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Changing our thought life can be challenging. Many of us go through life feeling unworthy or not good enough, because we have listened to and taken to heart what others may have said or may have thought about us. We base our feelings on the imagination of our own mind. But our worth is not measured by what others think, feel or say about us. Our worth is measured by what God thinks, says and feels about us. He valued you so much that he gave his son! That makes you priceless!
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone that believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 When we come to know who we are in the heart of God, and his love for us, the way we think will change our destiny. "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark12:30 We can not love God with our whole heart if our heart is continually divided with the cares of the world. One of Satan's greatest tactics is distraction. If he can get us distracted and keep us in that place, then he can keep us from knowing our created value by the father. We have all been hurt or offended by someone. But taking offense is a choice we make and in many situations we would really like to give them a piece of our mind. When instead we should be giving them the love of Christ in us. "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love." Ephesians 4:2 We sometimes wrap offense around our waist and carry it wherever we go. Even though sometimes it is heavy and can cause pain, we carry it as a form of protection. When we take offense, it is impossible to be humble or gentle. You can not produce what you don't have. Don’t let what you’ve been through become your way of life. Learn from it and grow. What is in you will come out of you. A house that is fully occupied has no room for offense. Stop letting all that is going on around you dictate what is going on within you. People are not our enemy. Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the spirit of darkness. "Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world." Ephesians 6:11-12 There was a woman who was brought to Jesus, she had been caught in the act of adultery. But when Jesus saw her, he said “the one without sin, can be the first to cast a stone.” John 8:3-11. By saying that He not only disqualified them, but he qualified himself. Because He was and still is the only one without sin. Therefore He could have killed her. But he didn’t. Instead He said “I do not condemn you. Go and sin no more.” If we can’t find it in Jesus we shouldn’t want it in us. Don’t ever let the sin against you, produce sin in you. Stephen was an example of God’s grace. While he was being stoned to death for doing no wrong he said “Lord do not hold this sin against them.” Acts 7:54-60 When I see the nail scarred hands of Jesus, I think of the pain and suffering, I wonder how could a man that did no wrong, be beaten, abused, spit on, hung on a cross, have so much love that He would say to the Father, “forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34 (NLT)
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The Spirit of the Lord would say:
Before you were formed in your mothers womb, I knew you. I set you apart and appointed you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. I breathed my life into you from the beginning of time. Nothing you can say or do will ever change my call on your life. What I have written in the books of heaven about you. I have written. You have a destiny. You have a future. Do not give up on me. Do not give up on my call for your life. Spend time with me. Get to know me. Allow me to fill you with the hopes and the dreams that I have prepared for you. You are not here by chance. For I have made a plan for your life. Praise me and I will break the chains that bind you. For I inhabit the praise of my people. I have seen you sitting among the coals. I have pulled you from the water and streams that long to overtake you. I have been with you every step of the way. I am calling your name. Do you not hear me calling? I am calling within the walls you have built around your heart. I am calling you to come closer to me. Allow me to lead you and guide you just as I did your ancestors in the days of old. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 My love for you flows deep. My love for you is everlasting. I gave my son for you, that you might have life and have it more abundantly. For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For he sent his son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world though him. John 3:16-17 I saw a bar that blocks the entrance to a parking garage, and I heard the spirit of the Lord say, I’m raising the bar. It is not only a bar off the limitations that have held you back, but he is raising the bar of acceleration in your spiritual life. There are those who have been running the race and you have not given up. You have continued to run and you have done well. You have not gone unnoticed by the Father. He has seen you, he has watched you, and he has been with you.
There are those of you who feel you have been digging ditches and trenches. But the father would have you to know that what you have been digging are deep wells. Not only wells within your own life’s but in the life’s of others. You have continued to dig and you have been faithful. You have now hit an artesian well. A well that continues to flow from the rivers of heaven within you, and is out pouring onto others who come in contact with you. The spirit of the lord would say that he is pleased and he is raising the bar. The limitation of things that have held you back is about to come to an end. The limitation of a slow paced process is coming off. For he has heard your prayers, he has seen your faithfulness to him and he says get ready my child for I’m Raising the Bar. I am drawing you closer to me, the closer you come to me the more the limitation which has held you back will be removed. There will be a place of rest, for I desire to teach you to rest in me. But after the rest, and after Holy Spirit has instructed and infiltrated your being, there will come a time of limitless activity in the heavens. The spirit of the Lord would say my people will walk by my spirit in the earth in a greater way. In the way it was intended to be. Hurting people hurt people. They say and do things that trigger negative reactions, therefore creating a vicious circle of hurt and rejection. In most cases their reactions stem from past experiences that led them to believe a lie which they accepted as truth. But when does it end?
We can not control how other people treat us, but we can control how we respond to their behavior. We can choose to walk around with arrows in our back or we can know that God’s got our back. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 As Paul gathered an armful of sticks, and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous viper, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt!” But Paul shook off the viper into the fire and was unharmed. Acts 28:3-5 It’s not whether or not the viper bites but whether or not you allow it to kill you! The venom will not destroy you. Keep praying, keep praising, keep living. The gates of hell will not prevail against you. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2 “You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True power is sitting back and observing things with logic. True power is restraint. If words control you that means everyone else can control you. Breathe and allow things to pass.” Warren Buffett If God is for you, who can be against you? Romans 8:31 He will keep in perfect peace, whose thoughts are fixed on Him. Isaiah 26:3 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 There is a spirit of seduction which hides under the umbrella of religion desiring to seduce the church, into the worship of a false God. We the church have grown into a place of positioning ourselves, rather than posturing our hearts. In place of worship we perform. We recite in place of prayer. Rather than love and forgiveness we judge and condemn. Where are those who would take a stand against social standing in a fallen world? Where are those who will fall on their knees and pray with a heart of repentance for this land?
“For If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.” “It is time, to position your hearts, my sons and daughters. Come into my presence in the quiet place of my love, seek my face, turn from all that would distract your attention away from me. Consecrate yourself. Come to my throne. For I have called you to worship me and worship me alone. I am a jealous God. I desire your whole heart of worship to me. Hear my words for my spirit will not rest upon a position of power but upon a heart of praise.” "Paul was preaching into the night in an upstairs room and a young man named Eutychus who was sitting on the windowsill became drowsy and fell three stories to his death below. Paul went down and picked him up." "Don't worry" Paul said, "He is alive!" Acts 20:7-12
When will our mindsets shift so that the miraculous things of God become the normal and the normal become the abnormal? For if God is God then Nothing is impossible! God wants to take you where the will of man can't break you!
"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them: I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 11:19 Will you allow Him to do his work within you today? He loves you so much!! Have you ever felt as if you were in a mud slide, with the cares of life falling down upon you?
I can’t help but think that: Elijah was feeling that way when he was trying to run away from it all, by hiding in a cave. There was a powerful wind, an earthquake and a fire but God was not speaking to Elijah from the things that surrounded him. God’s voice came in a whisper. When Danial was in the Lion’s den he wasn’t listening to the lions roar or the chatter of negative people who said he would surly be eaten by the lions. He was listening for the whisper of God’s voice which gave him peace. When Joseph was in prison, although he was well aware of his surroundings, he wasn’t listening to the other prisoners complain, he was listening for the voice of the God he served. When Ruth was gleaning in the fields of a foreign land, and others were talking about how she didn’t belong and looking down upon her as less than, she was listening for the whisper of the one true God. Through out his life, David was continually taken back to the silence of a shepherd’s field or a cave, where he was alone in a secluded place. It was there he could hear the whisper of God. When life’s challenges seem more than we can bear, we must go back to the place where we first heard the whisper of God and feel the peace of his presence. For me it is impossible to hear what God is saying among the chatter in a mass of people, if I am not first spending time in seclusion with Him in the quiet place, listening for the whisper of His voice. For it is only in that place that I find peace in the midst of the storms of life. Months ago I had a dream. In the dream a woman was passing out scrolls as she ran. She turned for a brief moment and looked at me and said, I live at 1532. Upon awakening, I began to ponder and ask the Father the meaning of the dream. I discovered that the number 15 means rest and the number 32 means covenant. Rest in the covenant. I must remember where I live, in the place of rest with Him. For it is then and only then I can distribute the scrolls (word of God) which He has put within me. When Jesus was in the boat, he was sleeping with his head on a pillow in the midst of a storm. He was not focused on the storm raging around him, or the busy chatter of those in fear. Did he care? Yes, he cared but he was resting in the covenant of his fathers peace and love. And when he was awakened to the screams and yelling of those around him, He stood and said. “Peace. Be still.” When we live in Christ, peace is all around us. We only need to command it to be still in Jesus mighty name. It may not change the situation, but it will change the storm within us which we have been focusing on, so we can hear the whisper of His voice and rest in the covenant of his love for us. Be Still and Know that He is God. Psalm 46:10 He will keep in perfect peace whose mind is fixed on Him. Isaiah 26:3 Rest in the covenant of His love for you. There is nothing in the heart of God for you, that you can not have. It needs to be birthed into us, before we can tap into it. We must see ourselves as God see us. Our vision must be from the inside out rather than from the outside in. The veil has already been torn. Ask God for a clear revelation of his love and purpose for you in the earth.
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NLT) I see two large banqueting tables spread. One on earth and one in heaven. The table on earth is beautiful in appearance, with the finest china and food galore. But on it and around it, are things of the world. Worry, grief and bitterness, sorrow, pain and jealousy, sickness, hatred and foolish pride. The love of the father does not abide.
The table in heaven is spread for a king. It’s simple but lovely and kindness resides. There’s baskets of blessings, baskets of grace, a platter of love that all may partake. All those around it are happy and free, no worries, no cares, only pleasing the King. I hear the Spirit of the Lord saying, dig in a little deeper. There is a breaking of ground. I see shovels digging, I see holes being dug and a dirt hill being formed behind. Children are playing on the dirt hill. I hear the spirit of the Lord say teach the children. For the children will rise higher than their teacher. Teach the children. Dig deep into the well that I have put within you, and teach the children. For out of their mouths will flow rivers of living water. Teach the children so they will know me. They will run with me. They will dig wells of their own and they will plant. They will bring to me a great harvest. My people perish for lack of knowledge, but within these children I have placed the seed of my loin, which is truth. They search for truth, they long for truth. Teach the children, so the truth of my love might grow in them. The parable of the seed is a parable about my children, they are the seed. Do not let them fall. They are the next generation of my out pouring. Teach the children, for in the children is the seed of life. Do not let the seed I have placed within them, which is their longing for truth fall on the footpath, on the rocky soil or among the thrones. For they are good soil and my desire is for them to cling to the truth of my word for they are the seed of life for generations to come.
Generation after generation has searched for truth since the beginning of time. It all started with the first lie, that was told in the garden. I believe when God created man he planted within man truth. But when the truth was lost, confusion began to set in, therefore producing a people who have lost their identity. An identity that only in Christ can once again be found. Teach the children, so they might know who they were created to be since the beginning of time, that they might walk in their true identity.  When everything in life seems to be going well, we see no need for change. But even if our life changes for the better, and we have no desire to go back to the way things were, we may find ourselves revisiting the familiar place, for lack of a better plan. One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20 (NLT) Three years later: The disciples had been fishing all night but had caught nothing. At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, He called out “Have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. When they got to shore they found breakfast waiting for them- fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead. After breakfast Jesus asked Peter, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: Peter, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord you know everything. You know that I love you.” John 21 (NLT) I believe what Jesus was saying is, “Now that you know me, and have spent time with me, things can not be as they have always been. You can not go back to your old way of life. What you have been doing isn’t working anymore. If you are finished doing things your way, try doing them my way. Follow my direction. Follow my lead. Allow me to guide you. Listen to my word. I have a bigger plan and purpose for your life. I will supply your needs. But from this moment on, you will be fishing for the hearts of men. If you really love me, consecrate yourself to me, so that you can teach others what you have learned from me. If you love me change your way of thinking. I have something new for you and you must find it for yourself, before you can teach it to others. Listen to me, really listen. Allow me to show you a new way.” What Jesus wanted is for Peter to position his heart where Jesus was. Many times we continue in the same way of life and in the same pattern of thinking because its comfortable. But after Jesus has touched your life, you will never be the same again. You will not want to go back to the way its always been. Your past is called the past because it is in the past. It brought you to where you are today, but you don’t live there anymore. Today is a gift and tomorrow is a mystery. Position your heart where Jesus is and see where He desires to take you. Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18&19 (NLT) When God is Silent, Listen for the heartbeat. Be still and know that He is God. Psalm 46:10
You are God’s masterpiece. God watched you as you were being formed in utter seclusion, as you were woven together in the dark of the womb. Every day of your life was recorded in His book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. You are always on His mind. His thoughts about you are so precious, they cannot be counted for they out number the grains of sand. Psalms 139: 13-18 (NLT)
The bible tells us of a woman named Ruth who was born and raised in Moab. Ruth could have stayed in Moab, a place that was familiar and comfortable to her. But she made a decision, to leave everything she had ever known, to follow after a God her mother in law Naomi had taught her about. She made a decision to honor a mother in law that had nothing in this world to offer her. She made a decision to humble herself in a foreign land. In her heart I believe that Ruth knew her destiny was much larger than what she had been taught growing up in Moab. A destiny which God had written upon her life when she was being formed in her mothers womb. A destiny to become the great grandmother of a king named David (whom was in the lineage of Jesus). A destiny to have a whole book in the bible named after her and written about her. A destiny that would one day change the world. Ruth 1-4 Just like Ruth, God has a plan for your life. A plan to prosper you and not to harm you, a plan to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) Before you were formed in your mothers womb, He knew all about you, your fingerprint was being designed by the hand of God. Out of more than 7 billion people who live on the earth not one fingerprint is alike. Even identical twins do not have an identical fingerprint, they too are uniquely made and set apart for a special purpose in the earth which God has already written in his book. Sometimes we need to make choices that are not the most popular. Sometimes we must leave the familiar ways we were taught and change our way of thinking. We may even need to move away from our homeland and embrace a new life style. We are to stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around us, and inwardly be transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how we think. This will empower us to discern God’s will as we live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes. Romans 12:2 (TPT) You were fearfully and wonderfully made by the hand of God. Psalms 139:14 (NIV) and an artist always signs their work, it signifies that the artwork is finished, and that the artist is satisfied. Could it be that your fingerprint is God’s signature on his masterpiece? God is raising up a company of Prophets for such a time as this, his voice must be heard in the land.
The people of God must take a stand, for just as in the days of Elijah the spirit of Jezebel would desire to kill and shut down the Spirit of God which lives within the prophetic voice of his people. There is an attack on those who walk and carry the anointing of the prophetic office like never before. We must lift our voice to the heavens, for God is uniting the prophetic voice of his people. The spirit of prophecy is coming together as never before. The prophets are raising their voice to be heard. No longer shall the voice of the Almighty God be silenced, no longer will his word within his people be hidden. The spirit of the Lord would say pray my people, pray like never before, intercede for one another because the attack is real. Pray that you might withstand the attack of the enemy. But know this, those who are for you in the heavens are more than those who are against you in the earth. Walk in faith, yet be aware that you are not alone. I am with you. Stand in undivided unity as you fight this battle together in prayer! Know your calling, your gifts, your identity. How will the world know who I am least they see me in you? For their identity has been stolen, they are searching and crying out, but you are in me and I am in you, you are mine. Let this be your witness of me, by showing them my love for them through you, my word for them through you, Speak up! Do not silence the voice within you with doubt and fear. Speak up! That my voice through you might be heard in the earth. I saw an army of prophets shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, moving through out the land as a mighty army ready for battle. But an army like none that have gone before. There were fires raging out of control, sickness and death, famine, fear and anger, chaos everywhere just as in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sin was running rampant through out the land. The prophets began to march to go forth in unison as the captains gave the commands. As the prophets of God would raise their hand, anger and violence would stop. As they began to speak, fire would come from their mouths and the raging fire of deceit would dissipate. As they would march the ground would tremble, and the sick and dying would rise up and sing praises to God. They continued to march forward not one looked back, but followed the instruction of the king. In unity they marched shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, singing praises to the king, while angels encamped round about them and the glory of God shined brightly, for there was no veil. The face of God was over shadowing the earth, his presence made known to all. This is his call for unity, his desire for all. No jealousy, no questioning, no judgment on one another, only his acceptance and love for the time is near. Know your identity, walk in it, move in it, be confident in it. The time is near, do you not see the hour approaching? Prepare yourself for the battle is real. The time is near. The time is near. Be ready, go forth, speak out, warn the people. For behold I am coming quickly. Kathleen VonSeggern I hear a cry in the land for justice, mercy and grace. It is a cry calling out from the depth of the soul.
A cry for help. A cry from the hurting and the lost. A cry of hopelessness in the land. The principalities of darkness have risen their ugly heads and have infected the people which God created with lies, hate and evil. But there is a voice of one crying in the wilderness for the souls that are lost and dying. The Spirit of the Lord would say, I hear that voice of the one who has come before me in the quiet place of my love, I hear the cries for the hurting and the lost. I will make a way where there seems to be no way. For I am raising up a prophetic voice in the land. A voice not ashamed to speak for me. A voice which will proclaim healing and restoration to the hurting and the lost. They will lead by example, and will be followed into the glory of my presence. I am releasing a company of prophetic voices in a land that has been dry, where my people have called out for rain in the desert place, I have not forgotten you. I have not left you helpless. I hear the Lord say that even in the day of the dry bones, I breathed my life into you. Now prophecy to the people. Rise up, for the well within you has not gone dry but is bubbling up from deep within your being. Rise up! Stand and proclaim my mighty works, for the time is short. Do you not know my coming is near? Have I not given you signs and wonders of my return? Tell the people! Proclaim my mighty works! Heal the sick! For my mercy and grace are always there for the taking. Get your self in line my people, for the time is near and my voice must be heard through you. I have raised you up for such a time as this. Step into your calling. Activate that which is already within you. Stop waiting for a sign and step through the door in front of you. Stop asking where, why and how and walk in faith. You already have all you need to accomplish that which I have sent you forth to do. Remember its not about you! It’s about me! And my love for a hurting and dying world. Just give them the Jesus in you. Kathleen VonSeggern There are many things in life that we hold onto, our family, possessions, our hopes and dreams. But in many situations, we tend to hold on too tightly, protecting what we feel is rightfully ours. We often find that in a world of rushing about, with worries and cares too numerous to count, our hands are full, with no room to reach, grab, or hold anything new. Therefore sitting aside countless blessings which God has prepared for us.
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine." “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”, so they filled them to the brim. Then He told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. John 2:1-11 (NIV) Jesus turning the water into wine, was actually His example of touching our life of flesh, so that His spirit may dwell in us. The water was contaminated and therefore not drinkable. What we have to offer God is also contaminated and unworthy. Yet He loves us anyway. He saved the best for last means that what we once were, we shall no longer be. For some of us it may take a life time to get there. The purpose of the journey we have been on, was to bring us to this place. Therefore, let us praise Him in the journey! Because He inhabits the praise of His people. Psalm 22:3 Once we are emptied of ourselves, (as the stone water jars represent) He is able to transform us into who He would have us to be. The wedding feast represents His presence. Until we are emptied, we can not be filled. Many times we have tried to put new wine into an old wine skin. We think we are bursting with God’s love and knowledge on the inside. But we can only bring out the purity of Him, once the stuff we are hanging onto so tightly is given to Him, in the quiet place of His love and grace. It is there where we are emptied of self, that He can fill us with His presence as He desires. No one puts new wine into old wine skins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wine skins so that both are preserved. Matthew 9:17 (NLT) Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 (ESV) As Children bring their broken toys, with tears for us to mend I brought my broken dreams to God, because He was my friend. But then instead of leaving Him, in peace to work alone, I hung around and tried to help, with ways that were my own. At last I snatched them back and cried, “How could you be so slow” “My child,” He said, “What could I do? You never did let go. Author Unknown As you give it up and let it go, your heavenly father can take control. He’ll make it and mold it on the potters wheel, if you will only just be still. Kathleen VonSeggern We live in an instant world with instant information, instant meals, instant coffee. We often expect instant results in whatever we do. Modern technology has allowed us to connect with others far away, and gain information quickly. Some people even develop instant friendships on social media. In this fast pace life, many have developed the mindset of an instant prayer life, and bible reading /study.
I believe that God values the time we spend with Him, but the desire of His heart is that we put Him first in all we do. It doesn’t matter if we spend ten minutes or three hours with Him in prayer or study, its all about the posture of our heart. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 (NIV) Jesus and His disciples came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister, Mary sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to help me!” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 (NLT) In this fast pace world, it’s easy to get distracted and lose focus. Our focus must not be on man or things, but on God. If we put Him first in our life, the other things will fall into place. It’s not about the quantity of time we spend with the Lord but rather the quality. Have you ever had lunch with someone who wasn’t really present? In all appearance they are there physically but their mind and heart are somewhere else. Perhaps they were texting or answering phone calls during your lunch, in the time that you had set aside special to meet with them. How does it make you feel? Is that how it is when you meet with God to pray and read His word? Are you in His presence with all your heart soul and mind? Or are you just appearing to make an effort, but your heart and mind is somewhere else? “His grace is sufficient for you, for His power is made perfect in our weaknesses.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) “Those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” Isaiah 40:31 (NAS) Spending quality time with God does not ensure that you will not have problems. But you can have peace in the midst of the storms that come in your life. “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45 (ESV) “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NLT) Although God can change things in an instant, His desire to meet you in the quiet place of His love is everlasting. I encourage you to make special time to meet with Him daily and allow Him to speak to you through His word (the bible). It will change your life. I awoke one morning, to the name of a song, going through my head. "Don't go chasing water falls."
As I began to pray about the message in these few words, I heard the spirit of the Lord say, "Many times my people are chasing after the mass, the crowd, the popular, the known, even in the spiritual, they chase after my glory." "Don't go chasing water falls, go after the trickle in the quiet place with me. It is out of the trickle in the quiet place, that my glory will fall on the remnant who seek it, and burst forth into the rivers and into the streams which I have ordained." He longs for us to come into that quiet place with Him. It is there where we establish an intimate relationship with Him. It is in that quiet place where we can hear Him say, "Come up a little closer, for in me you will find peace that passes all understanding." "I long for time with you my children, I long to hear your praise." "Come after the trickle, in the quiet place, for that is where you will drink of my love and a water fall will burst out of you, full of my glory to others." Go after what God has for you in the quiet place. For it is in that place, He will reveal Himself to you. You are unique, there is only one of you, and there is a plan and a call that God has for your life. But the fullness of His plan for you, must be developed in the quiet place with Him. Come up a little closer and sit beneath the trickle of the flowing brook of His love for you, so that His glory may fall from heaven into the earth through you. This is a word for the Body of Christ as a whole. Those who have been in preparation for such a time as this.
I believe there is an army of rising prophets who are about to be exposed to the world. Because there is an army of intercessors who have been praying in the secret place, alone with God for the out pouring and manifestation of the Holy Spirit to be exposed to a fallen world. I can see the army of God marching as to war. I see commanders on horseback shouting commands at the troops. I see them moving forward at a fast pace, ready for battle. For too long the enemy has stolen what belongs to Gods people. For too long the principality of darkness has pillaged thru the life’s /belongings of the Army of God. No more, says the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. No more will the spirit of lack be upon God’s people, because what has been theirs all along, is about to be revealed to the nations! That which has been locked up, that which has been stolen, that which has been hidden, is about to be exposed, and the world will know that I am God. I honor those who worship me. I honor those who serve me. No more shall lack be a part of their life. Because I am about to open the flood gates of heaven, my blessings will flow in abundance upon my people. But beware of the wolves in sheep clothing. Because those who have not walked with me will turn to me, not from a heart that has been changed, but from a heart of greed, because of my blessings on my people. Many will come, but few will be chosen. So watch, listen, and wait, so that you will know by their fruit and my voice those who are truly mine and those who have never known me. Deception will run rampant in the church. My people will perish for lack of knowledge, for if it be possible even the very elect of God will be deceived. There will be few who will watch, listen, and wait for my instruction / my guidance. Be careful that you do not run ahead of me, for I am the Shepard. It is for this reason, many of my people are being attack in the spiritual realm, more than ever before in their families, homes, finances & health, and it seems at times that the load is to much to bare. I am the God of finance, I am the God of provision, I am the God of health and healing, I am that I am, and I am has sent you. So do not shy away, do not hide among the baggage of your past. But march and ride as a solider in the army of God with the authority that I have given you. For you are a servant of the most high God, and I have spoken. Kathleen VonSeggern If someone gains illegal entry to our home, they disrupt our life, take what does not belong to them, and sometimes even harm us. We do not just stand by and let it happen! We fight back, we call the police, we place charges against them. In some situations we may even give our life for our loved ones. When the devil attacks a child of God it is illegal in the kingdom of heaven, because the price was already paid on the cross!!
When you’re feeling less than, put down, shoved down or taken down, when you’ve been told your not good enough, you’re too young, too old, or just plain unqualified, when you feel you’re all alone, no one cares about you or loves you, when your loved ones are being attacked in their physical bodies, financially, or making choices that are not in line with the word of God, these are all illegal attacks on you and your family. It is because the price has already been paid for on the cross! “He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.” Isaiah 53:5-6 (NLT) God loves you! Everything about you concerns Him! He cares about what and who you care about. The very hairs of your head are numbered. Luke 12:7 (NLT) “In this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (KJV) (Jesus overcame the tribulations of this world on the cross by the blood He shed and the price He paid) Let me remind you, of a boy named David; When others saw a giant, David saw an opportunity. The boy who appeared to have no armor, no weapon of magnitude, or sense, when the army of God was shaking in their boots, afraid of the philistines, David stood before a giant and said; “How dare you defile the army of the living God!!” When the intruder from the pit of hell gains illegal entry to your home and your family you have the legal right in the kingdom of heaven to stand before the giant that is invading your land/home/family and say “How dare you devil defile the family/army that God has given me as an heir of the throne of salvation.” “How dare you devil with your sickness and disease come against my family!!! You don’t have any legal right demons of heal, your invasion is illegal and I command you to get your hands off God’s property and go back to the pits of hell where you belong, take your sickness and disease because you don’t have a legal right to take what my God has promised me as my inheritance because of the price that Jesus paid on the cross!” “I speak healing, I speak restoration and I speak peace over every person in my blood line. Satan I command you to get your hands off God’s property by the blood of the lamb and in the name of Jesus. The principality of darkness has over stepped the boundary line of heaven, that the blood of Jesus paid for. How dare you defile the family/army of the living God!!” David was able to stand before a giant without fear, because David knew who he was. David knew the God he served. He didn’t need anyone to remind him, about the provision of his God. Because he walked, spoke, listened and lived with Him daily. When we know who we belong to, when we know who we are in Christ, when we know the price that He paid, we can stand against any giant in the land! Because anything less than what the word of God promises, is illegal entry in our life!! “The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected – even children in the third and forth generation.” Numbers 14:18 (NIV) “But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.” Exodus 20:6 (NLT) “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” Daniel 3:17&18 “I know my God is able to deliver me, but even if he doesn’t, still I will serve Him! When David (as a boy) went out to fight Goliath, Saul gave David his own armor, which David tried on. But Saul’s armor didn’t fit him, so he refused to wear it. 1 Samuel 17: 12-58 I believe there are several reasons why Saul’s armor did not fit David. But the one that recently stood out to me, is that David was already wearing the armor of God. Another armor would have been much too confining!!
We are told to, Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Ephesians 6: 10-13 (NLT) But what is the full armor of God? The belt of truth: Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life” John 14:6 The breast plate of righteousness: The Lord is righteous in everything He does. Psalm 145:17 The shoes of peace: He will keep in perfect peace all who trust in Him. Isaiah 26:3 The shield of faith: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word God. Romans 10:17 The helmet of salvation: For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 The sword of the spirit: For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12 I believe that what God is saying to us when He says put on the whole armor of God, is “Come up a little higher. Come closer to me, for it is in me that your protection lies.” When we truly look at what the armor of God is, does it not paint a picture of who Christ is? The more time you spend with someone, the better you get to know them, sometimes even taking on their characteristics. Should we not desire to become more like Christ, and represent Him to the world for who He is? We are not to be entangled with fear. But we are to know whose provision we operate under, and that He always provides what we need, when we need it. God is calling you to come up a little higher, to draw closer to Him. We need to be at peace in the journey, because He has already gone ahead of us. For He leads his sheep; He isn’t behind them driving them like cattle. Before the words were ever spoken from your mouth, angels were already being disbursed to accomplish that which he has planned. The full armor of God comes upon us when we praise Him. Praise Him in the journey for His protection is already upon you. Whenever I hear the laughter of a child, see sunshine through the clouds, or hear the voice of wisdom coming from the mouth of a child of God who has spent a lifetime serving Him, I can see the fingerprint of God, the signature of His touch. Because an artist always signs their work. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:3-5 (NIV) Each year thousands of sand hill cranes migrate through the state of Nebraska. Hundreds of people from other states come to see this magnificent sight. My husband and I look forward to driving a few hours away to spend the day viewing these beautiful creatures. We recently drove to a nearby lake to see the geese migration. There must have been over one hundred thousand geese of several different breeds landing on the water, circling the area, arriving and departing. They would sometimes fly high in the air so the sun would hit them just right and it looked as if they were diamonds dancing in the sky. It seemed as if each move were choreographed just for us to enjoy. It was breath taking, words could never adequately explain the beauty of it all. But wherever we are, God’s magnificent creation is all around us. Through the rustling of the trees, flowers in bloom, snowflakes on a cold winter day, or in a baby’s smile, the finger print of God is evident in his workmanship. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable then they? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you? Matthew 6:26-30 (NIV) People can often be found or identified by their finger print. There is no person, fingerprint or snowflake just alike. Because everyone’s finger print is unique, even identical twins have their own fingerprint. God created each of us to be one of a kind, and he made all of creation for us to enjoy. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession. James 1: 17-18 (NLT) Each of us were created for a purpose and a plan in the heart of God. We were each designed specifically according to His blueprint. From the color of your eyes, the shape of your face, the size of your feet, you are a gift to the world from Heaven. No one else can be who God intended you to be; there is only one of you. And you are loved with an everlasting love by the Heavenly Father. Ref. Jeremiah 31:3 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14 We sometimes compare ourselves to others. Our looks or abilities may not be the same, we may feel inadequate at times. But God, has a purpose and plan and if we will let Him, He will guide and direct us each step of the way. Sometimes we just need to glide in the freedom of His love for us and allow Him to guide and direct our steps. He loves you so much!! He adores you!! He will make a way where there seems to be no way. You may not know His love or how special you are to Him, or you maybe seeking a new direction in your life. I invite you to talk to Him today. Just say this prayer with me. God, I believe in you and I believe you have a purpose and a plan for my life. Teach me your ways and guide me in your path. Help me to know that you love me in a way I have never known before. Help me to know your voice and to spend time with you and love you with all my heart, soul and strength and with all my mind. Luke 10:27 (NIV) so that I can be who you intended for me to be from the beginning. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” “In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes.” Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NLT)   As I contemplate what I should write about, I keep seeing the nail scarred hands of Jesus. I think of the pain and suffering, (of the nails that left the cleft in the palm of His hands) I wonder how could a man that did no wrong, be beaten, abused, spit on, hung on a cross, and be sealed in a tomb, have so much love that He would say to the Father, “forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34 (NLT)
We have all been hurt or offended by someone. Many of us have a hard time forgiving. But even after we have forgiven we sometimes put a wall up, because no one is ever going to hurt us again! After all, our pain is apparently much worse, than the price Jesus paid when He hung on the cross for us. Really??? When I envision His nail scarred hands I am reminded that He hides us in the cleft of the rock which is right in the palm of His hand, where the nails broke flesh and His blood was shed. “I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” Isaiah 49:16 (NIV) “I have told you these things, so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart! Because I have over come the world.” John 16:33 (NLT) “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” Psalm 18:2 (NLT) One touch from the nail scarred hand can change your life. I hear the spirit of the Lord saying:
The time of recession for God’s people has come to an end. For years God’s people have been in a place of spiritual recession. But that time is no more. Because God is the God of abundance. The abundance of God has not flowed freely because of obstacles of religious mindsets and unbelief. The Spirit of the Lord would say, my people have not loved me with a whole heart, because they have been distracted by the cares of this life. The time of recession is no more. Because I am the God of abundance and abundance will be held captive no longer! The enemy is and always has been on a budget. But that time is no more for the budget has run out. You will be a witness to recession in the enemy’s camp. For I am turning over the tables, just as when I cast the money changers out of the temple, I am turning over the tables in the spiritual realm. For too long many of my people have looked at me as a handy man or one who just meets their needs. They have paid me in lip service and deeds, but their heart and mind have not been truly set on me. They have not fully valued the price I paid on the cross, but instead have made a mockery of me, my word, my love and my grace. Again, the spirit of the Lord would say the recession is over! The victory is won for I gave Jesus my only son. He died on Calvary to set you free so you could be all I called you to be. Get ready for I am breaking the chains that bind. For the recession is over, those who have been in spiritual captivity are about to be set free. For the enemy’s budget has Run Out!! Kathleen VonSeggern |
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