Cling

As I wake up this morning I remember a dream I had last night. In the dream we were having some kind of family gathering. We hadn’t seen this family member in a good while. As I approached him we hugged. In the dream the hug felt so real. I held on tight. And hugged as long as I could. The dream was over.

Oh beloved, God speaks to my heart and yours. He is saying this morning that even if you haven’t conversed with Him in a long time, today is the best day to do just that. Jesus made the way for all of us to have an intimate, ongoing relationship with Him. And if you have been keeping your relationship close, it’s time to get even closer. Hold on tight, hug up to the Lord. You can do that and you will find yourself being ministered to as you just hold tight.

God wants to give you what you really need in this day and time. He wants to give you of Himself. Oh how we get this backwards. The Lord is not some distant person we relegate to the church pew or the altar call. That won’t do for this season anyway. He says come closer, He says hold onto Me, and He says live by My precepts. His principles, guidelines and instructions aren’t worrisome or wearisome. They are life and breath! As you look around you will find many who are living by their own wits. You beloved, are born again to live by His Spirit. Amazing isn’t it that the same God who set the stars in the sky and the planets in orbit knows you and has given you new life! You’re not an accident, nor are you a train wreck of problems. You are chosen, blessed, endowed, renewed, redeemed and loved!

God loves you and He’s for you. Run to Him this morning. Get close and stay there until you feel His Presence. Listen to His Voice for instructions from heaven. Keep clinging to Him and standing in your rightful place in Christ. Then take Him with you, by the infilling of Holy Spirit everywhere you go. Then you can live this life, regardless of what you are facing, in the Light of His power, presence and peace.

Psalm 63:8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

2 Kings 18:6 For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.

Deuteronomy 13:4 You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.

I Timothy 1:19 Cling to your faith in Christ and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.

The Precipice

The Precipice is what I heard this morning…

When I was a kid with every presidential election I knew who my dad liked and didn’t like in the office. He was quite vocal about his political beliefs, well about ALL his beliefs. But never once did my dad threaten in word or deed anyone because he didn’t agree with them. We all have opinions, but we don’t all have the urge to do harm because of those differing opinions.

Oh beloved, I don’t know about you but I’m not fond of the turmoil in the world today. Our country is definitely on a precipice. I don’t like precipices either! The dizziness and sick stomach I have experienced at the edge of a cliff makes me want to avoid them all together. I can’t make sense of it and I can’t see the Lord in much of the activity and talk going on. I would bet you are as concerned as I am. What shall we do? Where can we go? Who do we trust?

God wants you and I to know this morning that He has not left His throne, nor can any being usurp His Sovereign Reign over all the earth. To run and hide won’t work. Unless we run and Hide ourselves in Him. We may not can make sense of the situations we find ourselves in, whether they are national or in our own personal lives. But we can roll all our cares on the Lord. Kings and kingdoms will all pass away. But not God. The Only Living God is going to remain alive and in charge of heaven and earth. Everything else may change but God never will.

God speaks peace over His people. His people don’t work against His Word. His people live for His Truth. And they speak from a heavenly viewpoint, not an earthly one. And the setup is that just as you and I think we cannot live on the precipice a moment longer, God will show up in miraculous ways. He laughs at the schemes of lost mankind. Therefore, we can laugh without fear of the future. You, beloved believer, may go through rough times, but you will not succumb to the enemy’s onslaught. His love will do more than save you in the future and get you to heaven. His love will keep you now – and cause you to be steadfast, immovable and always abounding in His work.

God loves you and He’s for you. It’s time to quit fearing the precipice because you’ve read the end of the Book! Instead run to the Father, ask Him for an increase in the firm footing of fellowship with Him. Ask Him to relieve you of the fear that is so common today. Ask Him to reassure you that He will not let you fall into the abyss of hopelessness. And live, precious, loved, cared for believer, in the Light of the knowledge of God’s Truth and Hope.

Colossians 3:1-4 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Colossians 1:6 “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

It’s More Expensive Not To Exchange

We replaced the awning on our motor home last weekend. We knew it needed replacing because the fabric had torn across the top and there was lots of tape holding it together. But what we didn’t realize was just how worn out the awning material was. When we unrolled it to remove it, we knew it was past time. The outside still looked pretty good but the inner portion was messed up. I had called an RV place in a city near us for a quote on the replacement. They wanted to charge $3000! So hubby bought the fabric for less than $200 and watched a couple of YouTube videos. It didn’t take but a couple of hours of cooperative work (me cooperating with hubby who knew what he was doing) before the old was replaced by the new. It’s a complete change that looks so good and works much better.

Oh beloved, have you ever wanted to change something in your life? Maybe you thought it was too expensive to change. You know, it would cost you far more than you’d want to pay. Listen, the truth is, God wants to help all of us with our changes. And He says it’s far more expensive to remain the same than it is to make the change. While we don’t know what all is involved until we roll it all out before the Lord, there is nothing He can’t repair, restore or renew. He’s the expert and His Word is better than a YouTube video. The more we read His instructions, the more we will understand His plans and be able to implement them for ourselves. He’s not ashamed of our weak areas. And He doesn’t want us to just tape it up and keep going. What you give to God will always become better. His changes are complete and our lives work much better in His plan.

God loves you and He’s for you. Nothing surprises Him. Even our self-righteousness is as filthy rags to Him. So when you go to Him this morning, hold nothing back. Whatever you give to the Lord, you can be sure that He will treat it with honor. Just as Jesus went to the cross for you without holding anything back, you can trust the Lord to take care of you. And you can live in the Light of His amazing redeeming work in your life!

2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Psalm 31:8 I will rejoice and be glad in Your mercy, once You have seen my misery, [and] gotten to know the distress of my soul.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

The Appointment

My hubby’s most recent appointment with his cardiologist was brief. We were asked to wear masks the whole time and the people that worked there did as well. Things were discussed quickly, he was given a green light to continue what he was doing and we were gone.

Oh beloved, God speaks to my heart this morning. Most appointments come and gone. But your appointment with destiny is ongoing. Because you have an appointment with destiny, you have to see your heart doctor often. He is the Chief Physician and your time with Him is so very important. No rushing. Much lingering. He wants to check your heart. There is an end to your struggles with this world. But for now you must have close contact with the One who is in charge of what happens to you. Listen to Him carefully. Let Him speak into your life. Really, your pain and troubles are serious but not life threatening. For your life is hidden in Christ. And because you are alive this morning, you can rest assured you have not missed your appointment. While my husband chose his cardiologist, you did not choose God. Rather He chose you and He appointed you. You are a fruit bearer, and it’s so important to realize you cannot bear fruit on your own. Keep your regular visits with the Lord, increase them if you need to and wait on Him to take consideration of you for His Kingdom purposes.

God loves you and He’s for you. Even now. He rights all wrongs, He releases all captivity, He reconciles everything. In the end it will be only those who kept meeting with Him in fruitful fellowship that will remain. Run to Him this morning, give Him your WHOLE life. Ask Him for clarity and wisdom during these tumultuous times. And go forth in confidence, free to be who you are in Christ. And live, precious believer, for the appointment God has given you to be His ambassador in the earth today!

John 15:16 You did not choose Me but I chose you and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

John 15:5 I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Submit and Resist

In the night I heard the words Resist and Submit. This morning I am reminded of my dad. He was a no nonsense kind of guy when it came to decisions. Rarely did he change his mind about anything. And rarely was I able to ask for a change. Occasionally I would go to my mother and ask for her to intervene on my behalf. Now these weren’t huge things. But God was showing me a precedent for life that has helped me often.

God speaks this morning. He says you have to learn when to submit and when to resist. He said in the middle of the night He was raising up a resistance of heavenly proportions. But this resistance is like no other. It’s not a rebellion, it’s a result of submission. His Word came to mind in James 4 verse 7: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Oh beloved, submit to God! He is your only course of life. He alone will direct you into godliness, away from evil and towards His plan. Defer to Him. Bow down to His Lordship. And resist the devil. The definition of resist implies an overt recognition of a hostile or threatening force and a positive effort to counteract or repel it.

God wants you to know that, regardless of how you were raised, you can learn to submit and resist. And without submission to God you won’t have the wherewithal to resist the devil. And He beloved, is a roaring lion, seeing whom he may devour. Always looking to take by force anything anywhere anytime. But the Lord stands with you. He has given you the armor of a commanding officer in His royal army. And He has shown you through His Word to wield the sword of faith and the Scriptures! He says now is not the time to be passive. This world is going through things, you are going through things personally. But all the armies of heaven come to the aide of one who prays in the Spirit, fights in the Spirit and submits themselves to God with their whole heart. Mighty warrior of faith, you are here for such a time as this! Hold yourself accountable to be all God created you to be! And watch what God achieves through you!

God loves you and He’s for you. That’s active not passive. He needs submitted believers who resist the enemy. Run to Him this morning and repent for being half hearted in this fight. Ask Him for wisdom on how to move forth for His cause. And speak the truth as a megaphone for the Lord. Remember Jesus who walked through it all so you could live, pray and win for the Kingdom and the Glory of God!

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endures forever.