggs, put the seal on the change.

I knew God was telling me for quite some time that “This doesn’t happen but by prayer and fasting”. Lou’s book, along with several others just confirmed to my spirit, that the change that is needed, is us changing.

In order to do what Jesus did, we have to do what Jesus did.

If we do not do what Jesus did, then we wont’ do what Jesus did.

We will have lots of meetings and events, hype and great worship. But no change.

The change is personal in that is has to be me and you making the change.

Something has to change if we want to see Thy Kingdom Come.

Acts 2 happened and the world as they knew it began to change, but they had to start in Acts 1.

What did they do?

Prayed. Fasted.

What happened?

The Holy Spirit happened.

When I say we need to change in our prayers, I am suggesting that we begin to pray what God already told us to pray – His Word.

When I say we need to fast, it isn’t to get something, it’s to give something. Our time. We need to change how we spend our time.

For so many, and for so long, we think that if we attend a big event with big names, then we have done our part. But we come home and are the same on Monday.

Something has to change.

God is pulling us in a new (yet ancient) direction. A new movement, a change. And for any movement to work, it takes movement.

What are we willing to change in our life, our structure, our agenda to allow God to move?

The something that needs to change is us. If what we are doing is working so great why are we still so thirsty?

Here is my suggestion. Get in the Word. Read your bible like you read Facebook. Spend as much time in the Word as you do Sports Illustrated. Pray prayers from the Word like Ephesians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians. Fast.  Give up one meal a day, and spend it reading and praying. Give up something that you love to show you love God more.

We cannot keep doing the same things we are doing and expect a new thing to happen.

Something has to change.

Are you with me?

 

 

The Lord is near…

22 Monday Feb 2016

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….to all who call on Him.

This is usually how we end this verse. We encourage people saying “God is near”. And He is. But not near as in a vending machine, that when I am hungry, I plug some cash and get His presence.

I think this is what happens when we read the Word for a quick fix or to find a verse to fit an argument, or like a band-aid. We just cut and paste a verse to fit my or any situation.

What would happen if we read the whole verse from Psalm 145. Or actually read the whole Psalm 145 ?

You would have a better understanding on why and how He is near.

Lets again read verse 18 (which often we only read the first line)

The Lord is close to all who call on Him,  yes, to all who call on Him sincerely.

From another translation is reads:

The Lord is near to all who call out to Him, all who call out to Him in integrity.

What is my point?

In our prayer life, we know that God is near. From all of His attributes we know that He is omnipresent and omniscient. There is never a time when He isn’t near me.

But how He responds to that nearness with me, depends on how my heart attitude is. It says with sincerity, or with integrity.

Just like our physical posture can dictate, so can our heart posture. For example it isn’t magical to stand during worship or kneel during prayer, but it does do something to my heart posture to kneel, stand or even raise my hands in surrender.

I think most times we begin to demand things, like “God you are near me, so do this and that NOW”.

Can you just hear the arrogance in that ?

Then, we are so very disappointed that God didn’t do what I just told him to do. Loudly. Because I probably screamed at Him like a spoiled child.

When my heart comes to Him sincerely, with integrity, other versions say “call on Him in truth (without guile), that is showing a posture of understanding that He is God. And I would have known that if I read the entire psalm 145.  Just saying.

He is near when I come to Him in Truth. What is truth ? The WORD.

It tells us in the Word, that the Word is the spirit of truth. I can come to Him when I am coming speaking truth in my heart, because His Word of truth is what I am declaring from my heart.

The Lord is near to all those who call on him, with sincerity of heart, with integrity, without guile, but in Truth –

Do you see how that changes things?

I can know and feel His nearness by how I chose to receive His nearness. I receive it by knowing it, declaring it and allowing His nearness to take me even deeper in walking out that integrity and sincerity.

If I am just screaming out that God is near, and I want Him to do what I say, I probably won’t feel His nearness. Why? Because if I have to tell or demand God to do something, I am saying that I know more than Him, which makes me a god telling God what to do. As if He is waiting in Heave for me to tell Him what to do.

To be a person of the Word, we have to really read all the Word.

The Word backs up the Word. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

It’s a promise and God keeps His promises. He is obligated to and by His Word.

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Summer in the Psalms

09 Tuesday Jun 2015

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This is your personal invitation. (And your invitation to invite others!)

I am inviting you to join me and many others as we take the month of July and devote our time to reading the entire book of Psalms and Proverbs.

Did you know that if you read 5 Psalms each and every day, in one month you would have read the complete book of Psalms ? add 1 chapter of proverbs and you will have completed 2 books of the bible in 1 month !

Billy Graham once said that reading Psalms teaches us how to talk to God, and Proverbs is God talking back to us.

Psalms teaches us how to worship, how to expand our prayer language and get an understanding of what a prayer life could look like.

Each day you read 5 psalms – that is five complete ‘chapters’ – so for day 1 – beginning July 1st,  you would read Psalm 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.. and Proverbs 1, then on day 2 you would be continuing with psalm 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and Proverbs 2

then you post or comment on page what God is showing you, what you are learning, what character or attribute of God did you see.  You can also join me on Facebook and invite others to join !

https://www.facebook.com/events/357805107748778/

I will also be posting what I am learning and what Character traits I am learning about of my Father God.  Use the #summerinthepsalms  and you can post pictures and ideas for others – you can also share with me on my instagram account ( I think it is on the side of the blog to connect with me on social media )

Get ready !

Pick your translation of the bible you want to ready !

Have colored pencils ready to color the words or phrases that captures your heart.

I am so excited to hear what God is speaking to you !

 

 

what seed are you eating ?

26 Tuesday May 2015

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I have been dieting my entire life. Today the scale did not lie. It showed my over indulgence or addiction to cakes, pies and desserts.

So I hit the pavement again this morning, pondering the book I just read by my friend Joyce Tilney called “Why Diets don’t work – food is not the problem”   ( http://www.whydiets.com/ ) and I was hit with a revelation that I want to share with you. Take it,  join with me or laugh and leave it.    book-cover-front-e1359421292739

It’s not what food we eliminate or take away from ourselves, it’s about the food we DO eat and put into our body. When we focus on what we cannot eat, we enter into a poverty/diet mindset. And you will always want what you cannot have – look at the Israelites – didn’t they crave the ‘choice food’ from Egypt, but God had a super food for them in the desert.

I heard God tell me it was all about the seed. What seed are you putting into your body ? Is this seed going to produce a good fruit in you ? Is this seed going to produce 30, 60 or 100 fold of good fruit in your body. You see, this is a Godly principal, not just a financial principal. So what seed I put into my body will produce that fruit. So if I am putting the seed of sugary sweets, it will produce the effects of that seed.

If I put good seed in, I will produce good fruit.

Hmm..

So do you see what I am thinking, learning and hearing ?

It isn’t about a diet, (and I highly recommend Joyce’s book – it is filled with powerful words from the WORD ) it’s about seed.

What seed are you eating ?

what seed are you producing ?

It isn’t about taking away, it’s about putting in. Putting in the good seeds of food into our body.

Maybe you want to join me ?

I am willing to go through Joyce’s book with you and deal with what seed we are struggling with – to have a physically and spiritually healthy body –

I would love to hear your thoughts and if you want to join me !